cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examining spectral reflectance features related to foliar nitrogen in forests: Implications for broad-scale nitrogen mapping

Abstract The concentration of nitrogen (N) in foliage often limits photosynthesis and can influence a number of important biogeochemical processes. For this reason, methods for estimating foliar %N over a range of scales are needed to enhance understanding of terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycles. High spectral resolution aircraft remote sensing has become an increasingly common tool for landscape-scale estimates of canopy %N because reflectance in some portions of the spectrum has been shown to correlate strongly with field-measured %N. These patterns have been observed repeatedly over a wide range of biomes, opening new possibilities for planned Earth observation satellites. Nevertheless, the effects of spectral resolution and other sensor characteristics on %N estimates have not been fully examined, and may have implications for future analyses at landscape, regional and global scales. In this study, we explored the effects of spectral resolution, spatial resolution and sensor fidelity on relationships between forest canopy %N and reflectance measurements from airborne and satellite platforms. We conducted an exercise whereby PLS, simple and multiple regression calibrations to field-measured canopy %N for a series of forested sites were iteratively performed using (1) high resolution data from AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) that were degraded spectrally from 10 nm to 30 nm, 50 nm, 70 nm, and 90 nm bandwidths, and spatially from 18 m to 30 m and 60 m pixels; (2) data representing Landsat and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) spectral bands simulated with data from AVIRIS; and (3) actual data from Landsat and MODIS. We observed virtually no reduction in the strength of relationships between %N and reflectance when using coarser bandwidths from AVIRIS, but instead saw declines with increasing spatial resolution and loss of sensor fidelity. This suggests that past efforts to examine foliar %N using broad-band sensors may have been limited as much by the latter two properties as by their coarser spectral bandwidths. We also found that regression models were driven primarily by reflectance over broad portions of the near infrared (NIR) region, with little contribution from the visible or mid infrared regions. These results suggest that much of the variability in canopy %N is related to broad reflectance properties in the NIR region, indicating promise for broad scale canopy N estimation from a variety of sensors.
Optimal Informal Employment Ratio for Turkish Economy

Abstract This study is an attempt to analyze optimal informal employment ratio for Turkish economy. Informal employment has advantages and disadvantages and there is a study that 1 point increase at informal employment increases the economic growth 0,23 point for Turkish economy. Informal employment causes revenue losses consisting of both tax and social security premium. But also it causes economic growth. In the study, the relationship between the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and informal employment ratio (IER) for Turkish economy will be analyzed. Monthly data covering the period between January 2005 and December 2013 from TUIK (Turkish Statistics Institution) were used in the study. The model will be estimated using Engle-Granger Two-Step Estimation Procedure. By the model; at first the relationship between the informal employment ratio and the GDP will be tried to assess the optimal informal employment ratio for Turkish economy and where the Turkish economy stands according to this ratio and the gain of the economy at this optimum rate respectively.
Deutsch-österreichische Beethoven-Bilder: Richard Wagner, Elfriede Jelinek und “der Zorn der Schreiber”

ABSTRACT The article explores how Richard Wagner's Beethoven and Elfriede Jelinek's Das Lebewohl draw on music and musical aesthetics to signify national and cultural aspirations in Germany and Austria. As an artistic experience that transcends borders, Beethoven's music has often provoked questions about cultural memory, “national art forms,” and collective identity in nineteenth- and twentieth-century German intellectual history. Though very different in nature, Wagner's politically charged Beethoven and the monolog that Jelinek ascribes to the right-wing Austrian politician Jorg Haider show how important music and language can be when national goals and cultural politics join forces.
Dimension Eight Operators in the Weak Operator Product Expansion

We argue that there is a potential flaw in the standard treatment of weak decay amplitudes, including that of ǫ/ǫ. We show that (contrary to conventional wisdom) dimension-eight operators do contribute to weak amplitudes, at order GFαs and without 1/M 2 W suppression. We demonstrate the existence of these operators through the use of a simple weak hamiltonian. Their contribution appears in different places depending on which scheme is adopted in performing the OPE. If one performs a complete separation of short and long distance physics within a cutoff scheme, dimension-eight operators occur in the weak hamiltonian at order GFαs/μ 2, μ being the separating scale. However, in an MS renormalization scheme for the OPE the dimension-eight operators do not appear explicitly in the hamiltonian at order GFαs. In this case, matrix elements must include physics above the scale μ, and it is here that dimension eight effects enter. The use of a cutoff scheme (especially quark model methods) for the calculation of the matrix elements of dimension-six operators is inconsistent with MS unless there is careful matching including dimension-eight operators. The contribution of dimension-eight operators can be minimized by working at large enough values of the scale μ. We find from sum rule methods that the contribution of dimension-eight operators to the dimension-six operator Q 7 is at the 100% level for μ = 1.5 GeV. This suggests that presently available values of μ are too low to justify the neglect of these effects. Finally, we display the dimension-eight operators which appear within the Standard Model at one loop. Typeset using REVTEX
Resilience: The Final Frontier

