cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
‘Lufkin Red’ and ‘Lufkin White’ Winter-hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus ×laevis All.)

Winter-hardy hibiscuses are herbaceous perennials that regenerate from root buds each spring in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9. Colloquially known as Rose Mallows, the most recent taxonomic revision (Blanchard, 1976) recognizes five species (Hibiscus coccineus Walter, Hibiscus dasycalyx Blake & Shiller, Hibiscus grandiflorus Michaux, Hibiscus laevis Allioni, and Hibiscus moscheutos L.) that comprise the North American taxon Hibiscus L. sect. Muenchhusia (Heister ex Fabricium) O. Blanchard (Malvaceae) (Small, 2004). A number of additional taxa associated with H. moscheutos have been variously recognized historically as varieties, subspecies, or distinct species. Primary among these are Hibiscus moscheutos subsp. palustris L., native to the northeastern United States, and Hibiscus moscheutos subsp. incanus Wendl., indigenous to the southeastern coastal plain (Blanchard, 1976). Native populations prefer wetland habitats such as flood plains but are tolerant to wide fluctuations in soil moisture. Rose mallows are long-day plants (Warner and Erwin, 2001) that flower from late spring through fall. Flowers last for a single day with color varying from scarlet rose in H. coccineus to white, lavender, and pink shades in the other four species. Studies of pollination in H. moscheutos indicate that the species is generally self-compatible but that the trait is variable with some lines rapidly develop inbreeding depression in progeny (Snow and Spira, 1993). The five species have a shared chromosome number of N =19, but artificial hybridization studies resulted in grouping the species into two groups based on seed set (Wise and Menzel, 1971). Hibiscus grandiorus and H. moscheutos (Group I) were entirely interfertile, and H. coccineus and H. laevis (Group II) were also interfertile, but crosses between groups produced few viable seed. Although Wise and Menzel (1971) did not include H. dasycalyx in their studies, subsequent work has shown that H. dasycalyx is closely related to H. laevis (Klips. 1995; Small, 2004) and clearly belongs in Group II. Although breeding of rose mallows has focused on developing new clones with improved horticultural traits (Malinowski et al., 2012) such as branching and flower color, there is a need for clones with improved disease resistance, particularly in the southeastern United States. Both ‘Lufkin Red’ and ‘Lufkin White’ have desirable horticultural traits in combination with demonstrated high levels of field resistance to the leaf spot complex (Pirone, 1970) that is problematic on winter-hardy hibiscus clones in areas with warm nights and high humidity.
Burkholderia phytofirmans inoculation-induced changes on the shoot cell anatomy and iron accumulation reveal novel components of Arabidopsis-endophyte interaction that can benefit downstream biomass deconstruction

It is known that plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) elicit positive effects on plant growth and biomass yield. However, the actual mechanism behind the plant-PGPB interaction is poorly understood, and the literature is scarce regarding the thermochemical pretreatability and enzymatic degradability of biomass derived from PGPB-inoculated plants. Most recent transcriptional analyses of PGPB strain Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN inoculating potato in literature and Arabidopsis in our present study have revealed the expression of genes for ferritin and the biosynthesis and transport of siderophores (i.e., the molecules with high affinity for iron), respectively. The expression of such genes in the shoots of PsJN-inoculated plants prompted us to propose that PsJN-inoculation can improve the host plant's iron uptake and accumulation, which facilitates the downstream plant biomass pretreatment and conversion to simple sugars. In this study, we employed B. phytofirmans PsJN to inoculate the Arabidopsis thaliana plants, and conducted the first investigation for its effects on the biomass yield, the anatomical organization of stems, the iron accumulation, and the pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of harvested biomass. The results showed that the strain PsJN stimulated plant growth in the earlier period of plant development and enlarged the cell size of stem piths, and it also indeed enhanced the essential metals uptake and accumulation in host plants. Moreover, we found that the PsJN-inoculated plant biomass released more glucose and xylose after hot water pretreatment and subsequent co-saccharification, which provided a novel insight into development of lignocellulosic biofuels from renewable biomass resources.
Schizophrenia: From genetics to physiology at last

The identification of a set of genetic variations that are strongly associated with the risk of developing schizophrenia provides insights into the neurobiology of this destructive disease. See Article p.177 The strongest genetic association found in schizophrenia is its association to genetic markers across the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus, first described in three Nature papers in 2009. The association signal at the MHC is extremely complex. Here Steven McCarroll and colleagues report a dissection of the MHC association to schizophrenia. They find a strong contribution from many structurally diverse alleles of the complement component 4 (C4) genes. The linkage was higher for C4 alleles that promoted greater expression of C4A, measured in the brain tissues of adult post-mortem donors with or without schizophrenia. The authors suggest that C4 may work with other components of the classical complement cascade to promote synaptic pruning, and demonstrate that C4 mediates synaptic refinement in a mouse model.
Parallel Multigrid in the Simulation of Metal Flow

