cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intra- and Interspecific Competition in Adults of Two Abundant Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from a Sandhills Grassland

Recognizing the existence and importance of intra- and interspecific competition in natural populations of insect herbivores remains problematical. We performed field-cage experiments to detect the presence of both intra- and interspecific competition among adults of two common, grass-feeding grasshoppers, Ageneotettix deorum (Scudder) and Amphitornus coloradus (Thomas). Based on increased mortality and lowered fecundity at higher densities, strong evidence for intraspecific competition exists for both species. Interspecific competition was weaker than intraspecific competition in this study. When interspecific competition existed, it was asymmetric in its effect, with the larger species ( A. coloradus ) negatively impacting the smaller one ( A. deorum ). Although there was little evidence for interspecific effects on mortality, egg production was impacted in a size-dependent, asymmetric manner between the two species. Significant density dependent depression of available food was observed for A. coloradus , the larger species. Experiments were nm at high densities (10–30 individuals per square meter), levels only irregularly reached under natural conditions (either in sporadic patches or overall about every 10–12 yr). Because naturally occurring densities are typically below the competitive threshold, interspecific competition between these two species may occur only intermittently. Other forces may greatly impact adult mortality at this site, including predation.
Binding of insertion/deletion DNA mismatches by the heterodimer of yeast mismatch repair proteins MSH2 and MSH3

Abstract DNA-mismatch repair removes mismatches from the newly replicated DNA strand. In humans, mutations in the mismatch repair genes hMSH2 , hMLH1 , hPMS1 and hPMS2 result in hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) [1–8]. The hMSH2 (MSH for MutS homologue) protein forms a complex with a 160 kDa protein, and this heterodimer, hMutS α , has high affinity for a G/T mismatch [9,10]. Cell lines in which the 160 kDa subunit of hMutS α is mutated are specifically defective in the repair of base–base and single-nucleotide insertion/deletion mismatches [9,11]. Genetic studies in S. cerevisiae have suggested that MSH2 functions with either MSH3 or MSH6 in mismatch repair, and, in the absence of the latter two genes, MSH2 is inactive [12,13]. MSH6 encodes the yeast counterpart of the 160 kDa subunit of hMutS α [12,13]. As in humans, yeast MSH6 forms a complex with MSH2, and the MSH2–MSH6 heterodimer binds a G/T mismatch [14]. Here, we find that MSH2 and MSH3 form another stable heterodimer, and we purify this heterodimer to near homogeneity. We show that MSH2–MSH3 has low affinity for a G/T mismatch but binds to insertion/deletion mismatches with high specificity, unlike MSH2–MSH6.
Macrosialin increases during normal brain aging are attenuated by caloric restriction.

During normal aging, microglia develop an activated phenotype characterized by morphologic changes and induction of CD11b, MHC II, and other inflammatory markers. We show that macrosialin (CD68), a macrophage-specific protein, is increased by aging in selected brain regions of male C57BL/6NNia mice. In corpus callosum and striatum, macrosialin mRNA and protein increased ≥50% (24 months versus 4 months); hippocampus and cerebellum were unchanged. Caloric restriction (CR) attenuated these age-related increases. Since CR attenuates age-related increases in oxidative damage and inflammation, we examined whether oxidized lipoproteins and inflammatory processes regulate macrosialin using murine BV-2 microglial cells as a model. Oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) induced macrosialin protein by 50%. Moreover, macrosialin was induced in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus interferon-γ (IFN-γ) which activates inflammatory pathways in BV-2 cells. Thus, the previously documented increase in oxidized lipoproteins, inflammation, and microglial activation during normal aging may contribute to the age-related increase in macrosialin expression.
Norms for Behavior and Conditions in Two National Park Campgrounds in Korea

/ This study was conducted to examine norm prevalence, norm agreement, and norm stability in an international setting. Data were collected at two campgrounds in Chiri-Mountain National Park, Korea, in 1993 and 1994. Results showed that a high proportion of users could specify norms for various types of campground impacts. Users who rated high importance on impacts tended to show a higher level of norm prevalence. Generally there were differences in social norms and norm agreement across locations. Among those impacts that showed differences, social norms in a less developed area were more restrictive and norm agreement was higher. The results of this study are consistent with normative studies conducted in North America, suggesting that a normative approach can be applied in a variety of settings. Social norms for selected impact indicators were also stable over a one-year time period. Implications are discussed.KEY WORDS: Norms; Norm prevalence; Norm agreement; Norm stability
Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of quaternary ammonium-functionalized POSS (Q-POSS) and polysiloxane coatings containing Q-POSS