The history of stress management has largely been reactive. By that we mean stress management was initially conceived of as a means to manage stress that had become “excessive.” More forward thinkers also saw that stress management could be proactive and preventive in nature as the construct evolved. We may be standing at the point in the evolution of the stress management construct where we can see the last iteration, i.e., its “final frontier.” From our 57 combined year perspective having watched this field emerge and evolve, we believe the final frontier in the science and practice of stress management is human resilience.
P3-30-3COMBINATION OF REPEATED SURGERY AND PERIOPERATIVE CHEMOTHERAPY FOR METACHRONOUS DOUBLE BILE DUCT CANCER

Abstract A 69-year-old woman was admitted due to jaundice. Enhanced CT scan showed advanced gallbladder cancer invading the liver parenchyma. After three courses of gemcitabine (GEM) therapy were administered as neoadjuvant chemotherapy, extended right hemihepatectomy was performed. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was canceled due to the patient's refusal. Nine months after the surgery, CA19-9 level was increased and follow-up CT detected hilar lymph node swelling, which strongly suggested recurrence of the disease. Chemotherapy using S-1 was introduced but was stopped because of progressive disease response. Instead, GEM therapy was administered and a partial response was observed which persisted for about five years thereafter. However, 76 months after the operation, jaundice was noted and solitary hilar mass lesion was detected by a follow-up CT and FDG-PET, without any other distant metastasis. The patient underwent extrahepatic bile duct resection with partial resection of the portal vein due to direct tumor invasion, and pathologically the tumor was diagnosed hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Since cancer infiltration of the intrahepatic bile duct stump was histologically positive, combination chemotherapy using GEM plus CDDP was administered. The patient is currently 76 years of age, 7 years after the initial surgery, and she is still doing well without any signs of recurrence. Metachronous multiple carcinomas of the biliary system are relatively uncommon due to the rarity of cholangiocarcinoma and its poor prognosis. Although some selected patients with bile duct cancer have a chance of long-term survival thanks to recent advances in both surgical resection and combination chemotherapy, standardization of chemotherapy or other therapeutic modalities has not been established for the treatment of such critical patients. We discussed feasibility and safety of multidsciplinary treatment for metachronous multiple bile duct cancers with the review of the literature.
Investment in public capital, distribution, and governance

How does the redistribution of income that a regime prescribes for society and the amount of public-good social-overhead investment it provides depend on the nature of that regime? And how do these infl uence said society’s productive success? Connections among these phenomena informed much of Mancur Olson’s (1982, 1991) life-work now so foundational to the literature on redistributive politics, economic growth/prosperity, and the nature of regimes. Still a transparent simple account of how the nature of a regime determines trade-offs between transfers and public capital investment can improve the foundations and clarify anomalies present in the literature. Here we elaborate a model to address these questions and we prove, contrary to received wisdom, that redistribution can reduce or actually and unexpectedly increase supplies of public overhead capital. Redistributive taxation reduces capital productivity, which incentivizes governments to supply less. But, contrary to conventional wisdom, redistribution can also so deplete the tax base that to offset some of the loss government will actually invest more in the way of public-overhead factor inputs than would a less redistributive regime of an otherwise comparable society.
Computational modeling of size-dependent superelasticity of shape memory alloys

Abstract We propose a nonlocal continuum model to describe the size-dependent superelastic responses observed in recent experiments of shape memory alloys. The modeling approach extends a superelasticity formulation based on the martensitic volume fraction, and combines it with gradient plasticity theories. Size effects are incorporated through two internal length scales, an energetic length scale and a dissipative length scale, which correspond to the gradient terms in the free energy and the dissipation, respectively. We also propose a computational framework based on a variational formulation to solve the coupled governing equations resulting from the nonlocal superelastic model. Within this framework, a robust and scalable algorithm is implemented for large scale three-dimensional problems. A numerical study of the grain boundary constraint effect shows that the model is able to capture the size-dependent stress hysteresis and strain hardening during the loading and unloading cycles in polycrystalline SMAs.
Growth of Listeria monocytogenes Restricted by Native Microorganisms and Other Properties of Fresh-Cut Spinach †.

