cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of systematic errors in the processing of wide-angle sonar sensor data for robotic navigation

A methodology has been developed for the treatment of systematic errors that arise in the processing of sparse sensor data. A detailed application of this methodology to the construction, from wide-angle sonar sensor data, of navigation maps for use in autonomous robotic navigation is presented. In the methodology, a four-valued labeling scheme and a simple logic for label combination are introduced. The four labels Conflict, Occupied, Empty, and Unknown are used to mark the cells of the navigation maps. The logic allows for the rapid updating of these maps as new information is acquired. Systematic errors are treated by relabeling conflicting pixel assignments. Most of the new labels are obtained from analyses of the characteristic patterns of conflict that arise during the information processing. The remaining labels are determined by imposing an elementary consistent-labeling condition. >
Devaluation, Debt, and Default in Emerging Economies

We explore the interactions between exchange rate and fiscal policy, and default on external debt. Exchange rate policy affects the supply of short-term debt facing the government. Under a conventional soft peg, it can be optimal for the government to set the exchange rate at a level in which partial default occurs. In this case multiple equilibria exist, with one featuring high interest rate, overvalued exchange rate, low level of output, and default. Default is also an equilibrium under a hard peg, precisely because devaluation is not an option. Under a hard peg, however, there is a unique equilibrium.
Nitrate/ammonium ratio effects on nutrient solution pH, dry matter yield, and nitrogen uptake of sorghum

Abstract Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] seedlings were grown in nutrient solutions in a growth chamber to investigate the effects of different ratios of NO3 – and NH4 + on nutrient solution pH, dry matter yield, and N uptake. Nutrient solutions and plant tissues were assayed throughout the time plants grew in the nutrient solutions. Nutrient solution pH depended on source of N. The pH rose to near 8 with NO3 – as the sole source of N and decreased to near or below 4 with NH4 + added to the solutions. Upon depletion of NH4 + from solution, pH values rose abruptly to near 8 and remained near this value throughout the duration of the experiments. Dry matter yield was generally higher for plants grown with some NH4 + compared to plants grown with NO3 – alone. Nitrogen uptake was generally higher in plants grown with the higher proportions of NH4 +. Nitrogen concentrations remained unchanged with plant age as NO3 –/ NH4 + ratio varied. For solutions low in NH4 +, N concentrations in roots increased with...
Factors Affecting Response Quantity, Quality, and Speed for Questions Asked via Social Network Status Messages

Social networking tools enable people to easily ask questions of large groups of personal acquaintances, but the effectiveness of doing so depends in part on how the question is phrased. In this paper we present a study in which 282 participants posted variants of the same question as their status message on Facebook. We analyze the quantity, quality, and speed of the responses each variant received. We find that by ending an information need with a question mark, explicitly scoping the audience, and being succinct, a person can increase the likelihood of quickly receiving many high-quality answers.
Binocular rivalry and fusion under scotopic luminances

A study is reported of human binocular rivalry and fusion over a range of luminances from scotopic to photopic. At scotopic light levels, rivalry alternations were very slow and complete. Suppression spread over much larger areas of the visual field than at photopic light levels. As luminances decreased from photopic to scotopic levels there was a rod-cone break for binocular rivalry. Mean suppression durations became abruptly greater as light levels dropped below those allowing the cones to be active. Horizontal disparities allowing fusion were 4 to 6 times greater at scotopic than at photopic light levels. Binocular vision at scotopic luminances was sluggish and of low resolution. It is as though connections to, and within, binocular vision are changed when light levels allow only rod input.
Comments regarding "On prognosis" by William Farr (1838), with reconstruction of his longitudinal analysis of smallpox recovery and death rates.

The editor has kindly asked me to comment from a statistical perspective on the historical article “On prognosis” by William Farr (1838). To place this article in context, I note that it was published about a year after the Registrar-General’s office was established in 1837, and a year before Farr’s appointment to his first official post as Compiler of Abstracts in this office, Farr later assumed the position of Superintendent of the Statistical Department in the Registrar-General’s office, a position he held until his retirement in 1880 (Humphreys, 1885b).
Stability and performance tradeoffs in bi-lateral telemanipulation

Kinesthetic force feedback provides measurable increase in remote manipulation system performance. Intensive computation time requirements or operation under conditions of time delay can cause serious stability problems in control-system design. The author presents a simplified linear analysis of this stability problem for the forward-flow generalized architecture and uses the hybrid two-port representation to express the loop gain of the traditional master-slave architecture, which can be subjected to similar analysis. The hybrid two-port representation is also used to express the effects on the fidelity of manipulation or feel of one design approach used to stabilize the forward-flow architecture. The results suggest that, when local force feedback at the slave side is used to reduce manipulator stability problems, a price is paid in terms of telemanipulation fidelity. >
Characterization of regulatory volume behavior by fluorescence quenching in human corneal epithelial cells.

