cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Overwintering survival and emergence pattern for the sunflower beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in the Northern Great Plains

Adult sunflower beetle, Zygogramma exclamationis (F.), emergence began as early as 20 April and continued for an average of 48 d each year during 1985-1988. First emergence began at a mean of 232 degree-days (DD) (Julian date [JD] 120) and by 395 DD (JD 131), 50% of the adults had emerged. Calendar date and DD were equally accurate in predicting first and 50% emergence. Cumulative emergence of females was more rapid than that of males in three of the four study years, but patterns were similar. Initial feeding by adults probably occurred on native and volunteer sunflower, Helianthus annuus L., because most had emerged before commercial sunflower in North Dakota and Minnesota were available. Winter survival of adults varied from 3 to 51% during the four years, with no difference between inhabitants of clay or sandy-loam soils.
Rehabilitation of poststroke cognition

Given the increasing rates of stroke and our aging population, it is critical that we continue to foster innovation in stroke rehabilitation. Although there is evidence supporting cognitive rehabilitation in stroke, the set of cognitive domains effectively addressed to date represents only a small subset of the problems experienced by stroke survivors. Further, a gap remains between investigational treatments and our evolving theories of brain function. These limitations present opportunities for improving the functional impact of stroke rehabilitation. The authors use a case example to encourage the reader to consider the evidence base for cognitive rehabilitation in stroke, focusing on four domains critical to daily life function: (1) speech and language, (2) functional memory, (3) executive function and skilled learned purposive movements, and (4) spatial-motor systems. Ultimately, they attempt to draw neuroscience and practice closer together by using translational reasoning to suggest possible new avenues for treating these disorders.
Generative Representations in Structural Engineering

This paper proposes a new approach to representing structural system inspired by various models of complex systems. Several types of generative representations of steel structural systems are provided and empirically investigated. These representations utilize various kinds of cellular automata to generate design concepts of steel structures in tall buildings. In the paper, a brief overview of the state-of-the-art in cellular automata and generative design is presented. Next, several types of generative representations of steel structural systems in tall buildings are described. The paper also reports the results of several design experiments. They have shown that generative representations produce novel structural shaping patterns which are qualitatively different than the patterns obtained using traditionally used parameterized representations. They also significantly improve the performance of evolutionary algorithms optimizing the structural systems. Finally, research conclusions are presented and most promising paths of future research are discussed.
Comprehensive Mission Simulation Contingency Analyses: Achieving Science Observation Plan Resiliency by Design

1 . Automated tools that simulate full orbital dynamics, instrument operation, and data acquisition as well as operational and resource constraints allow planners to develop schedules that are conflict free and fit within mission capabilities. Moreover, if the simulations have sufficient fidelity and are performed well enough in advance, they can also be used to identify and assess risks by analyzing the schedule for sensitivities to different contingencies. In this paper, we discuss a primary risk area for MESSENGER, available solid-state recorder (SSR) space, and describe how we used the tools in MESSENGER SciBox to model the instrument suite data generation, downlink telemetry volume, and the resulting SSR loading through the mission. We then discuss two examples to illustrate how this tool is used to design instrument operations and to analyze the impact of non- nominal downlink performance to specify required contingency responses using a combination of telemetry bandwidth increases and data decimation. Given this simulation and analysis, knowledge of the greatest risks and detailed plans for responses are already in place, providing greater assurance of mission success.
Highly Dispersed Pd-SBA15 Materials from Tris(tert-butoxy)siloxy Complexes of Pd(II)

Two novel tris(tert-butoxy)siloxy palladium(II) complexes of the form (4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridyl)Pd[OSi(OtBu)3](R) were synthesized (1, R = OSi(OtBu)3 and 2, R = CH3). The structures of these compounds were determined by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The solid-state thermolytic chemistry of 1 and 2 was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These compounds were covalently grafted onto the surface of mesoporous silica (SBA15) under mild, nonaqueous conditions to generate supported Pd(II) centers. Reactions of 1 and 2 with the surface Si–OH groups occurs selectively through the -OSi(OtBu)3 ligand with elimination of HOSi(OtBu)3. The new materials, designated Pd(1)SBA15 and Pd(2)SBA15, were characterized using N2 porosimetry, TGA, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The coordination environments of the supported Pd centers were investiga...
A Flexible Health Care Workforce Requires a Flexible Regulatory Environment: Promoting Health Care Competition Through Regulatory Reform

