cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Egg Spoilage as Affected by the Route of Exposure

Abstract INTRODUCTION THE filtration experiments of Walden et al. (1956), Kraft et al. (1958) and Garibaldi and Stokes (1958) suggested that the egg shell membranes might be much more resistant to the passage of bacteria than was the shell alone. Under conditions which were optimum for bacterial penetration, Lifshitz et al. (1964) showed that the inner shell membrane was more impervious to bacteria than either the shell or the outer shell membrane. Elliott (1954) demonstrated that bacteria inoculated onto the inner shell membrane at the air cell were not recoverable from egg white until four to eight days. Florian and Trussell (1957) reported that some species of bacteria (secondary invaders) were able to grow in the egg magma but lacked the capacity to traverse the inner shell membrane. Other bacteria (primary invaders) could perform both functions. Various theories for the mechanism of bacterial egg spoilage have been based primarily on egg …
Determination of uranyl incorporation into biogenic manganese oxides using x-ray absorption spectroscopy and scattering.

Βiogenic manganese oxides are common and an important source of reactive mineral surfaces in the environment that may be potentially enhanced in bioremediation cases to improve natural attenuation. Experiments were performed in which the uranyl ion, UO22+ (U(VI)), at various concentrations was present during manganese oxide biogenesis. At all concentrations, there was strong uptake of U onto the oxides. Synchrotron-based extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies were carried out to determine the molecular-scale mechanism by which uranyl is incorporated into the oxide and how this incorporation affects the resulting manganese oxide structure and mineralogy. The EXAFS experiments show that at low concentrations ( 2 mol % U, >4 μM U(VI) in solution), the presence of U(VI) affects the stability and structure of the Mn oxide to form poor...
Teaching NeuroImages: Brain mass with hilar adenopathy The importance of histologic diagnosis

A 30-year-old man presented with weeks of progressive headaches, imbalance, and aphasia. Brain MRI revealed an enhancing left frontal mass (figure 1, A and B). Chest imaging revealed mediastinal and hilar adenopathy (figure 1, C and D). Metastatic cancer was initially suspected, but pulmonary lymph node aspiration revealed sarcoidosis (figure 2A). Subsequent brain biopsy revealed glioblastoma (figure 2B). The authors thank Dr. Maria Cobos Sillero, fellow in the Department of Neuropathology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, for her assistance in obtaining pathologic photographs.
Formation of Oxynitride Glasses by ArnmonoJysis of Gels

Porous borosilicate gels were heated in ammonia at 460° C. The ammonia treatments reduced the carbon and hydrogen content and increased the gel sintering temperature. The increased sintering temperature was attributed to an increase in Tg due to chemically dissolved nitrogen.
Garment-integrated wearable sensing for knee joint monitoring

Body monitoring is one of the most intuitive and direct applications for technologies that are wearable. Wearable devices are capable of detecting body movements using wearable sensors, and using signals to capture anomalies as well as good patterns in our daily activities. Clothes provide the most accessible platform for embedding sensors and electronic components, preserving imperceptibility and user comfort, especially for long term body monitoring applications. Both perceptibility and comfort variables are associated with the willingness of the user to wear the device and with the quality of the data captured (that should reflect the unbiased wearer activity as if the user would not be wearing any device).
Identification of a Conserved Motif in the Yeast Golgi GDP-mannose Transporter Required for Binding to Nucleotide Sugar

Glycoproteins and lipids in the Golgi complex are modified by the addition of sugars. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, these terminal Golgi carbohydrate modifications primarily involve mannose additions that utilize GDP-mannose as the substrate. The transport of GDP-mannose from its site of synthesis in the cytosol into the lumen of the Golgi is mediated by theVRG4 gene product, a nucleotide sugar transporter that is a member of a large family of related membrane proteins. Loss ofVRG4 function leads to lethality, but several viablevrg4 mutants were isolated whose GDP-mannose transport activity was reduced but not obliterated. Mutations in these alleles mapped to a region of the Vrg4 protein that is highly conserved among other GDP-mannose transporters but not other types of nucleotide sugar transporters. Here, we present evidence that suggest an involvement of this region of the protein in binding GDP-mannose. Most of the mutations that were introduced within this conserved domain, spanning amino acids 280–291 of Vrg4p, lead to lethality, and none interfere with Vrg4 protein stability, localization, or dimer formation. The null phenotype of these mutant vrg4 alleles can be complemented by their overexpression. Vesicles prepared from vrg4 mutant strains were reduced in luminal GDP-mannose transport activity, but this effect could be suppressed by increasing the concentration of GDP-mannose in vitro. Thus, either an increased substrate concentration, in vitro, or an increased Vrg4 protein concentration, in vivo, can suppress these vrg4 mutant phenotypes. Vrg4 proteins with alterations in this region were reduced in binding to guanosine 5′-[γ-32P]triphosphate γ-azidoanilide, a photoaffinity substrate analogue whose binding to Vrg4-HAp was specifically inhibited by GDP-mannose. Taken together, these data are consistent with the model that amino acids in this region of the yeast GDP-mannose transporter mediate the recognition of or binding to nucleotide sugar prior to its transport into the Golgi.
Radial columns in autoradiographs generated from tracer methods for measuring cerebral cortical blood flow

