cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Income Mobility and the Earned Income Tax Credit

The authors use a unique data set of federal tax returns to analyze usage and participation patterns of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) over the period 1989–2006. The authors find that most EITC recipients claimed the EITC for short periods, 61% for 1 or 2 years. Over the period examined, the EITC reached approximately 50 percent of the taxpayers with children. Finally, the authors find considerable income mobility among the EITC eligible population. Only 11 percent of those claiming the EITC in 1990 and in the third decile of income were in the same decile in 2003. They also find that 20 percent of EITC claimants claim the EITC for more than 5 years.
Scaling Properties of Diffusion-Limited Reactions on Fractal and Euclidean Geometries

We review our scaling results for the diffusion-limited reactions A + A → 0 and A+B→0 on Euclidean and fractal geometries. These scaling results embody the anomalies that are observed in these reactions in low dimensions; we collect these observations under a single phenomenological umbrella. Although we are not able to fix all the exponents in our scaling expressions from first principles, we establish bounds that bracket the observed numerical results.
Enhancing social skills and self-perceptions of physically disabled young adults. Assertiveness training versus discussion groups.

This study compared the effectiveness of assertiveness training, discussion-support group, and waiting-list control group experiences in enhancing the social skills and self-perceptions of 30 disabled undergraduates. Assertiveness-training subjects improved more than discussion-and-control group subjects in the content of their social responses as judged by "blind" observers on the Behavioral Observation Scale (BOS) (p < .025). Assertiveness subjects also improved more on the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (p < .01). No significant group differences were found on the Acceptance of Disability (AD) or on the Assertion Inventory scores. A strong association (r = .81) was found between judges' ratings of assertiveness on the BOS and subjects' self-ratings on the Rathus (p < .001). Significant correlations were also found between BOS and AD scores and between AD scores and duration of disability (p < .05).
School Bullying Perpetration and Other Childhood Risk Factors as Predictors of Adult Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between bullying peers as a child and adult intimate partner violence perpetration in a clinic-based sample of adult men. School bullying perpetration and intimate partner violence perpetration are both thought to stem from desire for power and control over others. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January 2005 and December 2006. SETTING: Three urban community health centers in Boston, Massachusetts. PARTICIPANTS: Men aged 18 to 35 years (n = 1491) seeking services at participating community health centers. Main Exposure School bullying perpetration. Outcome Measure Past-year physical or sexual violence perpetration against a female partner (intimate-partner violence [IPV]). RESULTS: Two-fifths of men reported perpetrating school bullying as a child (n = 610; 40.9%). Men who rarely bullied in school were 1.53 times more likely to perpetrate past-year IPV than men who did not bully (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-2.29); this risk was elevated to 3.82 times more likely to perpetrate any past-year IPV for those men who bullied peers frequently (95% CI, 2.55-5.73). CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that bullying peers in school as a child, especially frequent bullying perpetration, is associated with increased risk for men's perpetration of IPV as an adult. The effect remains strong after controlling for common prior risk factors for both bullying and IPV perpetration. Future research is needed to discern the mechanisms and underlying root causes of abusive behavior, such as power and control, as a means to prevent violence perpetration across settings and life stages. Language: en
Nanoplatform-Based Molecular Imaging

X. Chen, ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2011, 848 pages, $195 The objectives of this book are to present the rational design of water-soluble, biocompatible nanoparticles for the imaging of cellular functions and their follow-up. Also, molecular imaging probes based on nanotechnology
Prevalence and Treatment of Personality Disorders in Dutch Forensic Mental Health Services

Offenders with serious personality disorders challenge forensic systems throughout the world. In this article, the authors describe the legal system that shapes the forensic treatment of personality-disordered offenders in the Dutch psychiatric and correctional systems. The evolution of laws and regulations are addressed, as is the bifurcation of treatment between forensic hospitals and correctional settings. Prevalence data of personality disorders in the Dutch systems are presented, and comparisons between the Dutch and American systems are delineated. Current treatment modalities are described. Research initiatives and future directions for the system are presented.
Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for high-risk central pulmonary metastases