Effective competition policy is critical to the success of U.S. health care reform, including efforts to reduce health care costs, increase quality of care, and expand access to health care services. While promoting competition is necessary at every level of the rapidly evolving health care system, it is particularly important with respect to licensed professionals who provide health care services. This Article argues that the current system of health care professional regulation, born of the last century, is in numerous respects an impediment to the kinds of changes needed to fully unleash the benefits of competition among different types of health care service providers. To the contrary, the current system of licensure and related regulations tends to artificially separate professionals in ways that not only insulate them from competition now, but also generate incentives to use regulation to perpetuate and fortify such insulation in the future. Drawing on analytic principles derived from antitrust law enforcement and other regulated industries, the Article argues that, although some regulation is necessary to protect public health and safety, the legacy regulatory system likely impedes the development of innovative, alternate service models that might facilitate enhanced competition by allowing all professionals to practice to the full extent of their education, licensure, and skill. The Article concludes by proposing a range of reforms that would re-conceptualize the core characteristics and methodology of traditional health care professional regulation.
The Role of Randomized and Nonrandomized Studies in Evaluating Diagnostic Strategies

Greenwood and colleagues report the prognostic performance of stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance and single-photon emission computed tomography in patients with suspected coronary heart disea...
The In Vitro and In Vivo Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Waves on Tumor Cells

The in vitro cytotoxic effect of extracorporeal shock waves (ESW) on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells was compared to the effect on normal human embyronic kidney (NHEK) cells. In the in vitro studies, cell samples were brought into the second focal point and exposed to different numbers of shock wave (SW) impulses. All four parameters of RCC tumor cell injury which were measured (cell viability, cell growth, cell attachment, and electron microscopic evidence of damage) directly correlated with increasing SW levels. At 2,000 SW a significant decrease in RCC cell viability, cell growth, and cell attachment was seen compared to NHEK cells. In the in vivo experiment, bladder tumor induced by the carcinogen Fanft was transplanted into the right hind legs of C3H/HE mice, and the tumors were exposed to 1,400 SW. Preliminary data showed that at Day 12 post-transplant, 1,400 SW significantly inhibited tumor growth. Combining 1,400 SW with cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (4 mg/kg) did not enhance the tumor inhibitory effect. However, combining doxorubicin (5 mg/kg) and 1,400 SW produced a significant synergistic tumor inhibitory effect.
TH-D-BRC-01: Panel Member

Interest in proton therapy has increased dramatically in the past couple of years, especially in the United States. There certainly is an important place for proton therapy in the arsenal of cancer treatments. Its dosimetric advantage and potential for low toxicity makes it the perfect partner for photons and other cancer treatment modalities. Often there is a belief that the new technology ought to be better but many believe that they should be widely adopted in the clinic only after evidence has shown that they are at least as safe and efficacious as existing technologies, which are often less expensive. This is the case for proton radiotherapy. This session being both educational and debate will provide a good review of basics and technological advancement as well as a comprehensive clinical update for both proton and photon therapy. Future technology developments and how they will impact the potential dosimetric advantage of proton therapy will be discussed. Particularly the debate will focus on whether these developments will close or widen the gap between photon and proton therapy. Learning Objectives: 1.To review challenges, limitations, and recent and future developments in proton therapy. 2.To review challenges, limitations, recent and future developments in photon radiotherapy. 3.To review current clinical trials and challenging clinical cases. C. Yu, No company or organization that my presentation mentions provided me with financial support. I am the Founder and CEO of Xcision Medical Systems, LLC. However, my presentation will not mention any product or technology developed by Xcision.
Surgical Treatment of Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome in Pediatric Patients

Background:Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) is a cause of leg pain in running athletes and is treated with fasciotomy after failure of nonoperative management. CECS is being seen with increased frequency in younger patients. The demographics and outcomes of fasciotomy for CECS in pediatric patients, including risk factors for treatment failure, have not been described.Purpose:To describe characteristics of pediatric patients with CECS and determine surgical outcomes of the condition in this population.Study Design:Case series; Level of evidence, 4.Methods:A retrospective review was performed for patients 18 years and younger treated surgically for CECS with compartment release at a single institution from 1995 to 2014. Demographic and condition characteristics, operative procedure, postoperative course, and clinical outcomes were recorded for 286 legs of 155 patients. Compartment pressure testing using the Pedowitz criteria confirmed the diagnosis in all patients.Results:A total of 155 patie...
Ecology and Ecosystem Management: Core Journals and Indexes

Abstract The current study explores the differences between discipline-focused abstracting services such as Ecology Abstracts and Ecological Abstracts and comprehensive life science databases such as Biological Abstracts. It surveys the indexing of 71 “core” ecology journals by Ecological Abstracts, Ecology Abstracts, Biological Abstracts, Wildlife Review/Fisheries Review, and Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA). A search on “ecosystem management” reveals the unique contributions discipline-focused services can bring to the research process.
Effects of continuous positive airway pressure on energy intake in obstructive sleep apnea: A pilot sham-controlled study.

