cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evolution in the high Andes: the phylogenetics of Muscisaxicola ground-tyrants.

Abstract Phylogenetic relationships within the genus Muscisaxicola, a primarily Andean group of tyrant-flycatchers, were studied using complete sequences of the mitochondrial genes COII and ND3. Relationships among Muscisaxicola species were found to differ substantially from those of previous views, suggesting convergence in traditional avian taxonomic characters within the genus. The 11 species of large, gray, “typical” Muscisaxicola flycatchers (including M. grisea, newly restored to species status) formed a distinct clade, consisting of two major groups: a clade of 6 species breeding primarily in the central Andes and a clade of 5 species breeding primarily in the southern Andes. The other 2 species traditionally placed in this genus, M. fluviatilis, an Amazonian species, and M. maculirostris, were both rather divergent genetically from the typical species, although M. maculirostris may be the sister taxon to the typical clade. The patterns of sympatry exhibited by Muscisaxicola species in the high Andes appear to be the consequence of speciation and secondary contact within regions of the Andes, rather than a result of dispersal between regions. Diversification of the typical Muscisaxicola species appears to have occurred during the middle and late Pleistocene, suggesting generally that taxa of the high Andes and Patagonia may have been greatly influenced by mid-to-late Pleistocene events. There were likely several independent developments of migration within this genus, but migration is probably ancestral in the southern clade, with subsequent loss of migration in two taxa.
Eliminating the enemy: The import of denying prisoners access to higher education in Clinton’s America

This article investigates why Congress passed legislation in 1994 that denied Pell Grants ‐ the primary source of funding for postsecondary correctional education (PSCE) ‐ to prisoners, despite evidence that PSCE helped reduce recidivism and bolster carceral order. Analysis of the congressional debates and relevant media texts shows that lawmakers, in concert with the popular media, produced a legislative penal drama in which they spoke to key audiences’ ‐ particularly white, working and middle class voters’ ‐ mistrust of penal practitioners and criminal justice experts, prejudices toward (black and brown) street criminals, fears about crime and anxiety over the economy, the transformed labor market and access to higher education. The article contends that the timing and texture of the Pell Grant affair were symbiotically related to a confluence of developments in the political and related fields during the 1980s and early 1990s. It extends Emile Durkheim’s communicative theory of penality to encompass notions of class power and political interest. By producing such legislative penal dramas, lawmakers simultaneously tap into and legitimize collective sentiments of particular audiences, highlight symbolic boundaries between in- and out-groups and shore up political electoral support for punitive policies.
Structural diversity of streptokinase and activation of human plasminogen.

The β domain of streptokinase is required for plasminogen activation and contains a region of sequence diversity associated with infection and disease in group A streptococci. We report that mutagenesis of this polymorphic region does not alter plasminogen activation, which suggests an alternative function for this molecular motif in streptococcal disease.
Response of the shortgrass steppe plant community to fire.

Fire is an important driver of ecological pattern and process in grasslands worldwide, although its role in semi-arid systems is less well known. We used published studies and new experimental research to 1) provide a synthesis of existing knowledge of fire in the semi-arid grasslands of the North American Great Plains, and 2) assess the degree of similarity in semi-arid and mesic grassland responses to fire in this region. Based on published studies, burning has neutral to negative effects on aboveground productivity in semi-arid grasslands and variable effects on plant communities. To more rigorously assess fire effects, replicated experimental plots were established in ungrazed shortgrass steppe in northern Colorado and prescribed spring fire was applied in 2006 and 2007, 2006 only, or not at all. Aboveground net primary productivity decreased or remained unchanged with burning. Plant community changes included increases in perennial forbs, decreases in annual grasses and a positive response in annual forbs to the combination of fire and a wet spring in 2007. Combined, these results indicate that post-fire changes in productivity in semi-arid grasslands are neutral to negative, in contrast to positive responses in mesic grasslands, and not strongly negative as previously assumed.
Axisymmetric contact with friction of a rigid sphere with an elastic half-space

The problem of normal contact with friction of a rigid sphere with an elastic half-space is considered. An analytical treatment of the problem is presented, with the corresponding boundary-value problem formulated in the toroidal coordinates. A general solution in the form of Papkovich–Neuber functions and the Mehler–Fock integral transform is used to reduce the problem to a single integral equation with respect to the unknown contact pressure in the slip zone. An analysis of contact stresses is carried out, and exact analytical solutions are obtained in limiting cases, including a full stick contact problem and a contact problem for an incompressible half-space.
Modeling dynamic uncertainty in robot motions