Radiotherapy of central lung tumors carries a higher risk of treatment-related toxicity and local failure. In the era of aggressive oligometastic management the exploration of the proper dose-fractionation for metastatic central lung tumors is essential. Patients diagnosed with high-risk metastatic lesions of the central pulmonary tree comprised this single-institutional retrospective analysis. “High-risk” central pulmonary lesions were defined as those with abutment and/or invasion of the mainstem bronchus. All patients were treated using the CyberKnife SBRT system in 5 fractions to a total dose of 35 or 40 Gy. Twenty patients were treated from 2008 to 2011 at Georgetown University Hospital. At a median follow up of 19 months, 1-year Kaplan-Meier local control and overall survival was 70 and 75 %, respectively. Late grade 2 or higher atelectasis was the most common treatment-related toxicity and was significantly associated with maximum dose to the mainstem bronchus. Gross endobronchial involvement was associated with significantly lower overall survival. Five-fraction SBRT to a total dose of 35 or 40 Gy appears to be a safe and effective management strategy for high-risk central pulmonary metastatic lesions, though care should be taken to limit the maximum point dose to the mainstem bronchus.
Excited States of P 32

The proton groups from the P/sup 31/(d,p)P/sup 32/ reaction were studied at angles of 30, 50, 70, and 90 degrees. The incident deuteron energy was 6 Mev, and the protons were analyzed with a broad-range nnagnetic spectrograph. Fifty-two excited states were found in the region between the ground state and 6.2 Mev in P/sup 32/. (auth)
Theoretical Aspects of Regionalism

of the Department of State; the interdepartmental committee of the government divisions on cooperation with the American Republics; and the Office of Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. Regionally, in the United States, centers of Latin American studies are found in Washington, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Chicago, New Mexico, and California. As yet, the world is not equal to the sum of its regional parts. These, added together, make more than a merged world. The lines of demarcation cannot and should not be wiped out. Universalism offers no effective solution to the defects of the regions of the world. Nor does it supply all their virtues. Regionalism stands in between the nations and the world. It can become neither the one nor the other. As regards the national states, it must be the means of protecting them in their peculiar functions and needs against a regimentation of power and territory. As regards the world at large, it must be the tie that binds the states of the world together.
Measuring consultation judgment-making ability: further development of the Consultation Judgment Inventory.

The Consultation Judgment Inventory is a paper-and-pencil instrument designed in 1983 to measure ability to make appropriate clinical judgments regarding possible actions to take in psychological consultation situations (4). It was revised (3) to improve certain psychometric characteristics. Each of the 33 items consists of a brief consultant-consultee dialogue in which the consultee presents a commonly occurring consultation situation. Five multiple-choice answers representing possible actions were provided for each situation, with one being keyed as correct. Commonly occurring situations and actions keyed as correct were based upon those recommended (1, 2). Overall scores on the instrument can range from 0 to 33. The 1985 revision was administered to 62 undergraduate psychology majors and 41 graduate predoctoral counseling psychology majors; none had ever received any training in consultation. The undergraduate sample consisted of 30 white women, 18 black women, 13 white men, and 1 black man; the mean age of the undergraduates was 21.1 yr. The graduate sample consisted of 23 white women, 15 white men, and 3 black women; the mean age of the graduate sample was 24.5 yr. Undergraduate subjects were used solely to provide a basis for assessing whether some graduate training, even though not specifically in consultation, improves performance. The mean over-all inventory score for graduate students was 16.29, compared to 9.01 for undergraduates. The remainder of the analysis involved the 4 1 graduate students. The Kuder-Richardson 20 reliability coefficient obtained for this group was .87. Item difficulties ranged from ,195 to ,829. Discrimination indices ranged from -.090 to .908. One item was seen as too difficult (with a difficulty index of ,195) and five items too easy or answerable based upon "generic" professional knowledge (with item difficulty indexes of ,732, ,732, ,780, ,805, and ,829, respectively). Three items were seen as not discriminating sufficiently between high and low scores; discrimination indexes were -.09, .09, and .09, respectively. Further work is planned to improve item difficulties and discrimination indexes.
The low-cost ticket to space.

The article discusses the potential impact of the commercial spaceflight industry on space research, with information on the previous limitations posed by the costs and frequency of space launches. Topics include the scientific research conducted through the suborbital program of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the development of reusable suborbital vehicles by commercial space companies such as XCOR Aerospace, Virgin Galactic, and Spacex, and the development of private space stations that would give space access to researchers in countries that are not partners of the International Space Station (ISS).
Investigating Sub-surface Microstructure in Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites via X-Ray Tomography Characterization

The application of short fiber reinforced polymer composites (SFRC) has the potential to decrease weight, while maintaining high mechanical properties. Like all other manufacturing techniques, the use of injection molding process for manufacturing of SFRC is likely to produce defects and uncertainties in the final part. In this paper, we investigate the use of x-ray tomography coupled with digital image processing techniques to probe the material microstructure of SFRC. We adopt a 2D approach as the primary means of metadata extraction. The extracted metadata is then used as input for an iterative correlation procedure, ultimately resulting in 3D fiber reconstruction. Finally, the reconstructed fibers are post-processed for mean fiber length and mean fiber orientation measurements, properties that have been known to critically affect mechanical properties.
Analysis of results of hospital sterilization in medical institutions in Tongling county in 2004～2008

