cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing seasonal leaf area dynamics and vertical leaf area distribution in eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) with a portable light meter

We evaluated the ability of a portable light meter (Sunfleck Ceptometer, Decagon Devices, Pullman, WA, USA) to quantify seasonal photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400-700 nm) interception, projected stand leaf area index (LAI), and vertical LAI distribution in a 32-year-old eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) plantation. Canopy PAR transmittance measured with the ceptometer was converted to LAI with the Beer-Lambert Equation. The ceptometer was sensitive to changes in PAR transmittance resulting from foliage growth. Predicted stand LAI ranged from 3.5 in the dormant season to a maximum of 5.3 in late July. Predicted LAI values were within 9% of values determined from destructive sampling. Published canopy extinction coefficients (k) were inadequate for converting PAR transmittance data to stand LAI because a significant amount of PAR was intercepted by dead branches and stems below the forest canopy. Because of interception by dead branches and stems, we estimated k = 0.84, which is substantially higher than previously reported values. The ceptometer was also sensitive to seasonal changes in PAR transmittance within the canopy. However, in contrast to predictions based on the Beer-Lambert Law, the relationship between proportional PAR transmittance (Q(i)/Q(o)) and cumulative LAI within the canopy was linear. Thus, vertical LAI distribution was best estimated with a linear model, as opposed to the non-linear model assumed in the Beer-Lambert Equation. We hypothesize that the linear relationship was a result of a gap in the canopy which was not represented by the cumulative leaf area distribution estimation procedure.
Identification and Processing of Honeydew-Contaminated Cottons

The extreme stickiness of some 1977 Acala SJ California cottons was caused by localized areas of high sugar contamination tentatively identified as honeydew se cretions from whiteflies. Processing of these cottons under normal conditions was virtually impossible because of the stickiness. Tandem carding alleviated the problem at carding, but stickiness at roving still caused frequent disruptions in production because of roll lapping and end breaks. Application of a hydrocarbon plus surfactant additive to the cotton in the opening line eliminated the sticking problem in all phases of yam manufacturing.
Gene regulatory networks in the evolution and development of the heart

The heart, an ancient organ and the first to form and function during embryogenesis, evolved by the addition of new structures and functions to a primitive pump. Heart development is controlled by an evolutionarily conserved network of transcription factors that connect signaling pathways with genes for muscle growth, patterning, and contractility. During evolution, this ancestral gene network was expanded through gene duplication and co-option of additional networks. Mutations in components of the cardiac gene network cause congenital heart disease, the most common human birth defect. The consequences of such mutations reveal the logic of organogenesis and the evolutionary origins of morphological complexity.
Adeno-Associated Virus-Based Transgene Delivery for Treating of Progressive Vascular Diseases

There has been much progress in the clinical treatment of Progressive Vascular Diseases (PVD) since the introduction of statins, calcium channel blockers, and other relevant drugs. Yet long term PVD still plagues much of our aged population. The use of gene therapy, delivering therapeutic transgenes, should provide both long-term and safe treatment, as well as more physiologically relevant treatments. Adeno-associated Virus (AAV) can provide long term and safe gene delivery, very appropriate for long term PVD. In regards to therapeutic transgenes for the treatment of PVD, there is the choice of several gene categories, all of which may provide a significant level of efficacy yet have different metabolic modes of action. As examples there are anti-inflammatory cytokine genes, blood lipoproteinmetabolism genes, and anti-oxidant genes.
Lunar phobia in the greater fishing bat Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae)

The nightly activity patterns of Noctilio leporinus, a piscivorous neotropical bat, were documented by visual observation over one lunar cycle at a large dock in Golfito, Costa Rica. The activity patterns were compared to the intensity of the moonlight, and a strong correlation between darkness and activity was observed (n = 776, r2 = 0.96). This correlation has been observed in many species of mammals and may indicate adaptation by potential prey species to avoid predation by visually oriented nighttime predators and/or an adaptation by predators to maximize hunting success.
Finding the true place of Homo habilis in language evolution

Despite some sound basic assumptions, Wilkins & Wakefield portray a Homo habilis too linguistically sophisticated to fit in with the subsequent fossil record and thereby lose a reasoned explanation for human innovativeness. They err, too, in accepting a single-level model of conceptual structure and in deriving initial linguistic units from calls, a process far more dubious than the derivation of home-sign from naive gesture.
Blind carrier frequency offset estimation for OFDM systems based on kurtosis

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems find various applications in wireless communications. In a practical OFDM system, carrier frequency offset (CFO) destroys the orthogonality among the subcarriers, and degrades the system performance. In this paper, a blind carrier frequency offset estimator (BCFOE) is proposed to identify CFO in OFDM systems. The proposed BCFOE is based on kurtosis, and can estimate CFO within the range of half subcarrier spacing. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed BCFOE outperforms existing techniques as presented in W. Chung and C. R. Johnson (2002) and Y. Yao and G. B. Giannakis (2005) without increasing the computational complexity. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed BCFOE.
Breast MRI Surveillance in Women with Prior Curative-Intent Therapy for Breast Cancer

