cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generation of Controlled Low Pressures of Nitrogen by Means of Dissociation Equilibria.

It is shown that fixed low pressures of nitrogen in the vacuum region can be generated by chemical dissociation in a system at equilibrium at constant temperature. Dissociation pressures ranging from 2 × 10-5 to 0.7 torr (3 × 10-3 to 90 N · m-2), corresponding to temperatures of 740 to 1150 K, for the reaction Ba3N2⇄32Ba2N+14N2 have been measured. The pressures, p, in N · m-2 are represented by the equation ln p=(22.02±0.14)-(20,080±140)T, where T is the absolute temperature, and the uncertainties are least squares estimates of the standard deviations of the parameters.
Effect of Host Plant on the Susceptibility of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to a Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus

The influence of host plant on the susceptibility of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), to a nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) was investigated. Median lethal concentrations (LC50's) of NPV were determined in third-instar FAW by a leaf-disk feeding bioassay. LC50's for FAW on signalgrass/corn (88 polyhedral inclusion bodies [PIB] per mm2), corn (l05 PIB per mm2), brown-top millet (111 PIB per mm2), and signalgrass (142 PIB per mm2) were significantly higher than the LC50's for FAW on soybeans (13 PIB per mm2), bermudagrass (17 PIB per mm2), ryegrass (24 PIB per mm2), and sorghum (32 PIB per mm2), based on the lack of overlap of the 95% FL.
Data-Driven Healthcare: Challenges and Opportunities for Interactive Visualization

The healthcare industry's widespread digitization efforts are reshaping one of the largest sectors of the world's economy. This transformation is enabling systems that promise to use ever-improving data-driven evidence to help doctors make more precise diagnoses, institutions identify at risk patients for intervention, clinicians develop more personalized treatment plans, and researchers better understand medical outcomes within complex patient populations. Given the scale and complexity of the data required to achieve these goals, advanced data visualization tools have the potential to play a critical role. This article reviews a number of visualization challenges unique to the healthcare discipline.
Investigation of fly population and density and insecticide resistance of Musca domestica in Zhejiang province,China in 2011

Objective To investigate the fly population and density and the insecticide resistance of Musca domestica in Zhejiang province,China,and to provide a reference for fly control.Methods The fly population and density were investigated by cage trap method with brown sugar and vinegar as baits from April to November.Topical application method was used to investigate the insecticide resistance of M.domestica.Results The trapped flies belonged to 14 species,7 genera,and 3 families.The density of Chrysomya megacephala was the highest(3.36 flies/cage),followed by M.domestica.The peak level of fly density appeared in May,June,and August.M.domestica in the monitoring sites had high resistance to pyrethroid,low resistance to dichlorvos,and little resistance to acetofenate.Conclusion Fly density reaches the peak level in June in Zhejiang province,China,and M.domestica and C.megacephala are the dominant species.The field strains of M.domestica have high resistance to pyrethroid.Insecticides should be mixed and used by turns in the future fly control to prevent the increase of insecticide resistance.
Cognition of Knowledge about Vector Control among Medical Staff in Shifang City after Wenchuan Earthquake

[Objective]To evaluate the knowledge about vector control among staff in medical institutions of Shifang city and effect of disinfection and sterilization in 2009. [Methods]133 medical workers in Shifang city were investigated with questionnaires. [Results]In knowledge about vector-borne diseases and its harms,the cognition of respondents in city-level medical institutions were better than that of respondents in township-level medical institutions obviously,and cognition of respondents with higher education background were better than that of respondents with lower education background obviously.Most of respondents hoped the disinfection and vector control could be organized in the city level. [Conclusion]It is necessary to carry out the education of vector-borne diseases and its prevention measures to improve the vector control in this city,and the effect of unified disinfection and vector control in city level has been accepted.
Distributed Multigrid Technique for Seismic Tomography in Sensor Networks

The modern seismic sensor used to monitor volcanic activity can record raw seismic data for several years. This massive amounts of raw data recorded consists of information regarding earthquake’s origin time, location, velocity the wave traveled etc. To extract this information from the raw samples, current state of the art volcano monitoring systems rely on gathering these high volume data back to a centralized base station. From these extracted information vulcanologist are able to compute tomography inversion and image reconstruction to understand the magma structure beneath. These high volume data are mostly gathered manually or sometimes relayed using powerful expensive broadband stations making vulcanologist unable to obtain real time information of the magma structure and also to predict the occurrence of eruption. Also, the sheer volume of raw seismic data restricts the deployment of large numbers of seismic sensors over the volcano making it difficult to obtain high resolution imagery. To overcome these challenges, a new in-network distributed method is required that can obtain a high resolution seismic tomography in real time. In this paper, we present a distributed multigrid solution to invert seismic tomography over large dense networks, performing in-network computation on huge seismic samples while avoiding centralized computation and expensive data collection. This new method accelerates convergence, thereby reducing the number of message exchanges required over the network while balancing the computation load (Our research is partially supported by NSF-CNS-1066391, NSF-CNS-0914371, NSF-CPS-1135814 and NSF-CDI-1125165.)
Eosinophils and eosinophilia

