cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aboriginal overkill : The role of Native Americans in structuring western ecosystems.

Prior to European influence, predation by Native Americans was the major factor limiting the numbers and distribution of ungulates in the Intermountain West. This hypothesis is based on analyses of (1) the efficiency of Native American predation, including cooperative hunting, use of dogs, food storage, use of nonungulate foods, and hunting methods; (2) optimal-foraging studies; (3) tribal territory boundary zones as prey reservoirs; (4) species ratios, and sex and age of aboriginal ungulate kills; (5) impact of European diseases on aboriginal populations; and (6) synergism between aboriginal and carnivore predation. Native Americans had no effective conservation practices, and the manner in which they harvested ungulates was the exact opposite of any predicted conservation strategy. Native Americans acted in ways that maximized their individual fitness regardless of the impact on the environment. For humans, conservation is seldom an evolutionarily stable strategy. By limiting ungulate numbers and purposefully modifying the vegetation with fire, Native Americans structured entire plant and animal communities. Because ecosystems with native peoples are entirely different than those lacking aboriginal populations, a "hands-off" or "natural regulation" approach by today's land managers will not duplicate the ecological conditions under which those ecosystems developed. The modern concept of wilderness as areas without human influence is a myth. North America was not a "wilderness" waiting to be discovered, instead it was home to tens of millions of aboriginal peoples before European-introduced diseases decimated their numbers.
Estimation and Analysis of Parasitoid Search and Attack Parameters from Field Data

Methods of estimating the probability of encounter and probability of parasitism given encounter are described for situations in which a host patch that has not been encountered by a parasitoid cannot be distinguished from one that has been encountered but none of the hosts have been parasitized. These methods provide estimates of quantities which do not vary with host density per patch unless parasitoid behavior changes, and therefore are the appropriate ones to use to detect effects of host density on the intensity of parasitism. An example is given, using published data on the parasitism of Heliothis zea eggs by Trichogramma spp.
The Optimum Size for Insecticide Spray Droplets

The optimum size for insecticide spray droplets is that size which gives maximum control of the target insect with minimum insecticide and minimum ecosystem contamination. Spray droplets found to be efficient in delivery of insecticide to the target insect are those with size range allowing them to be airborne and to be transported to the target by atmospheric transport and diffusion. Therefore, optimum-size droplets are those sizes small enough to be produced in maximum numbers for maximum coverage and large enough to have an optimum critical impingement velocity for optimum impingement on the target insect. Field research data which trace the point of deposition of spray droplets by size in insect ecosystems have been obtained from the fluorescent particle spray droplet tracer method. Data obtained indicate that the optimum size for insecticide spray droplets is in the range of 20µ diameter. No data were found that spray droplets larger than 100µ diameter have any substantial probability of efficient delivery of insecticide to the target insect or to its proximate foliage (where spray residues could act by secondary foliage contact). Spray droplets of 50-100µ diameter were marginal in efficiency.
An application of the cross-correlation analysis to detect changes in semi-natural grasslands to artificial structures using very high and high resolution satellite data

The paper focuses on the application of the Cross-Correlation Analysis (CCA) technique for quantifying changes of semi-natural grasslands to artificial structures at different spatial resolutions (grain) on a Mediterranean Natura 2000 site as a further test case of the results reported in [1]. In that work the CCA was applied to detect specific changes associated with agricultural intensification and fires. A semi-natural grasslands layer extracted from an existing Land Cover/Land Use map (1:5000, time T1) was considered as input to the CCA jointly with a Very High Resolution (VHR) WorldView-2 satellite image (2 meters spatial resolution, time T2) and with a High Resolution Landsat 8 OLS satellite image (30 meters spatial resolution, time T2), with T2 > T1, respectively, for the fine and the coarse scale analysis. The results were compared to those obtained by applying a traditional Post Classification Comparison technique to the same reference at time T1 map and an updated at time T2 map obtained by a knowledge driven classification of four multi-seasonal Worldview-2 input images, according to [1]. Also in this case the CCA technique results encouraging offering the possibility to reduce the costs of change detection when the acquisition of multi-seasonal VHR images at time T2 is too expensive or when no archive VHR image is available in the past for comparison between at time T1 and T2 images. The areas of change detected at VHR and HR were quite similar for the specific transition analyzed with larger error values in HR change images.
Classification and characterization of microsatellite instability across 18 cancer types

