cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Residents’ Perceptions of Inappropriate Consults: Expectations of Expertise Among Neurology and Medicine Residents as a Barrier to Interdisciplinary Collaboration (P3.009)

Objective: This multi-year project reassessed biases in residents’ perceptions of expected knowledge and inappropriate consults to improve interdepartmental education. Background: As residents specialize, they lose familiarity with knowledge central to other fields. This can yield two fallacies: 1) The sense that their own expertise is “common knowledge”; 2) Unfamiliar clinical situations seem beyond their scope. Such fallacies may engender the perception of “inappropriate consults.” Design/Methods: Furthering our previously presented methodology, neurology residents (NRs, n=18) and internal medicine residents (IMRs, n=24) at Mount Sinai completed a survey containing five neurology and five medicine board-style questions reflecting consultation scenarios. After answering, residents rated each to the extent it reflects “common knowledge” to both specialties and whether a consult is warranted. Participants also rated their knowledge, confidence calling consults, and whether their residency includes education in other specialties. Paired sample t-tests were utilized. A structured interview substudy further elucidated attitudes toward consultations. Results: IMRs and NRs correctly answered significantly more questions from their own specialty than from the other field (p Conclusions: Our findings support that discordant expectations of expertise contribute to perception of inappropriate consults. These findings can be addressed through targeted interdisciplinary residency education, the next phase of this project. Disclosure: Dr. Krieger has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with acorda, bayer, biogen, emd serono, genentech, genzyme, mallinckrodt, medday, novartis, teva, and tg therapeutics . Dr. Bortnick has nothing to disclose. Dr. Krieger has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with acorda, bayer, biogen, emd serono, genentech, genzyme, mallinckrodt, medday, novartis, teva, and tg therapeutics .
Infidelity of DNA Replication as a Basis of Mutagenesis

Errors in DNA replication must be very infrequent, so as not to alter essential genetic information; yet they must occur rarely so as to permit species divergence through mutations. On the basis of rates of appearance of spontaneous mutations, 10−7 to 10−11, DNA replication in vivo is assumed to be highly accurate (1). If one considers the multiplicity of genes demonstrated to affect mutation rates, it seems reasonable that this phenomenal accuracy is achieved through a multi-step process. We have focused on the fidelity by which DNA polymerases copy synthetic polynucleotides and natural DNA and the effects of mutagenic compounds on this accuracy. The underlying hypothesis is that infidelity by DNA polymerase, either on normal or damaged DNA, is a major determinant in mutagenesis.
Charge and Spin Structure in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.35

Neutron scattering has been used to measure the charge and spin structure in the highly underdoped superconductor YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6.35). Incommensurate static charge ordering is found that remains at high temperatures. The magnetic pattern is complex with a resonance and incommensurate structure observed at low temperatures. The results clarify the role of striped phases in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6+x) superconductors.
The Mathematics of Porous Medium Combustion

Two partial differential equations arising from the theory of porous medium combustion are examined. While both equations possess a trivial steady solution, the form of the reaction rate, which is discontinuous as a function of the dependent variable, precludes bifurcation of non-trivial steady solutions from the branch of trivial solutions. A constructive approach to the existence theory for non-trivial global solution branches is developed. The method relies on finding an appropriate set of solution dependent transformations which render the problems in a form to which local bifurcation theory is directly applicable. Specifically, by taking a singular limit of the (solution dependent) transformation, an artificial trivial solution (or set of solutions) of the transformed problem is created. The (solution dependent) mapping is not invertible when evaluated at the trivial solution(s) of the transformed problem; however, for non-trivial solutions which exist arbitrarily close to the artificial trivial solution, the mapping is invertible. By applying local bifurcation theory to the transformed problem and mapping back to the original problem, a series expansion for the non-trivial solution branch is obtained.
Does Private Schooling Affect National Stability

ABSTRACTI employ a year and country-level fixed-effects analytical technique to examine how private schooling could impact national stability using five different measures. I examine 177 different ...
Coordinate regulation of long non-coding RNAs and protein-coding genes in germ-free mice