Abstract Eosinophils are bone marrow–derived granulocytes that have roles in both health and disease. Increases in eosinophilia develop in host responses to helminth parasites, in varied allergic diseases, and in diverse hypereosinophilic syndromes. Eosinophils contain a single population of cytoplasmic granules that house several eosinophil-related cationic proteins as well as a multitude of preformed cytokine proteins. The regulated secretion of eosinophil-derived proteins contributes both to the roles of eosinophils in a diversity of diseases and to the homeostatic functions of eosinophils. The many and varied, at times organ-specific, diseases that can be associated with eosinophilia, including their diagnosis and management, are considered in this chapter.
Predictors of hospital re-admissions among Hispanics with hepatitis C-related cirrhosis.

Background Hospital re-admissions in decompensated cirrhosis are associated with worse patient outcomes. Hispanics have a disproportionately high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related morbidity and mortality. The goal of this study was to evaluate the factors affecting re-admission rates among Hispanics with HCV-related cirrhosis. Methods A total of 292 consecutive HCV-related cirrhosis admissions (Hispanics 189, non-Hispanics 103) from January 2009 to December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed; 132 were cirrhosis-related re-admissions. The statistical analysis was performed using STATA version 11.1. Chi-square/Fisher’s exact and Student’s t-tests were used to compare categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors for hospital readmissions. Results Among the 132 cirrhosis-related readmissions, 71% were Hispanics while 29% were non-Hispanics (P=0.035). Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and esophageal variceal hemorrhage were the most frequent causes of the first and subsequent readmissions. Hispanics with readmissions had a higher Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class (B and C) and higher model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores (≥15), as well as a higher incidence of alcohol use, HE, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and varices (P<0.05). The majority of the study patients (81%) had MELD scores <15. Multivariate regression analysis identified alcohol use (OR 2.63; 95%CI 1.1-6.4), HE (OR 5.5; 95%CI 2-15.3), varices (OR 3.2; 95%CI 1.3-8.2), and CTP class (OR 3.3; 95%CI 1.4–8.1) as predictors for readmissions among Hispanics. Conclusion CTP classes B and C, among other factors, were the major predictors for hospital readmissions in Hispanics with HCV-related cirrhosis. The majority of these readmissions were due to HE and variceal hemorrhage. Keywords Child-Turcotte-Pugh class, non-Hispanics, variceal hemorrhage, prophylactic β-blockers, hepatic encephalopathy Ann Gastroenterol 2016; 29 (4): 515-520
Distance-based outlier detection in data streams

Continuous outlier detection in data streams has important applications in fraud detection, network security, and public health. The arrival and departure of data objects in a streaming manner impose new challenges for outlier detection algorithms, especially in time and space efficiency. In the past decade, several studies have been performed to address the problem of distance-based outlier detection in data streams (DODDS), which adopts an unsupervised definition and does not have any distributional assumptions on data values. Our work is motivated by the lack of comparative evaluation among the state-of-the-art algorithms using the same datasets on the same platform. We systematically evaluate the most recent algorithms for DODDS under various stream settings and outlier rates. Our extensive results show that in most settings, the MCOD algorithm offers the superior performance among all the algorithms, including the most recent algorithm Thresh_LEAP.
Efficient estimation of macroeconomic equations with unobservable states

Abstract Macroeconomic equations, such as the consumption Euler equation, New Keynesian Phillips curve, and Taylor rule, are regularly estimated on an individual basis. However, such relations also jointly determine equilibrium, which may contain unobservable states. This paper shows how to utilize such an equilibrium model to improve the efficiency of individual estimators. In comparison with existing related approaches, this simple framework lends itself naturally to modern medium scale dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models. Not only does the derived estimator exhibit smaller asymptotic variance than equation-by-equation GMM, it also tends to be less prone to small sample distortions from weak identification.
Nondeterministic Analysis of Offshore Structures

The development of a rational procedure for predicting the dynamic response of offshore structures to random sea waves has been presented in earlier papers. However, the fluid-structure interaction effects in a nondeterministic method of analysis has not been fully considered. The inclusion of these effects in the general method of analysis is presented herein. The general theory presented, combines known methods of analysis, such as wave force definitions, structural response techniques, equivalent linearization methods, and extreme value statistics.
Predicting Risk of Type 2 Diabetes by Using Data on Easy-to-Measure Risk Factors.