An array of quaternary ammonium-functionalized POSS (Q-POSS) compounds were synthesized and their antimicrobial properties toward the Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli, and the Gram-positive bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, determined in aqueous solution. Using Q-POSS compositions that exhibited broad spectrum antimicrobial activity in solution, the utility of the Q-POSS compounds as an antimicrobial additive for polysiloxane coatings was determined. The results of the investigation showed that Q-POSSs possessing a relatively low extent of quaternization and longer alkyl chain lengths provided the highest antimicrobial activity in solution. For polysiloxane coatings containing Q-POSS molecules as an antimicrobial additive, coating surface energy, surface morphology, and antimicrobial properties were found to be strongly dependent on Q-POSS composition. Coatings based on Q-POSSs possessing the lowest extent of quaternization displayed antimicrobial activity while analogous coatings produced using Q-POSSs possessing the highest extent of quaternization showed no antimicrobial activity. The lack of antimicrobial activity exhibited by coatings possessing Q-POSSs with a relatively high extent of quaternization was attributed to agglomeration of Q-POSS molecules through the formation of intermolecular interactions involving the quaternary ammonium moieties. Agglomeration would be expected to reduce diffusivity and inhibit interaction of the Q-POSS molecules with microbial cells.
Improper intersection of algebraic curves

Bezout's theorem gives an upper bound on the degree of the intersection of properly intersecting algebraic varieties. In spaces of dimension higher than two, however, intersections between many algebraic varieties such as curves are improper. Bezout's theorem cannot be directly used to bound the number of points at which these curves intersect. In this paper an algebrogeometric technique is developed for obtaining an upper bound on the number of intersection points of two irreducible algebraic curves in k-dimensional space. The theorems obtained are applied to the specific case of intersecting algebraic space curves in three-dimensional space, and a number of examples are analyzed in this regard. The implications of the derived results for computer-aided geometric design are discussed.
Mediation of the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and proactive aggression by amygdala response to fear among children with conduct problems

Importance Among youths with conduct problems, callous-unemotional (CU) traits are known to be an important determinant of symptom severity, prognosis, and treatment responsiveness. But positive correlations between conduct problems and CU traits result in suppressor effects that may mask important neurobiological distinctions among subgroups of children with conduct problems. Objective To assess the unique neurobiological covariates of CU traits and externalizing behaviors in youths with conduct problems and determine whether neural dysfunction linked to CU traits mediates the link between callousness and proactive aggression. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional case-control study involved behavioral testing and neuroimaging that were conducted at a university research institution. Neuroimaging was conducted using a 3-T Siemens magnetic resonance imaging scanner. It included 46 community-recruited male and female juveniles aged 10 to 17 years, including 16 healthy control participants and 30 youths with conduct problems with both low and high levels of CU traits. Main Outcomes and Measures Blood oxygenation level–dependent signal as measured via functional magnetic resonance imaging during an implicit face-emotion processing task and analyzed using whole-brain and region of interest–based analysis of variance and multiple-regression analyses. Results Analysis of variance revealed no group differences in the amygdala. By contrast, consistent with the existence of suppressor effects, multiple-regression analysis found amygdala responses to fearful expressions to be negatively associated with CU traits ( x = 26, y = 0, z = −12; k = 1) and positively associated with externalizing behavior ( x = 24, y = 0, z = −14; k = 8) when both variables were modeled simultaneously. Reduced amygdala responses mediated the relationship between CU traits and proactive aggression. Conclusions and Relevance The results linked proactive aggression in youths with CU traits to hypoactive amygdala responses to emotional distress cues, consistent with theories that externalizing behaviors, particularly proactive aggression, in youths with these traits stem from deficient empathic responses to distress. Amygdala hypoactivity may represent an intermediate phenotype, offering new insights into effective treatment strategies for conduct problems.
Noninvasive evaluation of world class athletes engaged in different modes of training.

This study evaluated by noninvasive methods the cardiac structure and functional characteristics of world class athletes participating in different types of training programs. Fourteen subjects, including 4 strength-trained (discus and shot put), 4 endurance-trained (long distance runners), 4 decathlon-trained (strength and endurance), 2 wheelchair athletes and 31 college-age control subjects were evaluated using electrocardiography, M-mode echocardiography and maximal oxygen consumption. M-mode echocardiography measurements of left ventricular structure and function were compared before and after normalization for lean body weight. As expected, endurance athletes had greater maximal O2 consumption than the other groups (p < 0.05). Before normalization for lean body weight, there were no significant differences in end-diastolic dimensions. After normalization, the endurance, wheelchair and control subjects had end-diastolic dimensions larger than those of strength athletes. Strength athletes appeared to have a much larger posterior wall and septal thickness than all groups except the decathlon athletes. However, when normalized, there was no difference among any of the groups. Previous investigators have attempted to determine “normalcy” of cardiac hypertrophy by looking at the ratio of left ventricular wall thickness to left ventricular radius. In the present study, the thickness to radius ratio in strength athletes was 33% greater than that in endurance athletes. It appears that the left ventricular wall thickness in the strength athletes occurred without a concomitant increase in left ventricular radius and that the left ventricular hypertrophy of world class athletes is related to the total increase in lean body weight. However, ventricular dimensions may be related more to the type of overload experienced.
Regulation of the human Na+-dependent glucose cotransporter hSGLT2

