cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of seasonal heat stress on rigor development and the incidence of pale, exudative turkey meat

Abstract Heat stress is one of the prominent ante-mortem stressors that elicits pale, soft, and exudative meat characteristics in stress-susceptible pigs. Industry reports of exudative turkey meat increase in the early summer with the onset of prolonged high temperatures. To study the effect of seasonal heat exposure on turkeys, 122 17-wk-old Nicholas tom turkeys were subjected in January either to growth temperatures of 16/24 C (night/day) (control) or to elevated temperatures of 32/38 C (night/day) (heat-stressed, HS). Turkeys were processed at 21 wk of age in a manner simulating commercial conditions. Pectoralis muscle samples were taken at 15 min (prechill), 2 h (postchill), and 24 h and analyzed for R-value, pH, and color. At 2 h, the remaining intact Pectoralis muscle was harvested, aged on ice for 23 h, and analyzed for drip loss and cook loss. Percentage mortality and carcass weights were not significantly different between treatments. By 15 min post-mortem, the HS birds exhibited a faster pH decline and had higher R-values that persisted through 24 h. The HS birds were also paler in color and exhibited increased drip loss and cook loss when compared to controls; however, expressible moisture was not different between treatments. In addition, the HS birds had a higher frequency of abnormal birds than controls when birds were grouped as normal (L* 53).
Urinary Tract Infection During Pregnancy: A Risk Factor for Cerebral Palsy?

Objective: To assess a possible association of urinary tract infection (UTI) during pregnancy and cerebral palsy in offspring. Design: Secondary analysis of a case-control study using structured telephone interviews and birth certificate reviews. Setting: Cases from community-based agencies providing services to preschool children who were developmentally delayed. Participants: One hundred twelve preschool children with cerebral palsy and 153 children without cerebral palsy. Main Outcome Measures: Risk for cerebral palsy. Results: The prevalence of UTI among case mothers was 17.9% compared with 5.2% among control mothers. The crude odds ratio for risk of cerebral palsy for a mother with a UTI was 3.9, whereas the adjusted odds ratio was approximately 5, indicating that the risk of having a child with cerebral palsy was 4 to 5 times greater for mothers who had a UTI during pregnancy. Conclusions: Urinary tract infection during pregnancy was found to be a risk factor for development of cerebral palsy in offspring. Assessment for UTI should occur at the initial prenatal visit and more frequently for women with symptoms or who are at risk. Pregnant women should be educated about preventive measures for UTI. Future research is needed to assess more directly the relationship between UTI during pregnancy and cerebral palsy in offspring.
Real-Time All-Order PMD Measurement Using Spectral Interference

We present a novel technique to measure the real-time differential optical phase spectrum from spectral interference pattern. Good measurement results are obtained on both linear and nonlinear cases through experiment and analytical simulation. From these measured results we can obtain accurate all order PMD information for the optical signal and correspondingly compensate the impairment in optical transmission links and WDM networks.
Induction of cancer-specific cytotoxicity towards human prostate and skin cells using quercetin and ultrasound.

Bioflavonoids, such as quercetin, have recently emerged as a new class of chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of various cancer types, but are marred by their low potency and poor selectivity. We report that a short application of low-frequency ultrasound selectively sensitises prostate and skin cancer cells against quercetin. Pretreatment of cells with ultrasound (20 kHz, 2 W cm−2, 60 s) selectively induced cytotoxicity in skin and prostate cancer cells, while having minimal effect on corresponding normal cell lines. About 90% of the viable skin cancer cell population was lost within 48 h after ultrasound-quercetin (50 μ M) treatment. Ultrasound reduced the LC50 of quercetin for skin cancer cells by almost 80-fold, while showing no effect on LC50 for nonmalignant skin cells.
Learning Efficient Auditory Codes Using Spikes Predicts Cochlear Filters

The representation of acoustic signals at the cochlear nerve must serve a wide range of auditory tasks that require exquisite sensitivity in both time and frequency. Lewicki (2002) demonstrated that many of the filtering properties of the cochlea could be explained in terms of efficient coding of natural sounds. This model, however, did not account for properties such as phase-locking or how sound could be encoded in terms of action potentials. Here, we extend this theoretical approach with algorithm for learning efficient auditory codes using a spiking population code. Here, we propose an algorithm for learning efficient auditory codes using a theoretical model for coding sound in terms of spikes. In this model, each spike encodes the precise time position and magnitude of a localized, time varying kernel function. By adapting the kernel functions to the statistics natural sounds, we show that, compared to conventional signal representations, the spike code achieves far greater coding efficiency. Furthermore, the inferred kernels show both striking similarities to measured cochlear filters and a similar bandwidth versus frequency dependence.
Relationship between Internalized Racism and Marital Satisfaction