Background We sought to determine factors that predict the use of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) surveillance in women previously treated for breast cancer and the incidence of in-breast recurrences and/or new cancers identified by MRI. Methods We reviewed 141 patients who were treated between 2005 and 2008 who also underwent surveillance breast MRI following their treatment. Patient, tumor, treatment characteristics, and MRI findings were collected. Gail scores were calculated based on the patient's personal and family history prior to the breast cancer diagnosis. Data were compared using χ 2 and Fisher's exact test. Results The average age of the study population was 51 (range 24–73). One hundred forty-one women underwent 202 surveillance breast MRIs during the study period. Sixteen of 141 (11%) required second look imaging, and six of 141 (4%) required biopsy of suspicious lesions. Two of the six were invasive breast cancers, while four were benign. Overall, the rate of new cancer detection on surveillance MRI during the study period was 0.9% (two of 202 imaging studies). Of the 71 women with evaluable Gail scores, the average lifetime risk score was 16.7%. Eight patients had BRCA mutations and three previously underwent irradiation for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Patient age, Gail score, tumor stage, grade, histology, receptor status, and surgical treatment were not predictive of MRI surveillance use. Conclusion Prospective studies are needed to determine which patients may potentially benefit from breast MRI surveillance following curative-intent treatment. The lack of standardized guidelines may result in excessive or inappropriate use, unnecessary follow-up procedures, and a concomitant low yield.
A quantitative review comparing the yield of switchgrass in monocultures and mixtures in relation to climate and management factors

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a US Department of Energy model species, is widely considered for US biomass energy production. While previous studies have demonstrated the effect of climate and management factors on biomass yield and chemical characteristics of switchgrass monocultures, information is lacking on the yield of switchgrass grown in combination with other species for biomass energy. Therefore, the objective of this quantitative review is to compare the effect of climate and management factors on the yield of switchgrass monocultures, as well as on mixtures of switchgrass, and other species. We examined all peer-reviewed articles describing productivity of switchgrass and extracted dry matter yields, stand age, nitrogen fertilization (N), temperature (growing degree days), and precipitation/irrigation. Switchgrass yield was greater when grown in monocultures (10.9 t ha -1 , n = 324) than when grown in mixtures (4.4 t ha -1 , n = 85); yield in monocultures was also greater than the total yield of all species in the mixtures (6.9 t ha -1 , n = 90). The presence of legume species in mixtures increased switchgrass yield from 3.1 t ha -1 (n = 65) to 8.9 t ha-1 (n = 20). Total yield of switchgrass-dominated mixtures with legumes reached 9.9 t ha -1 (n = 25), which was not significantly different from the monoculture yield. The results demonstrated the potential of switchgrass for use as a biomass energy crop in both monocultures and mixtures across a wide geographic range. Monocultures, but not mixtures, showed a significant positive response to N and precipitation. The response to N for monocultures was consistent for newly established (stand age 3 years) and for lowland and upland ecotypes. In conclusion, these results suggest that fertilization with N will increase yield in monocultures, but not mixtures. For monocultures, N treatment need not be changed based on ecotype and stand age; and for mixtures, legumes should be included as an alternative N source.
Interobserver variability effects on computerized volume analysis of treatment response of head and neck lesions in CT

A computerized system for segmenting lesions in head and neck CT scans was developed to assist radiologists in estimation of the response to treatment of malignant lesions. The system performs 3D segmentation based on a level set model and uses as input an approximate bounding box for the lesion of interest. We investigated the effect of the interobserver variability of radiologists' marking of the bounding box on the automatic segmentation performance. In this preliminary study, CT scans from a pre-treatment exam and a post one-cycle chemotherapy exam of 34 patients with primary site head and neck neoplasms were used. For each tumor, an experienced radiologist marked the lesion with a bounding box and provided a reference standard by outlining the full 3D contour on both the pre- and post treatment scans. A second radiologist independently marked each tumor again with another bounding box. The correlation between the automatic and manual estimates for both the pre-to-post-treatment volume change and the percent volume change was r=0.95. Based on the bounding boxes by the second radiologist, the correlation between the automatic and manual estimate for the pre-to-post-treatment volume change was r=0.89 and for the percent volume change was r=0.91. The correlation for the automatic estimates obtained from the bounding boxes by the two radiologists was as follows: (1) pretreatment volume r=0.92, (2) post-treatment volume r=0.88, (3) pre-to-post-treatment change r=0.89 and (4) percent preto- post-treatment change r=0.90. The difference between the automatic estimates based on the two sets of bounding boxes did not achieve statistical significance for any of the estimates (p>0.29). The preliminary results indicate that the automated segmentation system can reliably estimate tumor size change in response to treatment relative to radiologist's hand segmentation as reference standard, and that the performance was robust against inter-observer variability in marking the input bounding boxes.
Conformational sensitivity analysis of FKBP-FK506/rapamycin complexes