The human Na+-glucose cotransporter SGLT2 is expressed mainly in the kidney proximal convoluted tubule where it is considered to be responsible for the bulk of glucose reabsorption. Phosphorylation...
Seasonal Effects of Four Control Methods on the Invasive Morrow’s Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) and Initial Responses of Understory Plants in a Southwestern Pennsylvania Old Field

The first step in restoration often involves the removal of invasive plants, but few studies have determined if the response of plant communities matches management goals. The shrub Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii Gray) is one of a suite of exotic bush honeysuckle species that have become pervasive woody invaders in eastern North America. In 2004, we tested four control methods (cut, mechanical removal, stump application of glyphosate, and foliar application of glyphosate) during late spring and early autumn within a degraded meadow at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Our restoration goals are to control Morrow’s honeysuckle, restore native vegetation, and mimic the conditions present in the mid-1700s. We established forty-five 5 3 5–m plots to measure woody species; five plots of each treatment method were treated in spring, whereas the remaining five were treated in autumn. We maintained five control plots. Before control, mean density of Morrow’s honeysuckle was 67,920 ± 4,480 shrubs/ha. Foliar application of herbicide and mechanical removal were most effective at reducing the number of shrubs (‚62%). Overall, our treatments were less successful (26–68% reduction) than reported control efforts of other bush honeysuckle species; the sheer number of shrubs coupled with their open habitat made control efforts difficult. Spring treatments, particularly cut and mechanical treatments, had higher metrics of herbaceous community quality. However, continued restoration efforts, including follow-up treatments, White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) control, and the planting of native seeds and saplings, should be employed to favor the establishment of native seedlings and herbs.
Søren Kierkegaard and Karl Barth: Reflections on a Relation and a Proposal for Future Investigation

Karl Barth's relationship to Kierkegaard is one that is complex but often solely understood by means of Barth's own explicit reflections on Kierkegaard near the end of his life. This article revisits this history not only to cast light on the reasons for Barth's explicit distancing of himself from Kierkegaard's work, but also to provide evidence that Kierkegaard's influence upon Barth's thinking may have ranged further and in more subtle ways than is often acknowledged. This is particularly seen when Kierkegaard's understanding of Christology and the objectivity, rather than subjectivity, of faith is taken into account. Such an examination may provide warrant for a reappraisal of the relation between these two figures.
Interpreting the Causal Structure of Differential Association Theory

The Sutherland theory has been supported by various studies showing a co-variance between delinquent association and delinquent involvement. However, since this support is cross-sectional, it can also be used in support of other competing formulations. In this paper we suggest three modes of solution for deciding between the Sutherland and the Glueck interpretations of this data: an empirical solution, a theoretical solution, and a theoretical compromise. Concerning an empirical solution we pay particular attention to techniques recently developed which allow causal interpretations to be inferred from cross-sectional data. Concerning a theoretical solution we discuss the possibility of conceptualizing one or the other theories as special cases of a more general and empirically supported theory. And as a theoretical compromise we suggest restricting the application of each theory to certain mutually exclusive psychological and sociological conditions.
Professional compassion fatigue: what is the true cost of nurses caring for the dying?

Background: Emerging evidence describes some of the heavy tolls that health professionals experience as they deal with the continual loss of patients. Each patient and family has particular needs (physical, psychological, social, and spiritual) and is deserving of expert end-of-life care, and it is this intensity of need that places nurses at risk of professional compassion fatigue (PCF). Aim: This pilot study aimed at further exploration of the prevalence of PCF among hospice and palliative care nurses, as well as the nature of its effects and any coping strategies that nurses adopt. Methodology: A descriptive qualitative study was undertaken using semi-structured interviews with six highly experienced, purposively sampled nurses from a home health agency in northeast USA. Results: All six of the participants recognised the risks of developing PCF, and one was clearly experiencing PCF at the time of interview. Signs and symptoms were described and strategies for avoiding and alleviating PCF were discussed. Conclusion: There are clear physical and emotional health consequences for nurses who provide hospice and palliative care over extended periods of time. Further research is needed into the extent of the problem, specific causes, and coping strategies.
An Analysis of Racial/Ethnic Pay Disparities Among Hospital Nurses in New York City:

Despite growing concern over cultural competence and diversity in the registered nursing (RN) workforce, minority RNs working in hospitals in New York City who were surveyed in 2007 earned less on average than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Regression decomposition was applied to these data to investigate how much of the differential could be attributed to different characteristics of different racial/ethnic groups and how much could be attributed to differential valuation of characteristics between racial/ethnic groups. The earnings differential between Black/African American and non-Hispanic White RNs was about equally due to different characteristics and differential valuation of characteristics, but the earnings differentials between Hispanic/Latino RNs and non-Hispanic White RNs and between Asian/Pacific Islander RNs and non-Hispanic White RNs were about two-thirds due to different characteristics and one-third due to differential valuation of their characteristics. In particular, years of nursing experience did not translate into the same earnings advantages for minority RNs.
Finding line segments by stick growing

A method is described for extracting lineal features from an image using extended local information to provide robustness and sensitivity. The method utilizes both gradient magnitude and direction information, and incorporates explicit lineal and end-stop terms. These terms are combined nonlinearly to produce an energy landscape in which local minima correspond to lineal features called sticks that can be represented as line segments. A hill climbing (stick-growing) process is used to find these minima. The method is compared to two others, and found to have improved gap-crossing characteristics. >
Ixabepilone plus capecitabine for breast cancer patients with an early metastatic relapse after adjuvant chemotherapy: two clinical trials.

Abstract Background Despite recent advances in treating patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), outcomes remain poor. Ixabepilone is a semisynthetic analogue of epothilone B with low susceptibility to multiple mechanisms of tumor-cell resistance. This review examined the results of 2 phase III clinical trials of ixabepilone in patients with drug-resistant or heavily pretreated, locally advanced breast cancer or MBC. Patients and Methods In both studies, women with locally advanced breast cancer or MBC pretreated with, or resistant to, taxanes or anthracyclines were randomly assigned to ixabepilone plus capecitabine, or capecitabine alone, until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred. Results Ixabepilone plus capecitabine significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) compared with capecitabine alone. The median PFS was prolonged by 1.5 months and 1.8 months in the 2 studies (hazard ratio, P ≥ .001). These observations remained valid within several patient subsets: those receiving ixabepilone as first-line therapy, those with taxane-resistant disease, and those with particularly poor prognostic features. Ixabepilone plus capecitabine significantly improved overall survival (OS) compared with capecitabine in patients with symptomatic disease (12.3 vs. 9.5 months, respectively; P = .015). Peripheral neuropathy with ixabepilone was generally reversible and was effectively managed by dosage reduction in most patients. Ixabepilone did not exacerbate capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome or diarrhea. Conclusion The results of these 2 large phase III trials suggest that ixabepilone plus capecitabine may improve treatment outcomes for patients with locally advanced breast cancer or MBC resistant to, or heavily pretreated with, taxanes or anthracyclines, even in those with poor prognostic features.
Transforming the Story: Narrative Applications to a Stepmother Support Group

Inherent in the role of stepmother are unique tensions, ambiguities, and challenges. Underlying much of the role strain is the dominant cultural stepmother story, that of a self-serving and pernicious woman. Undertaking a role held circumspect by many may contribute to feelings of insecurity, isolation, and role constriction. In this article, the author describes how concepts drawn from narrative therapy are utilized in an ongoing support group for stepmothers. Reasons why support groups are especially appropriate for and enhanced by narrative techniques are offered. Group functions and narrative applications are described and illustrated through 4 kinds of stepmother stories. These stories exemplify some of the dilemmas that stepmothers face and show how narrative techniques have been used to help members create more satisfying and authentic stories.
Improving Dietary Adherence

Of the many challenges clinicians face, those associated with unhealthy diet practices may be the most widespread and the most difficult to address and overcome. This is because everyone has performed the ritual of eating (and drinking) more frequently and for longer than any other health habit. Food and drink are associated with a number of factors that can make adherence to a new diet regimen quite challenging, including a person’s sense of comfort and pleasure, underlying physiology, social interactions, ethnic and family traditions, and cravings.
Control Problems and Sufficiency Considerations

The discipline now identified as optimal control emerged during the decade 1940–1950, from the efforts by engineers to design electromechanical apparatus which was efficiently self-correcting, relative to some targeted objective. Such efficiency is clearly desirable in, say, the tracking of an aircraft near a busy airport or in the consumption of its fuel, and other economically desirable objectives suggest themselves. The underlying mathematical problems were attacked systematically in the next decade by Bellman [Be], by Hestenes [He], and by a Russian group under Pontjragin [Po]. Their results were quickly adapted to characterize optimal processes in other fields (including economics itself) and the feasibility of optimal control is now a standard consideration in contemporary design strategy.
Transients of Water Distribution and Transport in PEM Fuel Cells

