cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Smallholder Livestock Commercialization

The world’s population is expected to grow by over 30% by 2050, putting tremendous strain on agriculture to produce the estimated additional one billion tons of cereal grains and 200 million tons of meat to feed that population. Most of the population growth will occur in Africa and Asia where the majority of smallholder farms are located. Commercialization of smallholder farms can lead to increased productivity. Producer identified constraints to commercialization include infrastructure, poor knowledge of market prices, limited access to banking services and loan opportunities, and poor extension services, among others. To overcome these constraints will take actions by various sectors. Producer must become more market oriented and take advantage of current technologies to improve production. Government organizations should develop ways to build farmer capacity in market and production activities. Research institutes and universities must conduct research to drive innovation, help farmers to apply technologies, and develop means to enhance producer knowledge. Making loans and banking services available to farmers is a main role of the private sector. The private sector can also partner with producers on marketing and market access.
Treatment resistance and a glimmer of hope, the promise of new agents

Abstract Treatment resistance, whether intrinsic or acquired, is a critical factor limiting the utility of nonsurgical treatment regimens for head and neck cancers and other solid tumors. In this chapter, we discuss existing evidence regarding both mechanisms of resistance and their impact on relative effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy, targeted agents, and radiation. Although largely driven by the intrinsic tumor biology, more specifically individual genomic and epigenetic events, treatment resistance often involves wholesale reprogramming of transcriptional and translational cellular profiles and alterations in cellular energetic and metabolomic constraints. Such broad-based alterations generate a complex scientific and translational problem and can result in the development of unpredictable cross-resistance patterns. Recent data arising from preclinical and clinical studies of targeted agents provide some potentially useful insights and strategies for minimizing the potential for development of resistant clones.
β-γ systems and the deformations of the BRST operator

We describe the relation between simple logarithmic CFTs associated with closed and open strings, and their 'infinite metric' limits, corresponding to the β–γ systems. This relation is studied on the level of the BRST complex: we show that the consideration of metric as a perturbation leads to a certain deformation of the algebraic operations of the Lian–Zuckerman type on the vertex algebra, associated with the β–γ systems. The Maurer–Cartan equations corresponding to this deformed structure in the quasi-classical approximation lead to the nonlinear field equations. As an explicit example, we demonstrate that using this construction, Yang–Mills equations can be derived. This gives rise to a nontrivial relation between the Courant–Dorfman algebroid and homotopy algebras emerging from the gauge theory. We also discuss a possible algebraic approach to the study of beta-functions in sigma-models.
Advancing Oncology Nursing Practice Through the Adoption of Patient Monitoring Digital Tools

ABSTRACT Objective The objective of this paper is to describe the use of oncology digital symptom monitoring and patient self-management coaching tools, how nurses and nurse practitioners (NPs) can optimize their use as an adjunct in improving oncology care and discuss issues and strategies needed for adoption within a variety of clinical settings. Data Sources A review of the research literature regarding digital health in oncology symptom management in PubMed provided the foundation for this paper. Conclusion Digital symptom monitoring technology provides a variety of opportunities for oncology nurses and NPs to efficiently extend and improve symptom management in multiple settings including cancer patients at home between clinic visits, at clinic visits, and during inpatient stays. Digital monitoring and patient engagement make possible frequent symptom assessments, just-in-time personalized self-management reinforcement, and judiciously alert nurses and NPs about key times for follow-up with patients supported with evidenced-based guidelines. Oncology nurses at all levels have the opportunity to be leaders in the adoption and expansion of digital tools to enhance their practice. Implications for Nursing Practice Oncology nurses and NPs can lead practice changes that improve patient outcomes through understanding and shaping the use of digital tools.
Gender Identity Disparities in Criminal Victimization: National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017-2018.

Objectives. To estimate the prevalence of personal and household victimizations among transgender people in the United States.Methods. We analyzed pooled 2017 and 2018 data from the National Crime ...
Labor of love: The formalization of care in transgender kinship organizations:

While prior research shows how community-based organizations (CBO’s) create new social ties and solidarities, we know less about CBO’s that formalize preexisting relationships of care. Analyzing tr...
Assessment of OB/Gyn Residents’ Knowledge of Basic Obstetric Sonography and Psychomotor Skills Posttraining on a Computer-Based Simulator:

Objective:This study sought to evaluate how a high-fidelity computer-based sonography simulator (FCBSS) can be used in training obstetrics and gynecology residents and evaluate efficacy of high-fid...
Cloud Based FastPI Streamlining Platform Power Integrity Design

Cloud based FastPI, using Intel’s first developed platform design automation methodology, facilitates Intel customers’ board level PI design. For every power rail of the SoC, it provides quick design review, PDN optimization and sign-off to expedite Time-to-Market (TTM). Flexibility feature of the trade-offs among performance, cost, and form factors including stack-up and Z-height greatly helps customers’ platform differentiation and product innovation.
Rhino-Orbito-Cerebral Mucormycosis. A Retrospective Analysis of Clinical Features and Treatment Outcomes