Radial columns in the cerebral cortex, sometimes seen in autoradiographic methods for measuring cerebral blood flow, were studied. Radioactively labeled tracers were injected into the internal caro...
The PBL projects: where we've been and where we are going

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach in which students learn course content by using a structured approach to collaboratively solving complex real-world problems. PBL addresses widespread industry concern that graduates of technician and engineering programs often have difficulty applying their technical knowledge to novel situations and working effectively in teams. Over the past 9 years, the PBL Projects of the New England Board of Higher Education (Boston, MA) have developed instructional strategies and materials that research shows address industry concerns by improving student learning, retention, critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as the transfer of knowledge to new situations. In this paper we present a retrospective of the PBL Projects, three National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education (NSF-ATE) projects that developed twenty interdisciplinary multi-media PBL case studies called "Challenges" in the topic areas of optics/photonics, sustainable technology and advanced manufacturing, provided faculty professional development in the use of PBL in the classroom to teachers across the U.S. and abroad, and conducted research on the efficacy of the PBL method. We will describe the resources built into the Challenges to scaffold the development of students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills and the support provided to instructors who wish to create a student-centered classroom by incorporating PBL. Finally, we will discuss plans for next steps and examine strategies for taking PBL to the next level through actual industry-based problem solving experiences.
Leuconostoc spp. Associated with Root Rot in Sugar Beet and Their Interaction with Rhizoctonia solani.

Rhizoctonia root and crown rot is an important disease problem in sugar beet caused by Rhizoctonia solani and also shown to be associated with Leuconostoc spp. Initial Leuconostoc studies were conducted with only a few isolates and the relationship of Leuconostoc with R. solani is poorly understood; therefore, a more thorough investigation was conducted. In total, 203 Leuconostoc isolates were collected from recently harvested sugar beet roots in southern Idaho and southeastern Oregon during 2010 and 2012: 88 and 85% Leuconostoc mesenteroides, 6 and 15% L. pseudomesenteroides, 2 and 0% L. kimchi, and 4 and 0% unrecognized Leuconostoc spp., respectively. Based on 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, haplotype 11 (L. mesenteroides isolates) comprised 68 to 70% of the isolates in both years. In pathogenicity field studies with commercial sugar beet ‘B-7’, all Leuconostoc isolates caused more rot (P < 0.0001; α = 0.05) when combined with R. solani than when inoculated alone in both years. Also, 46 of the 52 combinat...
State of diagnostic quandary solved by modern technology: a rare case of Madelung's disease

Madelung's disease is a neglected metabolic disease characterised by generalised multiple fatty tissue deposits. A 64-year-old Caucasian woman presented with generalised weakness and symptomatic hypoglycaemia with altered mental status. Physical examination showed very distinct physical characteristics with multiple lumps distributed over the upper body. Her neurological symptoms were solved by giving intravenous glucose and optimisation of medical treatment. Even though she had unique characteristics of Madelung's disease, many physicians, on several occasions, failed to recognise her 'hidden diagnosis'. This diagnostic uncertainty was able to be solved by searching the Internet for similar clinical features and images. This case demonstrates characteristics and unique features of a rare disease that can be seen in a female patient even though it is mostly found in males.
Introducing DDL

If “hardware” consists of transistors, integrated circuits, solder, copper, glass epoxy board, etc., then anything placed on paper to describe hardware is a model. A great variety of models have been and continue to be used for a variety of purposes. We analyze models; we synthesize models; we communicate with others and computing machines via models. Some models such as circuit schematics, mechanical drawings, printed circuit art work, wiring lists, etc., are very explicit and offer the great detail necessary to fabricate hardware. They may reveal what the hardware looks like, but the organization, operation, and function of the hardware are difficult to determine from such models because of their volume and because they do not attempt to clearly reveal such things.
Handling Cut-In Vehicles in Strings of Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control Vehicles

Cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) systems are a candidate to improve highway capacity by shortening headways and attenuating traffic disturbances. Although encouraging results have been obtained until now, a wide range of traffic circumstances has to be investigated in order to get reliable CACC systems driving on real roads. Among them, handling both vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications-equipped and unequipped vehicles merging into the string of CACC vehicles is a commonly mentioned challenge. In this article, an algorithm for managing the transitions in response to cut-ins from V2V- or non-V2V-equipped vehicles is developed and tested using a string of four CACC vehicles. A CACC controller is implemented in four production Infiniti M56s vehicles and tested in real traffic, where non-V2V-equipped vehicles can cut in. The effects of a vehicle performing a cut-out are also investigated. Then responses to cut-ins by equipped and nonequipped vehicles are simulated for longer strings of vehicles u...
In-situ real-time x-ray scattering for probing the processing-structure-performance relation

