cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatial estimation of the density and carbon content of host populations for Phytophthora ramorum in California and Oregon

Outbreak of the emerging infectious disease sudden oak death continues to threaten California and Oregon forests following introduction of the exotic plant pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. Identifying areas at risk and forecasting changes in forest carbon following disease outbreak requires an understanding of the geographical distribution of host populations, which is unknown. In this study, we quantify and map the population density and carbon contents of five key host species for P. ramorum in California and Oregon, including four hosts killed by the pathogen (Notholithocarpus densiflorus, Quercus agrifolia, Quercus kelloggii and Quercus chrysolepis) and the foliar host Umbellularia californica which supports high sporulation rates. We integrate multiple sources of vegetation data, assembled from sparsely distributed (regional-scale) forest inventory and analysis (FIA) plots and more densely distributed (landscape-scale) plots for monitoring sudden oak death, and develop spatial prediction models based on correlation with environmental variables and spatial dependencies in host abundance. We estimate that 1.8 billion N. densiflorus trees (68 Tg C) and 2.6 billion Quercus host trees (227 Tg C) occur across 3.9 and 17.7 million ha of their respective habitat. A total of 436 million U. californica trees (14 Tg C) occur across 4.2 million ha which frequently overlap with Quercus and N. densiflorus host populations. Combination of landscape-scale data with FIA data resulted in more accurate estimation of host populations and their carbon contents. Forests of northern California and southwest Oregon have the highest concentration of the most susceptible hosts along with climatic conditions that favor pathogen spread. This study represents the first spatially-explicit estimate of P. ramorum host populations and their carbon contents which exceed previously published estimates. Our results will inform landscape- to regional-scale models of disease dynamics and guide management decisions regarding ecosystem impacts including risk of C release following widespread tree mortality.
Indirect boundary element method for unsteady linearized flow over prolate and oblate spheroids and hemispheroidal protuberances

The indirect boundary element method was used to study the hydrodynamics of oscillatory viscous flow over prolate and oblate spheroids, and over hemispheroidal bodies hinged to a plate. Analytic techniques, such as spheroidal coordinates, method of images, and series representations, were used to make the numerical methods more efficient. A novel method for computing the hydrodynamic torque was used, since for oscillatory flow the torque cannot be computed directly from the weightings. Instead, a Green's function for torque was derived to compute the torque indirectly from the weightings. For full spheroids, the method was checked by comparing the results to exact solutions at low and high frequencies, and to results computed using the singularity method. For hemispheroids hinged to a plate, the method for low frequencies was checked by comparing the results to previous results, and to exact solutions at high frequencies. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mitotic Centromere–associated Kinesin Is Important for Anaphase Chromosome Segregation

Mitotic centromere–associated kinesin (MCAK) is recruited to the centromere at prophase and remains centromere associated until after telophase. MCAK is a homodimer that is encoded by a single gene and has no associated subunits. A motorless version of MCAK that binds centromeres but not microtubules disrupts chromosome segregation during anaphase. Antisense-induced depletion of MCAK results in the same defect. MCAK overexpression induces centromere-independent bundling and eventual loss of spindle microtubule polymer suggesting that centromere-associated bundling and/or depolymerization activity is required for anaphase. Live cell imaging indicates that MCAK may be required to coordinate the onset of sister centromere separation.
The Viability of Using Automatic Vehicle Identification Data for Real-Time Crash Prediction

Real-time crash prediction research attempted the use of data from inductive loop detectors; however, no safety analysis has been carried out using traffic data from one of the most growing nonintrusive surveillance systems, i.e., the tag readers on toll roads known as automatic vehicle identification (AVI) systems. In this paper, for the first time, the identification of freeway locations with high crash potential has been examined using real-time speed data collected from AVI. Travel time and space mean speed data collected by AVI systems and crash data of a total of 78 mi on the expressway network in Orlando in 2008 were collected. Utilizing a random forest technique for significant variable selection and stratified matched case-control to account for the confounding effects of location, time, and season, the log odds of crash occurrence were calculated. The length of the AVI segment was found to be a crucial factor that affects the usefulness of the AVI traffic data. While the results showed that the likelihood of a crash is statistically related to speed data obtained from AVI segments within an average length of 1.5 mi and crashes can be classified with about 70% accuracy, all speed parameters obtained from AVI systems spaced at 3 mi or more apart were found to be statistically insignificant to identify crash-prone conditions. The findings of this study illustrate a promising real-time safety application for one of the most widely used and already present intelligent transportation systems, with many possible advances in the context of advanced traffic management.
Nanoscale heterogeneities in a fractured alkali-activated slag binder: A helium ion microscopy analysis

Abstract Helium ion microscopy is used to provide new insight into the nano- and microscale morphology of cleaved surfaces of alkali-activated slag (AAS), revealing that AAS contains several types of gel with varying surface morphologies after being subjected to D-drying. It is seen that the bulk C-(N)-A-S-H gel is globular in nature in a silicate-activated slag paste while the gel covering the slag particles is foil-like.
Life‐history differences of juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha across rearing locations in the Shasta River, California