An in-depth understanding of the mechanisms underlying regulatory volume behavior in corneal epithelial cells has been in part hampered by the lack of adequate methodology for characterizing this phenomenon. Accordingly, we developed a novel approach to characterize time-dependent changes in relative cell volume induced by anisosmotic challenges in calcein-loaded SV40-immortalized human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells with a fluorescence microplate analyzer. During a hypertonic challenge, cells shrank rapidly, followed by a temperature-dependent regulatory volume increase (RVI), τc = 19 min. In contrast, a hypotonic challenge induced a rapid (τc = 2.5 min) regulatory volume decrease (RVD). Temperature decline from 37 to 24°C reduced RVI by 59%, but did not affect RVD. Bumetanide (50 μM), ouabain (1 mM), DIDS (1 mM), EIPA (100 μM), or Na+-free solution reduced the RVI by 60, 61, 39, 32, and 69%, respectively. K+, Cl− channel and K+-Cl− cotransporter (KCC) inhibition obtained with either 4-AP (1 mM), DIDS (1 mM), DIOA (100 μM), high K+ (20 mM) or Cl−-free solution, suppressed RVD by 42, 47, 34, 52 and 58%, respectively. KCC activity also affects steady-state cell volume, since its inhibition or stimulation induced relative volume alterations under isotonic conditions. Taken together, K+ and Cl− channels in parallel with KCC activity are important mediators of RVD, whereas RVI is temperature-dependent and is essentially mediated by the Na+-K+-2Cl− cotransporter (Na+-K+-2Cl−) and the Na+-K+ pump. Inhibition of K+ and Cl− channels and KCC but not Na+-K+-2Cl− affect steady-state cell volume under isotonic conditions. This is the first report that KCC activity is required for HCE cell volume regulation and maintenance of steady-state cell volume.
Tobacco education in dentistry and dental hygiene.

Introduction and Aims. Dentists and dental hygienists are in a unique position to motivate and assist their patients to quit smoking and using smokeless tobacco, and there is ample evidence that they can be effective. Tobacco plays a major role in the development and treatment of many oral diseases, and the repeated nature of dental treatment provides multiple opportunities for information, advice and brief counselling. However, dentists and dental hygienists in practice report lack of training in effective tobacco cessation skills as a significant barrier to incorporating these behaviours into routine care. Design and Methods. In this paper, we summarise the rationale for addressing tobacco use within dentistry and dental hygiene, review the extant policies regarding provision of tobacco-related education, and make recommendations for the content and format of tobacco dependence treatment training in undergraduate curricula and continuing education courses. Results. Although worldwide dental education organisations have policies encouraging their members to provide tobacco cessation services to their patients, there are no national standards for tobacco cessation curriculum in US dental schools. In addition, tobacco cessation is not considered a clinical competency. Discussion and Conclusions. For dental professionals to systematically assist their patients to quit tobacco, changes must be made to the ways treatment of tobacco dependence is viewed within dentistry and taught at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Until that time, the dental profession will continue to fall short of the Clinical Practice Guidelines and the policies set out by its professional organisations.[Gordon JS, Albert DA, Crews KM, Fried J. Tobacco education in dentistry and dental hygiene. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009;28:517–532]
Lewinian Space and Ecological Substance

It is proposed that Lewinian theory — a bundle of paradoxes in which the perceived is viewed as more important than the actual, the unreal more valid than the real, motivation inheres in the environment, and the content of structures remains unspecified — constitutes a set of ideas whose time has just now come. A theory of form but not of substance, it proposed a redefinition of psychology as the study of behavior in the psychological field, a terrain which is as yet to be explored. A current program to obtain some of the requisite substantive data about the nature of the perceived environment, an experimental ecology of human development, is outlined. The environment is conceptualized as a series of nested and interconnected structures, moving from the innermost, the microsystem, through the meso- and exo- to the macrosystem at the cultural (or subcultural) level. Examples of conceptual and empirical work with these several system-levels are reported.
Battering, Traumatic Stress, and Welfare-to-Work Transition

Battering and its consequences may thwart welfare recipients' transition from welfare to work, complicating welfare reform. This research examined battering and traumatic stress in the lives of 122 enrollees in a short-term job readiness program. Nearly half reported violence or serious injury in their current or most recent intimate relationship. One third reported traumatic stress symptoms. The data help assess the relative importance of potential barriers to welfare-to-work transition, including character and human capital deficits, gendered caring responsibilities, and battering and its consequences. Feminist accounts that include battering explain program participation outcomes better than accounts that focus only on deficits.
Epidemiologic characterization of culture positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis patients by katG-gyrA principal genetic grouping