The response of polymer electrolyte membrane PEM fuel cells to a step change in load is investigated experimentally in this work. Voltage undershoot, a characteristic feature of transient response following a step increase in current, is due to transients of water distribution in the membrane and ionomers occurring at subsecond time scales. The use of humidified reactants as a means to control the magnitude of voltage undershoot is demonstrated. Further, the response under a step decrease in current density is explored to determine the existence of hysteresis. Under sufficiently humidified conditions, the responses under forward and reverse step changes are symmetric, but under low relative humidity conditions, voltage undershoot is twice as large as the overshoot.
Thermodynamics of the superconducting phase transformation in high T c ceramics with magnetoelectric effects

A second order phase transformation in a dielectric ceramic superconductor is shown to relate jumps in physical properties to the ratio of state variables, i.e., to the phase boundary, near the critical point. The major jumps in specific heat, compressibility, permittivity, permeability, and spinodal composition curvature, between the normal and superconducting phases, are found from the continuity of the entropy, volume, electromagnetic fields (with zero fields), and chemical equilibrium. The thermal expansion, pyroelectric effects, and the piezoelectromagnetic effects are important differences between ceramic and metallic superconductors. The most important conclusions from experimental measurements are that the lattice plays a minor role in the superconductor transformation while the magnetoelectric jump may be related to the jump in permeability, i.e., the Meissner effect, and the jump in permittivity. The oxygen miscibility gap which controls order/disorder transformations thermodynamically mandate that only metastable compositions are obtained in the metal oxide, so absolute stability of the system may never be achieved. An explicit criterion to suggest other superconductor systems is given from magnetoelectric materials, i.e., some of the pervoskites.
Electron Donation Mechanisms of β‐Carotene as a Free Radical Scavenger

ABSTRACT The free radical scavenging ability of β-carotene was studied using free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH). As the concentration of β-carotene in acetone increased, the absorbance of DPPH at 517 nm decreased, which indicates that β-carotene scavenges free radicals. It was shown that β-carotene does not work as an antioxidant in soybean oil. The NMR spectrum of DPPH with BHA in CDCl3 showed a new peak at 5.0(d) was formed and the peak at 6.6(d) from BHA was split into 2 peaks, which may be due to the hydrogen atom donation from BHA to DPPH. The NMR spectra of DPPH with p-carotene did not change during reaction and no peak was formed.
Maintaining Patients’ Privacy and Confidentiality With Family Communications in the Intensive Care Unit

To purchase electronic or print reprints, contact the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656. Phone, (800) 899-1712 or (949) 362-2050 (ext 532); fax, (949) 362-2049; e-mail, reprints@aacn.org. This article provides an example of how to share information about a patient with the patient’s family and patient-designated significant others so that they can stay actively engaged in their loved one’s care and/or participate in care planning and shared decision making. Health care providers are commonly faced with challenges related to communication of their patient’s health information in the ICU. How would you respond when faced with the familiar situations below? Your patient has acute respiratory distress syndrome after an aspiration event and will most likely have an extended ICU stay with prolonged mechanical ventilation. He requires sedation for ventilator compliance and is unable to communicate with visitors and loved ones who call the unit. 1. The patient’s wife expresses concern about getting the detailed information regarding her husband’s condition that she was able to get when at the bedside because she has to go back to home (2 hours away) to arrange care for her children. 2. A friend of the patient, who is a nurse, comes to the ICU to visit and Maintaining patients’ privacy and confidentiality has always been an ethical obligation of nurses. Navigating the nuances of what information about patients can be shared and with whom while keeping patients’ families and friends informed of the clinical condition of their loved one has always been tricky. With the introduction of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule in 2003, health care clinicians have expressed increased confusion and concern regarding information sharing because of fear of potential repercussions, including fines and diminished job security. Simply put, the HIPAA Privacy Rule was enacted to protect patients’ health information and to define patients’ rights related to their health information. This privacy rule also outlines possible consequences and penalties for violations. Since its introduction, concerns about violating the HIPAA Privacy Rule have created dilemmas for nurses who want to involve and update patients’ family members about their loved one’s status, but worry about violating the rule. Access to information and communication about the patient’s status are primary indicators of satisfaction among patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and their families. In a large observational study, incompleteness of information communicated was identified as an independent predictor of dissatisfaction with the ICU by families of ICU patients.
A STUDY OF THE UTERINE CERVIX OF THE MOUSE.

