cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Framework for Studying Emerging Policy Issues Associated with PHEVs in Managing Coupled Power and Transportation Systems

As gasoline prices rise, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) may be quickly becoming an economical choice for transportation. This paper explores the policy issues associated with widespread PHEV deployment. These include improving the electric grid performance, enhancing penetration of renewable energy sources and improving energy security, managing air quality and carbon footprint, creating new markets, and planning energy exchange stations that allow for driver flexibility. Coupling the transportation and power systems through PHEVs presents both challenges and opportunities that involve multidisciplinary approach, and proper policy is necessary to take maximize benefit and avoid pitfalls. A multi-layered modeling approach (including transportation, power systems, cognitive behavior, and economic feasibility) that is spatially and temporally encompassing is proposed for evaluating PHEV policy implications.
Providing location security in vehicular Ad Hoc networks

It is fair to say that most, if not all, VANET applications rely on accurate location information. It is therefore imperative to provide mechanisms that ensure the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of location information. In this article we present a number of location security mechanisms specifically designed for VANETs. Proposed mechanisms for location integrity range from the use of onboard radar devices and GPS to simpler methods that rely on information fusion. We also address ways to enhance the availability of location information by selecting and maintaining stable routing paths. Finally, we discuss a mechanism that promotes location confidentiality through encryption/decryption and access control using geographical information. Our location information security mechanisms meet the requirements of the Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA) information security model.
Structuring ecological problems: a tribute to Peter Yodzis : N. Rooney, K. S. McCann and D. L. G. Noakes (eds), From Energetics to Ecosystems: The Dynamics and Structure of Ecological Systems Springer, 2007, 265 pp, $99.00 ()

Complexity is, well, complicated, and one approach taken to deal with ecological complexity paradoxically has been to simplify. The late Peter Yodzis, to whom this series is dedicated, pioneered approaching this problem with the inherent clarity and logic of mathematics. He noted however that the paradox of simplifying complexity was counterintuitive to many empiricists: “Admittedly, many ecologists are skeptical of this kind of model, thinking it overly simplified” (Yodzis, P. 1988. The indeterminacy of ecological interactions as perceived through perturbation experiments. Ecology 69: 508–515). Yodzis undoubtedly realized that some of this resistance arose from unfamiliarity with mathematics, and he undertook what Kevin McCann, in an affecting preface, calls the “good fight,” namely, to contribute both to the teaching and to the science of ecological systems through mathematics. Given that society’s well-being, and possibly its survival, will depend on solving problems with ecosystems, Yodzis’ fight has become one that we must all join. The book presents a baker’s dozen of chapters by an impressive list of researchers in the field. Very much keeping Yodzis’ approach in mind, most papers revolve around mathematical analyses of complex systems, emphasizing generalities all the while ensuring relevance to the field. Most papers do not eschew mathematical formulae and I found them valuable and contextual. In addition to making valuable contributions to research, therefore, the book also could serve as a text for graduate students in ecology wishing to bolster their background in theory. The chapter (Chapter 1) by Mariano Koen-Alonzo, for example, is as lucid, approachable and current an exposition of the mathematics of functional response as one can find anywhere. The problem with simplification of course is that some things must left out. From a self-serving perspective, being interested in parasites, I found that the absence of theory on parasitism to be one such missing topic. Profiting from the wisdom of evolutionary selection, parasites have become master empiricists. No part of an ecosystem is free of their influence. As suggested by Peter Morin (Chapter 5), an elucidation of the role of parasitism in ecosystems might lead to key insights in their dynamics and structure. This volume is the first of a new series entitled ‘The Peter Yodzis Fundamental Ecology Series’. Based on the first outing, the series will become a valuable and important collection, and I look forward to future volumes. Environ Biol Fish (2008) 83:125 DOI 10.1007/s10641-007-9309-3
Crystallization behaviour of cellulose acetate butylate/poly(butylene succinate)-co-(butylene carbonate) blends

The kinetics of the isothermal crystallization process from the melt of pure poly(butylene succinate)-co-(butylene carbonate) (PBS-co-BC) and its blends with cellulose acetate butylate (CAB) (10–30 wt%) was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the well-known Avrami equation. In the blends, the overall crystallization rate of PBS-co-BC became slower with increasing CAB content. The equilibrium melting temperature () of PBS-co-BC decreased with increasing CAB content, which was similar to that with other miscible crystalline/amorphous polymer blends. The slower crystallization kinetics of PBS-co-BC in the blends was explicable in terms of a diluent effect of the CAB component. By application of Turnbull–Fisher kinetic theory for polymer–diluent blend systems, the surface free energy (σe) of pure PBS-co-BC and of the blends was obtained, indicating that the blend with CAB resulted in a decrease in the surface free energy of folding of PBS-co-BC lamellar crystals. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Initiating the development of an integrated waste management curriculum

