cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tensions between Access and Control in Makerspaces

Makerspaces have complex access control requirements and are increasingly protected through digital access control mechanisms (e.g., keycards, transponders). However, it remains unclear how space administrators craft access control policies, how existing technical infrastructures support and fall short of access needs, and how these access control policies impact end-users in a makerspace. We bridge this gap through a mixed-methods, multi-stakeholder study. Specifically, we conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with makerspace administrators across the U.S. along with a survey of 48 makerspace end-users. We found four factors influenced administrators' construction of access control policies: balancing safety versus access; logistics; prior experience; and, the politics of funding. Moreover, administrators often made situational exceptions to their policies: e.g., during demand spikes, to maintain a good relationship with their staff, and if they trusted the user(s) requesting an exception. Conversely, users expressed frustration with the static nature of access control policies, wishing for negotiability and for social nuance to be factored into access decisions. The upshot is that existing mechanisms for access control in makerspaces are often inappropriately static and socially unaware.
Relationship between BMI and alcohol consumption levels in decision making.

Background Decision-making deficits in obesity and alcohol use disorder (AUD) may contribute to the choice of immediate rewards despite their long-term deleterious consequences. Methods Gambling task functional MRI in Human connectome project (HCP) dataset was used to investigate neural activation differences associated with reward or punishment (a key component of decision-making behavior) in 418 individuals with obesity (high BMI) and without obesity (lean BMI) and either at high (HR) or low (LR) risk of AUD based on their alcohol drinking levels. Results Interaction between BMI and alcohol drinking was seen in regions of the default mode network (DMN) and those implicated in self-related processing, memory, and salience attribution. ObesityHR relative to obesityLR also recruited DMN along with primary motor and regions implicated in inattention, negative perception, and uncertain choices, which might facilitate impulsive choices in obesityHR. Furthermore, obesityHR compared to leanHR/leanLR also demonstrated heightened activation in DMN and regions implicated in uncertain decisions. Conclusions These results suggest that BMI is an independent variable from that of alcohol drinking levels in neural processing of gambling tasks. Moreover, leanLR relative to leanHR, showed increased activation in motor regions [precentral and superior frontal gyrus] suggestive of worse executive function from excessive alcohol use. Delayed discounting measures failed to distinguish between obesity and high alcohol drinking levels, which as for gambling task results suggests independent negative effects of obesity and chronic alcohol drinking on decision-making. These findings highlight distinct associations of obesity and high-risk alcohol drinking with two key constituents of decision-making behavior.
Endo-Bariatric Procedures

This chapter will review endo-bariatric procedures and the diseases treated along with the goals of treatment. The equipment and supplies needed along with procedure set up will be reviewed and laid out in step by step instructions. Pre, intra and post procedure nursing considerations along with patient discharge instructions and follow up will be reviewed.
Improving the Literature Review

If you have ever planned a trip many months before the actual departure, you have learned that some things related to your route of travel or desired destination will have changed with the passage of time.
Evaluation of Outpatient Pediatric Spirometry Audits: Respiratory Therapist Compliance With ATS Standards Pre- and Post-PFT Certification

Background: Our pediatric hospital utilizes 12 respiratory therapists (RTs) to perform spirometry studies in outpatient environments. The National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC) offers the Pulmonary Function Technologist (PFT) credential for RTs to highlight specialized skills and excellence for those who obtain it. In our facility, 5 RTs were PFT certified (C/RPFT) prior to 2020 and 7 RTs became PFT certified in 2020 (2 CPFT and 5 RPFT). The quality of spirometry is guided by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) standards to ensure that spirometry results are accurately interpreted and influence care appropriately. Audits pre and post PFT credential were reviewed for acceptability based on ATS standards (Table 1). We aimed to evaluate if PFT credential achievement would translate into increased ATS compliance for spirometries performed in our pediatric hospital. Methods: In an IRB approved retrospective analysis, we reviewed and compared spirometry audits from 01/2019–05/2021 for compliance to ATS Standards. As part of our standard quality assurance process a minimum 30% of spirometries are randomly selected and audited by trained PFT staff for compliance based. We evaluated compliance results pre and post PFT credential achievement for the 7 RTs who obtained certification in 2020 and analyzed for differences. Results: 670 spirometry audits were included for analysis for the seven RTs who achieved a PFT credential in 2020 (514 pre credential and 156 post credential). Prior to PFT credential obtainment, RTs performed spirometry that met ATS standards 92.45% of the time. After obtaining PFT credential RTs performed spirometry that met ATS standards 97.72% of the time (Figure 1). This resulted in a 5.27% (P >0.05) increase in compliance with ATS standards post PFT credential achievement. Conclusions: In our pediatric health system, we found that spirometry compliance to ATS standards increased after RTs obtained their PFT credential. This translates into increased spirometry accuracy and could influence appropriate treatment. More research is needed to assess further implications from possible increased spirometry accuracy and the subsequent care provided.
Expression of tobacco class II catalase gene activates the endogenous homologous gene and is associated with disease resistance in transgenic potato plants.