Molecular typing techniques make it possible to genetically characterize Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. Public health strategies to control the spread of tuberculosis are enhanced by the use of molecular data to study tuberculosis transmission dynamics within populations. This study compared epidemiological and clinical characteristics of three M. tuberculosis groups based on polymorphisms at katG codon 463 and gyrA codon 95 in 1893 culture-positive patients by a retrospective nested case-comparison design. Study participants, diagnosed from 1995 to 2001 in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area, were ≥ 18 years old, 70% male, 66% U.S.-born, 40% Black, 29% Hispanic, 19% White, and 12% Asian/Pacific Islander. The prevalence of each principal genetic group (GG) was 30% (GG1), 52% (GG2), and 18% (GG3). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that GG1 participants were more likely to be Asian, male, and have a history of homelessness, as compared with participants with either GG2 or GG3 isolates. GG2 participants were more likely to be Hispanic, have streptomycin-resistant isolates, and be infected with HIV than either GG1 or GG3 participants. GG3 participants were more likely to be Black or Hispanic, report illicit drug use, and live in a congregative facility at the time of diagnosis, than GG1 or GG2 participants. Ethnicity and sociodemographic findings were significant, prompting additional research into social networks, genetic susceptibility, immunology, and virulence factors.
A mathematical programming method for the inelastic analysis of reinforced concrete frames

A mathematical programming method is presented for solving problems of (i) determining the moments and rotations and (ii) determining the safety factor of reinforced concrete frames. The proposed method is essentially a reformulation of those developed by De Donato and Maier. However, the reformulation results in a new mathematical programming model for which an efficient algorithm is developed. The advantage of the proposed method is mainly computational; in fact it requires roughly one half computer time and storage space as compared with those De Donato and Maier employ to solve the same problem.
Practical dissonance: Bridging the gap between academia and agencies

Traditional natural resource programs in higher education tend to target biota, habitat, and human users and/or values as interacting components of a system. In the 2007 Journal of Wildlife Management article “Dinosaur Ramblings,” Scalet (2007) described a shifting continuum between applied or management-oriented research and basic ecological research that continues to challenge how programs in higher education approach the training of young professionals. In a 2008 issue of the same journal, a seminar on this topic resulted in students publishing “Dinosaur Evolution: Student Response to Dinosaur Ramblings,” (Parker et al. 2008) in which they concurred that this continuum exists, but argued that change has been more an integration of applied and basic research as opposed to a shift away from management. The multiple-use mission of many organizations today requires a more holistic approach to management. However, professionals often report that students lack the basic skills needed for applied management. I propose an alternative model, based on modern psychological principles, that redirects our focus toward the area of greatest concern—the apparent and increasing disconnect between what is taught to students in academic settings and what agencies expect from employees in practice, as both make the shift to more holistic management at different rates. The magnitude of this “practical dissonance” can be reduced by changing practices, adding consonant activities, or altering the perceived importance of those discrepancies to bring the trajectories more in line with each other. Change is inevitable in society, higher education, and natural resource management; our responsibility is to ensure that the link between agencies and higher education is maintained and strengthened. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Permeation sampling of phthalate esters in water

A method for sampling the six phthalate esters considered priority pollutants by the United States EPA has been developed. The sampling device utilizes a silicone polycarbonate membrane (SSP-M213) through which the analytes permeate and are collected onto an adsorbent, Amberlite XAD-16. After a known period, the samplers were removed from the water and the analytes were extracted from the adsorbent using dichloromethane/hexane (50:50, v/v), with the resulting solution analyzed using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations of the phthalates in the water were determined by creating plots of amount of analyte collected versus the product of concentration and time (ppm· hr) for each phthalate. A linear correlation between the amount of analyte collected and the product of concentration and time was seen for each phthalate. Effects of temperature, stirring rate and the presence of potential interferents on the rate of permeation were also studied. The obta...
Mechanism of XIAP-Mediated Inhibition of Caspase-9

The inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins potently inhibit the catalytic activity of caspases. While profound insight into the inhibition of the effector caspases has been gained in recent years, the mechanism of how the initiator caspase-9 is regulated by IAPs remains enigmatic. This paper reports the crystal structure of caspase-9 in an inhibitory complex with the third baculoviral IAP repeat (BIR3) of XIAP at 2.4 A resolution. The structure reveals that the BIR3 domain forms a heterodimer with a caspase-9 monomer. Strikingly, the surface of caspase-9 that interacts with BIR3 also mediates its homodimerization. We demonstrate that monomeric caspase-9 is catalytically inactive due to the absence of a supporting sequence element that could be provided by homodimerization. Thus, XIAP sequesters caspase-9 in a monomeric state, which serves to prevent catalytic activity. These studies, in conjunction with other observations, define a unified mechanism for the activation of all caspases.
Group 1 mGlu-family proteins promote neuroadaptation to ethanol and withdrawal-associated hippocampal damage