This investigation evaluates the extent to which level of marital satisfaction is affected by level of internalized racism in a sample of 96 Black inner-city couples. The hypothesis that internalized racism is inversely related to marital satisfaction is marginally to acceptably supported. Husbands reporting more internalized racism tended to report less marital satisfaction just as wives reporting more internalized racism tended to report less marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction of wives was not affected directly by internalized racism of husbands, nor was marital satisfaction of husbands directly affected by internalized racism of wives. However, since marital satisfaction of husbands and wives was moderately correlated, it is possible that the effect of internalized racism of one spouse on marital satisfaction of the other is mediated through explanatory links identified in this paper. The role of socioeconomic status in mediating relationships between internalized racism and marital status is e...
Population dynamics of Aspergillus flavus in the air of an intensively cultivated region of south-west Arizona

Airborne propagules of Aspergillus flavus were quantified to investigate population dynamics of A. flavus in a region of south-west Arizona prone to epidemics of aflatoxin contamination of cottonseed. Air was sampled continuously from May 1997 to March 1999 at two sites using Burkard cyclone samplers. One sampler was initially at the centre of 65 ha of cotton treated with an atoxigenic strain of A. flavus to manage aflatoxin contamination of cottonseed. The second sampler was 0·6 km from the treated field. Total fungal colony-forming units (CFU) sampled ranged from 17 to 667 and from 9 to 1277 m−3 at the untreated and treated sites, respectively. Counts of A. flavus ranged from 0 to 406 m−3 and from 0 to 416 per m−3 at the untreated and treated sites, respectively. Aspergillus flavus comprised 1–46 and 1–51% of the total cultured fungi at the treated and untreated sites, respectively. Peaks in total fungal and A. flavus CFU coincided with boll maturation and cotton harvest (days 251–321). Autoregression analysis suggested that there was no difference in total fungal CFU between treated and untreated sites, but the analysis showed that the quantity of A. flavus decreased at the treated site. This is probably caused by changes in cropping making the conditions less conducive to growth and reproduction of A. flavus in the surrounding fields. The incidence of the S strain of A. flavus was highest between May and August. The L strain accounted for up to 100% of the A. flavus sampled in the other months, and autoregression analysis showed that the L strain accounted for a greater overall proportion of the A. flavus population at the treated site compared with the untreated site. Autoregression analysis also showed the vegetative compatibility group of the applied strain was a greater proportion of L-strain A. flavus at the treated site (5–75%) than at the untreated site (0–65%), although this decreased with time. The quantity of A. flavus sampled at both treated and untreated sites was correlated with air and soil temperature. Large quantities of A. flavus occurred in the soil (up to 34 474 CFU g−1) of cotton fields and on cotton plant parts and debris (up to 272 461 CFU g−1) adjacent to the cyclone samplers. Aspergillus flavus is a major constituent of the airborne mycoflora associated with cotton fields in south-west Arizona when temperature is conducive to fungal growth. Although application of atoxigenic A. flavus altered the proportion of A. flavus strains and vegetative compatibility groups in the aerial mycoflora, the total quantity of A. flavus remained similar to that in untreated fields. Dispersal of A. flavus between fields suggests that atoxigenic fungi will be most effective in area-wide management programmes.
Coverage of Related Pathogenic Species by Multivalent and Cross-Protective Vaccine Design: Arenaviruses as a Model System

The arenaviruses are a family of negative-sense RNA viruses that cause severe human disease ranging from aseptic meningitis to hemorrhagic fever syndromes. There are currently no FDA-approved vaccines for the prevention of arenavirus disease, and therapeutic treatment is limited to the use of ribavirin and/or immune plasma for a subset of the pathogenic arenaviruses. The considerable genetic variability observed among the seven arenaviruses that are pathogenic for humans illustrates one of the major challenges for vaccine development today, namely, to overcome pathogen heterogeneity. Over the past 5 years, our group has tested several strategies to overcome pathogen heterogeneity, utilizing the pathogenic arenaviruses as a model system. Because T cells play a prominent role in protective immunity following arenavirus infection, we specifically focused on the development of human vaccines that would induce multivalent and cross-protective cell-mediated immune responses. To facilitate our vaccine development and testing, we conducted large-scale major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II epitope discovery on murine, nonhuman primate, and human backgrounds for each of the pathogenic arenaviruses, including the identification of protective HLA-restricted epitopes. Finally, using the murine model of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection, we studied the phenotypic characteristics associated with immunodominant and protective T cell epitopes. This review summarizes the findings from our studies and discusses their application to future vaccine design.
Meaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy: An Effective Intervention for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Patients With Advanced Cancer