A study was undertaken to investigate the cause of the bacteriostatic activity of fresh-cut spinach leaves against Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes was cultivated in pure tryptic soy broth for use as a monoculture, in tryptic soy broth containing 10 mg ml−1 of autoclaved or nonautoclaved freeze-dried spinach powder, and in tryptic soy broth in mixed cultures with various microorganisms isolated from fresh-cut spinach, including Pseudomonas fluorescens biovar I, P. fluorescens biovar III, Staphylococcus xylosus, and an undefined culture of mesophilic aerobic microorganisms (MAMs) isolated from freeze-dried spinach powder. These microorganisms were inoculated at 4.4 log CFU ml−1 and L. monocytogenes was inoculated at 2.4 and 4.4 log CFU ml−1 After 24 h of incubation at 30°C, the populations of the two inoculum levels L. monocytogenes increased to 9.0 and 9.6 log CFU ml−1 in the tryptic soy broth control, to 5.4 and 7.5 in nonautoclaved spinach powder cultures, and to 8.8 and 9.1 log CFU ml−1 in auto...
Influence of Horizontal Multi-layer Soil on DC Current Distribution in AC Power Grid

DC distribution in AC grid is caused by earth-return current of HVDC transmission.Adverse effect of transformer and AC grid is led by DC distribution.We established a complete model to analyze the laws of DC distribution under horizontal multi-layer soil,and used numerical methods to simplify the calculation of earth surface potential induced by DC electrode and to evaluate the DC distribution under 4-layer horizontal soil.The results reveal that,if any substation is away from 10 times as the DC electrode's dimension,the point source can be used as the specific DC electrode to obtain earth surface potential.Field parameter is the key point of the model while mutual resistance is the essence of field parameter.As to a large-scale power grid,mutual resistance can not be neglected.Soil parameters have the accordant influence on grounding resistance and ESP.But the influential degree is different.As grounding resistance and ESP has the adverse effect,DC distribution is nonlinear with grounding resistance and ESP.When soil parameters change to some extent,DC distribution is saturated.
The economics meaning of credit and conceptual discrimination on some related conceptions

The definition that credit is to keep one's words in social and economic interactions is powerful enough to almost cover every aspect of economic activities and social life,and to interpret various individual behaviors.The economics meaning of credit is to keep contract run,be honest in transaction,and cast opportunist behaviors away.This complies both with the general definition which focuses on the inherent quality of keeping promise,and with economic credit's characteristics which attach importance to honest transaction,to contract and never harming the benefits of the other party by taking advantage of information.While honesty and trust,trust and reputation have close relationship with credit,it is necessary to give a theoretical discrimination on these concepts.
Collateral Circulation of Cavernous Transformation of Portal Vein

Cavernous transformation of the portal vein refers to the pathological formation of large numbers of collateral vessels when the portal trunk and(or) its branches are completely or partially obstructed.The formation of these vessels is necessary in order to drain splenic and mesenteric venous flow into the intrahepatic portal branches and to maintain sufficient hepatic blood flow and normal hepatic function.In this paper,the nearest progress of the cavernous transformation of portal vein in collateral circulation are reviewed.
The Abstract Neuron Model

In this chapter, an abstract model of the inputs and outputs of a neuron is presented. This leads to the formulation of the notion of a biological feature vector (BFV) which is an eleven parameter approximation of a typical action potential. A short discussion of how a BFV is effective at classifying action potentials into classes based on various toxin inputs is used to show the BFV has utility as a tool in neural circuit simulations. The BFV’s eleven parameters can all be altered and equations are derived showing how an action potential would be altered for a given BFV parameter change. These BFV parameter changes are examples of the consequences to the output of second messenger inputs. Multiple inputs are also discussed.
Evolutionary Methods for Analysis of Human Movement

A movement rehabilitation therapist must first diagnose the cause of disability and then prescribe therapies that specifically target the dysfunctional unit of the movement system. Objective diagnosis and prescription are difficult, however, because human movement is the result of complicated interactions among complex and highly nonlinear elements. Treatment based on limited observations may target the wrong element of the movement system. Researchers in central nervous system (CNS) control of human movement and functional electrical stimulation (FES) restoration of movement to paralyzed limbs face similar challenges in objective analysis of the integrated movement system. In this chapter, we will present evolutionary methods as powerful new tools for analysis and rehabilitation of human movement. These methods have been modeled after the same biological processes that have been optimized for the control of human movement in the process of biological evolution. Therefore, it is logical to think that these methods, if applied properly, could help us understand the control of human movement and repair it when it is disabled. A case study demonstrates the potential of evolutionary methods in movement analysis and rehabilitation.
Evaluation of uptake kinetics during a wastewater diversion into nearshore coastal waters in southern California