In-situ x-ray scattering methodology is discussed, in order to analyze the microstructure development of soft functional materials during coating, annealing, and drying processes in real-time. The relevance of a fundamental understanding of coating processes for future industrial production is pointed out.
A Markov Chain Analysis of the Game of Jai Alai

(1996). A Markov Chain Analysis of the Game of Jai Alai. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 69, No. 4, pp. 279-283.
Social capital and interlocal service collaboration in US counties

ABSTRACTSocial capital and interlocal service collaboration in US counties. Regional Studies. Local governments are increasingly faced with public policy problems that span across their individual jurisdictional boundaries. Interlocal service collaboration has been suggested as a preferable alternative to address these issues. This study examines the association between collective social capital, especially focusing on Putnam-type organizations and interlocal service collaboration, by investigating the interlocal revenues at the county level for the fiscal year 2002 in the United States. An instrumental variables estimator to address a potential endogeneity problem of social capital was adopted. The results show that social capital is positively associated with interlocal service collaboration. Further analysis revealed that 15.8% of counties’ variation in interlocal service collaboration was attributed to the state level.
Transit effects on fecal Escherichia coli O157 prevalence and coliform concentrations in feedlot cattle.

Our objectives were to evaluate the effects of transportation and lairage on fecal shedding of Escherichia coli O157 (E. coli O157), total Escherichia coli, and total coliforms in feedlot cattle, and the rela- tionships between E. coli O157 prevalence and total E. coli population. The study was a randomized complete block design with a split-plot including 2 treatments: a nontransported group, which remained in its pen at all times, and a transported group, which was transported for 1 h in a trailer and subsequently unloaded in a differ- ent pen. The experiment was repeated on 3 different days (blocking factor) with 20 steers/d (10 steers/treatment, 60 total). Fecal samples were taken pretransport (h 0) and after 4 and 28 h, lairage from freshly voided fecal pats were taken from each animal. One gram of feces was transferred to a PBS tube, serially diluted, and plated onto Petrifilm for enumeration of total coliforms. Another sample (1 g) was added to gram-negative broth contain- ing cefixime, cefsulodin, and vancomycin, and subjected to immunomagnetic separation. Resulting beads were plated onto MacConkey agar with sorbitol, cefixime, and tellurite. Nonsorbitol fermenting colonies were selected and tested for indole production and O157 antigen agglu- tination. Results were confirmed using an API 20E kit. Prevalence of E. coli O157 was transient across blocks. E. coli O157 prevalence revealed no treatment × sam- pling time interaction (P = 0.179) or sampling time effect (P = 0.937), but a tendency for a treatment effect (P = 0.092). Numbers of E. coli and other coliforms did not change across blocks. No effect of treatment (P > 0.7) was observed on total E. coli concentrations or total coli- forms. However, tendencies for treatment × sampling time interactions were observed on both populations (P < 0.08), as well as a tendency for a sampling time effect on total E. coli (P = 0.087) and an effect on total coliforms (P = 0.004). Prevalence of E. coli O157 was not correlated with the concentration of total E. coli (P = 0.954). Results suggest that shedding of E. coli O157 and coliforms can vary within a period of 29 h. Greater statis- tical power and pathogen quantification, as well as hide sampling and stress-related measurements, are needed to be able to conclude on the effects of transport stress on E. coli O157 prevalence and the changes undergone in pathogen shedding patterns after transportation.
Synthesis of Optically Active ZnS–Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide via a Single Source Diethyldithiocarbamate Precursor

Zinc sulfide nanoparticles (ZnS NPs) have been deposited on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from a single source precursor, zinc(II) bis(diethyldithiocarbamate), using a one-step batch supercritical carbon...
Case Report: Potassium of 10 Milligrams Per Cent

AbstractAn 82-year-old white man with recurrent prostatitis was hospitalized with acute urinary retention. On 3 separate occasions the blood potassium was 10mg. per cent. An admission electrocardiogram was typical of hyperpotassemia. The patient recovered on intravenous therapy and conservative treatment. Transurethral resection of the prostate was done 6 weeks later.
DNA interaction studies and photoinduced ligand exchange kinetics of a sterically strained ruthenium(II) complex

Abstract Sterically strained ruthenium polypyridyl complexes represent an emerging class of bioactive molecules, capable of photoinduced ligand exchange and covalent binding with DNA, in a manner similar to cisplatin. A sterically strained complex, [Ru(biq) 2 (dpp)](PF 6 ) 2 , where biq = 2,2′-biquinoline, dpp = 2,3-bis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine, was synthesized, and investigated with respect to its photoinduced ligand exchange and DNA interaction properties. Although synthesis and redox properties of the complex, [Ru(biq) 2 (dpp)](PF 6 ) 2 , have been reported, the photoinduced ligand exchange properties and DNA binding properties have not yet been reported. Photoinduced dissociation of the dpp ligand was observed upon irradiation of water or acetonitrile solutions of the metal complex with visible light (λ irr ⩾ 550 nm) to generate [Ru(biq) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ](PF 6 ) 2 and [Ru(biq) 2 (CH 3 CN) 2 ](PF 6 ) 2 complexes, respectively. The half-lives of photoactivated exchange of the dpp ligand with water and acetonitrile were found to be 14 min and 6 min, respectively. The dissociation of the dpp ligand upon irradiation with light was confirmed by mass spectrometry. The synthesized complex displays covalent binding with DNA upon irradiation with visible light, confirmed by slowing down of the rate of DNA migration in agarose gel electrophoresis. No effect on the rate of migration of DNA was observed when incubated with metal complex in dark. The spectroscopic, photoinduced ligand exchange kinetics and DNA interaction properties are presented.
Noninvasive Blood Pressure Measurement in the Neonate