Purpose To test the efficacy of meaning-centered group psychotherapy (MCGP) to reduce psychological distress and improve spiritual well-being in patients with advanced or terminal cancer. Patients and Methods Patients with advanced cancer (N = 253) were randomly assigned to manualized eight-session interventions of either MCGP or supportive group psychotherapy (SGP). Patients were assessed before and after completing the treatment and 2 months after treatment. The primary outcome measures were spiritual well-being and overall quality of life, with secondary outcome measures assessing depression, hopelessness, desire for hastened death, anxiety, and physical symptom distress. Results Hierarchical linear models that included a priori covariates and only participants who attended ≥ three sessions indicated a significant group × time interaction for most outcome variables. Specifically, patients receiving MCGP showed significantly greater improvement in spiritual well-being and quality of life and significant...
Moving Toward a Three-Way Intersection in Translational Research: A Sociological Perspective

Conventionally, the definition of translational research describes a two-way process of translation from the “bench” to the “bedside” and the “bedside” to the “bench.” In this article, however, I suggest that those at the bottom (i.e., the clinicians) are likely to pay more attention to what those at the top (i.e., the scientists) say than vice versa. I argue that the experience of the patient, omitted from consideration, has much to add to the understanding of both clinicians and scientists. In this address I recommend using qualitative research to give voice to the experience of patients. I use examples from my own research with older widows to demonstrate its usefulness.
A Malignant Incarcerated Bochdalek Hernia.

73-year-old housekeeper with asthma and hyperAtension presented with dyspnea and weight loss. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the chest revealed a new amorphous soft-tissue density in the left chest (Fig 1A, arrow), which had been absent on scan 6 years earlier (Fig 1B). The patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy. The intraoperative findings included an incarcerated Bochdalek hernia containing a splenic flexure mass. There was diaphragmatic, mesenteric, and appendiceal tumor studding. The hernia was
Toward complete pion nucleon amplitudes

We compare the low-energy partial-wave analyses of $\ensuremath{\pi}N$ scattering with high-energy data via finite-energy sum rules. We construct a new set of amplitudes by matching the imaginary part from the low-energy analysis with the high-energy, Regge parametrization and reconstruct the real parts using dispersion relations.
Differential vesicular sorting of AMPA and GABAA receptors.

In mature neurons AMPA receptors cluster at excitatory synapses primarily on dendritic spines, whereas GABAA receptors cluster at inhibitory synapses mainly on the soma and dendritic shafts. The molecular mechanisms underlying the precise sorting of these receptors remain unclear. By directly studying the constitutive exocytic vesicles of AMPA and GABAA receptors in vitro and in vivo, we demonstrate that they are initially sorted into different vesicles in the Golgi apparatus and inserted into distinct domains of the plasma membrane. These insertions are dependent on distinct Rab GTPases and SNARE complexes. The insertion of AMPA receptors requires SNAP25–syntaxin1A/B–VAMP2 complexes, whereas insertion of GABAA receptors relies on SNAP23–syntaxin1A/B–VAMP2 complexes. These SNARE complexes affect surface targeting of AMPA or GABAA receptors and synaptic transmission. Our studies reveal vesicular sorting mechanisms controlling the constitutive exocytosis of AMPA and GABAA receptors, which are critical for the regulation of excitatory and inhibitory responses in neurons.
Semantics and social values

(1989). Semantics and social values. WORD: Vol. 40, Systems, Structures, and Discourse: Selected Papers from the Fifteenth International Systemic Congress, pp. 37-50.
The Molecular Harbingers of Early Mammalian Embryo Patterning

Random or not, the mechanisms at play during the first cell-fate determination in mammalian embryos have been debated for years. Studies by Goolam et al. and White et al. shed new light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the intrinsic biases that lead to non-random lineage segregation in early mammalian development.
Microwave Photonic Mixer Based on Polarization Rotation and Polarization-Dependent Modulation

A microwave photonic mixer capable of both amplitude and phase modulation is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. This scheme utilizes single-sideband modulation in dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator and polarization rotation in semiconductor optical amplifier to generate a pair of phase coherent optical carriers with different polarizations, while a polarization sensitive Mach–Zehnder intensity modulator (MZM) is used for modulating the IF signal onto one of the generated carrier. Both the optical and the electrical spectra are measured and show successful frequency mixing. By setting the bias point of the MZM at slightly different voltages, our scheme supports binary-phase-shift keying, on–off keying, and amplitude-shift keying modulations. Widely opened eye diagrams and clear waveforms are experimentally obtained for all modulations. Moreover, the proposed scheme does not have a hard limit on the supported lowest local oscillator frequency and no reconfiguration is needed when a frequency change in the local oscillator is required.
Investigation of Using Dispersed Particle and Branching Heat Exchnager in Medium Temperature Thermal Energy Storage System to Achieve Maximum Utilization of Solar Power