Parallel multigrid solutions for the steel flow of a high technology casting method are presented. The twin-roller production of strip steel states a multi-disciplinary problem combining the flow of the liquid steel (casting) and the mechanical deformation of the solidified steel (rolling). Simulation of this coupled problem requires extremely fast solution of the fluid flow in general domains. Parallel performance and geometrical flexibility of L i SS are demonstrated to show the ability of L i SS to fulfill these requirements.
A sequence element of p53 that determines its susceptibility to viral oncoprotein-targeted degradation

The molecular basis that the viral oncoproteins, including HPV16 E6 and E1B55k/E4 34k complex, differentially target p53 but not its homolog p73 for degradation remains elusive. Using a series of p53/p73 chimeras, we demonstrated that despite binding to the different regions of p53, both HPV16 E6 and E1B55k/E4 34k required a very same p53 sequence, amino acid residues 92 to 112 [p53(aa.92-112)], previously identified as a necessity for Mdm2-mediated degradation, to target p53 for degradation. Removal of the p53(aa.92-112) by either substitution or deletion resulted in a p53 protein that was no longer degradable by the viral proteins. More significantly, swapping the oncoprotein-binding motif and the p53(aa.92-112) rendered p73 susceptible to oncoprotein-mediated degradation. Collectively, our data supports a model in which the p53(aa.92-112) functions as a determinant for p53 stability while the binding of the oncoproteins directs p53 into the specific pathway for proteolysis.
Adsorption of Benzyldimethylhexadecylammonium Chloride at the Hydrophobic Silica–Water Interface Studied by Total Internal Reflection Raman Spectroscopy: Effects of Silica Surface Properties and Metal Salt Addition

The adsorption of the cationic surfactant benzyldimethylhexadecylammonium (BDMHA+) chloride was studied at an octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS)-monolayer-modified silica–water interface by Raman spectroscopy in total internal reflection (TIR) geometry. The present study demonstrates the capabilities of this spectroscopic technique to evaluate thermodynamic and kinetic BDMHA+Cl– adsorption properties at the hydrophobic silica surface. The surface coverage of BDMHA+ decreased by 50% at the hydrophobic OTS-silica surface relative to the surface coverage on bare silica; the dominating driving mechanisms for surfactant adsorption were identified as hydrophobic effects and head group charge screening by the electrolyte counterions. Addition of magnesium metal salt (MgCl2) to the aqueous solution (∼ neutral pH) lowered the surface coverage and moderately increased the Langmuir adsorption constants relative to those of the pure surfactant. These trends were previously observed at the hydrophilic, negatively charged ...
Constipation and Encopresis in Childhood

1. Adel Abi-Hanna, MD 2. Alan M. Lake, MD* 1. 2. *Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. 1. Constipation is a symptom, not a diagnosis, that has multiple etiologies and multiple alternative treatments. 2. Encopresis or fecal soiling has many etiologies, not all of which are associated with fecal retention or responsive to laxatives. 3. Children who have Hirschsprung disease almost never have encopresis because the aganglionic segment maintains tonic contraction due to the absence of inhibitory neurons containing nitric acid and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. 4. Functional retentive constipation is associated with loss of lower colonic muscle tone and will not resolve until complete repetitive evacuation of the lower colon allows muscle tone to be restored. 5. Successful treatment of constipation and encopresis requires a combination of patient and parent education, medical therapy, nutritional intervention, behavioral modification, and long-term monitoring of compliance. Constipation is a very common frustration for children, parents, and physicians. It is reported to account for nearly 5% of all outpatient visits to pediatric clinics and more than 25% of all referrals to pediatric gastroenterologists. Painful defecation and encopresis (involuntary passage of stool from the anus) usually are the first manifestations noted. Constipation generally is defined by the hard nature of the stool, the pain associated with its passage, or the failure to pass three stools per week. It would be preferable to define constipation as the failure to evacuate the lower colon completely with a bowel movement. This allows the parents and physician to realize that a child who has three small stools daily may not yet have evacuated the colon, while a child who has two large soft stools a week may not be constipated. The frequency of stools in most children decreases from a mean of four per day in the first week of life to 1.7 per day by the age of 2 years. Over this interval, stool volume increases more than tenfold while maintaining …
Medical and dental technology assessment

Spiraling costs dictate that healthcare expenditures be limited to medical products and services of demonstrated safety and effectiveness, if quality care is to be provided at affordable cost. Scientifically conducted, randomized controlled trials are essential elements of this process. Applicable governmental regulatory procedures are reviewed. These serve as the foundation of the technology assessment process and should not be restricted or curtailed. Healthcare provider groups may make significant contributions in this area, when scientific investigation and objective research are emphasized. Technology manufacturers must promote and support objective analysis of their products. Healthcare insurers are assuming greater responsibility and involvement in outcomes research and technology assessment. The process by which this is accomplished by a major insurer is described. Private insurers and governmental agencies should share data in a consolidated research effort. This will require data base adjustments for compatibility and comparability in inter-agency analysis. Insurance company data bases are significant public health assets that have yet to be utilized to the fullest extent.
The Optimal Analysis of Opportunistic Maintenance Model of Multi-components System