Abstract The global eutrophication of coastal ecosystems from anthropogenic nutrients is one of the most significant issues affecting changes to coastal oceans today. A three-week diversion of wastewater effluent from the normal offshore discharge pipe (7 km offshore, 56 m depth) to a shorter outfall located in 16 m water (2.2 km offshore) as part of the 2012 Orange County Sanitation District Diversion provided an opportunity to evaluate the impacts of anthropogenic nitrogen on phytoplankton community response. Nitrogen uptake kinetic parameters were used to evaluate the short-term physiological response of the phytoplankton community to the diverted wastewater and to determine if potential ammonium suppression of nitrate uptake was observed. Despite expectations, there was a muted response to the diversion in terms of biomass accumulation and ambient nutrients remained low. At ambient nitrogen concentrations, calculated uptake rates strongly favored ammonium. During the diversion based on the kinetic parameters determined during short-term experiments, the phytoplankton community was using all three N substrates at low concentrations, and had the capacity to use urea, then ammonium, and then nitrate at high concentrations. Ammonium suppression of nitrate uptake was evident throughout the experiment, with increasing suppression through time. Despite this interaction, there was evidence for simultaneous utilization of nitrate, ammonium, and urea during the experiment. The general lack of phytoplankton response as evidenced by low biomass during the diversion was therefore not obviously linked to changes in uptake rates, physiological capacity, or ammonium suppression of nitrate uptake.
Functional diversity for biomass deconstruction in family 5 subfamily 5 (GH5_5) of fungal endo-β1,4-glucanases

Endo-β1,4-glucanases in glycosyl hydrolase family 5 (GH5) are ubiquitous enzymes in the multicellular fungi and are common components of enzyme cocktails for biomass conversion. We recently showed that an endo-glucanase of subfamily 5 of GH5 (GH5_5) from Sporotrichum thermophile (StCel5A) was more effective at releasing glucose from pretreated corn stover, when part of an eight-component synthetic enzyme mixture, compared to its closely related counterpart from Trichoderma reesei, TrCel5A. StCel5A and TrCel5A belong to different clades of GH5_5 (GH5_5_1 and GH5_5_2, respectively). To test whether the superior activity of StCel5A was a general property of all enzymes in the GH5_5_2 clade, StCel5A, TrCel5A, and two additional members of each subfamily were expressed in a common host that had been engineered to suppress its native cellulases (T. reesei Δxyr1) and compared against each other alone on pure substrates, in synthetic mixtures on pure substrates, and against each other in synthetic mixtures on real biomass. The results indicated that superiority is a unique property of StCel5A and not of GH5_5_2 generally. The six Cel5A enzymes had significant differences in relative activities on different substrates, in specific activities, and in sensitivities to mannan inhibition. Importantly, the behavior of the six endo-glucanases on pure cellulose substrates did not predict their behavior in combination with other cellulolytic enzymes on a real lignocellulosic biomass substrate.
Comparison of simulated hyperspectral HyspIRI and multispectral Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 imagery for multi-seasonal, regional land-cover mapping

Abstract This study used simulated hyperspectral (HyspIRI) and multispectral (Landsat 8 OLI, Sentinel-2 MSI) satellite imagery to compare regional land-cover mapping capabilities (San Francisco Bay Area, California) within an analytical framework that included consistent reference data and classification rules. Imagery had the pixel resolution (30 m) and extent (30,000 km 2 ) of a Landsat scene, with multi-seasonal (spring, summer, fall) acquisitions from year 2013. Primary study objectives were to assess differences in map accuracy related to Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) and Random Forests (RF) classifiers, spectral resolution (hyperspectral vs. multispectral), and temporal resolution (multi-seasonal vs. summer). The RF classifier generally outperformed MESMA by 1.1 to 9.0% overall accuracy, with the exception of summer HyspIRI reflectance data. There were no clear patterns in accuracy when comparing HyspIRI and simulated multispectral reflectance bands with RF and MESMA classifiers. With summer data, HyspIRI had significantly higher accuracy for MESMA (+ 5.5 to + 8.7%) and significantly lower accuracy for RF (− 9.7 to − 16.4%). There were no significant differences in accuracy when using multi-seasonal HyspIRI and multispectral data with RF or MESMA (
Wnt signaling in granulosa cell tumors of the ovary

Granulosa cell tumors (GCT), a malignant type of sex-cord stromal tumor, account for approximately 2-5% of all ovarian malignancies. They are often identified before they have spread beyond the ovary, but advanced disease can be quite challenging to treat. Wnt signaling has been suggested to contribute to the formation of GCT. We hypothesized Wnt signaling was involved in human GCT.
A macroeconomic model for a small member of a monetary union

Abstract A small member of a monetary union faces limited macroeconomic policy options. Its money supply is tied to the trade balance by the “gold standard” exchange rate. Competitive depreciation is at union discretion. A balanced budget constraint eliminates discretionary deficit spending. The present small economy also takes the international interest rate. This paper introduces a flexible price level leading to price specie flow. An interest rate subsidy is also introduced. Fiscal policy and the interest rate subsidy may raise income subject to their tax burdens. Investment policy can affect economic growth.
Increasing the Impact of Policy Analysis – by Asking It to Do Less