Abstract The National Recycling Coalition, in recognition of significant changes in the field of solid waste management and the resulting need for people with new knowledge and skills, has assembled a committee to develop an “integrated waste management curriculum.” This paper identifies and discusses several possible objectives for such a curriculum, and explores issues associated with different ways in which it might be initiated.
Does interplanetary dust control 100 kyr glacial cycles

The cause of the 100 kyr glacial–interglacial cycles during the past 800 kyr is one of the fundamental puzzles in paleoclimatology. The widely accepted Milankovitch theory, relating earth’s climate cycles to variations in insolation caused by periodic changes in orbital parameters, has difficulties to explain the predominant 100 kyr rhythm. Although earth’s eccentricity varies with a period of 100 kyr, the resulting change in insolation is too small to produce the corresponding climate cycle by direct forcing (Imbrie et al., Paleoceanography 8 (1993) 699). In order to solve the ‘100 kyr problem’, Muller and MacDonald (Nature 377 (1995) 107; Science 277 (1997a) 215; Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 94 (1997b) 8329) proposed an alternative orbital but non-Milankovitch mechanism attributing the glacial cycles to regular variations in the accretion of interplanetary dust particles (IDP) caused by 100 kyr cycles in the orbital inclination of the earth. To test this controversial hypothesis, we study the IDP accumulation in deep-sea sediments from a period in the early Pleistocene. We find apparent 41 kyr cycles but no 100 kyr periodicity in the IDP accumulation rate. As there is no known mechanism to produce 41 kyr cycles in IDP supply from space, we conclude that the 41 kyr cycles are caused by the dynamics of sediment accumulation, and that changes in the IDP flux do not drive the Pleistocene glacial cycles. r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Emotional Functioning, Barriers, and Medication Adherence in Pediatric Transplant Recipients

All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Megan L. McCormick King, PhD,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children’s National Medical Center, 111 Michigan AveNW, Suite 3600, Washington, DC 20010, USA. E-mail: mmccormi@cnmc.orgReceived January 8, 2013; revisions received August 22, 2013; accepted August 27, 2013Objective This study assessed relationships among internalizing symptoms, barriers to medicationadherence, and medication adherence in adolescents with solid organ transplants. Method The sampleincluded 72 adolescents who had received solid organ transplants. Multiple mediator models were tested viabootstrapping methods. Results Bivariate correlations revealed significant relationships between barriersand internalizing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress, as well as between internalizingsymptoms and medication adherence. Barriers indicative of adaptation to the medication regimen (e.g.,forgetting, lack of organization) were related to medication adherence and mediated the relationship betweeninternalizing symptoms and medication adherence. Conclusions These findings indicate that barriersmay serve as a more specific factor in the relationship between more general, pervasive internalizingsymptoms and medication adherence. Results may help guide areas for clinical assessment, and the focusof interventions for adolescent transplant recipients who are experiencing internalizing symptoms and/orwho are nonadherent to their medication regimen.Key words adherence; adolescents; anxiety; chronic illness; depression; health behavior; organ transplanta-tion; posttraumatic stress.
Analysis of convection and its association with African easterly waves

Abstract The association between convection and African easterly wave (AEW) activity over tropical Africa and the tropical Atlantic during the boreal summer is examined using satellite brightness temperature (TB) and ECMWF reanalysis datasets. Spectral analysis using 18 yr of TB data shows significant variance in the 2–6-day range across most of the region. Within the regions of deep convection, this time scale accounts for about 25%–35% of the total variance. The 2–6-day convective variance has similar amplitudes over western and eastern Africa, while dynamic measures of AEW activity show stronger amplitudes in the west. This study suggests that weak AEW activity in the east is consistent with initial wave development there and indicates that convection triggered on the western side of the mountains over central and eastern Africa, near Darfur (western Sudan) and Ethiopia, has a role in initiating AEWs westward. The subsequent development and growth of AEWs in West Africa is associated with stronger cohe...
Potential land use planning and assessment in the west part of the Büyük Menderes basin by ILSEN Model