Objective To know the curvnt status of hospital sterilization and to provide the scientific evidence for improving sterilization quality and preventing the hospital infection.Methods Based on the technological specification of sterilization(2002 vision) and the sanitary standard of hospital sterilization(GB15982-1995),the sampling,monitoring and evaluation were conducted.Results Among the 993 medical institutions,the qualification rate was 60.1% and the rate of village clinic and town hospital was 59.6% and 70.2% respectively.The qualification rate among 3684 specimen was 83.6% and the rate of village clinic and town hospital is 82.8% and 91.2%,respectively,and the difference was significant(χ2=15.69,P0.01).The qualification rate of institution and specimen for village clinic and town hospital was significant increasing by the years(χ2趋=246.73,9.02,456.29,34.28;P0.01).The difference for the qualification rates of object surface and staff's hands between the village clinic and town hospital was significant(χ2=18.83,22.18;P0.01).Conclusion In order to improve the quality of sterilization,the training for medical staff especially for village level should be enhanced.The instruction and monitoring should be strengthened.
Health Standards and Psychological Measurement Issues by Medical Monitoring Requirements for Operators in Nuclear Power Plant

[Objective]To discuss some issues in psychological measurement of health standards for nuclear power plant operator,and put forward suggestion for further improvement of the national standard.[Methods]Some psychological problems,which might influence the normal work of the nuclear power plant operator were identified for developing the content of psychological measurement which were compared with the "Health Standards and Medical Monitoring Requirements for Nuclear Power Plant Operator"(GBZ/T 164-2004).[Results]Through the comparison with Health Standards and Medical Monitoring Requirements for Nuclear Power Plant Operator"(GBZ/T 164-2004),the deficiencies in psychological measurement mainly were ①lack of personality measurement;②lack of evaluation on mental or emotional effect of emergency events on operator;③ lack of occupational interest measurement.[Couclusion]The mental health of nuclear power plant operator is closely associated with accident prevention.Therefore,it is suggested to further improve and develop the psychological tests standards which are suitable for China's actual conditions so as to guarantee the selection of operator with good psychological quality before work.Meanwhile,the strengthening of psychological care and psychological counseling can improve the operational safety of nuclear power plants,give full play to the role of different talents and improve the economic efficiency and productivity of the plants.
The influence of aging and attentional demands on recovery from postural instability.

It is well known that the risk of a debilitating injury from a fall is much higher for elderly than for young individuals. In addition, it is well documented that healthy elderly subjects exhibit increased postural sway during normal stance tasks. In the present experiment, we explored the notion that control of minor postural instability in elderly subjects is attention demanding. Postural sway of eight elderly (mean age = 70.0 years) and eight young (mean age = 20.0 years) subjects was measured under two different secondary demands during stable and mildly unstable upright stance. There were two types of work loads. Either a cognitive (math task) or motor (hand-squeeze) task was performed during the second segment of a 50-second standing trial. The effect of these work loads on mean velocity, range, and variability of range of center of foot pressure was measured during the destabilizing activity of arm swinging and subsequent recovery period. Following seven seconds of 1 Hz arm-swinging activity, elderly subjects showed a marked increase in recovery time to normal stance when concurrently performing an arithmetic task. This result suggests that recovery from a posturally destabilizing activity, involving proprioceptive and vestibular information, places increased attentional demands on the postural support system of the elderly. (Aging 2:155-161, 1990)
Self-Taught Spectral Clustering via Constraint Augmentation.

Although constrained spectral clustering has been used extensively for the past few years, all work assumes the guidance (constraints) are given by humans. Original formulations of the problem assumed the constraints are given passively whilst later work allowed actively polling an Oracle (human experts). In this paper, for the first time to our knowledge, we explore the problem of augmenting the given constraint set for constrained spectral clustering algorithms. This moves spectral clustering towards the direction of selfteaching as has occurred in the supervised learning literature. We present a formulation for self-taught spectral clustering and show that the self-teaching process can drastically improve performance without further human guidance.
On the relationship between formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine stimulation of arachidonyl phosphatidylinositol turnover and lysosomal enzyme secretion by rabbit neutrophils.