More than 50 years ago, Charles Lindblom outlined a critique of “comprehensive-rational analysis”, the idea that policy problems should be thoroughly analyzed before solutions are implemented. Desp...
Publish Subscribe Middleware

Publish subscribe (pub-sub) middleware has become very popular in building large scale distributed systems. Application domains that benefit from publish subscribe architectures include supply-chain management, financial applications, e-commerce applications, workflow systems, and information distribution systems.
The Mathematics of Diffusion

If the electron exchange reaction at the surface of an electrode is sufficiently fast, either due to the inherent kinetic properties of the reaction or due to large overpotentials, then the rate at which the overall reaction will proceed is determined by the rate of transport of reactant to, or products from, the electrode surface. At low overpotentials, or for intrinsically slow electrode processes, it is necessary to take into account the kinetics of the electrode reaction at the surface when solving the diffusion equation for the system. In other instances, chemical reactions may precede or follow the charge transfer reaction, and in these cases it is necessary to modify the diffusion equations to recognize the contributions from these “kinetic” processes to the overall transient response of the system. Since the theoretical description of the transient responses of systems of this type requires the time dependences of surface concentrations and fluxes, it is necessary to consider in detail various methods for solving Fick’s laws of diffusion.
PROPERTY LAW'S BASIC LEGAL PREMISES

This chapter discusses the basic legal premises of property law, rights, and entitlements to property; the Coase theorem; types of possession and their economic rationale; the permanent transfer of rights and entitlements. The concept of property rights relates to the set of privileges and responsibilities accorded to a person in relation to the owning of property in general and real property in particular. These rights are determined by a long history of property laws, whether common laws or statutory laws. The presence of property rights furnishes incentives to use resources efficiently. Given a legal system that enforces property rights, holders can have confidence that they will obtain returns from the use of property. The property law has developed some basic legal concepts and rules, many of which can readily be given economic content. Much of the analysis can be advanced by reference to property rights and, to a lesser extent, to entitlements. As landlord-tenant relations and zoning ordinances lend themselves especially well to an analysis of their economic effects, these two areas are explored in particular detail.
CHAPTER 68 – Structures of Serine/Threonine and Tyrosine Kinases

The structures of Ser/Thr and tyrosine kinases are strikingly similar when these enzymes are released from inhibitory interactions. In contrast, the mechanisms by which kinases are inhibited are numerous, and these distinctregulatory mechanisms result in quite different conformations for the inactive states of kinases. The unexpected diversity in the structures of inactive kinases provides routes to the acquisition of specificity by small-molecule inhibitorsof kinase function. Eukaryotic protein kinases that phosphorylate serine/threonine or tyrosine residues constitute a large family of enzymes that are critical components of cell signaling and regulatory pathways. The nature of the amino acid that is phosphorylated defines the two major classes of protein kinases in eukaryotic cells: serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) kinases and tyrosine (Tyr) kinases. Despite the differences in their substrate specificities, Ser/Thr and tyrosine kinases are very closely related in terms of the structure of their catalytic domains. Ser/Thr kinases are found in all eukaryotes and function in a broad range of signaling pathways, including those that control transcription or the regulation of metabolic pathways. Tyrosine kinases are a later evolutionary offshoot of the family and are predominantly found in multicellular animals, where they play important roles in intercellular signaling.
The Moral Significance of Unintentional Omission: Comparing Will-Centered and Non-will-centered Accounts of Moral Responsibility

It is reasonable to assume that much wrongdoing for which agents are generally thought blameworthy occurs by way of unintentional omission. In this paper, I explain why certain will-centered accounts of moral responsibility tend to struggle to provide convincing explanations of the theoretical basis for judgments of blameworthiness in cases of unintentional omission. To provide such explanations, these will-centered accounts typically rely upon a “tracing strategy”, according to which an agent’s blameworthiness for an unintentional omission necessarily presupposes that it is a casual result of some prior blameworthy intentional choice she apparently made. I argue that this sort of appeal to the tracing strategy, upon further inspection, produces distorting implications for the way we ordinarily think about the conditions of legitimate moral criticism in cases of unintentional omission. I conclude by identifying a peculiar assumption that defenders of these will-centered accounts of moral responsibility appear to adopt and that, once rejected, renders the volitionalist’s appeal to the tracing strategy unnecessary for purposes of explaining the conditions of blameworthiness for unintentional omission. The upshot of my investigation is rather modest, but it does remain unclear just what advantage, if any, will-centered accounts of moral responsibility enjoy over their rival non-will-centered accounts.
A common substrate for cluster computing