Sensitivity analysis techniques are applied to the FKBP–FK506 and FKBP–rapamycin complexes to quantify the conformational relationships between FKBP and its ligands. Crystal structures of the two FKBP complexes are energy minimized in the Amber force field using a continuum solvent model, and derived Green's function sensitivity coefficients are developed to describe the relationship between the ϕ, ψ, and χ1 torsional angles of the FKBP residues and the bound ligand macrocycle torsional angles. Sensitivity analysis is applied to the entire FKBP structure and reveals that the local conformation of the residues of the 80s and 50s loops and of the active site are sensitive to the ligand conformation. The analysis also reveals that the torsional angles controlling the orientation of the amide and keto carbonyls of FK506 are sensitive to the aromatic side chains in the FKBP carbonyl binding pocket. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Defining a comprehensive verotype using electronic health records for personalized medicine.

The burgeoning adoption of electronic health records (EHR) introduces a golden opportunity for studying individual manifestations of myriad diseases, which is called ‘EHR phenotyping’. In this paper, we break down this concept by: relating it to phenotype definitions from Johannsen; comparing it to cohort identification and disease subtyping; introducing a new concept called ‘verotype’ (Latin: vere = true, actually) to represent the ‘true’ population of similar patients for treatment purposes through the integration of genotype, phenotype, and disease subtype (eg, specific glucose value pattern in patients with diabetes) information; analyzing the value of the ‘verotype’ concept for personalized medicine; and outlining the potential for using network-based approaches to reverse engineer clinical disease subtypes.
Effects of meal volume and composition on gastric myoelectrical activity

The absence of a standard meal in electrogastrography may limit its clinical significance. Different meals may fail to produce the expected postprandial motility pattern. The aim of this study was ...
The Clinical Performance of UHMWPE in Knee Replacements

This chapter discusses the clinical wear performance of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in knee replacements. Total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) and unicondylar knee arthroplasties (UKA) are highly successful surgical procedures. The clinical track record for TKA was established during 1970s, when it gained the same high level of reliability as hip arthroplasty. Most TKAs have enjoyed a long-term survivorship of higher than 90% after 10 years of implantation whereas UKA has enjoyed a resurgence of clinical interest since the 1990s with the advance of minimally invasive surgical techniques. The clinical performance of knee replacement is most unambiguously defined in terms of survivorship; on the other hand, survivorship alone does not fully capture the clinical performance of UHMWPE in the knee. Surface damage and wear of the UHMWPE insert are also important measures of clinical performance of knee arthroplasty. If knee prosthesis survives the first 10 years of implantation, wear behavior of the insert plays an increasing role in the longevity of the joint replacement. Moreover, a patient's knee replacement may be revised for aseptic loosening, infection, fracture, joint stiffness, tibiofemoral instability due to collateral ligament instability, patellar complications, extensor mechanism rupture, and/or wear or failure of the UHMWPE component.
Black Ethnicity, Opinion Leadership and Innovativeness

Behavioral scientists have noted an increasing emphasis on ethnicity and ethnically defined identities among diverse social groups. The relationships between ethnicity and two concepts central to the innovation diffusion paradigm - opinion leadership and innovativeness - are empirically investigated within the Black American subculture. Tests on seven hypotheses derived from prior research on black-white consumption patterns reveal significant differences in the correlates of these two diffusion contracts which appear to be attributable to both ethnic and socioeconomic influences.
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome Possibly Caused by Molindone Hydrochloride

The case of a patient who developed neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) on three separate occasions is presented. Her third bout of this syndrome possibly was caused by molindone hydrochloride. This medication has been reported only once previously to cause NMS. The pharmacology of molindone is reviewed and a complicating factor in this case—the recent onset of hypothyroidism—is discussed together with its implication in the development of the clinical manifestations of this syndrome.
FRACTURE OF SESAMOID BONES OF THE FOOT

1. Fracture of the tibial (inner) sesamoid of the great toe, although not common, has been reported often enough since its recognition to be classed as a clinical entity. 2. Fracture of the fibular (outer) sesamoid is rare and has been reported only a very few times. 3. Congenital anomalies of the tibial (inner) sesamoid occur in about four per cent. of cases. 4. No cases of congenital anomalies of the fibular (outer) sesamoid have been reported. 5. This case of fibular (outer) sesamoid is of interest as being very unusual. 6. The diagnosis of fractured sesamoid in this case is more certain because congenital anomalies of the fibular (outer) sesamoid have not been reported; and is proved by the x-ray taken.
Emergency department response to hazardous materials incidents.