A method for modeling uncertainties that exist in a robotic system, based on stochastic differential equations, is presented. The use of such a model permits the capture in an analytical structure of the ability to properly express uncertainty within the motion descriptions and the dynamic, changing nature of the task and its constraints. With respect to the dynamic nature of robotic motion tasks, the model of the environment uncertainty proposed is dynamic rather than static. The amount of knowledge about the environment is allowed to change as the robot moves. These results suggest that computational models traditionally found in the lower levels in robot systems may have application in the upper planning levels as well. Some experimental results using the model are presented. >
DISPERSAL PATTERN OF BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES (PICA HUDSONIA) MEASURED BY MOLECULAR GENETIC (RAPD) ANALYSIS

Abstract Black-billed Magpies (Pica hudsonia) are a relatively sedentary corvid, with greater dispersal of females than males. To genetically confirm that dispersal pattern, 29 reproductively active adults were captured over two years and were scored for primer-specific random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) bands (53 polymorphic bands in 1996 and 104 in 1997). In both years, we captured more previously banded males than females, and individuals recaptured were more often the heaviest nestling in their brood from the previous years. Genetic distances between all possible adult pairs were calculated and degree of genetic similarity between pair-wise comparisons was assessed using the Mantel test. In the pair-wise comparison of genetic distances, data for both years showed that genetic distances between males were significantly less (P < 0.05) than those for other adult combinations (male–female and female–female). Using the same analytical approach, we found that females were no more genetically similar t...
Microstructure Evolution in Ideally Plastic Composites

In this paper, we present a constitutive model for two-phase rigid/ideally plastic composites which accounts, approximately, for finite changes in the microstructure during a given loading program. To this end, variational estimates are computed for the instantaneous effective yield functions of composites with particulate microstructures consisting of aligned ellipsoidal inclusions of one phase dispersed in a matrix of a second phase. Then, the problem of finding appropriate state variables to characterize the evolution of the microstructure is addressed. It is argued that, under triaxial loading conditions, the aligned ellipsoidal inclusions deform into aligned ellipsoidal inclusions of different size and shape. This suggests that the volume fractions of the phases and the aspect ratios of the inclusions are the appropriate variables to characterize the state of the microstructure. Evolution laws, relating the change in volume and shape of a typical ellipsoidal inclusion to the current value of the average strain-rates in the inclusion, which in turn may be related to the average strain-rate in the composite, are developed. Estimates for the average strain rate in the inclusion are obtained from the works of Hashin and Shtrikman (1963) and Willis (1977) for linear composites, and the results are extended to the rigid/ideally plastic composites by means of the variational principles of Ponte Castaneda (1991). The resulting constitutive model takes the form of effective stress/strain-rate relations complemented by ordinary differential equations for the evolution of the volume fraction and aspect ratios of the inclusions.
Validation of the Ceres-Wheat Model in Diverse Environments

Following considerable calibration and sensitivity analysis, the Ceres-wheat model has been validated using independent data sets to verify model accuracy under field conditions. The main data for model validation were obtained from published experimental results, though some addional detail had almost always to be obtained through personal communication, especially concerning input data required by the model. From some experiments detailed data were also available and were used to test particular parts of the model.
Analysis of Flexible CO2 Capture Over an Investment Life Using a Dynamic Electric Grid Model

Global focus on greenhouse gas emissions has led the United State’s legislature to discuss various strategies to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions. With coal-fired plants responsible for roughly half of United States (U.S.) electricity generation and approximately 30% of the nation’s CO2 emissions, coal-fired plants will be largely affected by any future CO2 emission regulations. However, coal-based generation could continue to meet our electricity demands while complying with future CO2 emissions restrictions with the addition of carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) technology. Most studies of CCS systems have demonstrated a permanent energy requirement of 11–40% of a plant’s output when operating continuously at a 90% CO2 removal rate. This study, however, used a dynamic model of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) electric grid to consider post-combustion CO2 capture systems that can operate flexibly. Post-combustion CO2 capture systems using chemical absorption and stripping are particularly suited for retrofitting existing plants and operating in a flexible manner. Flexible carbon capture allows plant operators to vary the energy used for CO2 capture and compression in order to regain this generation capacity when desirable. Thus, flexibility can be used to choose the CO2 capture rate that allows the most economical combination of operating costs, electricity price, and output levels. Furthermore, operating at lower CO2 capture energy requirement levels and increasing output capacity during peak demand periods could dramatically reduce the amount of replacement capacity needed to replace potential output lost when CO2 capture systems are in operation. This research uses an existing modeling framework of a dynamic hourly dispatch system to study the economic, environmental, and performance implications of flexible CO2 capture over an investment lifetime. The effects of CO2 prices, natural gas fuel prices, and replacement capacity costs were analyzed along with various operating strategies. The fuel mixture behavior and emissions effects are presented, showing that large emissions reductions can be achieved using the current ERCOT plant fleet with the addition of flexible CO2 capture. An annual system-level cash-flow analysis is used to determine a net present value (NPV) for a group of CO2 capture plants under a range of possible replacement capacity costs. If replacement capacity costs are accounted for, flexibility can improve the NPV of a CO2 capture investment by substantially lowering the associated capital costs to replace output lost to CO2 capture energy requirements.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Seasonal Dynamics of the Airborne Bacterial Community and Selected Viruses in a Children's Daycare Center.