Microsatellite instability (MSI), the spontaneous loss or gain of nucleotides from repetitive DNA tracts, is a diagnostic phenotype for gastrointestinal, endometrial, and colorectal tumors, yet the landscape of instability events across a wider variety of cancer types remains poorly understood. To explore MSI across malignancies, we examined 5,930 cancer exomes from 18 cancer types at more than 200,000 microsatellite loci and constructed a genomic classifier for MSI. We identified MSI-positive tumors in 14 of the 18 cancer types. We also identified loci that were more likely to be unstable in particular cancer types, resulting in specific instability signatures that involved cancer-associated genes, suggesting that instability patterns reflect selective pressures and can potentially identify novel cancer drivers. We also observed a correlation between survival outcomes and the overall burden of unstable microsatellites, suggesting that MSI may be a continuous, rather than discrete, phenotype that is informative across cancer types. These analyses offer insight into conserved and cancer-specific properties of MSI and reveal opportunities for improved methods of clinical MSI diagnosis and cancer gene discovery.
The Changing Nature of the Role of the University Supervisor and Function of Preservice Teacher Supervision in an Era of Clinically-Rich Practice.

ABSTRACTGiven the movement to enhanced clinical experiences and school–university collaboration emphasized in the NCATE Blue Ribbon Report, the field of teacher preparation would benefit from an understanding of the research related to preservice teacher (PST) supervision. This article uses qualitative meta-analysis to generate new knowledge about PST supervision using research published from 2001 to 2013. Using a search of three different databases, the findings of 32 studies became the data to address the research question: What are the core PST supervisory tasks and practices that support the developmental nature of PST learning within the clinical context? Through the meta-analysis, the authors identified five tasks and twelve practices of PST supervision. The tasks include (1) targeted assistance, (2) individual support, (3) collaboration and community, (4) curriculum support, and (5) research for innovation. These results indicate that PST supervision and the role of the PST supervisor is changing a...
Investigation of collector emitter voltage characteristics in thermally stressed discrete IGBT devices

Discrete package Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) devices are a popular choice for low-medium power converters. Although IGBT power modules have been extensively studied in literature, there exists a major gap for reliability study particularly for discrete devices. Current failure diagnostic tools are not mature enough for failure diagnosis and prognosis in real-time operation based on system condition monitoring. In order to move power conversion technologies forward reliably, this paper investigates the changes in on-state collector-emitter voltage drop (V ce , on ) of discrete IGBT devices exposed to thermal cyclic stress. Depending on the dominant aging mechanisms and device structure, V ce , on variation trend is different. In this paper, V ce , on variations of three different IGBT device types, namely, punch through, non-punch through and field stop, are continuously monitored during accelerated aging tests, and their relations to aging mechanisms are identified.
American Glamour 2.0: architecture, spectacle, and social media

ABSTRACTIn this article, I argue that the layered notion of glamour, a term familiar from mid-twentieth-century film, architecture and popular culture, has increasing relevance in today’s hyperpublic world of social media, internet image-construction, and market segmentation. The creation and consumption of Hollywood images and slick advertising copy has long involved processes of narrative construction, projection, performance, and self-assessment that hold significant parallels for our culture of customized Instagram feeds, “Facebook envy” and other forms of digital communication, reception, and surveillance. Increasingly, contemporary public space is being shaped as a platform for the production and consumption of such data; a concomitant increase both in the development of techniques for surveillance and in the creation of defensible private spaces – both domestic and spiritual – creates new challenges for designers of both physical and online environments.
Phenomenology and the study of nature places: A schoolyard place study

The psychology of place begins with an understanding that places are more than mathematical coordinates or Cartesian res extensa. Merleau-Ponty’s analysis of the experience of space shows that the body opens onto a world composed of significations, and that lived space is more primary and foundational than the conceptual space of geometry. The phenomenology of place aims for this lived, pre-logical, wild dimension of spatial experience. The following essay will give a brief philosophical introduction into the relationship between consciousness, nature, and place, lay out the basic structure of the Husserlian phenomenological method as a tool for reading places, compare it to Goethean phenomenology, and demonstrate the stepwise application of phenomenology to the study of the nature places in an elementary school yard.
The Influence of Temperature on the Internal Secretory Activity of Transplanted Ovaries in the Male Rat

RECENT REPORTS have indicated that the internal secretory activity of the ovary can be influenced qualitatively and quantitatively by transplantation and temperature regulation. Hill (i) found that transplantation of ovarian tissue into the ears of castrate male mice would prevent the usual castration changes from developing, provided the mice were kept in the proper environmental temperature, 22 C , but not in those animals kept in a warm environment, 33 C. This has been confirmed to some extent by Deanesly (2), and by work which is being done in this laboratory. Available data are not sufficient to explain this phenomenon. There is some ques' tion as to whether the explanation lies in the possibility of the production of an an' drogen'like substance by the transplanted ovaries or in the androgen simulating action of one of the female hormones. Greene, Burril and Ivy (3) have shown that pro' gesterone in large doses is androgenic. There is much available data concerning the action of androgens on the genital tract of the female rat and mouse. Salmon (4) brought out the fact that small doses of testosterone propionate when administered over a short period of time produce stimulation of the genital tract. Later, Mazer and Maz^r (5) pointed out the atrophy producing effect of testosterone propionate on the genital tract when given over a long period of time. It seemed of interest therefore to observe the effect of transplanting ovaries into the ears of castrate female rats and subjecting them to the same environmental tern/ peratures as did Hill.
Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction in the United States: Critique and Commentary