Emergency physicians must stay alert to situations that involve toxic chemical exposures. An appropriate response to victims of chemical contamination is important for the victim's outcome and the safety of hospital personnel. Successful management of such a situation requires managing information, resources, and patients with complex medical conditions. Chemical contamination may affect one or hundreds of victims. Community planning is essential for an effective response to toxic chemical accidents (Haz-Mat). Language: en
Thermal versus Photochemical Reductive Elimination of Aryl Chlorides from NHC–Gold Complexes

Two homologous complexes of the type [(NHC)AuI–Ar], in which the aryl substituent was either phenyl or pentafluorophenyl, were prepared. Treatment of [(IPr)AuIC6F5] with PhICl2 leads directly to the expected AuIII oxidation addition product [(IPr)AuIII(Cl)2C6F5]. This complex is thermally stable but undergoes photochemical reductive elimination to deliver [(IPr)AuICl] and C6F5Cl. In contrast, the reaction of [(IPr)AuIPh] with PhICl2 does not deliver an isolable AuIII oxidation addition product but rather leads directly to the formation of [(IPr)AuICl] and PhCl, presumably via a [(IPr)AuIII(Cl)2Ph] intermediate. These related reactivity pathways are rationalized on the basis of the electronic structures of the two [(NHC)AuI–Ar] complexes.
Exploring Joint Variance Between Independent Variables and a Criterion: Meaning, Effect, and Size

Current methods used in the analysis and interpretation of behavioral data tend to ignore a potentially important explanatory component. That component is the joint variance shared between predicto...
Notes on Topological Spaces with Minimum Neighborhoods

(1969). Notes on Topological Spaces with Minimum Neighborhoods. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 76, No. 6, pp. 616-627.
Social Determinants, Social Support and Health: a Critique

The two principal lines of research in the social determinants program focus on the association of socioeconomic status and networks/affiliations to health. This paper critiques the ‘network’ approach as summarized in a recent comprehensive statement by Berkman et al. An analytic review concludes that this programmatic statement is just that; it is not the causal explanation that it claims to be. A second analysis examines the specific social support explanation and finds that it too has no causal relevance. At best social support is an ‘effect modifier’ hypothesis, but a fundamental mistake in measurement weakens that claim. The remaining argument for causality is undermined by the part for the whole fallacy. Personal ties are simply one type of response that superior problem-solving individuals employ. The responding person, not a particular kind of interaction, is the more plausible locus of causality. The consequences of abandoning the network/affiliations explanation of health are considered and the claims of an alternative theory, one that explains both the SES and the social support findings, is referenced.
Altitudinal variation in bumble bee (Bombus) critical thermal limits.

Abstract Organism critical thermal limits are often tightly linked to current geographic distribution and can therefore help predict future range shifts driven by changing environmental temperatures. Thermal tolerance of diverse organisms often varies predictably with latitude, with upper thermal limits changing little and lower thermal limits decreasing with latitude. Despite similarly steep gradients in environmental temperatures across altitude, few studies have investigated altitudinal variation in critical thermal limits. We estimated critical thermal minimum (CT min ), critical thermal maximum (CT max ) and recovery temperature (T rec ) by tracking righting response of three bumble bee species during thermal ramps: Bombus huntii collected from 2180 m asl, and Bombus bifarius and Bombus sylvicola collected from 3290 m asl in Wyoming, USA. Overall, larger bees could tolerate more extreme temperatures, likely due to a thermal inertia driven lag between core body temperatures and air temperatures. Despite their smaller size, high altitude bumble bees tolerated colder air temperatures: they had ~1 °C lower CT min and recovered from cold exposure at ~3–4 °C lower air temperatures. Conversely, low altitude bees tolerated ~5 °C hotter air temperatures. These altitudinal differences in thermal tolerance parallel differences in average daily minimum (1.2 °C) and maximum (7.5 °C) temperatures between these sites. These results provide one of the few measurements of organism thermal tolerance across altitude and the first evidence for geographical differences in tolerance of temperature extremes in heterothermic bumble bees.
Origin of the alkaline phosphatases in amniotic fluid.

Abstract The nature and origins of amniotic fluid ALP activity Were investigated early (14 to 22 weeks) and late (25 to 44 weeks) in pregnancy. The lotal enzyme activities for both stages were significantly different and considerable changes in the activities of individual enzyme components occurred. Early activity consists of intestinal (81%.}, bone/liver/kidney (15%), and placental (4%) ALP. In late fluids, the values are 5%, 69%, and 27%, respectively. The intestinai enzyme is shown to be of fetal origin, presumably arising from the direct entry of deSquamated Intestinal mucosal cells into the amniotic fluid. The bone/liver/kidney enzyme is mostly of maternal serum origin early with an increased fetal contribution toward term. Early in pregnancy, the placental ALP activity is probably derived both directly from the placenta and from the placental activity in maternal serum. The latter source contributes more toward term.
Neuroimmune signaling in regulation of intestinal ion transport