The two uterine horns in the adult are joined caudally to form an externally undivided segment consisting of a cranial and a caudal part. The cranial part becomes wide and swollen at its junction with the horns. It contains two lumina separated by a midline septum and is designated as the uterine body or corpus. The narrow and slightly tapered caudal part projects into the cranial portion of the vagina. It contains a single lumen or canal and is designated as the uterine neck or cervix. The wall of the cranial two-thirds of the adult cervix contains a relatively large amount of circularly arranged smooth muscle fibers. In contrast, its caudal one-third consists chiefly of a network of collagen fibers. During cervical development argyrophilic fibers first appear in sections of cervical wall from mice sacrificed at birth. Collagen and smooth muscle fibers are first stainable with the Mallory method in cervical wall sections from mice one week old. During pregnancy and after combined treatment with estradiol, progesterone and relaxin the collagenous fiber bundles of the cervix become looser and more widely separated. This is associated with an increased dilatability of the cervical canal and increased stainability of the ground substance. The muccopolysaccharide(s) demonstrable histochemically in the cervix of the mouse was digestible with testicular hyaluronidase.
Application of fuzzy sets to optimal reactive power planning with security constraints

This paper presents a mathematical formulation for the optimal reactive power planning taking into account the static security constraints and the nonprobabilistic uncertainty in load values. The planning process is decomposed into investment and operation problems via the generalized Benders decomposition (GBD). Fixed and variable costs are considered in the investment problem. Linguistic declarations of load values in the operation problem are translated into possibility distribution functions. The operation problem is decomposed into 4 subproblems via Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition (DWD), and the modeling of multi-area power systems is considered by applying a second DWD to each subproblem, leading to a significant reduction in its dimensions for personal computer applications. Voltage constraints within each area are modeled as fuzzy sets for the static security analysis by biasing the final solution towards desired values of variables within their given ranges. The overall solution is a compromise between economics (lower investment and operation costs) and security (tighter feasible region). Numerical examples for the applicability of the proposed approach to multi-area power systems are discussed. >
Blocks in, blocks out: A language for 3D models

Madeup is a programming language for making things up-literally. Programmers write sequences of commands to move and turn through space, tracing out shapes with algorithms and mathematical operations. The language is designed to teach computation from a tangible, first-person perspective and help students integrate computation back into the physical world. We describe the language in general and reflect specifically on our recent implementation of its block interface.
Some Factors Influencing the Abundance of the Predaceous Mite Amblyseius hibisci in Southern California (Acarina: Phytoseiidae)

Mite population surveys carried out in 3 avocado orchards from 1961 through 1963 showed that the predaceous mite Amblyseius hibisci (Chant) often attained its highest population density of the season in the spring or early summer, when mite prey densities were very low. The crawler stage of the latania scale, Hemiberlesea lataniae (Signoret), was a suspected source of food but no correlation was found between the abundance of A. hibisci and that of scale crawlers or crawler-producing females. Another suspected food was pollen. Rapid increases of A. hibisci followed the the beginning of blossoming and egg production peaks showed a close correlation with peaks in flowering intensity. In another orchard the predaceous mite population reached unusually high levels, apparently as a result of large quantities of pollen drifting from adjacent plants of Ricinus communis L. Marked population increases of A. hibisci were induced artificially by dusting caged branches with pollen at weekly intervals. Laboratory tests showed that mites confined on excised avocado leaves fed and reproduced on avocado pollen applied at an average density of only 6.6 pollen grains per square inch of leaf surface. The characteristic of pollen feeding in relation to the potential effectiveness of A. hibisci as a predator is discussed.
Sasquaperla hoopa , a new stonefly genus and species from northern California (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae)

Sasquaperla hoopa , a new genus and species of Chloroperlidae, is described from adults and preemergent nymphs collected in the Coast Range of northern California. Males are characterized by the epiproct reduced to a small, tablike structure bearing stiff hairs in a narrow band along the posterior margin. Females are similar to those of Sweltsa , but the nymphs bear several erect bristles lateral to depressed hair patches on the mesosternum. Modified keys are presented for adults and nymphs.
Oncologic Outcomes after Anterior Exenteration for Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer in Women

Purpose: We investigated oncologic and urinary outcomes after anterior exenteration for urothelial cell carcinoma in females, identifying tumor characteristics associated with female pelvic organ involvement. We hypothesized that a lack of trigonal or bladder floor tumor, intraoperative palpable posterior mass and clinical lymphadenopathy is associated with a lack of female pelvic organ involvement.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of female patients who underwent radical cystectomy at our institution from 1999 to 2014. Patient and operative characteristics were extracted from the electronic medical record, and performance of hysterectomy was tested for association with disease recurrence. Categorical and continuous variables were analyzed with the chi-square and Student t-test, and Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to determine recurrence-free survival according to hysterectomy performance. Women who had neobladder creation were additionally evaluated for an association betw...
The Investigation of SARS-like Coronavirus and Rabies Virus in the Bats of a Village in Lin Jin Town GuangXi