Salmon from different locations in a watershed can have different life histories. It is often unclear to what extent this variation is a response to the current environmental conditions an individual experiences as opposed to local-scale genetic adaptation or the environment experienced early in development. We used a mark–recapture transplant experiment in the Shasta River, CA, to test whether life-history traits of juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha varied among locations, and whether individuals could adopt a new life history upon encountering new habitat type. The Shasta River, a Klamath River tributary, has two Chinook salmon spawning and juvenile rearing areas, a lower basin canyon (river km 0–12) and upper basin spring complex (river km 40–56), characterised by dramatically different in-stream habitats. In 2012 and 2013, we created three experimental groups: (i) fish caught, tagged and released in the upper basin; (ii) fish caught at the river mouth (confluence with the Klamath River, river km 0), tagged and released in the upper basin; and (iii) fish caught at the river mouth, tagged and released in the lower basin. Fish released in the upper basin outmigrated later and at a larger size than those released in the lower basin. The traits of fish transplanted to the upper basin were similar to fish originating in the upper basin. Chinook salmon juvenile life-history traits reflected habitat conditions fish experienced rather than those where they originated, indicating that habitat modification or transportation to new habitats can rapidly alter the life-history composition of populations.
A longitudinal study of the diffusion of a computer-based administrative innovation within a university faculty network

Identifying predictors of computer use such as attitude, anxiety, and receptivity to change have been the primary area of interest in instructional technology. Research relating to the diffusion of innovations in education has been based primarily on looking at these individual characteristics as predictors of use. This dissertation proposes to use social network analysis to study the diffusion of two computer-based administrative innovations within a university faculty network. Methodology issues concerning time of adoption and network nominations were examined as well as the relationship of time of adoption and the number of network nominations received, spatial proximity, and organizational unit proximity. Finally, the diffusion of the innovations was to be analyzed using the dual-classification and T/CM models. Subjects were 66 faculty members in a College in Education from a southwestern university during the 1996-1997 academic year. At the beginning of the study subjects were introduced to the innovations and asked to provide demographic information and to identify communication partners in the areas of advice, friendship, and discussion. At the conclusion of the study subjects were asked to provide feed back related to the innovations and to once again identify their communication partners in the areas of advice, friendship, and discussion. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between adopters recall time of adoption and actual time of adoption. In addition, there was no significant difference between network nominations for advice, friendship, and discussion identified at the beginning and at the end of the study. The number of network nominations received was found to be negatively correlated with the time of adoption. No correlation was found between time of adoption and spatial and organizational unit proximity. The diffusion process could not be studied, because the necessary threshold and critical mass levels were not reached. The innovations did not diffuse through the network. The lack of diffusion could be explained by the negative correlation between the number of network nominations received and the time of adoption as well as by comments faculty submitted related to the innovations and a graphical representation of the social network with the nodes of adopters shaded.
Human Rights Education Through Thematic Instruction

Human rights education (HRE) in the elementary grades has traditionally been left out of elementary social studies instruction, relegated to mentions in the context of the United States, as opposed to international contexts (Gaudelli & Fernekes, 2004; Myers, 2010; Orend, 2004; Ramirez, Suarez, & Meyer, 2007). This study describes how one fifth-grade teacher found instructional time for HRE by using thematic instruction to integrate HRE into all subject areas. Her students learned about broader global problems and excelled in other content areas through this unit.
A Revolution in Favor of Television: WCVB-TV and Robert Gardner's Screening Room

In 1963, a group of academics and community leaders decided to test the proposition that people wanted better television. They formed Boston Broadcasters, Inc. (BBI) and applied for the license to operate VHF Channel 5 Boston, intending to operate a commercial television station in the public interest. In 1972, after almost a decade of litigation, they won the license and started broadcasting as WCVB-TV. During the ten years that BBI owned WCVB, it produced many innovative and unusual programs. Among them was Robert Gardner’s Screening Room, one of the most delightfully unlikely programs ever aired on a network television station. Essentially, Screening Room was a talk show about independent filmmaking. Once a week, Gardner invited an independent filmmaker to show and discuss a selection of films or film clips. But Screening Room wasn’t just a showcase for independent film. It also introduced a network television audience to intellectual film critics like Rudolf Arnheim and Stanley Cavell, in a uniquely accessible and entertaining way. In any case, it was quite unlike anything one expects to see on network television, then or now. How was a program like Screening Room possible, and what can it tell us about the history of television? Obviously, Screening Room couldn’t have existed without Gardner, who created and produced the program. But it also couldn’t have existed on any station but WCVB. So the story of Screening Room begins with the long fight for the Channel 5 license and the creation of WCVB.
Impulsive Trajectories from Earth to Callisto-Io-Ganymede Triple Flyby Capture at Jupiter