The success of MapReduce has sparked many efforts to design cluster computing frameworks. We argue that no single framework will be optimal for all applications, and that we should instead enable organizations to run multiple frameworks effciently in the same cloud. Furthermore, to ease development of new frameworks, it is critical to identify common abstractions and modularize their architectures. To achieve these goals, we propose Nexus, a low-level substrate that provides isolation and efficient resource sharing across frameworks running on the same cluster, while giving each framework freedom to implement its own programming model and fully control the execution of its jobs. Nexus fosters innovation in the cloud by letting organizations run new frameworks alongside existing ones and by letting framework developers focus on specific applications rather than building one-size-fits-all frameworks.
NITROGEN FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS, NITRATE-POLLUTION POTENTIAL, AND ORANGE PRODUCTIVITY

ABSTRACT In a 5-year experiment in a mature ‘Washington’ navel orange [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] orchard, leaching fractions were generally less than 0.05. Annual N rates needed to achieve high fruit yields were up to 368 kg per ha, greater than reported in most California experiments. That may have been associated with limiting soil moisture. N leaf concentration was related to fruit yield and agreed with previously reported guides. Better fruit quality was associated with N rates that restricted fruit yield. Lower NO-3-N concentrations in soil saturation extracts to 3.5 m depth were associated with foliar-applied rather than soil applied N. Mean values from eight sampling dates for annual leachable N, determined from samples from below the root zone, for 368 and 124 kg soil-applied and 155 and 78 kg foliar-applied N rates were respectively: 57.9, 17.5, 10.5 and 13.8 kg N per ha. At the 1% level, the 57.9 value was significantly different from the other values, which did not differ significantly from each other. Average transit time for nitrate in the soil water to move 150 m in the unsaturated zone was calculated to be about 1300 years. An increase in N rate substantially increased the N removed in the harvested crop. The average was 49 kg per ha. N-balance studies showed that, in general, in N rates that restricted fruit yield, we could account for more N than was applied in fertilizer and irrigation water, indicating that the trees were drawing in part upon reserve soil N. With 368 kg soil-applied N, an average of 147 kg N per ha annually was not accounted for and was presumed to be denitrified or otherwise lost as volatile N. Low N rates and low fruit production were associated with high “N-production efficiency” (kg fruit produced per kg applied N) and high “fruit-N-removal efficiency” (kg N removed in fruit per kg applied N × 100). Results suggest that where high rates of N are required, the nitrate-pollution potential can be reduced by using either foliar-applied N or a combination of foliar- and soil-applied N instead of only soil-applied N.
Exploring the role of excess fluoride in chronic kidney disease: A review:

This review covers nearly 100 years of studies on the toxicity of fluoride on human and animal kidneys. These studies reveal that there are direct adverse effects on the kidneys by excess fluoride, leading to kidney damage and dysfunction. With the exception of the pineal gland, the kidney is exposed to higher concentrations of fluoride than all other soft tissues. Therefore, exposure to higher concentrations of fluoride could contribute to kidney damage, ultimately leading to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Among major adverse effects on the kidneys from excessive consumption of fluoride are immediate effects on the tubular area of the kidneys, inhibiting the tubular reabsorption; changes in urinary ion excretion by the kidneys disruption of collagen biosynthesis in the body, causing damages to the kidneys and other organs; and inhibition of kidney enzymes, affecting the functioning of enzyme pathways. This review proposes that there is a direct correlation between CKD and the consumption of excess amounts of fluoride. Studies particularly show immediate adverse effects on the tubular area of human and animal kidneys leading to CKD due to the consumption of excess fluoride. Therefore, it is very important to conduct more investigations on toxicity studies of excess fluoride on the human kidney, including experiments using human kidney enzymes, to study more in depth the impact of excess fluoride on the human kidney. Further, the interference of excess fluoride on collagen synthesis in human body and its effect on human kidney should also be further investigated.
Effect of plasticizing and crosslinking at room temperature on microstructure replication using soft lithography on zein films

Abstract This study examined various zein film formulations to improve the properties for a Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) sensor application. Both oleic acid (OA) plasticizer and glutaraldehyde (GDA) crosslinker were simultaneously incorporated in the films to heighten particular mechanical and surface properties and enhance fidelity of transfer of micro/nano structures. It was found that both GDA and OA concentrations played a significant role in the overall properties of the film to make an effective SERS substrate. The formulation with the best fidelity of transfer during micro/nano lithography was found to be the one containing 0.8 OA with 4% GDA. SERS measurements proved that better nanostructure fidelity enhances the intensity of the Raman signal.
Control of the Iridium Oxidation State in the Hollandite Iridate Solid Solution K1‐xIr4O8.

Polycrystalline pellets and single crystals of KIr4O8 are prepared from mixtures of K2CO3 and Ir black with a 1:2 ratio of K/Ir (alumina crucibles, 1123—1273 K, 4—15 h).
Similarities and differences in program registers: A case study.