In the United States, buprenorphine products (namely buprenorphine/naloxone combination) and methadone are the primary forms of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) that are authorized for addressing opioid addiction. Although treatment ideologies differentiate MAT programs, much of the provision in the US reflects a model of "high threshold, low tolerance." This model is discussed with a focus on structural and programmatic barriers that shape access to and retention in MAT. The critique continues with a discussion of multifaceted stigma that reinforces spoiled identities and diffuses into treatment settings. The social control mechanisms that are imposed in MAT are strikingly similar to those reflected in criminal justice settings, namely probation, parole and community corrections more generally. Parallels are drawn between the "addict" and the "felon" and how they are monitored, tracked, and controlled. These factors have major implications for recovery.
Clinical development and endpoint strategies for biomaterials and medical devices

Biomaterials-based products have traditionally been considered class II medical devices from a US perspective, although that paradigm has evolved over recent years to include class III medical devices and combination products. Therefore, clinical endpoint strategies for biomaterials have necessarily evolved to incorporate testing for additional variables, such as mechanical/thermal, morphological, biological, and other types of factors, which may impact the safety and/or efficacy of the final product. In this chapter, we will review various types of biomaterials, as well as the regulatory guidance and testing standards utilized during the clinical development phase of biomaterial product commercialization.
SINGLE-CELL ANALYSIS USING HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING MODALITIES

Almost a decade ago, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) was employed by the NASA in satellite imaging applications such as remote sensing technology. This technology has since been extensively used in the exploration of minerals, agricultural purposes, water resources, and urban development needs. Due to recent advancements in optical re-construction and imaging, HSI can now be applied down to micro- and nanometer scales possibly allowing for exquisite control and analysis of single cell to complex biological systems. This short review provides a description of the working principle of the HSI technology and how HSI can be used to assist, substitute, and validate traditional imaging technologies. This is followed by a description of the use of HSI for biological analysis and medical diagnostics with emphasis on single-cell analysis using HSI.
Using Satellite Data to Estimate Urban Leaf Area Index

The social value of the urban forest to local urban populations has long been recognized. In contrast, the impact of the urban forest on global and local environments is not clearly understood, and the impact of urban trees on carbon sequestration, mitigation of urban heat, and removal of pollution remain topics of contemporary scientific study. Land cover conversion in urban areas is typically faster than in wildland areas, thus there is a need for rapid measurement methods of urban biophysical variables that are repeatable and economically efficient.
Transitional region of a round synthetic jet

Experimental observations suggest the existence of an extended transitional region, as far as 30--50 diameter from a synthetic jet exit, where the spreading and decay rates are significantly enhanced over a continuous jet.
Single HIV-1 Imaging Reveals Progression of Infection through CA-Dependent Steps of Docking at the Nuclear Pore, Uncoating, and Nuclear Transport

The HIV-1 core consists of capsid proteins (CA) surrounding viral genomic RNA. After virus-cell fusion, the core enters the cytoplasm and the capsid shell is lost through uncoating. CA loss precedes nuclear import and HIV integration into the host genome, but the timing and location of uncoating remain unclear. By visualizing single HIV-1 infection, we find that CA is required for core docking at the nuclear envelope (NE), whereas early uncoating in the cytoplasm promotes proteasomal degradation of viral complexes. Only docked cores exhibiting accelerated loss of CA at the NE enter the nucleus. Interestingly, a CA mutation (N74D) altering virus engagement of host factors involved in nuclear transport does not alter the uncoating site at the NE but reduces the nuclear penetration depth. Thus, CA protects HIV-1 complexes from degradation, mediates docking at the nuclear pore before uncoating, and determines the depth of nuclear penetration en route to integration.
Global Governance and Local Peace: Accountability and Performance in International Peacebuilding

Why do international peacebuilding organizations sometimes succeed and sometimes fail, even within the same country? Bridging the gaps between the peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and global governance scholarship, this book argues that international peacebuilding organizations repeatedly fail because they are accountable to global actors, not to local institutions or people. International peacebuilding organizations can succeed only when country-based staff bypass existing accountability structures and empower local stakeholders to hold their global organizations accountable for achieving local-level peacebuilding outcomes. In other words, the innovative, if seemingly wayward, actions of individual country-office staff are necessary to improve peacebuilding performance. Using in-depth studies of organizations operating in Burundi over a fifteen-year period, combined with fieldwork in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal, South Sudan, and Sudan, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of international relations, African studies, and peace and conflict studies, as well as policymakers.
Acceptance and Belief Revisited