The addition of the synthetic chemotactic peptide formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMet-Leu-Phe) to rabbit neutrophils promoted [ 14 C]arachidonic acid incorporation into phosphatidylinositol and lysosomal enzyme release; these two processes increased in parallel with respect to time and peptide concentration and were dependent upon extracellular Ca 2+ . Cytochalasin B, which augments enzyme release, also enhanced fMet-Leu-Phe-evoked arachidonyl phosphatidylinositol turnover. The peptide did not alter the incorporation of labeled palmitic acid or glycerol into phosphatidylinositol, although 32 P turnover was increased within 2 min. Another synthetic peptide, methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, failed to enhance arachidonic acid incorporation into phosphatidylinositol and was unable to promote lysosomal enzyme secretion. These results support the hypothesis that fMet-Leu-Phe-induced stimulation of lysosomal enzyme release and Ca 2+ -dependent turnover of arachidonyl phosphatidylinositol are somehow related. These findings, taken together with our previous studies demonstrating similar changes in membrane phospholipids during ACTH action on adrenocortical cells, suggest that the turnover of arachidonic acid in phospholipids mediated by a Ca 2+ -dependent phospholipase A 2 may represent a general mechanism for producing rapid perturbations in the cell membrane during accelerated secretory activity.
An Introduction to Stochastic Processes and, in Particular, Brownian Motion

A stochastic process is a collection of random variables, { X t , t □ T}, all defined over the same probability space, where T is an indexing set and X t is a random variable for each t . This chapter discusses the foundation for the theory of stochastic processes and the nature of stochastic processes and focuses on a particular stochastic process known as separable Brownian motion. Two problems are encountered in the foundations of the theory of stochastic processes. One problem is that of defining a probability of a set of elementary events obtained by an uncountable intersection or union of events that one might wish to be an event. A second problem encountered in the theory of stochastic processes is in fitting the process over its proper function space. The problem arises concerning conditions under which a particular function space could serve as a probability space for a certain stochastic process. Both the problems are solved by means of the notion of separability of a stochastic process. The chapter explains the separability of stochastic processes and presents a proof of the fundamental theorem about separability.
A fuzzy multi-criteria decision approach to identify measurement instruments

This paper presents an effective solution for identifying measurement instruments from the metadata the section of the airborne measurement data files. These instruments were used in generating NASA airborne measurement data. Therefore, these are important information for data preservation and distribution processes. The instrument information, however, are placed in one or more places within the metadata section due to lack of rigor in data format standards. We use a fuzzy multi-criteria decision making system as our framework in order to account for the contribution from multiple information sources. In addition, we have chosen analytic hierarchy process to determine the relative importance of each criterion. The algorithm is applied to multiple NASA airborne missions, and results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Semiological classification of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

Abstract Purpose We classified patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNESs) according to a newly proposed classification system. Then, we investigated the demographic and clinical differences between various classes of the patients. Methods We retrospectively investigated all patients with PNESs admitted to the Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center from 2012 through 2016. We classified the patients into four distinct classes: patients with generalized motor seizures, patients with akinetic seizures, patients with focal motor seizures, and patients with seizures with subjective symptoms. All patients were interviewed by a neuropsychologist and were administered psychological assessment measures, including questions about PNES risk factors. For the statistical analyses, we compared patients who had generalized motor seizures with patients who had nonmotor seizures. Results Sixty-three patients were studied. Thirty-five (55.6%) patients had generalized motor seizures, 14 (22.2%) had seizures with subjective symptoms, 12 (19%) had akinetic seizures, and two (3.2%) patients had focal motor seizures. Patients with generalized motor seizures (35 patients) demonstrated a trend for later age at onset (p = 0.06), more frequently had a history of substance abuse (p = 0.001), and more often had loss of responsiveness with their seizures (p = 0.04) compared with patients who had nonmotor seizures (26 patients). Conclusion The recently proposed PNES classification system is useful and practical. This proposed classification of PNESs may address proper diagnosis and provide standardization across future studies. This may also potentially shed light on the etiologic understanding and management of various classes of patients affected with PNESs.
The cold and relatively dry nature of mantle forearcs in subduction zones

Dehydration of subducting slabs could create a reservoir of water in the overlying mantle. A synthesis of thermal model results, however, shows that slab dehydration is slow over geological time scales, so such reservoirs are probably rare. Some of Earth's coldest mantle is found in subduction zones at the tip of the mantle wedge that lies between the subducting and overriding plates. This forearc mantle is isolated from the flow of hot material beneath the volcanic arc, and so is inferred to reach temperatures no more than 600 to 800 °C — conditions at which hydrous mantle minerals should be stable. The forearc mantle could therefore constitute a significant reservoir for water if sufficient water is released from the subducting slab into the mantle wedge. Such a reservoir could hydrate the plate interface and has been invoked to aid the genesis of megathrust earthquakes and slow slip events. Our synthesis of results from thermal models that simulate the conditions for subduction zones globally, however, indicates that dehydration of subducting plates is too slow over the life span of a typical subduction zone to hydrate the forearc mantle. Hot subduction zones, where slabs dehydrate rapidly, are an exception. The hottest, most buoyant forearcs are most likely to survive plate collisions and be exhumed to the surface, so probably dominate the metamorphic rock record. Analysis of global seismic data confirms the generally dry nature of mantle forearcs. We conclude that many subduction zones probably liberate insufficient water to hydrate the shallower plate boundary where great earthquakes and slow slip events nucleate. Thus, we suggest that it is solid-state processes and not hydration that leads to weakening of the plate interface in cold subduction zones.
Partial membership latent Dirichlet allocation for image segmentation