Measurements of blood pressure are important in the care of the critically ill neonate. Although direct measurement of mean arterial pressure remains the standard, noninvasive methods provide clinically useful estimations of pressure. Clinicians are often faced with situations where measurements of pressure obtained by direct and indirect methods do not agree. Although the explanation for this is not entirely clear, at least two factors are important: first, direct techniques measure pressure while indirect (noninvasive) methods measure flow; second, neither direct or indirect measurements are straightforward and both are subject to error. Of the noninvasive methods, the oscillometric and Doppler devices appear to be most clinically useful in the newborn intensive care unit.
Cadherin-11 is a novel regulator of extracellular matrix synthesis and tissue mechanics.

ABSTRACT We discovered that Cadherin-11 (CDH11) regulates collagen and elastin synthesis, both affecting the mechanical properties and contractile function of animal tissues. Using a Cdh11 -null mouse model, we observed a significant reduction in the mechanical properties [Youngs9 modulus and ultimate tensile strength (UTS)] of Cdh11 −/− as compared to wild-type (WT) mouse tissues, such as the aorta, bladder and skin. The deterioration of mechanical properties (Youngs9 modulus and UTS) was accompanied by reduced collagen and elastin content in Cdh11 −/− mouse tissues as well as in cells in culture. Similarly, knocking down CDH11 abolished collagen and elastin synthesis in human cells, and consequently reduced their ability to generate force. Conversely, engagement of CDH11 through homophilic interactions, led to swift activation of the TGF-β and ROCK pathways as evidenced by phosphorylation of downstream effectors. Subsequently, activation of the key transcription factors, MRTF-A (also known as MKL1) and MYOCD led to significant upregulation of collagen and elastin genes. Taken together, our results demonstrate a novel role of adherens junctions in regulating extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis with implications for many important biological processes, including maintenance of tissue integrity, wound healing and tissue regeneration.
Accurate, Empirical Radii and Masses of Planets with Gaia Parallaxes

We present new, empirical measurements of the radii of 132 stars that host transiting planets. These stellar radii are determined using only direct observables---the bolometric flux at Earth, the stellar effective temperature, and the parallax newly provided by the Gaia first data release---and thus are virtually model independent, extinction being the only free parameter. We also determine each star's mass using our newly determined radius and the stellar density, itself a virtually model independent quantity from the previously published transit analysis. The newly determined stellar radii and masses are in turn used to re-determine the transiting planet radii and masses, once again using only direct observables. The uncertainties on the stellar radii and masses are typically 8% and 30%, respectively, and the resulting uncertainties on the planet radii and masses are 9% and 22%, respectively. These accuracies are generally larger than the previously published model-dependent precisions of 5% and 6% on the planet radii and masses, respectively, but the newly determined values are purely empirical. We additionally report stellar radii for 366 stars that host radial-velocity (non-transiting) planets, with a typical achieved accuracy in the radii of 2%. Most importantly, the stellar bolometric fluxes and angular radii reported here---with typical accuracies of 1.7% and 1.8%, respectively---will serve as a fundamental data set to permit the re-determination of the planet radii and masses with the {\it Gaia\} second data release to 3% and 5% accuracy, comparable to or better than currently published precisions, but in an entirely empirical fashion.
Metamaterials for perpetual cooling at large scales.

The cold universe is a vast but freely available heat sink that has been largely neglected in the past and has a great potential to store and dissipate the enormous waste heat we generate every day on Earth. On page 1062 of this issue, Zhai et al. develop a metamaterial—a class of engineered material with exotic properties not found in nature—to cool room-temperature objects perpetually by dumping heat to outer space through infrared (IR) thermal radiation ( 1 ).
Generating Probabilistic Forecasts from Convection-Allowing Ensembles Using Neighborhood Approaches: A Review and Recommendations

Abstract“Neighborhood approaches” have been used in two primary ways to postprocess and verify high-resolution ensemble output. While the two methods appear deceptively similar, they define events over different spatial scales and yield fields with different interpretations: the first produces probabilities interpreted as likelihood of event occurrence at the grid scale, while the second produces probabilities of event occurrence over spatial scales larger than the grid scale. Unfortunately, some studies have confused the two methods, while others did not acknowledge multiple possibilities of neighborhood approach application and simply stated, “a neighborhood approach was applied” without supporting details. Thus, this paper reviews applications of neighborhood approaches to convection-allowing ensembles in hopes of clarifying the two methods and their different event definitions. Then, using real data, it is demonstrated how the two approaches can yield statistically significantly different objective co...
Automating the Point of Sale: Encoding Standards and Merchant Dial Terminals