This paper represents my attempt to clarify the distinction that I introduced earlier between belief, a fust-order doxastic state, and acceptance, a metamental state ordinarily based on positive evaluation of belief. I shall indicate the way in which I would now revise my earlier views on the matter and explain how the notions should be characterized.1 My thesis is that both belief and acceptance are functional states, though states of different systems. A consequence of my views concerning these two levels or kinds of states is that there are different levels of cognition that correspond to belief and acceptance, information at the fIrst level, and knowledge at the second. The confusion between these two levels of mentality has resulted in disputes about the nature of knowledge which, though illuminating in the arguments and reflections they elicited, nevertheless obscure the nature of human cognition.
POSSIBLE ROLE OF CYTOCHROME b559 IN PHOTOSYSTEM II

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of cytochrome b559 in photosystem II. The low potential form of cytochrome b559 binds a proton and that the binding by the reduced form is stronger than the binding by the oxidized form. In an experiment discussed in the chapter, this scheme for the high potential and low potential forms was integrated into the process of oxygen evolution by assuming that the proton bound to cytochrome b559 was the one that had been released in the splitting of water. The low potential, unprotonated form is reduced by photosystem II, possibly via plastoquinone in some type of Q cycle. This reduced form then binds a proton that was released from one of the S-state transitions that also supplied the electron to reduce PII+. The reduced and high potential form in turn reduces cytochrome f or plastocyanin with little loss of redox energy. The oxidized protonated form, which has a much lower affinity for the proton, releases its proton into the lumen of the thylakoid so that the cycle can begin again.
Formulation and Stability Study of Eslicarbazepine Acetate Oral Suspensions for Extemporaneous Compounding

Eslicarbazepine acetate is an anticonvulsant drug with a recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for expanded use in children and adolescents. Currently, eslicarbazepine acetate is only available in the U.S. as 200-mg to 800-mg strength tablets (Aptiom), which are not easy to administer for pediatric patients. This study was initiated to develop an oral suspension formulation for extemporaneous compounding by pharmacists and to generate stability data for storage recommendations. Nine suspension formulations of eslicarbazepine acetate were prepared from Aptiom tablets and commercially available liquid vehicles using the standard mortar/pestle method. The vehicles varied mainly in their solvents, viscosities, and sweeteners. The formulations were evaluated for ease of preparation, physical properties, and initial potency. Two lead formulations were selected for a two-month stability study at room temperature or under refrigeration (2°C to 8°C). The stability samples were withdrawn at pre-determined time points and analyzed by visual inspection, pH measurement, and a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic assay. The majority of the 9 formulations were found to be easy to prepare and administer at a concentration of 40-mg/mL eslicarbazepine acetate. Particle settling was observed in several formulations over time, but they were re-suspended satisfactorily upon shaking. Two suspensions in 50:50 v/v mixtures of Ora-Sweet or Ora-Sweet SF with Ora-Plus were selected as the lead formulations for the two-month stability study. At the initiation of the study, all samples appeared as white and smooth suspensions with pH ranging from 4.39 to 4.46. The high-performance liquid chromatographic results confirmed that the initial samples contained 100.4% to 102.2% of the label claim strength. Over two months of storage at room temperature or refrigeration, there were no significant changes in visual appearance, re-suspendability, pH, or potency for any samples. No new degradation peaks were observed in any highperformance liquid chromatograms. Based on the study results, two eslicarbazepine acetate suspensions are recommended for extemporaneous compounding from Aptiom tablets. The formulations consist of 40 mg/mL eslicarbazepine acetate in 50:50 v/v Ora-Sweet:Ora-Plus or Ora-Sweet SF:Ora-Plus. Once prepared, these suspensions can be stored at room temperature or under refrigeration for up to two months.
Pyridine-terminated low gap π-conjugated oligomers: design, synthesis, and photophysical response to protonation and metalation