To discuss the system in which the economical dependence exists among the components,akind of reliability model with the opportunistic maintenance is established by the theory of renewal process.The analytical method to get the system steady-state availability and expected maintenance cost rate arepresented.On the basis of the results,the optimal opportunistic thresholdt*is acquired by the use ofnon-linear programming method.With the optimal(t*,T) policy,the lowest expected cost rate and therequirement to the availability of system are both obtained.Eventually the paper investigates the applica-tion scope of the different policies by analyzing the relationship between the parameters of the model andthe thresholdt*.
EPR Studies of Excited State Exchange and Crystal-Field Effects in Rare Earth Compounds

EPR studies1–4 in excited crystal-field states of Tm3+, Pr3+, and Tb3+ in singlet-ground-state systems5 and6 in the excited state of Ce3+ in CeP are reviewed. Because one is looking at a crystalfield excited state resonance, the exchange, even if isotropic, does not act as a secular perturbation. This means that one obtains different effects and has access to more information about the dynamic effects of exchange than in conventional paramagnetic resonance experiments. The Tm and Pr monopnictides studies are paramagnetic at all temperatures. The most striking feature1,2 of the behavior of the Γ5 (2)) EPR in the Tm compounds is the presence of an anomalous maximum in the temperature dependence of the g-factor. We discuss the relationship of this effect to anisotropic exchange. The results of the EPR of the excited Γ5 (2) level of Tb3+ (g-factor becomes very large at TN) in antiferromagnetic TbX (X=P, As, Sb) and that of the excited Γ8 level of Ce3+ in antiferromagnetic CeP will also be reported. For sufficient dilution of the Tb3+ in the terbium monopnictides, the systems become paramagnetic (Van Vleck paramagnets) down to 0°K. We have studied4 the Tb3+ excited state resonance EPR in Tb0.1La0.9P as an example of behavior in such systems.
Preload-Induced Changes in Systolic and Diastolic Performance in the Young and Aged Murine Heart

The aged heart exhibits modifications limiting cardiac performance. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that aged hearts exhibit impaired systolic and diastolic function in response to elevated preload. To test this, hearts of Young (3-6 month) and Aged (22-27 month) C57Bl/6 mice were excised and cannulated via aorta and left atrium. In working heart mode (8 Hz stimulation), defined preloads were applied via atrial cannula while peak pressure (mmHg), rate of pressure development (+dP/dt), and rate of pressure decay (-dP/dt) were monitored via intraventricular pressure catheter. Hearts underwent progressive preload increases from 5-20 mmHg, followed by preload challenge (30 mmHg, 20 minutes).Young hearts (6/6) responded to greater preloads (5-20 mm Hg) with increased pressure (from 73±4 to 96±7 mmHg), rate of development (from 2542±247 to 3628±328 mmHg/s), and rate of decay (from −2194±290 to −3370±368 mmHg/s). In contrast, divergent responses were observed in Aged, one population (5/9) increasing in peak pressure (from 67±5 to 109±8 mmHg) and rates (+dP/dt 2384±184 to 4317±347 mmHg/s, -dP/dt −1476±244 mmHg/s to −3783±275 mmHg/s)(i.e., positive responsive) and a second population (4/9) decreasing in peak pressure (from 81±10 to 75±9 mmHg) and rates (+dP/dt 2653±295 to 2378±378 mmHg/s, -dP/dt −1972±462 to −1914±716 mmHg/s)(i.e., negative responsive).Interestingly, during sustained preload challenge, positive responsive Aged exhibited greater decline in rate of decay (−3402±510 initial to −2457±336 mmHg/s final) compared to Young (−3023±328 initial to −2758±362 mmHg/s final) and negative responsive Aged (−1450±532 initial to −1325±433 mmHg/s final).In summary, our data suggest the Aged heart manifests two forms of diastolic dysfunction; one characterized by an inability to respond to preload and a second by the capacity to respond to preload with augmented hemodynamics but inability to sustain diastolic function.
Numerical Simulation of Weather

Even in this age of scientific superlatives it is hard to find a field more far-reaching and with more interesting problems and more difficulties than that of numerical weather prediction. The associated atmosphere physics behind it is worldwide. A large number of physical disciplines interact with each other in a most complex way. Fluid dynamics, which describes the major motions of the atmosphere and oceans, is considered classical physics. However, the energy sources and frictional forces that must be included introduce quantum mechanics and diffusion theory as well as numerical analysis.
The Oscillating Stimulus Transporter Assay, OSTA: Quantitative Functional Imaging of Transporter Protein Activity in Time and Frequency Domains