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly recognized as regulators of tissue-specific cellular functions and have been shown to regulate transcriptional and translational processes, acting as signals, decoys, guides, and scaffolds. It has been suggested that some lncRNAs act in cis to regulate the expression of neighboring protein-coding genes (PCGs) in a mechanism that fine-tunes gene expression. Gut microbiome is increasingly recognized as a regulator of development, inflammation, host metabolic processes, and xenobiotic metabolism. However, there is little known regarding whether the gut microbiome modulates lncRNA gene expression in various host metabolic organs. The goals of this study were to 1) characterize the tissue-specific expression of lncRNAs and 2) identify and annotate lncRNAs differentially regulated in the absence of gut microbiome. Total RNA was isolated from various tissues (liver, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, colon, brown adipose tissue, white adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle) from adult male conventional and germ-free mice (n = 3 per group). RNA-Seq was conducted and reads were mapped to the mouse reference genome (mm10) using HISAT. Transcript abundance and differential expression was determined with Cufflinks using the reference databases NONCODE 2016 for lncRNAs and UCSC mm10 for PCGs. Although the constitutive expression of lncRNAs was ubiquitous within the enterohepatic (liver and intestine) and the peripheral metabolic tissues (fat and muscle) in conventional mice, differential expression of lncRNAs by lack of gut microbiota was highly tissue specific. Interestingly, the majority of gut microbiota-regulated lncRNAs were in jejunum. Most lncRNAs were co-regulated with neighboring PCGs. STRING analysis showed that differentially expressed PCGs in proximity to lncRNAs form tissue-specific networks, suggesting that lncRNAs may interact with gut microbiota/microbial metabolites to regulate tissue-specific functions. This study is among the first to demonstrate that gut microbiota critically regulates the expression of lncRNAs not only locally in intestine but also remotely in other metabolic organs, suggesting that common transcriptional machinery may be shared to transcribe lncRNA-PCG pairs, and lncRNAs may interact with PCGs to regulate tissue-specific pathways.
Proboscidea from Kanapoi, Kenya.

Abstract The early Pliocene site of Kanapoi (Turkana Basin, Kenya) has a large, diverse vertebrate sample that contains the earliest representatives of the hominin genus Australopithecus. Included in this sample is an impressive assemblage of fossil proboscideans, comprised of deinotheres (Deinotherium bozasi), anancine gomphotheres (Anancus ultimus), and at least three species of elephant (Loxodonta adaurora, a primitive morph of Loxodonta exoptata, and Elephas ekorensis). A single specimen from high in the sequence could plausibly belong to a primitive stage of Elephas recki. A review of dental carbon isotope analyses indicates a range of dietary habits for these taxa, from dedicated browsing (deinotheres) to mixed feeding/grazing (elephants and gomphotheres), which in early Pliocene elephants corresponds to molars with greater crown height and more plates than in late Miocene confamilials, bringing their morphology more in phase with feeding behavior than was the case in their earlier relatives. Variation in feeding preferences among Kanapoi proboscideans corresponds to evidence for habitat heterogeny, including inferred substantial presence of grasses; the occurrence of multiple megaherbivores may have contributed to the fragmentation of ecosystems, positively affecting early hominin success and aiding diversification of other ungulate groups.
Opioid crisis: Another mechanism used to perpetuate American racism.

Objectives Recently, driven largely by opioid-related deaths, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the opioid problem was now a national emergency. What looks like a radical shift to a more compassionate drug policy-one that favors treatment over incarceration-has encouraged many to hope that there will be far fewer drug-related arrests and deaths than there were in previous decades. Methods and results We present evidence showing that large numbers of drug-related arrests persist and that racial discrimination is evident in opioid-related arrests. In addition, conventional strategies implemented to address opioid-related deaths have proven inadequate. Conclusions We propose solutions grounded in reason and evidence rather than moralism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Participation patterns of the rainfall index insurance for pasture, rangeland and forage programme

Using a novel policyholder-level data set, we analyse participants’ choices of 2-month index intervals in the Rainfall Index for Pasture, Rangeland and Forage (RI-PRF) insurance programme. We first provide a conceptual model that illustrates participation patterns of the rainfall index insurance. We then connect these predicted patterns to some empirical evidence from the policyholder-level data set, which is a subset of data provided by the USDA Risk Management Agency for all RI-PRF participants in Nebraska and Kansas during the years 2013–2017. Because the correlations between forage yield and precipitation and the expected premium subsidy vary by month, different degrees of risk aversion may predict distinctively different choices of the 2-month intervals. Using cluster analysis, we group the participants with similar allocation patterns across the 2-month intervals. We observe that the number of participants displaying relatively low levels of risk aversion increase over time. We connect this to the fact that premium subsidies and producer returns associated with non-growing season (risk-increasing) months are often greater than those for growing season (risk-reducing) months, and this has important implications for policy design. Our findings suggest that more research in this area could assist policymakers in keeping the RI-PRF programme in line with its objective of reducing risk for livestock producers.
Drone Delivery Models for Medical Emergencies

Drone delivery is a valuable innovation that can save lives in medical emergencies. Urgently required blood, medications, vaccines, and small medical equipment can be delivered by drones. Drones, with rapidly improving technology, have the advantage of speed and efficiency compared to traditional forms of transportation, which are dependent on adequate infrastructure. This chapter reviews applications and models that facilitate decision-making for drone delivery during medical emergencies. Implications include the potential to lower healthcare costs while saving lives.
Simple and efficient measurement of transcription initiation and transcript levels with STRIPE-seq