Objective: The conventional management of rhino-orbito-cerebral (ROC) mucormycosis includes control of metabolic abnormality, administration of amphotericin B and surgery that spans simple sinus clearance, radical debridement and orbital exenteration. Recent literature includes anecdotal descriptions of successful treatment with conservative management of involved orbits. We evaluated the clinical features and outcome of treatment for the different stages of ROC mucormycosis. Method: In this retrospective case series, 34 case records of patients with a histopathological diagnosis of ROC mucormycosis treated between 1992 and 2000 were reviewed. Three clinical stages and three treatment groups were identified. Patients with limited sino-nasal disease (Clinical stage I) underwent sino-nasal debridement (Treatment group A). Patients with limited rhino-orbital disease (Clinical stage II) underwent either sino-nasal debridement alone (Treatment group A) or orbital exenteration in addition to sino-nasal debridement (Treatment group B). Patients with rhino-orbito-cerebral disease (Clinical stage III) did not undergo any surgical procedure (Treatment group C). Thirty-three patients received intravenous amphotericin B. Outcome for each group was measured as Treatment success (disease free, stable patient with metabolic abnormality under control) and Treatment failure (progression of disease with worsening general condition or mortality due to the disease). Results: Uncontrolled diabetes in 30 (88.2%) of 34 patients was the commonest underlying disease and 16 (53.3%) of 30 diabetics had ketoacidosis. Chronic renal failure (n = 4), hepatic disease (n = 3) and idiopathic thrombocytopenia (n = 1) were the other underlying diseases. Eleven patients had stage I disease, 16 patients had stage II disease and seven patients had stage III disease. All 11 patients with stage I disease received treatment A; of 16 patients with stage II disease, 7 received treatment A and the remaining with stage III disease received treatment B; 7 patients with stage II disease received treatment C. Ten of 11 patients (91%) with stage I disease had treatment success. In patients with stage II disease, 7 of 7 (100%) with treatment A and 1 of 9 (11.1%) with treatment B had treatment success. All seven patients with stage III disease had treatment failure. Conclusion: Debridement of the sinuses is necessary in all cases of rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis. Diagnosis in the early stage needs a high degree of suspicion. There is a definite role for retention of orbits in patients whose metabolic derangement is rapidly controlled and orbital involvement is non-progressive.
Secondary spacecraft in 2015: Analyzing success and failure

This paper updates previous reviews of secondary spacecraft. With the number of new secondary spacecraft exceeding 100 per year, it is necessary to revisit the data, to better understand the trends and make new predictions.
Life under water: physiological adaptations to diving and living at sea.

This review covers the field of diving physiology by following a chronological approach and focusing heavily on marine mammals. Because the study of modern diving physiology can be traced almost entirely to the work of Laurence Irving in the 1930s, this particular field of physiology is different than most in that it did not derive from multiple laboratories working at many locations or on different aspects of a similar problem. Because most of the physiology principles still used today were first formulated by Irving, it is important to the study of this field that the sequence of thought is examined as a progression of theory. The review covers the field in roughly decadal blocks and traces ideas as they were first suggested, tested, modified and in some cases, abandoned. Because diving physiology has also been extremely dependent on new technologies used in the development of diving recorders, a chronological approach fits well with advances in electronics and mechanical innovation. There are many species that dive underwater as part of their natural behavior, but it is mainly the marine mammals (seals, sea lions, and whales) that demonstrate both long duration and dives to great depth. There have been many studies on other diving species including birds, snakes, small aquatic mammals, and humans. This work examines these other diving species as appropriate and a listing of reviews and relevant literature on these groups is included at the end. © 2012 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 2:1889-1919, 2012.
Bonded stacked ring insulator for the antares electron gun

Antares is a high energy CO2 laser under construction at the Los Alamos National Laboratory as part of the Inertial Confinement Fusion Program.
With Whose Hands: Privatization, Public Employment, and Democracy

Privatization is the public sector analogue of the "runaway shop." In the private sector, the increasing mobility of capital has spawned unprecedented forms of labor discipline by allowing firms to transfer operations between states and even to foreign countries. Privatization-diverting work from the public to the private sector serves a similar purpose. Both privatization and capital flight enable employers to continue providing services or producing products while shedding a web of existing obligations to their employees. In the public sector, however, the rights of labor are coextensive with legislative and constitutional guarantees of fair, open, and vigorous government. The trend toward privatization amounts to a deliberate effort to evade the rules and procedures intrinsic to democratic government. This Article opens by arguing that privatization is not a coherent social policy but instead a labor relations strategy designed to cut labor costs by circumventing the rights of public employees. Examining the links between the rights of civil servants and democratic government, it demonstrates that principles of openness, merit, and independence, which are enunciated in civil service laws and also guaranteed by the Constitution, are essential to the administration of a democratic state. By annulling the rights of public employees, the Article concludes, privatization may give rise to a more tractable workforce, but one ill-suited to carrying out public policy in a democracy.
P16 as a marker to differentiate atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated liposarcoma from deep seated lipoma: An immunohistochemical analysis of 51 cases