Reported here is the design and synthesis of among the first pyridine terminated acceptor–donor–acceptor–donor–acceptor (A–D–A–D–A) based π-conjugated oligomers, EH_DPP_2T_Pyr (1), EH_II_2T_Pyr (2), and EH_II_1T_Pyr (3). The molecules incorporate thiophenes as electron donors, isoindigo/diketopyrrolopyrrole as electron acceptors, and are capped with pyridine, a weak electron acceptor, on both ends. All target oligomers show attractive photophysical properties, broad absorption in the visible region (λmax = 636 nm, 575 nm, and 555 nm, for 1, 2, and 3, respectively) and emission which extends to the IR region (emission λmax = 734 nm and 724 for 1 and 2, respectively). Given the pyridine nitrogens, the optoelectronic properties of the compounds can be further tuned by protonation/metalation. All compounds show a bathochromic shift in visible absorption and fluorescence quenching upon addition of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Similar phenomena are observed upon addition of metals with a particularly strong response to Cu2+ and Pd2+ as indicated by Stern–Volmer analysis (e.g., for Pd2+; Ksv = 7.2 × 104 M−1 (λ = 673 nm), 8.5 × 104 M−1 (λ = 500 nm), and 1.1 × 105 (λ = 425 nm) for 1, 2, and 3, respectively). The selective association of the molecules to Cu2+ and Pd2+ is further evidenced by a color change easily observed by eye and under UV light, important for potential use in colorimetric sensing.
Performance Evaluations of Multi-hop WirelessHART Network and 6LoWPAN using Different Topologies

WirelessHART is an industry leading wireless sensor networking protocol featuring mesh networking, multi-hopping, and robust communications for applications in harsh industrial environments. The mesh network allows sensors to be out of the range of a network manager and pass messages to the network manager through closely located devices in the network. The message may hop through multiple devices to reach the network manager. Thus, the topology of the network affects various performance metrics, including latency, reliability, and stability. In this paper, two topologies are studied and analyzed basing upon their latencies and reliabilities. The standard mesh network configuration requires multiple parent motes for a sensor, while as the single path configuration has single parent mote of multi hopping for each sensor, which is the worst case of the topologies. The reliability of the standard configuration is consistently 100.00% during an experiment of 22 days, while as the reliabilities for the loop configurations is 100.00% for a period of 4 days. This finding confirms our previously reported study that wireless HART performance is highly robust even using the worst topology. The WirelessHART network is also compared with another 802.15.4 derivative, 6LoWPAN, sharing the same network topology of a single path. The 6LoWPAN network shows a reliability of 99.84% during a test period of 7 days, while the WirelessHART network shows a reliability of 99.94%.
Application of lasers in the synthesis and processing of two-dimensional quantum materials

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) quantum materials and particularly transition metal dichalcogenides have emerged as an exciting class of atomically thin materials that possess extraordinary optoelectronic and photonic properties. The strong light interactions with these materials not only govern their fascinating behavior but can also be used as versatile synthesis and processing tools to precisely tailor their structures and properties. This review highlights the recent progress in laser-based approaches for synthesis and processing of 2D materials that are often challenging via conventional methods. In the synthesis section, the review covers the pulsed laser deposition as the main growth method due to its ability to form and deliver atoms, clusters, or nanoparticles for the growth of 2D materials and thin films with controlled stoichiometry, number of layers, crystallite size, and growth location. It is also shown that the tunable kinetic energy of the atoms in the laser plume is essential for healing defects and doping of 2D layers. In the processing section, the review highlights the application of lasers in crystallization, sintering, direct writing, thinning, doping, and conversion of 2D materials. The spatial and temporal tunability, controlled energy, and power densities of laser beams enable a broad spectrum of applications in the synthesis and processing of 2D quantum materials that are not accessible by other means.
The Impact of Selecting Specific Cohorts for Benchmarking and Interpretation of Emergency Department Patient Satisfaction Scores

Objectives Emergency departments (EDs) patient satisfaction metrics are highly valued by hospitals, health systems, and payers, yet these metrics are challenging to analyze and interpret. Accurate interpretation involves selection of the most appropriate peer group for benchmark comparisons. We hypothesized that the selection of different benchmark peer groups would yield different interpretations of Press Ganey (PG) patient satisfaction scores. Methods Emergency department PG summary ratings of "doctors section" and "likelihood-to-recommend" raw scores and corresponding percentiles were derived for three benchmark peer groups from three academic years (2016, 2017, and 2018). The three benchmarks are: 1) the PG Large database; 2) the PG University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) database; and 3) the Academy of Administrators in Academic Emergency Medicine (AAAEM) database, which is composed only of EDs from academic health centers with emergency medicine residency training programs. Raw scores were converted to percentile ranks for each distribution and then compared using Welch's ANOVA and Games-Howell pairwise comparisons. Results For both patient satisfaction raw scores evaluated, the AAAEM database was noted to have significantly higher percentile ranks when compared to the PG Large and PG UHC databases. These results were consistent for all three time frames assessed. Conclusions Benchmarking with different peer groups provides different results, with similar patient satisfaction raw scores resulting in higher percentile ranks using the AAAEM database compared to the two PG databases. The AAAEM database should be considered the most appropriate peer group for benchmarking academic EDs.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Following Acute Stroke