Abstract Accurate mapping of transcription start sites (TSSs) is key for understanding transcriptional regulation. However, current protocols for genome-wide TSS profiling are laborious and/or expensive. We present Survey of TRanscription Initiation at Promoter Elements with high-throughput sequencing (STRIPE-seq), a simple, rapid, and cost-effective protocol for sequencing capped RNA 5’ ends from as little as 50 ng total RNA. Including depletion of uncapped RNA and SPRI bead cleanups, a STRIPE-seq library can be constructed in about five hours. We demonstrate application of STRIPE-seq to TSS profiling in yeast and human cells and show that it can also be effectively used for measuring transcript levels and differential gene expression analysis. In conjunction with our ready-to-use computational analysis workflows, STRIPE-seq is a straightforward, efficient means by which to probe the landscape of transcriptional initiation.
Agitation in Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder Admitted to Inpatient Pediatric Medical Units.

OBJECTIVES Our goals for this study were to characterize the frequency of agitation in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) admitted to an inpatient pediatric medical unit and to identify risk factors associated with agitation. METHODS Through a retrospective chart review, we identified every patient between 8 and 19 years of age with a documented ASD diagnosis admitted to a pediatric medical unit over a 5-year period. We performed a detailed review of each admission, with a focus on factors hypothesized to be correlated with risk of agitation. RESULTS One or more episode of agitation occurred during 37 (12.4%) of the 299 admissions and for 31 (18.5%) of the 168 patients who met inclusion criteria. History of agitation (risk ratio 21.9 [95% confidence interval 5.4-88.3] for history of severe agitation; P < .001) and documented sensory sensitivities (risk ratio 2.3 [95% confidence interval 1.3-3.8]; P < .001) were associated with a significantly increased risk of agitation during admission. History of past psychiatric admissions was associated with increased risk before, but not after, controlling for history of agitation and sensory sensitivities. Psychiatric comorbidity, intellectual disability, acute pain on admission, number of preadmission psychotropic medications, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition ASD diagnosis, age, and sex were not significantly associated with increased risk. CONCLUSIONS Hospitalization can be challenging for patients with ASD. A subset of these patients experience episodes of agitation during admission, posing a safety risk to patients and staff. Characterizing risk factors associated with these behaviors may allow for identification of at-risk patients and guide targeted intervention to prevent negative behavioral outcomes.
Allergen-induced dendritic cell migration is controlled through Substance P release by sensory neurons

Dendritic cells (DCs) of the cDC2 lineage are necessary for the initiation of the allergic immune response and in the dermis are marked by their expression of CD301b. CD301b+ dermal DCs respond to allergens encountered in vivo, but not in vitro. This suggests that another cell in the dermis may sense allergens and relay that information to activate and induce the migration of CD301b+ DCs to the draining lymph node. Using a model of cutaneous allergen exposure, we show that allergens directly activate TRPV1+ sensory neurons leading to itch and pain behaviors. Allergen-activated sensory neurons release the neuropeptide Substance P, which stimulates proximally located CD301b+ DCs through MRGPRA1. Substance P induces CD301b+ DC migration to the draining lymph node where they initiate Th2 differentiation. Thus, sensory neurons act as primary sensors of allergens, linking exposure to activation of allergic-skewing DCs and the initiation of the allergic immune response.
Neuroimaging and Psychometric Assessment of Mild Cognitive Impairment After Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be serious partly due to the challenges of assessing and treating its neurocognitive and affective sequelae. The effects of a single TBI may persist for years and can limit patients' activities due to somatic complaints (headaches, vertigo, sleep disturbances, nausea, light or sound sensitivity), affective sequelae (post-traumatic depressive symptoms, anxiety, irritability, emotional instability) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI, including social cognition disturbances, attention deficits, information processing speed decreases, memory degradation and executive dysfunction). Despite a growing amount of research, study comparison and knowledge synthesis in this field are problematic due to TBI heterogeneity and factors like injury mechanism, age at or time since injury. The relative lack of standardization in neuropsychological assessment strategies for quantifying sequelae adds to these challenges, and the proper administration of neuropsychological testing relative to the relationship between TBI, MCI and neuroimaging has not been reviewed satisfactorily. Social cognition impairments after TBI (e.g., disturbed emotion recognition, theory of mind impairment, altered self-awareness) and their neuroimaging correlates have not been explored thoroughly. This review consolidates recent findings on the cognitive and affective consequences of TBI in relation to neuropsychological testing strategies, to neurobiological and neuroimaging correlates, and to patient age at and assessment time after injury. All cognitive domains recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) are reviewed, including social cognition, complex attention, learning and memory, executive function, language and perceptual-motor function. Affect and effort are additionally discussed owing to their relationships to cognition and to their potentially confounding effects. Our findings highlight non-negligible cognitive and affective impairments following TBI, their gravity often increasing with injury severity. Future research should study (A) language, executive and perceptual-motor function (whose evolution post-TBI remains under-explored), (B) the effects of age at and time since injury, and (C) cognitive impairment severity as a function of injury severity. Such efforts should aim to develop and standardize batteries for cognitive subdomains-rather than only domains-with high ecological validity. Additionally, they should utilize multivariate techniques like factor analysis and related methods to clarify which cognitive subdomains or components are indeed measured by standardized tests.
Interfaces in rechargeable magnesium batteries