We have previously shown that healthy potato plants respond poorly to salicylic acid (SA) for activating disease resistance against the late blight fungal pathogen Phytophthora infestans. However, SA is essential for the establishment of potato systemic acquired resistance (SAR) against P. infestans after treatment with the fungal elicitor arachidonic acid (AA). To understand the molecular mechanisms through which AA induces SA-dependent SAR in potato, we have recently studied the expression of potato class II catalase (Cat2St) in comparison with its tobacco homologue, Cat2Nt, which has previously been shown to bind SA. In the present study, we show that tobacco Cat2Nt is expressed at high levels and accounts for almost half of total SA-binding activity detected in tobacco leaves. In contrast, potato Cat2St is not expressed in healthy leaves, which is associated with the low SA responsiveness of potato plants for activation of disease resistance mechanisms. Upon treatment with AA, expression of potato Cat2St is induced not only in AA-treated leaves, but also in the upper untreated parts of the plants, concomitant with the establishment of SA -dependent SAR to P. infestans. Moreover, expression of the tobacco Cat2Nt gene in transgenic potato plants leads to constitutive expression of the endogenous potato Cat2St gene and is associated with enhanced resistance to P. infestans. These results collectively indicate that plant SA-binding class II catalases may play an important role in the development of disease resistance, possibly by serving as biological targets of SA.
Summary of recent results on the decay rate of the Hankel singular values

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the issue of the decay rate of the Hankel singular values of a linear system. This issue is of considerable interest in model reduction, by means of balanced truncation for instance, since the sum of the neglected singular values provides an upper bound for an appropriate norm of the approximation error. The decay rate involves a new set of invariants associated with a linear system, which are obtained by evaluating a modified transfer function at the poles of the system.
Methodology of Leaving America for Asia: Reading South Korea’s Social Studies Textbooks through ChenKuan-Hsing’s Asia as Method

This project began as a content analysis of five South Korean high school Social Studies textbooks. Yet, it has evolved into an epistemological experiment to pursue the question of “what does it mean to leave America for Asia, at least methodologically, for the researcher who left Asia for America?” Using the textbooks as a mediating site, therefore, I articulate a process that engages with, moves toward, and develops deimperializing methodology. More specifically, I interweaveKuan-HsingChen’s Asia as Method: Toward Deimperialization (2010) with my data by analyzing the data through Asia as Method and reading and practicing Asia as Method as methodology. This allows me to move away from fixating on the West as a reference point even through my critique. Rather, I work to produce geo-historically grounded knowledge for specific interventions at this mediating site toward the movements of decolonization, de-cold war, and deimperialization. In the process, I discuss how Asia as Method as methodology provokes political, psychological, and social engagements of everyday, multiplies reference points for knowledge production, and requires a researcher to re-work on one’s subjectivity inevitably constituted by imperialism.
The Joint Effects of Gender and Race/Ethnicity on Sentencing Outcomes in Federal Courts

Using data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the present study examines the interaction effects of gender and race/ethnicity on sentencing outcomes of male and female offenders in federal courts. Findings indicate that female offenders in all racial/ethnic categories receive less severe sentence outcomes than male offenders in the same categories, even after legal, extralegal, and contextual factors are controlled. In addition, racial/ethnic differences are found within gender groups, such that Hispanic males are more likely to be incarcerated and Black males receive longer sentence terms compared to White male offenders. However, contrary to expectations, the analysis indicates that White females are more likely to be incarcerated than Black and Hispanic females and receive longer sentence terms than Hispanic females. Gender and racial/ethnic interactions are also explored across offense type (drug vs. non-drug) and type of sentencing departure (no departure, downward, or substantial assistance). Impl...
Flow-Based Combinatorial Chance Constraints

We study stochastic variants of flow-based global constraints as combinatorial chance constraints. As a specific case study, we focus on the stochastic weighted alldifferent constraint. We first show that determining the consistency of this constraint is NP-hard. We then show how the combinatorial structure of the alldifferent constraint can be used to define chance-based filtering, and to compute a policy. Our propagation algorithm can be extended immediately to related flow-based constraints such as the weighted cardinality constraint. The main benefits of our approach are that our chance-constrained global constraints can be integrated naturally in classical deterministic CP systems, and are more scalable than existing approaches for stochastic constraint programming.
CD79a+ T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma With Coexisting Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis

Although there is a close association between Langerhans cell histiocytosis and malignant neoplasms, simultaneous occurrence of lymphoblastic lymphoma and Langerhans cell histiocytosis in the same lymph node is an extremely rare finding. Herein, we describe such a case in a 26-year-old woman who presented with progressive cervical lymphadenopathy. The lymphoma cells have an immature T-cell phenotype (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase(+), HLA-DR(+), CD34(+), CD38(+), and CD7(+)) with expression of both CD3 and CD79a on immunohistochemical stain. The Langerhans cells are present focally with the characteristic morphologic features and immunophenotype (CD1a(+) and S100(+)). The significance of CD79a coexpression in T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma and the association between lymphoblastic lymphoma and Langerhans cell histiocytosis are discussed.
Resolution of temperature-dependent conformers of histidine ammonia-lyase on disc gel electrophoresis: correlation with Arrhenius discontinuities

Erstmaliger Nachweis, dass bei derPseudomonas Histidin-Ammoniak-Lyase und bei Temperaturerhohung der Enzymlosung auf 35–40° (reversibel) eine zweite Enzymspecies (Konformeres) entsteht (Disc-Gel) und dass die Umwandlung in dieser Species auch in der Arrhenius-Darstellung sichtbar ist.
Managing lepidopteran pests in cabbage with herbicide‐induced resistance, in combination with a pyrethroid insecticide

S-ethyldipropylthiocarbamate (EPTC) applied as a soil treatment or over-the-top spray on cabbage plants (Brassica oleracea L.) caused the leaves to turn 'glossy' for as long as 30 days. EPTC-induced glossy plants were damaged significantly less than untreated plants by diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), imported cabbage worm, Pieris rapae (L.), and cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hbn.). Reductions in damage were equivalent to those obtained from treatment with permethrin. When used in combination with permethrin, EPTC provided additive control of damage by these pests. Our calculations show EPTC-induced resistance to be cost-effective. This use of EPTC has several limitations, however. Younger plants ( < 9 leaves) were killed or injured by the herbicide. The growth of older plants was not affected, but plants did not become glossy for ca. 10 days after they were treated with EPTC. The crop must be protected with insecticides until the plants are mature enough to treat with EPTC, and until treated plants become glossy. In addition, since the glossy trait is only effective against first instar larvae, populations of later instars on glossy plants must be reduced with an application of insecticide. Finally, EPTC formulations are water-soluble and can be washed away from the plants by heavy rains and irrigation, which may make this use of EPTC impractical in some situations. Where its use is practical, and the indicated precautions are taken, EPTC-induced resistance could reduce dependence on chemical insecticides and reduce selection for insecticide resistance in diamondback moth.
Management of dysphonic patients by otolaryngologists

ObjectiveTo investigate common treatment approaches of general otolaryngologists for adult dysphonic patients without obvious laryngeal anatomic abnormalities.Study DesignCross-sectional survey.Set...
(s,S) Pricing policy when adjustment costs affect demand

Abstract Adjustment costs in a typical (s,S) pricing policy model are respecified so that price stability affects revenues rather than costs. The (s,S) pricing result holds even when menu costs are removed.
Exploring symmetry as an avenue to the computational design of large protein domains.

It has been demonstrated previously that symmetric, homodimeric proteins are energetically favored, which explains their abundance in nature. It has been proposed that such symmetric homodimers underwent gene duplication and fusion to evolve into protein topologies that have a symmetric arrangement of secondary structure elements—“symmetric superfolds”. Here, the ROSETTA protein design software was used to computationally engineer a perfectly symmetric variant of imidazole glycerol phosphate synthase and its corresponding symmetric homodimer. The new protein, termed FLR, adopts the symmetric (βα)8 TIM-barrel superfold. The protein is soluble and monomeric and exhibits two-fold symmetry not only in the arrangement of secondary structure elements but also in sequence and at atomic detail, as verified by crystallography. When cut in half, FLR dimerizes readily to form the symmetric homodimer. The successful computational design of FLR demonstrates progress in our understanding of the underlying principles of...
Adaptation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program for Addiction Relapse Prevention

The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (MBSR) was offered in a community-based addiction treatment setting to provide skills training for relapse prevention. The population consisted of highly marginalized and poor African American and Latina women with histories of trauma. Through an iterative feedback process, the more systematized MBSR practices were adapted to meet the specific needs of this population. Adaptations focused on the role of stress in relapse prevention and addressed the following common sequelae of addiction and trauma—shortened attention span and sensitivity of particular body areas to revived traumatic memories—as well as low literacy levels of the population served. With appropriate adaptations, MBSR can be implemented successfully for relapse prevention in early recovery. Client ratings indicated high levels of acceptability and satisfaction.
Canadian beeswax: Analytical values and composition of hydrocarbons, free acids and long chain esters