Triple-satellite-aided capture sequences use gravity-assist flybys of three of Jupiter’s four massive Galilean moons to help capture a spacecraft into orbit about Jupiter. A novel triplesatellite-aided capture uses sequential flybys of Callisto, Io, and Ganymede to reduce the ΔV required to capture into orbit about Jupiter. An optimal broken-plane maneuver is added between Earth and Jupiter to form a complete chemical/impulsive interplanetary trajectory from Earth to Jupiter.
Higher Order Resonant Interaction of Surface Waves by Undulatory Bottom Topography

Higher order (quartet) Bragg resonance of water waves by bottom undulations and its effect on the evolution of ocean wave spectrum, particularly over continental shelves and littoral zones, are considered. Higher order Bragg resonance can provide a viable mechanism for distribution of (initially confined) energy across the spectrum. Contrary to classical Bragg resonances (Class I and II) where the resonant wave has to have the same frequency as the incident wave, Class III (quartet) Bragg resonance of three free waves and a bottom topography component allow participant waves to have different frequencies. Of particular interest here are higher-order resonances that lead to infragravity wave generation as a result of interaction of regular sea waves with bottom undulations (of the same order of wavelength as the primary waves), and, long/medium surface wave generation by nonlinear interaction between short surface waves and medium wavelength bottom undulations. These mechanisms can accelerate the rate by which energy is damped by the bottom friction. The second mechanism also provides a potential alternative mechanism for explaining microseismic noise observed in shallow waters. We further consider the oblique higher order Bragg resonance. Although for Class I, oblique resonance is less important than normal incidence, it is shown here via illustrative examples and direct simulations that there are strong oblique Class II and III Bragg cases. Inclusion of higher order interactions paves a path for the energy transfer to higher and lower frequencies of an initially narrow band spectrum. Ensuing multiple (exact/near) such resonant interactions can result in the generation of multiple new transmitted/reflected waves that fill a broad wavenumber band eventually leading to loss of order and chaotic motion of water surface.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Investig ation on contamination situation of life drinking water in rural areas of Anhui Province

Objective To understands the field application effect of WHO/UNICEF portable scene water quality fast instrumentation.Methods Field sampling and the examination was conducted according to the method stipulated in the RADWQ handbook.Results Ten indexes,the chromaticity,the opacity,pH,hard,the manganese,the aluminum,the fluorine,the arsenic,the nitrate,the total large intestine bacteria colony were used to evaluate water quality.The results showed that the total qualified rate of the community water supply(47.53%) was higher than that of deep well water(13.20%) and that of the shallow well water(8.79%).total qualified rate of family water was only 10.29%.In southern and northern area of Anhui province,water supply qualified rate of community was all higher than that of well water.Coliform group qualified rate of water disinfected(91.82%) was higher than that of water not disinfected(48.63%).Conclusions The result indicated that this portable scene water quality fast checkout device not only was suitable in field application,but also suitable in countryside small Waterworks application.
Colon Cancer: Preoperative Evaluation and Staging

The preoperative assessment of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) often requires a multidisciplinary approach, involving a complete endoscopic evaluation as well as both clinical and radiographic staging. In addition to providing a concrete diagnosis, histologic review by the pathologist imparts valuable information about tumor grade and other important prognostic features, which will be discussed in greater detail in this chapter. A thorough history and physical examination rounds out the initial evaluation and provides the surgeon with vital information that may influence operative planning.
Phase I Clinical Studies

Some features of a Phase I study are invariant; others have changed considerably over time. On a periodic basis a set of new investigators enters the field, and almost everyone is inclined to reinvent the design features of Phase I studies. First-in-human studies are an extraordinary opportunity to integrate pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and toxicology information while launching the new molecule on a path for rational clinical development. Above all, this is a major domain for application of the principles of clinical pharmacology. The ongoing re-engineering of the entire drug development process places additional scrutiny on Phase I. Drug discovery and high-throughput screening have created a bulge in the pipeline as it heads towards the clinic. It is essential that truly useful medicines are not lost in the sheer numbers of compounds under evaluation, and it is just as essential that marginal candidates be eliminated as expeditiously as possible. Although the science generated via the discovery and development process can be dazzling, the “art” of Phase I trials requires continual focus on safety and probability of therapeutic effect.
Discovery of novel tubulin inhibitors and their synergy with BRAF inhibitors for malignant melanoma

M melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer and it is highly resistant to most existing therapies. Despite recent advances in both targeted therapy (e.g. BRAF inhibitors vemurafenib and dabrafenib; MEK inhibitor trametinib) and immunotherapy (ipilimumab; pembrolizumab), acquired drug resistance often develops quickly and the overall survival for malignant melanoma remains unsatisfactory. Chemotherapeutic drugs including tubulin inhibitors (e.g., paclitaxel or vinblastine) are used in treating malignant melanoma clinically, but their efficacy is often limited by the ABC-transporter mediated drug efflux and non-specific tissue distribution, leading to dose limiting toxicity. We have discovered several sets of novel tubulin inhibitors that: 1) target the colchicine binding site in tubulin and have broad spectrum of potent anticancer activity; 2) effectively circumvent major drug resistance mechanisms (P-gp, BCRP, and MRPs) that hinder the clinical efficacy with existing tubulin inhibitors; 3) are orally bioavailable and have excellent drug-like properties; 4) are efficacious against both drug sensitive and drug resistant melanoma tumors in vivo; and 5) have strong synergy with approved BRAF inhibitors for BRAF-resistant melanoma tumors. We have also developed nanoparticle formulations for these agents and showed that these targeted drug delivery approaches can significantly improve the anticancer efficacy for these tubulin inhibitors.
A Theory-Based Pragmatism for Discovering and Classifying Newly Divergent Species of Bacterial Pathogens

Bacterial systematics has integrated an increasing diversity of phenotypic and molecular characteristics into the demarcation of bacterial species. Most species recognized in taxonomy of bacteria are extremely diverse in physiology, genome content, and ecology. This chapter proposes a universal approach to identifying the fundamental ecotype units of bacterial diversity—the newly divergent populations that are ecologically distinct from one another and are each ecologically homogeneous. The authors consider the splitting of one ecotype into two to be the fundamental diversity-creating process of speciation in bacteria. Whether it is sensible to comprehensively classify all ecotypes within a bacterial species taxon depends on the rate of ecotype formation, and bacterial groups are widely different in their rates of ecotype formation. The authors also propose a new pragmatism for bacterial systematics that would recognize the ecologically homogeneous units of bacterial diversity where practical to do so.
Communication-Aware Information-Gathering Experiments with an Unmanned Aircraft System

This paper presents single and multiaircraft flight experiments to assess an information-theoretic path planning algorithm that incorporates sensing and communication to guide an unmanned aircraft. The communication is modeled with packet erasure channels for each link in a multihop mesh network. The planning objective is to maximize the mutual information between the target state and measurements received at a single base station from all aircraft. A novel unmanned aircraft system was developed to facilitate experiments with multiple unmanned aircraft utilizing multihop mesh networking. The value of communication-aware planning was assessed through flight experiments with a single aircraft localizing a radio emitter. Additional experiments with two aircraft demonstrated and assessed the performance of the approach, showing that the improvement in sensing can be appreciable when utilizing multihop communication.
Usefulness of Atrial Premature Complexes on Routine Electrocardiogram to Determine the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation (from the REGARDS Study).

Atrial premature complexes (APCs) serve as acute triggers for atrial fibrillation (AF), but it is currently unknown whether the association between APCs and AF varies by race or sex. We examined the association between APCs and AF in 13,840 (mean age = 63 ± 8.4 years; 56% women; 37% black) participants from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke study. APCs were detected on baseline electrocardiograms (2003 to 2007). Incident AF was identified by study-scheduled electrocardiograms and self-reported history at a follow-up examination. Logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals for the association between APCs and incident AF. A total of 950 participants (6.9%) had APCs at the baseline visit. After a median follow-up of 9.4 years, 1015 incident AF cases (7.3%) were detected. APCs were associated with an increased risk of AF (odds ratios = 1.92, 95% confidence intervals = 1.57, 2.35). The relation between APCs and AF did not vary by race (interaction p value = 0.56) or sex (interaction p value = 0.66). In conclusion, APCs detected on a routine electrocardiogram are associated with an increased risk of AF development, and this association does not vary by race or sex. The findings of this analysis suggest that the risk of AF associated with atrial ectopy does not account for the differential risk of AF that is observed in whites compared with blacks, and in men compared with women.
The Rise and fall of American growth: the US standard of living since the Civil War

Robert Gordon has written a big book. Rise and Fall is not only physically large, 784 pages, but it is mammoth in its scope, covering an extraordinary array of technological innovations and produce...
The differential effects of rural health care access on race-specific mortality☆

We examined the relationship between race-specific rural mortality and the health infrastructure of rural counties in light of America’s recent emergence of a rural mortality penalty. Using the Compressed Mortality File from National Center for Health Statistics (2008–2012) and county-level demographic, socioeconomic, and health care indicators from the Area Health Resource File and the US Census, we created a rural public health infrastructure index which encompasses four types of health care access (public health employees, critical access hospital/rural referral centers, rural health clinics, and emergency departments) within counties. We found that each unit increase in the index is associated with a decline in rural Black mortality, but is associated with an increase in rural White mortality. Policymakers could benefit from focusing on the declining rate of mortality improvement in many rural regions, specifically by trying to better understand how decisions concerning public health spending may influence mortality differently for Black and White residents.
Distinctive features for use in an automatic speech recognition system.