This minireview provides a concise overview on the development of electrolytes for rechargeable magnesium (Mg) batteries. It elucidates the intrinsic driving force of the evolution from Grignard-based electrolytes to electrolytes based on simple Mg salts. Additional discussion includes the key electrochemical processes at the interfaces in Mg electrolytes, with a focus on unaddressed issues and future research directions.
Tracking Capstone Project Quality in an Engineering Curriculum Embedded with Design

This Work in Progress Innovative Practice paper describes efforts to track student design gains in an undergraduate biomedical engineering (BME) curriculum in order to measure the effect of newly integrated design projects on capstone success. Engineering curricula often culminate in team-based capstone experiences in which students face complex design problems. Student capstone teams face significant challenges during design, as solving difficult engineering problems can require a multitude of skills, access to diverse resources, and teaming ability. Assessing the quality of student design work is also non-trivial, as few shared frameworks or assessment tools exist for engineering design.Capstone experiences compel students to connect and apply undergraduate curricular learning in a final design experience, and design-rich curricula should better prepare students for success in capstone courses. To this end, we recently embedded team-based engineering design projects in our curriculum at the 200- and 300-levels. Consequently, we have the opportunity to track capstone design projects for students with varying amounts of curricular design experience. We developed a BME Capstone Design Rubric, adapted from several sources, and used it to score design reports submitted by student teams. Thus far, we have used the rubric to assess student design growth at the 200- and 300-levels and to collect baseline data for capstone design reports.Our preliminary results demonstrate that students produce reports of increasing quality as they complete additional embedded design projects. Due to the growth we see in project reports from the 200- to 400-level and qualitative data that support the benefit of embedded design experiences to capstone success, we expect to be able to measure significant differences between capstone design reports produced by students with varying levels of curricular design experience. This Work in Progress begins to address the research question: Does embedding design projects throughout an undergraduate engineering curriculum affect capstone project quality?
Roadwork: Long-Distance Causeways at Uci, Yucatan, Mexico

A multiyear field project focused on long-distance causeways between Uci and Cansahcab in Yucatan, Mexico, supports their use for processions and pilgrimages, their role in the creation of multisite polities, and their involvement in the constitution of local authority. Yet details of the causeways’ construction suggest that people contested this authority. Work was central to these dynamics and comes in the form of labor as practice, investments in the maintenance of relations with other-than-human beings, and the ways that causeways produced embodied experiences that were ideal for their use in pilgrimages.
Examining and validating the factor structure of the cannabis-associated problems questionnaire

The Marijuana Problems Scale (MPS), otherwise known as the Cannabis-Associated Problems Questionnaire (CAPQ), a self-report measure of consequences caused by cannabis consumption, has an unexplored...
Comment on “Numerical approach to define a thermodynamically equivalent material for the conjugate heat transfer simulation of very thin coating layers” by P. Olmeda, X. Margot, P. Quintero, J. Escalona, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 162 (2020) 120377

Abstract In the recent paper “Numerical approach to define a thermodynamically equivalent material for the conjugate heat transfer simulation of very thin coating layers” by P. Olmeda, X. Margot, P. Quintero, J. Escalona, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 162 (2020) 120377 the authors develop a procedure to identify a thicker pseudo-material to mimic the dynamic response of a thin thermal barrier coating. A thicker layer is desired to allow efficient conjugate heat transfer analysis. They employ an ad hoc procedure for defining the thermal properties of the material to approximate dynamic similarity with low grid resolution. There exists a published analytical solution for this same problem that allows the pseudo-material’s thermal properties to be directly determined without a trial-and-error approach. The approach is elucidated and the effects of numerical resolution are explored.
Optimized stereo digital image correlation setup for miniature round specimen: framework development and implementation

Abstract For the advancement of micro- and nano-technologies, multiaxial material testing at a small length scale is imperative. A novel multiaxial miniature testing system (MMTS) is under development for testing a tubular specimen of outer diameter (OD) as small as 1 mm. Because of the small specimen size of MMTS, stereo-Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is the preferred strain measurement technique. Although theoretically, stereo-DIC is length-scale independent, the implementation of stereo-DIC, particularly for miniature testing, faces experimental setup related challenges. For this reason, although stereo-DIC is strongly recommended over 2D DIC, researchers are sometimes compelled to use the latter. It is shown in the present study that the experimental setup related difficulties, particularly for miniature round specimen testing, can be overcome by a systematic development of a mathematical framework for stereo-DIC implementation. This framework addresses all setup decisions concerning stereo-DIC implementation, such as selections of stereo angle, speckle size, camera position, camera sensor size, lens focal length, dimensions of camera and lens bodies, calibration grid size, etc., as well as stereo-DIC analysis parameters, such as subset and step size. Besides serving the need of building a stereo-DIC setup for MMTS, since the developed mathematical framework treats all stereo-DIC setup decisions as variables, it can be used to develop an optimized stereo-DIC setup for any application. Examples of two general cases are reported. Since this general framework serves as a tool to solve the stereo-DIC experimental setup related challenges, the developed framework will contribute to the wider adoption of stereo-DIC over 2D DIC.
C 13 ( n , 2 n γ ) C 12 γ -ray production in the 14–16 MeV incident neutron energy range