Abstract Researchers, clinicians, and other professionals are increasingly in need of cost-effective, evidence-based programs and practices. However, these individuals may lack the time and, for some, the required expertise to search for and identify such interventions. To address this concern, several online registers that list or categorize programs according to their empirical evidence of effectiveness have been established. Although these registers are designed to simplify the task of selecting evidence-based interventions, the use of distinct review processes and standards by each register creates discrepancies in final program classifications, which can pose a challenge for users. The present case study highlights three programs that have been evaluated by more than one register and have received similar or different classifications. Reasons for inconsistencies are discussed, and several recommendations for evaluating organizations and register users are provided to enhance the functionality and ease of use of online program registers.
Socrates' Daimonic Art: Love for Wisdom in Four Platonic Dialogues

Introduction: overview of the Erotic Dialogues Part I. Socrates and Two Young Men: 1. 'Your love and mine': Eros and self-knowledge in Alcibiades I 2. 'In love with acquiring friends': Socrates in the Lysis Part II. Eros and Hybris in the Symposium: Introduction to Part II: the narrators of the Symposium 3. In praise of Eros: the speeches in the Symposium 4. 'You are hubristic': Socrates, Alcibiades and Agathon Part III. Love and Friendship in the Phaedrus: Introduction to Part III: the erotic art in the Symposium and Phaedrus 5. The lover's friendship 6. The lovers' dance: charioteer and horses Conclusion.
Real-Time Egocentric Navigation Using 3D Sensing

This chapter proposes a hierarchical navigation system combining the benefits of perception space local planning and allocentric global planning. Perception space permits computationally efficient 3D collision checking, enabling safe navigation in environments that do not meet the conditions assumed by traditional navigation systems based on planar laser scans. Contributions include approaches for scoring and collision checking trajectories in perception space. Benchmarking results show the advantages of perception space collision checking over popular alternatives in the context of real-time local planning. Simulated experiments with multiple robotic platforms in several environments demonstrate the importance of 3D collision checking and the utility of a mixed representation hierarchical navigation system.
An Aramaic Bill of Sale for the Enslaved Nubian Woman

This essay analyzes a bill of sale for the enslaved Nubian woman . In Cairo during the year 1108 CE, the Jewish woman Sitt al-Aqrān sold to another Jew, Sitt al-Munā, who was the widow of the prominent Geniza merchant Nahray b. . Bills of sale are the most common form of Geniza evidence for the history of slavery and the slave trade. While scribes composed most bills of sale in Judeo-Arabic, the majority of this document is in Aramaic. This scribe’s use of Aramaic legal formulas reflects his reliance on a (defective) copy of the Babylonian Talmud and on a manual of gaonic legal formularies compiled by Hai Gaon, the head of the Pumbedita yeshiva.
Can we Trust Crime Predictors and Crime Categories? Expansions on the Potential Problem of Generalization

City-driven open data initiatives have made spatially referenced crime and risk factor data more readily available online, allowing for significance tests to determine the relationship between environment and crime. This paper uses a variety of open source data to assess risk factors for specific violent crime types (assault, homicide, rape, robbery) in three different cities. The results contribute to our understanding of 1) variation in intra-city risk factors for each violent crime type, 2) the degree of spatial overlap for high-risk places for each violent crime type within a city, and 3) the generalizability of risk factors across crime types and cities. Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM) was used to determine the risk factors associated with each crime type at the micro-level and conjunctive analyses of case configurations (CACC) determined the unique behavior settings at the highest risk for each specific violent crime in each city. The findings indicate that intra-city risk factors vary greatly for each violent crime, highrisk places for different violent crimes tend to not overlap spatially within a city, and risk factors are not generalizable across crime types or across cities. Researchers and law enforcement need to examine local, crime-specific contexts when assessing crime problems and generating solutions.
To compete or defend: linking functional trait variation with life-history tradeoffs in a foundation tree species

Although chemical deterrents to herbivory often exact costs in terms of plant growth, the manner in which those costs arise, and their physiological relationship to other functional traits, remain unclear. In the absence of appreciable herbivory, we examined interrelationships among chemical defense levels and other foliar functional traits (e.g., light-saturated photosynthesis, specific leaf area, nitrogen concentration) as co-determinants of tree growth and, by extension, competitive ability in high-density populations comprising 16 genotypes of Populus tremuloides. Across genotypes, concentrations of chemical defenses were not significantly related to other leaf functional traits, but levels of the salicinoid phenolic glycosides (SPGs) salicin, salicortin and tremulacin were each negatively correlated with relative mass growth (RMG) of aboveground woody tissue (P ≤ 0.001). RMG, in turn, underpinned 77% of the genotypic variation in relative height growth (our index of competitive ability). RMG was also positively related to light-saturated photosynthesis (P ≤ 0.001), which, together with the three SPGs, explained 86% of genotypic RMG variation (P ≤ 0.001). Moreover, results of a carbon balance simulation indicated that costs of resource allocation to SPGs, reaching nearly a third of annual crown photosynthesis, were likely mediated by substantial metabolic turnover, particularly for salicin. The lack of discernible links between foliar defense allocation and other (measured) functional traits, and the illustrated potential of metabolic turnover to reconcile influences of SPG allocation on RMG, shed additional light on fundamental physiological mechanisms underlying evolutionary tradeoffs between chemical defense investment and competitive ability in a foundation tree species.
Insights on expected streamflow response to land-cover restoration