Children’s daycare centers appear to be hubs of respiratory infectious disease transmission, yet there is only limited information about the airborne microbial communities that are present in daycare centers. We have investigated the microbial community of the air in a daycare center, including seasonal dynamics in the bacterial community and the presence of specific viral pathogens. We collected filters from the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of a daycare center every two weeks over the course of a year. Amplifying and sequencing the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the air was dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes that are commonly associated with the human skin flora. Clear seasonal differences in the microbial community were not evident; however, the community structure differed when the daycare center was closed and unoccupied for a 13-day period. These results suggest that human occupancy, rather than the environment, is the major driver in shaping the microbial community structure in the air of the daycare center. Using PCR for targeted viruses, we detected a seasonal pattern in the presence of respiratory syncytial virus that included the period of typical occurrence of the disease related to the virus; however, we did not detect the presence of adenovirus or rotavirus at any time.
Soil temperature and flooding effects on two species of citrus: I. Plant growth and hydraulic conductivity

Rough lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush.) and sour orange (C. aurantium L.) seedlings were grown at constant soil temperatures of 16, 24, and 33 C for 3 months. Shoot and root growth of rough lemon was greatest at 33 C while growth of sour orange was greatest at 24 C. There were no significant effects of soil temperature on shoot: root ratio, leaf water potential or stomatal conductance. The hydraulic conductivity of intact root systems of both species was highest when seedlings were grown at 16 C. Thus, acclimation through greater root conductivity at low soil temperature may have compensated for decreased root growth at 16 C and negated effects of soil temperature on plant water relations. Half the plants growing at each soil temperature were subsequently flooded. Within 1 week, the soil redox potential (Eh) dropped below zero mV, reaching a minimum Eh of −250mV after 3 weeks of flooded conditions. Flooded plants exhibited lower root conductivity, a cessation of shoot growth, lower leaf water potentials, lower stomatal conductances, and visual sloughing of fibrous roots. Decreases in root conductivity in response to flooding were large enough to account for the observed decreases in stomatal conductance.
Dreaming of Dry Land: Environmental Transformation in Colonial Mexico City

Vera Candiani has written a book nearly as complex as the Desague whose processes she hopes to illuminate, and she has done so successfully. Commenting on the varying administrative realms under wh...
Intracranial abscess after anterior skull base defect: does pneumocephalus play a role?

Background: Intracranial complications of skull base defects are uncommon; however, they can be devastating when they do occur. Often these complications arise suddenly and without warning. Identifying patients at risk for intracranial abscesses may help with early diagnosis and allow for early interventions. Objective: We report on 2 patients with traumatic pneumocephalus who developed intracranial abscesses. Our objective was to evaluate these cases and investigate the relationship between the presence of pneumocephalus and the formation of intracranial infection. Methods: Data was reviewed on the cases of 2 patients who developed intracranial abscesses after pneumocephalus in the context of skull base defects. Results: Two patients presented to our institution separately with the presence of intracranial abscesses. Both patients had violation of their anterior skull base - one from endoscopic sinus surgery, one from blunt trauma. Both patients had massive pneumocephalus prior to their abscess formation. Conclusions: Intracranial abscess formation, traumatic skull base defects, and massive pneumocephalus are uncommon entities, which may be associated. It may be prudent to have heightened suspicion for the presence of intracranial abscess formation in patients with massive pneumocephalus secondary to anterior skull base trauma.
Bile Acids Function Synergistically To Repress Invasion Gene Expression in Salmonella by Destabilizing the Invasion Regulator HilD

Salmonella spp. are carried by and can acutely infect agricultural animals and humans. After ingestion, salmonellae traverse the upper digestive tract and initiate tissue invasion of the distal ileum, a virulence process carried out by the type III secretion system encoded within Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1). Salmonellae coordinate SPI-1 expression with anatomical location via environmental cues, one of which is bile, a complex digestive fluid that causes potent repression of SPI-1 genes. The individual components of bile responsible for SPI-1 repression have not been previously characterized, nor have the bacterial signaling processes that modulate their effects been determined. Here, we characterize the mechanism by which bile represses SPI-1 expression. Individual bile acids exhibit repressive activity on SPI-1-regulated genes that requires neither passive diffusion nor OmpF-mediated entry. By using genetic methods, the effects of bile and bile acids were shown to require the invasion gene transcriptional activator hilD and to function independently of known upstream signaling pathways. Protein analysis techniques showed that SPI-1 repression by bile acids is mediated by posttranslational destabilization of HilD. Finally, we found that bile acids function synergistically to achieve the overall repressive activity of bile. These studies demonstrate a common mechanism by which diverse environmental cues (e.g., certain short-chain fatty acids and bile acids) inhibit SPI-1 expression. These data provide information relevant to Salmonella pathogenesis during acute infection in the intestine and during chronic infection of the gallbladder and inform the basis for development of therapeutics to inhibit invasion as a means of repressing Salmonella pathogenicity.
Beneficial effects of multidose coronary artery washout during elective cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass: Biochemical and hemodynamic evaluation