Complex interactions between the enteric nervous system, the immune system, and the epithelium govern the transport rates of salt and water across the intestinal lining. Luminal antigens or bacterial products are detected by the immune system, which triggers a cascade of events associated with the release of inflammatory mediators. These mediators, by lowering the response threshold for transmission in some neural circuits, augment ongoing neural reflexes that promote secretion. Associated with these effects is a dampening of responses in other neural circuits innervating the mucosal effectors. Selective excitation and inhibition of the neural reflex circuitry coupled with direct actions of inflammatory mediators on epithelial cells result in stereotypical motility and secretory patterns that are characterized by strong muscular contractions, copious secretion, and diarrhea.
Determination of the Absolute Configurations of Chiral Drugs Using Chiroptical Spectroscopy

Chiroptical spectroscopy has emerged as a promising tool for the determination of absolute configurations and predominant conformations of chiral molecules in academic laboratories. This promise has led to the adaption of chiroptical spectroscopic methods as valuable tools in chiral drug discovery research programs of the pharmaceutical industry. Most major pharmaceutical companies have invested in in-house chiroptical spectroscopy applications and reported successful outcomes. In the context of continuously increasing applications of chiroptical spectroscopy for chiral molecular structure determination, a review of recent developments and applications for chiral drugs is presented in this manuscript.
Airline network and competition characterization using big data approaches

This study uses Big Data techniques to characterize the U.S. air transportation system over the years from 1998–2014, in an effort to capture the network's behavior and determine what internal and/or external drivers result in structural changes to the network. The metrics discussed in this study allow for the identification of trends in the network, along with capturing major events such as the merger of two airlines. In addition, the metrics shed light on the potential impact of data consistency issues using a dataset commonly used in airline network analysis.
Developmental Venous Anomalies

Developmental venous anomalies (DVAs, also known as venous angiomas) are rare, asymptomatic congenital remnants of fetal venous vasculature. As persistent fetal veins, they provide critical venous drainage for the brain parenchyma, and resection or embolization is associated with significant morbidity from venous infarction. They are often incidentally discovered in association with cavernomas, which are more frequently symptomatic. They do not independently progress and therefore do not require follow-up when discovered incidentally. However, in rare circumstances, they can present with arteriovenous shunting from adjacent arteriovenous malformations, which then alters the venous drainage pattern and evolution of symptoms. Core principles in defining the risk and management plan of a DVA are attribution of presenting symptoms to DVA or another source, identifying mechanism of DVA symptomatology for indirect treatment of these symptoms as an alternative to the DVA, and defining the DVA flow pattern.
Determining the Minimum Reliability Standard Based on a Decision Criterion.

ABSTRACTThe .70 and .80 reliability standards, proposed by Jum Nunnally, are widely employed across a spectrum of research domains. Nonetheless, due to their arbitrary nature, both standards fail to satisfy the needs of researchers. This paper presents a set of formulas that can be used to compute minimum reliability standards as a function of a decision criterion (margin of error). An example based on a study of preliteracy is considered, for which a two-facet generalizability theory design was employed to estimate a g-coefficient. The minimum reliability standard was used to determine whether the decision criterion was satisfied by the observed reliability coefficient.
Boson-like behaviour of pairs of fermions (II)

Abstract A class of diagrams corresponding to the binary collision approximation is chosen out of the perturbation expansion of the thermodynamic potential in diagrams drawn on a cylinder. A subclass of these diagrams corresponding to the formation of non-overlapping pairs is first summed yielding the expected result that these pairs behave as free bosons. Exchange effects between pairs are then included as insertations in the former diagrams. This yields an approximation valid up to much higher densities. The pairs now behave as interacting bosons. They still condense at low temperature. The assembly of condensed pairs at zero temperature can maintain a chemical equilibrium with a Fermi sea of unpaired particles. In this way we can approximate a system of arbitrary density which exhibits a smeared Fermi surface and superfluid characteristics. In the translationally invariant case a “simple pairing” of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer type prevails. However this is a result rather than an assumption. All results are gauge invariant.
Common stomal problems following ileal conduit urinary diversion

Abstract Stomal complications following ileal conduit urinary diversion continue to be reported unduly high numbers. Some of the complications in the immediate postoperative period could be prevented by increased awareness of the importance of the type and location of the stomal bud and management of the collection device. Over the long-term, close follow-up to insure that the appliances fit properly, are kept meticulously clean, and that an acid urine is maintained will obviate any of the distressing sequelae associated with the ureteroileocutaneous anastomosis. Recognition the most common problems and suggestions for simple conservative treatment are offered.
Remarks on Digitally Continuous Multivalued Functions