Maximum utilization of solar energy is very critical to achieve, because a significant portion of solar energy is lost in the form of heat. In that case Thermal Energy Storage (TES) can play a significant role by capturing the energy in the form of heat and later on can be used as a backup source of energy for utilizing it in critical time. On the other side, from the view point of conservation of energy, energy cannot be created or destroyed, but surprisingly a significant amount of energy cannot be utilized due to the instantaneous nature of conventional power generation. So storing Energy is the most unique idea that can act as a strong backup for the instantaneous nature of power generation as it not only adds up to the power generation capacity but also serves to be the most reliable medium of supplying power when the energy demand is at peak. In the authors’ previous work a phase change material (molten solar salt comprised of 60% NaNO3+40%KNO3) and a system design for thermal energy storage (TES) system integrated with a solar Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) has been proposed. The associated research problems investigated for phase change material (PCM) are the low thermal conductivity and low rate of heat transfer from heat transfer fluid to PCM. In this study a detailed numerical modeling of the proposed design using MATLAB code and the relevant calculation and results are discussed. The numerical model is based on 1-D finite difference explicit technique using the fixed grid enthalpy method. To overcome the research problem highly conductive nano-particle graphite is used to enhance the effective thermal conductivity of the PCM material in theoretical calculation. In the later part of the study results from the numerical computation have been utilized to demonstrate a comparison between a conventional heating system (with a simple single tube as a heat exchanger) and a branching heat exchanger in PCM thermal energy storage system using NTU-Effectiveness method. The comparison results show a significant amount of improvement using branching network and mixing nano-particle in terms of heat transfer, thermal conductivity enhancement, charging time minimization and pressure drop decrease. The results of this study can convince us that the proposed medium temperature TES system coupled with solar ORC can be a stepping-stone for energy efficient and sustainable future in small-scale power generation as the system proves to be better in terms of enhanced heat transfer, increased thermal conductivity and overall sustainability.© 2013 ASME
Investigation of Cvd-Grown Diamond by Cathodoluminescence in TEM

High resolution cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy and imaging have been performed in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to analyze defects and impurities in polycrystalline diamond films grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using a variety of gas mixtures, and oxyacetylene combustion flame synthesis (CFS). The combination of CL and TEM allows a direct correlation of film microstructure with the electronic structure due to defects. The CL was found to be very nonuniformly distributed on a submicron scale reflecting different spatial distributions of N, B and Si impurities and their correlations with microstructure. Band A CL due to closely-spaced donor-acceptor (D-A) pairs was correlated with dislocations in both CVD-grown and CFS material whereas band A from widely-separated D-A pairs was uniformly distributed in the films. CL from several different N-related point-type defects was observed and found to depend on the growth gases used, although no correlation with microstructure has been observed so far. A di-Si interstitial impurity, believed to arise from the Si substrate and reactor walls, was not correlated with any microstructure but varied greatly in concentration from grain to grain and from film to Film. In addition, both highly faulted and defect-free grains were found to emit no visible CL due to mid gap states.
A Method of Avoiding the Destruction of Trichogramma in Sugarcane Fields

Attention is called to experiments started twenty years ago on the conservation of Sugarcane "trash" as a method of avoiding the destruction of Trichogramma. Bacteriologists and others now find that the incorporation of the trash in the soil is desirable.
Atomicity and the fixed divisor in certain pullback constructions

Let D be an integral domain with field of fractions K. In this article, we use a certain pullback construction in the spirit of Int(E,D) that furnishes many examples of domains between D[x] and K[x] in which there are elements that do not admit a finite factorization into irreducible elements. We also define the notion of a fixed divisor for this pullback construction to characterize all of its irreducible elements and those nonzero nonunits that do admit a finite factorization into irreducibles. En route to these characterizations, we show that this construction yields a domain with infinite restricted elasticity.
Integration of On-Chip Isotachophoresis and Functionalized Hydrogels for Enhanced-Sensitivity Nucleic Acid Detection

We introduce an on-chip electrokinetic assay to perform high-sensitivity nucleic acid (NA) detection. This assay integrates electrokinetic sample focusing using isotachophoresis (ITP) with a background signal-removal strategy that employs photopatterened, DNA-functionalized hydrogels. In this multistage assay, ITP first enhances hybridization kinetics between target NAs and end-labeled complementary reporters. After enhanced hybridization, migration through a DNA-functionalized hydrogel region removes excess reporters through affinity interactions. We demonstrate our assay on microRNAs, an important class of low-abundance biomarkers. The assay exhibits 4 orders of magnitude dynamic range, near 1 pM detection limits starting from less than 100 fg of microRNA, and high selectivity for mature microRNA sequences, all within a 10 min run time. This new microfluidic framework provides a unique quantitative assay for NA detection.
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF INJURIES AMONG PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN A DISTRICT OF GUANGZHOU