Introduction Statistical models for assessing risk of type 2 diabetes are usually additive with linear terms that use non-nationally representative data. The objective of this study was to use nationally representative data on diabetes risk factors and spline regression models to determine the ability of models with nonlinear and interaction terms to assess the risk of type 2 diabetes. Methods We used 4 waves of data (2005-2006 to 2011-2012) on adults aged 20 or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 5,471) and multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) to build risk models in 2015. MARS allowed for interactions among 17 noninvasively measured risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Results A key risk factor for type 2 diabetes was increasing age, especially for those older than 69, followed by a family history of diabetes, with diminished risk among individuals younger than 45. Above age 69, other risk factors superseded age, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The additive MARS model with nonlinear terms had an area under curve (AUC) receiver operating characteristic of 0.847, whereas the 2-way interaction MARS model had an AUC of 0.851, a slight improvement. Both models had an 87% accuracy in classifying diabetes status. Conclusion Statistical models of type 2 diabetes risk should allow for nonlinear associations; incorporation of interaction terms into the MARS model improved its performance slightly. Robust statistical manipulation of risk factors commonly measured noninvasively in clinical settings might provide useful estimates of type 2 diabetes risk.
Ebola and Marburg virus vaccines.

The filoviruses, Ebola virus (EBOV), and Marburg virus (MARV), are among the most pathogenic viruses known to man and the causative agents of viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Africa with case fatality rates of up to 90%. Nearly 30,000 infections were observed in the latest EBOV epidemic in West Africa; previous outbreaks were much smaller, typically only affecting less than a few hundred people. Compared to other diseases such as AIDS or Malaria with millions of cases annually, filovirus hemorrhagic fever (FHF) is one of the neglected infectious diseases. There are no licensed vaccines or therapeutics available to treat EBOV and MARV infections; therefore, these pathogens can only be handled in maximum containment laboratories and are classified as select agents. Under these limitations, a very few laboratories worldwide conducted basic research and countermeasure development for EBOV and MARV since their respective discoveries in 1967 (MARV) and 1976 (EBOV). In this review, we discuss several vaccine platforms against EBOV and MARV, which have been assessed for their protective efficacy in animal models of FHF. The focus is on the most promising approaches, which were accelerated in clinical development (phase I–III trials) during the EBOV epidemic in West Africa.
Natural Abundance 17 O DNP NMR Provides Precise O-H Distances and Insights into the Brønsted Acidity of Heterogeneous Catalysts.

Heterogeneous Bronsted acid catalysts are tremendously important in industry, particularly in catalytic cracking processes. Here we show that these Bronsted acid sites can be directly observed at natural abundance by 17 O DNP surface-enhanced NMR spectroscopy (SENS). We additionally show that the O-H bond length in these catalysts can be measured with sub-picometer precision, to enable a direct structural gauge of the lability of protons in a given material, which is correlated with the pH of the zero point of charge of the material. Experiments performed on materials impregnated with pyridine also allow for the direct detection of intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions through the lengthening of O-H bonds.
Abstract 11307: Interleukin-1β and Methylation of Apoptosis Associated Speck-Like Protein Containing a Caspase Recruitment Domain Are Associated With Aerobic Capacity in Heart Failure

Background: Aerobic capacity, as measured by peak oxygen uptake (V˙O2), is one of the most powerful predictors of prognosis in heart failure (HF). Inflammation is a key factor contributing to alter...
Data-Driven Compression and Efficient Learning of the Choquet Integral

The Choquet integral (ChI) is a parametric nonlinear aggregation function defined with respect to the fuzzy measure (FM). To date, application of the ChI has sadly been restricted to problems with relatively few numbers of inputs; primarily as the FM has $2^N$ variables for $N$ inputs and $N(2^{N-1}-1)$ monotonicity constraints. In return, the community has turned to density-based imputation (e.g., Sugeno $\lambda$ -FM) or the number of interactions (FM variables) are restricted (e.g., $k$ -additivity). Herein, we propose a new scalable data-driven way to represent and learn the ChI, making learning computationally manageable for larger $N$ . First, data supported variables are identified and used in optimization. Identification of these variables also allows us recognize future ill-posed fusion scenarios; ChIs involving variable subsets not supported by data. Second, we outline an imputation function framework to address data unsupported variables. Third, we present a lossless way to compress redundant variables and associated monotonicity constraints. Finally, we outline a lossy approximation method to further compress the ChI (if/when desired). Computational complexity analysis and experiments conducted on synthetic datasets with known FMs demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed theory.
Ratoon cold tolerance of Pennisetum, Erianthus, and Saccharum bioenergy feedstocks