Abstract Ecosystem service approaches to watershed management have grown quickly, increasing the importance of understanding the streamflow response to realistic land-cover change. Previous work has investigated the relationship between watershed characteristics and streamflow in catchments around the world, but little has focused on systematic relationships between watershed characteristics and streamflow change after land-cover restoration. To address this gap, we simulate streamflow responses to restoring 10% of watershed area from agricultural land to forest and natural pasture in 29 watersheds around the world. This change is consistent with that performed in watershed-service programs. We calculate the change in a broad array of streamflow indices for each site and use a graph-connectedness approach to cluster the sites based on the sign of the index value changes. We find three primary clusters with distinct responses to restoration. Permutation tests and effect sizes demonstrate the difference in watershed characteristics and streamflow indices across clusters. The low-flow intensifying sites have shallower soils and smaller saturated soil volumes. After restoration, simulated streamflow in these sites increases during relatively dry periods and declines during high-flow periods. The high-flow intensifying sites have larger saturated soil volumes. After restoration, simulated dry-season flow in these sites decreases. The high-flow enhancing sites have larger soil hydraulic conductivities than the high-flow intensifying sites. After restoration, simulated dry-season flow in these sites decreases less than in high-flow intensifying sites. The soil depth and hydraulic conductivity appear to be the characteristics that determine clusters, as clusters are not statistically related to climate, watershed location, proximity, size and shape, elevation, or pre-existing land cover. This study provides valuable understanding of land-cover restoration and the watershed characteristics that most impact streamflow change.
A randomized controlled pilot study evaluating Worry Less, Live More: The Mindful Way Through Anxiety Workbook.

Effective interventions for generalized anxiety exist, but barriers to treatment prevent their broad dissemination. Commercially available self-help materials may help bridge this gap, but few have...
Evidence of sporulation capability of the ubiquitous oil reservoir microbe Halanaerobium congolense

Subsurface lineages of microorganisms are often questioned for their autochthonous nature. We hypothesize that sporulation is critical to the delivery and ubiquity of Halanaerobium congolense in gl...
Leveraging Ubiquitous Computing for Empathetic Routing: A Naturalistic Data-driven Approach

Although we extensively use routing services in our daily commutes, such systems are yet to be personalized around the user. It often happens that different routes are close in their estimated time of arrival (ETA) while being very different in how they affect the driver’s states. Using traces of a user’s physiological measures, different candidate routes can be ranked based on how they affect users’ well-being. In this research, we introduce the “empathetic routing” framework for providing human-centered routing based on historical biomarkers of the drivers collected through naturalistic settings and by using smart wearable devices. Through this framework, we rank three specific routes between two points in the city of Charlottesville, based on historical driver heart rate data collected through a three-month naturalistic driving study. Additionally, we demonstrate that the proposed framework is capable of finding infrastructural elements in a route that can potentially affect a driver’s well-being.
Renal allograft function in kidney transplant recipients infected with SARS-CoV 2: An academic single center experience.

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplant recipients are a unique cohort in regard to SARS-CoV 2 susceptibility and clinical course, owing to their immunosuppressed state and propensity for kidney injury. The primary purpose of this study is to ascertain if, in kidney transplant recipients, SARS-CoV 2 infection impacts long term renal allograft function. METHODS: This retrospective, single-center study reviewed 53 kidney transplant recipients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR at NMH from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020. RESULTS: Change in eGFR from baseline kidney function prior to infection to 90 days after the first positive SARS-CoV 2 test was +1.76%, -17.5% and -23.16% the mild, moderate and severe disease groups respectively. There was a significant decline in kidney function in the moderate and severe disease cohorts as compared to the mild disease cohort, with respective p values of p = 0.0002 and p = 0.021. Relative to the mild disease cohort, the moderate and severe disease cohorts also demonstrated significantly increased risk of developing AKI (66%, 85%), both with p values of P = 0.0001. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically severe SARS-CoV 2 infection is associated with greater risk of acute kidney injury and greater decline in renal allograft function at 90 days post infection, compared to mild disease.