Obesity is among the leading risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A reciprocal relationship between obesity and OSA has been proposed, which may be due to excessive food intake. We conducted a pilot study to test the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on energy intake (EI) in OSA patients using a sham-controlled crossover design. In-laboratory total daily EI was assessed after 2 mo of active and sham CPAP. Four men were enrolled (age ± SEM: 51.8 ± 2.1 y; body mass index: 31.5 ± 1.5 kg/m2). All received active treatment first. Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack) were served in excess portions at fixed times and additional palatable snacks were freely available throughout the day. Total EI was lower after active (3744 ± 511 kcal/d) vs. sham (4030 ± 456 kcal/d) CPAP but this difference was not significant (p = 0.51) due to variability in the free snack intake. When only fixed eating occasions were considered, daily EI was significantly lower in the active (3105 ± 513 kcal/d) vs. sham (3559 ± 420 kcal/d) condition (p = 0.006). This small pilot and feasibility study is the first to utilize a sham-controlled design to investigate the effects of CPAP treatment on objective measures of EI. Findings suggest that CPAP may cause a reduction in fixed meal intake. In demonstrating feasibility of study methodology, our study also suggests a larger randomized sham-controlled trial be conducted to fully characterize the effects of CPAP treatment on EI and energy balance overall.
Social Experimentation and Public Policy

(1982). Social Experimentation and Public Policy. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 1139-1141.
ROS and nNOS in the Regulation of Disuse-Induced Skeletal Muscle Atrophy

Skeletal muscles are our biomechanical engine, generating force and power for movement. Therefore, skeletal muscles are also a primary center of metabolic activity, serving as a sink for glucose and substrate storage of amino acids. In order to respond to changing mechanical demands, skeletal muscles adapt their mass to overloading and unloading by altering the balance between protein synthesis and protein degradation. Mechanical unloading, or disuse, elicits rapid skeletal muscle fiber atrophy, where the underlying mechanisms regulation of protein synthesis and degradation appear to center around an Akt-FoxO3a axis, NF-kappaB, and proteolytic pathways including calpains and the ubiquitin- proteasome system. Recent research has focused on the process of mechanotransduction, the ability to sense and as contributory to unloading-induced muscle atrophy, as a trigger of muscle remodeling. A recently discovered mechanotransductive phenomenon is the translocation of the mu-splice variant of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOSμ) from the cell membrane to the cytosol. Recently, our laboratory causally linked translocation of nNOSμ in unloaded skeletal muscle with elevated oxidative stress. Sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during unloading may include mitochondria, xanthine oxidase, and NADPH oxidase-2 (Nox2). The combination of increase oxidative stress and reduced stress response proteins (e.g., heat shock proteins) permits the rapid degradation of contractile proteins and removal of partially oxidized proteins. Detailed discussion of the pathways involved are discussed within our review.
Relaxation drag history of shock accelerated microparticles

Experimental measurements of the displacements of shock accelerated microparticles from shortly after shock interaction to the particle relaxation time show time-dependent drag coefficients ( ) that are much higher than those predicted by quasi-steady and unsteady drag models. Nylon particles with mean diameter of , accelerated by one-dimensional normal shocks (Mach number , 1.3 and 1.4), have measured values that follow a power-law behaviour. The drag is a function of the time-dependent Knudsen number, , where the particle Reynolds number ( ) is calculated using the time-dependent slip velocity. Some portion of the drag can be attributed to quasi-steady forces, but the total drag cannot be predicted by current unsteady force models that are based on the Basset–Boussinesq–Oseen equation and pressure drag. The largest contribution to the total drag is the unsteady component ( ) until the particle attains , then the unsteady contribution decays. The quasi-steady component ( ) increases almost linearly with , intersects the at and becomes the primary contributor to the drag towards the end of the relaxation zone as . There are currently no analytical models that are able to predict the nonlinear behaviour of the shock accelerated particles during the relaxation phase of the flow.
Explaining the Decline in Special Education Teacher Employment From 2005 to 2012

Demand for special education teachers grew continuously from the passage of Public Law 94-142 in 1975 through 2005, when this trend reversed. From 2005 to 2012, the number of special education teachers employed by U.S. schools declined by >17%. The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine factors that contributed to this decline. We parsed change in number of special education teachers employed into four constituent elements and found that these recent reductions were fueled by decreases in disability prevalence and the relative ratio of teachers to students in special versus general education, which favored the latter. These changes have important implications for teacher preparation programs’ efforts to adequately prepare special and general educators and for policies designed to improve teacher quality.
Managing cognitive bias in safety decision making: Application of emotional intelligence competencies