This chapter recounts how NBI fully automated the point of sale. I introduce Hock’s broader vision for electronic value exchange, discuss the debates surrounding how to make the cards machine-readable, and Visa’s role in encouraging the development and widespread adoption of low-cost, dialup, point-of-sale terminals.
Self-regulatory factors of embryonic stem cells in co-culture with stromal cells enhance neural differentiation

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs), due to their intrinsic capability to generate somatic cells of all three germ layers, are potential sources of neural cells for cell replacement therapies. However, the empirical differentiation protocols and the lack of mechanistic understanding of the neural differentiation of ESCs have limited the utility of ESCs as a developmental model or as a cell source for neural cell populations for replacement therapies. Co-culturing ESCs with stromal cells is one of the extensively used methods to induce neural differentiation. Despite several studies to identify neural inducing factors in stromal cell induced neural differentiation, the self-regulatory effects of ESCs in the neural differentiation process remain unexplored. For the first time, we elucidate the self-regulatory role of mESCs in their neural cell differentiation by supplementing conditioned media from differentiating mESCs to mESC-PA6 co-cultures and quantitatively evaluating the change in neural differentiation. Moreover, we use statistical tools to analyze the expression of various growth and trophic factors and distinguish the factors produced primarily by PA6 cells versus mESCs in co-culture. We observe that addition of the medium containing mESC-secreted factors to a single mESC colony co-cultured with PA6 cells significantly enhances the neural differentiation of mESCs compares to the medium extracted from the stromal cells only. Hierarchical clustering of gene expression data from PA6 and co-cultured mESCs segregates two groups of factors that are produced by the stromal cells and differentiating mESCs. Identifying the major soluble factors that drive and regulate the neural differentiation process in the mESC-PA6 co-culture niche will help understand molecular mechanisms of neural development. Moreover, it can be a major step toward developing novel protocols to differentiate stem cells with mESC derived factor supplementation without using feeder cells and with greater efficiency compared to existing approaches.
Assessment of Blind Students' Conceptual Understanding.

Responses to a questionnaire sent to teachers of the blind demonstrated the need for a method for assessing blind students’ conceptual understanding. Assessment should encompass verbalization of th...
Reforming the US Immigration System to Promote Growth

To better serve America’s economic needs in the 21st century, immigration reform should welcome a significantly larger number of foreign-born workers in order to harness global talent flows. Specifically, this paper recommends (1) a large increase in permanent immigrant visas for high-skilled (including STEM) workers who are employed by or receive an offer of employment from a US-based company, (2) a significant expansion of temporary visa programs for both high- and low-skilled workers to meet the evolving demands of the US labor market and economy, (3) a visa allocation system that relies primarily on employer demand to inform needs, and (4) a fee-based temporary visa system to regulate demand while generating additional revenue. These immigration reforms would boost US economic growth, raise the average productivity of US workers, create more job opportunities for native-born Americans, expand America’s high-technology sectors, generate net revenue, and extend the solvency of federal retirement programs.
ACQUIRED GROWING PERICARDIAL CYST WITH RECURRENT CHRONIC CHEST PAIN

Acquired pericardial cystic mass with recurrent/worsening chest pain. A 25-year-old female with a history of systemic lupus erythematosis(diagnosed in 2010), chronic pericarditis/myopericarditis, anemia, chronic kidney disease (stage I), arthritis, scoliosis, pneumonia (2013), and pleurisy with
Spectral model for clear sky atmospheric longwave radiation

Abstract An efficient spectrally resolved radiative model is used to calculate surface downwelling longwave (DLW) radiation (0 ∼ 2500 cm − 1 ) under clear sky (cloud free) conditions at the ground level. The wavenumber spectral resolution of the model is 0.01 cm − 1 and the atmosphere is represented by 18 non-uniform plane-parallel layers with pressure in each layer determined on a pressure-based coordinate system. The model utilizes the most up-to-date (2016) HITRAN molecular spectral data for 7 atmospheric gases: H2O, CO2, O3, CH4, N2O, O2 and N2. The MT_CKD model is used to calculate water vapor and CO2 continuum absorption coefficients. Longwave absorption and scattering coefficients for aerosols are modeled using Mie theory. For the non-scattering atmosphere (aerosol free), the surface DLW agrees within 2.91% with mean values from the InterComparison of Radiation Codes in Climate Models (ICRCCM) program, with spectral deviations below 0.035 W cm m − 2 . For a scattering atmosphere with typical aerosol loading, the DLW calculated by the proposed model agrees within 3.08% relative error when compared to measured values at 7 climatologically diverse SURFRAD stations. This relative error is smaller than a calibrated parametric model regressed from data for those same 7 stations, and within the uncertainty (+/− 5 W m − 2 ) of pyrgeometers commonly used for meteorological and climatological applications. The DLW increases by 1.86 ∼ 6.57 W m − 2 when compared with aerosol-free conditions, and this increment decreases with increased water vapor content due to overlap with water vapor bands. As expected, the water vapor content at the layers closest to the surface contributes the most to the surface DLW, especially in the spectral region 0 ∼ 700 cm − 1 . Additional water vapor content (mostly from the lowest 1 km of the atmosphere) contributes to the spectral range of 400 ∼ 650 cm − 1 . Low altitude aerosols ( ∼ 3.46 km or less) contribute to the surface value of DLW mostly in the spectral range 750 ∼ 1400 cm − 1 .
The Role of Sensory Uncertainty in Simple Perceptual Organization