Stroke is a devastating event that annually affects over 800,000 million individuals in the USA and is associated with significant individual and social costs. In this narrative review, we summarize current evidence regarding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following acute stroke. In addition to the long-term physical consequences, it is increasingly recognized that psychological distress is common after stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). Nearly 1 in 4 survivors of TIA and stroke report elevated symptoms of PTSD in the first year following their cerebrovascular event. Those individuals with PTSD symptoms are at elevated risk for not only sustained psychological distress but also increased risk for non-adherence to medication. Factors in the emergency department, such as crowding, may influence the development of PTSD following acute stroke and TIA. We also summarize the rationale and clinical importance of developing and implementing quantitative predictive models of post-stroke PTSD symptoms in the ED setting. The potential of promising early interventions to prevent PTSD critically hinges on the accurate and precise identification of patients at risk for PTSD. Predictive modeling of PTSD risk may greatly facilitate the prospective management of mental health care in ED patients after stroke.
Maternal dietary fat intake and the risk of congenital heart defects in offspring.

BACKGROUND Fatty acids are crucial in embryologic development, including cardiogenesis. The impact of maternal periconceptional dietary fat intake on the risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs) has not been clearly elucidated. We hypothesized that maternal dietary fat intake during pregnancy is associated with risk of CHDs in offspring. METHODS We analyzed CHD cases and nonmalformed controls from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a case-control, multicenter population-based study of birth defects. We used multivariable logistic regression to analyze the association between maternal periconceptional dietary fat intake and occurrence of CHDs. RESULTS We examined 11,393 infants with CHDs (cases) and 11,029 infants without birth defects (controls). Multivariable analysis of maternal dietary fat intake adjusted for maternal energy intake demonstrated modest change in risk for 2 of the 25 CHDs analyzed; otherwise there was no association. Maternal dietary fat intake unadjusted for total energy was associated with increased risk for several CHDs. CONCLUSIONS After adjusting for total energy intake, maternal periconceptional dietary fat intake has a modest association with risk of a few specific CHDs. If maternal dietary fat intake does impact CHD risk, the effect is minimal. IMPACT In this large, case-control study, after adjusting for total caloric intake, maternal periconceptional dietary fat intake was not associated with increased odds of congenital heart defects. This study investigates the hypothesis that women's periconceptional fat intake alters the risk of congenital heart defects in offspring. Our results raise questions about the role maternal fat intake may play in cardiogenesis and risk of congenital heart defects. Additionally, they raise the question about whether maternal lipid metabolism, as opposed to fat intake, may influence cardiac development.
BLACKS AND CUBANS IN METROPOLITAN MIAMI'S CHANCING ECONOMY

Metropolitan Miami has undergone a series of major changes during the previous three decades. This paper focuses on how well its black population has fared, in terms of resource acquisition, vis-a-vis the new immigrant Cuban population. The evidence demonstrates that blacks have not penetrated the metropolitan economy with the same degree of success as have the Cubans. This is primarily attributed to the greater human capital investment in the refugee population, the growth of the enclave economy, and the role of the exile culture.
Computational modeling of transforming growth factor β and activin a receptor complex formation in the context of promiscuous signaling regulation

The Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) superfamily is a group of multipotent growth factors that control proliferation, quiescence and differentiation. Aberrant signal transduction and downstre...
Reliability of dynamic load scheduling with solar forecast scenarios

This paper presents and evaluates the performance of an optimal scheduling algorithm that selects the on/off combinations and timing of a finite set of dynamic electric loads on the basis of short term predictions of the power delivery from a photovoltaic source. In the algorithm for optimal scheduling, each load is modeled with a dynamic power profile that may be different for on and off switching. Optimal scheduling is achieved by the evaluation of a user-specified criterion function with possible power constraints. The scheduling algorithm exploits the use of a moving finite time horizon and the resulting finite number of scheduling combinations to achieve real-time computation of the optimal timing and switching of loads. The moving time horizon in the proposed optimal scheduling algorithm provides an opportunity to use short term (time moving) predictions of solar power based on advection of clouds detected in sky images. Advection, persistence, and perfect forecast scenarios are used as input to the load scheduling algorithm to elucidate the effect of forecast errors on mis-scheduling. The advection forecast creates less events where the load demand is greater than the available solar energy, as compared to persistence. Increasing the decision horizon leads to increasing error and decreased efficiency of the system, measured as the amount of power consumed by the aggregate loads normalized by total solar power. For a standalone system with a real forecast, energy reserves are necessary to provide the excess energy required by mis-scheduled loads. A method for battery sizing is proposed for future work.
New Technologies in Bony Reconstruction of Complex Head and Neck Defects