Topic models (e.g., pLSA, LDA, SLDA) have been widely used for segmenting imagery. These models are confined to crisp segmentation. Yet, there are many images in which some regions cannot be assigned a crisp label (e.g., transition regions between a foggy sky and the ground or between sand and water at a beach). In these cases, a visual word is best represented with partial memberships across multiple topics. To address this, we present a partial membership latent Dirichlet allocation (PM-LDA) model and associated parameter estimation algorithms. Experimental results on two natural image datasets and one SONAR image dataset show that PM-LDA can produce both crisp and soft semantic image segmentations; a capability existing methods do not have.
Does self-efficacy causally influence initial smoking cessation? An experimental study☆

Self-efficacy has been associated with smoking cessation outcomes in many correlational research studies, but strong causal inferences are lacking. This study tested whether self-efficacy affects initial smoking cessation in a laboratory experiment, which will allow for stronger causal inferences in this domain of inquiry. Participants (n=103 motivated adult smokers) were provided with brief cessation treatment over three days in preparation for quitting on a target quit day (TQD). In addition, participants were randomized to one of two standard self-efficacy manipulations in the form of bogus feedback about their chances of quitting smoking. Participants in the Average Chances of Quitting (ACQ) condition took a computerized test and were told (falsely) that the test showed that they had the same chances of quitting as everyone else in the study. Participants in the High Chances of Quitting (HCQ) condition took the same computerized test and were told (falsely) that the test showed that they had a greater chance of quitting compared to everyone else in the study. The main outcome was whether participants were able to quit for 24h on the TQD. Results revealed that HCQ participants had a significantly greater chance of quitting smoking compared to ACQ participants. However, these effects were not attributable to changes in self-efficacy brought about by the manipulation. An exploration of other potential mediators showed that the manipulation actually influenced smoking outcome expectancies, and changes in these outcome expectancies influenced initial smoking cessation. The results highlight the conceptual and empirical challenges with manipulating self-efficacy in the smoking literature.
Complications and 30-day hospital readmission rates of patients undergoing tracheostomy: A prospective analysis

Objective To determine inpatient and outpatient tracheostomy complication rates and 30-day hospital readmission rates, and to assess patient and procedural risk factors associated with complications and readmissions. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Adult patients undergoing tracheostomy at a single academic hospital performed by any service, for any indication, were enrolled in this study over the course of 1 year. All patients had complete 30-day follow-up after discharge to determine complication and hospital readmission rates. Logistic regression was used to assess patient and procedural risk factors associated with these events. Results One hundred patients were enrolled in this study from June 1, 2015, to June 1, 2016. The overall inpatient tracheostomy complication rate was 47% (95% confidence interval [CI], 37%–57%). Inpatient complications were associated with location in the medical intensive care unit and increased length of hospitalization. The outpatient tracheostomy complication rate was 15% (95% CI, 8%–22%). Outpatient complications were associated with having a previous tracheostomy or an awake tracheostomy under local anesthesia. The all-cause 30-day hospital readmission rate was 33% (95% CI, 24%–42%), and the tracheostomy-specific readmission rate was 13% (95% CI, 6%–20%). All-cause readmissions were associated with diabetes, length of hospitalization after tracheostomy, and outpatient complications. The overall mortality rate during the study period was 11% (95% CI, 5%–17%), with one tracheostomy-related death. Conclusion Patients undergoing tracheostomies are at high risk for both inpatient and outpatient complications, as well for 30-day hospital readmission. Understanding patient and procedural risk factors associated with these events will help guide interventions for quality improvement. Level of Evidence 2b. Laryngoscope, 2017
Machiavelli Nel Rinascimento Italiano

In spite of disagreements among scholars, 1513 can undoubtedly be considered an emblematic year in the life of Niccolo Machiavelli, particularly as far as the editorial history of Il principe is co...
Introduction and Overview of Prader-Willi Syndrome