$\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray emission from $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ and $^{13}\mathrm{C}$ samples irradiated with deuterium-tritium fusion neutrons was experimentally measured at the Omega Laser Facility and at the Ohio University Edwards Accelerator Laboratory. The intent of these measurements was to determine the feasibility of using $^{13}\mathrm{C}$-based plastic ablators with embedded $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ layers for ``dark mix'' diagnosis of inertial confinement fusion implosions. Spectrally resolved measurements at Ohio University identified significant 4.44-MeV $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray emission from the $^{13}\mathrm{C}(n,2n\ensuremath{\gamma})^{12}\mathrm{C}$-L1 reaction channel. The recorded 4.44-MeV $^{13}\mathrm{C}$ signal was compared against emission from an identically irradiated $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ target with known $^{12}\mathrm{C}$($n,{n}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\gamma})^{12}\mathrm{C}$-L1 cross section, which resulted in an average $^{13}\mathrm{C}(n,2n\ensuremath{\gamma})^{12}\mathrm{C}$-L1 cross section of 117 $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}$ 17 mb over the incident neutron energy distribution range from 14.4 to 15.8 MeV. Integrated $^{13}\mathrm{C}$ $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray signals above 2.9 MeV recorded with the Gas Cherenkov Detector at Omega exceeded MCNP6.1 predictions by a factor of 3. The additional signal was attributed to 4.44-MeV $\ensuremath{\gamma}\mathrm{s}$ resulting in an inferred $^{13}\mathrm{C}(n,2n\ensuremath{\gamma})^{12}\mathrm{C}$-L1 cross section of $95\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}11$ mb at 14.1-MeV average incident neutron energy. As a result, the $^{13}\mathrm{C}$-based ``dark mix'' diagnostic concept was deemed infeasible.
Min/Max Stability and Box Distributions

In representation learning, capturing correlations between the represented elements is paramount. A recent line of work introduces the notion of learning region-based representations, with the objective of being able to better capture these correlations as set interactions. Box models use regions which are products of intervals on $[0,1]$ (i.e., "boxes"), representing joint probability distributions via Lebesgue measure. To mitigate issues with training, a recent work models the endpoints of these intervals using Gumbel distributions, chosen due to their min/max-stability. In this work we analyze min/max-stability on a bounded domain and provide a specific family of such distributions which, replacing Gumbel, allow for stochastic boxes embedded in a finite measure space. This allows for a latent noise model which is a probability measure. Furthermore, we demonstrate an equivalence between this region-based representation and a density representation, where intersection is given by products of densities. We compare our model to previous region-based probability models, and demonstrate it is capable of being trained effectively to modeling correlations.
Utilizing Patient-Derived Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Tumor Organoids to Predict Carboplatin Resistance

The development of patient-derived tumor organoids (TOs) from an epithelial ovarian cancer tumor obtained at the time of primary or interval debulking surgery has the potential to play an important role in precision medicine. Here, we utilized TOs to test front-line chemotherapy sensitivity and to investigate genomic drivers of carboplatin resistance. We developed six high-grade, serous epithelial ovarian cancer tumor organoid lines from tissue obtained during debulking surgery (two neoadjuvant-carboplatin-exposed and four chemo-naive). Each organoid line was screened for sensitivity to carboplatin at four different doses (100, 10, 1, and 0.1 µM). Cell viability curves and resultant EC50 values were determined. One organoid line, UK1254, was predicted to be resistant to carboplatin based on its EC50 value (50.2 µM) being above clinically achievable Cmax. UK1254 had a significantly shorter PFS than the rest of the subjects (p = 0.0253) and was treated as a platinum-resistant recurrence. Subsequent gene expression analysis revealed extensively interconnected, differentially expressed pathways related to NF-kB, cellular differentiation (PRDM6 activation), and the linkage of B-cell receptor signaling to the PI3K–Akt signaling pathway (PI3KAP1 activation). This study demonstrates that patient-derived tumor organoids can be developed from patients at the time of primary or interval debulking surgery and may be used to predict clinical platinum sensitivity status or to investigate drivers of carboplatin resistance.
Kentucky Bluegrass Impacts Diversity and Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in a Northern Great Plains Rangeland

