cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ASSESSING LEARNING STYLES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING PROGRAMS: A PILOT STUDY

Why are many community college students unable to exit remedial college preparation programs and advance into credit courses? Many educators have grappled with this question for years. While many fads and new techniques have been tried, few have been successful, except for learning styles, a research-based approach that has demonstrated statistically significant results. Learning styles refer to the way students concentrate on, process, internalize, and recall new and difficult information. Most people have learning-style preferences, but individual preferences differ significantly and the stronger the preference, the more important it is to provide compatible instructional strategies, especially among less academically successful students whose preferences may be quite different from successful students. With this in mind, two experiments were conducted at an urban community college experiencing difficulty getting remedial students to pass the ACT Writing Skills Test. In both experiments, the majority of...
Laser desorption/fourier-transform mass spectrometry for the study of nucleosides, oligosaccharides, and glycosides

Abstract Laser desorption/Fourier-transform mass spectrometry (l.d./F.t.m.s.) has been used to investigate the feasibility of desorbing nucleosides, oligosaccharides, and glycosides into the gas phase. Nucleosides were desorbed as (M − H) − ions or as (M + H) + or more readily as alkali metal ion cationized species. Monosaccharides also could be desorbed as (M − H) − but not di- or tri-saccharides. At higher laser irradiance, very abundant cationized oligosaccharides were observed. This was particularly true when the Nd:YAG laser was operated in a non-Q-switched mode to give a longer lasting laser pulse. Ions of non-reducing sugars cleaved at the glycosidic bond, but those of reudcing sugars underwent ring cleavage reactions. Various glycosides including quercitrin, rutin, xanthorhammin, digoxin, digitoxin, and erythromycin were also successfully desorbed as cationized species by using l.d./F.t.m.s. Digoxin and digitoxin (M + Na) + ions fragment differently than the (M + H) + ions, presumably because the sodium ion is primarily affiliated with the sugar moiety whereas H + is bound on the steroid portion of the molecule.
Blend encapsulation by random copolymers: C/B/A-ran-B and C/D/A-ran-B systems

SUMMARY: Random copolymers with the same monomeric units as blended homopolymers A and B have a strong tendency to encapsulate the minor phase in A/B/A-ran-B ternary systems. In this study we investigate encapsulation when one or both monomeric units in the random copolymer are chemically distinct from, but completely or partially miscible with, the other blend components, i. e., a C/D/A- ran-B blend. As model polymers, a styrene/methyl methacrylate random copolymer (70% styrene by weight) (SMMA), and polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), and poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) homopolymers are chosen; PPO is completely miscible with PS and PC is partially miscible with PMMA. Three blend systems were prepared by melt mixing: PS/PC/SMMA, PPO/PMMA/SMMA, and PPO/PC/SMMA. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that for all cases SMMA moves to the interface between the matrix and dispersed phases during melt mixing, and forms an encapsulating layer. However, the resulting average size of a dispersed phase droplet is not significantly decreased by the addition of SMMA. Moreover, this size increased significantly upon further annealing, except for the blend with a PPO matrix which has a very high melt viscosity, demonstrating that encapsulation by SMMA does not provide stability against static coalescence.
Isothermal annealing of reactor irradiated crystalline chemical compounds

Abstract The isothermal annealing of crystalline potassium chromate and trisethylenediamine cobalt(III) nitrate irradiated in a nuclear reactor has been extensively examined. A total of 1200 analyses were carried out to construct, in a more precise form, isothermal curves. The samples had received various doses of fast neutrons and gamma-rays and were heated at various temperatures. The isothermal curves show many maxima and minima and the accuracy of the measurements exclude any possibility that these effects reflect a random fluctuation of the data. There is also some indication that in a family of isothermal curves maxima and minima move to shorter times on increasing the temperature.
Selective clearance of aberrant tau proteins and rescue of neurotoxicity by transcription factor EB

Accumulating evidence implicates impairment of the autophagy-lysosome pathway in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently discovered, transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a molecule shown to play central roles in cellular degradative processes. Here we investigate the role of TFEB in AD mouse models. In this study, we demonstrate that TFEB effectively reduces neurofibrillary tangle pathology and rescues behavioral and synaptic deficits and neurodegeneration in the rTg4510 mouse model of tauopathy with no detectable adverse effects when expressed in wild-type mice. TFEB specifically targets hyperphosphorylated and misfolded Tau species present in both soluble and aggregated fractions while leaving normal Tau intact. We provide in vitro evidence that this effect requires lysosomal activity and we identify phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) as a direct target of TFEB that is required for TFEB-dependent aberrant Tau clearance. The specificity and efficacy of TFEB in mediating the clearance of toxic Tau species makes it an attractive therapeutic target for treating diseases of tauopathy including AD.
Wage disparities in China: an analysis by firm types