Digitally continuous multivalued functions were introduced in [6, 7], where they were shown to have importantadvantages over digitally continuous single-valued functions fordescribing basic operations in mathematical morphology, including retraction,erosion, dilation, closing, and opening. In the current paper, we exploreadditional operations that can be performed via continuousmultivalued functions between digital images. We considerways of using continuous multivalued functions to create largerimages. Also, we explore relations between the notion of adigitally continuous multivalued function and the notion of ashy map [3].
Sewage Sludge Leachate Assimilation Capacity

The five million tons of municipal sewage sludge generated each year in the U.S. are expected to nearly double as soon as secondary treatment of domestic wastewater is fully implemented (1). The total cost (capital, operation, and maintenance) of dealing with this material approaches a billion dollars per year, and represents more than half the cost of wastewater treatment, in many instances. It is essential that effective and low-cost alternatives for utilization and final disposal of this material be well defined. This paper presents an overview of the major considerations necessary when sewage sludge is applied to the land.
Small scale surface roughness effects on enhanced backscatter from a layer of vegetation

The effect of surface roughness on enhanced backscatter from a layer of vegetation is investigated. The vegetation layer is modeled as a discrete random media over a dielectric half-space and a rough surface having a Gaussian height profile. The following scattering components are present within the layer: direct (or volume) scatter, direct-reflected scatter and surface scatter. The direct-reflected scatter consists of two components that have equal path lengths at backscatter, resulting in enhanced backscatter for like-polarized radar returns. The reduction in this enhanced backscatter due to small-scale surface roughness is shown to be less pronounced for layers with low volume scatter and high direct-reflected scatter.
Exposure to tobacco websites: Associations with cigarette and e-cigarette use and susceptibility among adolescents.

Abstract Introduction Exposure to tobacco advertising is a risk factor for tobacco use and susceptibility among adolescents. Although tobacco company websites are ostensibly targeted to adults, some youth access these websites and are exposed to tobacco-related content. Methods This study analyzed data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) survey to estimate the prevalence of exposure to tobacco websites and the associations between website exposure and tobacco product use and susceptibility among adolescents in the United States. Results Although only 2.3% of youth had ever visited a tobacco company website, youth who visited tobacco company websites were 3.2 times more likely to have used cigarettes and 3.0 times more likely to have used e-cigarettes in the past month, relative to those who had not visited a tobacco website. Among never-users, those who had visited tobacco company websites were 2.4 times more likely to be susceptible to cigarettes and 2.9 times more likely to be susceptible to e-cigarettes. Conclusions Results indicate that more effective regulations are needed to prevent youth from accessing tobacco websites. Stricter age verification procedures on websites could minimize exposure to tobacco websites by youth.
Partitioning Ecosystem Respiration Using Stable Carbon Isotope Analyses of CO 2

Recent studies have shown that natural abundance stable carbon isotopes can be used to partition measurements of net ecosystem CO 2 exchange into gross fluxes of photosynthesis and respiration. This chapter explores the related application of the natural abundance stable carbon isotope ratio of respired CO 2 to partitioning components of ecosystem respiration. Although, the exploitation of the natural variation in stable isotope abundance in respired CO 2 holds the most promise for widespread application among existing measurement networks (e.g., BASIN, FLUXNET, SIBAE) and for comparative studies focused on ecosystem C balance, the reliance on natural variation may also have limitations from the standpoint that such variation is typically small. Recent evidence suggests, however, that variation can be large and significant such that measurable differences among respiration signatures can allow partitioning of ecosystem respiration and therefore inform ecosystem C-balance studies.
Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis Demonstrate Interlimb Asymmetry in Pedaling Power During Stationary Cycling.

Cycling is commonly prescribed for physical rehabilitation of individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Despite the known therapeutic benefits, no research has examined interlimb symmetry of power output during cycling in these individuals. We investigated the effects of external workload and cadence on interlimb symmetry of crank power output in individuals with knee OA versus healthy controls. A total of 12 older participants with knee OA and 12 healthy sex- and age-matched controls were recruited. Participants performed 2-minute bouts of stationary cycling at 4 workload-cadence conditions (75 W at 60 rpm, 75 W at 90 rpm, 100 W at 60 rpm, and 100 W at 90 rpm). Power output contribution of each limb toward total crank power output was computed over 60 crank cycles from the effective component of pedal force, which was perpendicular to the crank arm. Across the workload-cadence conditions, the knee OA group generated significantly higher power output with the severely affected leg compared with the less affected leg (10% difference; P = .02). Healthy controls did not show interlimb asymmetry in power output (0.1% difference; P > .99). For both groups, interlimb asymmetry was unaffected by external workload and cadence. Our results indicate that individuals with knee OA demonstrate interlimb asymmetry in crank power output during stationary cycling.
Use of Paclobutrazol to Regulate Shoot Growth and Flower Development of ‘Roseum Elegans’ Rhododendron