10070 Background: Atypical lipomatous tumor (ALT)/well-differentiated (WD) liposarcoma is a locally aggressive malignant mesenchymal neoplasm characterized by supernumerary ring and giant marker ch...
Intergenerational Service Learning: Bringing Together Undergraduate Students and Older Adult Learners to Engage in Collaborative Research

The aging population is more educated now than ever before. Parallel to the increase in educational levels is a growth in demand for lifelong learning opportunities (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgart...
Exploratory Projection Pursuit

Abstract A new projection pursuit algorithm for exploring multivariate data is presented that has both statistical and computational advantages over previous methods. A number of practical issues concerning its application are addressed. A connection to multivariate density estimation is established, and its properties are investigated through simulation studies and application to real data. The goal of exploratory projection pursuit is to use the data to find low- (one-, two-, or three-) dimensional projections that provide the most revealing views of the full-dimensional data. With these views the human gift for pattern recognition can be applied to help discover effects that may not have been anticipated in advance. Since linear effects are directly captured by the covariance structure of the variable pairs (which are straightforward to estimate) the emphasis here is on the discovery of nonlinear effects such as clustering or other general nonlinear associations among the variables. Although arbitrary ...
Master equation modeling of wide range temperature and pressure dependence of CO + OH → products

The rate coefficient of CO + OH products is analyzed with RRKM/master equation analyses and Monte Carlo simulations. The analyses are based on the recent CCSD(T)/cc-pvTZ potential energy surface of Yu et al. Chem Phys Lett 2001, 349, 547–554). It is shown that the experimental data over the temperature range of 80–2500 K and pressure from 1 Torr to 800 bar can be satisfactorily reproduced by lowering the CCSD(T)/cc-pvTZ energy barrier for the CO2 + H exit channel by 1 kcal/mol and more importantly, by considering an equilibrium factor in the thermal rate constant formulation. This factor accounts for the populations of rovibrationally excited trans- and cis-HOCO, which are then allowed to dissociate only through specific paths that are open to them. By modeling the isothermal but pressure-dependent rate data of Fulle et al. (J Chem Phys 1996, 105, 983–1000) over the temperature range from 98 to 819 K, we obtained an 〈Edown〉 value equal to 150 cm−1 for M = He. The 〈Edown〉 values for M = N2, Ar, CF4, and SF6 were also obtained by fitting the OH and OD data at 298 K. Based on the theoretical analyses, we recommended that the following rate expression be used for CO + OH CO2 + H in the temperature range from 120 to 2500 K and pressure lower than P(bar) = 9 × 10−17T5.9 exp(520/T): k1b,0(cm3 molecule−1s−1) =1.17 × 10−19T2.053exp(139/T) + 9.56 × 10−12T−0.664 exp(−167/T). Fall-off parameterization is also proposed for the rate coefficient of CO + OH CO2 + H under extremely high pressures and for CO + OH HOCO over the temperature range from 120 to 2500 K. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 38:57–73, 2006
On the use of transfer and dispersion coefficient concepts in low-dimensional diffusion–convection-reaction models

The two most important concepts in transport phenomena in the past century are that of transfer and dispersion coefficient. While both concepts reduce the local degrees of freedom and provide a coarse-grained low-dimensional description of the transport process at the macroscale, their physical interpretations and mathematical descriptions differ. The transfer coefficient concept uses two concentration or temperature modes and upscales the microscale molecular effects as an exchange between the local and global scales, leading to hyperbolic models and Cauchy (initial value) problems. The dispersion coefficient concept uses a single mode and incorporates the microscale effects as an effective diffusion or dispersion term in the macroscale transport equation and leads to parabolic models and requires additional boundary conditions or physical constraints. We examine here the application of these concepts for reacting systems and provide some guidelines for their proper use in the low-dimensional description of reacting as well as non-reacting systems.
Effect of HIP'ping on deformation anisotropy in a single-crystal Ni-based superalloy

Abstract The effect of HIP’ping on plastic anisotropy of a Ni-based superalloy was studied. The orientation dependence of tensile properties was evaluated experimentally at room temperature at a nominal strain rate of 10 −3 s −1 . The results indicate that HIP’ping eliminates the non-Schmid effect by increasing the strength of the 〈1 1 1〉 loaded samples. This phenomenon is attributed to the influence of stress fields of pores and eutectic pools on the yielding behavior of the 〈1 1 1〉 loaded samples, whose deformation is confined to the γ-channels. When deformation takes place by the shearing of γ′-particles, the softening effect dominates and the presence of discontinuities has less or no effect on the deformation path. A new plastic anisotropy was discovered in this work. It is shown that the tensile properties along the primary dendrite growth ([0 0 1] orientation) is significantly different than along the secondary dendrite growth direction ([1 0 0] orientation).
Diastereoisomer Interconversion in Chiral BiphepPtX2 Complexes