Transmembrane transporter proteins allow the passage of essentially all biologically important molecules across the lipid membranes of cells and organelles and are therefore of central importance to all forms of life. Current methods of transporter measurement, however, are lacking in several dimensions. Herein, a method is presented in which oscillating stimuli are presented to transporter-expressing cells, and activity is measured through imaging the corresponding oscillating responses of intracellular fluorescent sensors. This approach yields continuous temporal readouts of transporter activity and can therefore be used to measure time-dependent responses to drugs and other stimuli. Because of the periodic nature of the response, temporal Fourier transforms can be used to identify and quantify regions of interest in the xy plane and to overcome noise. This technique, called the Oscillating Stimulus Transporter Assay (OSTA), should greatly facilitate both functional characterization of transporters as well as high-throughput screening of drugs for transporters of particular pathophysiological interest.
Detection of Clonality in Lymphoproliferations Using PCR of the Antigen Receptor Genes: Does Size Matter?.

Abstract A biopsy of a nasal mass was received from another institution for a hematopathology consultation. The specimen had morphologic and immunostaining features consistent with a B-cell lymphoma, histologically low-grade, and suggestive for an extranodal marginal cell lymphoma of mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type. We used PCR of the IgH gene to evaluate clonality on DNA derived from this specimen. The primers were from the BIOMED-2 report (van Dongen et al. 2003, Leukemia 17:2257) and the amplicons were subjected to heteroduplex formation prior to PAGE. A homoduplex of approximately 140 bp was obtained reproducibly from the FR2 and JH primers, which is below the usually acceptable size limits of 250–295 bps. No homoduplex was obtained using FR3 and JH primers. We sequenced the FR2/JH amplicon using the PCR primers as sequencing primers. The amplicon was 137 bps, with 92 bps between the primers. After the upstream VH3 FR2 primer there were approximately 25 bps from the FR2 region of several members of the VH3 family, with VH3-49 (allele *03) being the best match. Adjacent to the downstream consensus JH primer there were approximately 30 bp from the J6 segment. Between the identifiable sequences there were 37 bp that we could not identify. Blast searches turned up several matches of 18 bp, but nothing that gave convincing evidence for its origin. We interpret these results as indicating a clonal IgH rearrangement followed by a deletion that removed most of the downstream portion of the V segment, including the FR3 region. It is likely that the 37 bp in between the identified IgH segments consists of randomly inserted nucleotides and IgH sequence that has been somatically mutated beyond recognition, although other interpretations are possible. However, the amplicon does appear to be derived from an IgH rearrangement, which is consistent with derivation from a monoclonal population of B-lymphocytes. This work illustrates that DNA fragments outside of the size range expected from PCR of the antigen receptor genes may still be consistent with a monoclonal result. Thus, this type of result should not be dismissed, but should be subjected to further analysis.
Improved Student Reasoning About Carbon-Transforming Processes Through Inquiry-Based Learning Activities Derived from an Empirically Validated Learning Progression

This paper reports on our use of a fine-grained learning progression to assess secondary students’ reasoning through carbon-transforming processes (photosynthesis, respiration, biosynthesis). Based on previous studies, we developed a learning progression with four progress variables: explaining mass changes, explaining energy transformations, explaining subsystems, and explaining large-scale systems. For this study, we developed a 2-week teaching module integrating these progress variables. Students were assessed before and after instruction, with the learning progression framework driving data analysis. Our work revealed significant overall learning gains for all students, with the mean post-test person proficiency estimates higher by 0.6 logits than the pre-test proficiency estimates. Further, instructional effects were statistically similar across all grades included in the study (7th–12th) with students in the lowest third of initial proficiency evidencing the largest learning gains. Students showed significant gains in explaining the processes of photosynthesis and respiration and in explaining transformations of mass and energy, areas where prior research has shown that student misconceptions are prevalent. Student gains on items about large-scale systems were higher than with other variables (although absolute proficiency was still lower). Gains across each of the biological processes tested were similar, despite the different levels of emphasis each had in the teaching unit. Together, these results indicate that students can benefit from instruction addressing these processes more explicitly. This requires pedagogical design quite different from that usually practiced with students at this level.
Intermusicality, Space and Deleuzian Aesthetics in Jacques Réda’s “Quatre lettres de Coleman Hawkins”

Jacques Reda’s foundational relation to jazz is clear throughout his work. The monumental series of poems in L’Improviste, “Quatre lettres de Coleman Hawkins”, blends the influence of jazz in Reda’s work with his spatial poetics. Inspired by the tenor saxophone great, Reda himself improvises poetically to create a cadence that reflects the rhythms of this jazz icon. The intermusical synergy between jazz and poetry merges with intertextual improvisation through images of the sea and soaring that voice expressions of freedom and open space. In examining Reda’s poetic practice as spatial practice, this study also takes into account the spatial dimensions of Deleuze and Guattari’s thought, together with concepts they elaborate in relation to music. As Reda composes orchestral textures and movements through airborne images of clouds and birds that extend to the flowering world’s dispersive and generative momentum, a renewed and renewing space comes into being.
The social organization of entrepreneurial ecosystems

