cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Linking geochemical processes with microbial community analysis: successional dynamics in an arsenic-rich, acid-sulphate-chloride geothermal spring

The source waters of acid-sulphate-chloride (ASC) geothermal springs located in Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park contain several reduced chemical species, including H 2 , H 2 S, As(III), and Fe(II), which may serve as electron donors driving chemolithotrophic metabolism. Microorganisms thriving in these environments must also cope with high temperatures, low pH ( ∼ 3), and high concentrations of sulphide, As(III), and boron. The goal of the current study was to correlate the temporal and spatial distribution of bacterial and archaeal populations with changes in temperature and geochemical energy gradients occurring throughout a newly formed (redirected) outflow channel of an ASC spring. A suite of complimentary analyses including aqueous geochemistry, microscopy, solid phase identification, and 16S rDNA sequence distribution were used to correlate the appearance of specific microbial populations with biogeochemical processes mediating S, Fe, and As cycling and subsequent biomineralization of As(V)-rich hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) mats. Rapid As(III) oxidation (maximum first order rate constants ranged from 4 to 5 min − 1 , t 1/2 = 0.17 − 0.14 min) was correlated with the appearance of Hydrogenobaculum and Thiomonas ‐like populations, whereas the biogenesis of As(V)-rich HFO microbial mats (mole ratios of As:Fe ∼ 0.7) was correlated with the appearance of Metallosphaera , Acidimicrobium , and Thiomonas ‐like populations. Several 16S sequences detected near the source were closely related to sequences of chemolithotrophic hyperthermophilic populations including Stygiolobus and Hydrogenobaculum organisms that are known H 2 oxidizers. The use of H 2 , reduced S(‐II,0), Fe(II) and perhaps As(III) by different organisms represented throughout the outflow channel was supported by thermodynamic calculations, confirming highly exergonic redox couples with these electron donors. Results from this work demonstrated that chemical energy gradients play an important role in establishing distinct community structure as a function of distance from geothermal spring discharge.
African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study (ADAGES): III. Ancestry differences in visual function in healthy eyes.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide.1 Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most prevalent form of glaucoma and is characterized by retinal ganglion cell death that results in optic nerve damage and visual field loss.2 Ancestry differences in the prevalence3-8 and incidence9,10 rates of POAG are well documented11 and show that individuals of African descent (AD) are at higher risk of POAG than those of European descent (ED).12-14 Primary open-angle glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in AD individuals in the United States,5 and those who have developed POAG are more likely than ED individuals to develop visual impairment15 and blindness.16-18 Primary open-angle glaucoma progresses more rapidly18,19 and appears approximately 10 years earlier in AD compared with ED individuals.5,7,8,16,18,20,21 Ancestry differences in visual function have not been studied extensively. One report suggests a stronger association between age and visual field defects in AD compared with ED individuals.22 Compared with ED individuals, a greater proportion of AD individuals may show progressive visual field loss,18,23,24 and the rate of progression may be higher.22 Another study, however, showed a similar rate of progression in visual field loss.25 In the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study, the mean deviation (MD) of normal and reliable standard automated perimetry (SAP) tests at baseline was significantly worse in AD compared with ED individuals.26 The Glaucoma Laser Trial Research Group reported worse mean thresholds, greater mean defects, and a larger number of abnormal test locations in AD compared with ED individuals at baseline.20 In a small cohort of AD and ED participants with healthy eyes tested by our group, the only significant ancestry difference observed in visual function was worse MD on frequency-doubling technology (FDT N-30) perimetry in the AD participants.27 The goal of this study was to investigate differences in visual function between the healthy eyes of AD and ED individuals in the large National Eye Institute–sponsored African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study (ADAGES).28
Some Milestones in the History of Insect Classification