Abstract Background Group 1 mGlu-family proteins (i.e., mGlu) consist of mGlu1 and mGlu5 and their activity may influence voluntary ethanol intake. The present studies sought to examine the influence of these receptors on the development of ethanol dependence using in vitro and in vivo models of chronic, intermittent ethanol (CIE). Methods Rat hippocampal explants were exposed to CIE with or without the addition of mGlu1 antagonist (7-hydroxyimino)cyclopropa[b]chromen-1a-carboxylate ethyl ester (CPCCOEt; 0.5, 1, and 3 μM) or mGlu5 antagonist (E)-2-methyl-6-styryl-pyridine (SIB-1893; 20, 100, and 200 μM) to assess sparing of withdrawal-induced cytotoxicity. In a separate study, adult male rats were administered CIE with or without the addition of oral administration of group 1 mGlu antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP; 3 mg/kg). Blood ethanol levels (BELs) were determined at 0930 h on Day 2 of Weeks 1, 2, and 3. Withdrawal behavior was monitored during Day 6 of the third consecutive withdrawal. Results CIE produced significant hippocampal cytotoxicity. These effects were attenuated by co-exposure to CPCCOEt (3 μM) with ethanol in the CA3. By contrast, these effects were blocked by SIB-1893 (20 μM) in each primary cell layer. Oral administration of MPEP with ethanol significantly attenuated behavioral effects of subsequent withdrawal and reduced BELs. Conclusions These data demonstrate that ethanol activates group 1 mGlu-family proteins to promote withdrawal-associated cytotoxicity in vitro and physical dependence in vivo. These findings suggest that group 1 mGlu-family proteins may be therapeutic targets for treatment of alcohol use disorders.
Mapping of Functional Areas in the Human Cortex Based on Connectivity through Association Fibers

In the human brain, different regions of the cortex communicate via white matter tracts. Investigation of this connectivity is essential for understanding brain function. It has been shown that trajectories of white matter fiber bundles can be estimated based on orientational information that is obtained from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). By extrapolating this information, cortical regions associated with a specific white matter tract can be estimated. In this study, we created population-averaged cortical maps of brain connectivity for 4 major association fiber tracts, the corticospinal tract (CST), and commissural fibers. It is shown that these 4 association fibers interconnect all 4 lobes of the hemispheres. Cortical regions that were assigned based on association with the CST and the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) agreed with locations of their known (CST: motor) or putative (SLF: language) functions. The proposed approach can potentially be used for quantitative assessment of the effect of white matter abnormalities on associated cortical regions.
A look at Nursing Leadership Through the Lens of a Dancer

TOPIC Using the world of dance to describe leadership dimensions. PURPOSE To explore the art of nursing leadership from the perspective of dance, a form of artistry through movement. SOURCES Published literature and the author's own experience. CONCLUSIONS The metaphors of dance bring the concept to life in a new way.
Rapid courtship evolution in grouse (Tetraonidae): contrasting patterns of acceleration between the Eurasian and North American polygynous clades

Sexual selection is thought to be a powerful diversifying force, based on large ornamental differences between sexually dimorphic species. This assumes that unornamented phenotypes represent evolution without sexual selection. If sexual selection is more powerful than other forms of selection, then two effects would be: rapid divergence of sexually selected traits and a correlation between these divergence rates and variance in mating success in the ornamented sex. I tested for these effects in grouse (Tetraonidae). For three species pairs, within and among polygynous clades, male courtship characters had significantly greater divergence than other characters. This was most pronounced for two species in Tympanuchus. In the Eurasian polygynous clade, relative courtship divergence gradually increased with nucleotide divergence, suggesting a less dramatic acceleration. Increase in relative courtship divergence was associated with mating systems having higher variance in male mating success. These results suggest that sexual selection has accelerated courtship evolution among grouse, although the microevolutionary details appear to vary among clades.
Issues in conducting intervention research in long-term care settings

What are the sociopolitical factors that influence the implementation of clinical intervention studies in long-term care settings, and how can these serve as threats to a study's internal validity?
Unified performance analysis of subspace-based estimation algorithms

A unified performance analysis of subspace-based algorithms for direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation involving multiple signal arrivals in array signal processing is presented. Following previous analyses of MUSIC and Min-Norm, an analytical expression of the variance of the DOA estimation-error is developed for state-space realization and ESPRIT in a greatly simplified fashion. The tractable formulas provide insight for design. Simulation results verify the analysis. >
Airborne Pseudo-Dual-Doppler Analysis of a Rear-Inflow Jet and Deep Convergence Zone within a Supercell