This paper investigates the evolution of interprovincial wage inequality and the causes behind its increase over the last two decades. We focus more specifically on the impact of export-led-market reforms on wages disparities within and between five firm types in China. When measured with the GE(1) index, overall wage inequality among Chinese provinces increased by 50% between 1993 and 2007, most notably during the early 1990s as China accelerated its integration into the world economy. The inequality analysis by firm type suggests that increased international competition has had a large impact on wage inequality among domestic firms but almost none on inequality among foreign firms. The panel analysis conducted in this paper also suggests that factors enhancing labor productivity such as larger capital stock endowment per worker and better infrastructure endowment have a greater impact on wage inequality than an increase in economic integration, particularly for domestic firms located in the interior region.
An extracellular microbial polysaccharide composed of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucuronic acid: radiochemical and gas-chromatographic analysis of the products of methanolysis.

Abstract When the polysaccharide from the black yeast NRRL Y-6272, composed of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy- D -glucose ( 1 ) and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy- D -glucuronic acid ( 2 ), is hydrolyzed, extensive humin formation occurs by decomposition of component residues, especially the hexosaminuronic acid. Methanolysis avoids this decomposition by forming stable methyl glycosides amenable to quantitation by both radiochromatographic techniques and gas chromatography. Unlike hydrolysis, which results in incomplete depolymerization, refluxing methanol-HCl ( M , 16–24 h) completely depolymerizes polysaccharide Y-6272 to the methyl glycosides of its component sugars. Use of 14 C-methanol-HCl allows quantitation of 1 and 2 by counting the individual 14 C-methyl glycosides after separation by paper chromatography. As the methyl glycosides derived from the hexosaminuronic acid in polysaccharide Y-6272 consist of both a methyl ester and a lactone, for quantitation it was necessary to convert these two glycoside forms into a common derivative of known 14 C-methyl content by treatment with mild alkali. Methanolysis by using radioisotopes affords an extremely valuable method for detecting and quantitating amino sugars in polysaccharides; it is rapid and sensitive and it should be especially applicable for analyzing other polysaccharides and proteins that contain constituents labile to normal hydrolytic conditions.
A fast mixed-signal simulation approach and an efficient signal analysis technique with application to continuous-time sigma-delta modulator design

First, a mixed-signal simulation approach is proposed for uncompromising performance in continuous-time sigma-delta modulator simulation. Compared to previous methods, it provides all of the necessary design information 40/spl times/ faster and with exacting accuracy. Second, a sinusoidal signal analysis technique is proposed for SNR computation. Compared to the standard power spectrum estimation method, it requires 16/spl times/ fewer data points and enables transistor-level simulations for SNR to become far more practical.
Bacterial ectoenzymes in marine waters : activity ratios and temperature responses in three oceanographic provinces

Ectoenzymatic hydrolysis is a crucial first step in bacterial utilization of polymeric dissolved organic matter (DOM). Variation in the relative activities of different enzymes can indicate seasonal and geographic variation in the mode of bacterioplankton nutrition. We found that relative activities of leucine aminopeptidase and P-glucosidase in seawater varied significantly among three oceanic regions: the subtropical North Pacific, the equatorial Pacific, and the Southern Ocean. The temperature responses of these enzymes also vary significantly among these three regions, suggesting distinct bacterial phenotypes with distinct isozymes. Our results suggest a latitudinal trend in bacterial carbon and nitrogen utilization, with significant synthesis of cell constituents from glucose and ammonium in equatorial waters but little such de novo synthesis in Antarctic waters. The observed patterns have important implications for the parameterization of secondary production and nutrient regeneration in global production models and for understanding the role of DOM in global carbon and nitrogen fluxes.
TCP1 complex proteins interact with phosphorothioate oligonucleotides and can co-localize in oligonucleotide-induced nuclear bodies in mammalian cells

Phosphorothioate (PS) antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) have been successfully developed as drugs to reduce the expression of disease-causing genes. PS-ASOs can be designed to induce degradation of complementary RNAs via the RNase H pathway and much is understood about that process. However, interactions of PS-ASOs with other cellular proteins are not well characterized. Here we report that in cells transfected with PS-ASOs, the chaperonin T-complex 1 (TCP1) proteins interact with PS-ASOs and enhance antisense activity. The TCP1-β subunit co-localizes with PS-ASOs in distinct nuclear structures, termed phosphorothioate bodies or PS-bodies. Upon Ras-related nuclear protein (RAN) depletion, cytoplasmic PS-body-like structures were observed and nuclear concentrations of PS-ASOs were reduced, suggesting that TCP1-β can interact with PS-ASOs in the cytoplasm and that the nuclear import of PS-ASOs is at least partially through the RAN-mediated pathway. Upon free uptake, PS-ASOs co-localize with TCP1 proteins in cytoplasmic foci related to endosomes/lysosomes. Together, our results indicate that the TCP1 complex binds oligonucleotides with TCP1-β subunit being a nuclear PS-body component and suggest that the TCP1 complex may facilitate PS-ASO uptake and/or release from the endocytosis pathway.
Neutrophils and tumour necrosis factor-α are important for controlling early gastrointestinal stages of experimental murine listeriosis