Physical and chemical properties of 80 samples of Canadian yellow unrefined beeswax have been determined. Mean values were: melting point, 64.3 C; acid value, 18.7; ester value, 72.6; ratio number 3.89; saponification cloud point 62.5 C; and hydrocarbon content, 15.3%. There was no significant variation due to geography or climate. Values were very similar to those of U.S. beeswax and were within the specifications of National Formulary XIII, except that 21 samples had ester values in the range 70–72. A more accurate specification for ester value would be 70–77 instead of 72–77. Hydrocarbons, free fatty acids and long chain esters were analyzed by gas liquid chromatography, and the limiting values found make possible improved detection and estimation of adulterants. The upper limits for C16 and C18 acids were 5.8 and 3.3%, respectively, of the total free acids.
Selective putaminal excitotoxic lesions in non-human primates model the movement disorder of Huntington disease

While dyskinetic movements have been reported in primates with unilateral excitotoxic lesions following stimulation by dopaminergic agonists, the presence and intensity of the dyskinetic syndromes have varied extensively with size and location of lesion. With the intent of producing a more reliable behavioral model of Huntington disease, anatomically-defined lesions of limited size were produced by magnetic resonance imaging-guided stereotaxic injection of quinolinic acid in specific regions within the caudate and putamen of rhesus monkeys. The location and extent of the lesions were verified by magnetic resonance imaging as well as quantitative positron emission tomography imaging with the dopamine D1 specific receptor ligand SCH 39166 as a marker for striatal output neurons. The quality, frequency and duration of dyskinetic movements were assessed and quantified before and after administration of 0.5 mg/kg apomorphine in multiple test sessions over several months. Selective unilateral lesions in the posterior putamen, but not in the anterior putamen or the head of the caudate, produced marked dystonia and dyskinesia after apomorphine administration. While combined unilateral lesions of the caudate and posterior putamen produced dyskinesia similar to selective posterior putaminal lesions, combined unilateral lesions of the anterior and posterior putamen did not elicit dyskenesia. On the basis of these results, one monkey received a bilateral selective lesion in the posterior putamen. This animal remained healthy and exhibited marked spontaneous Huntington-like chorea spontaneously in the first 48 h after lesioning and persistent apomorphine-induced dyskinesia thereafter. We conclude that bilateral selective excitotoxic lesions of the posterior putamen provide an improved model of the movement disorder of Huntington disease.
The estimation of transaction costs in arbitrage models

Abstract This paper develops a methodology to estimate transaction costs in arbitrage models. The methodology consists of the estimation of a generalized two-limit Tobit model with stochastic limits, and it provides the distribution of transaction costs and the probabilities of observing arbitrage in either direction. This methodology is applied to wholesale gasoline arbitrage among three cities in the Northeastern United States. Arbitrage costs are found to be relatively small.
Piecing the Patchwork Self: A Reading of Walker's The Color Purple

(2008). Piecing the Patchwork Self: A Reading of Walker's The Color Purple. The Explicator: Vol. 66, No. 3, pp. 150-153.
Distributed Pressure Sensing as Smart Mat Applications with Hetero-Core Fiber Optic Nerve Sensors

Distributed pressure sensing schemes for human positioning and plantar mapping is desired to be unconstrained for human activity in their daily life in the form of a floor and mat. On the other hand, an optical fiber has several advantages such as lightweight, minimal material, and resistance to corrosion and electromagnetic interference. Additionally, a novel hetero-core optic fiber nerve sensor is only sensitive to be bending action of the sensor portion and the fiber transmission line is unaffected to external disturbance as pressure and temperature fluctuation because of its single-mode stable propagation scheme. Therefore, the hetero-core fiber optic sensor could be suitable for the distributed pressure sensing in human natural activity and be placed in various sites. In this paper, we proposed several smart mat applications in the form of a thin mat in the floor for human positioning and sole pressure mapping mat using the hetero-core optic fiber sensors. We successfully demonstrated the distributed pressure sensing mat using hetero-core sensors to detect human positioning with their circumstance and sole pressure mapping.
Moving target defense for adaptive adversaries