Our present day concepts of the classification of insects are the result of a long period of development in the observations and thinking of the early naturalists, zoologists, and in more recent times, the more specialized entomologists. We are now so far removed from the original concepts on which the early classifications were based that many of us fail to realize that the systematic arrangement of animals, and particularly the invertebrates, was long a difficult and complicated problem which gave risk to much confusion. It may, therefore, be profitable as well as interesting to review the development of insect classification with respect to the ideas that have had a profound influence on the subject, and the men who have proposed these ideas and exerted the greatest influence. So, I propose to attempt to examine, evaluate and report to you some of the more important ideas and episodes in the development of this phase of insect taxonomy.
Design vs. Content: A Study of Adolescent Girls' Website Design Preferences

This study considered the utility of gender schema theory in examining girls' website design preferences. It built on a previous study which identified eight website evaluation criteria related to biological sex: collaboration, social connectivity, flexibility, motility, con- textuality, personal identification, inclusion, and graphic/multimedia concentration. Eleven fourteen-, fifteen-, and sixteen-year-old girls participated in the study. The partici- pants completed the short form of the Children's Sex-Role Inventory (CSRI). Following 50-minute Web searching sessions, they were divided into a feminine-high group and a mas- culine-high group based on their CSRI scores. Each group then participated in interviews concerning their website evaluation and design preferences. Data analysis identified relationships between gender schema and five of the proposed cri- teria: social connectivity, flexibility, motility, inclusion, and graphic/multimedia concentration. More generally, members of the feminine-high group favored evaluation criteria relating to graphic and multimedia design, whereas members of the masculine-high group favored evalu- ation criteria relating to subject content. These results indicate that gender schema theory can indeed serve as a framework for making website design more appealing to female adolescent users.
Social and institutional factors as determinants of economic growth: Evidence from the United States counties*

In the search for explanations of persistent differences in economic growth rates, the conditional convergence growth model has introduced the possibility of incorporating a wide set of factors as determinants of growth. Controlling for spatial dependence, we assess the contribution of differences in social and institutional variables on growth rates of per capita income for counties in the United States. The empirical results indicate that, ceteris paribus, social and institutio variables explain some of the differences in convergence rates among counties. In particular, (i) ethnic diversity is associated with faster rates of economic growth; (ii) higher levels of income inequality are associated with lower rates; and (iii) higher levels of social capital have a positive effect on economic growth rates.
Inelastic Deformation Under Nonisothermal Loading

The objective of this paper is to evaluate, both experimentally and analytically, the appropriate forms of the hardening evolution equations in unified constitutive models for conditions involving nonisothermal loading. Critical experiments were performed for a cast nickel-base superalloy by using variable temperature tensile, creep, and cyclic tests in the 538-982 C temperature range. These experimental results were compared with both isothermal data and predictions of the Bodner-Partom-Bodner, 1987 elastic-viscoplastic theory to assess the effects of thermal history on constitutive behavior. The results indicate that the hardening evolution equations based on isothermal data are applicable for nonisothermal loading of these precipitation strengthened alloys. Additional thermal history effect terms in the hardening evolution equations were not required beyond those accounting for the variation of material constants with temperature. Using material constants determined solely from isothermal data, the inelastic deformation behavior of B1900 + Hf subject to thermomechanical loading were adequately predicted by the Bodner-Partom model.
Controlled Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of 2D and 3D Iron Azide Networks $\rm{^{2}_{\infty }}$[Fe(N3)2(4,4′‐bpy)] and $\rm{^{3}_{\infty }}$[Fe(N3)2(4,4′‐bpy)]