In 1680, a painter to the Spanish court of King Charles II, Juan Carreno de Miranda, immortalized on canvas a six year old obese girl who was known for her “feeblemindedness” and “bad temper”. She has almond-shaped palpebral fissures, a down-turned mouth, small hands, and central obesity, all characteristic of Prader-Willi Syndrome. She hangs in the Prado Museum in Madrid, clad in one painting, nude in the other, a testimony to the fact that the condition we now know as Prader-Willi Syndrome has existed for centuries. But it was not until 1956 that Drs. Prader, Labhart and Willi first described the pattern of abnormalities which includes low muscle tone, incomplete sexual development, obesity, and mental handicap (Prader et al, 1956) and which now bears their names.
The sublime rhetoric of Pascal's wager

Blaise Pascal's famous wager continues to influence debates over existential risk. This paper analyzes the structure and use of the argument with four goals: first, to establish the wager as a fund...
A reassessment of the genome size-invasiveness relationship in reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea).

Background and aims Genome size is hypothesized to affect invasiveness in plants. Key evidence comes from a previous study of invasive eastern North American populations of the grass Phalaris arundinacea: invasive genotypes with smaller genomes had higher growth rates, and genome sizes were smaller in the invasive vs. native range. This study aimed to re-investigate those patterns by examining a broader range of North American populations and by employing the modern best-practice protocol for plant genome size estimation in addition to the previously used protocol. Methods Genome sizes were measured using both internal and pseudo-internal standardization protocols for 20 invasive and nine native range accessions of P. arundinacea. After a round of vegetative propagation to reduce maternal environmental effects, growth (stem elongation) rates of these accessions were measured in the greenhouse. Key results Using the best-practice protocol, there was no evidence of a correlation between genome size and growth rates (P = 0.704), and no evidence for differences in genome sizes of invasive and native range accessions (P > 0.353). However, using the older genome size estimation protocol, both relationships were significant (reproducing the results of the previous study). Conclusions Genome size reduction has not driven increased invasiveness in a broad sample of North American P. arundinacea. Further, inappropriate genome size estimation techniques can create spurious correlations between genome size and plant traits such as growth rate. Valid estimation is vital to progress in understanding the potentially widespread effects of genome size on biological processes and patterns.
What Is Fidelity of Implementation of Assessment and Why Is It Important

Chapter 2 begins by discussing the positive benefits of appropriate assessment practices on learning and the potential high-stake consequences of inadequate assessment implementation on children’s access to educational services and family supports. The authors present the key reasons why giving tests well is important and why early childhood educators should care about the quality of assessment. This chapter presents the case for focusing on the administration of standardized tests within the context of the assessment process. Fidelity of Implementation of Assessment is defined, and the major components of high-quality implementation are addressed. The major components of the administration process, including the typical formats for test items aimed at infants and toddlers, testing accommodations, and common errors in administration are presented. The authors show connections between common errors and the scoring process, including a discussion of the potential negative impacts of specific errors on a child’s scores. Finally, key takeaways regarding the education, professional development, and provision of field experiences for preservice and inservice professionals are provided.
The negative effects of habitat fragmentation operate at the scale of dispersal

Habitat loss is often considered the greatest near-term threat to biodiversity. Yet the impact of habitat fragmentation, or the change in habitat configuration for a given amount of habitat loss, has been intensely debated. We isolated effects of habitat loss from fragmentation on the demography, movement, and abundance of wild populations of a specialist herbivore, Chelinidea vittiger, by removing 2,088 patches across 15 landscapes. We compared fragmentation resulting from random loss, which is often considered in theory, to aggregated loss, which is often observed in the real world. When quantifying fragmentation caused by random vs. aggregated loss, aggregated loss led to less fragmented landscapes than random loss based on patch isolation, but more fragmented landscapes when based on isolation at a larger mesoscale scale defined by dispersal distances of C. vittiger. Overall, habitat loss decreased population size and demographic parameters, with thresholds occurring at approximately 70-80% patch loss. Synergistic effects also occurred, where an aggregated pattern of loss had negative effects at low, but not high, amounts of habitat loss. Effects on population size of C. vittiger were driven by reductions in movement and subsequent reproduction. The direction of habitat fragmentation effects from random and aggregated loss treatments, for a given habitat amount, was conflictingly positive or negative depending on the scale at which fragmentation was quantified. Fragmentation quantified at the scale of dispersal for this species best explained population size and highlighted that fragmentation had negative effects at a mesoscale. Our results emphasize the importance of quantifying habitat fragmentation at biologically appropriate scales.
Exploiting the Tele- In Teleconferencing