Perceptual organization is the process of grouping scene elements into whole entities, for example line segments into contours. Uncertainty in grouping arises from scene ambiguity and sensory noise. Some classic Gestalt principles of perceptual organization have been re-framed in terms of Bayesian models, whereby the observer computes the probability that the whole entity is present. Previous studies that proposed a Bayesian interpretation of perceptual organization, however, have ignored sensory uncertainty, despite the fact that accounting for the current level of uncertainty is the main signature of Bayesian decision making. Crucially, trial-by-trial manipulation of sensory uncertainty is necessary to test whether humans perform optimal Bayesian inference in perceptual organization, as opposed to using some non-Bayesian heuristic. We distinguish between these hypotheses in an elementary form of perceptual organization, namely judging whether two line segments separated by an occluder are collinear. We manipulate sensory uncertainty by varying retinal eccentricity. A Bayes-optimal observer would take the level of sensory uncertainty into account - in a very specific way - in deciding whether a measured offset between the line segments is due to non-collinearity or to sensory noise. We find that people deviate slightly but systematically from Bayesian optimality, while still performing "probabilistic computation" in the sense that they take into account sensory uncertainty via a heuristic rule. Our work contributes to an understanding of the role of sensory uncertainty in higher-order perception.
Through-Bond Electronic Couplings in Intramolecular Electron Transfer Reactions

Electron transfer is studied in molecules of the structure DBA where D and A (the donor and acceptor) are π systems and B is a saturated hydrocarbon bridge. Pulse radiolysis is used to produce radical anions of such molecules. In some ions, electron transfer rates can be measured, while in others the rates are too fast for measurement, but optical electron transfer (intervalence) bands can be observed. Both the rates and the band intensities decrease rapidly with increasing distance. Electronic couplings of the D and A groups occur through the saturated bonds of the bridge. The couplings are compared to couplings measured in related molecules by photoelectron and electron transmission spectroscopies. The dependence of the couplings on nuclear coordinates is discussed.
Radiation effects in solution and on the solid/liquid interface

The rates at which /sup 241/Am and /sup 239/Pu are leached by triply distilled water from a candidate borosilicate glass 76-101 can be adequately correlated by the exponential, An = An/sub 0/l /SUP -kt/ , where An is the concentration of the actinide in molar mass per square centimetre. The values for the parameters An/sub 0/ and k are 2.45 X 10/sup -9/ M/cm/sup 2/ and 0.024 + or - 0.001 h/sup -1/, respectively, over the period of 1 to 24 h. When the glass samples are irradiated with gamma rays from a /sup 60/Co source of 1 Mrad/h, values of the parameters (1to 24-h irradiation time) are A/sub 0/ = 5.6 C 10 /sup -9/ M/cm/sup 2/, k = 0.103 + or - 0.004 h/sup -1/ for /sup 239/Pu and A/sub 0/ '' 2.2 X 10/sup -11/ M/cm/sup 2/, k = 0.104 + or - 0.003 h/sup -1/ for /sup 241/Am.
Supply chain network equilibrium with strategic supplier investment: A real options perspective

Abstract This article develops a network equilibrium model that studies competing supply chain firms who can strategically invest in new capacity at suppliers under cost and demand uncertainty. We model the decision-making process of each supply chain firm as a stochastic optimization problem. We formulate the equilibrium conditions of all supply chain firms using the variational inequality theory. Analytical results establish connections from the supplier investment decisions to real put and call options. Option pricing theory is applied to show that the value of supplier capacity investment will increase if the demand uncertainty or the cost uncertainty increases, and will decrease if the price sensitivity or the cost factor increases. Numerical experiments are conducted to confirm and extend the analytical results, and to investigate the decision-making and profits of different supply chain firms in more complex and realistic settings. Our results also suggest that manufacturers should strategically invest in a portfolio of complementary suppliers with different risk characteristics that serve different purposes.
Speaking Theologically: The Concept of habitus in Peter Lombard and His Followers