Controlled synthesis of transition metal complexes with mixed ligands has led to two new compounds with the same empirical formula [Fe(N3)2(4,4′-bpy)] (4,4′-bpy=4,4′- bipyridine). The compound 2D-[Fe(N3)2(4,4′-bpy)] (I) contains end-on (EO) bridging azido ligands. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system, space group Cmmm (No. 65): a=11.444(2) A, b=15.181(3) A, c=3.458(1) A, V=600.8(2) A3, and Z=2. The compound 3D-[Fe(N3)2(4,4′-bpy)] (II) contains end-to-end (EE) azido bridges. It belongs to the tetragonal crystal system, space group P41212 (No. 92): a=8.132(1) A, b=8.132(1) A, c=16.708(3) A, V=1104.9(5) A3, and Z=4. Crystals of I and II have been grown by the diffusion method. Phase-pure samples of both compounds have been obtained by means of an optimal solution synthesis. Spontaneous long-range magnetic ordering was found in both I and II, with I being a metamagnet, and II being a ferromagnet. For I, in the low-field region, multiple transitions at TN1=20 K and TN2=5 K were observed, and these indicated the existence of Fe moment reorientation. Heat capacity measurements on II confirmed ferromagnetic transition at TC=20 K.
Medial pith cells per meter in twigs as a proxy for mitotic growth rate (Φ/m) in the apical meristem

The Φ model for plant mating system evolution proposes a causal link between Φ, the number of mitoses that occur within a plant's lifetime from zygote to gamete production, and constraints on the evolution of inbreeding depression and thereby on the evolution of plant mating systems. Through its use of plant stature, the Φ model emphasizes the important role of morphology in creating developmental and genetic constraints on plant evolution. However, the estimation of Φ itself is likely to be extraordinarily complex. Here I describe a protocol for estimating Φ per meter linear growth by an apical meristem (Φ/m) using medial pith cells from mature internodes of twigs. While such cells are produced by the apical meristem, during internode elongation, these pith cells also undergo further mitoses, and thus their measurement can only approximate a "true" Φ/m via the application of a multiplier (the adjustment ratio) that partially corrects for the occurrence of cell divisions and cell growth beyond the apical meristem. I applied this method to Delonix regia (Caesalpiniaceae) and derived several adjustment ratios from the literature. Because variation in Φ/m can have profound evolutionary implications, I also examined interspecific and intraspecific variation as well as within-individual variation in Φ/m. Conifers apparently have lower Φ/m than do angiosperms, while 20% of the total variance in Φ/m for D. regia was found among individual trees, with the remainder found within trees. Given the large differences in stature between "high-Φ" plants such as trees and "low-Φ" plants such as herbs, these results support the idea that the total per-generation mutation rate for high-Φ plants is likely to be many times higher than that for low-Φ plants.
Please Stay: Pied-a-Terre Subjects in the Megacity

In contrast to the idea of the big city as a denationalized space of human rights, this article proposes an alternate concept of the megacity as a national space that activates “neoliberal” desires for foreign experts, creative know-how, and capital accumulation. In addition, expatriates add to and reflect the symbolic values of Asian cities arriving on the global stage. But the limited commitments of global professionals, actualized and symbolized by the pied-a-terre, deter and challenge the deep commitments required by classic citizenship. Is the global nomad a cog in international information networks, a figure who expresses the fundamental denationalized character of capitalism itself? Or is the pied-a-terre the hinge between a global meritocracy and the megacity? The talented expatriate, poised between staying and going, participates in a kind of dysfunctional marriage with the host city that suspends norms of permanent belonging.
“Erratum: What Was an Early Modern Public, and How Was It Made?”

One argument of The Secret History of Domesticity is that there were two early modern publics, one traditional and one innovative; that the new concept of the public began to emerge when the authority of the old public, until then a matter of tacit belief, was subjected to explicit and rational analysis; and that the rationality of the new public depended on the simultaneous rise of an entirely new concept, the private. This argument responds at length to the central question raised by the Making Publics Project –‘‘What was an early modern public, and how was it made?’’– in ways that are pertinent to the work of MaPs, as can be seen in the stimulating essays gathered for this collection. The contributors have focused on a broad range of issues entailed in the hypothesis of a modern public, from political and religious history, social theory, historiography, and periodization to the history of civic architecture, gender and domesticity, drama, and the aesthetic, principally in England but also in fourteenth-century Italy and the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic. This comparative dimension enhances and deepens the developing coherence, within English culture, of the category of the modern.
LANDIS PRO: a landscape model that predicts forest composition and structure changes at regional scales