Abstract Use of perennial bioenergy grasses would be enhanced if they produced sustainable ratoon crops across a wide geographic region. Our objective was to compare ratoon cold tolerance (defined as shoot emergence during the first-ratoon crop), and plant cane dry mass yield and feedstock quality [acid detergent lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC), and combustible energy] of elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum), Old World Erianthus (Saccharum arundinaceum, formerly E. arundinaceus, subsequently referred to as Erianthus), and sugarcane (Saccharum sp. hybrids). The experiment (Test 1) was conducted near Booneville, Arkansas (35.08°N latitude) and consisted of three varieties of elephantgrass and Erianthus, and six of sugarcane, evaluated in plant cane (first year growth, 2008) and first-ratoon (second year growth, 2009). The experiment was repeated in 2009–2010 (Test 2). Absolute minimum air temperatures were −12.7 and −17.3 °C in Test 1 and 2, respectively. Second-year emergence in Test 1 was in the order sugarcane = Erianthus (92%) > elephantgrass (25%). In Test 2, sugarcane and Erianthus had 63 and 3% second-year emergence, respectively, whereas elephantgrass shoots did not emerge. Elephantgrass had twice the plant cane yield of the other species. Feedstock quality was generally similar among species, although sugarcane had greater TNC (220 g kg−1) than other species (≤131 g kg−1). Poor ratooning of all 12 varieties would limit their use as perennial bioenergy feedstocks in similar environments, however, breeders using germplasm selected under these conditions could ultimately enhance ratoon cold tolerance of commercial sugarcane varieties for more southerly latitudes.
Mustard Gas: The King of CWAs

The blistering agent (or vesicant) sulfur mustard (HD), also known as mustard gas or Yperite, can be considered as the king of the battle gases, since it was the most effective and widely used.
Cerous magnesium nitrate: A magnetic temperature scale 0.002 − 2 ° K

Isentropic demagnetizations from known starting conditions yielded a determination of the entropy-magnetic susceptibility, or $S\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\chi}}$, relation for single-crystal spheroids of the paramagnetic salt cerous magnesium nitrate, CMN. Enthalpy differences, $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}Q$, between the low temperature end-points thus reached and an (arbitrary) reference temperature near $\mathit{1}\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K$ (determined by gamma ray heating) yielded a corresponding $Q\text{\ensuremath{-}}S$ curve, whence one obtained $S\text{\ensuremath{-}}T$ and $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\chi}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}T$ relations, $T$ being the thermodynamic temperature. The salt exhibits a broad maximum in $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\chi}}$ centered on $S/R=\mathit{0.32}$, for which region the absolute temperature is determined to be ${\mathit{0.001}}_{5}\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K$. Our results disagree significantly with those of other workers (even $S\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\chi}}$, which is not subject to large experimental error) save for the observation that CMN obeys the Curie law at least down to $\mathit{0.006}\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K$.At high temperatures $(Tg\mathit{0.006}\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K)$, all specimens show a heat capacity $C/R=b{T}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ with $b=\mathit{5.76}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathit{10}}^{\ensuremath{-}6}\phantom{\rule{0.5em}{0ex}}{deg}^{2}$. Superimposed upon this is a small "anomaly" first appearing at approximately $\mathit{0.015}\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K$ and reaching a maximum near $\mathit{0.025}\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K$. The attribution of such an effect to small concentrations of magnetic impurities cannot be reconciled with the results of chemical analysis. Other evidence, moreover, supports the idea of a non-magnetic origin for this anomaly.
Combination of nutrients in a mammalian cell culture medium kills cryptococci.

We found that a large inoculum of Cryptococcus gattii cells, when plated on Dulbecco's modified eagle's medium (DMEM) incorporated into agar, died within a few hours provided that DMEM agar plates had been stored in darkness for approximately 3 days after preparation. Standard conditions were developed for quantification of killing. The medium lost its fungicidal activity when exposed to visible light of wave length ∼400 nm. The amount of energy required was estimated at 5.8 × 104 joules @ 550 nm. Liquid DMEM conditioned by incubation over DMEM agar plates stored in darkness was fungicidal. We found that fungicidal activity was heat-stable (100°C). Dialysis tubing with MWC0 < 100 Daltons retained fungicidal activity. Neutral pH was required. Strains of Cryptococcus were uniformly sensitive, but some Candida species were resistant. Components of DMEM required for killing were pyridoxal and cystine. Micromolar amounts of iron shortened the time required for DMEM agar plates to become fungicidal when stored in the dark. Organic and inorganic compounds bearing reduced sulfur atoms at millimolar concentrations inhibited fungicidal activity. Our results point to a light-sensitive antifungal compound formed by reaction of pyridoxal with cystine possibly by Schiff base formation.
Neoenatal Pulmonary Hypertension: Pathophysiology Classification and Etiology