This essay examines the theological concept of a habitus, the problems it was intended to solve, and how it was developed by masters of Paris in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. I argue that Peter Lombard and Peter of Poitiers embraced the broad concept of a habitus they found in Augustine’s work: that by which something is done when there is a need. A habitus, then, did not have to be acquired by practice, and it might never be manifest in the agent’s behaviour, because the need for it might never arise. This conception of a habitus was wide enough to encompass both naturally acquired dispositions and God-given dispositions, such as the virtues that theologians thought young children received through the grace of baptism. On the other hand, neither Peter Lombard nor Peter of Poitiers tried to explain how an adult with a virtuous habitus could fail to exercise it when appropriate circumstances arose. Stephen Langton broke new ground in arguing that an adult with a virtuous habitus might still lack the necessary power or strength to resist temptation. Stephen’s effort to account for moral failure by appealing to empirical psychology represents a step beyond the more idealized (and philosophically puzzling) teachings of his predecessors.
Teachers’ Mathematics Education and Readiness Beliefs, and Kindergarteners’ Mathematics Learning

This study investigates kindergarten children’s mathematics learning with a focus on the role of teachers’ mathematics education and readiness beliefs, and home learning environment. Using structural equation modeling to estimate the individual differences in early mathematics learning, data from 5,845 kindergarteners was evaluated. Findings show that teachers’ beliefs regarding what is important for children’s preparation in mathematics selectively influenced what they taught in the classrooms for mathematics education and what children experienced in kindergarten. The results also reveal that children who were provided ample experiences in reading and singing activities at home, and more frequent math learning practices, problem-solving activities, and arts or life-related materials within the classroom showed greater math thinking skills and higher math achievement scores than those who were not provided such experiences. More reading and singing activities at home, math learning practices, problem solving activities, and use of art or life-related materials during the kindergarten year are encouraged to highlight kindergarteners’ mathematics instruction and learning. What has a greater impact on mathematics learning in kindergarteners appears to be the kind of instruction that is planned and delivered, rather than teachers’ beliefs regarding mathematics readiness.
Liberal Individualism and the Globalization of Education as a Human Right: The Worldwide Decline of Early Tracking, 1960–2010:

This article examines global changes in tracking policies over the post–World War II period. Using a newly constructed quantitative panel data set of 139 countries from 1960 to 2010, I show that a ...
The relationship between plumage coloration and aggression in female tree swallows

Intrasexual competition is an important selective force that can favor the evolution of honest signals of fighting ability. Research has focused predominantly on male birds, but many female birds also possess plumage ornaments that could mediate the outcome of competitive interactions. We examined the relationship between blue and white structural coloration and aggression in female tree swallows Tachycineta bicolor. Tree swallows are secondary cavity nesters and females show delayed plumage maturation which may be related to intense competition for nest sites. We compared plumage reflectance of second‐year (SY) and after‐second year (ASY) females, and within‐individual changes in plumage reflectance of ASY females in two successive years. We assessed aggression by placing a caged SY female 2 m from the nest box of an ASY female and quantified the ASY female's response in relation to her own plumage coloration. We found substantial differences in plumage reflectance of SY and ASY females, but found that ASY females became greener with duller white coloration in the second year. This may be due to poor weather that made reproduction particularly costly in the first year of the study and suggests coloration is influenced by condition. We found no relationship between dorsal coloration and aggressiveness. Rather, brighter white females spent more time on their nest box and within 2 m of the intruder than females with dull breasts. Our findings suggest that brighter white ASY females may perceive a SY female as less of a threat or that there may be a trade‐off associated with aggression and parental care that is related to white brightness.
The influence of experiential knowledge and societal perceptions on decision-making regarding non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT)

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) allows women to access genetic information about their fetuses without the physical risk inherent to prior testing methods. The advent of NIPT technology has led to concerns regarding the quality and process of informed consent, as a view of NIPT as “routine” could impair women’s considered approach when choosing to undergo testing. Prior studies evaluating NIPT decision-making have focused on the clinical encounter as the primary environment for acquisition of biomedical information and decision formation. While important, this conceptualization fails to consider how additional sources of knowledge, including embodied and empathetic experiential knowledge, shape perceptions of risk and the societal use of NIPT. In order to address this issue, qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 25 women who had been offered NIPT were performed. Participants came from a well-resourced, rural setting near a major academic medical center in the US. Women were categorized by NIPT use/non-use as well as whether their described decision-making process was perceived as making a significant decision requiring contemplation (“significant”) versus a rapid or immediate decision (“routinized”). A constructivist general inductive approach was used to explore themes in the data, develop a framework of NIPT decision-making, and compare the perceptions of women with differential decision-making processes and outcomes. A framework for decision-making regarding NIPT was developed based on three emergent factors: perceptions of the societal use of NIPT, expected emotional impact of genetic information, and perceived utility of genetic information. Analysis revealed that perceptions of widespread use of NIPT, pervasive societal narratives of NIPT use as “forward-thinking,” and a perception of information as anxiety-relieving contributed to routinized uptake of NIPT. In contrast, women who displayed a lack of routinization expressed fewer stereotypes regarding the audience for NIPT and relied on communication with their social networks to consider how they might use the information provided by NIPT. The findings of this study reveal the societal narratives and perceptions that shape differential decision-making regarding NIPT in the U.S. context. Understanding and addressing these perceptions that influence NIPT decision-making, especially routinized uptake of NIPT, is important as the use and scope of this technology increases.
Bonnes et mauvaises indications de la thromboprophylaxie médicamenteuse lors des traitements des varices ou des voyages aériens