LANDIS PRO predicts forest composition and structure changes incorporating species-, stand-, and landscape-scales processes at regional scales. Species-scale processes include tree growth, establishment, and mortality. Stand-scale processes contain density- and size-related resource competition that regulates self-thinning and seedling establishment. Landscapescale processes include seed dispersal and disturbances. LANDIS PRO is designed to be compatible with forest inventory data, thus extensive inventory data can be directly utilized to initialize and calibrate model parameters before predicting future forest changes. LANDIS PRO allows for exploring the effects of disturbances, management, climate change, and modeling the spread of invasive species. We demonstrate that LANDIS PRO successfully predicts forest successional trajectories and stand development patterns in the Central Hardwood Forest region in U.S.
Characterization of an estrogen-binding protein in the yeast Candida albicans

An estrogen-binding protein (EBP) has been identified and characterized in the cytosol of the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. Binding of [3H]estradiol was found to be optimal at pH 7.4 in the presence of 0.3 M KCl and was linearly related to protein concentration. Binding was very rapid, reaching maximal levels in about 30 min, and was reversible with a dissociation rate constant of 13.2 +/- 1.7 x 10(-4) sec-1. EBP binding was destroyed by treatment with proteolytic enzymes and by high temperatures. Scatchard analysis of the [3H]estradiol equilibrium binding data of C. albicans (strain stn-1) yielded an apparent dissociation constant of 12.3 +/- 2.1 nM and a maximal binding capacity of 753 +/- 145 fmol/mg protein. Binding competition experiments showed very high specificity and stereoselectivity of EBP, demonstrating the following order of potency in displacing [3H]estradiol: 17 beta-estradiol greater than estrone greater than estriol greater than 17 alpha-estradiol. Negligible competitive potency was found for other mammalian steroid hormones, diethylstilbestrol, tamoxifen, or fungal hormones. The abundance of EBP was 4- to 10-fold higher during the early logarithmic growth phase of yeast cells than during the stationary phase. The molecular size of EBP, measured by Sephacryl S-200 gel exclusion chromatography, yielded a Stokes radius of approximately 29 A. Sucrose density gradient sedimentation showed a sedimentation coefficient (S2020,W) of 4, with no ionic dependent aggregation of the [3H]estradiol-EBP complex. The apparent mol wt of the EBP is approximately 46,000, with an axial ratio of 1, indicating the symmetrical shape of the molecule. In summary, in addition to the previously described corticosterone-binding protein, a separate high affinity, stereospecific, estrogen-selective binder has been demonstrated in the cytosol of C. albicans.
Carbon monoxide poisoning: bilateral lesions in the thalamus on MR imaging of the brain

Magnetic Resonance (MR) Imaging of the brain in a child with carbon monoxide poisoning revealed bilateral diffuse high signal in the centrum semiovale and the previously unreported finding of bilateral high intensity lesions in the anterior thalami. This case illustrates a previously unrecognized effect of carbon monoxide poisoning and demonstrates the superiority of MR imaging over computed tomography in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Relations among Physical Attractiveness, Body Attitudes, and Self-Concept in Male and Female College Students

Summary One hundred eighteen male and 190 female college students rated 24 body characteristics in terms of (a) how satisfied they were with each of these characteristics of their own body; (b) how important each part was in determining their own physical attractiveness; and (c) how important each part was in determining opposite-sex physical attractiveness. In addition, all subjects responded to a short self-concept scale. Results indicated that (a) males and females rated the importance of the body characteristics for both their own and opposite-sex physical attractiveness in a markedly similar manner; (b) mean satisfaction ratings were significantly related to self-concept among both males and females, and different body parts were differentially significantly related to self-concept; (c) weighting satisfaction ratings by corresponding importance ratings did not increase the satisfaction/self-concept relation; but (d) males' mean importance of opposite-sex body characteristics ratings were significantl...
Comparing transradial with transfemoral approaches for STEMI patients: the importance of time-to-intervention