Pulmonary hypertension in the newborn infant has many potential causes, and multiple etiologies are common. In this article, the author outlines the basic principles in pathophysiology, classification, and etiology that should be well understood by those who care for neonates with disease processes in which pulmonary hypertension is an important feature.
Digital Technologies and Assessment in the Twenty-First-Century Schooling

The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT) has significantly changed the ways today’s children entertain, socialize, and learn. The digital society in the twenty-first century requires a complete suite of cognitive and psychological abilities and perspectives that enable the individual to intelligently consume and creatively develop digital products, and ethically participate and lead in a world that has become increasingly mediated by technology. How can today’s education help our students develop technological competencies that they will need to survive and thrive in the twenty-first century? In this chapter, we address this question by envisioning school assessments that focus on digital technology proficiencies. Our discussion centers on the question “What are the most critical skills students need to equip with in terms of digital technologies?” Specifically, this chapter reviews the role of digital technologies in the twenty-first century, examines what technology proficiency is necessary for students to fully participate in the society, discusses how the concept and standards of digital proficiency have evolved in the last a few decades, and then investigates how student digital technology proficiency has been assessed and discusses what schools need to do to prepare their students with proficient digital literacy.
Transcription and Replication of Nonsegmented Negative-Strand RNA Viruses

The nonsegmented negative-strand (NNS) RNA viruses of the order Mononegavirales include a wide variety of human, animal, and plant pathogens. The NNS RNA genomes of these viruses are templates for two distinct RNA synthetic processes: transcription to generate mRNAs and replication of the genome via production of a positive-sense antigenome that acts as template to generate progeny negative-strand genomes. The four virus families within the Mononegavirales all express the information encoded in their genomes by transcription of discrete subgenomic mRNAs. The key feature of transcriptional control in the NNS RNA viruses is entry of the virus-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase at a single 3′ proximal site followed by obligatory sequential transcription of the linear array of genes. Levels of gene expression are primarily regulated by position of each gene relative to the single promoter and also by cis-acting sequences located at the beginning and end of each gene and at the intergenic junctions. Obligatory sequential transcription dictates that termination of each upstream gene is required for initiation of downstream genes. Therefore, termination is a means to regulate expression of individual genes within the framework of a single transcriptional promoter. By engineering either whole virus genomes or subgenomic replicon derivatives, elements important for signaling transcript initiation, 5′ end modification, 3′ end polyadenylation, and transcription termination have been identified. Although the diverse families of NNS RNA virus use different sequences to control these processes, transcriptional termination is a common theme in controlling gene expression and overall transcriptional regulation is key in controlling the outcome of viral infection. The latest models for control of replication and transcription are discussed.
Associations between father involvement and father–child attachment security: Variations based on timing and type of involvement.

This study examined associations between father involvement and father-child attachment security, and whether those associations differed as a function of timing (workday and nonworkday) and/or type (accessibility, caregiving, and play) of involvement. Eighty father-child dyads participated when children were approximately 3 years old. Fathers completed a time diary interview assessing the various forms of involvement, and attachment was assessed using the Attachment Q-Set (Waters, 1995) following 90 min of father-child observation in the home. On nonworkdays, father involvement in play predicted greater attachment security and involvement in caregiving was marginally associated with greater attachment security. On workdays, father involvement in caregiving was related to greater attachment security, whereas father involvement in play was related to less attachment security. Results were independent of observed paternal sensitivity and relevant demographic covariates. Findings highlight the differential impact of father involvement for the father-child attachment relationship depending on when involvement occurs and what types of activities fathers engage in. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Analysis of an Integrated 4-DoF Parallel Wrist for Dexterous Gripping

The paper presents the kinematic analysis of an integrated four degrees of freedom (DoFs) parallel surgical wrist. This robot is capable of grasping/ cutting thanks to a folding platform that is fully controlled by external actuators. To formally investigate the mobilities of the proposed structure, the equivalent twist graph concept is employed to characterize the constraints and the actuation wrenches that are applied to the configurable moving platform. Moreover, screw theory is used to formulate the Jacobian matrix in a simple and integrated form under a unified framework. This approach adapts and extends the application of screw theory to robots with configurable platforms, whose configuration is not described by a Special Euclidian group (SE3) element. Finally, an insight of singular configurations is presented.
Activity Participation and Sensory Features among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Sensory features are highly prevalent among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and have been shown to cluster into four patterns of response, including hyperresponsiveness, hyporesponsiveness, enhanced perception, and sensory interests, repetitions and seeking behaviors. Given the lack of large-scale research on the differential effects of sensory response patterns on children’s participation in specific activities, this study investigated the extent to which sensory response patterns impacted six dimensions of children’s activity participation as measured by the Home and Community Activities Scale among a large, national sample of school aged children with ASD (n = 674). Using mixed model regression, results showed that sensory response patterns differentially impacted dimensions of activity participation, and associations were moderated by a number of child characteristics.
Satellite Remote Sensing and Maintaining Environmental Security: The Market Perspective