This research was planned to investigate the structural properties and soil mapping capability according to rules of the 7. Approximation Soil Taxonomic System of the region western part of the Buyuk Menderes Basin by using Landsat satellite images in remote sensing technique. The data gathered from field observation about some soil properties and land requirements of different land use types were correlated and as a result of that the boundaries of land use patterns were carried out. Land use patterns were detected according to suitable land use classes for soil mapping units and potential land use map were done. Land use assessment is likely to be the prediction of land potential for productive land use types. This case is great important in guiding decisions on land uses in terms of potential and conserving natural resources for future generations. The main objective of this study was to determine land resources and to assess potential land use in the west part of the Buyuk Menderes Basin of Aegean region. The study area covers about 24.300 km 2 and formed on alluvial material deposited by Buyuk Menders River. Using Landsat 5 TM satellite images, which cover back and foot slope of mountain and alluvial plains of the western part of Menderes Basin, and taking physiographic units of the region as basis, detailed soil series and phases were determined. Soils of the region were classified as Entisol, Inceptisol as 2 orders, 4 suborders, 4 great groups and 6 sub groups, and 10 series. Twenty-five different land utilization types grouped into 4 major land use groups were evaluated for the studied area’s soils. ILSEN computer model was used to determined potential land use groups and suitable classes for agricultural uses. In addition, ArcGIS software was used to generate their maps and database. Suitability map for agricultural uses results showed that, distributions of the best, relatively good, problematic and restricted agricultural lands were 31,68%, 22,63%, 22,16% and 23,53% respectively. Only 31,68% of the study area has the best land for agricultural uses. The main plant growth limitation soil factors are shallow soil depth, high slope, subsurface stoniness, poor drainage, heavy and coarse sub surface soil texture and low water retention capacity.
Dioscoreaceae fossils from the late Oligocene and early Miocene of Ethiopia

Dioscorea section Lasiophyton leaflets from the late Oligocene (27.23 Ma) and Tacca leaves from the early Miocene (21.73 Ma) of north-western Ethiopia greatly expand the known fossil record of Dioscoreaceae and represent the earliest and only known records of the Afro-Asian trifoliate, palmately veined yams (Dioscorea) and bat flowers (Tacca). Both fossils occur in volcaniclastic and clastic sediments associated with a high water table, and the palaeofloral assemblages are indicative of tropical moist forest formations. These fossils provide insight into the evolutionary history of the family in Africa during the mid-Cenozoic and provide well-dated taxa that can assist in phylogenetic analyses and evolutionary divergence studies for Dioscoreales and Dioscoreaceae. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, , ••‐••. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: Africa ‐ cuticle ‐ epidermal cells ‐ micromorphology.
The suitableness of Google Documents as a student collaborative writing tool

Collaborative writing appears to be an academic exercise whose relevance will only continue to rise, especially with the ever-increasing arrival of newer technology easily appropriated for educational uses. Often this new technology is commercially produced or open source, free, incredibly intuitive to use, and most important, created for the express purpose of facilitating collaborative writing. It is important to understand if these new technologies, commonly referred to as collaborative writing environments, offer a common-sense, low-to-nocost means for institutions of higher learning to address the challenge of teaching collaborative writing skills to students. This qualitative research study analyzed one of these new tools, Google Documents, to determine its suitability as a collaborative writing environment for students. Google Documents was the object of inquiry because of its recent adoption campus-wide for all students to use at Iowa State. A dual approach to investigate Google Documents was conducted to determine its suitability as a collaborative writing environment for students. A set of criteria, which I coined The Essential Collaborative Writing Toolkit, for evaluating collaborative writing environments was drawn from the research literature. I was then able to measure Google Documents against these criteria in order to see if it adequately met the specifications needed for a successful collaborative writing environment. Students were also interviewed to discover their experiences using Google Documents. A transcript analysis of these interviews was then made. My findings suggest that Google Documents, with little exception, is an appropriate collaborative writing environment for students. I came to this determination following the synthesis of two things: the results of seeing how well Google Documents met the standards of The Essential Collaborative Writing Toolkit, and students' impressions of Google Documents taken from the transcript analyses.
A 63-year-old woman presents with palpitations

A 63-year-old woman with a history of dwarfism presented with recurrent palpitations. She denied chest pain, dyspnoea or syncope. Her cardiac exam was notable for tachycardia at 188 bpm, hypotension (77/38) and no overt signs of heart failure. Cardiac markers were negative and her brain natriuretic peptide level was elevated at 687 pg/mL. An EKG revealed a left atrial tachycardia. She converted back to sinus rhythm after intravenous amiodarone. A chest X-ray demonstrated an enlarged cardiomediastinal silhouette. An initial transthoracic echocardiogram showed asymmetric septal hypertrophy, …
Surviving the Storm The Role of Social Support and Religious Coping in Sexual Assault Recovery of African American Women

African American women are at high risk for sexual assault. In addition, many African American women endorse the use of social support and religiosity to cope with trauma. The current study investigates the relationship between these two coping strategies and posttrauma symptoms in a sample of 413 African American female sexual assault survivors using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings indicated that survivors with greater social support were less likely to endorse the symptoms of depression and PTSD. Conversely, increased use of religious coping was related to greater endorsement of depression and PTSD symptoms. Counseling and research implications are explored.
Using multidimensional databases for problem determination and planning of a networked application