Coronary artery washout with buffered saline (pH 7.4) during 60 and 120 minutes of elective cardiac arrest was studied in dogs during moderate hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. Compared with results in a group undergoing simple ischemic arrest, significantly greater myocardial adenosine triphosphate concentrations were present at 90 and 120 minutes of cardiac arrest in the coronary artery washout group. After 60 minutes of aortic cross-clamping and 60 minutes of reperfusion, left ventricular function was significantly superior in the coronary artery washout group. Coronary artery washout during the period of aortic cross-clamping preserves dynamic myocardial performance during reperfusion and is an important principle of myocardial protection during elective cardiac arrest.
Binding of the Single-Stranded DNA Binding Protein (gp32) of T4 Bacteriophage Induces Position-Specific Local Conformational Changes in DNA Lattices that can be Monitored by Fluorescent Probes

The single-stranded (ss) DNA binding protein (gp32) of the bacteriophage T4 DNA replication system plays a major role in integrating the functions of the sub-assemblies of the replication complex by interacting with different replication proteins. Substitution of fluorescent base analogues at defined positions in nucleic acid constructs can be used to study local conformational changes of the nucleic acid bases at specific sites, and Cy3/Cy5 dye-pairs inserted into the sugar-phosphate backbones can track the backbone motions of the DNA lattice during gp32 binding. By monitoring the fluorescence, circular dichroism, absorbance and FRET signals of these base and backbone probes, equilibrium and dynamic measurements can provide information about the molecular details of replication mechanisms. In the present study we use 6-methyl isoxanthopterin (6-MI), a fluorescent base analogue of guanine, to monitor local conformational changes of DNA lattices on gp32 binding. We find that aromatic amino acid residues of gp32 stacks with the bases of ssDNA lattices, depending on the specific positions of the bases within the binding domain of the gp32 molecule, and that Molecular Dynamics simulations are consistent with the experimental results. These results may shed light on how the hydrophobic pockets found in many protein-nucleic acid interaction complexes may stabilize the intercalation or stacking of aromatic amino acid residues with nucleic acid bases. Using internally labeled cyanine dyes, we have also investigated the double-stranded DNA melting properties of gp32 protein at a replication fork junction, and our results suggest that gp32 can enhance breathing at a fork junction if the ssDNA arm at the fork is of sufficient length to permit formation of cooperatively-bound gp32 clusters at the junction.
Further studies on the acute toxicity of mercurial diuretics.

SummaryMercuric chloride, Salyrgan-theophylline, Mercuzanthin, Mercuhydrin and N (γ-carboxymethylmercaptomercuri-β-methoxy) propyl camphoramic acid disodium salt (MT6) have been compared with respect to their ability to cause cardiac toxicity as manifested by changes in the electrocardiogram of the cat. The toxicity has been found to decrease in the order named. Compound MT6 causes no immediate changes in the electrocardiogram in doses up to 160 times the maximum tolerated dose of Mercuhydrin. This improvement appears to be due to the relatively greater stability of the mercaptide as compared with the theophylline complex.
Supply Chain Network Oligopolies with Product Differentiation

This chapter is the first chapter of Part III of this book, which concentrates on quality in product differentiation and outsourcing settings. In Chap. 3, we noted that quality information asymmetry under product homogeneity could lead to a quality “free ride,” which might jeopardize certain firms’ profits and product quality. Therefore, in order to prevent such harmful results, it is important for firms to differentiate their products from that of their competitors, so that consumers will be able to identify the products of different firms and their quality. In this chapter, we present a supply chain network model with quality competition in differentiated products, where the product of each firm is substitutable but differentiated by a brand or label. We first present the equilibrium model and derive alternative variational inequality formulations. We then construct the projected dynamical systems model, which provides a continuous-time evolution of the firms’ product shipments and product quality levels. The stability analysis results are also presented, and a discrete-time version of the continuous-time adjustment process is constructed, which yields an algorithm with closed form expressions at each iteration. The algorithm is then utilized to compute solutions to several numerical examples. We also include sensitivity analysis results for minimum quality standards. The framework developed in this chapter can serve as the foundation for the modeling and analysis of competition among firms in industries ranging from food to pharmaceuticals to durable goods and high tech products, as well as Internet services, where quality and product differentiation are seminal.
The Ergonomic Impact of Swype