This study attempts to develop our understanding of the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a complex social system. Using in-depth interviews, we model the entrepreneurial ecosystems of two municipalities through a diverse network of entrepreneurs, investors, institutional leaders and staff. The two ecosystems were characterized and compared on a set of measures related to the level of connectivity between actors, the existence of social boundaries, the role and position of actors with certain attributes (e.g. women, minorities) and the presence of ties in multiple social contexts (e.g. friend and investor). We found that social boundaries formed along venture type (e.g. high-growth/technology, lifestyle), type of support institution (e.g. university, government agency), gender, and ethnicity. High-growth/technology entrepreneurs, for example, were predominantly white, male and strongly connected to technology commercialization and acceleration programs. We also found that women and minorities are less embedded in the high-growth community than their male and ethnic counterparts.
Nitrogenase Assembly: Strategies and Procedures

Nitrogenase is a metalloenzyme system that plays a critical role in biological nitrogen fixation, and the study of how its metallocenters are assembled into functional entities to facilitate the catalytic reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia is an active area of interest. The diazotroph Azotobacter vinelandii is especially amenable to culturing and genetic manipulation, and this organism has provided the basis for many insights into the assembly of nitrogenase proteins and their respective metallocofactors. This chapter will cover the basic procedures necessary for growing A. vinelandii cultures and subsequent recombinant transformation and protein expression techniques. Furthermore, protocols for nitrogenase protein purification and substrate reduction activity assays are described. These methods provide a solid framework for the assessment of nitrogenase assembly and catalysis.
Self-Determination in Social Context: A Social Cognitive Approach

There is growing support for situating understandings of self-determination for students with disabilities in social and cultural contexts. However, exploration and expansion of theory is needed to illuminate the complexities of self-determination in the process of academic and career development, particularly for students from culturally diverse backgrounds. In an attempt to create this understanding we propose the use of social cognitive career theory because this theory of career and academic development accounts for both personal background and identity variables (e.g., disability, gender, and culture) and intrapersonal cognitive variables (e.g., coping-efficacy, self-efficacy) (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994). Whereas self-determination theory in special education is primarily concerned with cognitive variables.
Modified error in constitutive equations (MECE) approach for ultrasound elastography.

A partial differential equation-constrained optimization approach is presented for reconstructing mechanical properties (e.g., elastic moduli). The proposed method is based on the minimization of an error in constitutive equations functional augmented with a least squares data misfit term referred to as MECE for “modified error in constitutive equations.” The main theme of this paper is to demonstrate several key strengths of the proposed method on experimental data. In addition, some illustrative examples are provided where the proposed method is compared with a common shear wave elastography (SWE) approach. To this end, both synthetic data, generated with transient finite element simulations, as well as ultrasonically tracked displacement data from an acoustic radiation force (ARF) experiment are used in a standard elasticity phantom. The results indicate that the MECE approach can produce accurate shear modulus reconstructions with significantly less bias than SWE.
Homogenized description and retrieval method of nonlinear metasurfaces

Abstract A patterned, plasmonic metasurface can strongly scatter incident light, functioning as an extremely low-profile lens, filter, reflector or other optical device. When the metasurface is patterned uniformly, its linear optical properties can be expressed using effective surface electric and magnetic polarizabilities obtained through a homogenization procedure. The homogenized description of a nonlinear metasurface, however, presents challenges both because of the inherent anisotropy of the medium as well as the much larger set of potential wave interactions available, making it challenging to assign effective nonlinear parameters to the otherwise inhomogeneous layer of metamaterial elements. Here we show that a homogenization procedure can be developed to describe nonlinear metasurfaces, which derive their nonlinear response from the enhanced local fields arising within the structured plasmonic elements. With the proposed homogenization procedure, we are able to assign effective nonlinear surface polarization densities to a nonlinear metasurface, and link these densities to the effective nonlinear surface susceptibilities and averaged macroscopic pumping fields across the metasurface. These effective nonlinear surface polarization densities are further linked to macroscopic nonlinear fields through the generalized sheet transition conditions (GSTCs). By inverting the GSTCs, the effective nonlinear surface susceptibilities of the metasurfaces can be solved for, leading to a generalized retrieval method for nonlinear metasurfaces. The application of the homogenization procedure and the GSTCs are demonstrated by retrieving the nonlinear susceptibilities of a SiO 2 nonlinear slab. As an example, we investigate a nonlinear metasurface which presents nonlinear magnetoelectric coupling in near infrared regime. The method is expected to apply to any patterned metasurface whose thickness is much smaller than the wavelengths of operation, with inclusions of arbitrary geometry and material composition, across the electromagnetic spectrum.
An analysis of the unit hydrograph peaking factor: A case study in Goose Creek Watershed, Virginia