Abstract There are few side-by-side comparisons on how Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) invasion has affected plant diversity and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics. Between 2013 and 2015, four plots (4.9 × 4.9 m) were annually located on a long-term (1916−2016), moderately stocked pasture at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (USDA-ARS) near Mandan, North Dakota. All plots were located on loamy ecological with minimal microsite differences. Each site had areas that were visually observed to have the largest vegetative component dominated by either Kentucky bluegrass (KBG) or dominated by other species (CONT). Two 1/8 m2 quadrats were clipped by species, including detached plant material (litter), within each subplot between mid to late July 2013, 2014, and 2015. This period represents peak biomass production and offers the best opportunity to capture cool- and warm-season perennial species. In 2013, soil samples were taken at depths of 0−5, 5−10, and 10−20 cm within each plot and thatch samples were hand excavated after clipping. Carbon and N were determined on biomass, litter, thatch, and soil samples. KBG plots produced 28% more biomass annually than the CONT plots. In 2014 and 2015, species richness was 0.7−2.1 × greater in the CONT plots. Although N and C concentrations were similar between treatments for aboveground biomass, litter, and thatch when expressed on a g m−2 basis, N was 34% greater for aboveground biomass and 600% greater for litter in KBG plots. Soil organic C and total soil N at 0−5 cm were 26% and 22% greater in KBG plots, respectively. Our findings indicate that KBG plots had less diversity and greater aboveground and belowground N and C than CONT. More follow-on research is needed to understand how C and N stocks and dynamics influence Kentucky bluegrass invasion.
Response of Vertical Cylinder to Random Waves

The design of many offshore drilling platforms has utilized the Morison equation for wave forces on cylindrical members by considering a viscous drag component and an inertia component. Recently, several authors have shown that the drag component may be ignored in some instances, which linearizes the wave force equation. This paper reinforces that information and shows that the inertia component may be ignored for some installations in shallow water. Two methods of measuring a wave spectrum in the laboratory are described: (1) by obtaining a continuous record of the water surface, digitizing the record and performing a numerical spectral analysis; and (2) by using a narrow banded vibrator such as a single vertical cylinder whose natural frequency of vibration can be changed in order to sample various frequency bands of the spectrum. It is shown how total damping between the water surface record and the structural response can be estimated from the cospectrum and the quadrature spectral density functions. The significance of the calculation of coherence is analyzed.
Maintaining Stability and Promoting Plasticity: Context-Dependent Functions of Inhibition

The central nervous system faces two paradoxical challenges: maintaining functional stability and adapting to new experience. Because many aspects of an animal’s environment are predictable, a stable operation of the neural networks in the brain is essential for generating reliable behaviors. Recent studies demonstrate that inhibition is critical in maintaining the stability of neuronal responses. It regulates synaptic gains thereby maintaining the homeostasis of local circuitries1–10. Changing the level of inhibition by pharmacological blockade or genetic manipulation results in epileptic malfunction of the brain11–15. Maturation of inhibition during development is associated with a dramatic decrease in the brain’s capacity for modification16–26.
Automated on-site retrieval of project information

Among several others, the on-site inspection process is mainly concerned with finding the right design and specifications information needed to inspect each newly constructed segment or element. While inspecting steel erection, for example, inspectors need to locate the right drawings for each member and the corresponding specifications sections that describe the allowable deviations in placement among others. These information seeking tasks are highly monotonous, time consuming and often erroneous, due to the high similarity of drawings and constructed elements and the abundance of information involved which can confuse the inspector. To address this problem, this paper presents the first steps of research that is investigating the requirements of an automated computer vision-based approach to automatically identify “as-built” information and use it to retrieve “as-designed” project information for field construction, inspection, and maintenance tasks. Under this approach, a visual pattern recognition model was developed that aims to allow automatic identification of construction entities and materials visible in the camera's field of view at a given time and location, and automatic retrieval of relevant design and specifications information.
Prevalence, knowledge and care patterns for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in United States minority populations

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 645–654 Summary Background While there is evidence of ethnic variation in the prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, few population-based studies examine GERD symptom prevalence amongst the growing Hispanic minority in the US as well as Asians in the West. Aim To examine the prevalence, awareness and care patterns for GERD across different ethnic groups. Methods A population-based, cross-sectional survey was fielded in English, Chinese and Spanish that assessed self-reported GERD prevalence, awareness and care patterns in four ethnic groups (Caucasian, African American, Asian, Hispanic). Results A total of 1172 subjects were included for analysis: 34.6% experienced GERD symptoms at least monthly, 26.2% at least weekly and 8.2% at least daily. Statistically significant differences in raw prevalence rates between racial groups were found: 50% of Hispanics experienced heartburn at least monthly, compared with 37% of Caucasians, 31% of African Americans and 20% of Asians (P > 0.0001). Significant differences in knowledge and care-seeking patterns by ethnicity were also observed. Conclusions This study confirms the high prevalence of GERD symptoms in the US and introduces Hispanics as the ethnicity with the highest prevalence rate. Asians in the US have higher rates of symptoms than in the Far East. These data demonstrate a need for culturally appropriate education about GERD symptoms and treatment.
Four studies dealing with mediated persuasive messages, attitudes, and learning styles