Objective To investigate probably viruses in bats and study the probably relation between bats and the human disease.Methods Epidemical investigation,RT-PCR and cell isolation methods were applied to detect the SARS-like Coronavirus(SARS-like-CoV)and the Rabies virus(RV),in oropharyngeal swab,fecal swab and fecal sample from the trapped three bat species(Hipposideros pratti,Rhinolophus affinis,Cynopterus sphinx) in a village of the town Lingjin,Guangxi.Results None of the two viruses was detected in the samples from the trappd 6 Hipposideros pratti,7 Rhinolophus affinis,and 4 Cynopterus sphinx.Conclusion This results show the SARS-like Coronavirus(SARS-like-CoV)and the Rabies virus(RV) perhaps not exited in the investigative bats.
A North American freshwater sponge (Eospongilla morrisonensis new genus and species) from the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic), Colorado

Eospongilla morrisonensis n. gen. and sp., the oldest-described freshwater sponge (Demospongea: Spongillidae), is found in the Upper Jurassic (?Oxfordian/Kimmeridgian to Tithonian) Morrison Formation, east-central Colorado, U.S.A. Eospongilla morrisonensis occurs within the well-developed lacustrine carbonate succession of the Morrison Formation, and is represented by two micritic body fossils with calcite-replaced megascleres that range in length from 180 to 300 mu m and in diameter from 20 to 35 mu m. Megascleres are simple oxeas and strongyles and lack apparent ornamentation, possibly due to the diagenetic replacement. The oxeas are straight but the strongyles display a slight curvature. Microscleres are absent; gemmoscleres were not observed.
An internal report: Electron Spectroscopy of the Oxidation and Aging of U and Pu

Uranium and Plutonium are highly reactive elements that undergo not only chemical reactions but also nuclear reactions. This can lead to possibly significant materials degradation, a matter of potentially great concern. Here, the issue of the electronic structure changes that occur with oxidation and radiological aging will be addressed, in a fairly empirical manner. In essence, the sensitivity of various electron spectroscopic techniques to oxidation and aging will be surveyed and discussed, including the apparent limitations. It will be found that 5d and 4d X-ray absorption and electron energy loss are essentially blind to the changes corresponding to oxidation and aging in U and Pu.
Reactive integrated motion planning and execution

Current motion planners, such as the ones available in ROS MoveIt, can solve difficult motion planning problems. However, these planners are not practical in unstructured, rapidly-changing environments. First, they assume that the environment is well-known, and static during planning and execution. Second, they do not support temporal constraints, which are often important for synchronization between a robot and other actors. Third, because many popular planners generate completely new trajectories for each planning problem, they do not allow for representing persistent control policy information associated with a trajectory across planning problems. We present Chekhov, a reactive, integrated motion planning and execution system that addresses these problems. Chekhov uses a Tube-based Roadmap in which the edges of the roadmap graph are families of trajectories called flow tubes, rather than the single trajectories commonly used in roadmap systems. Flow tubes contain control policy information about how to move through the tube, and also represent the dynamic limits of the system, which imply temporal constraints. This, combined with an incremental APSP algorithm for quickly finding paths in the roadmap graph, allows Chekhov to operate in rapidly changing environments. Testing in simulation, and with a robot testbed has shown improvement in planning speed and motion predictability over current motion planners.
Social work with family caregivers to the aged.

A social work program is presented that assists family members in caring for their elderly relatives through a combination of counseling and support services. The intervention sequence and skills n...
Introduction to the Field of Composition: Politics from the Start

This chapter critically considers the current field of Composition Studies (Composition) from a traditional historical perspective while acknowledging its role in the creation and maintenance of culture. Since my intention is to expose omissions in this traditional history in the next chapter, the history of Composition presented in this chapter is most commonly known as the traditional “Harvard” history because Harvard is the location where initial Composition courses are said to have been taught. Harvard, as the locus of Composition, is largely accepted as the dominant history of Composition.
Non-invasive thrombolysis induced by histotripsy pulsed cavitation ultrasound therapy

Current thrombolytic techniques have significant drawbacks including risks of excessive bleeding and infection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate histotripsy as a new method of thrombolysis. Histotripsy uses short, intense ultrasound pulses to fractionate soft tissue through controlled cavitation. Histotripsy was applied to clots in-vitro using a 1-MHz focused transducer, 5-cycle pulses at a pulse repetition frequency of 1 kHz and peak negative pressures between 2-12 MPa. An ultrasound imaging transducer was used for targeting and monitoring of treatment. Backscatter of the therapy pulse was recorded to detect initiation of a cavitation cloud. Debris size distributions were measured using filter paper and a Coulter Counter. Histotripsy was able to break down clots weighing > 300 mg within 300 seconds of treatment. Thrombolysis was only observed at peak negative pressures >= 6 MPa, with the initiation of a cavitation bubble cloud at the transducer focus. Over 96% of the debris weight was < 5 mum diameter. During ultrasound application, it was observed that clot fragments were spontaneously attracted to and trapped near the transducer focus, and further broken down. This phenomenon may be applicable as a means to prevent embolism during histotripsy and other procedures.
Work organization, sleep and metabolic syndrome among long-haul truck drivers.