Abstract Study region Goose Creek Watershed, Loudoun County, Virginia, USA. Study focus Existing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) policy suggests that the unit hydrograph peaking factor (UHPF) – taken as the unit hydrograph peak of any flood runoff, including the probable maximum flood, over unit hydrograph peak of the inflow design flood (IDF) – range between 1.25 and 1.50 to ensure dam safety. It is pertinent to investigate the impact of extreme flood events on the validity of this range through physically based rainfall-runoff models not available during the planning and design of most USACE dams. The UHPF range was analyzed by deploying the Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA) model. New hydrological insights This study concludes that design events with return periods greater than 5-years are required for the UHPF to fall within the guidance range and that UHPF becomes less sensitive to rainfall intensity with increasing accumulation time. An effective rainfall factor (ERF) is introduced to validate existing UHPF guidance as well as provide a nonlinear UHPF scaling relation when effective rainfall does not match that of the UH design event. Finally, a method for quantifying the effect of hydrologic parameter and precipitation magnitude uncertainty on UHPF are demonstrated. The Goose Creek facility is shown to maintain dam safety given current UHPF guidance as it was designed using 25-year return-period rainfall.
Government Agricultural Policy, United States

US agricultural policy has shifted from building foundational institutions to implementing targeted subsidies, which change over time. Underlying legislation has recast the ‘farm bill’ into a ‘food bill.’ Federal policies continue to be very expensive, exacerbating significant fluctuations in food-commodity supplies and prices. Large-scale US agriculture has become a more consolidated and profitable sector. The number of parties with distinctly different economic interests who participate in the policymaking process is multiplying. The ‘iron triangle’ that once shaped the government’s intervention in commodity markets has expanded into an ‘iron maze’ of organized environmental, energy, consumer, business, and agricultural interest groups.
Vaccination coverage among foreign-born and U.S.-born adolescents in the United States: Successes and gaps - National Immunization Survey-Teen, 2012-2014.

Abstract Background An overall increase has been reported in vaccination rates among adolescents during the past decade. Studies of vaccination coverage have shown disparities when comparing foreign-born and U.S.-born populations among children and adults; however, limited information is available concerning potential disparities in adolescents. Methods The National Immunization Survey-Teen is a random-digit–dialed telephone survey of caregivers of adolescents aged 13–17 years, followed by a mail survey to vaccination providers that is used to estimate vaccination coverage among the U.S. population of adolescents. Using the National Immunization Survey-Teen data, we assessed vaccination coverage during 2012–2014 among adolescents for routinely recommended vaccines for this age group (≥1 dose tetanus and diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis [Tdap] vaccine, ≥1 dose quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate [MenACWY] vaccine, ≥3 doses human papillomavirus [HPV] vaccine) and for routine childhood vaccination catch-up doses (≥2 doses measles, mumps, and rubella [MMR] vaccine, ≥2 doses varicella vaccine, and ≥3 doses hepatitis B [HepB] vaccine). Vaccination coverage prevalence and vaccination prevalence ratios were estimated. Results Of the 58,090 respondents included, 3.3% were foreign-born adolescents. Significant differences were observed between foreign-born and U.S.-born adolescents for insurance status, income-to-poverty ratio, education, interview language, and household size. Foreign-born adolescents had significantly lower unadjusted vaccination coverage for HepB (89% vs. 93%), and higher coverage for the recommended ≥3 doses of HPV vaccine among males, compared with U.S.-born adolescents (22% vs. 14%). Adjustment for demographic and socioeconomic factors accounted for the disparity in HPV but not HepB vaccination coverage. Conclusions We report comparable unadjusted vaccination coverage among foreign-born and U.S.-born adolescents for Tdap, MenACWY, MMR, ≥2 varicella. Although coverage was high for HepB vaccine, it was significantly lower among foreign-born adolescents, compared with U.S.-born adolescents. HPV and ≥2-dose varicella vaccination coverage were low among both groups.
Place Names and Enregistered Identity of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

A clever reward system for frequent catalogue shoppers of Zingerman’s – a renowned delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan – uses Michigan place names to indicate spending and reward levels. In favoring those of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP), the item participates in the process of enregistering UP dialect.
From Right to Permission: Asylum, Mediterranean Migrations, and Europe’s War on Smuggling

The European Union (EU) and its member states have sought to curb unauthorized maritime migrant arrivals through a proactive combination of deterrence, intelligence, surveillance, anti-smuggling ac...
A multilevel leadership process framework of performance management

Abstract Performance management is a critical human resource management practice intended to facilitate performance and development in organizations. Unfortunately, recent discourse among researchers and practitioners suggest that current performance management practices in organizations are less than satisfactory and not effective. A popular recommendation to improve the performance management process is to focus less on the formal procedures and more on the manager-employee interactions embedded in the process. However, current models of performance management do not reflect this focus on social processes. We present a multilevel leadership process framework of performance management that highlights the pivotal role of managers. Within this framework managers carry out this process through their influence on employees, teams, and the organization. Recommendations for future directions are also provided.
Density functional theory