Summary The present study examined the need for neutrophils and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNFα) for early defence against gut infection with the enteroinvasive, facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes. Mice were treated with a neutrophil-depleting monoclonal antibody (MAb) or a MAb directed against TNFα, and the consequences of these treatments on the course of orally initiated infection with the pathogen were monitored. By day 3, orally initiated L. monocytogenes infection in mice treated with either MAb was severely exacerbated to the extent that up to 5000-fold more listeriae were recovered from the walls of the stomach, small intestine, caecum or large intestine of treated mice than from controls. Systemic infection resulting from the ingestion of L. monocytogenes was also severely enhanced in mice treated with these MAbs. Therefore, the results showed that neutrophils and TNFα have a critical role in the early defence against enteroinvasive L. monocytogenes infection initiated by a natural (in this case the oral) route, as well as in the control of subsequent systemic infection.
Clogging of Pervious Monolayers Subjected to Radial Flow

Particle migration within porous networks often results in permeability reductions due to clogging. In many field applications, fluids and entrained particles travel radially toward producing wells. The nonhomogeneous velocity field associated with radial flow produces particle-level force variations that in turn lead to spatially dependent pore-scale mechanisms and unique clogging phenomena. The fluid-driven migration and entrapment of particles in radial flow is studied experimentally in custom-built pervious monolayers that allow for direct visualization of clogging processes. Experimental results demonstrate that in particular hydrodynamic conditions, particle clogging evolves in the form of a self-stabilizing clogging ring that localizes at a characteristic radial distance that depends on the initial producing flow rate. Gradual clogging by surface deposition of particles is observed in less severe hydrodynamic conditions. The particle migration and clogging processes observed are analyzed by considering particle-level force balance through dimensionless parameters.
Memetic algorithms for de novo motif-finding in biomedical sequences

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to design and implement a new memetic algorithm for de novo motif discovery, which is then applied to detect important signals hidden in various biomedical molecular sequences. Methods and materials: In this paper, memetic algorithms are developed and tested in de novo motif-finding problems. Several strategies in the algorithm design are employed that are to not only efficiently explore the multiple sequence local alignment space, but also effectively uncover the molecular signals. As a result, there are a number of key features in the implementation of the memetic motif-finding algorithm (MaMotif), including a chromosome replacement operator, a chromosome alteration-aware local search operator, a truncated local search strategy, and a stochastic operation of local search imposed on individual learning. To test the new algorithm, we compare MaMotif with a few of other similar algorithms using simulated and experimental data including genomic DNA, primary microRNA sequences (let-7 family), and transmembrane protein sequences. Results: The new memetic motif-finding algorithm is successfully implemented in C++, and exhaustively tested with various simulated and real biological sequences. In the simulation, it shows that MaMotif is the most time-efficient algorithm compared with others, that is, it runs 2 times faster than the expectation maximization (EM) method and 16 times faster than the genetic algorithm-based EM hybrid. In both simulated and experimental testing, results show that the new algorithm is compared favorably or superior to other algorithms. Notably, MaMotif is able to successfully discover the transcription factors' binding sites in the chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-Seq) data, correctly uncover the RNA splicing signals in gene expression, and precisely find the highly conserved helix motif in the transmembrane protein sequences, as well as rightly detect the palindromic segments in the primary microRNA sequences. Conclusions: The memetic motif-finding algorithm is effectively designed and implemented, and its applications demonstrate it is not only time-efficient, but also exhibits excellent performance while compared with other popular algorithms.
The relationship between impaired retinal vascular reactivity and renal function in patients with degenerative vascular disease.

In hypertension and diabetes retinal vascular changes which are evident on fundiscopic examination are usually accompanied by renal vascular changes which are evident on microscopic examination. It has been found that the retinal vessels of most patients with hypertension or diabetes fail to constrict normally when the blood oxygen tension is elevated. This investigation evaluates the clinical significance of decreased retinal vascular reactivity in patients with degenerative vascular disease by relating it to kidney function as measured by common clinical tests. The results of the study show that impairment of retinal arterial reactivity usually occurs in the course of degenerative vascular disease, particularly in hypertension, in advance of clinical evidence of altered kidney function. When clinical tests of renal function demonstrate renal damage, loss of retinal arterial and venous reactivity is marked.
Social-perceptual abilities in adolescents and adults with Williams syndrome