Abstract On 22 May 1995, numerous thunderstorms, several of which produced large hail and small tornadoes, formed along a dryline in the central and northern Texas Panhandle. The only long-lasting, daytime, severe storms developed later, south of the earlier storms. By late afternoon, new cells merged and evolved into two large supercells. The northern supercell produced three weak tornadoes and hail; the southern supercell did not produce a tornado, but did produce very large hail for an extended period of time. Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment crews collected data in the southern supercell from its early stage through much of its mature stage. The National Center for Atmospheric Research Electra Doppler Radar collected pseudo-dual-Doppler radar data on this storm continuously for well over an hour. Detailed analyses of this high-resolution dataset revealed several unusual features, most notably an intense elevated rear-inflow jet at midlevels having maximum wind speeds app...
Remarks on a multiscale approach to grain growth in polycrystals

Nearly all technologically useful materials are polycrystalline. Their ability to meet system level specifications of performance and reliability is influenced by the types of grain boundaries present and their connectivity. To engineer the grain boundary network to achieve these objectives, we seek predictive models of growth at various mesoscale levels. Here we discuss a master equation description of normal grain growth derived from large scale simulations and compare the results with recent experiments.
Scientist: The story of a word

The appellation scientist is considered a title of honor, hotly contended for by economists, engineers, physicians, psychologists, and others. The word itself is widely believed to have been classical for centuries; yet it is actually of recent origin and had a hard fight to establish itself against a number of competitors. The argument, which is now an old and forgotten controversy, was chiefly about its etymology; but the history of a word is never solely a matter of etymology: the need for a new word is socially determined, right at the start, and any subsequent changes of denotation, as well as the cluster of connotations surrounding it, are also in response to demands from society. The word cannot be isolated from its historical background; indeed some key words offer a concise and suggestive clue to the historian or sociologist
Neuropharmacology and the EEG

(1976). Neuropharmacology and the EEG. American Journal of EEG Technology: Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 99-108.
The role of contact inhibition in intratumoral heterogeneity: An off-lattice individual based model

We present a model that shows how intratumoral heterogeneity, in terms of tumor cell phenotypic traits, can evolve in a tumor mass as a result of selection when space is a limited resource. This model specifically looks at the traits of proliferation rate and migration speed. The competition for space amongst individuals in the tumor mass creates a selection pressure for the cells with the fittest traits. To allow for organic movement and capture the invasive behavior, we use an off-lattice individual-based model.
Models of light propagation in human tissue applied to cancer diagnostics

Optical methods such as reflectance and fluorescence spectroscopy are being investigated for their potential to aid cancer detection in a quantitative, minimally invasive manner. Mathematical models of reflectance and fluorescence provide an important link between measured optical data and biomedically-relevant tissue parameters that can be extracted from these data to characterize the presence or absence of disease. The most commonly-used mathematical models in biomedical optics are the diffusion approximation (DA) to the radiative transfer equation, Monte Carlo (MC) computational models of light transport, and semi-empirical models. This paper presents a review of the applications of these models to reflectance and endogenous fluorescence sensing for cancer diagnostics in human tissues. Specific examples are given for cervical, breast, and pancreatic tissues. A comparison of the DA and MC methods in two biologically-relevant regimes of optical parameter space will also be discussed.
The Skeletal Elements of the Gnathocephalon and its Appendages in the Larvae of Higher Diptera

The embryonic and postembryonic development of the gnathocephalon and its appendages in Lucilia sericata Meigen is described, figured, and compared with the anatomy of the feeding appendages in other Diptera. In the embryo of L. sericata the mandibular appendages become reduced in size. In the first-instar larva these appendages are apparent and appear as fused, vestigial structures that lie dorso-posteriorly to the small mouthhooks. In the second and third instars, mouth-hooks are well developed but the vestigial mandibular structures present in the first instar are not evident. It is concluded that the mouth-hooks in this larva are mainly maxillary in origin, as was proposed first by dc Meijere in 1916.
Effect of salivary agglutination on oral streptococcal clearance by human polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes

Salivary agglutination is an important host defense mechanism to aggregate oral commensal bacteria as well as invading pathogens. Saliva flow and subsequent swallowing more easily clear aggregated bacteria compared with single cells. Phagocytic clearance of bacteria through polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes also seems to increase to a certain extent with the size of bacterial aggregates. To determine a connection between salivary agglutination and the host innate immune response by phagocytosis, an in vitro agglutination assay was developed reproducing the average size of salivary bacterial aggregates. Using the oral commensal Streptococcus gordonii as a model organism, the effect of salivary agglutination on phagocytic clearance through polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes was investigated. Here we describe how salivary aggregates of S. gordonii are readily cleared through phagocytosis, whereas single bacterial cells showed a significant delay in being phagocytosed and killed. Furthermore, before phagocytosis the polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes were able to induce a specific de-aggregation, which was dependent on serine protease activity. The data presented suggest that salivary agglutination of bacterial cells leads to an ideal size for recognition by polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes. As a first line of defense, these phagocytic cells are able to recognize the aggregates and de-aggregate them via serine proteases to a more manageable size for efficient phagocytosis and subsequent killing in the phagolysosome. This observed mechanism not only prevents the rapid spreading of oral bacterial cells while entering the bloodstream but would also avoid degranulation of involved polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes, so preventing collateral damage to nearby tissue.
Fluvial system response to late Pleistocene-Holocene sea-level change on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California