Systems management accounts for 60% to 80% of the cost of LAN-connected personal computers. This paper describes a decision support application to reduce systems management costs in the area of problem determination and capacity planning for the Legato Backup System as it is used at Columbia University. Central to the system management tasks addressed is the use of data navigation, especially drill-down, roll-up, and pivot. These operations are provided by multidimensional databases (MDDB). As such, our application includes an MDDB layer. We discuss the application's architecture, the design of the MDDB schema, and outline the operation of the MDDB engine.
“Total Altruism” in Levinas’s “Ethics of The Welcome”

Levinas's ethics of other-centered service has been criticized at the theoretical level for failing to offer a conception of moral agency adequate to ground its imperative and at the practical level for encouraging selfhatred. Levinas's explicit resistance to the incorporation of the phrase "as yourself" in the Judaeo-Christian love command might seem to validate the critics' complaints. The author argues, on the contrary, that Levinas does offer a strong and compelling conception of moral agency and that his ethics, properly understood, does not entail self-abnegation. Levinas's attempt to counter excessive and manipulative self-concern and selfinflation by insisting on the dependent and situational position of the self has been wrongly overinterpreted as an abandonment of the self and its just claims. The author seeks to establish a more balanced understanding by focusing attention on the "ethics of welcome," on Levinas's distinctive conception of passivity, and on the role of "the third" in all human relations.
The effects of curare in the cockroach. I. dTC-induced failure of leg contraction.

1. The nature of insect curarization has been investigated in the cockroach, P. americana . Mechanical studies of leg contraction revealed that dTC, whether injected into the abdomen, injected into a leg or applied to the metathoracic ganglion, produces failure of contraction. 2. The contraction failure caused by injecting dTC into a leg or by applying dTC to the metathoracic ganglion could be reversed by washing the drug out of the affected area. 3. The central nervous system does not appear to be essential for curare-induced contraction failure. The contraction of metathoracic legs deprived of their metathoracic ganglion is abolished in the presence of curare. 4. Since curare produces contraction failure when applied to the metathorax and when injected into a leg, the site of curare action must be present in both these locations. The motor nerve fibres are present in both these locations and it is proposed that contraction failure is due to the action of curare on these fibres.
Delignification of miscanthus using ethylenediamine (EDA) with or without ammonia and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis to sugars

Pretreatment of miscanthus is essential for efficient enzymatic production of cellulosic ethanol. This study reports a possible pretreatment method for miscanthus using aqueous ethylenediamine (EDA) for 30 min at 180 °C with or without ammonia. The mass ratio of miscanthus to EDA was varied from 1:3, 1:1, and 1:0.5, keeping the mass ratio of miscanthus to liquid (EDA + Water) constant at 1:8. The ammonia-to-miscanthus ratio was 1:0.25. After pretreatment with a ratio of 1:3 miscanthus to EDA, about 75 % of the lignin was removed from the raw miscanthus with 90 % retention of cellulose and 50 % of hemicellulose in the recovered solid. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the recovered solid miscanthus gave 63 % glucose and 62 % xylose conversion after 72 h. EDA provides an effective pretreatment for miscanthus, achieving good delignification and enhanced sugar yield by enzyme hydrolysis. Results using aqueous EDA with or without ammonia are much better than those using hot water and compare favorably with those using aqueous ammonia. The delignification efficiency of EDA pretreatment is high compared to that for hot-water pretreatment and is nearly as efficient as that obtained for aqueous-ammonia pretreatment.
Infomax control for acoustic exploration of objects by a mobile robot

Recently, information gain has been proposed as a candidate intrinsic motivation for lifelong learning agents that may not always have a specific task. In the InfoMax control framework, reinforcement learning is used to find a control policy for a POMDP in which movement and sensing actions are selected to reduce Shannon entropy as quickly as possible. In this study, we implement InfoMax control on a robot which can move between objects and perform sound-producing manipulations on them. We formulate a novel latent variable mixture model for acoustic similarities and learn InfoMax polices that allow the robot to rapidly reduce uncertainty about the categories of the objects in a room. We find that InfoMax with our improved acoustic model leads to policies which lead to high classification accuracy. Interestingly, we also find that with an insufficient model, the InfoMax policy eventually learns to "bury its head in the sand" to avoid getting additional evidence that might increase uncertainty. We discuss the implications of this finding for InfoMax as a principle of intrinsic motivation in lifelong learning agents.
Rapid increase in e-cigarette advertising spending as Altria's MarkTen enters the marketplace