Abstract Safety leadership is often tasked with making critical decisions in the face of complex information and external pressures. Given situations with many variables and potential courses of action to be considered, the brain has evolved to attempt to simplify these judgmental operations. Consequently, at times the result may be flawed judgments concerning our assessments of future probabilities due to certain cognitive biases. These cognitive biases are systematic distortions of decision making arising from innate heuristics used to simplify large quantities of data (Krause, 2009) [1]. By developing a better understanding of the types of cognitive biases that influence decision making, steps can be taken to more effectively manage these bias. However, research has shown that technologies associated with training in statistical and probabilistic reasoning and cognitive repair techniques do not sufficiently address elements of intuitive belief and individual affect. Therefore, this paper suggests that certain Emotional Intelligence (EI) competencies, when applied to the individual decision making process, can be useful in mitigating the effects of cognitive bias. Emotional Intelligence can be defined as an array of interrelated emotional and social competencies, skills and facilitators that impact intelligent behavior (Bar-On, 1997) [2]. For the purposes of this paper competencies associated with the EQ-i 2.0 , a revision of the original model by Reuven Bar-On, will serve as a template for discussion. The composite scales include Self-Perception, Self-Expression, Interpersonal, Decision Making and Stress Management. Certain scales are considered to be especially relevant to affect-based debiasing strategies. In addition to the potential benefits for the individual decision maker, leveraging EI competencies may positively influence team interactions in the process of safety decision making and promote an organizational culture more open to diversity of perspective.
Parabrahman Among the Yogins

This article demonstrates that, on the eve of colonialism, Advaita Vedānta in its most institutionalized forms represented itself before a wider public in terms of its authorship of miracles, and not śāstras, and provides evidence, particularly on the basis of textual traditions associated with the renunciate tradition out of Śṛṅgeri, that a range of Tantra-inflected subtle body practices had come to be understood as integral to the process of the realization of Brahman. It argues that the tradition’s ability to incorporate such conceptual resources was itself predicated on a deliberate but unrecognized intellectual decision that remained hotly contested well into the colonial period. Succinctly, departing from an earlier representation of yogic praxis as serving solely worldly ends in contradistinction with the direct realization of Brahman, some time around the thirteenth century Advaitins came to conclude that the term of art nididhyāsana was pregnant with the wide-ranging semantic possibilities that the wider pan-Indic traditions attribute to words like dhyāna, yoga, and samādhi. In much broader terms, through examining a corpus of deeply influential but largely unstudied narrative, scholastic, and esoteric works produced and used by the scholars and theologians of early modern Advaita Vedānta, the article aims to make evident the folly of treating śāstric conversations as somehow hermetically sealed off from the larger religious and cultural environments in which they were composed.
Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus Sensitivity to Phonetic Competition in Receptive Language Processing: A Comparison of Clear and Conversational Speech

The speech signal is rife with variations in phonetic ambiguity. For instance, when talkers speak in a conversational register, they demonstrate less articulatory precision, leading to greater pote...
Social media and the intrauterine device: a YouTube content analysis

Background YouTube’s online archive of video testimonials related to health information are more commonly viewed than those developed by clinicians and professional groups, suggesting the importance of the patient experience to viewers. We specifically sought to examine the accuracy of information on, and projected acceptability of, the intrauterine device (IUD) from these YouTube testimonials. Methods We searched YouTube for videos about individual uploaders’ IUD experiences, using the search terms ‘intrauterine device’, ‘IUD’, ‘Mirena’ and ‘Paragard’. Given interest in user testimonials, we excluded professional and instructional videos belonging to commercial or non-profit entities. Two reviewers independently analysed the videos using a structured guide, with attention to inaccurate information. Results Of 86 identified videos, four videos featured clinicians and were excluded; 62 met inclusion criteria. Interrater agreement on IUD portrayal was good (K=0.73). Young (mean age 25, range 19–38, years), white (75%), nulliparous (61%) women primarily uploaded content. Most described placement of the LNG-IUS (65%), were posted within 1 month of insertion (45%), and mentioned side effects (66%) – bleeding, pain, and partner sensation of the strings. About one-third of videos contained inaccurate information (34%) and were thought to project an overall negative experience (30%). Videos portraying IUDs negatively were associated with inaccurate information and/or mention of side effects. Conclusion While one-third of IUD user testimonials on YouTube contained inaccurate information, the majority of IUD experiences were perceived by our study viewers to be positive.
Precipitation variability across satellite field-of-views derived from ground-based radar observations