People with Williams syndrome (WMS) have a unique social phenotype characterised by unusually strong interest in other people and an engaging and empathic personality. Two experiments were designed to test whether this phenotype is associated with relatively spared abilities to decode mental-state information from nonverbal cues. The first experiment involved a modified version of the revised Eyes Test. The second experiment probed the ability to label emotions from brief dynamic facial displays. Adolescents and adults with WMS were compared to age-, IQ-, and language-matched participants with learning/intellectual disabilities, and age-matched normal controls. In both experiments the WMS group performed at a significantly lower level than the normal controls, and no different from the well-matched comparison-group with intellectual disabilities. These findings, contradicting earlier reports in the literature, argue against the view that in WMS social-perceptual abilities are relatively spared and can explain the social profile associated with this neurodevelopmental disorder.
Extinction of Behavior in Infant Rats: Development of Functional Coupling Between Septal, Hippocampal, and Ventral Tegmental Regions

Learning of a behavior at a particular age during the postnatal period presumably occurs when the functional brain circuit mediating the behavior matures. The inability to express a learned behavior, such as inhibition, may be accounted for by the functional dissociation of brain regions comprising the circuit. In this study we tested this hypothesis by measuring brain metabolic activity, as revealed by fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) autoradiography, during behavioral extinction in 12- and 17-d-old rat pups. Subjects were first trained on a straight alley runway task known as patterned single alternation (PSA), wherein reward and nonreward trials alternate successively. They were then injected with FDG and given 50 trials of continuous nonreward (i.e., extinction). Pups at postnatal day 12 (P12) demonstrated significantly slower extinction rates compared to their P17 counterparts, despite the fact that both reliably demonstrated the PSA effect, i.e., both age groups distinguished between reward and nonreward trials during acquisition. Covariance analysis revealed that the dentate gyrus, hippocampal fields CA1-3, subiculum, and lateral septal area were significantly correlated in P17 but not P12 pups. Significant correlations were also found between the lateral septal area, ventral tegmental area, and the medial septal nucleus in P17 pups. Similar correlative patterns were not found in P12 and P17 handled control animals. Taken together, these results suggest that septal, hippocampal, and mesencephalic regions may be functionally dissociated at P12, and the subsequent maturation of functional connectivity between these regions allows for the more rapid expression of behavioral inhibition during extinction at P17.
Ducks and passerines nesting in northern mixed-grass prairie treated with fire

Prescribed fire is an important, ecology-driven tool for restoration of grassland systems. However, prescribed fire remains controversial for some grassland managers because of reported reductions in bird use of recently burned grasslands. Few studies have evaluated effects of fire on grassland bird populations in the northern mixed-grass prairie region. Fewer studies yet have examined the influence of fire on nest density or survival. In our review, we found no studies that simultaneously examined effects of fire on duck and passerine nesting. During 1998–2003, we examined effects of prescribed fire on the density of upland-nesting ducks and passerines nesting in north-central North Dakota, USA. Apparent nest densities of gadwall (Anas strepera), mallard (A. platyrhynchos), and all duck species combined, were influenced by fire history of study units, although the degree of influence was not compelling. Fire history was not related to nest densities of blue-winged teal (A. discors), northern shoveler (A. clypeata), or northern pintail (A. acuta); however, apparent nest densities in relation to the number of postfire growing seasons exhibited a strikingly similar pattern among all duck species. When compared to ducks, fire history strongly influenced apparent nest densities of clay-colored sparrow (Spizella pallida), Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), and bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). For most species examined, apparent nest densities were lowest in recently burned units, increased during the second postfire growing season, and stabilized or, in some cases, decreased thereafter. Prescribed fire is critical for restoring the ecology of northern mixed-grass prairies and our findings indicate that reductions in nest densities are limited mostly to the first growing season after fire. Our results support the premise that upland-nesting ducks and several grassland passerine species are adapted to periodic fires occurring at a frequency similar to that of pre-Euro-American settlement of the region. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.
Emotion, Consciousness, and Social Behavior

This chapter focuses on the relation of emotion to consciousness and the implication of this relation for social behavior. The chapter is structured as follows. First, it briefl y shows that the traditional perspectives on human emotions view them as necessarily conscious. Second, it shows evidence that emotions can be unconsciously triggered. Third, it shows that there are cases of truly “unconscious” or “unfelt” emotion. Fourth, it addresses some challenges to these ideas. Fifth, it addresses the relation between conscious and unconscious components of emotion. Refl ecting the focus of this book, the chapter discusses neuroscience research that identifi es structures and functions associated with conscious and unconscious aspects of emotions and considers their implications for social behavior.
Genetic manipulation of polyphosphate metabolism affects cadmium tolerance in Escherichia coli