Machine learning (ML) plays a central role in the solution of many security problems, for example enabling malicious and innocent activities to be rapidly and accurately distinguished and appropriate actions to be taken. Unfortunately, a standard assumption in ML - that the training and test data are identically distributed - is typically violated in security applications, leading to degraded algorithm performance and reduced security. Previous research has attempted to address this challenge by developing ML algorithms which are either robust to differences between training and test data or are able to predict and account for these differences. This paper adopts a different approach, developing a class of moving target (MT) defenses that are difficult for adversaries to reverse-engineer, which in turn decreases the adversaries' ability to generate training/test data differences that benefit them. We leverage the coevolutionary relationship between attackers and defenders to derive a simple, flexible MT defense strategy which is optimal or nearly optimal for a broad range of security problems. Case studies involving two distinct cyber defense applications demonstrate that the proposed MT algorithm outperforms standard static methods, offering effective defense against intelligent, adaptive adversaries.
Low Reynolds-number moment on asymmetric bodies

Abstract The moment induced on asymmetric particles by a low Reynolds-number flow is examined. A flat disk and a half sphere are suspended in low-velocity airflow and the moment exerted on the particles is measured as a function of Reynolds number and approach angle. Object Reynolds-numbers range between 20 and 200, and the measured moment is in the nNm range. A moment coefficient (a moment normalized with the drag force and object radius) is calculated from the moment measurements and found to generally decrease with increasing Reynolds number. Stable approach angle positions are identified for the objects in the flow, and it is shown that the objects tend to rotate towards the position of maximum drag (local extremum) from other approach angles. The present measurements are consistent with previous qualitative observations of free-falling particles.
Dynamic changes in the proximal gut neural crest stem cell population are associated with successful development of the distal enteric nervous system in rats.

Loss of signaling through the endothelin-B receptor (ETB) leads to failure of vagal neural crest (NC) cell colonization of the developing gut and causes congenital distal intestinal aganglionosis [Hirschsprung disease (HSCR)] in humans and other mammals. Several studies suggest that cell–cell interactions and the number of NC cells behind the wavefront may play an important role in successful gut colonization. We compared the number and progression of enteric nervous system stem cells in the wild-type (WT) and HSCR rat gut using whole-mount immunohistochemistry for p75, culture and isolation of NC stem cells (NCSCs) by flow cytometry. Isolation and culture demonstrates that NCSCs enter the WT cecum between embryonic day (E) 13.5 and E14.5, and the number of NCSC in the colon significantly increases after E15.5. These findings are consistent with the caudal progression of the NC-cell wavefront by whole-mount staining. During the period of WT colonic colonization of the proximal colon, we found significant differences in the small bowel NCSC pool between WT and HSCR rats. Whereas the proximal gut NCSC pool in WT rats is increasing behind the colonization wavefront, no such change occurs in the proximal NCSC pool in HSCR rats. Dynamic changes in the NCSC pool occur behind the NC colonization wavefront in the gut of WT rats. The absence of these changes in the HSCR rat may contribute to distal aganglionosis.
Synaptic and circuit mechanisms promoting broadband transmission of olfactory stimulus dynamics

Sensory stimuli fluctuate on many timescales. However, short-term plasticity causes synapses to act as temporal filters, limiting the range of frequencies that they can transmit. How synapses in vivo might transmit a range of frequencies in spite of short-term plasticity is poorly understood. The first synapse in the Drosophila olfactory system exhibits short-term depression, but can transmit broadband signals. Here we describe two mechanisms that broaden the frequency characteristics of this synapse. First, two distinct excitatory postsynaptic currents transmit signals on different timescales. Second, presynaptic inhibition dynamically updates synaptic properties to promote accurate transmission of signals across a wide range of frequencies. Inhibition is transient, but grows slowly, and simulations reveal that these two features of inhibition promote broadband synaptic transmission. Dynamic inhibition is often thought to restrict the temporal patterns that a neuron responds to, but our results illustrate a different idea: inhibition can expand the bandwidth of neural coding.
The Effectiveness of School-Based Anti-Bullying Programs A Meta-Analytic Review

Youth violence, including bullying and other serious violent behaviors, has received increased political and scientific attention over the past several decades. Although violent behavior among youth and in the schools has declined over the past decade, the victimization of children by other children in school settings remains a major issue of concern. In response, a number of prevention and intervention programs have been developed to reduce the incidence of bullying and violence in schools. This meta-analysis attempted to examine the effect of school-based anti-bullying programs. Results suggested a significant effect for anti-bullying programs (r = .12). However, this result seemed to be slightly influenced by publication bias and did not meet the adopted threshold for “practical significance.” The effect for programs targeted specifically at at-risk youth was slightly better, but overall, anti-bullying programs produce little discernible effect on youth participants. Reasons that anti-bullying programs...
Dissolution of Nonuniformly Distributed Immiscible Liquid: Intermediate-Scale Experiments and Mathematical Modeling