A fundamental assumption of the research presented above was that attitude change is an important concern of the educator, and that if attitudes are important, information on how attitudes might be formed or changed with media is needed. Four studies were conducted to examine the use of media to deliver persuasive messages. The results of the four studies presented in this article tended to support the following conclusions. First, attitudes toward educationally relevant topics, such as conservation, smoking, and disabled persons, can be modified by using persuasive messages delivered by media. Next, it appeared that some types of media may be more effective than others at delivering information designed to change attitudes. Motion pictures seem to be more effective than slides. There also seems to be sufficient evidence to warrant further investigation into the relationship between the content of persuasive messages, the media used to deliver those messages, and the learning styles of the target audience. In short, attitudes can be modified by mediated messages, and the degree of modification may be related to the characteristics of the students who view the message and to the way the message is mediated.
A computationally fast and parametric model to estimate protein-ligand docking time for stochastic event based simulation

This paper presents a computationally fast analytical model to estimate the time taken for protein-ligand docking in biological pathways. The environment inside the cell has been reported to be unstable with a considerable degree of randomness creating a stochastic resonance. To facilitate the understanding of the dynamic behavior of biological systems, we propose an "in silico" stochastic event based simulation. The implementation of this simulation requires the computation of the execution times of different biological events such as the protein-ligand docking process (time required for ligand-protein binding) as a random variable. The next event time of the system is computed by adding the event execution time to the clock value of the event start time. Our mathematical model takes special consideration of the actual biological process of ligand-protein docking with emphasis on the structural configurations of the ligands, proteins and the binding mechanism that enable us to control the model parameters considerably. We use a modification of the collision theory based approach to capture the randomness of this problem in discrete time and estimate the first two moments of this process. The numerical results for the first moment show promising correspondence with experimental results and demonstrate the efficacy of our model.
Looking East: East Central European “Borderlands” in German History and Historiography

In recent years historians of Germany have increasingly turned eastward to explore the history of Germans and Germany in East Central Europe. This article situates Germanists’ growing interest in eastern “borderlands” in a set of overlapping contemporary political and theoretical concerns: historical debates on Nazism and the origins of the Holocaust, the influence of post-colonialism and post-colonial theory, and a broader movement to write German history from a “transnational” perspective. This turn eastward holds great promise for the field of German history, but also contains several potential pitfalls. German historians looking eastward risk reifying the very orientalist, colonialist, and nationalist categories which they have worked hard to challenge in the past twenty years.
Recognition Model with Extension Fields

A recognition model which defines a measure of shape similarity on the direct output of multiscale and multiorientation Gabor filters does not manifest qualitative aspects of human object recognition of contour-deleted images in that: a) it recognizes recoverable and nonrecoverable contour-deleted images equally well whereas humans recognize recoverable images much better, b) it distinguishes complementary feature-deleted images whereas humans do not. Adding some of the known connectivity pattern of the primary visual cortex to the model in the form of extension fields (connections between collinear and curvilinear units) among filters increased the overall recognition performance of the model and: a) boosted the recognition rate of the recoverable images far more than the nonrecoverable ones, b) increased the similarity of complementary feature-deleted images, but not part-deleted ones, more closely corresponding to human psychophysical results. Interestingly, performance was approximately equivalent for narrow (±15°) and broad (±90°) extension fields.
IDENTIFICATION OF FLUVIAL WOOD USING GOOGLE EARTH

Fluvial wood has long been known to enhance stream complexity by creating aquatic habitat and by increasing complexity in channel hydraulics and morphology. Although the presence and dynamics of large wood in river floodplains have been studied in a multitude of settings due to its importance in monitoring and managing ecohydrologic systems, limitations occur when studying fluvial wood on a basin scale. I postulate that with the employment of Google Earth, satellite images may be used to identify large wood and measure floodplain width across broader spatial scales previously inhibited by expensive and incomplete geospatial data. In this study, large wood was correctly identified within the floodplain of the Queets River, Washington, USA, through Google Earth; however, correct identification within the wetted channel was only possible during low flow if at least 50% was above water level. Within the study area, fluvial channel widths are measured as well. Google Earth proves to be an effective tool to discern large wood across greater spatial scales if the high-resolution imagery is available for the study area. Results of statistical analyses derived from the downstream hydraulic geometry of the river reveal that this channel is influenced by bankfull width, the orientation of the wood to the channel, and whether it is located on a bar or within the wetted channel. In addition, wood counts analyzed in the context of the geometry of the river indicate that the fluvial wood has an influence on overall channel behavior. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Diethyl 2‐Pentenedioate