Abstract Density functional theory (DFT) is an alternative to wavefunction methods for solving the many-electron problem and is widely used in chemical physics, condensed matter physics, and materials science due to the conceptual simplicity and computational efficiency. In principle, DFT is an exact theory; however, in practice the exchange-correlation energy must be approximated. In this chapter, fundamentals of DFT, approaches to approximate the exchange-correlation energy, and categorization of approximations will be presented and a recently developed promising approximation, termed the strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) density functional, is highlighted. An outlook to further DFT development based on SCAN is also given.
Deep Learning for Grading Cardiomegaly Severity in Chest X-Rays: An Investigation

This study investigates using deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) for automatic detection of cardiomegaly in digital chest X-rays (CXRs). First, we employ and fine-tune several deep CNN architectures to detect presence of cardiomegaly in CXRs. Next, we introduce a CXR-based pre-trained model where we first fully train an architecture with a very large CXR dataset and then fine-tune the system with cardiomegaly CXRs. Finally, we investigate the correlation between softmax probability of an architecture and the severity of the disease. We use two publicly available datasets, NLM-Indiana Collection and NIH-CXR datasets. Based on our preliminary results (i) data-driven approach produces better results than prior rule-based approaches developed for cardiomegaly detection, (ii) our preliminary experiment with alternative pre-trained model is promising, and (iii) the system is more confident if severity increases.
Sleep Loss and Neuronal Stress

Sleep loss and insufficient sleep are increasingly prevalent in most societies these days. Besides the well-known effects of sleep loss such as motor vehicle and workplace accidents, studies have shown a myriad of physiological consequences including increased risk for type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Sleep loss is known to impair cognition and affect learning and memory. More recent studies have demonstrated a link between sleep loss, neuronal stress, injury, and degeneration. Both acute and chronic sleep loss as well as sleep fragmentation have been shown to impact neurons at a molecular level and lead to injury and sometimes death. Mechanisms and pathways involved will be discussed in this chapter.
Use of gamma irradiation as an intervention treatment to inactivate Escherichia coli O157:H7 in freshly extracted apple juice

Abstract Escherichia coli O157:H7 can contaminate dropped apples used for juicing via contact with manure or fecally tainted irrigation water and attach to the flesh of the apple through bruises and wounds where surface sanitizers are not effective. The goal of this project was to determine the efficacy of gamma irradiation at the maximum allowed dose of 1000 Gy to inactivate Escherichia coli O157: H7 in whole apples which were subsequently juiced. Whole apples were punctured to simulate wounds which were inoculated with an outbreak strain of E.coli O157:H7 and subjected to gamma irradiation at doses up to 1000 Gy. The D-value of the E.coli O157:H7 strain was 334 Gy indicating that irradiation at 1000 Gy would result in a 3-log reduction of this pathogen. Contaminated apples were also stored for 3 weeks at refrigerated temperature during which time E.coli O157:H7 survived but did not grow. The inoculated apples were juiced, and the juice was stored up to 72 h. There was no change in counts of E.coli O157:H7 in the juice from the control apples, but irradiation at >600 Gy reduced counts by > 3 logs, and survivors were not detected after 72 h storage. Sensory testing of juice treated at 652 Gy indicated consumers could tell the difference from control juice, due mostly to greater sweetness of the juice from irradiated apples. These results show that E.coli O157:H7 can easily survive in bruised apples and the juice made from them. Irradiation at 1000 Gy can provide significant lethality of E.coli O157:H7 in apples and their juice conferring a greater level of safety without negative effects on sensory quality.
Un village français: Imagining lives in occupied France:

In cooperation with Jean-Pierre Azema, Frederic Krivine conceived of the television series, Un village francais, as a way to present the lives of a diversity of individuals in particular historical...
On the well-posedness of an anisotropically-reduced two-dimensional Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation

Abstract The Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equations (KSE) arise in many diverse scientific areas, and are of much mathematical interest due in part to their chaotic behavior, and their similarity to the Navier–Stokes equations. However, very little is known about their global well-posedness in the 2D case. Moreover, regularizations of the system (e.g., adding large diffusion, etc.) do not seem to help, due to the lack of any control over the L 2 norm. In this work, we propose a new “reduced” 2D model that modifies only the linear part of (the vector form of) the 2D KSE in only one component. This new model shares much in common with the 2D KSE: it is 4th-order in space, it has an identical nonlinearity which does not vanish in energy estimates, it has low-mode instability, and it lacks a maximum principle. However, we prove that our reduced model is globally well-posed. We also examine its dynamics computationally. Moreover, while its solutions do not appear to be close approximations of solutions to the KSE, the solutions do seem to hold many qualitative similarities with those of the KSE. We examine these properties via computational simulations comparing solutions of the new model to solutions of the 2D KSE.
C6N10O4: Thermally Stable Nitrogen-Rich Inner Bis(diazonium) Zwitterions.