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of injury and affective factors in primary and secondary school students for providing evidence for further intervention. Methods A random cluster sampling study on the conditions of injuries during the last 12 months.The questionnaire survey was conducted among 3 677 students in a district of Guangzhou analyzing the injury situations in different ages and gender. Results The injury rate of students was 53.32%,that was the injury happened at least once in the last year.The injury rate of secondary school students(59.93%) was higher than primary school students(50.26%).The five leading injury causes were falls(33.47%),fighting and bruise(22.97%),throat choking on a bone(14.39%),traffic accident(13.14%) and burning(10.45%). Conclusion The injury rate was higher in secondary school students.It is necessary to reinforce intervention for frequently occurred and harmful injuries of students.
Plans for pavement or for people? The politics of bike lanes on the ‘Paseo Boricua’ in Chicago, Illinois

Over the course of the past two decades, bicycling has become increasingly popular in the USA. Although the rate of bike trips made in the USA has more than tripled since 1977, it is relatively low compared with many European cities (Pucher et al., 2011a). In urban areas throughout the USA, bicycling is increasingly being touted as an environmentally friendly way to enhance transit choice as public transportation budgets are slashed and automobile infrastructures remain congested. Discourse around the proliferation of bicycling infrastructure development in American cities often obscures complex aspects of community-level choice regarding transit, including the placement and implementation of bike lanes.This paper seeks to explore the dynamic ways that community members and city planners make sense of bike infrastructure development in Chicago, Illinois. Qualitative interviews and participant observation were employed to clarify the community context of bike lane development in a gentrifying area of the c...
X-ray crystal structure and conformation of a spin-labeled acetylcholine, DL-4-[N,N-dimethyl-n-(ethan-2'-olacetate)amino]-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyliodide.

The detailed molecular geometry of the title compound, a muscarinic blocking agent, has been established by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Crystals are orthorhombic, space group Pbca, a = 18.00(1), b = 11.42(1), c = 18.42(1) A,Z = 8. The structure was solved by the heavy-atom method, and atomic parameters were refined by full-matrix, least-squares calculations to R 0.049 over 1082 statistically significant reflections from diffractometer measurements. Comparison of the results with those for known muscarinic agents revealed that whereas the O-C-C-N+ torsion angle at 78° is similar to those in other potent muscarinic agents, the C-O (ester)-C-C torsion angle at 99° lies outside the range predicted for muscarinic agonists.
A Nosocomial Epidemic of Antibiotic-Resistant Serratia Marcescens Urinary Tract Infections

AbstractSerratia marcescens is an important pathogen in hospitalized urologic patients. We herein describe an epidemic of 134 urinary tract infections caused by a multiple antibiotic-resistant Serratia marcescens. A common source in the cystoscopy area was responsible for 105 infections. Crosscontamination on patient floors amplified the magnitude of the epidemic. There was significant patient morbidity, although no deaths could be attributed directly to the outbreak. Particular attention is directed to patient risk factors and the clinical significance of nosocomial Serratia marcescens infections. The clinical approach to epidemic antibiotic-resistant Serratia urinary tract infections should not rely primarily on antibiotic therapy. Stress is placed on the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to hospital-acquired infections in general and Serratia marcescens urinary tract infections in particular.
Long-term variability in sugarcane bagasse feedstock compositional methods: sources and magnitude of analytical variability.

In an effort to find economical, carbon-neutral transportation fuels, biomass feedstock compositional analysis methods are used to monitor, compare, and improve biofuel conversion processes. These methods are empirical, and the analytical variability seen in the feedstock compositional data propagates into variability in the conversion yields, component balances, mass balances, and ultimately the minimum ethanol selling price (MESP). We report the average composition and standard deviations of 119 individually extracted National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) bagasse [Reference Material (RM) 8491] run by seven analysts over 7 years. Two additional datasets, using bulk-extracted bagasse (containing 58 and 291 replicates each), were examined to separate out the effects of batch, analyst, sugar recovery standard calculation method, and extractions from the total analytical variability seen in the individually extracted dataset. We believe this is the world’s largest NIST bagasse compositional analysis dataset and it provides unique insight into the long-term analytical variability. Understanding the long-term variability of the feedstock analysis will help determine the minimum difference that can be detected in yield, mass balance, and efficiency calculations. The long-term data show consistent bagasse component values through time and by different analysts. This suggests that the standard compositional analysis methods were performed consistently and that the bagasse RM itself remained unchanged during this time period. The long-term variability seen here is generally higher than short-term variabilities. It is worth noting that the effect of short-term or long-term feedstock compositional variability on MESP is small, about $0.03 per gallon. The long-term analysis variabilities reported here are plausible minimum values for these methods, though not necessarily average or expected variabilities. We must emphasize the importance of training and good analytical procedures needed to generate this data. When combined with a robust QA/QC oversight protocol, these empirical methods can be relied upon to generate high-quality data over a long period of time.
Water resources: Island water stress