In early 2014, the nation's largest cigarette maker, Altria1 (formerly Phillip Morris Companies) announced the national launch of their MarkTen e-cigarette. Nu Mark, an Altria company, is behind the design and marketing of the brand.2 Altria is the last major tobacco company to join the estimated $2 billion market for e-cigarettes,3 following Lorillard's acquisition of the blu e-cigarette brand in 20124 and RJ Reynold's introduction of Vuse5 in 2013. Using Competitrack, an advertising service that systematically collects data related to all top market US advertisements, we reviewed e-cigarette advertising expenditures for the year 2014 and examined the top two highest spending brands for the year (MarkTen and blu). Competitrak monitors advertising over 22 media sources, including network TV, national newspapers, cinema, radio and online, and includes advertisements and associated metadata of the media channel, channel-specific details and estimated expenditures for placement of ads.6–9 For online advertisements, Competitrack monitors …
Fasting glucose homeostasis in the adaptation to chronic nutritional deprivation in rats

The hormonal basis for the metabolic paradox of relative hypoglycemia despite insulinopenia and insulin resistance in chronic nutritional deprivation was studied in weanling rats restricted to 60% of ad libitum intake over 8 wk (n = 12 each). Lower insulin and glucagon levels were observed in both peripheral and portal blood (P = 0.0016) in the malnourished rats on multivariate analysis of variance, indicating decreased islet secretion. Peripheral and portal hormone levels were proportionately similar, indicating that hepatic extraction was not altered. Despite relative hypoglycemia, glucose turnover rate, total glucose mass, and volume of distribution of glucose were not altered. This indicates that the sum total of the effects of malnutrition on the various hormonal influences controlling glucose turnover had resulted in the establishment of a new dynamic equilibrium associated with lower plasma glucose levels. It is concluded that fasting glucose levels are sustained at a lower level in chronic malnutrition by an adaptive process that includes insulin resistance and insulinopenia, counterbalanced not only by glucagon resistance, as shown earlier, but also by decreased glucagon secretion.
Using Normalized Parameter Perturbations to Investigate Design, Sensitivity Analysis, and Uncertainty Quantification

This effort is intended to enrich the well-established practices of sensitivity analysis and calculation of stochastic means and variances by considering normalized parameter perturbations as independent design variables. The effect of the forward normalized parameter perturbation formulation on analysis, sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification are explored for fundamental analytic relationships. Basic operations (multiplication and addition/subtraction) are used to develop the normalized parameter perturbation formula for a system of linear equations exemplified by the force-stiffnessdisplacement relationship in standard finite element analysis. Analytic relationships for means, variances, and covariances are formulated and compared for the standard and the normal parameter perturbed system. Derivatives, Taylor series expansion, and direct and reciprocal approximations are shown for normalized parameter perturbations. Structural sensitivity analysis relationships are explored for the first (mean) and second (variance) statistical moments of the stochastic response (displacement) due to uncertainties in the input parameters of the system and loads. A generic higher order equation is considered to illustrate the usefulness of a parameter perturbation approach when attempting to quantify sufficient, best value, and exquisite solutions for cost analysis. Foundational structural analysis problems are investigated using the developed formulations.
Conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation by bystanders improved outcomes in children with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

In children who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (patients) does the type of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (risk factor) or cause of arrest (risk factor) influence the likelihood of favourable neurological outcome (outcome)? ### Design Population based observational cohort study. Data were collected from the All-Japan Utstein Registry for the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. ### Setting Population based study, Japan. ### Patients Children under 17 years of age with an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The cause of arrest was presumed to be cardiac unless there was evidence of trauma, hanging, drowning, drug overdose, respiratory disease, etc, as attributed by physicians working with emergency personnel. All emergency medical providers undertook CPR in accordance with American Heart Association and International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation guidelines. ### Data collection Data were collected prospectively by emergency medical personnel in cooperation with physicians. ### Outcomes Favourable neurological outcome at 1 month after cardiac arrest (Glasgow-Pittsburgh …
An appropriate role for ethics in teaching contemporary issues.

There seems to be general agreement among animal scientists that training in contemporary issues is an appropriate goal of animal science curricula. One approach is based on the view that public policy issues embody moral dilemmas that arise when the moral perspectives (values) of opposing groups are incompatible. Based on this view, an understanding of such issues requires some training in ethics. More specifically, knowledge of major moral theories and the nature of values is necessary to identify and analyze the moral components of issues. An appreciation for ethics also provides insight into addressing issues in a morally responsible manner. The plurality of values and the contextual nature of policy issues precludes solutions based on application of universal moral principles. Nevertheless, informed judgments, based on the collective wisdom of individuals, frequently offer solutions that address opposing values. Such judgments can be attained when those affected by issues form communities, attempt to achieve a collective understanding of the problem, and, if possible, construct a common set of values that facilitates consensus. Based on this analysis, issues courses should facilitate the development of learning communities wherein students and teachers critically analyze (i.e., deconstruct) and reconstruct issues in ways that enhance understanding and instill a respect for diverse moral perspectives. An expression of such understanding and respect is the ability to distinguish between situations when consensus offers fair solutions and when it subjects minority groups to the tyranny of the majority.
The Effectiveness of Location Incentives on Local Economic Development