Until recently we have been involved in the development of a “hi-fi” teleconferencing system. The system is meant to assist geographically distributed groups in holding teleconferences that are as effective as if all of the members were holding a more conventional meeting in the same room. The approach has been to utilize relatively sophisticated communications and computer technology to provide adequate bandwidth among the conference participants, good automated control procedures, powerful tools for recording the conference, and automated speaker aids. Problems of choosing the bandwidth for teleconferencing systems are roughly of two types. First, there are cost-effectiveness issues associated with the use of voice, pictures, video images of the faces of participants, and so on. Second, there are effectiveness issues regarding the importance of small body movements, precise tone of voice, and other subtle communication clues. Control procedures that might be built into the system include provisions for conference roles, such as a chairman, an electronic agenda with automatic speaker recognition and scheduling, and so on. Automated recording procedures are a challenge requiring the construction of structured minutes that can be searched like data and that recognize, for example, off-the-cuff remarks. Speaker aids include an electronic blackboard and pointer, an electronic slide projector, provisions for joint document production and joint data retrieval, and other imitations of the technology of the common conference room.
Clinical predictors of postoperative delirium, functional status, and mortality in geriatric patients undergoing non-elective surgery for hip fracture

Abstract Study objective To identify modifiable preoperative factors that might influence the morbidity and mortality associated with non-elective, inpatient hip fracture surgeries in the geriatric surgical population. Design Retrospective database analysis from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Geriatric Surgery Pilot Project. Setting Inpatient, perioperative. Patients Geriatric patients undergoing surgery. Interventions Non-elective hip repair surgery. Measurements Preoperative demographic, medical, surgical, and anesthetic variables; post-operative rates of delirium, decline in functional status, and 30-day mortality. Main results The 1261 patients in this study were predominantly female (74%), white (89%), and non-Hispanic (92%). Ages were distributed across groups from 65 to over 90 years. Most patients were categorized as American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status class 3 (64%). General anesthesia (57%) was the most common anesthetic, followed by spinal (38%). Preoperative functional status was recorded in 79% as independent in activities of daily living (ADLs). About one third of patients had baseline dementia. Post-operatively, 42% experienced delirium, and most patients required partial or total assistance with ADLs (72% and 12%, respectively). Reoperation was required in 2.8% of cases. Mortality at 30 days was 5.0%. In the multivariable analysis, risk factors associated with post-operative delirium included dementia and lack of competency to sign consent. In the analysis for postoperative decline in functional status, the major risk factor was a history of falls, while emergently performed surgery was protective. The analysis for mortality at thirty days was under-powered. Conclusions Hip fractures remain a major source of morbidity in geriatric patients. Baseline dementia and inability to sign surgical consent are significant risk factors for adverse outcomes after hip fractures and should be considered in the informed consent process. Data from this study and currently ongoing randomized trials will help guide reductions in morbidity and mortality in this population.
Multiplicative factorization in numerical semigroups

A numerical semigroup is a nonempty additively closed subset S ⊆ ℕ0 with |ℕ0\S| < ∞. The arithmetic, that is the additive factorization properties, of numerical semigroups has been well studied. Th...
Causes and Management of Insect and Mite Resistance in Strawberry Production

Episodes of pest resistance to popular pesticides can cause yield losses, reduction of fruit quality, added control costs, environmental degradation, and emotional stress among farmers. These consequences can be alleviated if resistance management is practiced throughout the strawberry industry. If they minimize pesticide application by depending more on biological and cultural pest control measures, and take care not to expose pest populations to pesticides with identical modes of action, growers can avoid causing pesticide resistance. This 8-page fact sheet was written by James F. Price and Curtis Nagle and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, November 2012. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in713
Conversion of Waste Polythene Bags/Wrappers into Useful Products

Solid waste management and conversion of waste polythene bags/wrappers is the proposed pilot by World Vision India jointly with Green for Life Foundation, as the unprecedented use of polythene bags has a huge negative impact on the ecosystem. We have developed the concept of social enterprise through recycling of polythene bags under Government of India’s “Swatchh Bharat Mission” and using the technology of Green for Life Foundation, in Jain Kunj slum (ward no. 80) which is fragile in context of adaptation to climate change and socioeconomically most backward of the lot. The problem of waste management is rampant and cross-cutting across the entire wards. The proposed pilot is design to achieve three goals under Sustainable Development Goals, they are Goal 1—No poverty Goal 8—Decent work and economic growth, and Goal 13—Climate change. Our pilot is a uniquely designed program to fit the needs of our community. The purpose of conversion of waste polythene bags/wrappers is to keep these polythene bags/wrappers off the ground and prevent them from getting into the soil. To collect and convert waste polythene bags/wrappers that will minimize environmental hazards. To convert waste polythene bags/wrappers through the use of low-cost alternative technology. To conduct training courses and workshops for rag pickers, rag segregators, and manufactures both on soft skill and technical skills. Develop Social Enterprise—The pilot helps empower the underprivileged and marginalized people in our community by creating, influencing environmental and socioeconomic development programs thus resulting in—Building a Resilient Community. Our goal is to promote and encourage establishing community-based Social Enterprise Unit focused on converting waste polythene bags into useful products through hands-on and minds-on activities, teamwork and community involvement, for creating a sustainable Model Slum.
Mass spectrometric immunoassay