The polyphosphate metabolic pathways in Escherichia coli were genetically manipulated to test the effect of polyphosphate on tolerance to cadmium. A polyphosphate kinase (ppk) and polyphosphatase (ppx) mutant strain produced no polyphosphate, whereas the same strain carrying multiple copies of ppk on a high-copy plasmid produced significant quantities. The doubling times of both strains increased with increasing cadmium concentrations. In contrast, the mutant strain carrying multiple copies of ppk and ppx produced 1/20 of the polyphosphate found in the strain carrying multiple copies of ppk only and showed no significant increase in doubling time over the same cadmium concentration range.
Burst Error Detection Hybrid ARQ with Crosstalk-Delay Reduction for Reliable On-chip Interconnects

We present a hybrid ARQ (HARQ) scheme using single-error correcting burst-error detecting (SEC-BED) codes to address multiple errors in nanoscale on-chip interconnects. For a given residual flit error rate requirement, the proposed HARQ method yields 20% energy improvement over other burst error correction schemes. By further integrated with skewed transitions, the proposed HARQ method can efficiently improve the error resilience against burst errors and also reduce delay uncertainty caused by capacitive coupling. The low overhead of our approach makes it suitable for implementation in reliable and energy efficient on-chip communication.
Buying Behavior as a Function of Parametric Variation of Number of Choices

There is accumulating evidence that having many options from which to choose may be counterproductive (Iyengar & Lepper, 2000; Iyengar, Well, & Schwartz, 2006; Schwartz, 2004). In the consumer world, Procter & Gamble noticed a 10% increase in sales of its Head & Shoulders brand after they reduced the number of varieties (Goldstein, 2001). Iyengar and Lepper (2000) carried out three experiments in which subjects had to choose from a small set of 6 options or from a larger set of 24 or 30 options. Subjects rated the situation with more options as more pleasant than the situation with fewer options, but purchased more when there were fewer options and were more satisfied with their choices. Most previous research on this topic compared only two set sizes for number of choices: a medium value, such as 6, and a large value, such as 24 (but see Iyengar, Jiang, & Huberman, 2004). We were interested in exploring the influence of number of choices in a more parametric fashion. Several processes might influence buying behavior as the number of choices increases. Presumably, as the number of choices increases, consumers are more likely to find an item that meets their needs. If this is the only process involved, then increasing choice should lead to increased buying. However, as choice increases, consumers are more likely to have two or more items that meet their criteria and are close to one another in subjective value, making the choice difficult. Also, as the number of options increases, the cognitive effort in evaluating those options increases (Keller & Staelin, 1987). We predicted that the interaction of these proposed processes would lead to an inverted-U-shaped function; that is, we predicted that as the number of choices increased, buying would initially increase and then decrease. For the product in our experiment, we chose pens, a commodity that college students are interested in and often purchase. We varied the number of options from 2 to 20 in increments of 2. METHOD
Effect of Clothing on the Use of Person Information Categories in First Impressions

The present study investigated the relative strength of perceiver and target person variables on person information categories used in first impressions. Descriptions of four target persons written...
Detection and estimation of hidden periodicity in asymmetric noise by using quantile periodogram

This paper addresses the problem of detecting and estimating hidden periodicity from noisy observations when the noise distribution is asymmetric with heavy tail on one side. The ordinary periodogram is less effective in handling such noise. In this paper, we introduce an alternative periodogram-like function, called the quantile periodogram. The quantile periodogram is constructed from trigonometric regression where a specially designed objective function is used to substitute the squared l 2 norm that leads to the ordinary periodogram. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the superior performance of the quantile periodogram in comparison with the ordinary periodogram when the noise is asymmetrically distributed with a heavy tail. The asymptotic distribution of the quantile periodogram is derived under the white noise assumption. Extensions to the multivariate case and the complex case are also discussed.
Object recognition and categorization using modal matching

Recently the authors (1993) have proposed a new method for establishing correspondences and computing canonical descriptions, based on the idea of describing objects by their generalized symmetries, as defined by the object's vibration of deformation modes. In this paper they extend this method to the problems of object recognition and categorization. Examples of recognizing hand tools and airplanes are shown. >
Improving the performance of consistency algorithms by localizing and bolstering propagation in a tree decomposition

The tractability of a Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP) is guaranteed by a direct relationship between its consistency level and a structural parameter of its constraint network such as the treewidth. This result is not widely exploited in practice because enforcing higher-level consistencies can be costly and can change the structure of the constraint network and increase its width. Recently, R(*,m)C was proposed as a relational consistency property that does not modify the structure of the graph and, thus, does not affect its width. In this paper, we explore two main strategies, based on a tree decomposition of the CSP, for improving the performance of enforcing R(*,m)C and getting closer to the above tractability condition. Those strategies are: a) localizing the application of the consistency algorithm to the clusters of the tree decomposition, and b) bolstering constraint propagation between clusters by adding redundant constraints at their separators, for which we propose three new schemes. We characterize the resulting consistency properties by comparing them, theoretically and empirically, to the original R(*,m)C and the popular GAC and maxRPWC, and establish the benefits of our approach for solving difficult problems.
Reducing Clostridium difficile Infection among Hematology-Oncology Patients Using Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation for Terminal Room Disinfection