Efforts to improve reperfusion strategies for patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have been the focus of several quality initiatives directed by the American College of Cardiology (ACC; who set up the Door-to-Balloon [D2B] Alliance) and, more recently, the American Heart Association (AHA; who set up the Mission Lifeline). Paradigms designed to improve early recognition and diagnosis (i.e., performing and transmitting a 12-lead ECG from the field), along with improvements in coordinating an interventional cardiology team (i.e., a ‘one-page’ system), have in part contributed to the success of these programs. The ability to create a system that capitalizes on the concept of ‘shared governance’, which includes paramedics, emergency medicine physicians, nurses, interventional cardiologists and hospital administrators, is one of the challenging (yet clinically rewarding) issues facing the creation of STEMI programs. Given the need for changes in practice patterns, the benefits of creating a program that fosters a collaborative and trusting environment cannot be overemphasized. Trained paramedics or emergency medicine physicians – the group of first medical contacts – prove to be an integral component of a process by which early activation of a STEMI system achieves significant reductions in D2B. Changes in how we identify and triage a STEMI patient have translated into improvements in patient care and outcome. As hospitals search to advance strategies that focus on time-to-reperfusion, the benchmark continues to be debated and modified. Internationally recognized STEMI guidelines have defined optimal (within 90 min) D2B for all patients, although consideration for reducing D2B for patients with larger amounts of myocardium at risk [101]. The issue relating to D2B for patients initially presenting to non-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)-capable sites has proved challenging. Recognition of PCI-related time delay, which potentially mitigates the benefits of mechanical reperfusion (over fibrinolytic therapy), continues to pose concern for healthcare providers as it relates to the ideal reperfusion therapy for an individual patient. Many cardiologists have challenged current guideline targets leading efforts to make ‘60 the new 90’. While operational efforts designed to reduce D2B have concentrated principally on protocols outside the purview of the cardiac catheterization laboratory, if the system is to change, the question arises as to what the interventional team can offer to further reduce D2B. More specifically, should the interventional cardiologist approach the STEMI patient differently in an effort to improve the time to infarct-related artery reperfusion?
Induction of finite-state languages using second-order recurrent networks

Second-order recurrent networks that recognize simple finite state languages over {0,1}* are induced from positive and negative examples. Using the complete gradient of the recurrent network and sufficient training examples to constrain the definition of the language to be induced, solutions are obtained that correctly recognize strings of arbitrary length.
Bioenergetics and Life's Origins

Bioenergetics is central to our understanding of living systems, yet has attracted relatively little attention in origins of life research. This article focuses on energy resources available to drive primitive metabolism and the synthesis of polymers that could be incorporated into molecular systems having properties associated with the living state. The compartmented systems are referred to as protocells, each different from all the rest and representing a kind of natural experiment. The origin of life was marked when a rare few protocells happened to have the ability to capture energy from the environment to initiate catalyzed heterotrophic growth directed by heritable genetic information in the polymers. This article examines potential sources of energy available to protocells, and mechanisms by which the energy could be used to drive polymer synthesis.
Total elbow allografts with collateral ligament reconstruction for posttraumatic elbow injuries

Background The use of total osteoarticular elbow allografts as a salvage procedure for reconstruction of posttraumatic elbow periarticular defects and bone loss has been previously described. Although the procedure restores bone stock and provides a painless functional joint, it is associated with multiple complications, including infection, nonunion, and instability.
Muscarinic (m2/m4) receptors reduce N- and P-type Ca2+ currents in rat neostriatal cholinergic interneurons through a fast, membrane- delimited, G-protein pathway