A general technique linking micro-scale affinity capture with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometric detection has been developed for the rapid, sensitive and accurate determination of antigens present in biological fluids. Strategies for the qualitative and quantitative determination of single and/or multiple antigens are presented.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A novel artificial intelligence biomarker: Validation of the automated bone scan index (aBSI) in veterans with metastatic prostate cancer.

e17507Background: Prostate cancer commonly metastasizes to the bone and is associated with reduced survival, pathologic fractures and bone pain. The assessment of bone lesions is made with the tech...
Impacts of Directional Rumble Strips on Vehicle Speeds and Driver Behavior at Freeway Off-Ramps

AbstractDrivers have an increased crash or incident risk when driving on freeway interchange ramps compared with the other interchange-related segments. Directional rumble strips (DRS), a pattern s...
Weighted force analysis method for derivation of multidimensional free energy landscapes from adaptively-biased replica simulations

Abstract A methodology is proposed for calculating multidimensional free-energy landscapes of molecular systems, based on post-hoc analysis of multiple molecular dynamics trajectories wherein adaptive biases are used to enhance the sampling of different collective variables. In this approach, which we refer to as Weighted Force Analysis Method (WFAM), sampling and biasing forces from all trajectories are suitably re-weighted and combined so as to obtain unbiased estimates of the mean force across collective-variable space; multidimensional free-energy surfaces and minimum-energy pathways are then derived from integration of the mean forces through kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. Numerical tests for trajectories of butyramide generated with standard and concurrent metadynamics, biased to sample one and two dihedral angles, respectively, demonstrate the correctness of the method and show that calculated mean forces and free energies converge rapidly. Analysis of bias-exchange metadynamics simulations of dialanine, trialanine and the SH2-SH3 domain-tandem of the Abl kinase, using up to six collective-variables, further demonstrate this approach greatly facilitates calculating accurate multidimensional free-energy landscapes from different trajectories and time-dependent biases, outperforming other post-hoc unbiasing methods.
Rule-Violation in Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge is Predicted by Environmental Characteristics

Outdoor recreation in natural areas is a popular activity among people of various backgrounds. However, how recreationists use natural spaces has implications on the well-being of life in these spaces. Nonconformist behaviors, or actions that go against the rules or expectations of an area, are of special interest due to the higher potential for these types of behaviors to have harmful impacts on the ecosystem. Understanding the environmental characteristics that are predictive of nonconformist behavior can be especially valuable to land managers interested in curbing such behaviors in a targeted way. In this study, Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin was surveyed with the objective of locating signs of nonconformist behaviors. Such instances were recorded using a GPS unit and analyzed using MaxEnt software to determine the extent to which environmental predictors influenced where these behaviors occurred, and to predict where in the refuge nonconformist behaviors are likely to occur in the future. Close proximity to trails and parking lots, along with the elevation in a given area, proved to be the factors that had the greatest influence on locations of nonconformist behavior. By determining the factors most associated with where people break refuge rules, these results can contribute to proper management strategies at Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge and other wildlife refuges.
Evidence of wiring development processes from the connectome of adult Drosophila

How is the brain wired during development? Here we look at some of the characteristics of the adult Drosophila brain, a result of this development process. From this we can speculate on at least some aspects of how the wiring was done. A common hypothesis is that surface proteins direct synapse formation among touching neurons. Assuming that surface proteins are specific to cell types, we find support for this hypothesis. The brain in general supports a wide variety of connections of different degrees of reciprocity, with ratios up to a thousand to one in the two directions of synapses between types. However, contacts between cells of the same type are always bi-directional and nearly equal strength. Furthermore, among similar cell types, at least in the mushroom body, the closer the cell type by morphology, the closer the inter-type contacts are to symmetrical. These findings are all consistent with the hypothesis that surface proteins specific to cell types determine the directivity of connections. Next we look at synapses per area, and find this varies widely and is roughly log-normally distributed. In most cases, the number of synapses saturates at higher areas, though other forms are seen - linear, flat, or decreasing with increasing area. Evidence suggests that at least some of this distinction is post-synaptic.