Background: The work organization of long-haul truck drivers in the USA contains factors that have been shown to degrade sleep. In combination, these factors generate elevated cardiometabolic risk by inducing components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the prevalence and severity of MetS and the degree to which such factors differentially influence MetS among these drivers are unknown. Aims: To determine the prevalence and severity of MetS among US long-haul truck drivers and to determine the predictive value of demographic, work organization and sleep variables in MetS diagnosis and severity. Methods: A non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional study, designed to collect survey, anthropometric and biometric data from US long-haul truck drivers. Descriptive analyses were performed for demographic, work organization, sleep and MetS measures. Logistic and linear regression analyses examined potential predictive relationships between demographic, work organization and sleep variables and MetS diagnosis and severity. Results: The study population was 262. Nearly 60% of drivers met MetS diagnosis criteria. Over 80% had a waist circumference >102 cm, 50% had triglyceride levels of =150 mg/dl, 66% had an high-density lipoprotein of Conclusions: The prevalence and severity of MetS among this sample of US long-haul truck drivers were high. Preventive efforts should focus on experienced drivers and work day sleep quality.
Words matter: The power of language to create community

Pause for a moment and consider something tiny, yet absolutely fundamental to libraries. Consider the many words that we as a profession use to describe the people who use our libraries. Most of the words we use to refer to the people who use our libraries are transactional rather than relational. I’ve long had difficulty with most of these words, finding myself chafing against their usage, connotations, and general feeling. For instance, calling the people who use our libraries customers isn’t right. We aren’t selling products and they aren’t buying. Customer base , client , or consumer are even further from the target, although I have seen these words used.
Multivariate spatial meta kriging

Abstract This work extends earlier work on spatial meta kriging for the analysis of large multivariate spatial datasets as commonly encountered in environmental and climate sciences. Spatial meta-kriging partitions the data into subsets, analyzes each subset using a Bayesian spatial process model and then obtains approximate posterior inference for the entire dataset by optimally combining the individual posterior distributions from each subset. Importantly, as is often desired in spatial analysis, spatial meta kriging offers posterior predictive inference at arbitrary locations for the outcome as well as the residual spatial surface after accounting for spatially oriented predictors. Our current work explores spatial meta kriging idea to enhance scalability of multivariate spatial Gaussian process model that uses linear model co-regionalization (LMC) to account for the correlation between multiple components. The approach is simple, intuitive and scales multivariate spatial process models to big data effortlessly. A simulation study reveals inferential and predictive accuracy offered by spatial meta kriging on multivariate observations.
In Re Launching a New Vision in Education and e-Learning: Fostering a Culture of Academic Integrity in e-Learning

This paper presents the results of two studies conducted in 2017 on students’ use of technology, specifically social media, to enhance their e-learning experience. The first study focused on how students had used social media for e-learning. The second shifted the focus from the students’ own experiences to their observations on all students’ use of social media. Both studies emanated from earlier research on students’ perceptions of academic integrity and the use of technology in the online learning environment. One hundred eight-five graduate and undergraduate students participated in the first survey. One hundred sixty graduate and undergraduate students participated in the second. Based on enrollment status and academic level, there were statistically significant differences in both studies with regard to the use of Facebook and Snapchat to enhance students’ learning experience. There were differences between the two studies when the questions focused on the student’s individual use or all students’ use, of social media to cheat. In the first, students admitted to having used one or more social media to cheat “a few times” (3.85%–6.15%). In the second, more students said that other students used social media to cheat “a few times” (10.53%–21.05%). Based on enrollment status and academic level, there were statistically significant differences in the second study on using technology to cheat. Responses to the final questions concerning the student’s own feelings about academic dishonesty and what actions he/she might take to stop others from cheating did not evidence a culture of academic integrity.
Sustainable Rehabilitation of Deteriorated Concrete Highways: Condition Assessment Using Shuffled Complex Evolution (SCE) Global Optimization Approach

Sustainable construction technologies for transportation infrastructure promises to provide full and lasting environmental, social and economic benefits to not only present-day users but also future generations. Recycled pavements can be both economically and environmentally sustainable when their structural adequacies meet the requirement. Rubblization of deteriorated concrete highways is considered to be a green pavement recycling technology that is both cost-effective and yields long-lasting performance. This chapter introduces two approaches - Deflection Basin Parameters (DBPs) and a hybrid Shuffled Complex Evolution (SCE)-Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) - to characterize structural condition of rubblized concrete pavements using Non-Destructive Test (NDT) deflection measurements. The utilization of these approaches in real word case scenarios is demonstrated to provide alternative solutions to the complex structural condition assessment problem for sustainable pavements.