Recent research into the connections between environmental degradation, resource scarcity, and increased chances of human conflict has suggested that the combined effects of renewable resource depletion and degradation, increased population density, and unequal resource distribution could lead to conflict, both within countries and among them Surprisingly, researchers have devoted relatively little effort to understanding how satellite applications may assist in improving environmental security. In some critical regions, the development of new methods to avert and/or mitigate adverse environmental changes may assist in mitigating future conflict.
Missed thoracic myelopathy: Do not throw the hammer away yet

Background: Spinal stenosis may result in myelopathy, radiculopathy, and neurogenic claudication. It is often difficult to differentiate between these conditions. A comprehensive history and physical examination and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the entire spine accurately confirm the diagnosis.
Bayesian Spectral Moment Estimation and Uncertainty Quantification

We present a Bayesian spectral fitting method developed for spectroscopic data analysis, particularly (but not solely) in the context of fusion energy research. The presented techniques are particularly valuable to estimating moments and corresponding uncertainties whenever the spectra result from line-integrated measurements in nonuniform plasmas, for which the approximation of atomic line shapes being ideal Gaussians gives poor estimates. We decompose multiple, potentially overlapping spectral lines into a sum of Gauss–Hermite polynomials, whose properties allow efficient truncation and uncertainty quantification, often with only three free parameters per atomic emission line. Tests with both synthetic and experimental data demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness where more standard nonlinear fitting routines may experience difficulties. A parallelized version of our implementation is publicly released under an open source license 1 . 1 https://github.com/Maplenormandy/bsfc
Motives to Self-Regulate Learning: A Social Cognitive Account

When students enter the primary grades in school, they must make a number of adaptations that are pivotal to their academic success, such as learning to follow directions, work cooperatively with other children, and ask for help when it is needed. As students move through the elementary grades, they are expected to function increasingly on their own, such as completing assigned homework outside class, and eventually in middle school and beyond, to engage in self-initiated and self-sustained studying and practicing. What can explain students’ growing capacity to adapt successfully to the increasing demands of schools, and how can these competencies be taught more eff ectively? In this chapter, we will consider the defi ning features of students’ eff orts to selfregulate their learning, a cyclical phase conceptualization of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) and self-motivation, microanalytic and other event measures of SRL and motivation, the development of self-regulatory sources of motivation from social learning experiences, and a cyclical social cognitive intervention to empower students with self-regulatory defi ciencies.
Data Analysts and Their Software Practices: A Profile of the Sabermetrics Community and Beyond

For modern data analytics, practices from software development are increasingly necessary to manage data, but they must be incorporated alongside other statistical and scientific skills. Therefore, we ask: how does a community recontextualize software development through the unique pressures of their work? To answer this, we explore the analytic community around baseball, or sabermetrics. To discover software development's place in the search for robust statistical insight in sports, we interview 10 participants in the sabermetric community and survey over 120 more data analysts, both in baseball and not. We explore how their work lives at the intersection of science and entertainment, and as a consequence, baseball data serves as an accessible yet deep subject to practice analytic skills. Software development exists within an iterative research process that cycles between defining rigorous statistical methods and preserving the flexibility to chase interesting problems. In this question-driven process, members of the community inhabit several overlapping roles of intentional work, in which software development can become the priority to support research and statistical infrastructure, and we discuss the way that the community can foster the balance of these skills.
If You Can’t Join ‘Em, Report ‘Em: A Model of Ostracism and Whistleblowing in Teams

Unethical behavior coordinated and concealed by teams continues to represent a troubling and all-too-frequent occurrence in organizations. Unfortunately, those who are most knowledgeable about this behavior and thereby best suited to report it to authorities—the complicit members themselves—are susceptible to unique pressures that often discourage them from blowing the whistle. Team members rely on their teammates for relational and other beneficial resources, making it more difficult to potentially break those ties by snitching. However, we argue that the pressure to stay silent is alleviated for members who are ostracized by their team members. Drawing on social exchange theory, we theorize that ostracism decreases positive affect and increases negative affect, decreasing individuals’ communion striving motivation and, in turn, increasing the propensity to blow the whistle. In Study 1, we examined the link between ostracism and whistleblowing utilizing a field sample of diverse employees surveyed over time. In Study 2, we built upon Study 1 and conducted a lab study to examine affect and communion striving motivation as serial mediators. Results were generally supportive of our arguments, although we did not find support for the mediating effect of negative affect.
Increasing globalisation in accounting publications