OCAL and regional economic development has been of national concern for many years. Wide differences in the rates and levels of economic development among areas have resulted from a combination of (a) unequal natural and human resource endowments, (b) differential impacts of technological change, (c) secular trends in factor and product prices, and (d) institutional (social, economic, cultural, and political) barriers to resource mobility.1 It is more apparent today than ever before that many of our country's less favored areas are responding sluggishly, or not at all, to the generalized set of monetary and fiscal policies designed to stimulate national economic growth.
The Nutritional Value of Typha Latifolia Pollen for Bees

SummaryTypha latifolia (Typhaceae) is a wind-pollinated plant that produces large quantities of pollen containing 14·5% starch and 17·0% protein. This starchy pollen, when fed to newly emerged adult honeybees, was nearly totally rejected when they were provided, simultaneously, with a standard mixture of bee-collected pollen from 15 other plant species. Ethyl acetate extracts from 1 g of Typha pollen were added to 20 g of an artificial diet and fed in choice tests to newly emerged worker bees. The bees preferred hy over 2·5 to 1 the extract-flavoured diet over either unflavoured diet or Typha pollen, itself. In longevity tests, bees fed Typha pollen died, on average, in about 21 days compared with 25 days for sucrose-water controls, and 57 days for bees fed the standard pollen mixture. A small colony fed only Typha pollen consumed pollen rapidly at first but then consumption decreased and in 5 weeks the population declined from 5686 to 2525 adults, with only 377 new adult bees being reared. A similar colo...
Algorithmic performance of large-scale distributed networks: A spectral method approach

Complex networks like the Internet, peer-to-peer systems, and emerging sensor and ad-hoc networks are large distributed decentralized communication systems arising repeatedly in today's technology. In such networks it is critical to characterize network performance as the size of the network scales. The focus of my work is to relate basic network performance metrics to structural characteristics of underlying network topologies, and to develop protocols that reinforce and exploit desired structural characteristics. For the case of the Internet at the Autonomous System level, we relate the graph theoretic notions of conductance and spectrum to network clustering and network congestion. In particular, we show how spectral analysis can identify clusters, and how the presence of clusters affects congestion. This is important for network prediction and network simulation. For the case of peer-to-peer networks we relate conductance and spectral gap to the fundamental questions of searching and topology maintenance. We propose new protocols for maintaining peer-to-peer networks with good conductance and low network overhead. We compare the performance of the traditional method of search by flooding to searching by random walks. We isolate cases of practical interest, such as clustered and dynamic network topologies, where the latter have superior performance. The improvement in the performance can be directly quantified in terms of the conductance of the underlying topology. We introduce further hybrid search schemes, of which flooding and random walks are special instances, which aim to improve the performance of searching by using locally maintained information about the network topology.
A computational challenge problem in materials discovery: synthetic problem generator and real-world datasets

Newly-discovered materials have been central to recent technological advances. They have contributed significantly to breakthroughs in electronics, renewable energy and green buildings, and overall, have promoted the advancement of global human welfare. Yet, only a fraction of all possible materials have been explored. Accelerating the pace of discovery of materials would foster technological innovations, and would potentially address pressing issues in sustainability, such as energy production or consumption. The bottleneck of this discovery cycle lies, however, in the analysis of the materials data. As materials scientists have recently devised techniques to efficiently create thousands of materials and experimentalists have developed new methods and tools to characterize these materials, the limiting factor has become the data analysis itself. Hence, the goal of this paper is to stimulate the development of new computational techniques for the analysis of materials data, by bringing together the complimentary expertise of materials scientists and computer scientists. In collaboration with two major research laboratories in materials science, we provide the first publicly available dataset for the phase map identification problem. In addition, we provide a parameterized synthetic data generator to assess the quality of proposed approaches, as well as tools for data visualization and solution evaluation.
RN-BS Students' Reports of Their Self-Care and Health-Promotion Practices in a Holistic Nursing Course.