Reaction of biphepPt(CO3) (biphep = 2,2‘-bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1‘-biphenyl) with BINOL or HN(Tf)CHPhCHPhOH (TfNO) yielded square-planar biphepPtX2 (X2 = BINOL, N(Tf)CHPhCHPhO) complexes as a mixture of diastereomers (∼1:1). BiphepPtCl2 also reacted with Na2BINOL to generate biphepPt(BINOL) as a 1:1 mixture of diastereomers. With racemic BINOL or TfNO ligands, the mixtures were prone to isomerize to thermodynamic diastereomer mixtures (BINOL, 95:5; TfNO, >97:3) by an X2−X2 ligand−ligand exchange mechanism that was rapid at room temperature. With enantiopure ligands the X2−X2 ligand−ligand exchange process was degenerate and nonproductive. However, thermolysis of 1:1 mixtures of enantiopure biphepPt(BINOL) diastereomers (92−122 °C) cleanly established thermodynamic equilibrium by a process that involves biphenyl atropisomerism (ΔH⧧ = 27(2) kcal mol-1, ΔS⧧ = −5(5) eu). Two mechanisms for this process were considered, concerted stereoinversion via a planar seven-membered metallacycle, and one-arm-off prior...
Anatomical Data for Analyzing Human Motion

Abstract Anatomical data necessary for the analysis of human motion are presented on the total living body segmented into sixteen parts. Cadaver data from Dempster (1955) are applied to water displacement data obtained on 135 living subjects (35 men and 100 women) to obtain the weight, center of gravity, and radius of gyration for the segmented extremities. Thirty-three of these subjects (15 men and 18 women) were used to obtain the weight of the segments of the trunk, using the water displacement method, and sixteen of these subjects (7 men and 9 women) were used to locate the center of gravity of each trunk segment. A lead model was constructed using the trunk data to obtain the radii of gyration in both the sagittal and frontal planes. A single male cadaver was dissected to compare the trunk measurements with the lead model results.
Patient-level minimal clinically important difference based on clinical judgment and minimally detectable measurement difference: a rationale for the SF-36 physical function scale in the SPORT intervertebral disc herniation cohort.

Study Design. A proof of concept case study. Objective. To introduce and evaluate a method for identifying what constitutes a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in the SF-36 Physical Function scale at the patient level. Summary of Background Data. MCID has become increasingly important to researchers interested in evaluating patient care. Over the last 30 years, an array of approaches for assessing MCID has evolved with little consensus on which approach applies in any given situation. Methods. Three approaches for estimating standard errors of measurement (s e ) and a 30% change approach for establishing MCID were evaluated for the physical function (PF) scale with SPORT patients in the intervertebral disc herniations cohort. MCIDs for each s e approach were then developed based on (1) these standard errors and (2) clinically relevant factors including: (a) baseline PF score and (b) acceptable risk for type I error. Results. Intervertebral disc herniations patients (N = 996) identified from the SPORT database met inclusion criteria. The s e for the classic test theory (CTT)-based test level approach was 9.66. CTT-score-level and IRT-patternlevel standard errors varied depending on the score, and ranged between (2.73-7.17) and (5.96-16.2), respectively. As predicted, CTT-score-level s e values were much smaller than IRT-pattern-level s e values at the extreme scores and IRT-pattern-level s e values were slightly smaller than CTT score-level s e values in the middle of the distribution. Across follow-up intervals, the CTT-score-based approach consistently demonstrated greater sensitivity for identifying patients who were improved or worsened. Comparisons of CTT-based-score-level s e and 30% improvement rule MCID estimates were as hypothesized: MCID values for 30% gains demonstrated substantially lower sensitivity to change for baseline PF scores in the 0 to 50 range but were similar to CTT-score-level-based MCIDs when baseline scores were above 50. Conclusion. The CTT-based-score-level approach for establishing MCID based on the clinical relevance of the baseline PF score and the tolerance for erroneously accepting an observed change as reliable provided the more sensitive and theoretical compelling approach for estimating MCID at the patient level, which in turn will provide fundamentally important to the clinician regarding treatment efficacy at the patient level.
Distinct mechanisms contribute to agonist and synaptically induced metabotropic glutamate receptor long-term depression.

Abstract Metabotropic glutamate receptor mediated long-term depression (mGlu receptor LTD) is evoked in hippocampal area CA1 chemically by the agonist 3,5-Dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG, agonist LTD) and synaptically by paired-pulse low frequency stimulation (PP-LFS, synaptic LTD ). We tested the hypothesis that different expression mechanisms regulate mGlu receptor LTD in 15–21 day old rats through neurophysiologic recordings in CA1. Several findings, in fact, suggest that agonist and synaptic mGlu receptor LTD are expressed through different mechanisms. First, neither LTD occluded the other. Second, a low calcium solution enhanced agonist LTD but did not alter synaptic LTD. Third, application of the mGlu receptor antagonist LY341495 (2S-2-amino-2-(1S,2S-2-carboxycyclopropyl-1-yl)-3-(xanth-9-yl)propanoic acid) reversed agonist LTD expression, but did not alter synaptic LTD. Finally, an N-type, voltage-dependent calcium channel antagonist, ω-conotoxin GVIA (CTX), reduced agonist LTD expression by 35%, but did not alter synaptic LTD. CTX also blocked the increase in the paired-pulse ratio associated with agonist LTD. This study cautions against assuming that agonist and synaptic LTD are equivalent as several components underlying their expression appear to differ. Moreover, the data suggest that agonist LTD, but not synaptic LTD, has a presynaptic, N-channel mediated component.
Theoretical analysis of the bonding of oxygen to Cu(100)