This study uses high-resolution ground-based scanning radar observations to investigate precipitation variability across the instantaneous field-of-view (FOV) of satellite-based precipitation radar measurements. This precipitation variability leads to non-uniform beam filling (NUBF) effects in radar measurements, which in turn, impacts satellite-based rainfall estimates produced using measurements collected by the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) on the NASA/JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission core satellite. By simulating DPR measurements from ground-based scanning radar observations, this study found a linear relationship between precipitation variability of nine 3×3 neighboring FOVs with sub-FOV variability. This result supports using precipitation variability estimated from neighboring FOVs to estimate unresolved sub-FOV variability, or NUBF effects, in satellite-based rainfall retrieval algorithms.
Fluorescein Angiography in the Diagnosis and Management of Uveitis

Fluorescein angiography (FA) is an indispensable imaging modality in the diagnosis and management of patients with intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis. The pattern and type of retinovascular and chorioretinal involvement may be useful diagnostically and in the assessment of structural abnormalities associated with visual loss. Moreover, FA may provide a sensitive index with respect to extent of active inflammation and influence the threshold for treatment as well as monitoring the response to therapy. Finally, FA in combination with multimodal imaging provides not only expanded diagnostic and management capabilities but also may shed new light on our basic understanding of posterior segment inflammatory diseases.
Changes, changes? Women's experience of sexuality in later life

ABSTRACTResearch employing representative samples has provided data about the sexual expression of older adults in the past decade. The results indicate that sexual activity declines with age. Most of the data are quantitative. The purpose of this research was to study the lived experience of women aged 55–80. We ask: how does women's sexuality change in later life, and how do women experience these changes? We conducted face-to-face interviews with 24 women aged 55–80; all self-identified as heterosexual. Most of the women recounted declining sexual desire in the recent past; some attributed it to feeling less attractive or “frumpy”, others to physical changes that made sexual activity uncomfortable, and others to partners’ health problems. Paradoxically, only a minority reported declining frequency of sexual activity, while others reported stable frequencies, citing the importance of sex to the relationship. A minority described increased frequency, in some cases associated with entering a new relations...
Intersections of Modules

Necessary and sufficient condition are found on a ring R or on a module M so that every submodule K < M can be represented as an irredundant intersection K = ⋂{K i | i ∈ I} of submodules K < K i < M, where either the K i or their quotients M/K i are required to satisfy some prescribed property. The phenomenon of irredundancy of such intersections is investigated.
Some Remarks Concerning Closure Rates for Aronszajn’s Method

In various problem settings occurring in engineering and scientific applications, it is desirable to compute a tight bracketing interval of some predetermined (small) width guaranteed to contain a selected eigenvalue of a differential operator. We restrict ourselves here to the consideration of a selfadjoint operator A, densely defined on a Hilbert space H, that is furthermore semi-bounded below with the lower portion of the spectrum consisting of discrete eigenvalues with finite multiplicity.
Normalizing the Exception: Governmentality, Legal Discourse and Post-9/11 U.S. Security

U.S. leaders interpret the attacks on September 11, 2001 as acts of war against western civilization. They find that exceptional security measures are necessary to protect the liberal democratic way of life. In this paper, I develop a theoretical framework that places post-9/11 exceptionalism within a history of governmentality. Governmentality represents a strategy to provide security within a population. This strategy involves people in a war of movement, which determines who belongs in a society and the appropriate actions they can perform. The circulation of knowledge about individuals within and potential threats to society is integral. However, when the normal political, legal and ethical orders prevent leaders from obtaining this information, exceptionalism prevails. U.S. leaders regard the post-9/11 security environment in this light, and they harness legal expertise to redefine the appropriate means for identifying and eradicating dangers. These officials normalize exceptional security practices, by increasing the speed of politics and dissolving barriers to the collection of knowledge. Specifically, they utilize legal discourse to construct an institutional and ethical setting that permits unprecedented intelligence gathering techniques.
Postnatal Immune Dysfunction and Its Impact on Growth Parameters

Development, growth, and integrity of the child’s numerous physiological systems and anatomical structures occur in parallel with the need for a variety of related functions: host surveillance, maintenance of tissue integrity, homeostatic control within organs, and regulatory oversight of the tissues. The immune system provides these often underappreciated functions in addition to its more commonly recognized role in protection against agents of disease. Not surprisingly, maturational impediments with the sentry immune system can produce problems among the tissues and organs under surveillance. To become fully competent and effectively protective against health challenges, the immune system must first undergo a lengthy and complex process of development and maturation. The success of this maturational process partially determines the health course of the offspring. Many of the steps in immune maturation are both exquisitely timed to specific developmental windows and unique in nature; interference with even a single maturational process can have lifelong adverse health consequences. Developmental immunotoxicity (DIT), or the effects of exposure to exogenous agents on the developing immune system, results in immune dysfunction that can adversely affect both children and adults. While much of the historic focus on DIT and immunotoxicity in general has concerned immunosuppression, it is now clear that other major health risks exist. Reported outcomes include elevated risk of allergic, autoimmune, and inflammatory diseases as well as increased potential for immune-inflicted damage to tissues and organs. The latter arises because the immune system has resident cells in virtually every tissue or organ whose function greatly impacts organ integrity and well-being. Dysfunctional immune surveillance and homeostasis can be just as problematic for overall health as a deficit in specific immune functional capacity. The following chapter describes the relationships between DIT (i.e., early-life immune insult), patterns of resulting health risks, and disrupted growth and metabolism in the offspring.
The Storage Effect in Stochastic Population Models