The purpose of this work is to examine the effect of nonuniform distributions of immiscible organic liquid on dissolution behavior, with a specific focus on the condition dependency of dissolution (i.e., mass transfer) rate coefficients associated with applying mathematical models of differing complexities to measured data. Dissolution experiments were conducted using intermediate-scale flow cells packed with sand in which well-characterized zones of residual trichloroethene (TCE) and 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA) saturation were emplaced. A dual-energy gamma radiation system was used for in-situ measurement of NAPL saturation. Aqueous concentrations of TCE and DCA measured in the flow-cell effluent were significantly less than solubility, due primarily to dilution associated with the nonuniform immiscible-liquid distribution and bypass flow effects associated with physical heterogeneity. A quantitative analysis of flow and transport was conducted using a three-dimensional mathematical model wherein immiscible-liquid distribution, permeability variability, and sampling effects were explicitly considered. Independent values for the initial dissolution rate coefficients were obtained from dissolution experiments conducted using homogeneously packed columns. The independent predictions obtained from the model provided good representations of NAPL dissolution behavior and of total TCE/DCA mass removed, signifying model robustness. This indicates that for the complex three-dimensional model, explicit consideration of the larger scale factors that influenced immiscible-liquid dissolution in the flow cells allowed the use of a dissolution rate coefficient that represents only local-scale mass transfer processes. Conversely, the use of simpler models that did not explicitly consider the nonuniform immiscible-liquid distribution required the use of dissolution rate coefficients that are approximately 3 orders of magnitude smaller than the values obtained from the column experiments. The rate coefficients associated with the simpler models represent composite or lumped coefficients that incorporate the effects of the larger scale dissolution processes associated with the nonuniform immiscible-liquid distribution, which are not explicitly represented in the simpler models, as well as local-scale mass transfer. These results demonstrate that local-scale dissolution rate coefficients, such as those obtained from column experiments, can be used in models to successfully predict dissolution and transport of immiscible-liquid constituents at larger scales when the larger scale factors influencing dissolution behavior are explicitly accounted for in the model.
Usage of meshfree methods in reliability analysis

This paper describes the use of meshfree methods for response and design sensitivity calculations within structural reliability analysis when geometric shape is a random variable. Brief descriptions of meshfree methods and advanced probabilistic methods are provided. An existing interface between the probabilistic analysis and traditional finite element method is modified to allow the use of meshfree methods for response and design sensitivity calculations within the probabilistic analysis routine. Three examples that treat design shape and thickness as random variables are presented to assess the accuracy and use of meshfree methods for reliability analysis.
Land Suitability Modeling using a Geographic Socio-Environmental Niche-Based Approach: A Case Study from Northeastern Thailand.

Understanding the pattern–process relations of land use and land cover change is an important area of research that provides key insights into human–environment interactions. The suitability or likelihood of occurrence of land use such as agricultural crop types across a human-managed landscape is a central consideration. Recent advances in niche-based geographic species distribution models (SDMs) offer a novel approach to understanding land suitability and land use decisions. SDMs link species presence and location data with geospatial information and use machine learning algorithms to develop nonlinear and discontinuous species–environment relationships. Here, we apply the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model for land suitability modeling by adapting niche theory to a human-managed landscape. In this article, we use data from an agricultural district in northeastern Thailand as a case study for examining the relationships among the natural, built, and social environments and the likelihood of crop choice for ...
Phosphorus distribution in sinking oceanic particulate matter

Abstract Despite the recognition of the importance of phosphorus (P) in regulating marine productivity in some modern oceanic systems and over long timescales, the nature of particulate P within the ocean is not well understood. We analyzed P concentration in particulate matter from sediment traps and selected core tops from a wide range of oceanic regimes: open ocean environments (Equatorial Pacific, North Central Pacific), polar environments (Ross Sea, Palmer Deep), and coastal environments (Northern California Coast, Monterey Bay, Point Conception). These sites represent a range of productivity levels, temporal (seasonal to annual) distributions, and trap depths (200–4400 m). P associations were identified using an operationally defined sequential extraction procedure. We found that P in the sediment traps is typically composed of reactive P components including acid-insoluble organic P (∼ 40%), authigenic P (∼ 25%), and oxide associated and/or labile P (∼ 21%), with lesser proportions of non-reactive detrital P depending on location (∼ 13%). The concentrations and fluxes of all particulate P components except detrital P decrease or remain constant with depth between the shallowest and the deepest sediment traps, indicating some regeneration of reactive P components. Transformation from more labile forms of P to authigenic P is evident between the deepest traps and core top sediments. Although for most sites the magnitudes of reactive P fluxes are seasonally variable and productivity dependent, the fractional associations of reactive P are independent of season. We conclude that P is transported from the upper water column to the sediments in various forms previously considered unimportant. Thus, acid-insoluble organic P measurements (typically reported as particulate organic P) likely underestimate biologically related particulate P, because they do not include the labile, oxide-associated, or authigenic P fractions that often are or recently were biologically related. Organic C to reactive P ratios are typically higher than Redfield Ratio and are relatively constant with depth below ∼ 300 m suggesting that preferential regeneration of P relative to C occurs predominantly at shallow depths in the water column, but not deeper in the water column (> 300 m). The view of P cycling in the oceans should be revised (1) to include P fractions other than acid-soluble organic P as important carriers of reactive P in rapidly sinking particles, (2) to include the efficient transformation of labile forms of P to authigenic P in the water column as well as in sediments, and (3) to consider the occurrence of preferential P regeneration at very shallow depths.
TMR: an automated system for managing revenue.