In this paper we develop a method of representing the speech waveform in terms of a set of abstract, linguistic distinctions in order to derive a set of discriminative features for use in a speech recognizer. By combining the distinctive feature representation with our original waveform representation we are able to achieve a reduction in word error rate of 33% on an automatic speech recognition task.
Boys in Blue Camo: The 1033 Program

There’s a thin, often unclear line between a riot and a protest. Demonstrators perform a tightrope-walking act, balancing their outrage at controversial events with the knowledge that a single misstep can lead to total chaos. In some countries, that chaos manifests itself as military crackdowns by the ruling government, the goal being to jail problematic opposition leaders and scare people out of returning to the streets. The U.S. has a long history of replacing that military force with the presence of local police, but over time that line has become equally blurred. One need only look at the events of Ferguson, Mo. to see that ambiguity in action.
HexSim: a modeling environment for ecology and conservation.

Simulation models are increasingly used in both theoretical and applied studies to explore system responses to natural and anthropogenic forcing functions, develop defensible predictions of future conditions, challenge simplifying assumptions that facilitated past research, and to train students in scientific concepts and technology. Researcher’s increased use of simulation models has created a demand for new platforms that balance performance, utility, and flexibility. We describe HexSim, a powerful new spatially-explicit, individual-based modeling framework that will have applications spanning diverse landscape settings, species, stressors, and disciplines (e.g. ecology, conservation, genetics, epidemiology). We begin with a model overview and follow-up with a discussion of key formative studies that influenced HexSim’s development. We then describe specific model applications of relevance to readers of Landscape Ecology. Our goal is to introduce readers to this new modeling platform, and to provide examples characterizing its novelty and utility. With this publication, we conclude a > 10 year development effort, and assert that our HexSim model is mature, robust, extremely well tested, and ready for adoption by the research community. The HexSim model, documentation, worked examples, and other materials can be freely obtained from the website www.hexsim.net .
Online Education, Standardization, and Roles

Education is associated with standardization – determining how learning should occur and for what students, is the essence of education from the perspective of those who administer educational programs. The administration of education also requires the consideration of roles, whether of content developer, tester, lecturer, manager, or something else (Rada, 2001). What has happened historically as regards standardization and roles in education, and how does this relate to the impact of online education?
Introduction to Microcosmology

Ecological microcosms are small ecosystems held in containers. Starting originally as a way to bring the beauty and complexity of nature into schoolrooms and living rooms the world over, these small “worlds” have become a major research tool. They are useful for studying the way ecosystems work and for the very practical purpose of determining what happens to toxic substances in ecosystems. Microcosms are important because they are a way to study whole, simplified ecosystems, and because they can be replicated for experimental studies at reasonable cost. This book is a review of the extensive but scattered papers and reports on microcosms, with emphasis on the concepts of systems ecology that emerge from the hypotheses and experimental tests.
Eddy Current Detection of Nucleation and Early Growth of Semiconductor Crystals

Single crystal CdTe and its solid solution Cd1-x ZnxTe alloys (0.03<x<0.05) are used as infrared transparent substrates for infrared focal plane array (IRFPA) detectors [1,2]. Cd1−xZnxTe substrates are normally “mined” from large polycrystalline boules grown by the unseeded directional solidification of Cd1−xZnxTe melts using either a vertical or horizontal Bridgman process[3–7]. The vertical Bridgman method is particularly popular for growing CdTe and its related compounds. In this process, a Cd1−xZnxTe ingot is produced by first melting a charge in the hot zone of the furnace and then vertically translating the furnace (with its associated axial temperature profile) relative to the stationary crucible to cause directional solidification. In spite of many experimental efforts to investigate the relationships between material purity, stoichiometry, the growth parameters (furnace temperature profiles, ampoule geometries/materials, furnace translation rates and starting position) and the resulting material characteristics (grain structure, dislocation densities, IR transmission, macro-segregation etc.), the yield of Cd1−xZnxTe of a quality suitable for large area (e.g. 4cm × 6cm) substrates remains low (<10%). Since much of this poor yield is directly associated with the crystal growth process (e.g. melt stoichiometry, solidification velocity, interface shape, temperature gradients, cooling rate, etc.) intensive efforts are under way to improve this technology.
Human-Centric Programming in the Large - Command Languages to Scalable Cyber Training

Programming in the large allows composition of processes executing code written using programming in the small. Traditionally, systems supporting programming in the large have included interpreters of OS command languages, but today, with the emergence of collaborative “big data” science, these systems also include cyberinfrastructures, which allow computations to be carried out on remote machines in the “cloud”. The rationale for these systems, even the traditional command interpreters, is human-centric computing, as they are designed to support quick, interactive development and execution of process workflows. Some cyberinfrastructures extend this human-centricity by also providing manipulation of visualizations of these workflows. To further increase the human-centricity of these systems, we have started a new project on cyber training - instruction in the use of command languages and visual components of cyberinfrastructures. Our objective is to provide scalable remote awareness of trainees' progress and difficulties, as well as collaborative and automatic resolution of their difficulties. Our current plan is to provide awareness based on a subway workflow metaphor, allow a trainer to collaborate with multiple trainees using a single instance of a command interpreter, and combine research in process and interaction workflows to support automatic help. These research directions can be considered an application of the general principle of integrating programming in the small and large
Staircase-Like Crack Progression Due to Hydrogen Embrittlement of Cold-Worked Steel Strand