Abstract Santa Rosa Island (SRI) is one of four east-west aligned islands forming the northern Channel Islands chain, and one of the five islands in Channel Islands National Park, California, USA. The island setting provides an unparalleled environment in which to record the response of fluvial systems to major changes of sea level. Many of the larger streams on the island occupy broad valleys that have been filled with alluvium and later incised to form steep- to vertical-walled arroyos, leaving a relict floodplain as much as 12–14 m above the present channel. The period of falling sea level between the end of the last interglacial highstand at ~ 80 ka and the last glacial lowstand at ~ 21 ka was marked by erosion and incision in the uplands and by deposition of alluvial sediment on the exposed marine shelf. Sea level rose relatively rapidly following the last glacial lowstand of − 106 m, triggering a shift from an erosional to a depositional sedimentary regime. Accumulation of sediment occurred first through vertical and lateral accretion in broad, shallow channels on the shelf. Channel avulsion and delta sedimentation produced widespread deposition, creating lobes or wedges of sediment distributed across relatively large areas of the shelf during the latest Pleistocene. Backfilling of valleys onshore (landward of present sea level) appears to have progressed in a more orderly and predictable fashion throughout the Holocene primarily because the streams were confined to their valleys. Vertical aggradation locally reduced stream gradients, causing frequent overbank flooding and lateral channel shift by meandering and/or avulsion. Local channel gradient and morphology, short-term climate variations, and intrinsic controls also affected the timing and magnitudes of these cut, fill, and flood events, and are reflected in the thickness and spacing of the episodic alluvial sequences. Floodplain aggradation within the valleys continued until at least 500 years ago, followed by intensive arroyo cutting that abandoned the relict floodplains, forming alluvial terraces. Sedimentary evidence points to overgrazing and drought, followed by catastrophic flooding, in the mid-nineteenth century as factors that may have accelerated and dramatically enhanced arroyo formation on the island.
Lupus in the Fas lane

Abstract Fas is a 43 kDa glycoprotein molecule which is involved in inducing apoptosis in both B and T lymphocytes. In the murine MRL/lpr-lpr model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the lymphoproliferation (lpr) mutation results in defective transcription of the gene that codes for the Fas protein. MRL mice which carry the homozygous recessive lpr mutation develop a severe early-onset genetically predetermined autoimmune syndrome characterised by high IgG and autoantibody levels and a diffuse proliferative immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis. Interest in the importance of Fas in SLE has risen with the observation that 60% of human subjects with lupus have elevated levels of the soluble Fas receptor in their serum and that the abnormal presence of this molecule may protect lymphocytes from undergoing apoptosis. In this review the importance of Fas in autoimmune pathogenesis is discussed.
Probing Molecular Dynamics with Laser Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Nonradiative relaxation processes such as internal conversion and intersystem crossing have been of interest to photochemists for a number of years. Although the decay of an initially prepared state can be studied by monitoring fluorescence lifetimes or quantum yields, observation of the state that is populated by the radiationless transition is usually difficult. In principal, this can be accomplished by absorption experiments, but in practice such signals are usually weak. In recent years the method of multiphoton ionization spectroscopy has grown in popularity.1–3 It has often been pointed out that one of the advantages of this technique is that it can be used to detect “dark” or non-fluorescing excited states such as those populated during radiationless relaxation. Smalley, Johnson and coworkers4,5 have shown that triplet states of benzene populated following intersystem crossing from the initially excited B2U state are ionizable and that kinetic information about the triplet state populated can be measured.
The Naïve Utility Calculus: Computational Principles Underlying Commonsense Psychology

We propose that human social cognition is structured around a basic understanding of ourselves and others as intuitive utility maximizers: from a young age, humans implicitly assume that agents choose goals and actions to maximize the rewards they expect to obtain relative to the costs they expect to incur. This ‘naive utility calculus' allows both children and adults observe the behavior of others and infer their beliefs and desires, their longer-term knowledge and preferences, and even their character: who is knowledgeable or competent, who is praiseworthy or blameworthy, who is friendly, indifferent, or an enemy. We review studies providing support for the naive utility calculus, and we show how it captures much of the rich social reasoning humans engage in from infancy.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Versus Watchful Waiting: Enhancing Social Connectedness and Reducing Anxiety and Avoidance

Treatments targeting social connectedness have the potential to address a significant public health concern. Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) is based on a behavioral interpretation of how the therapeutic relationship can serve as a significant agent of change. Examine the efficacy of FAP com
An experimental investigation of nanoparticle-stabilized CO2 foam used in enhanced oil recovery