On modelise la chimisorption de O/Cu(100) par un amas Cu 5 O. On obtient des fonctions d'onde electronique a champ auto-coherent. La liaison est analysee a l'aide de plusieurs nouvelles methodes theoriques. On montre que la liaison est principalement ionique mais avec une contribution covalente significative
Staging Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty During the Same Hospitalization: The Impact of Timing

The concept of staging during the same hospitalization for bilateral total knee arthroplasty (BTKA) has emerged as a practice to minimize perioperative risks, although with few data providing an evidence base. A total of 41,664 BTKA patients from Nationwide Inpatient Sample data between 1998 and 2010 were identified, and categorized into three groups, same day, staging 1-3 days, and staging 4-7 days BTKA. Staging BTKA 1-3 days apart was associated with increased rates for complications compared to same day BTKA, while staging 4-7 days BTKA was associated with similar complication profiles compared to same day BTKA. Our study suggests that same day BTKA for selective patient population is preferable, and staging BTKA either 1-3 days or 4-7 days apart should be discouraged.
Histochemistry of protein sulfhydryl and disulfide groups in the lens.

Colored maleimides were applied to stain sulfhydryl groups, and disulfide groups after reduction, in paraffin sections of rat lenses. Sulfhydryl predominates and is found in nearly all fiber membranes. Relative to cytoplasmic protein it is richer in the deep cortex than superficially. It occupies the periphery of the fiber in the outer zone of the lens nucleus. Disulfide groups stain strongly in the lens capsule, negligibly in the cortex and moderately in the nucleus.
Electron transfer kinetics at redox polymer/solution interfaces using microelectrodes and twin electrode thin layer cells

Abstract The M(III) states of poly-[Ru(vbpy)3]2+ and of [Os(bpy)2(vpy)2]2+ films electropolymerized onto Pt disk microelectrodes and onto one of the electrodes in twin electrode thin layer cells (TETLC), respectively, have been used to mediate oxidations of other metal polypyridine complexes NL2+3 in acetonitrile solutions. Steady state mediation currents in TETLC experiments could be observed even when the formal potential of NL2+3 was as much as 570 mV more positive than that of the mediating polymer film. Measured rate constants k12Γ of the mediation reactions, which occur at the polymer solution interface, agree with rotated disk data where previous determinations are available and with the established Gibbs energy-rate correlation for others. An analysis is presented of the slowest case of mediation reaction kinetics, where permeation of NL2+3 into the polymer volume becomes of concern, that suggests that it too is dominated by electron transfers at the polymer/solution interface.
Physical properties, crystalline textures and c-axis fabrics of the Siple Dome (Antarctica) ice core

The quality of the ice core from Siple Dome, West Antarctica, varied widely, with significant fracturing below 400m. Bubbly ice persisted to the ice-rock interface at 1004m and constituted the brittle zone. The core has undergone minimal relaxation and has remained brittle and prone to fracturing more than 5 years after it was drilled. This behavior is attributed to unrelieved stresses from Kamb and Bindschadler Ice Streams (former Ice Streams C and D) flanking the dome. Melt layers were identified sporadically throughout the core, as were inclined layers tilted at angles that occasionally exceeded 10°. Structurally, the ice was characterized by extensive recrystallization including grain-size changes from 0.074 cm 2 at 59 m to >50 cm 2 at 992 m, and major transitions in c-axis fabrics. Unusual fabrics included vertical c-axis clusters superimposed on vertical girdles that may reflect vertical compression acting in conjunction with horizontal tension. The sudden appearance of a shear-type fabric at 700-800 m appears closely linked to the occurrence of abundant tephra particles embedded in the ice. The occurrence of dispersed sediment in the bottom 2 m is attributed to freeze-on of basal meltwater.
When Mothers Kill Their Children

Of 460 female homicide offenders admitted to a state prison for women in 1940–1983, 39 were institutionalized for killing their children. Among these offenders, several interesting changes over time were noted. First, women in the earlier time periods were more likely to be married at the time of the offense. Second, the racial mix of offenders changed from predominantly white to predominantly black. Third, offenders in the 1940–1966 period were often motivated by a strong sensitivity to social rules while those in the early 1980s often acted with an insensitivity to socially accepted rules for the treatment of children. Regarding race, education, and marital status, child-killers differed considerably from other types of homicide offenders in the 1940–1966 period but were not distinguishable from others in the 1981–1983 period. That is, child-killers are becoming more similar over time to other types of female homicide offenders.
Fiedler's Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) Instrument: An Investigation of its True Bipolarity