The globalisation movement has greatly affected accounting practice but also academic accounting. Authors at the US universities have historically been major contributors to accounting academic research. An increasing percentage of contributors now come from other countries, such as Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and others. This study examines representation of the US and non-US universities in six very highly ranked accounting journals over a 26-year period. Findings show that the average percentages of articles with non-US university representation vary across journals from the lowest, 15.34%, in The Accounting Review (TAR) to the highest, 64.12%, in Accounting, Organizations and Society (AOS). This study reveals that the force of globalisation is affecting accounting research and the publication landscape. These changes could help broaden perspectives and enrich understanding of accounting issues and accounting knowledge, thereby benefiting both scholarship and practice.
Complex response of beta diversity to dispersal in meta-community models

Dispersal is one of the most important drivers of community assembly. The conventional belief that dispersal leads to biotic homogenization (lower beta diversity) has been recently challenged by an experiment conducted in nectar microbes (Vannette & Fukami, 2017), showing that dispersal could lead to community divergence. In this paper, I re-examined the relationship between beta diversity and local dispersal in a range of theoretical models: from the classic island biogeography model and meta-population model to a meta-community model that incorporates biotic interactions. I find that the emergence of hump-shaped beta diversity-dispersal relationship is closely related to local dispersal (rather than global dispersal), non-neutrality and biotic interactions. The results reveal rich metacommunity dynamics in relation to dispersal types and biotic interactions which might be overlooked in previous theoretical and empirical studies. The findings call for more realistic experimental manipulations on dispersals in future community assembly studies.
Characteristics of Firms that Include an Audit Committee Report in Their Annual Report

This study examines the characteristics of a sample of US firms that voluntarily include a separate audit committee report (ACR) in their annual report to shareholders. We investigated whether inside ownership, leverage, proportion of outside directors, size, and stock exchange affect the decision to provide an ACR. In addition, we conducted a survey of the companies that prepare ACRs and examined the content of these ACRs to determine the information they contained. Our results confirm that very few firms include an ACR in their annual report to shareholders and suggest firms that prepare an ACR are larger than firms that do not. In addition, our results suggest management is generally responsible for the decision to include a separate ACR in the annual report. Finally, most ACRs appear to be written in a format that mirrors or closely resembles the Treadway Commission (1987) model ACR. Implications for future research in the area are also discussed.
Mandatory Sexual Assault Kit Testing Policies and Arrest Trends: A Natural Experiment

The present study employs a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effects of a mandatory sexual assault kit (SAK) testing policy on rape arrests in a large western US jurisdiction. We use a Bay...
Knowledge and Attitudes Toward an Artificial Intelligence-Based Fidelity Measurement in Community Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Supervision.

To capitalize on investments in evidence-based practices, technology is needed to scale up fidelity assessment and supervision. Stakeholder feedback may facilitate adoption of such tools. This evaluation gathered stakeholder feedback and preferences to explore whether it would be fundamentally feasible or possible to implement an automated fidelity-scoring supervision tool in community mental health settings. A partially mixed, sequential research method design was used including focus group discussions with community mental health therapists (n = 18) and clinical leadership (n = 12) to explore typical supervision practices, followed by discussion of an automated fidelity feedback tool embedded in a cloud-based supervision platform. Interpretation of qualitative findings was enhanced through quantitative measures of participants’ use of technology and perceptions of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the tool. Initial perceptions of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of automated fidelity tools were positive and increased after introduction of an automated tool. Standard supervision was described as collaboratively guided and focused on clinical content, self-care, and documentation. Participants highlighted the tool’s utility for supervision, training, and professional growth, but questioned its ability to evaluate rapport, cultural responsiveness, and non-verbal communication. Concerns were raised about privacy and the impact of low scores on therapist confidence. Desired features included intervention labeling and transparency about how scores related to session content. Opportunities for asynchronous, remote, and targeted supervision were particularly valued. Stakeholder feedback suggests that automated fidelity measurement could augment supervision practices. Future research should examine the relations among use of such supervision tools, clinician skill, and client outcomes.
Mangroves and coastal topography create economic "safe havens" from tropical storms.

Evidence suggests that mangroves protect economic activity in coastal areas. We estimate this protection from mangroves and coastal elevation globally, examining both "direct" and "indirect" exposure events (< 100 km vs. ≥ 100 km distance from a cyclone's "eye", respectively). We find that higher elevation (≥ 50 m) or wide mangroves (≥ 10 m seaward width) alone shelter economic activity from indirect cyclone exposure, whereas protection from direct cyclone exposure occurs only in high elevation communities with wide mangroves. Our results reveal that the majority of these "safe havens" are in upper middle-income countries but provide significant benefits to populations in lower middle-income countries.
Least Common Right Multiple of the Matrices with one Invariant Factor Different from the Identity