Setting: Three adult hematology-oncology units with a total of 75 private and 7 semiprivate rooms in a 695bed tertiary care hospital. UVGI deployment:  Targeted CDI or contact precautions rooms for UVGI using an electronic patient flow system (NaviCare, Hill-Rom).  Following terminal room cleaning with bleach, UVGI (Optimum-UV, Clorox Healthcare) was deployed for two 8-minute cycles on either side of the patient bed with the bathroom door left open.  Two UVGI units and no additional Environmental Service personnel or resources were utilized for this evaluation. Measurements:  C. difficile detected by toxin A/B and GDH immunoassay; indeterminate results confirmed by PCR for toxin gene; NHSN GIT definition.  Compared rates of healthcare onset CDI on study units and non-study units:  Baseline period (P1, Jan.-Dec. 2013) vs. Intervention period (P2, Feb. 2014-Jan. 2015)  Calculated rate ratios and a mixed-effects Poisson regression model with random effects for unit and time in months. Background: •Clostridium difficile forms spores that are resistant to many disinfectants and can persist in the hospital environment for months. • During 2013 (baseline period, Jan.-Dec. 2013), there were 87 cases of hospital onset C. difficile infection (CDI) among patients on three Hematology/Oncology units—a rate 5 times higher than that for all other inpatient units combined. • Cases of CDI continued to occur despite targeted evidence-based interventions and EVS process improvements, including use of bleach for daily and terminal room cleaning of CDI rooms, process monitoring and feedback of cleaning effectiveness. • We performed a 12-month pre/post evaluation of terminal room disinfection using ultraviolet wavelength C germicidal irradiation (UVGI) on C. difficile infection (CDI) rates and room turn-around. Process Improvement: Weekly reporting of UVGI deployment and room cleaning metrics Redeployment of additional Environmental Services associates to second shift (3-11 pm) and cross-training to improve UVGI deployment during peak discharge times. Deployment of a second UVGI unit during Sep. 2014. Feedback and recognition of associates deploying UVGI.
An Open Cathode Fuel Cell for Atmospheric Flight

Our previous work has shown that fuel cells are ideal power sources for long endurance unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) (1). An open-cathode fuel cell system has the cathode exposed to the open air to harness the motion of a UAV through the atmosphere to provide O2 to the cathode. By removing the balance of plant (BOP) associated with pumping and preconditioning the incoming air, an open cathode fuel cell may be an ideal power source for atmospheric flight because of its simplicity and reduced weight. A custom open cathode fuel cell based on flexible circuits is fabricated and characterized in a custom wind tunnel/environmental chamber setup to ascertain whether open cathode fuel cells can operate in atmospheric flight conditions. A numerical model is also developed to quantify the associated loss mechanisms in the cell. Wind tunnel experiments show that open cathode operation is possible without catastrophic failure over a wide range of ambient temperatures (5-55 °C), ambient relative humidities (22-90% RH), air speeds (2.6-15.4 m s-1) and altitudes (< 10-914 m); with the largest losses associated with mass transport and catalyst activation.
Rationality with respect to people, places, and times

AbstractThere is a rich tradition within game theory, decision theory, economics, and philosophy correlating practical rationality with impartiality, and spatial and temporal neutrality. I argue that in some cases we should give priority to people over both times and places, and to times over places. I also show how three plausible dominance principles regarding people, places, and times conflict, so that we cannot accept all three. However, I argue that there are some cases where we should give priority to times over people, suggesting that there is impersonal value to the distribution of high quality life over different times.
On the nonlinear propagation of shock-associated jet noise

*† , ‡ The noise produced by imperfectly-expanded jets is contaminated by shock noise, which consists of two components, namely screech tones and broadband noise. Screech refers to high-amplitude, discrete tones that can be clearly identified in the acoustic spectrum. In an effort to better understand the physics of finite-amplitude noise propagation, a series of experiments has been carried out in the High-Speed Jet Noise Facility at Penn State University, with the aim of identifying and quantifying nonlinearities in the noise radiated from imperfectly-expanded model jets. The pressure signals from both under- and overexpanded jets have been recorded at various operating conditions, with Mach numbers 1.35 and 1.5, using a simple conical nozzle (Md = 1.0) and a converging-diverging nozzle (Md = 1.5). A heat-simulation technique based on the use of helium/air mixtures was applied to reach temperature ratios up to 2.5. Three linear arrays of four microphones were used in this work, located at angles 35°, 90° and 110°. The measured acoustic spectra and OASPL’s show very good agreement with data found in the literature. Spectral data have been carefully analyzed, with specific emphasis on harmonic generation, amplitude variations and spectral broadening. Altogether, the results indicate that nonlinear effects do play a significant role in the propagation of broadband shock-associated noise, even though a number of seemingly inconsistent trends could not be fully explained.
SIMILAR GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION AT THE LAP LOCUS IN THE MUSSELS MYTILUS TROSSULUS AND M. EDULIS.