One methodological concern which exists with regard to the use of semantic differential measures is whether or not they meet the assumption of true bipolarity; if they do not, the use of interval-s...
Regenerant wastewater irrigation and ion uptake in five turfgrass species

Abstract The effects of wastewater and high concentrations of chloride (Cl), magnesium (Mg2+), calcium (Ca2+), and potassium (K+) on ion uptake and growth of turfgrass species were studied. Simulated water softener regenerated wastewater was prepared based on 1.8 kg KC1 regeneration rate to attain ion concentrations of 30 mM of K+, 100 mM of Ca2+, 100 mM of Mg2+, and 420 mM of Cl‐. It was diluted to 1/5, 1/10, and 1/20 concentrations with tap water for the irrigation studies. Wastewater irrigation did not affect the growth rates of the turfgrass. No significant increase of Ca2+, K+, and Mg2+ uptake was detected under the wastewater irrigation treatment. However, the Cl‐uptake was significantly different between irrigation treatments. It was found that in the spring, in the turf plots irrigated by 1/20 concentration wastewater, an amount equivalent to 60% of the applied Cl‐ was taken up and removed in the Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass clippings, and more than 80% was taken up by tall fescue, be...
Bayesian Linkage Analysis, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Posterior Probability of Linkage

We should really like to know, at the end of study, the probability that we have found a linkage, as pointed out by Cedric Smith (1959) >35 years ago. (Elston 1997)Bayes' Theorem has the advantage that, unlike any other method of statistical inference, it gives the answer directly as a probability.…This probability has a direct meaning, and does not need to be hedged about with qualifications, unlike a significance level. (Smith 1959)
A Modular Decision-centric Approach for Reusable Design Processes

The reusability of design processes modeled in existing Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) frameworks has been limited to the level of flow charts or activity-based diagrams that serve as planning and organizational aids. Current simulation-based design frameworks provide limited support for reuse of design processes at a level where design processes are networks of computational operations, specifically the capabilities to reuse (a) design processes for different products, and (b) collaborative design strategies. In this article, we address these limitations by providing a modeling approach for simulation-based design processes so that they can be archived in a generic modular fashion and reused for collaborative design of different products. The proposed approach is based on four foundations: (a) modeling design processes as hierarchical systems, (b) separation of declarative and procedural information, (c) modeling design processes as decision-centric activities, an...
RU486 in depression

Psychiatrists from North Carolina and Georgia compared plasma adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) levels in 7 clinically depressed patients (6 male and 1 postmenopausal female) with ACTH levels in 7 age and sex matched controls to determine whether administration of RU-486 in the evening induces higher increases in ACTH plasma levels in the depressed patients than in the normal patients. They used RU-486 because it has a high affinity for glucocorticoid receptors and produces a dose-dependent increase in plasma ACTH levels. RU-486 administration induced a higher increase in plasma cortisol levels in depressed patients than the controls (19.3 nmol/L vs. 8.3 nmol/L; p <or = .02). An insignificant trend toward higher plasma ACTH levels existed among depressed patients (7.6 fmol/ml vs. 1.2 fmol/ml). When the researchers determined mean plasma levels over 1800-2030 hours for ACTH and from 1900 to 2130 hours for cortisol they observed that depressed patients had significantly higher ACTH levels both before and after RU-486 administration but cortisol levels remained the same. These results indicated an increase in hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal activity after RU-486 in depressed patients. Thus elevated suprahypophyseal stimulation of the anterior pituitary apparently does occur in depression. Another study found increased cerebrospinal fluid (the pituitary gland area) levels of corticotropin releasing factor in depressed patients. More research is necessary to define the mechanisms of the suprahypophyseal drive.
A Review of “Security and International Politics in the South China Sea: Towards a Cooperative Management Regime”

The security concerns of the developing world are perhaps most intensely illustrated among the littoral, island, and archipelago nations of the South China Sea. In this region the “fast-forward” co...
Efficient generation of large-scale pareto-optimal topologies

The objective of this paper is to introduce an efficient algorithm and implementation for large-scale 3-D topology optimization. The proposed algorithm is an extension of a recently proposed 2-D topological-sensitivity based method that can generate numerous pareto-optimal topologies up to a desired volume fraction, in a single pass. In this paper, we show how the computational challenges in 3-D can be overcome. In particular, we consider an arbitrary 3-D domain-space that is discretized via hexahedral/brick finite elements. Exploiting congruence between elements, we propose a matrix-free implementation of the finite element method. The latter exploits modern multi-core architectures to efficiently solve topology optimization problems involving millions of degrees of freedom. The proposed methodology is illustrated through numerical experiments; comparisons are made against previously published results.
Establishing the balance: Re‐examining students' androcentric readings of Katherine Anne Porter's “rope”