Small island states will experience decreasing freshwater resources under climate change this century.
The Loyalist Problem in Revolutionary New England

The Loyalist Problem in Revolutionary New England begins with a snapshot of the region on the eve of the Boston Tea Party. The colonists' Republican tradition helped them spark the Revolution, but their special history also threatened the unity of the United States throughout the Revolutionary War, for Loyalists tried to discredit New Englanders as a naturally rebellious people. Yet Ingersoll shows that the rebels never sought to drive the dissenters out of the new nation, and accorded them a remarkable degree of liberal toleration, with the great majority of Loyalists ultimately becoming citizens of the new states.
Land loss by pond expansion on the Mississippi River Delta Plain

The world's river deltas may collapse under the combined effects of rising sea levels, subsidence, and reduced sediment supply. Saving these deltaic environments requires quantifying processes driving collapse. In the Mississippi River Delta, rapid land loss offers an important opportunity to test existing theories for marsh collapse. We use Landsat images to examine how pond expansion by edge retreat contributes to land loss over 34 years in the Atchafalaya-Vermillion, Terrebonne, and Barataria basins of the Mississippi Delta. Tracking the area changes in ponds on the marsh surface, we find a striking consistency between pond expansion direction and the dominant wind direction and show that wind-generated waves are capable of causing edge erosion. Expansion rate increases rapidly for ponds wider than 300 m in Terrebonne and Barataria basins. From this, we suggest that ponds in Atchafalaya-Vermillion basin are stable, whereas ponds in Terrebonne and Barataria are unstable.
Almost periodicity, Ricker map, Beverton-Holt map and others, a general method

It is known that under the certain conditions on the coefficient the Ricker difference equation (or map) has a fixed point that is globally asymptotically stable with respect to the positive reals. We show here that under the same conditions, the Ricker equation with almost periodic coefficient has a globally asymptotically stable almost periodic solution with the same frequency module as the coefficient. This is accomplished by showing that the omega limit set Ω of an asymptotically stable solution is a covering space of the omega limit set of the coefficients and the flow on Ω is uniquely reversible. We provide a unified framework that allows us to conclude that any system of maps in finite dimensions that has an orbit that is bounded and whose omega limit set is asymptotically stable, also has the property that certain attributes of the coefficients (periodicity, almost periodicity) can be carried over, or lifted to the solution. In particular if the successive compositions are bounded and have Frechet...
The shape of the glucose concentration curve during an oral glucose tolerance test predicts risk for type 1 diabetes

We aimed to examine: (1) whether specific glucose-response curve shapes during OGTTs are predictive of type 1 diabetes development; and (2) the extent to which the glucose-response curve is influenced by insulin secretion. Autoantibody-positive relatives of people with type 1 diabetes whose baseline OGTT met the definition of a monophasic or biphasic glucose-response curve were followed for the development of type 1 diabetes (n = 2627). A monophasic curve was defined as an increase in OGTT glucose between 30 and 90 min followed by a decline of ≥ 0.25 mmol/l between 90 and 120 min. A biphasic response curve was defined as a decrease in glucose after an initial increase, followed by a second increase of ≥ 0.25 mmol/l. Associations of type 1 diabetes risk with glucose curve shapes were examined using cumulative incidence curve comparisons and proportional hazards regression. C-peptide responses were compared with and without adjustments for potential confounders. The majority of participants had a monophasic curve at baseline (n = 1732 [66%] vs n = 895 [34%]). The biphasic group had a lower cumulative incidence of type 1 diabetes (p < 0.001), which persisted after adjustments for age, sex, BMI z score and number of autoantibodies (p < 0.001). Among the monophasic group, the risk of type 1 diabetes was greater for those with a glucose peak at 90 min than for those with a peak at 30 min; the difference persisted after adjustments (p < 0.001). Compared with the biphasic group, the monophasic group had a lower early C-peptide (30–0 min) response, a lower C-peptide index (30–0 min C-peptide/30–0 min glucose), as well as a greater 2 h C-peptide level (p < 0.001 for all). Those with biphasic glucose curves have a lower risk of progression to type 1 diabetes than those with monophasic curves, and the risk among the monophasic group is increased when the glucose peak occurs at 90 min than at 30 min. Differences in glucose curve shapes between the monophasic and biphasic groups appear to be related to C-peptide responses.
Mathematical Models—Fate, Transport, and Food Chain

Organic chemicals, heavy metals, and radionuclides are present in all phases of the environment—air, water, and land. When these substances are released in the water phase of the environment, they are transported by the fluid motion, are transferred to the atmosphere and bed, are subject to various physicochemical and biochemical reactions, and are assimilated by all levels of the aquatic food chain. They are also transmitted by direct ingestion through the food chain to higher organisms and ultimately to humans. It is the purpose of this chapter to present a mathematical analysis of the transport and fate of trace constituents in estuarine systems.
Has government information on the Internet affected citation patterns?: A case study of population studies journals