Le traitement des varices des membres inferieurs repond aujourd’hui a des recommandations que tout praticien specialise en phlebologie doit connaitre. La pathologie variqueuse est frequente, le but de ses traitements est avant tout preventif ; cependant, ils doivent etre efficaces et repondre a un imperatif de securite. Une des questions que doit se poser le praticien est le risque thromboembolique de la(es) procedure(s) qu’il applique a son patient, et par consequent de la necessite ou non de mettre en place une thromboprophylaxie. Voyager par avion est devenu tres courant et accessible. Environ 4 milliards de personnes ont voyage en avion dans le monde en 2018. Le lien entre thrombose veineuse profonde/embolie pulmonaire et voyage en avion a longtemps ete discute mais aujourd’hui n’est plus a demontrer. Le parallele avec la partie precedente peut dont etre etabli, et la meme question peut tout a fait se poser, le medecin vasculaire etant regulierement questionne par ses confreres ou ses patients a ce sujet. Nous allons donc pour chaque partie, relever dans la litterature les elements de reponse a apporter pour permettre dans chaque situation de prendre la meilleure decision therapeutique.
Online parameter estimation under non-persistent excitations for high-rate dynamic systems

Abstract High-rate dynamic systems are defined as systems experiencing dynamic events of typical amplitudes higher than 100 g n for a duration of less than 100 ms. They are characterized by 1) large uncertainties on the external loads; 2) high levels of nonstationarity and heavy disturbance; and 3) generation of unmodeled dynamics from changes in mechanical configuration. To fully enable these systems, feedback capabilities must be developed. This includes computationally fast software and low latency hardware. This paper presents a pure time-based online parameter estimation algorithm for high-rate dynamic systems with real-time applicability. The algorithm is based on a model reference adaptive system architecture consisting of a reference system and an adaptive model. The adaptive model is built on a reduced order physical representation of the system and uncertainties are linearized. Uncertain coefficients are adapted leveraging instantaneous measurements and historical input–output data sets, termed history stack data, based on concurrent learning theory for coping with the lack of persistent excitation. The history stack is sequentially modified based on a singular value maximizing algorithm to accelerate convergence. The algorithm is numerically verified and experimentally validated on a testbed consisting of a cantilever beam with a moving cart. Numerical verifications show that the algorithm provides fast and accurate convergence when concurrent learning is used. Experimental validations show that the algorithm can successfully identify static positions of the cart, and can also track its movement relatively well, with large chattering and overshoots during travel time. The average computation speed of the algorithm per sample step, implemented in MATLAB, is 93 μ s. It is envisioned that the implementation of the algorithm on an FPGA, along with refined coding, will greatly reduce computation time.
Modeling Technological improvement, Adoption and Employment effects of Electric Vehicles: A Review

In this work, we use Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) to elucidate the mechanics of technology cost improvement, adoption and employment impact models as well as key sources of uncertainty in these models. We argue for caution in interpreting the results, especially for large-scale, long-term planning. We also suggest possible models for identifying higher vulnerability communities due to technology transition and building community resilience through a case study of South East Michigan.
On variation of word frequencies in Russian literary texts

Abstract We study the variation of word frequencies in Russian literary texts. Our findings indicate that the standard deviation of a word’s frequency across texts depends on its average frequency according to a power law with exponent 1 2 α 1 , which shows that the rarer words have a relatively larger degree of frequency volatility (that is, higher “burstiness”). A latent factor model has been estimated to investigate the structure of the word frequency distribution. The findings suggest that the dependence of a word’s frequency volatility on its average frequency can be explained by the asymmetry in the distribution of latent factors.
Synthesis of [1,3, NH2-15N3] (5′S)-8,5′-cyclo-2′-deoxyguanosine

To facilitate NMR studies and low-level detection in biological samples by mass spectrometry, [1,3, NH2-15N3] (5′S)-8,5′-cyclo-2′-deoxyguanosine was synthesized from imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid in 21 steps. The three 15N isotopes were introduced during the chemo-enzymatic preparation of [1,3, NH2-15N3]-2′-deoxyguanosine using an established procedure. The 15N-labeled 2′-deoxyguanosine was converted to a 5′-phenylthio derivative, which allowed the 8-5′ covalent bond formation via photochemical homolytic cleavage of the C–SPh bond. SeO2 oxidation of C-5′ followed by sodium borohydride reduction and deprotection gave the desired product in good yield. The isotopic purity of the [1,3, NH2-15N3] (5′S)-8,5′-cyclo-2′-deoxyguanosine was in excess of 99.94 atom% based on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry measurements. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.