Two nitrogen-rich inner bis(diazonium) salts, the 4,4′-dinitro-5,5′-diazo-2,2′-bisimidazole (2) and the 4,4′-dinitro-5,5′-diazo-3,3′-bispyrazole (4) zwitterions, are described. Compound 2 was synth...
Iron Phosphide Doped, Porous Carbon as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Finding alternative catalysts as a replacement for platinum in fuel cells to perform oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is vital for the widespread use of fuel cell technology. The scarcity and high c...
Social Determinants of Health and Patient Safety: An Analysis of Patient Safety Event Reports Related to Limited English-Proficient Patients.

BACKGROUND Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare safety have persisted for decades, particularly for patients with language barriers. Previous studies have investigated the frequency and nature of safety events impacting patients with language barriers; others have proposed solutions to fix them. A gap analysis, however, of how we are currently addressing safety issues and why these efforts have not been effective is lacking. METHOD This analysis uses reports from a patient safety event reporting system. Reports contain information regarding no-harm (near miss) events and events where harm may have reached the patient. Reports occurring with patients with a preferred language other than English were extracted and analyzed to determine whether the language barrier contributed to the safety event, the language barrier was mentioned in the resolution, and themes were mentioned for addressing language barriers. RESULTS A subset of 1553 events pertaining to non-English-speaking patients were first categorized as "likely" (3%), "plausibly" (10%), or "unlikely" (87%) related to the patient's language barrier. Second, events related to the patient's language barrier were categorized as directly addressing (19%), indirectly addressing (3%), not mentioning (69%) the language barrier, or containing insufficient information to determine whether the language barrier was addressed (7%). Third, thematic analysis revealed that the most common methods for addressing language barriers included presenting issues to interpreter services and subsequent use of interpreter services. CONCLUSIONS This study found that it is challenging to determine the direct role of certain social determinants of health (e.g., language barriers) in safety events. In many cases, the language barrier was not addressed in the event report. Furthermore, when the language barrier was addressed, solution themes typically involved weaker, less sustainable suggested actions.
Effect of Intensive Blood Pressure Lowering on the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation.

It remains uncertain whether intensive control of blood pressure (BP) results in a lower risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with hypertension. Using data from SPRINT (Systolic Blood Press...
Investigation of overall mass transfer coefficient of CO2 absorption in packed Column

Mixtures of different types of amine solution Monoethanolamine, Diethanolamine, and Triethanolamine were experimentally used to investigate the overall mass transfer coefficient (KGa) at different operating parameters. The experiments were made in a packed bed reactor (PBR) with 75 cm in high and10 cm inside diameter as a gas-liquid contactor at 25℃ and atmospheric pressure, using a simulation gaseous mixture (air, carbon dioxide) with recycle stream (semi-continuous process). Experimental design process Taguchi was employed. Four factors and three levels were chosen and exploded using L9 (3 ^4) orthogonal array design. These parameters for semi-continuous process were namely: gas flow rate 5,10,and 15 L/min ,airflow rate80,90,and 100 L/h, liquid flow rate 400,450,and 500 mL/min and time absorption time 30,45,and 60min . A Shimadzu GC-8A Gas Chromatograph with a thermal conductivity detector was used to measure the CO2 concentration absorbed in aqueous blended solution. The maximum value for CO2 loading was 8.622 (mol CO2/mol amine) at 15 L/min gas flow and 450 mL/min liquid flow and 100 L/h airflow for 60 min from absorption time. The results showed that the max value of KGa is 0.048 S-1.
A statistical framework for determination of minimal plasmid copy number required for transgene expression in mammalian cells.

Abstract Plasmid DNA (pDNA) has been widely used for non-viral gene delivery. After pDNA molecules enter a mammalian cell, they may be trapped in subcellular structures or degraded by nucleases. Only a fraction of them can function as templates for transcription in the nucleus. Thus, an important question is, what is the minimal amount of pDNA molecules that need to be delivered into a cell for transgene expression? At present, it is technically a challenge to experimentally answer the question. To this end, we developed a statistical framework to establish the relationship between two experimentally quantifiable factors — average copy number of pDNA per cell among a group of cells after transfection and percent of the cells with transgene expression. The framework was applied to the analysis of electrotransfection under different experimental conditions in vitro. We experimentally varied the average copy number per cell and the electrotransfection efficiency through changes in extracellular pDNA dose, electric field strength, and pulse number. The experimental data could be explained or predicted quantitatively by the statistical framework. Based on the data and the framework, we could predict that the minimal number of pDNA molecules in the nucleus for transgene expression was on the order of 10. Although the prediction was dependent on the cell and experimental conditions used in the study, the framework may be generally applied to analysis of non-viral gene delivery.