We propose a new method for finding the least common right multiple of the matrices with one invariant factor different from the identity.
THE INHIBITION OF TUMOR GROWTH BY TUMOR MASS

Evidence suggests that a tumor behaves, in its pattern of growth, like an integrated organ rather than a collection of independently growing cells. Tumor growth tends to slow progressively as size increases and to undergo compensatory growth after partial resection. Consequently, therapies that reduce tumor mass may tend to accelerate the growth of the remaining tumor and tumor metastases. An approach to therapy based upon a simulated increase in tumor mass may be worthy of consideration.
Some Molecular Properties of Rhodanese

Abstract Fluorescence studies of crystalline bovine liver rhodanese indicate that the reactive sulfhydryl group is in a region which can participate in hydrophobic (apolar) interactions. Fluorescence polarization studies confirm that rhodanese exists in a mobile monomer-dimer equilibrium. Experiments with hydrophobic probing reagents indicate that the appearance of hydrophobic regions is correlated with the dissociation of dimers to monomers.
Metabolic characterization of the genus Brucella. VI. Growth stimulation by I-erythritol compared with strain virulence for guinea pigs.

Strains of Brucella abortus isolated 20 to 38 years ago and strains recently isolated were assessed for their virulence to guinea pigs and for their ability to grow in half-strength Tryptose Broth with and without i-erythritol. The recently isolated strains were virulent and i-erythritol enhanced their growth. The aged strains were avirulent and grew equally well in both media. Three of the recently isolated strains were subcultured serially every 24 hr alternately on Tryptose Agar slants and in half-strength Tryptose Broth without i-erythritol. After 8 to 13 such transfers, the growth of each strain was equivalent in both media. The subculture on which growth equivalence occurred was retested for virulence. None of the three strains had decreased in its virulence for guinea pigs. The conclusion was drawn that strain virulence for guinea pigs and growth enhancement by i-erythritol are independent characteristics.
Contingency, irony, and solidarity: The last intellectual in Europe: Orwell on cruelty

Orwell's last two novels are good examples of what Nabokov thought of as “topical trash,” for their importance is a result of having made a big practical difference. We would not now be reading and admiring Orwell's essays, studying his biography, or trying to integrate his vocabulary of moral deliberation into our own unless he had written Animal Farm and 1984. Lolita and Pale Fire will survive as long as there are gifted, obsessive readers who identify themselves with Humbert and Kinbote. But even Irving Howe, who wrote one of the earliest and best discussions of 1984 , admits that Orwell is one of those writers “who live most significantly for their own age.” Orwell's best novels will be widely read only as long as we describe the politics of the twentieth century as Orwell did. How long that will be will depend on the contingencies of our political future: on what sort of people will be looking back on us, on how events in the next century will reflect back on ours, on how people will decide to describe the Bolshevik Revolution, the Cold War, the brief American hegemony, and the role of countries like Brazil and China. Orwell thought of our century as the period in which “human equality became technically possible” and in which, simultaneously, … practices which had long been abandoned, in some cases for hundreds of years – imprisonment without trial, the use of war prisoners as slaves, public executions, torture to extract confessions, the use of hostages, and the deportation of whole populations – not only became common again, but were tolerated and even defended by people who considered themselves enlightened and progressive.
Industrial Takeup od SCI and Future Developments

The Scalable Coherent Interface began life in 1987, in the IEEE 896 Futurebus project. Futurebus was aiming at the high-performance bus/module market, above VME, hoping to be a multiprocessing backplane bus/module system.
An Interactive 3D User Interface for Guided Bronchoscopy

Recent studies have shown that more than 5 million bronchoscopy procedures are performed each year worldwide. The procedure usually involves biopsy of possible cancerous tissues from the lung. Standard bronchoscopes are too large to reach into the peripheral lung, where cancerous nodules are often found. The University of Washington has developed an ultrathin and flexible scanning fiber endoscope that is able to advance into the periphery of the human lungs without sacrificing image quality. To accompany the novel endoscope, we have developed a user interface that serves as a navigation guide for doctors when performing a bronchoscopy. The navigation system consists of a virtual surface mesh of the airways extracted from computed-tomography (CT) scan and an electromagnetic tracking system (EMTS). The complete system can be viewed as a global positioning system for the lung that provides pre-procedural planning functionalities, virtual bronchoscopy navigation, and real time tracking of the endoscope inside the lung. The real time virtual navigation is complemented by a particle filter algorithm to compensate for registration errors and outliers, and to prevent going through surfaces of the virtual lung model. The particle filter method tracks the endoscope tip based on real time tracking data and attaches the virtual endoscopic view to the skeleton that runs inside the virtual airway surface. Experiment results on a dried sheep lung show that the particle filter method converges and is able to accurately track the endoscope tip in real time when the endoscope is inserted both at slow and fast insertion speeds.