Vascularized bone free flaps are a fundamental tool in complex head and neck reconstruction. While the principles of bony reconstruction have largely remained unchanged, technological innovations have permeated reconstructive paradigms over the past four decades. The purpose of this review is to summarize new technology in bony reconstruction for head and neck defects. Numerous innovations have been described and offer significant improvements in functional outcomes, accuracy and reliability of bony reconstruction. These include optimization in surgical positioning facilitating improved exposure to the scapula donor site, virtual surgical planning for craniofacial defects, three-dimensional printers that have modernized how surgeons critically assess craniofacial anatomy and anticipate reconstructive challenges, and advances in material science including the use of absorbable plates. This review describes fundamental innovations in bony reconstruction of complex head and neck defects that have vastly improved surgical approaches throughout all phases of reconstruction.
Quantum Mechanical Calculations on Molecules Containing Positrons

Supercomputers and multi—node computer clusters have started to offer cornputer power sufficient to undertake projects in the area of molecular structure calculations that a few years ago were not at all feasible. This particularly applies to very accurate calculations concerning small molecular systems in isolation. In recent years we have carried out development and implementation of methods allowing very accurate quantum mechanical calculations of ground and excited stationary states of molecule—positron systems without assuming the Born—Oppenheimer (BO) approximation regarding the separability of the nuclear, electronic, and positronic motions. In this review we describe the current progress in the area of positron—molecule calculations, we review our approach and show our recent non—BO calculations of the ground state of the e+LiH system, and we mention some of our future projects in this area.
A vision for the ocean planet in 2020

In 1989, the underwater visionary Henry Stommel dared to dream of a future world with unprecedented research technology and oceanographic capabilities. In Stommel's version of the 21st century, a large fleet of small, cheap robots glide over the ocean floor. Stommel believed the right kind of technology would set oceanographers free to explore, discover, and even unlock the secrets of the deep. Technological advances in autonomous vehicles, electronic charts, Global Positioning Systems, the on-going success of autonomous gliders, the deployment of Argo floats, extensive research on our global oceans from fixed platforms, research vessels, and submersible exploratory tools allow us to scour the ocean floor at depths. The technological base for this evolution rests on the development of truly adaptive sampling, pervasive networked devices and globally abundant bandwidth for data transfer capabilities. In the future, commuters will rely on intelligent navigation systems which will incorporate weather conditions, current traffic patterns, historic trends, and preferred routes to deliver a driver to his destination in the safest, fastest, most economical route. Autonomous vehicles will roam the oceans truly sampling and studying the sea. Emerging tropical storms will be detected by networked systems that will be able to follow the storm and provide superior modeling and warning capabilities to coastal communities. Other systems will detect pollution in fragile ecosystems and be able to instantaneously follow the plume to the source and alert appropriate enforcement authorities and clean-up experts to limit the damage. By knowing the migration routes, size and fecundity, essential habitats, and actual biomass, resource managers will develop true sustainable-use plans and catch quotas, and limit by-catch. New energy and biopharmaceutical resources will be discovered and evaluated by autonomous underwater agents circling the world's oceans as they update and create new charts and gradually map the entire ocean. Just as today's Internet users can move from one WiFi hot spot to the next, the robots exploring and monitoring our oceans will be continuously and wirelessly connected to land-based servers. Immediate and constant connections between vehicles will allow new synthetic aperture techniques to yield improved data and facilitate adaptive behavior of individual units.
Model based health monitoring of vehicle steering system using sliding mode observers

This paper presents a solution to the problem of diagnosing faults in a vehicle steering system using nonlinear observers constructed by sliding mode observer design techniques. A bicycle vehicle model using small angle approximations is used to represent vehicle behavior. The model reproduces the in plane motions (longitudinal velocity, lateral velocity and yaw rate) of the vehicle. A bank of observers each utilizing different measurements to estimate the system states are constructed using sliding mode theory. The sliding observers are used in a binary phase detection filter configuration to isolate sensor faults. Further the design of the sliding observers is extended to estimate the inputs acting on the system and these estimates are then used for isolation of actuator faults. The effectiveness of the diagnostic scheme is demonstrated through the use of simulations. Further, experimental implementation currently being scheduled in collaboration with the Transportation Research Center of Ohio.
Hollow-fiber OP-CPA for energetic ultrafast ultraviolet pulse generation

Summary from only given. We address the energy scaling through the application of optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) technique to hollow-core fiber frequency conversion. A narrow-band short-wavelength pump pulse is mixed with a longer wavelength wide-band pulse, chirped to match the pulse duration of the pump.
Evaluation of models for laterally loaded piles