Background:Shape writing is relatively new technology for on-screen keyboards that enable users of mobile touch-screen devices to input text by drawing continuous lines. With growth of touch-screen device usage, there has risen the need to investigate potential risks that may occur during prolonged usage. Objective: The biomechanical strain on upper limb muscles were assessed while study-participants used Swype technology on a tablet touch screen device and compared with traditional/regular input methods. Methods: Study-participants performed typing tasks (email and text) using Swype and regular input methods under counterbalanced conditions with sEMG data collected to measure muscle activity during tasks. Results: Email & Text had the same exertion for all muscles except the Extensor. The interaction between task and muscle was significant, F (1.6, 27.5) = 15.39, p < .001, ηp2 = 0.48. The interaction between muscle, task and method was also significant, F (2.19, 37.19) = 3.6, p = 0.03, ηp2= 0.18. Exertio...
A general account of peripheral encoding also predicts scene perception performance

People are good at rapidly extracting the "gist" of a scene at a glance, meaning with a single fixation. It is generally presumed that this performance cannot be mediated by the same encoding that underlies tasks such as visual search, for which researchers have suggested that selective attention may be necessary to bind features from multiple preattentively computed feature maps. This has led to the suggestion that scenes might be special, perhaps utilizing an unlimited capacity channel, perhaps due to brain regions dedicated to this processing. Here we test whether a single encoding might instead underlie all of these tasks. In our study, participants performed various navigation-relevant scene perception tasks while fixating photographs of outdoor scenes. Participants answered questions about scene category, spatial layout, geographic location, or the presence of objects. We then asked whether an encoding model previously shown to predict performance in crowded object recognition and visual search might also underlie the performance on those tasks. We show that this model does a reasonably good job of predicting performance on these scene tasks, suggesting that scene tasks may not be so special; they may rely on the same underlying encoding as search and crowded object recognition. We also demonstrate that a number of alternative "models" of the information available in the periphery also do a reasonable job of predicting performance at the scene tasks, suggesting that scene tasks alone may not be ideal for distinguishing between models.
Fractional excretion of sodium in hepatorenal syndrome: Clinical and pathological correlation.

Fractional excretion of sodium in hepatorenal syndrome: Clinical and pathological correlation
Use of low-dose UV-C irradiation to control powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera aphanis on strawberry plants

AbstractStrawberry powdery mildew, caused by Podosphaera aphanis, significantly reduces fruit yield and quality and predisposes fruit to other diseases. Fungicides have been routinely used to control this disease; however, their limitations necessitate the development of alternative approaches, especially for protective culture and organic production. A disease-control strategy was developed that combines treating strawberry plants with a low dose of UV-C (low dose/short duration) followed by a specific period of darkness, which greatly increases the lethality of UV-C. A leaf disc assay was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the UV-C treatment in controlling powdery mildew on strawberry. Irradiation for only 15 s by UV-C lamps with an output of 20.6 µW cm−2 followed by a 4-h dark period resulted in a significant decrease (P = 0.05) in P. aphanis as determined by the percentage of the leaf disc quadrants colonized by the fungus. An increase in irradiation exposure to 60 s followed by 4-h dark perio...
The Long Arm of Poverty: Extended and Relational Geographies of Child Victimization and Neighborhood Violence Exposures

Current models of neighborhood effects on victimization predominantly assume that residential neighborhoods function independent of their surroundings. Yet, a surprising proportion of violence occurs outside of victims' residential neighborhoods. The current study extends on recent advances in spatial dynamics and neighborhood effects to explore the importance of different geographic scales and relational exposures to poverty for child violent victimization. We examine longitudinal data on over 4,400 low-income children from high poverty neighborhoods in five cities, who participated in the Moving to Opportunity randomized intervention. The results suggest that surrounding poverty matters for child victimization beyond the effect of residential poverty. Moreover, moving farther from extreme poverty also seems to buffer against victimization and to amplify the benefits of moving to improved extended (residential and surrounding) neighborhoods. All children in the study, but especially boys older than 10 years of age, seemed to be affected by the long arm of poverty.
In vivo three-photon imaging of activity of GCaMP6-labeled neurons deep in intact mouse brain

High-resolution optical imaging is critical to understanding brain function. We demonstrate that three-photon microscopy at 1,300-nm excitation enables functional imaging of GCaMP6s-labeled neurons beyond the depth limit of two-photon microscopy. We record spontaneous activity from up to 150 neurons in the hippocampal stratum pyramidale at ∼1-mm depth within an intact mouse brain. Our method creates opportunities for noninvasive recording of neuronal activity with high spatial and temporal resolution deep within scattering brain tissues.
Review of Climbing Mount Laurel: The Struggle for Affordable Housing and Social Mobility in an American Suburb by Douglas S. Massey et al.