Many populations occur in environments that vary substantially in time. Some of this variation is regular, for example, seasonal variation, and some of it is stochastic, i.e., has a strong element of randomness. Although I shall focus mainly on this stochastic variation there are many parallels between the effects of regular and stochastic variation and some of the mathematics below holds equally well for both kinds of temporal environmental variation.
Presence and distribution of heavy metal tolerant fungi in surface soils of a temperate pine forest

Abstract Natural soils represent a rich reservoir of novel and diverse microbial communities. Heavy metal tolerant fungi have been described in contaminated soils and water, but it is unknown how abundant and diverse they are in natural systems. We isolated and identified heavy metal tolerant fungi from a temperate pine forest (Duke Forest, NC, USA) and determined their soil abundance and distribution using amplicon sequencing. Soil serial dilutions were inoculated on malt extract agar with metal concentrations between 100 and 1000 ppm of FeSO4, ZnSO4, CuSO4, Al2(SO4)3, Pb(NO3)2, NiCl2, CdCl2, and K2Cr2O7, depending on the metal used, at 25 °C. A total of 425 fungal isolates were obtained, from which the majority were isolated in Pb enriched-medium and the least from Cr and Al enriched media. A total of 62 unique Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were identified at 97% sequence similarity using the ITS nuclear ribosomal RNA. The most common and diverse genera isolated were Penicillium and Trichoderma, with 126 and 92 isolates, representing 10 and 6 unique OTUs, respectively. Umbelopsis, Pochonia, Pseudogymnoascus, Trichocladium, and Ilyonectria are reported for the first time as tolerant taxa to multiple metals. The use of culture-based methods also revealed the presence of taxa that could not be detected using soil amplicon sequencing; these non-detectable OTUs corresponded to cultures with low isolation rates. The most commonly isolated taxa were detected using amplicon sequencing in 90–100% of the soil samples and soil depths using direct sequencing techniques, showing consistent results with the cultured-based methods. Penicillium, Trichoderma, Umbelopsis, and Saitozyma sequences were detected in 100% of the soil samples (156 samples) at all soil depths. Our study shows that this natural environment contained abundant and diverse communities of heavy metal tolerant fungi similar to those reported in metal contaminated sites. These commonly recovered taxa showed wide levels of adaptation to different metals and toxicity levels. The combination of culture-based and direct sequencing approaches were useful to describe the abundance and distribution of heavy metal tolerant fungi in natural soils.
Modeling Carbon Dioxide Vibrational Frequencies in Ionic Liquids: III. Dynamics and Spectroscopy

In recent years, interest in carbon capture and sequestration has led to numerous investigations of the ability of ionic liquids to act as recyclable CO2-sorbent materials. Herein, we investigate the structure and dynamics of a model physisorbing ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C4C1Im][PF6]), from the perspective of CO2 using two-dimensional (2D) IR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. A direct comparison of experimentally measured and calculated 2D IR line shapes confirms the validity of the simulations and spectroscopic calculations. Taken together, the simulations and experiments reveal new insights into the interactions of a CO2 solute with the surrounding ionic liquid and how these interactions manifest in the 2D IR spectra. In particular, higher CO2 asymmetric stretch vibrational frequencies are associated with softer, less populated solvent cages and lower frequencies are associated with tighter, more highly populated solvent cages. The CO2 interacts most...
Analysis of close-range hyperspectral images of vegetation communities in a high Arctic tundra ecosystem

Close-range hyperspectral imaging is a valuable but often underutilized tool for rapid, non-destructive and automated assessment of vegetation functional dynamics in terms of both structure and physiology. During the 2017 summer growing season, several hyperspectral images were collected at close proximity over a variety of vegetation plots measuring approximately 1m2 which consisted of a heterogeneous architecture of vascular and non-vascular plant species and spanning variable soil moisture gradients. These long-term ecological monitoring vegetation plots are associated with the International Tundra Experiment - Arctic Observing Network (ITEX-AON) in Utqiaġvik, Alaska (formerly known as Barrow). Over the past two decades, ITEX has aimed to understand how Arctic tundra is responding to warming both across plant communities and through time. Hyperspectral images were collected in the visible to near-infrared range using a SOC710 VP (400-1000nm) hyperspectral imager from Surface Optics Corporation (SOC). Here we present initial results of analysis of these images using spectral unmixing techniques, which offer the potential to characterize and highlight presence, structure, and vigor of these highly complex heterogeneous tundra plant communities.
Novel DMAP-catalyzed skeletal rearrangement of 5-exo-(2-hydroxy-ethylene)oxasilacyclopentanes.