Abstract To examine scholars' use of government information in electronic format, the author studied issues of four population studies journals for the years 1990 and 2000 to determine citation patterns to government information. The total number of citations to government documents increased during this 10-year period, although the proportion of government citations decreased in relationship to the total number of citations. Only one journal studied showed an increase in citations to government information sources; it was also the only journal with a significant number of citations to electronic government information.
Torsional Resonance Microscopy and Its Applications

Torsional resonance microscope provides dynamic information of the tip-sample interaction in lateral dimensions. Since the tip displacement amplitude can be as low as subnanometers, it reflects near-field interaction due to different mechanisms, such as mechanical, electrical and magnetic interactions. When TRmode is applied in combination with flexural interaction such as TappingMode or contact mode it is possible to study the interaction force and force gradient in both vertical and lateral directions concurrently. TRmode also provides a unique opportunity for electric, magnetic or near-field optical control where the tip needs to stay in close proximity of the surface. When TRmode is applied together with the contact mode one may be able to derive vertical and shear contact stiffness simultaneously. One of the benefits of performing multiple dimensional measurements was to derive elastic anisotropy, independent of the contact area.
Indians, Ethnicity, and Alcohol

On May 15, 1804, Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Missouri on what was to be a two-year scientific expedition to and personal adventure in the as yet uncharted Great American Desert. The goals of their mission included the initiation of peaceful relations between their fledgling nation and the tribal peoples encountered in their travels along the Missouri River and its tributaries to the Pacific Ocean. As representatives of the U. S. government, Lewis and Clark were well supplied with gift items by which peaceful relations with tribal groups were to be cemented. These gifts included medallions minted by the U. S. Treasury to be given specifically to potential tribal allies, foods, beads, European-style clothes, blankets, and kegs of whiskey (Biddle, 1962).
Giant Cell Poor Extra-Articular Diffuse-Type Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor With Extensive Desmin Expression: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall With Cytogenetic Confirmation.

Diffuse-type tenosynovial giant cell tumor can rarely present as an entirely extra-articular mass, which can be misdiagnosed as a sarcoma especially when giant cells are absent, dominated by large ...
Biophysical Characterization Platform Informs Protein Scaffold Evolvability.

Evolving specific molecular recognition function of proteins requires strategic navigation of a complex mutational landscape. Protein scaffolds aid evolution via a conserved platform on which a modular paratope can be evolved to alter binding specificity. Although numerous protein scaffolds have been discovered, the underlying properties that permit binding evolution remain unknown. We present an algorithm to predict a protein scaffold’s ability to evolve novel binding function based upon computationally calculated biophysical parameters. The ability of 17 small proteins to evolve binding functionality across seven discovery campaigns was determined via magnetic activated cell sorting of 1010 yeast-displayed protein variants. Twenty topological and biophysical properties were calculated for 787 small protein scaffolds and reduced into independent components. Regularization deduced which extracted features best predicted binding functionality, providing a 4/6 true positive rate, a 9/11 negative predictive ...
The Effects of Minimum Wages on Low‐Skilled Immigrants’ Wages, Employment, and Poverty

Raising the minimum wage has been advanced as complementary policy to comprehensive immigration reform to improve low‐skilled immigrants’ economic well‐being. While adverse labor demand effects could undermine this goal, existing studies do not detect evidence of negative employment effects. We re‐investigate this question using data from the 1994 to 2016 Current Population Survey and conclude that minimum wage increases reduced employment of less‐educated Hispanic immigrants, with estimated elasticities of around –0.1. However, we also find that the wage and employment effects of minimum wages on low‐skilled immigrants diminished over the last decade. This finding is consistent with more restrictive state immigration policies and the Great Recession inducing outmigration of low‐skilled immigrants, as well as immigrants moving into the informal sector. Finally, our results show that raising the minimum wage is an ineffective policy tool for reducing poverty among immigrants.
Long-term InSAR, borehole inclinometer, and rainfall records provide insight into the mechanism and activity patterns of an extremely slow urbanized landslide

New radar satellites provide global coverage and the possibility of long-term, regular frequency (days-weeks) surface displacement measurements through the application of high precision multi-temporal InSAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry) techniques. This represents an excellent opportunity to investigate and improve our understanding of the behavior of extremely slow landslides, as well as of the long- to short-term controls of their activity. In urban settings, such landslides deserve special attention, as their cumulative movements can cause significant socio-economic damage. Here, we re-examine the case of a long-lived, deep-seated landslide in the Apennine Mountains (Italy) which was urbanized between the late 1970s and early 2000s. The case provides a rare opportunity to highlight the benefits of the integrated analysis of long-term (several years) borehole inclinometer measurements with 15 years of multi-temporal InSAR displacement data. We present evidence of the landslide composite nature and asymmetry, and draw attention to the recent period of accelerated movement that coincided with the foot failure event. This helps constraining the interpretation of the borehole and InSAR data and demonstrating the predominantly rotational landslide mechanism. We show how a detailed analysis of sparse inclinometer and more spatially continuous InSAR measurements, when combined with local rainfall records, can reveal long- to short-term patterns of temporal variability in landslide motions and allow anticipating the consequences of future landslide activity.
The Impact of Analysis Ready Data in the Africa Regional Data Cube