Climbing Mount Laurel, authored by a group of sociologists led by Douglas S. Massey, is about the efforts by Mount Laurel Township, NJ, residents to have affordable housing built in their community. From when it was first proposed in 1969 and until the first units were completed in 2000, the project faced extraordinary political opposition, caused a number of landmark court decisions, and motivated affordable-housing legislation by other US states. This review evaluates, from an economics perspective, the lessons learned, as argued by Massey et al., about the impact of affordable housing within the host community and on surrounding communities.
Scaling Limits of Polynomials and Entire Functions of Exponential Type

The connection between polynomials and entire functions of exponential type is an old one, in some ways harking back to the simple limit $$\begin{aligned} \lim _{n\rightarrow \infty }\left( 1+\frac{z}{n}\right) ^{n}=e^{z}. \end{aligned}$$ On the left-hand side, we have \(P_{n}\left( \frac{z}{n}\right) \), where \(P_{n}\) is a polynomial of degree n, and on the right, an entire function of exponential type. We discuss the role of this type of scaling limit in a number of topics: Bernstein’s constant for approximation of \(\left| x\right| \); universality limits for random matrices; asymptotics of \(L_{p}\) Christoffel functions and Nikolskii inequalities; and Marcinkiewicz–Zygmund inequalities. Along the way, we mention a number of unsolved problems.
Flowfield Modeling of a Three-Dimensional Shock Wave Turbulent Boundary Layer Interaction

Modeling of the flowfield generated by the interaction of a shock wave and a turbulent boundary layer was carried out by using elements of a series of experiments and computations. Combining surface observations, flowfield surveys, and extensive computations, a model of the flowfield was derived. The key physical characteristics and parameters are discussed, along with the missing elements needed to further refine the model. The proposed model differs considerably from that of previous investigators. It gives a new view of the total flowfield structure and shows the inadequacy of using surface visualization as the basis for constructing the flowfield model.
Automated iceberg detection using Landsat: method and exampleapplication in Disko Bay, west Greenland

Abstract. Over the last two decades, the flux of icebergs into Greenland's fjords and coastal waters has increased, concurrent with changes in mass loss and dynamics of Greenland's marine-terminating outlet glaciers. Icebergs impact fjord circulation and stratification, freshwater flux, and ecosystem structure and pose a hazard to marine navigation and infrastructure, yet they remain a relatively understudied component of the ice-ocean system. Icebergs are easily detected in optical satellite imagery, but manual analysis to derive an iceberg size distribution time series is time prohibitive and partially cloudy scenes pose a challenge to automated analysis. Here we present a novel, computationally simple machine learning-based cloud mask for Landsat 7 and 8. This mask is incorporated into a larger iceberg delineation algorithm that allows us to extract iceberg size distributions, including outlines of individual icebergs, for cloud-free and partially cloud-covered Landsat scenes. We applied the algorithm to the Landsat archive covering Disko Bay, west Greenland, to derive a time series of iceberg size distributions from 2000–2002 and 2013–2015. The time series captures the seasonal signal in ice cover resulting from the annual cycles of sea ice formation and breakup and calving of Jakobshavn Isbrae, the dominant source of icebergs in Disko Bay. We note a change in this annual signal during the latter time period, likely a direct result of changes in the calving regime of Jakobshavn Isbrae. During 2000–2002, Jakobshavn Isbrae's floating ice tongue disintegrated and disappeared, transitioning the glacier from low energy, tabular iceberg calving to high energy, full thickness calving and the production of more small icebergs. This transition is also evident in the change in the number of small (~ 225 m2) icebergs found on the bay, which increased during the latter period. The change in the number of small icebergs also led to increasingly negative power law slopes fit to the iceberg size distribution time series. This work suggests that iceberg size distribution time series may provide useful insights into changes in calving dynamics and the physics of iceberg decay, while aiding marine and navigation safety in iceberg laden waters.
Influence of sulfur on the electrical resistivity of a crystallizing core in small terrestrial bodies

Abstract Electrical experiments were performed on core analogues in the Fe–S system and on FeSi2 up to 8 GPa and 1850 °C in the multi-anvil apparatus. Electrical resistivity was measured using the four-electrode method. For all samples, resistivity increases with increasing temperature. The higher the S content, the higher the resistivity and the resistivity increase upon melting. At 4.5 GPa, liquid FeS is up to >10 times more resistive than Fe-5 wt.% S and twice more resistive than FeSi2, suggesting a stronger influence of S than Si on liquid resistivity. Electrical results are used to develop crystallization-resistivity paths considering both equilibrium and fractional crystallization in the Fe–S system. At 4.5 GPa, equilibrium crystallization, as expected locally in thin snow zones during top-down core crystallization, presents electrical resistivity variations from about 300 to 190 microhm-cm for a core analogue made of Fe-5 wt.%S, depending on temperature. Fractional crystallization, which is relevant to core-scale cooling, leads to more important electrical resistivity variations, depending on S distribution across the core, temperature, and pressure. Estimates of the lower bound of thermal resistivity are calculated using the Wiedemann–Franz law. Comparison with previous works indicates that the thermal conductivity of a metallic core in small terrestrial bodies is more sensitive to the abundance of alloying agents than that of the Earth's core. Application to Ganymede using core adiabat estimates from previous studies suggests important thermal resistivity variations with depth during cooling, with a lower bound value at the top of the core that can be as low as 3 W/m K. It is speculated that the generation and sustainability of a magnetic field in small terrestrial bodies might be favored in light element-depleted cores.
A Data Base Inconsistency Checker for EASIE