Abstract Stability of nanoparticle (NP) stabilized CO2 foam using silica and nanoclay, and the resulting improvement in oil recovery are investigated using modified bulk foam tests and flow experiments using a microfluidic device. The size and uniformity of the dispersion of NPs are characterized via Dynamic Light Scattering. The NP-assisted foam properties are evaluated by: (1) modified bulk foam tests where bulk foam is generated using CO2 under approximately 20 psi of pressure and its formability and decay (dynamic stability) are recorded as functions of time and (2) foam stability and oil recovery are investigated using a quasi-2D porous medium (microfluidic chip), fabricated based on a 2D representation of a sample of sandstone. The effects of type of NP, particle size, surfactant type and pressure on CO2 foam stability and viscosity and the resulting incremental oil recovery are investigated and discussed. The results show that nanoclay and silica NPs with an Alpha-Olefin Sulfonate (AOS)-Lauramidopropyl Betaine (LAPB) surfactant mixture provide excellent formability and stability (half-life time around four hours) and increased viscosity. The stability and impact of NPs-stabilized foam on recovery in a microfluidic device is explored and reported. Data is collected using an ultra-high resolution full frame image sensor, which allows the entire surface of the model to be unobstructed for observation; images of the entire porous medium are captured while preserving the resolution required to discern features as small as 10 μm. The porous medium is approximately 1.4 in. in width and 1.6 in. in length and the channels are 20 μm deep. Results suggest that foam with highest stability (Si-LAPB-AOS) does not provide the best oil recovery performance (a high oil recovery and a low pore volume injected). The novelty of this work lies in its thorough characterization of NPs in stabilizing CO2 foams, investigation of their stability using a modified bulk foam test and examination of their stability and incremental recovery resulting from their use compared to systems without NPs in quasi-2D porous media fabricated based on a two-dimensional representation of a Berea sandstone.
A Review of the Design and Management of Footbaths for Dairy Cattle

This article summarizes current footbath practices, questions the mechanism by which footbaths function, and reviews the available scientific literature testing footbaths in the field. Copper sulfate appears the most efficacious agent to include in a footbath program, but disposal concerns should limit the frequency of its use. Other agents such as formaldehyde have some merit when used with care. Use of water alone in a flush bath appears to have minimal impact. Footbaths should be used as infrequently as possible to achieve lameness prevention goals for the herd.
A fluoro-Nissl dye identifies pericytes as distinct vascular mural cells during in vivo brain imaging

Pericytes and smooth muscle cells are integral components of the brain microvasculature. However, no techniques exist to unambiguously identify these cell types, greatly limiting their investigation in vivo. Here we show that the fluorescent Nissl dye NeuroTrace 500/525 labels brain pericytes with specificity, allowing high-resolution optical imaging in the live mouse. We demonstrate that capillary pericytes are a population of mural cells with distinct morphological, molecular and functional features that do not overlap with precapillary or arteriolar smooth muscle actin-expressing cells. The remarkable specificity for dye uptake suggests that pericytes have molecular transport mechanisms not present in other brain cells. We demonstrate feasibility of longitudinal pericyte imaging during microvascular development and aging and in models of brain ischemia and Alzheimer's disease. The ability to easily label pericytes in any mouse model opens the possibility of a broad range of investigations of mural cells in vascular development, neurovascular coupling and neuropathology.
Sembragiline: a novel, selective monoamine oxidase type B inhibitor for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Increased MAO-B expression in astroglia has been observed adjacent to amyloid plaques in AD patient brains. This phenomenon is hypothesized to lead to increased production of hydrogen peroxide and reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby contributing to AD pathology. Therefore, reduction of ROS-induced oxidative stress via inhibition of MAO-B activity may delay the progression of the disease. In the present study we report the pharmacological properties of sembragiline, a novel selective MAO-B inhibitor specifically developed for the treatment of AD, and on its effect on ROS-mediated neuronal injury and astrogliosis in MAO-B transgenic animals. Sembragiline showed potent and long-lasting MAO-B-selective inhibition and did not inhibit MAO-A at doses where full inhibition of MAO-B was observed. Such selectivity should translate into a favorable clinical safety profile. Indeed, sembragiline neither induced the serotonin syndrome when administered together with the serotonin precursor l-5-hydroxytryptophan in combination with antidepressants such as fluoxetine, nor potentiated the pressor effect of tyramine. Additionally, in experiments using a transgenic animal model conditionally overexpressing MAO-B in astroglia, sembragiline protected against neuronal loss and reduced both ROS formation and reactive astrogliosis. Taken together, these findings warrant further investigation of the potential therapeutic benefit of MAO-B inhibitors in patients with AD and other neurologic disorders.
Emerging roles for TFEB in the immune response and inflammation.