Stressed carbon steel strand in an ungrouted duct susceptibility to pitting corrosion is low due to surface corrosion, but susceptibility of steel strand to Hydrogen Embrittlement (HE) can increase under those conditions. The HE will facilitate crack growth within the strand. Various crack propagation mechanisms, such as longitudinal splitting and shear-cracking, have been shown as possible strand failure mechanisms by themselves in strand, but this may not be true in stressed strand in piles that has been embrittled by Hydrogen and without pre-cracking (Cracks initiating from stress concentrations naturally rather than with notching). Concentration measurements were performed to determine the level of Hydrogen involved in the embrittlement. Results indicate that the fracture mechanism differs from shear cracking or longitudinal splitting alone as previously shown, but is a multi-step process of crack propagation starting perpendicular to stress, followed by variations of inter-lamellae longitudinal splitting at brittle region of lamellae and shear cracking at breaks in the lamellae. This process results in the crack following a “staircase” progression, and finally leading to ductile overload once cross-section has been significantly reduced. This fracture mechanism was also shown to be valid whether the strand was stressed by bending or mult-axially by stressing through a duct.
A Low Cost Reflect Array for Near-field Millimeter-Wave Beam Focusing Applications

A low cost millimeter-wave (mm-wave) electronically reconfigurable Reflect Array (RA) has been presented in this paper. Aperture-Coupled Patch (ACP) elements are used to form a 40×40 element reconfigurable RA operating in the 71–74 GHz range of the mm-wave band. A feeding network, integrated with Single-Pole, Single-Throw (SPST) switches is designed to adjust the phase of the reflected field for the ON/OFF state of the switch. The performance of the reconfigurable RA is evaluated by performing beam focusing at the near-field of the array.
Waves stranded at sea: bound states in the continuum in a strong coupling regime

An explanation of bound states in the continuum (BICs) is offered. With particular attention to Friedrich–Wintgen BICs, the commentary presents a study by Bogdanov et al., which appears in the same issue of Advanced Photonics.
Pyridostigmine bromide and stress interact to impact immune function, cholinergic neurochemistry and behavior in a rat model of Gulf War Illness

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is characterized by a constellation of symptoms that includes cognitive dysfunction. While the causes for GWI remain unknown, prophylactic use of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor pyridostigmine bromide (PB) in combination with the stress of deployment has been proposed to be among the causes of the cognitive dysfunction in GWI. Mechanistically, clinical studies suggest that altered immune function may be an underlying factor in the neurochemical and neurobehavioral complications of GWI. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to determine how responses to an immune challenge (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) or stress impacts inflammation, acetylcholine (ACh) neurochemistry and behavior in an experimental model of GWI. Rats with a history of PB treatment exhibited potentiated increases in C-reactive protein levels in response to a submaximal LPS challenge compared to control rats, indicating that prior treatment with this cholinesterase inhibitor leads to exacerbated inflammatory responses to a subsequent immune challenge. ACh responses to LPS administration were decreased in the hippocampus, but not prefrontal cortex (PFC), in rats with a prior history of PB treatment or stress exposure. Additionally, ACh release in response to acute immobilization stress was attenuated in the PFC and hippocampus in these groups. These attenuated cholinergic responses were accompanied by impairments in contextual and cue-based fear learning. The results of this study suggest that stress and LPS challenges adversely affect central ACh neurochemistry in a rodent model of GWI and support the hypothesis that dysregulated immune responses are mechanistically linked to the neurological complications of GWI.
Boundary Value Problems

In this chapter, the field equations derived in the previous chapter are summarized and supplemented by boundary conditions. This results in the boundary value problems of compressible and (nearly) incompressible finite hyperelasticity within both Newtonian and Eshelbian mechanics. The derivations are performed in terms of their strong and weak forms and supplemented by appropriate linearizations that are used within the iterative Newton-Raphson scheme. In the special case of the first iteration, this yields the linearized elasticity problem. It will also be demonstrated how further simplifications result in the Poisson (membrane) and uniaxial problems. Attention is focused in this chapter on the derivations of the variational forms of the boundary value problems. These forms are also known as the weak forms because the strong forms only need to be satisfied in an integral rather than in a pointwise sense. Moreover, integration by parts reduces the differentiability requirements for the functions involved in the weak forms. These are the key ingredients needed to develop numerical methods of the Galerkin type, as will be presented in the subsequent chapter.
Verteporfin-Loaded Anisotropic Poly(Beta-Amino Ester)-Based Micelles Demonstrate Brain Cancer-Selective Cytotoxicity and Enhanced Pharmacokinetics.