One of the challenges facing the designers of an integrated computer-aided engineering system is to blend in a robust and efficient way a wide variety of independently developed design and analysis programs, each with its specific requirements for input and output. The Environment for Application Software Integration and Execution (EASIE) provides a methodology and set of utility routines to support building, maintaining, and applying computer-aided design systems consisting of large numbers of diverse, stand-alone analysis codes. Conducting the engineering activity usually calls for manually changing the contents of a given set of variables in the data base and for the subsequent execution of a set of analysis programs. As a result of the computations, other data base values will be altered. To support a high-productivity environment, a tool is needed to make the engineer aware of potential inconsistencies introduced in the data base as a result of any data changes. A technique is described for identifying, beforehand, the set of all the variables in the data base susceptible to inconsistency. We address this problem in general, and discuss how it can be implemented in EASIE.
Animals in the Kingdom of Ends

Kant claimed that human beings have no duties to animals because they are not autonomous ends in themselves. I argue that Kant was wrong to exclude animals from the realm of moral consideration. Animals, although they do not set their own ends and thus cannot be regarded as ends in themselves, do have ends that are given to them by nature. As beings with ends, they stand between mere things that have no ends, and rational beings that are ends in themselves. I propose a broader version of Kant's kingdom of ends, in which rational beings respect the ends of all other beings that have them, including animals. The moral status of animals would still be dependent on the existence of rational beings, but our duty to take their ends into account would be a direct duty to them, rather than being a covert duty to human beings.
The “Penis Police”: Lesbian and Feminist Spaces, Trans Women, and the Maintenance of the Sex/Gender/Sexuality System

I provide a textual analysis to show how lesbians determine gender in sexualized spaces. As members work toward recognition, agentic embodiment, and the safeguarding of lesbian spaces, how do members differently determine gender for insiders and outsiders in order to preserve a particular kind of feminism? I show how public narratives of gender, essentialism, and heterosexuality circulate in some lesbian spaces as members use the "penis police" to maintain exclusionary feminism. I expand upon the concept of determining gender to move beyond questions about how gender is socially recognized to an analysis of how gender attribution challenges/maintains the sex/gender/sexuality system.
Bayesian Regression Approach To Estimate Speed Threshold Under Uncertainty for Traffic Breakdown Event Identification

AbstractThis study aims at developing a robust Bayesian statistical approach to determine the speed threshold (ST) for detecting a traffic breakdown event using traffic flow parameters. Data collec...
Beautiful boy: A father and son relationship as the avenue to recovery

In this recent biographical-drama movie, addiction is portrayed from two key perspectives. The movie hinges on the close, but complicated, relationship between a son (played primarily by Timothee C...
Ascending Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Intrauterine Inflammation in Near-Term Rabbits Leading to Newborn Neurobehavioral Deficits.

Background Chorioamnionitis from ascending bacterial infection through the endocervix is a potential risk factor for cerebral palsy. Tetrahydrobiopterin, an essential cofactor for nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and amino acid hydroxylases, when augmented in the fetal brain, prevents some of the cerebral palsy-like deficits in a rabbit hypoxia-ischemia model. Objectives To study the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intrauterine inflammation in preterm gestation on motor deficits in the newborn, and whether biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin or inflammatory mediators is affected in the fetal brain. Methods Pregnant rabbits at 28 days gestation (89% term) were administered either saline or LPS into both endocervical openings. One group underwent spontaneous delivery, and neurobehavioral tests were performed at postnatal day (P) 1 and P11, with some kits being sacrificed at P1 for histological analysis. Another group underwent Cesarean section 24 h after LPS administration. Gene sequences for rabbit biosynthetic enzymes of tetra-hydrobiopterin pathways were determined and analyzed in addition to cytokines, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results Exposure to 200 μg/kg/mL LPS caused a locomotion deficit and mild hypertonia at P1. By P11, most animals turned into normal-appearing kits. There was no difference in neuronal cell death in the caudate between hypertonic and nonhypertonic kits at P1 (n = 3-5 in each group). Fetal brain GTP cyclohydrolase I was increased, whereas sepiapterin reductase and 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase were decreased, 24 h after LPS administration. Neuronal NOS was also increased. Regardless of the position in the uterus or the brain region, expression of TNF-α and TGF-β was decreased, whereas that of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 was increased (n = 3-4 in each group). Conclusions This is the first study using an ascending LPS-induced intrauterine inflammation model in rabbits, showing mostly transient hypertonia and mainly locomotor deficits in the kits. Not all proinflammatory cytokines are increased in the fetal brain following LPS administration. Changes in key tetrahydro-biopterin biosynthetic enzymes possibly indicate different effects of the inflammatory insult.
A review of optimal prostate biopsy: indications and techniques.