Abstract The Total Medical Record (TMR) system used by the Division of University Health Services at Duke University is an integrated medical and management information system. One module supports the financial needs of the division. To facilitate managerial performance, TMR automatically prints insurance claims, refund statements, revenue summary data, service utilization, itemized visit statements, monthly patient bills, dunning letters, and has a host of unique features that aid management with controlling the private fees generated by the University Health Services. In addition, the servicing of prepaid programs is accommodated, and the splitting of charges between prepaid and fee-for-service programs occurs automatically.
Observations from the Ant Hill: What Ants and Software Engineers Have in Common

Ants and people, ant work and software engineering; they are not as unrelated as one might think. Perhaps the ideas in this article provide an antidote for your organization or project; or perhaps the challenges presented in this article that confront software projects are the antithesis of your own organization, and you do not anticipate any immediate changes. Regardless of the outcome, you now have another context in which to examine the people and productivity in your organization. Do not be too surprised if you pay closer attention the next time you pass an ant hill.
On the joint determination of biological and economic systems

Abstract Scarce natural resources and our choices to protect or develop them make ecological and economic systems jointly determined—human choices affect nature; nature affects human choices. This essay considers whether a dynamic model that integrates details of an economic system and an ecosystem with explicit feedback links between them yields significantly different results than does ignoring these links. We focus on the case of exotic invaders that put native species at risk in Yellowstone National Park. The results suggest that integration does matter—in each scenario, cutthroat trout populations differ in both magnitude and survival rates, depending on whether feedback is allowed between the two systems.
Cultural Anthropology: Global Forces, Local Lives

1. Understanding Anthropology 2. Understanding and Studying Culture 3. The Origins of Cultural Anthropology 4. Language and Social Relations 5. Learning to be an Individual: Personality and Gender 6. Individuals and Identities: Race and Ethnicity 7. Economics: Humans, Nature, and Social Organization 8. Kinship and Non-Kin Organization: Creating Social Groups 9. Politics: Social Order and Social Control 10. Religion: Interacting with the Non-Human World 11. Cultural Dynamics:Continuity and Change 12. Colonialism and the Origin of Globalization 13. The Struggle for Political Identity: Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Conflict 14. The Struggle for Economic Independence: Development, Modernization and Globalization 15. The Struggle for Cultural Survival and Revitalization. Glossary. Bibliography
Detection of atmospheric infrasound by homing pigeons

ACOUSTIC waves of frequencies below 10 Hz are common in the atmosphere. They are generated by various sources, including wind, thunderstorms, weather fronts, magnetic storms, aurorae, ocean waves, earthquakes, and many of man's mechanical devices1–3. Many of these atmospheric oscillations are of high amplitudes (frequently well above 100 dB SPL at frequencies below 5 Hz, and above 120 dB below 1 Hz) but because they are outside the normal limits of human hearing they usually go unnoticed (although humans can detect extremely loud artificial infrasounds generated in test chambers, these sounds are louder than most natural infrasounds and verge on the threshold for pain)4,5. It has been suggested, however, that migrating and homing birds might make use of the cues provided by such infrasounds6. During our ongoing study of the sensory basis of avian orientation, we investigated this possibility. We report here that homing pigeons (Columba livia) are sensitive to infrasounds at reasonable amplitudes.
Monitoring in a software development environment: A relational approach

A monitor is an important component of a software development environment. The information collected and processed by a monitor is vital for debugging and tuning programs, and is useful to compilers performing selective optimization. A relational database, extended to incorporate time, is introduced as an appropriate representation of dynamic information concerning a program's execution. TQuel, a language permitting high level queries about a program's behavior, is briefly described. Measurements of an initial implementation of the relational monitor show that it can efficiently support the conceptual viewpoint of a dynamic database of a program's behavior.
Projection and Mirror Effects in Cross-group Interactions: A Social Relations Model Study of Similarity Perceptions