Background Nanomedicine can improve traditional therapies by enhancing the controlled release of drugs at targeted tissues in the body. However, there still exists disease- and therapy-specific barriers that limit the efficacy of such treatments. A major challenge in developing effective therapies for one of the most aggressive brain tumors, glioblastoma (GBM), is affecting brain cancer cells while avoiding damage to the surrounding healthy brain parenchyma. Here, we developed poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-poly(beta-amino ester) (PBAE) (PEG-PBAE)-based micelles encapsulating verteporfin (VP) to increase tumor-specific targeting. Methods Biodegradable, pH-sensitive micelles of different shapes were synthesized via nanoprecipitation using two different triblock PEG-PBAE-PEG copolymers varying in their relative hydrophobicity. The anti-tumor efficacy of verteporfin loaded in these anisotropic and spherical micelles was evaluated in vitro using patient-derived primary GBM cells. Results For anisotropic micelles, uptake efficiency was ~100% in GBM cells (GBM1A and JHGBM612) while only 46% in normal human astrocytes (NHA) at 15.6 nM VP (p ≤ 0.0001). Cell killing of GBM1A and JHGBM612 vs NHA was 52% and 77% vs 29%, respectively, at 24 hrs post-treatment of 125 nM VP-encapsulated in anisotropic micelles (p ≤ 0.0001), demonstrating the tumor cell-specific selectivity of VP. Moreover, anisotropic micelles showed an approximately fivefold longer half-life in blood circulation than the analogous spherical micelles in a GBM xenograft model in mice. In this model, micelle accumulation to tumors was significantly greater for anisotropic micelle-treated mice compared to spherical micelle-treated mice at both 8 hrs (~1.8-fold greater, p ≤ 0.001) and 24 hrs (~2.1-fold greater, p ≤ 0.0001). Conclusion Overall, this work highlights the promise of a biodegradable anisotropic micelle system to overcome multiple drug delivery challenges and enhance efficacy and safety for the treatment of brain cancer.
A Low-Voltage Si-Ge Avalanche Photodiode for High-Speed and Energy Efficient Silicon Photonic Links

Silicon-germanium (Si-Ge) avalanche photodiodes (APDs) have large gain bandwidth product (GBP) and low excess noise due to the low impact ionization coefficient ratio of silicon. Optical receivers using APDs are able to achieve high-speed and energy efficient optical transceiver systems. We demonstrate a waveguide Si-Ge APD with low breakdown voltage of −10 V, achieving 60 Gb/s PAM4 successfully. A compact APD circuit model was constructed to allow photonic devices and transceiver circuitry co-design. The APD receiver has achieved −16 dBm sensitivity at 50 Gb/s PAM4 with a bit error rate (BER) of 2.4 $\times \,10^{-4}$ . The sensitivity of APD receivers changes with the multiplication gain. In our analysis, compared to a PIN PD receiver the APD receiver operating at optimum gain can obtain $\sim$ 8 dB more sensitivity for NRZ signaling at $ 50 Gb/s and 3–4 dB more sensitivity for PAM4 signaling at 50–100 Gb/s. Also, the APD receiver operating at optimum gain can reduce power consumption by $\sim\!\text{10}\%$ at PAM4 data rates of 50 Gb/s and $\sim\!\text{15}\%$ at 100 Gb/s in a silicon carrier-depletion microring modulator based WDM photonic link.
Determining the Ionization Constants of Organic Acids Using Fluorine Gauche Effects.

Using NMR spectroscopy, the conformational studies of two fluoroethylsulfonamides (N-(2-fluoroethyl)-p-tolylsulfonamide (1) and N-(2-fluoroethyl)trifluoromethanesulfonamide (2)) revealed that fluor...
Shunting the nation: Survival strategies of Indian (and Pakistani) railway workers (1939–1949):

Between 1939 and 1949, a million men, women and children worked for the railways in India and Pakistan. Drawing on memoires, newspapers and government documents, this article seeks to examine the s...
Evaluating the Numerical Stability of Posit Arithmetic

The Posit number format has been proposed by John Gustafson as an alternative to the IEEE 754 standard floatingpoint format. Posits offer a unique form of tapered precision whereas IEEE floating-point numbers provide the same relative precision across most of their representational range. Posits are argued to have a variety of advantages including better numerical stability and simpler exception handling.The objective of this paper is to evaluate the numerical stability of Posits for solving linear systems where we evaluate Conjugate Gradient Method to demonstrate an iterative solver and Cholesky-Factorization to demonstrate a direct solver. We show that Posits do not consistently improve stability across a wide range of matrices, but we demonstrate that a simple rescaling of the underlying matrix improves convergence rates for Conjugate Gradient Method and reduces backward error for Cholesky Factorization. We also demonstrate that 16-bit Posit outperforms Float16 for mixed precision iterative refinement - especially when used in conjunction with a recently proposed matrix re-scaling strategy proposed by Nicholas Higham.
Clinical complexity of utilizing FGFR inhibitors in cancer therapeutics.