(R = Et) [2049-67-4] C9H14O4 (MW 186.21) InChI = 1S/C9H14O4/c1-3-12-8(10)6-5-7-9(11)13-4-2/h5-6H,3-4,7H2,1-2H3 InChIKey = JHCKGVJZNIWNJK-UHFFFAOYSA-N (E)-(R = Et) [73178-43-5] C7H10O4 (MW 158.15) InChI = 1S/C9H14O4/c1-3-12-8(10)6-5-7-9(11)13-4-2/h5-6H,3-4,7H2,1-2H3/b6-5+ InChIKey = JHCKGVJZNIWNJK-AATRIKPKSA-N (R = Me) [5164-76-1] InChI = 1S/C7H10O4/c1-10-6(8)4-3-5-7(9)11-2/h3-4H,5H2,1-2H3 InChIKey = SKCGFFOFYXLNCG-UHFFFAOYSA-N (E)-(R = Me) [41527-39-3] InChI = 1S/C7H10O4/c1-10-6(8)4-3-5-7(9)11-2/h3-4H,5H2,1-2H3/b4-3+ InChIKey = SKCGFFOFYXLNCG-ONEGZZNKSA-N (effects annulations that involve the reagent's alkenic group,1 and annulations in which the reagent functions as a bis-nucleophile2) Alternate Name: diethyl glutaconate. Physical Data: diethyl: bp 236–238 °C, 125 °C/12 mmHg; d 1.053 g cm−3. Solubility: sol DME, DMSO, MeOH, HOAc. Form Supplied in: the diethyl ester is more readily available commercially. It is supplied as a liquid (E)/(Z) mixture in 98% purity. Analysis of Reagent Purity: diethyl: 1H NMR.3 Purification: vacuum distillation.
Soils and Hydrology of a Wet-Sandy Catena in East-Central Minnesota

Soil properties are strongly related to the retention and movement of water within the soil system. The purposes of this study were to document the near-surface hydrology of a wetland-upland hillslope on a sandy glacial outwash plain in east-central Minnesota and to describe the patterns of soil morphology with respect to observed hydrology. Water levels, soil temperature, soil-water tension, and redox potential were monitored at seven points along a 41-m hillslope transect composed of Psamments, Aquents, Aquods, and Saprists. In addition to standard field descriptions, particle-size distribution. percentage of organic C, and citrate-dithionate and ammonium-oxalate extractable Fe (Fe d and Fe o , respecitively) were determined for profiles at each transect point. During the study period, the 30-yr mean annual precipitation (MAP) was exceeded in 4 of 5 yr. Mean water levels were highest in spring and water levels typically rose from September through May. The depth to redoximorphic features increases with elevation above the peatland and the upper extent of redoximorphic features is 15 to 60 cm above the measured mean water table level. In the upper landscape positions, the redoximorphic features were located 12 cm above the maximum recorded water level. The distribution characteristics of Fe throughout the soil system indicate that Fe has been removed from the upslope soils and reconcentrated in organic-rich horizons in the lower landscape positions. The combination of Fe distribution and the location of redoximorphic features well above the mean water table suggest that the regional water table has been lowered.
In vitro antibacterial activity of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in combination against Escherichia coli and staphylococcal clinical isolates from dogs.

Abstract SUMMARY The objective of the study was to determine the in vitro interaction between enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin against Escherichia coli and staphylococcal isolates from dogs. The microdilution checkerboard assay was used to determine the interaction of the drugs against 50 E coli and 50 β-haemolytic staphylococcal clinical isolates. The checkerboard assay revealed that the activity of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin was additive against E coli and staphylococcal clinical isolates. It was concluded that for bacterial species against which ciprofloxacin is more potent than enrofloxacin, the in vivo transformation of enrofloxacin to ciprofloxacin may enhance the efficacy of enrofloxacin, if additivity of the drugs is confirmed in vivo.
Biosynthesis of lysine-derived elastin crosslinks in aortic cell culture.

Abstract Culture of an established line of aortic medial cells in the presence of L-[14C] lysine for 72 hours, beginning on the twenty-first day after transfer, has resulted in the incorporation of label into a residue, insoluble after autoclaving. Acid hydrolysates of this residue with or without reduction by NaBH4 were subjected to ion exchange chromatography. Several radioactive lysine-derived residues were identified, by comparison to standards, as the distinctive crosslinks of elastin, isodesmosine, desmosine, merodesmosine and lysinonorleucine. This confirms the synthesis of elastin in aortic cell culture and establishes the formation of insoluble crosslinked elastin. Differences in the heights of the peaks in the reduced and nonreduced elastin indicate the probable occurrence of dehydromerodesmosine and dehydrolysino-norleucine as well and suggest that these may be intermediates in crosslink formation.