This study was designed to demonstrate to undergraduates the ways in which they sometimes interpret texts from an androcentric bias. In particular, this research reviewed 86 undergraduates’ interpretations of Katherine Anne Porter's “Rope,” a short story that presents a relatively balanced argument between a man and a woman. Of the 86 student interpretations of “Rope” which were assessed, 43 were found to be androcentric readings. Both male and female undergraduates arrived at androcentric readings of Porter's story by solving many of the ambiguities of the text in favor of the male character. Teaching methods are presented that encourage students to recognize and to re‐evaluate their own and others’ androcentric reading strategies.
Innovations in Data Collection, Management, and Archiving for Systematic Reviews

Data abstraction is a key step in conducting systematic reviews because data collected from study reports form the basis of appropriate conclusions. Recent methodological standards and expectations highlight several principles for data collection. To support implementation of these standards, this article provides a step-by-step tutorial for selecting data collection tools; constructing data collection forms; and abstracting, managing, and archiving data for systematic reviews. Examples are drawn from recent experience using the Systematic Review Data Repository for data collection and management. If it is done well, data collection for systematic reviews only needs to be done by 1 team and placed into a publicly accessible database for future use. Technological innovations, such as the Systematic Review Data Repository, will contribute to finding trustworthy answers for many health and health care questions.
GaSb-based high-power single-spatial-mode lasers at 2.0 μm

We report single spatial mode diode lasers operating near 2.05 μm with room-temperature continuous-wave output power exceeding 100 mW. At 20 °C, threshold currents were near 25 mA (320 A/cm2).
A versatile, single-waveguide, photon-pair source for chip-scale quantum communication

We demonstrate a bright, bandwidth-engineerable, compact, quasi-phase-matched single-waveguide source generating photon pairs near 900 nm and 1300 nm. Coincidence spectra are measured for a periodically-poled KTiOPO 4 waveguide for both type-0 and type-I spontaneous parametric down-conversion.
The Energy Policy Act of 1992 and Executive Order 13149: Proposed compliance strategies and process improvements for federal agencies

Under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), 75 percent of Light Duty Vehicle acquisitions by federal agencies must be Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs). EPAct's intent was to reduce United States reliance on oil imports, with federal agencies assuming a leadership role in acquiring AFVs and using alternative fuel in those AFVs. Executive Order (E.O.) 13149, issued in 2000, required federal agencies to reduce petroleum consumption 20 percent relative to a 1999 baseline and use alternative fuels the majority of the time in their AFVs by 2005. Most federal agencies met the EPAct 75 percent acquisition requirement in 2004, however, most will not achieve the petroleum reduction and alternative fuel use requirements. Frequently, federal agencies acquire the relatively expensive AFVs and then fuel those vehicles with gasoline. Besides wasting taxpayer dollars, this approach does not meet the intent of EPAct. It was surmised that federal agencies lack an objective, quantitative methodology for AFV acquisitions and Executive Order 13149 compliance. Several types of optimization models were constructed, using the United States Navy as a test case, for models focusing on EPAct and/or E.O. 13149 compliance. Results of a tiered set of models indicate there are efficiencies that federal agencies could take advantage of when developing EPAct and E.O. 13149 compliance strategies that are not currently being exploited.
The Maltese Islands: A tectonic-topographic study

(1914). The Maltese Islands: A tectonic-topographic study. Scottish Geographical Magazine: Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 1-13.
Laminar shear stress differentially modulates gene expression of p120 catenin, Kaiso transcription factor, and vascular endothelial cadherin in human coronary artery endothelial cells.

We demonstrated previously that laminar shear stress (LSS) enhances human coronary artery endothelial cell (HCAEC) wound closure via a vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin)-dependent mechanism. VE-cadherin can interact with p120 catenin (p120ctn) to mediate cell locomotion and proliferation. In this study, we hypothesized that p120ctn and an interacting protein, Kaiso, a transcriptional factor with which p120ctn may interact, would be expressed differentially at the wound border and away from the wound border in HCAEC exposed to LSS. One of the major goals in this study was to assess the differential gene expression of p120ctn, Kaiso, and VE-cadherin in HCAEC at specific locations along the wound border to further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in wound closure. We combined the technique of laser capture microdissection with quantitative real time PCR to compare p120ctn, Kaiso, and VE-cadherin mRNA expression in HCAEC at and away from the wound border under LSS. Total RNA was isolated from 200–1,000 laser-captured HCAEC and reverse transcribed into cDNA. Detection of p120ctn, Kaiso, and VE-cadherin mRNA was carried out using quantitative real time PCR. Normalization of cDNA templates was achieved by glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) quantification. Quantitative real time PCR analysis revealed p120ctn:GAPDH ratios, Kaiso: GAPDH ratios, and VE-cadherin:GAPDH ratios, relative to static control for each set, of 0.99–4.18 (mean ± S.E., 1.94 ± 0.404), 1.0–5.24 (2.11 ± 0.51), and 0.99–1.42 (1.09 ± 0.09) after 3 h of LSS, respectively. With these techniques, we found that p120ctn and Kaiso transcripts were increased in laser-captured HCAEC at the wound border compared with HCAEC away from the wound border. In addition, differential expression of p120ctn and Kaiso mRNA was observed in HCAEC depending on how LSS was applied in relation to the wounding process. These techniques may have wide applicability for studying wound healing because gene expression of key adhesion molecules in HCAEC may now be determined from select regions of the endothelial wound border.
High-speed DNA sequencing in the gas phase