Abstract It is common in the analysis of piles under lateral loads to use a model of a beam on elastic foundation, or a finite element model with the pile represented by a one dimensional beam–column with its axis coinciding with the central line of the finite element mesh. In both cases the lateral stiffness of the pile itself, as a structural element, is a function of the product of its Young’s modulus of elasticity by the moment of inertia of the cross section (EI). For solid piles the moment of inertia is directly related to the radius but this is not the case when dealing with hollow piles where the value of the radius corresponding to a given moment of inertia is not unique. Both of the above models ignore the effect of the value of the radius of the soil cavity occupied by the pile. In this work a more accurate model of the pile with the soil around it represented. A consistent boundary matrix valid for static and dynamic analyses is used to evaluate the accuracy of the results provided by the model of a beam on elastic foundation. In addition, a 1D model of the pile is analyzed with finite elements for the soil. This analysis considers a fixed value of the product EI, but a variable radius in order to illustrate the importance of the radial dimension. Results are obtained for a pile fixed at the bottom, but long enough so that the top boundary conditions do not affect the results and for a shorter floating pile were the shear and moment at the bottom resulting from the underlying soil would not be zero. For the beam on elastic foundation model, the top of the pile was assumed to be fixed.
Vortex dynamics of the nonlinear wave equation

Abstract ψ is a complex scalar field defined on (2 + 1 - D)-dimensional Minkowski space. It satisfies the nonlinear wave equation (NLWE) □ψ−(1−|ψ|)ψ = 0 We study the solutions which contain time-like world lines of zeros, with winding numbers +1 or -1. We call these particle-like defects of the ψ field vortices. We formulate an asymptotic “particle + field” vortex dynamics which derives from the NLWE. It is analogous to particle + field electrodynamics in 2 + 1 - D. In particular, the winding number plays the role of charge, and gradients, of arg ψ play the role of the electromagnetic field.
Reactivity of ferrate(V) (FeVO43-) with aminopolycarboxylates in alkaline medium : A premix pulse radiolysis

A premix pulse radiolysis technique was used to study the reaction between Fe(V) and APCs. Fe(V) reactions with glycine, IDA, NTA, EDTA and DTPA were measured at pH 12.5. Spectral results showed that Fe(V) is reduced to Fe(III); therefore, the reaction of Fe(V) with APCs proceeds via a concerted two-electron oxidation, which converts Fe(V) to Fe(III). The rate law for the oxidation of these APCs by Fe(V) is first-order with respect to each reactant at this pH. Fe(V) reactivity with APCs at pH 12.5 was found to increase in the order of tertiary < secondary < primary and vary from 1.6 × 102 M−1 s−1 to 1.4 × 104 M−1 s−1. Both EDTA and DTPA reacted faster than NTA with Fe(V) and Fe(VI). The order of reactivity of amines with Fe(V) suggests that FeO43- attacks at the nitrogen atom sites of the APCs, which leads to large differences in the rate constants. In addition, Fe(V) is approximately three- to five-orders of magnitude more reactive than Fe(VI). The reaction of Fe(V) with EDTA was studied as a function of pH (9.0–12.5). The rate constants increased as the pH decreased. The speciation of EDTA and Fe(V) were used to fit the data.
Distributed Detection using an Adaptive Fusion Processor

It is well known that the optimal signal detection performance in a distributed system is obtained if both the local processors and the fusion processor are designed using apriori known statistics for the local decisions. In this work, we consider the case when the local decision statistics are not known apriori, but instead deviate from some known nominal value. Specifically, we examine the case where the received local decision statistics are known except for an unknown channel transition probability (an unknown probability that the channel may introduce an error). We develop an estimation procedure for the performance characteristics of the local processors using the local decisions received by the fusion processor. The fusion processor design adapts to account for the estimated local performance characteristics. Performance of the adaptive fusion network is significantly better than the fixed-structure nominal network. Furthermore, the adaptive fusion network performs nearly as well as the optimal omniscient system.
An integrated hypothesis for regional patterns of shoreline change along the Northern North Carolina Outer Banks, USA

Combining analyses of plan-view shoreline change and shoreline curvature with existing nearshore geologic and bathymetric data and the results of a recent theoretical, large-scale shoreline-evolution model that couples geologic framework to alongshore sediment transport, we propose an integrated explanation for persistent patterns of shoreline change observed on the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina, USA. Concentrated sources of coarse-grained sediment, derived from relict fluvial stratigraphy or densely grouped relict inlet channels excavated from the shoreface, may both enable persistence of nearshore bathymetric anomolies and control multi-km-scale undulations in shoreline curvature, which in turn affect gradients in wave-driven alongshore sediment transport that drive long-term shoreline change.