ABSTRACTInflammation is a central feature of an effective immune response, which functions to eliminate pathogens and other foreign material, and promote recovery; however, dysregulation of the inflammatory response is associated with a wide variety of disease states. The autophagy-lysosome pathway is one of 2 major degradative pathways used by the cell and serves to eliminate long-lived and dysfunctional proteins and organelles to maintain homeostasis. Mounting evidence implicates the autophagy-lysosome pathway as a key player in regulating the inflammatory response; hence many inflammatory diseases may fundamentally be diseases of autophagy-lysosome pathway dysfunction. The recent identification of TFEB and TFE3 as master regulators of macroautophagy/autophagy and lysosome function raises the possibility that these transcription factors may be of central importance in linking autophagy and lysosome dysfunction with inflammatory disorders. Here, we review the current state of knowledge linking TFEB and T...
The USU Tree Inventory Website: A Case Study Of An Interactive Online Woody Plant Education Resource

The USU Tree Inventory Website: A Case Study Of An Interactive Online Woody Plant Education Resource
bell hooks and Consciousness-Raising: Argument for a Fourth Wave of Feminism

In this chapter Blevins makes the theoretical argument that consciousness-raising groups, informal support groups dealing with sexism, are flourishing on social media. These modern iterations can be distinguished from former groups by their focus not just on sexism, but on re-politicizing young people. Some young feminists are even embracing the label of “fourth-wave feminism.” Thus far, the effort of fourth-wave feminism is on shifting the micropolitics of the third wave to a “call out” culture online, where individuals challenge sexism and misogyny. Consciousness-raising groups should be considered a key part of this process. Instead of returning to a centrally organized social movement, these groups validate the contributions of young people and are reviving activism with the help of digital platforms.
Memoized Flat Closures for CPS

Compilers for functional languages are judged, in part, on how well they handle \(\lambda \)-expressions. The evaluation of \(\lambda \)-expressions traditionally requires closure allocations which can be intensive and can interact poorly with a garbage collector. Work on closure representation and garbage collection has successfully improved this interaction. This work, however, does not address the actual allocation of closures in the first place. This is important, because the only closures that do not have to be garbage collected are the closures that are never allocated. This article explores a novel mechanism to reduce flat-closure allocations based on memoization. To test this new mechanism, a compiler has been developed that uses continuation-passing style as an intermediate representation–which makes closure allocation ubiquitous. Empirical results strongly suggest that flat-closure memoization is an important optimization that significantly reduces running time as well as memory and closure allocation.
Expression of pro-apoptotic markers is increased along the osteochondral junction in naturally occurring osteochondrosis.

Abstract Osteochondrosis (OC) is a naturally occurring disease of the articular-epiphyseal cartilage and subchondral bone layers, leading to pain and decreased mobility. The objective of this study was to characterize gene and protein expression of apoptotic markers in chondrocytes surrounding cartilage canals and along the osteochondral junction of osteochondrosis (OC)-affected and normal cartilage, using naturally occurring disease in horses. Paraffin-embedded osteochondral samples (6 OC, 8 normal controls) and cDNA from chondrocytes captured with laser capture microdissection (4 OC, 6 normal controls) were obtained from the lateral trochlear ridge of femoropatellar joints in 14 immature horses (1–6 months of age). Equine-specific caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-10, Fas, Bcl-2, BAG-1, TNFα, cytochrome C, thymosin-β10, and 18S mRNA expression levels were evaluated by two-step real-time quantitative PCR. Percentage of cell death was determined using the TUNEL method. Protein expression of caspase-10, Fas, cytochrome C, and thymosin-β10 was determined following immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test or two-sample t-test (p
Exploring, Understanding, and Closing the Achievement Gap(s): Efforts from Harlem to Homewood

The purpose of this chapter is to review briefly the state of education in America, with a particular focus on its racial/ethnic and social class “achievement gaps.” The chapter begins with a brief overview of the changing demographics of America. I then report recent data on the magnitude and trends in the various achievement gaps. Next, I examine the social and economic impact of the achievement gaps on the well-being of the nation. Finally, I describe current approaches to close the achievement gaps, with an emphasis on the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) and a current effort in Pittsburgh, PA, inspired by the HCZ, called the Homewood Children’s Village.
The adversary system: role of the forensic toxicologist.

It is most interesting to note that toxicology in general has become a very popular and paramount science in the last decade. Stimulated by man's concern with adverse health effects—specifically, drugs and alcohol, air pollution, water pollution, etc.—toxicology has become a common household word, although it continues to be mispronounced and, occasionally, misspelled. Table 1 contains a listing of the many titles that have been given to the author on letters addressed to him at the University and at the Coroner's Office. The ultimate was the receipt of a letter addressed to the “Chief Taxidermist,” Allegheny County Coroner's Office!!!