5-exo-(Hydroxyethylene)-2-oxa-1-silacyclopentanes are found to undergo a novel DMAP-catalyzed skeletal rearrangement through silicon−oxygen exchange during acetylation to yield the corresponding 5-(2-acetoxyalkyl)-2-oxa-1-silacyclopent-4-enes exclusively. The mechanism for this unprecedented rearrangement is proposed.
Representing vehicle-technological opportunities in integrated energy modeling

Abstract Light-duty vehicles (LDVs) are responsible for more than one tenth of global energy use and CO 2 emissions and are therefore an important focus in pollution mitigation efforts. Integrated energy models (IEMs) are frequently used to explore cost-optimal climate change mitigation measures for energy supply and demand sectors, such as LDVs. Options include fuel and powertrain switching through efficiency standards, taxation, and technology mandates. This review provides an overview on how LDVs are modeled in 14 popular IEMs. We find that the representation of mitigation options can be enhanced by linking emissions and physical outputs from industry, agriculture, and energy conversion directly to the vehicle life cycle and by more carefully reflecting important factors that influence LDV life cycle emissions. This would allow for a more complete internalization of emissions in the technology mix optimization procedure of IEMs. The results highlight a range of mitigation options currently not considered in most integrated models, such as reducing embodied emissions in infrastructure and vehicle production, reducing methane leakage, or switching to less carbon intensive crude oil grades.
Data-Based Robust Model Predictive Control Under Conditional Uncertainty

Abstract In this work, a novel data-driven robust model predictive control (RMPC) framework is outlined for optimal operations and control of energy systems, where uncertainty in predictions of energy intensities enters into the process in an additive manner. However, the distribution of prediction errors may be time-varying and depend on other external variables. To appropriately describe the distribution of uncertainty, a novel concept of conditional uncertainty as well as the conditional uncertainty set is proposed, which disentangles the dependence of distribution on external variables and hence reduces the conservatism. In general, the conditional uncertainty set can be modelled by integrating domain-specific knowledge and data collected from previous experience. An example arising from agricultural irrigation control is presented to illustrate of the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
Environmental Precarity and Religious Transformation during the Mimbres Transitional Phase

This article examines the 10th century AD Mimbres Transitional phase and the significant social transformations that occurred during that time. While archaeological studies of the Mimbres region ha...
Early warning signals of malaria resurgence in Kericho, Kenya

Campaigns to eliminate infectious diseases could be greatly aided by methods for providing early warning signals of resurgence. Theory predicts that as a disease transmission system undergoes a transition from stability at the disease-free equilibrium to sustained transmission, it will exhibit characteristic behaviours known as critical slowing down, referring to the speed at which fluctuations in the number of cases are dampened, for instance the extinction of a local transmission chain after infection from an imported case. These phenomena include increases in several summary statistics, including lag-1 autocorrelation, variance and the first difference of variance. Here, we report the first empirical test of this prediction during the resurgence of malaria in Kericho, Kenya. For 10 summary statistics, we measured the approach to criticality in a rolling window to quantify the size of effect and directions. Nine of the statistics increased as predicted and variance, the first difference of variance, autocovariance, lag-1 autocorrelation and decay time returned early warning signals of critical slowing down based on permutation tests. These results show that time series of disease incidence collected through ordinary surveillance activities may exhibit characteristic signatures prior to an outbreak, a phenomenon that may be quite general among infectious disease systems.
Response to Impact of Students' Strengths, Critical Thinking Skills and Disposition on Academic Success in the First Year of a PharmD Program.

The recent article by Comer and colleagues[1][1] portrayed a performance-based model in an effort to address the challenge of pharmacy schools in identifying students capable of successfully completing the rigor of a PharmD program. The model explores the affective domain for broadening candidate
Chapter 13 – Drug Nephropathies

Over the past several decades significant strides have been made in the development of cancer chemotherapy. Unfortunately, a variety of unanticipated side-effects have been discovered with a number of drugs affecting renal function. Both glomerular and tubular damage have been reported with chemotherapy, and more recently hypertension, proteinuria and electrolyte abnormalities were noted with the introduction of newer biological anti-cancer agents. In this chapter, the incidence of nephrotoxicity, purported mechanisms, clinical presentation and preventive strategies will be reviewed for drugs with potential for renal toxicity.
Moderating Effects of Investor Experience on the Signaling Value of Private Equity Placements