Purpose: This study explored RN-BS students’ self-care and health-promotion (SCHP) practices in a semester-long holistic nursing course with emphasis on the utility of self-reflection through journal writing. Design: A qualitative single case study blended in practical action research. Method: Fifteen RN-BS students enrolled in the holistic nursing course completed (a) three reflective journal entries (beginning, midterm, and conclusion); (b) two IHWA-short form surveys (beginning and conclusion); and (c) one demographic form (beginning) of the course. Findings: Three reflective journals indicated that students’ understanding of their SCHP practices progressed from novice, to advanced, and finally to competent from the beginning, middle, and at the conclusion of the course. Four findings emerged in relation to reports of their SCHP practices: (a) new awareness of self, (b) application of SCHP practices knowledge, (c) role modeling, and (d) dedication to SCHP practices beyond the semester. Four findings em...
Schedule-controlled behavior: negative reinforcement

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the procedures used in behavioral pharmacology to evaluate the effects of psychoactive compounds on behavior under the control of negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement describes the procedure of increasing or maintaining behavior by the contingent decrease in exposure to environmental events. Behavior can be maintained by the removal of the event or even when the frequency of some event is merely decreased or the event is postponed. The event typically used is considered to be noxious, for example, the delivery of electric shock or the administration of an opiate antagonist to an opiate-dependent monkey. However, under the appropriate conditions, food, nicotine, and cocaine can maintain behavior that results in the postponement of the delivery or the availability of these events. The chapter presents some of the major procedures that have been used to investigate the effects of drugs on negative reinforcement and the data obtained from these studies. It also discusses the contributions made by these studies to the understanding of behavioral processes involved in reinforcement in general.
25 Years of HIV-1 Biochemistry

While there have been many changes in the way HIV-1 protein research has been carried out since the advent of proteomic techniques, it is important to understand how we have arrived here and the basics of the methods that were used for critical early advances made by researchers who relied on rather primitive methods and alert minds. Indeed, many of the older techniques in their current form still to this day have many advantages over mass spectrometry methods and are often used to confirm and extend the results from high-throughput mass spectrometry. This chapter considers “HIV-1 proteomics” before there was proteomics, providing a short history of the retroviral biochemistry that has made so many vital contributions to our understanding of HIV-1 biology.
Quantification of motion artifacts in 4DCT using global Fourier analysis

Motion artifacts in 4-Dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) impose a potential problem in tumor and anatomy delineation, causing a systematic error in radiotherapy treatment planning. In patients, frequency and amplitude of motion artifacts appearing in 4DCT are currently manually evaluated by scrolling through all 4DCT images. This is a tedious, time consuming and error-prone process with an outcome that may be difficult for comparison among patients. In this study, we propose an automatic approach to evaluate the motion artifacts in 4DCT using Discrete Fourier transform. Instead of applying Fourier transform in local macro-blocks as done in ordinary signal processing and computer vision applications, we discover that 4DCTs of severe motion artifacts demonstrate special behavioral properties in their spectral domain after a global Fourier transform, which can be exploited to effectively quantify the severity of motion artifacts in 4DCT images via a band-passing analysis. This is the first effort in creating a computerized algorithm to evaluate the motion artifacts with a quantitative and objective evaluation with encouraging performances. Further study will be conducted with more patient data with more rigorous 4-dimensional analysis in the near future.
Flame-Resisting Wool with Halo-Organic Compounds Part I: Water-Soluble or Emulsifiable Bromine Derivatives Incorporating One or More Reactive Centers

Several aromatic compounds have been synthesized and/or tested for their ability to flame-resist wool. Bromine is incorporated in the molecule to impart flame retardancy, sulfonic acid or other groups for water solubility or emulsifiability in aqueous systems, and nucleophilic or other reactive sites for the subsequent attachment of specialized fiber reactive groups to provide covalent bonding to wool where washfastness is desired. Flame resistance increases as the acidic nature of the molecule increases. Tribromometanilic acid and tetrabromophthalic acid, although not wash-fast, were the most promising of the compounds tested. Tribromometanilic acid is capable of flame-resisting wool fabrics which have been made shrink-resistant with ozone.
Localization of Neurologic Lesions in Ruminants

As stated many times throughout this issue, localization of the origin of neurologic deficits in ruminants is paramount to successful diagnosis and prognosis. This article serves as a guide to answer 2 questions that should be asked when presented with a ruminant with neurologic dysfunction: is the lesion rostral or caudal to the foramen magnum, and does the animal have primary neurologic disease? The answers to these 2 broad questions begin the thought processes to more specifically describe the location and nature of the dysfunction. Challenges often facing the diagnostician include economic constraints, size of the animal, and unruly behavior.
Measurement of the half-life of 198 Au in a nonmetal: High-precision measurement shows no host-material dependence

We have measured the half-life of the ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ decay of $^{198}\mathrm{Au}$ to be $2.6948(9)$ d, with the nuclide sited in an insulating environment. Comparing this result with the half-life we measured previously with a metallic environment, we find the half-lives in both environments to be the same within $0.04%$, thus contradicting a prediction that screening from a ``plasma'' of quasifree electrons in a metal increases the half-life by as much as $7%$.
Acute Kidney Disease After Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Incidence and Associated Factors.