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR 1–4) are a highly conserved family of receptor tyrosine kinases, involved in several physiological processes. Genetic aberrations of FGFRs and their ligands...
“More Advantageous to Be with Spaniards”: Gunpowder and Creek–Spanish Encounters in Cuba, 1763– 1783

This research investigates Creek Indian and Spanish encounters in Cuba, exploring the ways in which Natives looked beyond the Southeast for access to commodities following the Seven Years’ War. It ...
Game fish response to dredging of a eutrophic urban lake in Minnesota

Mundahl ND, Hoisington J. 2020. Game fish response to dredging of a eutrophic urban lake in Minnesota. Lake Reserv Manage. XX:XXX–XXX. We compared relative abundances, average weights, and growth r...
Virtual Avatar Coaching With Community Context for Adult-Child Dyads with Low Income.

Abstract Objective Examine the acceptability of an evidence-based, contextually tailored, virtual avatar coaching approach for nutrition education among adult-child dyads with low income. Design Structured observations and semistructured interviews. Setting Low-income communities in 2 midsized urban areas. Participants Fifteen African American adult and child (aged 5–10 years old) dyads recruited from community agencies. Phenomenon of Interest Structured observation during the use of the virtual avatar coaching program and qualitative feedback on program experience after using the program. Analysis Transcripts were independently coded by 2 trained coders. Content analysis was conducted to determine trends and patterns in responses, and salient quotes were extracted from the manuscripts. Results The program generated dialogue between the children and adults around preferences and dietary habits. Adults and children described the program as being helpful, informative, motivational, and fun. Adults and children liked that the avatar acknowledged them at a personal level, provided accountability, and was tailored to them and their environment. Children wanted the ability to customize the avatar, more gamification, and avatar demonstration of healthy behaviors. Children felt the program would improve their health behaviors and were interested in using it again. Conclusions and Implications This study highlights information that can be used to improve avatar-based programs for nutrition education with children and their adult caregivers who have low income. Future work should assess the impact of user customization experience, program impact on dietary behaviors, and resources required to scale and maintain the program with community agencies.
The blood pressure response to acute and chronic aerobic exercise: A meta-analysis of candidate gene association studies.

Abstract Objectives To meta-analyze candidate gene association studies on the change in blood pressure beyond the immediate post-exercise phase after versus before aerobic exercise. Design Meta-analysis. Methods A systematic search was conducted. Studies retrieved included acute (short-term or postexercise hypotension) or chronic (long-term or training) aerobic exercise interventions; and blood pressure measured before and after aerobic exercise training, or before and after exercise or control under ambulatory conditions by genotype. Effect sizes were determined for genotype and adjusted for sample features. Results Qualifying studies ( k =17, n =3524) on average included middle-aged, overweight men (44.2%) and women (55.8%) with prehypertension (134.9±11.7/78.6±9.5mmHg). Training interventions ( k =12) were performed at 60.4±12.9% of maximum oxygen consumption (VO 2max ) for 41.9±12.5minsession −1 , 3.6±1.2daysweek −1 for 15.7±7.6week; and post-exercise hypotension interventions ( k =5) were performed at 53.5±14.4% VO 2max for 38.5±5.4minsession −1 . Sample characteristics explained 54.2–59.0% of the variability in the blood pressure change after versus before acute exercise or control under ambulatory conditions, and 57.4–67.1% of the variability in the blood pressure change after versus before training ( p R 2 =0.1%, p =0.05), but this association did not remain statistically significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Conclusions Sample characteristics explained most of the variability in the change of BP beyond the immediate post-exercise phase after versus before acute and chronic aerobic exercise. Angiotensinogen M235T (rs699) was the only genetic variant that associated with the change in diastolic blood pressure after versus before training, accounting for
Do Young Children's Representations of Discipline and Empathy Moderate the Effects of Punishment on Emotion Regulation?

This study examined whether children's representations of parenting (perceptions of authoritative discipline and empathy) moderated the association between harsh punishment—including corporal punishment (CP) and verbal punishment (VP)—and children's emotion regulation at the age of five years. Participants were 559 low-income mother-child dyads. Maternal self-reports and home observations were used to measure punishment. Children's representations were assessed using the MacArthur Story Stem Battery. Children's emotion regulation was assessed by observer rating via the Leiter International Performance Scale–Revised. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that children's authoritative disciplinary representations moderated the effects of both VP and CP on children's emotion regulation. Empathic representations moderated the effects of VP only on children's emotion regulation. The current findings highlight the role of children's internal representations as potential protective factors in the context of harsher forms of punishment.