An examination is conductedof how afirm'schoice of investors conveys signals to the market. Private placements of equityare irreversible, occur after a more rigorous analysis than public offeringsprovide, contain governance mechanisms, and are transparent to outsiders. Thefirm's prospects are further endorsed by the perception of an investors'superior evaluative ability.Using Bioscan and the North CarolinaBiotechnology Center Actions Database, 329 U.S. biotechnology firms foundedbetween 1973 and 1998 are studied. Investor experience and variousfirm-and industry-level variables are tested for theirmoderating effects. Thedependent variable usedis rate of financing through private equityplacements or seasoned public offerings subsequent to the firm's initial publicoffering (IPO). Results indicate that investor experience helps attract subsequentfinancing. A negative interaction is found suggesting that prior investorexperience has a significant influence on attaining subsequent capital whenfirms have fewer private placements. Firms seeking capital when the industry ismore mature, younger firms, and firms having lower survival ratios are all morelikely to attract subsequent capital. Similarly, firms having larger IPOs,restricted private equity, and more alliance partners attract more capital.Endorsements are found to be most beneficial when there is greater uncertaintyabout firm quality. However, the endorsement effects of signals dissolve overtime. (NEE)
Trajectories of depression in psychotherapy: How client characteristics predict clinical improvement.

Objective The current study aims to ascertain the trajectories of psychotherapy clients' symptom change and identify client factors that predict treatment outcome. Method We conducted a latent growth mixture model (LGMM) to identify the change trajectories of 44 clients' depression scores during psychotherapy. Client characteristics were then explored to determine whether any were associated with change trajectories. We examined whether the number of physician visits and/or client self-concealment scores predict 63 clients' improvement after controlling for initial symptom severity. Results Two trajectories of clients' symptom change were identified: nonimprovers (52.3%) and improvers (47.7%). Nonimprovers had higher levels of self-concealment and baseline depression than improvers. The number of physician visits was associated with higher depression scores at baseline and greater clinical improvement during psychotherapy. Conclusion Clients showed distinct trajectories of symptom change in psychotherapy. Early identification of clients at risk for treatment failure may increase the probability of therapeutic success.
Congressional Approval and Responsible Party Government: The Role of Partisanship and Ideology in Citizen Assessments of the Contemporary U.S. Congress

While scholars posit an electoral link between congressional approval and majority party electoral fortunes, it is unclear whether citizens are grounding their assessments of approval on policy or valence grounds, such as retrospective economic evaluations. Whereas it is commonly understood that there is an ideological component to constituents’ job approval of their individual members of Congress, in addition to a strong partisan effect, the ideological basis of institutional approval has not been established. Using cross-sectional and panel survey data, which allow for scaling citizens and the congressional parties in the same ideological space, I demonstrate that, distinct from the partisan basis of congressional approval, citizens’ ideological distance from the majority party has a separate and distinct effect. These results suggest that the link between congressional approval and majority party fortunes is rooted in the collective ideological representation provided by the legislative majority in an increasingly responsible U.S. Congress.
Patient Perspectives on Defining Textbook Outcomes Following Major Abdominal Surgery

The composite metric textbook outcome (TO) has recently gained interest as a novel quality measure. However, the criteria for defining a TO have not been rigorously defined and patient perspectives on the characteristics of TO are unknown. Patients who underwent major abdominal surgery at a single tertiary care center were administered a customized survey designed to ascertain their perspectives on defining TOs. The relationship between patient-reported and clinically defined TO rates was compared. Among 79 patients who underwent gastrointestinal (51%), pancreatic (29%), hepatic (18%), or other major abdominal (3%) operations, 57% were female and 86% had an ASA class ≥3. Most patients underwent surgery for malignancy (87%) with 60% undergoing an open operation. Patients most commonly valued no mortality following surgery (96%), no reoperation (75%), and having a margin negative resection (73%) as “extremely important.” In contrast, those outcomes that were most commonly valued as “not important at all” or “minimally important” were receiving a blood transfusion (24%) and not having any complications (13%). Using previously published criteria for TOs, 47 (60%) patients were classified as having a clinically defined TO; in contrast, 68 patients (86%) self-reported their outcome was textbook. Self-reported responses were concordant with clinically defined TO criteria 63% of the time (McNemar’s test: S=15.2, p<0.01, evidence of disagreement). There was significant discordance between patient-reported versus clinically defined measures of TOs, suggesting patients value other considerations beyond traditional factors when evaluating the success of their surgery. Future studies should delineate these relationships and incorporate these factors to refine TO definitions.
The Lost Decade of the 1980s

This chapter analyzes the policy responses to the challenges of the Lost Decade. We begin with a description of stabilization policies and the Washington Consensus. Then we look at the reality of the policy responses and the consequences for Latin America.