Variations geographiques des frequences geniques comparees chez les populations allopatriques de moules M. trossulus et M. edulis au locus Lap.
Predictive Inference for Locally Stationary Time Series

The Model-free Prediction Principle of Politis (Test 22(2):183–250, 2013) has been successfully applied to both regression problems, as well as problems involving stationary time series. However, with long time series, e.g., annual temperature measurements spanning over 100 years or daily financial returns spanning several years, it may be unrealistic to assume stationarity throughout the span of the dataset. In the paper at hand, we show how Model-free Prediction can be applied to handle time series that are only locally stationary, i.e., they can be modeled as stationary only over short time-windows. Both one-step-ahead point predictors and prediction intervals are constructed and compared.
Foreigners in a Hellenistic Inscription of Rhodes

An inscription from the island of Rhodes was published without commentary, and shielded from attention in a large mass of others, by G. Pugliese Carratelli in 1955. Since then it has attracted some notice, but less than it deserves.
Characteristics of apple juice and sugar infused fresh and frozen blueberries

Abstract Use of apple juice concentrate and standard sugar-based osmotic solution were compared during osmotic dehydration (OD) of fresh and frozen blueberries for solid gain and water loss. Additionally, fresh and frozen blueberries were characterized for moisture desorption using a thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA) at an isothermal temperature of 105 °C under dry nitrogen condition. Weight loss-time data generated from the TGA was used to calculate the overall liquid diffusion coefficient during moisture desorption. Results showed that the use of apple juice concentrate as an osmotic solution increased sugar concentration of frozen blueberries to 30.30 °Brix, which was similar to that obtained from the use of sugar-based osmotic solution (32.90 °Brix). Additionally, irrespective of the osmotic solution type, the osmotically dehydrated frozen blueberries reached the desired safe water activity (aw) range (0.40–0.50) in the 600 min drying time during follow-up drying at 74 °C. Moisture desorption characterization using TGA showed that fresh blueberries took about 53% additional drying time compared to frozen blueberries.
The design and construction of a bench-top Organic Rankine Cycle for data center applications

The growing demand for data center utilization and the resulting increases in energy requirements are creating significant challenges for data center operators and for thermal designers. Design options which can cool the servers efficiently while also reducing electricity usage are thus of considerable interest. One potential technique is the use of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology which can absorb the server heat into an organic fluid and then use this heat in a power cycle to create electricity. The ORC has been found to match well with data center requirements and this paper presents the analysis of an ORC system matched with data center operating conditions and the design of an ORC test bed. The ORC test bed is designed for 20kW of waste heat collected from 2 full racks. The complete design includes the ORC power cycle and one secondary cycle as heat source. Component selection has been carefully studied in each of the two cycles. The main goals of this investigation are the steady-state characterization of an ORC under different data center operating conditions and the design of a test bed which will prove out the concept of mating ORC with data center conditions for potential customers who are seeking alternatives for data center waste heat recovery.
Seeing conflict and engaging control: Experience with contrastive language benefits executive function in preschoolers

Abstract Engaging executive function often requires overriding a prepotent response in favor of a conflicting but adaptive one. Language may play a key role in this ability by supporting integrated representations of conflicting rules. We tested whether experience with contrastive language that could support such representations benefits executive function in 3-year-old children. Children who received brief experience with language highlighting contrast between objects, attributes, and actions showed greater executive function on two of three ‘conflict’ executive function tasks than children who received experience with contrasting stimuli only and children who read storybooks with the experimenter, controlling for baseline executive function. Experience with contrasting stimuli did not benefit executive function relative to reading books with the experimenter, indicating experience with contrastive language, rather than experience with contrast generally, was key. Experience with contrastive language also boosted spontaneous attention to contrast, consistent with improvements in representing contrast. These findings indicate a role for language in executive function that is consistent with the Cognitive Complexity and Control theory’s key claim that coordinating conflicting rules is critical to overcoming perseveration, and suggest new ideas for testing theories of executive function.
Perception and Interpretation of the Effects of Undernutrition on Reproduction