Abstract Background The development of acute kidney disease (AKD) following total joint arthroplasty has not been well characterized in the literature. We sought to calculate the incidence and identify risk factors associated with postoperative AKD for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods A total of 1000 consecutive cases (860 unique patients, including revisions) of TKA or THA performed between January 2010 and May 2016 were identified. Seventy-nine cases were excluded due to pre-existing kidney dysfunction and 23 additional cases were excluded due to incomplete data, resulting in 898 cases included in the study. There were 492 females and 406 males with a mean age of 58.1 years (range, 14-93 years). The Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss of kidney function, and End-stage kidney disease criteria and serum creatinine values were used to determine AKD status. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used to identify postoperative AKD risk factors. Results Overall incidence of postoperative AKD was 6.8% (n = 61). Use of perioperative angiotensin receptor blocker (ARBs) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) (odds ratio [OR] = 2.09; P = .030), increasing body mass index (BMI) (OR = 1.58 per 10 kg/m 2 ; P = .014), and use of vancomycin perioperatively (OR = 1.91; P = .021) were associated with increased odds of development of postoperative AKD. Conclusion A 6.8% incidence rate of postoperative AKD was noted in patients undergoing TKA or THA. Perioperative use of ARBs/ACEi, perioperative vancomycin use, and increased BMI were associated with increased odds of postoperative AKD.
A wide-range frequency offset tolerant OFDM for in-vehicle PLC system

In this paper, a wide-range frequency offset tolerant OFDM for in-vehicle PLC system is presented. The carrier frequency and a new short frame OFDM suitable for low latency sensor network are discussed by analyzing the noise immunity, electrical emission characteristics and the channel property. We propose a new lookup table based estimation method of carrier frequency offset (CFO) and sampling frequency offset (SFO). The estimator adaptively controls time delay of autocorrelation, loop filter and gain depending on an estimated CFO in order to realize wide-range cancellation and fast-tracking of CFO and SFO. The simulation results show BER ≤ 10−8 with carrier to noise ratio (CNR) ≥ 12 dB with a data rate of 12 Mbps and a coding rate of 1/2. CFO/SFO with ±1000ppm reference frequency offset are cancelled within 30 ms.
Base cations and micronutrients in forest soils along three clear-cut chronosequences in the northeastern United States

Determining effects of clear-cutting on base cations and micronutrients is essential for ensuring the sustainability of forestry for biofuels and wood products. The objective of this study was to quantify long-term changes in forest floor and mineral soil base cations (Ca, Mg, and K) and micronutrient (Mn, Zn, and Cu) concentrations and pools following clear-cutting in forests aged 1–120 years. We studied forest soils along three clear-cut chronosequences located in the Adirondack Ecological Center in Newcomb, NY, Bartlett Experimental Forest in Bartlett, NH, and Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA. We utilized a strong-acid extraction to quantify base cations and micronutrient concentrations and pools, which may better assess nutrients over the chronosequences than the conventional exchangeable extraction. Generalized linear mixed-effect models (GLMMs) show forest floor and mineral soil Ca, Mg, Mn, and Cu concentrations and pools decreased with increasing forest age across the three study areas. Potassium and Zn concentrations and pools were not significantly different with stand age and neither did soil C and N pools and pH using GLMMs. We calculated that 32–67% of the Ca pool decrease can be attributed to uptake by regenerating vegetation but only 0.02–9% of Mg, Mn, and Cu after harvest. Thus, leaching was likely to the dominant loss process for Mg, Mn, and Cu following clear-cutting. Our results suggest nutrient pools decreased for over a century following clear-cutting, but it is unclear if this will impact plant growth.
Asynchronous Telepsychiatry: A Component of Stepped Integrated Care.

Abstract Objective: Integrated behavioral healthcare models typically involve a range of consultation options for mental healthcare. Asynchronous telepsychiatry (ATP) consults may be an additional potential choice, so we are conducting a 5-year clinical trial comparing ATP with synchronous telepsychiatry (STP) consultations. Methods: Patients referred by primary care providers are randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups, ATP or STP. Clinical outcome, satisfaction, and economic data are being collected from patients for 2 years at 6-month intervals. Results: Baseline characteristics for the first 158 patients and case examples of ATP are presented. Conclusion: Implementing ATP in existing integrated behavioral healthcare models could make mental healthcare more efficient.
The Role of Focal Laser in the Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Era.

Introduction:To review important studies examining focal laser for diabetic macular edema (DME), to examine real-world data regarding actual treatments patients are receiving, to present long-term ...
CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFTING IN THE SETTING OF CAROTID ARTERY STENOSIS: WHEN SHOULD YOU REVASCULARIZE THE CAROTID ARTERY?

Stroke is a major complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Patients undergoing CABG are routinely screened for severe carotid artery stenosis with potential carotid revascularization prior to cardiac surgery to reduce the risk of a perioperative stroke. A 56-year-old female, ex-