Users of satellite Earth observation data typically invest a large amount of effort into data preparation which is a major barrier for many global users and limits the impact and utilization of this data around the world. The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) has initiated an effort to define and promote the production and use of Analysis Ready Data (ARD) to lower the burden on global users and increase the use and impact of its data. Through the Open Data Cube (ODC) initiative and its demonstration in Africa, ARD is making an impact on this developing region of the world. This paper discusses how this data and the associated ODC tools are being used to address water extent, land change and urbanization, which are key application areas aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Through the ODC, the impact of ARD is growing rapidly around the world and our ability to address local and national decision-making needs will continue to improve.
Pop: Bursting News Filter Bubbles on Twitter Through Diverse Exposure

An increasing number of American adults are consuming news on social media platforms. However, these digital platforms employ personalized recommendation algorithms to increase user engagement. This selective exposure to information leads to the formation of filter bubbles where the users are constantly fed information in line with their ideological views. In this paper, we aim at bursting these filter bubbles through diverse exposure. We discuss the design of a Google Chrome extension, Pop, which augments user's Twitter feeds with news tweets from agencies of different ideological standings.
Did Tlingit Ancestors Eat Sea Otters? Addressing Intellectual Property and Cultural Heritage through Zooarchaeology

The maritime fur trade caused the extirpation of sea otters from southeast Alaska. In the 1960s, sea otters were reintroduced, and their numbers have increased. Now, sea otters are competing with people for what have become commercially important invertebrates. After having been absent for more than a century, the reentry of this keystone species has unsettled people. Although some communities perceive sea otters as a threat to their livelihoods, others view their return as restoration of the marine ecosystem. The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act authorizes any Alaska Native to harvest sea otters for subsistence provided that the harvest is not wasteful. Some people are seeking to define “traditional” Tlingit use of sea otters as not only using their pelts but consuming them as food, but some Tlingit maintain they never ate sea otters. This project analyzes the largest precontact archaeological assemblage of sea otter bones in southeast Alaska, with the benefit of insights gained from observing a Tlingit hunter skin a sea otter to infer that Tlingit ancestors hunted sea otters primarily for pelts. The extent to which other Indigenous peoples of the North Pacific consumed sea otters as food deserves investigation, especially as sea otters recolonize their historic range.
Designing an Information and Communications Technology Tool With and for Victims of Violence and Their Case Managers in San Francisco: Human-Centered Design Study

Background: Violence is a public health problem. Hospital-based violence intervention programs such as the San Francisco Wraparound Project (WAP) have been shown to reduce future violent injury. The WAP model employs culturally competent case managers who recruit and enroll violently injured patients as clients. Client acceptance of the WAP intervention is variable, and program success depends on streamlined, timely communication and access to resources. High rates of smartphone usage in populations who are at risk for violent reinjury create an opportunity to design a tailored information and communications technology (ICT) tool to support hospital-based violence intervention programs. Objective: Current evidence shows that ICT tools developed in the health care space may not be successful in engaging vulnerable populations. The goal of this study was to use human-centered design methodology to identify the unique communication needs of the clients and case managers at WAP to design a mobile ICT. Methods: We conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with users: clients, their friends and families, case managers, and other stakeholders in violence intervention and prevention. We used a human-centered design and general inductive approach to thematic analysis to identify themes in the qualitative data, which were extrapolated to insight statements and then reframed into design opportunities. Wireframes of potential mobile ICT app screens were developed to depict these opportunities. Results: Thematic analysis revealed four main insights that were characterized by the opposing needs of our users. (1) A successful relationship is both professional and personal. Clients need this around the clock, but case managers can only support this while on the clock. (2) Communications need to feel personal, but they do not always need to be personalized. (3) Healing is a journey of skill development and lifestyle changes that must be acknowledged, monitored, and rewarded. (4) Social networks need to provide peer support for healing rather than peer pressure to propagate violence. These insights resulted in the following associated design opportunities: (1) Maximize personal connection while controlling access, (2) allow case managers to personalize automated client interactions, (3) hold clients accountable to progress and reward achievements, and (4) build a connected, yet confidential community. Conclusions: Human-centered design enabled us to identify unique insights and design opportunities that may inform the design of a novel and tailored mobile ICT tool for the WAP community.