Abstract ‘Roseum Elegans’ rhododendron (Rhododendron sp. L.) were grown in 2.5 1 (#1) containers and treated with foliar sprays of 50, 100, and 200 ppm or root-zone drenches of 2.5 (0.89), 5.0 (1.78), 10.0 (3.55), and 20.0 (7.10) ppm (mg ai/plant) of paclobutrazol immediately following completion of the first flush of annual shoot growth. Shoot lengths of the subsequent growth flush following treatment were decreased with increasing rates of paclobutrazol when applied as either a drench or foliar spray. Drenches were more effective in suppressing shoot length with less active ingredient than were foliar sprays. The number of flower buds per plant increased with increasing rates of paclobutrazol when applied as a drench but not as a foliar spray. The highest drench rate resulted in 8.0 flower buds/plant, a 240% increase over non-treated plants. No phytotoxicity was observed from any of the treatments; however, inflorescence diameter, measured the year following treatment, was slightly (<1.1 cm, <7.5%) redu...
Antimicrobials in shrimp aquaculture in the United States: regulatory status and safety concerns.

The demand for seafood products, i.e., shrimp, continues to increase every year. However, the supply of seafood from the ocean has been believed for some time, to be very close to the point of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) (Roedel 1973). A figure of 100 million metric tons (MT) per year has long been accepted as the MSY of our oceans. Some believe that a more liberal figure of 150 million MT is more accurate. By 1987, the world fisheries landings had reached a level of 93 million MT (Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO] 1989). Regardless, the yearly rate of increase of fishery landings continues to decline, and an increasing amount of the seafoods consumed is supplied via the aquaculture industry (United States Office of Agriculture [USOA] 1986). The world aquaculture production of fish in 1985 was 10.6 million MT and rose to 13.2 million MT by 1987 (FAO 1989). It has been estimated that, by the year 2000, as much as 32 million MT of aquacultured fish will be produced, accounting for approximately 25% of the world’s fishery production.
Three Studies of Design Rationale as Explanation

Prior research has pointed out the potential for design rationale to act as a base of explanatory knowledge about an evolving or completed design. One of the benefits of design rationale and its associated techniques and tools is that they help to answer questions about why a particular design possesses the structure and behaviors that it does. Answers to these why questions are explanations. To date, little empirical work has investigated the challenges and opportunities that emerge when attempting to realize the utility of design rationale as explanations. The three short case studies reported here describe examples of research that explores the use of design rationale as a means to enhance communication and comprehension among the stakeholders in complex systems projects. Lessons learned from the three studies are provided and some areas for future research are identified.
Diagnosis and treatment of conduct disorder.

Approaches to diagnosing and treating conduct disorders in adolescent children. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
A New Alginate-Based Rapid Method for Determining Coliforms in Milk

A new rapid method for monitoring coliforms was developed on the basis of the instant gelling effects of alginate and calcium. The effectiveness of this new method in the detection of coliforms was evaluated. Tests involving Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, total coliforms in milk, cold-injured coliforms, and total coliforms in raw milk were carried out. The bacterial samples were diluted in 0.2% peptone water containing 90 mM CaCl2 and added into test tubes containing modified purple broth base medium. Coliform concentrations were determined on the basis of the time of color change and gas production in the alginate tubes. All results obtained by the alginate method correlated strongly with those obtained by the conventional violet red bile agar (VRBA) plating method. The alginate method reduced detection time by 12 to 14 h compared with the conventional VRBA plating method. The alginate method can be applied in field studies more easily than melted-agar systems can. The results of this study indicate that the alginate method is an accurate, rapid, simple, and economical way to monitor and estimate concentrations of total coliforms in food.
Design of phased array beam steering device for situation awareness applications (Conference Presentation)

Imaging LIDARs capture location of objects in three-dimensional (3D) space, 2D field-of-view (FOV) or 2D in angular space, and 1D in distance, thus are used for variety of applications such as autonomous driving cars, robotics, and gesture recognitions. Imaging LIDAR, in its implementation of optics, has several options. One of the most commonly used optical architectures is a mechanical scanning of angular space while employing distance mapping on point by point basis. The architecture is suitable for long distance range finding and wide field of view imaging, though scan speed is limited by mechanics. Also, completely non-mechanical scanning approach, a lens with 2-dimensional sensor array, is adopted however the measurement range is ingeneral limited. Alternatively, we propose a new architecture, an optical phased array that can be used in both transmit and receive modes. The photonic based phased array produces a single main beam that can be electrically steered similar to modern day advanced radars. By using a photonic based array architecture very small, tightly spaced elements can be formed. Since the array produces a grating lobe free radiation pattern gain is maximized. This enables longer range, faster scans, and unambiguous angular data when compared to other optical phased arrays.
CHAPTER 1 – Introduction to Protein Structure

This chapter provides an introduction to research in protein structure. In 1950s there was a complete lack of research on the molecular structure of globular proteins and enzymes. Moreover, there was no information on protein conformation. In the mid 1930s, however, with the study of hemoglobin structure by Max Perutz, research in this field improved dramatically. The phase problem was a major hindrance in research, and Perutz first came up with the Multiple Isomorphous Replacement (MIR) method to resolve this problem. He worked with John Kendrew to solve this problem using isomorphous heavy atom derivatives. This method, along with X-ray diffraction methods, provides a new perspective on protein structure. The next achievement in the field was in 1980s when Williamson and his team provided the schematic representation of the first solution structure using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) methods. The chapter states that crystallographers and NMR scientists have published most of their research in the form of diagrams. It stresses the importance of the “all proteins are created equal” principle. The chapter further points out that the content of the book focuses on the crystallographic and multidimensional NMR studies.
Combustion Research in the U.S.A.