Efficient sequencing of the human genome will require the development of new methods that are less expensive and orders of magnitude faster than current technology. Recent advances in laser-based methodology suggest that a mass spectroscopic DNA sequencing technique may surmount present limitations. This contribution will focus on the use of laser vaporization and laser ionization to prepare single stranded DNA for high speed sequencing in the gas phase. As a first step in the implementation of a mass spectroscopic sequencing approach, we have shown that single-stranded DNA molecules having chain lengths of over 1000 nucleotides can be laser vaporized into the gas phase with no discernible strand cleavage. This observation provides the basis for the time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectral-based sequencing experiment that we are developing. To determine the DNA sequence the experiment will be repeated for the four complimentary dideoxy sequencing reactions. The realization of this method would allow a 300 base DNA sequence to be determined in less than one second. At that rate, an instrument based on this technology could potentially generate sequencing data in excess of 25 million bases per day.
Effects of rate and depth of fertilizer application on emission of nitrous oxide from soil fertilized with anhydrous ammonia

Field studies to determine the effect of different rates of fertilization on emission of nitrous oxide (N2O) from soil fertilized with anhydrous ammonia showed that the fertilizer-induced emission of N2O-N in 116 days increased from 1.22 to 4.09 kg ha−1 as the rate of anhydrous ammonia N application was increased from 75 to 450 kg ha−1. When expressed as a percentage of the N applied, the fertilizer-induced emission of N2O-N in 116 days decreased from 1.6% to 0.9% as the rate of fertilizer N application was increased from 75 to 450 kg N ha−1. The data obtained showed that a 100% increase in the rate of application of anhydrous ammonia led to about a 60% increase in the fertilizer-induced emission of N2O. Field studies to determine the effect of depth of fertilizer injection on emission of N2O from soil fertilized with anhydrous ammonia showed that the emission of N2O-N in 156 days induced by injection of 112 kg anhydrous ammonia N ha−1 at a depth of 30 cm was 107% and 21 % greater than those induced by injection of the same amount of N at depths of 10 cm and 20 cm, respectively. The effect of depth of application of anhydrous ammonia on emission of N2O was less when this fertilizer was applied at a rate of 225 kg N ha−1.
Understanding how market power can arise in network competition: a game theoretic approach

This paper considers competition in electric networks and how the network structure affects the competition. The approach is to examine non-cooperative behavior among producers and calculate a Nash equilibrium under different market specifications. Unlike most other treatments of this problem, which utilize either Cournot or Bertrand models of competition, the model used here examines supply function competition. Two and four node networks are considered. Several results that differ from traditional economic theory are found. In both a two-node and four-node market with imperfect competition among producers, transmission constraints increase their profits (compared to an unconstrained network)—but with little or no change in consumer prices or quantities produced. This is because generators profit primarily at the expense of the owner of transmission rights. The size of the increase in profits depends on the number of firms at each node and the size of the transmission constraint. In the four-node case, an example was found in which decreasing market concentration by breaking up suppliers worsens market efficiency, even if there are no cost diseconomies. In particular, increasing competition at one node increases the consumer price at a second node, and causes an overall decrease in consumer surplus. In general, the cases presented here show that strategic behavior on electric networks may produce results that differ from those predicted by traditional economic theory due to the network structure of the problem.
An in vitro correlation of mechanical forces and metastatic capacity

Mechanical forces have a major influence on cell migration and are predicted to significantly impact cancer metastasis, yet this idea is currently poorly defined. In this study we have asked if changes in traction stress and migratory properties correlate with the metastatic progression of tumor cells. For this purpose, four murine breast cancer cell lines derived from the same primary tumor, but possessing increasing metastatic capacity, were tested for adhesion strength, traction stress, focal adhesion organization and for differential migration rates in two-dimensional and three-dimensional environments. Using traction force microscopy (TFM), we were surprised to find an inverse relationship between traction stress and metastatic capacity, such that force production decreased as the metastatic capacity increased. Consistent with this observation, adhesion strength exhibited an identical profile to the traction data. A count of adhesions indicated a general reduction in the number as metastatic capacity increased but no difference in the maturation as determined by the ratio of nascent to mature adhesions. These changes correlated well with a reduction in active beta-1 integrin with increasing metastatic ability. Finally, in two dimensions, wound healing, migration and persistence were relatively low in the entire panel, maintaining a downward trend with increasing metastatic capacity. Why metastatic cells would migrate so poorly prompted us to ask if the loss of adhesive parameters in the most metastatic cells indicated a switch to a less adhesive mode of migration that would only be detected in a three-dimensional environment. Indeed, in three-dimensional migration assays, the most metastatic cells now showed the greatest linear speed. We conclude that traction stress, adhesion strength and rate of migration do indeed change as tumor cells progress in metastatic capacity and do so in a dimension-sensitive manner.