The nutritional status of an animal is known to be a major determinant of that animal's reproductive performance. What is less well known is how the animal's reproductive system, specifically the hypothalamo-pituitary-ovarian axis, perceives and in- terprets nutritional status. Opportunities exist at each point within the hypothalamo-pituitary-ovarian axis for nutritional cues to affect the reproductive processes, and these opportunities have been dis- cussed. Emphasis, however, is given in this review to centrally mediated mechanisms by which nutritional cues regulate secretion of LHRH. Nutritional cues can be communicated to the LHRH pulse generator in the form of: a) neural inputs from the gastrointestinal tract via the vagus nerve, b) availability of specific metabolic fuels (e.g., glucose, volatile fatty acids, certain amino acids, and nonesterified fatty acids), as well as c) endocrine mediators of nutritional status (e.g., insulin, insulin-like growth factor, growth hor- mone, cholecystokinin, neuropeptide Y and the opi- ates). Beyond the animal's ability to perceive the various nutritional cues, what is critical to reproduc- tive function is how the animal collectively integrates all inputs to generate a consensus signal that dictates whether the animal should initiate, maintain, or cease the reproductive processes. Models are proposed to explain how this decision making process may occur.
IS ‘EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK’ MERELY A PRINCIPLE OF NONDISCRIMINATION?

Should people who perform equal work receive equal pay? Most would say ‘yes’, at least insofar as this question is understood to be asking whether employers should be permitted to discriminate against employees on the basis of race or sex. But suppose the employees belong to all of the same traditionally protected groups. Is (what I call) nondiscriminatory unequal pay for equal work wrong? Drawing an analogy with price discrimination, I argue that it is not intrinsically wrong, but it can be deceptive, in which case it is wrong.
Modeling solid-electrolyte interfacial phenomena in silicon anodes

Silicon shows promising characteristics to replace graphite as the anode material in Li-ion batteries (LIBs). However addressing the volume changes in silicon during lithiation and the formation of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) at the silicon-based anodes are essential to make this a practical technology. The electrolyte decomposition can lead to a continuous growth of the SEI layer; which in turn serves a double purpose: passivation of the anode surface and barrier for the Li+ diffusion. Despite the great importance of the SEI in Si-based anodes on the cycling performance of the LIBs, a deeper understanding of the SEI evolution, composition, and morphology is still lacking. In this article, we briefly review the recent findings in the field of computational materials science regarding the initial stages and growth of the SEI layer on silicon anodes.
Ovarian aging in women with diabetes: An overview

Type 2 diabetes is a global epidemic, and the prevalence and incidence of type 1 diabetes are increasing. The negative effects of diabetes on kidneys, nerves, and vessels are well established. The effect of diabetes on reproductive function is less well understood, but important to characterize, given the increasing numbers of young women with diabetes. In this review, we summarize the available literature on how women with diabetes experience ovarian aging, from menarche to menopause. We report that women with type 1 diabetes appear more likely to have ovarian dysfunction, manifested by delayed menses, menstrual irregularities, and possibly earlier menopause. Studies of women with type 2 diabetes are inconsistent but suggest increased anovulation and earlier menopause. Differences in reproductive aging between women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes raise questions about potential differences in the mechanisms contributing to ovarian aging. Although there is shared glycemic dysregulation, fundamental differences in insulin presence and processing distinguish the two diseases. This review suggests that insulin, age at diagnosis, and weight play a role in ovarian dysfunction. More long-term studies are needed to evaluate the multitude of factors that may disrupt hypothalamic, pituitary, and ovarian function in women with diabetes.
An Intersectional Analysis of the Workplace Experiences of African American Female Athletic Directors

Using intersectionality theory as a lens, the present study investigated the organizational experiences of African American women athletic directors. We use data collected from face-to-face interviews with ten African American women athletic directors of NCAA Division I, II, and III U.S. intercollegiate athletic departments. Findings of our investigation reveal that the intersection of their race and gender identities, in conjunction with societal and occupational stereotypes, resulted in many of them working in environments where they faced constant challenges to their identity and authority in response to social and occupational stereotypes, misperceptions concerning their leadership roles, and perceptions that their hiring is more a result of their demographics than of their qualifications. We highlight the importance of recognizing how stereotypes intersect to produce differential experiences, and we seek to increase awareness of how implicit stereotyping influences the thoughts and behaviors of African American women athletic directors and also the individuals interacting with them. Our findings have implications for the well-being, recruitment and retention of African American women in leadership positions.
Impact of Mountains on Tropical Circulation in Two Earth System Models

AbstractTwo state-of-the-art Earth system models (ESMs) were used in an idealized experiment to explore the role of mountains in shaping Earth’s climate system. Similar to previous studies, removing mountains from both ESMs results in the winds becoming more zonal and weaker Indian and Asian monsoon circulations. However, there are also broad changes to the Walker circulation and El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Without orography, convection moves across the entire equatorial Indo-Pacific basin on interannual time scales. ENSO has a stronger amplitude, lower frequency, and increased regularity. A wider equatorial wind zone and changes to equatorial wind stress curl result in a colder cold tongue and a steeper equatorial thermocline across the Pacific basin during La Nina years. Anomalies associated with ENSO warm events are larger without mountains and have greater impact on the mean tropical climate than when mountains are present. Without mountains, the centennial-mean Pacific Walker circulation wea...