A BRIEF discussion of combustion research, which has been in progress for over three hundred years, must be limited to a specific subdivision of the field. For presentation before the Society of Automotive Engineers, it is logical that this report should be confined, in a general way, to that phase of combustion research which is concerned with explosions in gases, and particularly with explosions from which, through the medium of the internal combustion engine, usable power may be derived.
Pharmacokinetics of Polymeric Drug Delivery

Abstract Many aspects of polymeric drug delivery have been investigated over the past three decades, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models have been developed to enhance our understanding of properties such as polymer degradation and elimination from the body, biocompatibility with the brain parenchyma, and the occurrence of toxicities. Extensive studies in animal models and in patients have also provided ample evidence for the biocompatibility and biodegradability of the polymeric matrix in the area surrounding the implantation site. In this chapter, we review the innate physical barriers of the central nervous system that necessitated local delivery of therapeutics, and review the modeling that helps predict compound distribution and dissolution within the intracranial space.
Understanding the influence of defects and surface chemistry on ferroelectric switching: a ReaxFF investigation of BaTiO3

Ferroelectric materials such as barium titanate (BaTiO3) have a wide range of applications in nano scale electronic devices due to their outstanding properties. In this study, we developed an easily extendable atomistic ReaxFF reactive force field for BaTiO3 that can capture both its field- and temperature-induced ferroelectric hysteresis and corresponding changes due to surface chemistry and bulk defects. Using our force field, we were able to reproduce and explain a number of experimental observations: (1) the existence of a critical thickness of 4.8 nm below which ferroelectricity vanishes in BaTiO3; (2) migration and clustering of oxygen vacancies (OVs) in BaTiO3 and a reduction in the polarization and the Curie temperature due to the OVs; (3) domain wall interaction with the surface chemistry to influence the ferroelectric switching and polarization magnitude. This new computational tool opens up a wide range of possibilities for making predictions for realistic ferroelectric interfaces in energy-conversion, electronic and neuromorphic systems.
Sensor Selection Embedded in Active Fault Diagnosis Algorithms

A methodology is presented for simultaneous sensor selection and design of fault diagnosis tests in complex systems, for which steady-state or dynamic models are available. The method assesses all possible sensor combinations for their information with respect to system faults in the presence of uncertainty and chooses sensors based on their contribution to information gain. In particular, sensors are cast as binary variables in the normalized Fisher information matrix, which is used to calculate the optimal fault detection and isolation (FDI) test designs by manipulating admissible system inputs. Test design optimization is always naturally embedded in the proposed method. Then, the Kullback–Leibler divergence and the Hellinger distance are used to explore the isolation capability of an FDI test when uncertainty is considered for the system inputs and parameters. The FDI tests are deployed and verified using a principal component analysis and the $k$ -nearest neighbor classification algorithm. The capability of the method to detect and isolate faults at high correct classification rates and low false alarm rates is demonstrated. The tool-chain proposed is tested on a benchmark three-tank system at various levels of measurement noise and uncertainty. The benefits and drawbacks of each step of the proposed method are assessed and discussed along with their computational footprint.
Using Demographic and Technological Forecasts for Human Resource Planning

Human resource planners have begun to recognize the complex interdependence of internal and external social, political, economic, technological and demographic factors and their impact on planning for the human resource contribution to business development. This paper documents one industry’s approach to analysis and forecasting of environmental trends and events, and the integration of these analyses into a human resource planning process.
Is “Dependence Corruption” the Solutionto America’s Campaign Finance Problems?

U.S. campaign finance regulation is currently in bad shape. The combination of congressional inaction, regulatory ineffectiveness, and constitutional constraint perpetuates a status quo that no one intended and many deplore. Public financing for presidential elections is effectively dead, while Super PACs and other forms of independent spending are on the rise. The 501(c)(4) nonprofit disclosure rules are very leaky, allowing corporations and others to conceal soft money contributions to Super PACs if they so choose. The Supreme Court has effectively precluded comprehensive campaign finance reform by its rulings, which have thrown out independent and personal expenditure bans, limited public finance to opt-in schemes, loosened the definition of issue ads, and allowed corporations to use unlimited amounts of their treasury monies to fund independent campaigns. To borrow from Vladimir Lenin, “[W]hat is to be done?”