Prostate biopsy is the gold standard diagnostic technique for the detection of prostate cancer. Patient selection for prostate biopsy is complex and is influenced by emerging use of prebiopsy imagi...
How IRS Guidance Makes it impossible to Comply with Section 2801 in 2 Hours or Less

In 2008 Congress added Section 2801 to the Internal Revenue Code. This section targets those individuals who, by relinquishing citizenship or residency, could potentially escape the gift or estate tax. While the legislative intent is clear, the mechanics of how Section 2801 should function have troubled the IRS for the last 11 years. In 11 years the IRS has neither issued a publication nor released a form. The only administrative guidance to this date remains a set of proposed regulations issued in 2015. While the proposed regulations contain provisions which will cause taxpayers to face nearly insurmountable compliance obstacles, the IRS estimates that a taxpayer should be able to comply in 2 hours or less! This article will outline the five most glaring miscalculations the IRS has made in the proposed 2801 regulations.
Automated Detection of Non-Informative Frames for Colonoscopy Through a Combination of Deep Learning and Feature Extraction

Colonoscopy is a standard medical examination used to inspect the mucosal surface and detect abnormalities of the colon. Objective assessment and scoring of disease features in the colon are important in conditions such as colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. However, subjectivity in human disease assessment and measurement is hampered by interobserver variation and several biases. A computer-aided system for colonoscopy video analysis could facilitate diagnosis and disease severity measurement, which would aid in treatment selection and clinical outcome prediction. However, a large number of images captured during colonoscopy are non-informative, making detecting and removing those frames an important first step in performing automated analysis. In this paper, we present a combination of deep learning and conventional feature extraction to distinguish non-informative from informative images in patients with ulcerative colitis. Our result shows that the combination of bottleneck features in the RGB color space and hand-crafted features in the HSV color space can boost the classification performance. Our proposed method was validated using 5-fold cross-validation and achieved an average AUC of 0.939 and an average F1 score of 0.775.
Cyber Camouflage Games for Strategic Deception

The rapid increase in cybercrime, causing a reported annual economic loss of $600 billion (Lewis 2018), has prompted a critical need for effective cyber defense. Strategic criminals conduct network reconnaissance prior to executing attacks to avoid detection and establish situational awareness via scanning and fingerprinting tools. Cyber deception attempts to foil these reconnaissance efforts by camouflaging network and system attributes to disguise valuable information. Game-theoretic models can identify decisions about strategically deceiving attackers, subject to domain constraints. For effectively deploying an optimal deceptive strategy, modeling the objectives and the abilities of the attackers, is a key challenge. To address this challenge, we present Cyber Camouflage Games (CCG), a general-sum game model that captures attackers which can be diversely equipped and motivated. We show that computing the optimal defender strategy is NP-hard even in the special case of unconstrained CCGs, and present an efficient approximate solution for it. We further provide an MILP formulation accelerated with cut-augmentation for the general constrained problem. Finally, we provide experimental evidence that our solution methods are efficient and effective.
Predicting material properties for embedded structures created with polymer material extrusion additive manufacturing

Abstract Embedding with additive manufacturing (AM) is a process of incorporating functional components, such as sensors and actuators, in the printed structure by inserting them into a specially designed cavity. The print process has to be interrupted after the cavity is printed to insert the component. This allows for multifunctional structures to be created directly from the build plate. However, previous research has shown that this process interruption causes failure at the paused layer due to the cooling between the layers. The presence of the designed cavity further impacts the strength of the part due to a reduction in the effective cross-section in contact between the paused and the resumed layers. This research presents a methodology to predict the weld strength between the layers of an embedded material extrusion structure by obtaining the thermal history at the layer interface as a result of process interruption. An infrared camera and an embedded thermocouple are used to obtain the thermal history of the depositing fresh layer and of the layer interface, respectively. The impact of toolpath design on the thermal history of the layer interface is considered by dividing the cross-section area into zones with similar thermal history. Polymer weld theory is utilized to predict the strength at these different zones, where material properties are obtained through rheology measurements. These strength values for the zones are then used to predict the load at failure for different specimens by treating them as composites. Findings confirm that this approach can be used to more accurately predict tensile loads at failure for embedded structures, with errors ranging from 1% to 20 % depending on the toolpath geometry.