Unstructured interactions between members of different ethnic groups are increasingly common, yet have received relatively little research attention. The present research examined whether membership of an ethnic majority/minority group and one's ethnic identification predicted perceptions of similarity with cross-group interaction partners. Each participant spoke individually with three members of another ethnic group in round-robin fashion. Analyses using the social relations model revealed that majority/minority status moderated the relationship between ethnic identification and similarity perceptions. Among minority participants, but not those from the majority, stronger ethnic identification was associated with less projection (perceived and assumed dissimilarity). Additional analyses revealed that, across both groups, stronger other-group orientation was correlated with more mirror effects (eliciting similarity perceptions from others).
Differences in fear motivated behaviors among inbred mouse strains.

The behavioral performance of inbred mouse strains was examined in animal models of anxiety to evaluate the potential contribution of genetic factors to fear-motivated behaviors. The preference that randomly bred mice and rats exhibit for the enclosed as opposed to the open arms of an elevated maze has been considered a fear-motivated behavior. Pronounced differences were observed in this measure among 16 inbred mouse strains. An estimate of the proportion of the variance attributable to between-strain differences,ν2, revealed that 78% and 69% of the variance in time and number of entries in the open arms of an elevated maze, respectively, can be attributed to genetic factors. In contrast, only 27% and 42% of the variance could be attributed to between-strain differences in ambulatory activity in the open field and elevated maze, respectively. Furthermore, performance in the elevated maze was predictive of behavior in other animal models of anxiety. Thus, significant negative correlations were observed among inbred mouse strains between the percent time spent in the open arms of the elevated maze and amplitude of an acoustic startle response (rs=−0.88mP<0.01) or latency to initiate chow consumption in a hyponeophagia paradigm (rs=−0.71,P<0.05). These results indicate that genetic factors substantially contribute to fear motivated behaviors in these animal models of anxiety. The use of such inbred mouse strains may provide a novel approach to investigate the biochemical and genetic bases of fear.
The incidence and significance of bacteremia in out of hospital cardiac arrest.

Abstract Background The most common etiology of cardiac arrest is presumed of myocardial origin. Recent retrospective studies indicate that preexisting pneumonia, a form of sepsis, is frequent in patients who decompensate with abrupt cardiac arrest without preceding signs of septic shock, respiratory failure or severe metabolic disorders shortly after hospitalization. The contribution of pre-existing infection on pre and post cardiac arrest events remains unknown and has not been studied in a prospective fashion. We sought to examine the incidence of pre-existing infection in out-of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and assess characteristics associated with bacteremia, the goal standard for presence of infection. Methods and results We prospectively observed 250 OHCA adult patients who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) between 2007 and 2009 to an urban academic teaching institution. Bacteremia was defined as one positive blood culture with non-skin flora bacteria or two positive blood cultures with skin flora bacteria. 77 met pre-defined exclusion criteria. Of the 173 OHCA adults, 65 (38%) were found to be bacteremic with asystole and PEA as the most common presenting rhythms. Mortality in the ED was significantly higher in bacteremic OHCA (75.4%) compared to non-bacteremic OHCA (60.2%, p Conclusions Over one-third of OHCA adults were bacteremic upon presentation. These patients have greater hemodynamic instability and significantly increased short-term mortality. Further studies are warranted to address the epidemiology of infection as possible cause of cardiac arrest.
On the importance of accurate solar wind measurements for studying magnetospheric dynamics

[1] We have examined the validity of assuming that the solar wind observed at the L1 Lagrange point is a good predictor of the environment at the Earth by using solar wind observations during a magnetic storm from four spacecraft (ACE, Wind, IMP-8, and Geotail). The storm on 23 and 24 May 2000 occurred when a magnetic cloud reached the Earth. We carried out a running cross-correlation analysis between the solar wind parameters observed on pairs of the solar wind spacecraft and found good agreement early in the storm. The peak cross-correlations between magnetic field components exceeded 90% throughout this interval, while the peak cross-correlations between the dynamic pressure observations was about 70% or better. The main differences were at higher frequencies. However, later after the main cloud had passed the Earth the peak cross-correlations decreased, especially between ACE at L1 and spacecraft nearer the Earth. Late in the storm the monitors were not observing the same solar wind. We examined the effect of these differences by using our global magnetohydrodynamic simulation to model the magnetosphere using observations from three monitors. Early in the event we found very good agreement between simulated magnetospheres based on input from different solar wind monitors but later the agreement became very bad. If we assume that the monitors near the Earth provide the best measurement of the solar wind that interacts with the magnetosphere, then later in the magnetic storm the solar wind observations at ACE were not a good indication of the solar wind reaching the Earth.