The signaling pathways mediating the muscarinic modulation of Ca2+ currents in neostriatal cholinergic interneurons were studied by combined patch-clamp recording and single-cell reverse transcription-PCR. Cholinergic interneurons were identified by the presence of choline acetyltransferase mRNA. These neurons expressed Q-, N-, L-, P-, and R-type Ca2+ currents and the mRNA for the alpha1 subunits believed to form the channels underlying these currents (classes A, B, C, D, and E). Of the interneurons tested, nearly all expressed M2-class (m2, m4) receptor mRNAs, whereas m1 receptor mRNA was found in only a subset (approximately 30%) of the sample. The muscarinic agonist oxotremorine methiodide produced a dose-dependent reduction of N- and P-type Ba2+ currents through Ca2+ channels that was antagonized by atropine. N-ethylmaleimide eliminated the modulation, as did preincubation with pertussis toxin. The onset and offset of the modulation were rapid and dose-dependent. The modulation was also attenuated by strong depolarizing prepulses and was not observed in cell-attached membrane patches. Taken together, our results suggest that activation of M2-class muscarinic receptors in cholinergic interneurons reduces N- and P-type Ca2+ currents through a membrane-delimited pathway using a Gi/o-class G-protein. This signaling pathway provides a cellular mechanism for hetero- and homosynaptic control of interneuronal activity and acetylcholine release in the striatum.
In utero Electroporation of Mouse Embryo Brains

[Abstract] This is a non-invasive technique to introduce transgenes into developing brains. In this technique, DNA is injected into the lateral ventricle of the embryonic brains, and is incorporated into the cells through electroporation. Embryos then continue their development in normal conditions in vivo. The effects of genes of interest can be evaluated at certain time points after in utero electroporation. This technique allows acute knockdown or over expression of genes of interest. Compensatory effects from other genes are less likely to happen; it also circumvents possible chronic detrimental effects.
Service-Related Independence Impairments: An Examination of Non-Big 4 Firms’ Financial Reporting Reliability Based on the New Reliability Framework

This research challenges the longstanding view that all auditor independence violations impair independence by considering Taylor et al.’s (2003) reliability framework, which proposes that service-related independence violations improve financial reporting reliability. This assertion is investigated by examining commercial lending officers’ perceptions of local and regional non-Big 4 CPA firms’ ability to improve financial reporting reliability when performing review, bookkeeping, and payroll services for the same nonpublic client. One-hundred and one participants who completed a between-subjects experiment indicate that auditor objectivity and the financial reporting reliability resulting from the independent review engagement are superior to a review engagement in which firms’ independence is violated by service-related impairments. Additional tests indicate that participants perceive regional non-Big 4 firms as being more objective and providing more reliable financial reporting than local non-Big 4 firms when performing an independent review engagement. However, this significant difference does not persist when local and regional CPA firms’ independence is violated by service-related impairments. These results have implications for research regarding the paradigm shift from independence to financial reporting reliability, and implications for future public policy which builds on accounting regulators’ recent attempt to allow service-related independence impairments.
LENS: web-based lens for enrichment and network studies of human proteins

Network analysis is a common approach for the study of genetic view of diseases and biological pathways. Typically, when a set of genes are identified to be of interest in relation to a disease, say through a genome wide association study (GWAS) or a different gene expression study, these genes are typically analyzed in the context of their protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. Further analysis is carried out to compute the enrichment of known pathways and disease-associations in the network. Having tools for such analysis at the fingertips of biologists without the requirement for computer programming or curation of data would accelerate the characterization of genes of interest. Currently available tools do not integrate network and enrichment analysis and their visualizations, and most of them present results in formats not most conducive to human cognition. We developed the tool Lens for Enrichment and Network Studies of human proteins (LENS) that performs network and pathway and diseases enrichment analyses on genes of interest to users. The tool creates a visualization of the network, provides easy to read statistics on network connectivity, and displays Venn diagrams with statistical significance values of the network's association with drugs, diseases, pathways, and GWASs. We used the tool to analyze gene sets related to craniofacial development, autism, and schizophrenia. LENS is a web-based tool that does not require and download or plugins to use. The tool is free and does not require login for use, and is available at http://severus.dbmi.pitt.edu/LENS .
Next Generation Nuclear Security Policy: Education, Research, and Experience

The Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC) is a multi-institution initiative composed of seven universities and four national laboratory partners working collectively to train the next generation of nuclear security experts. The NSSC draws students and scholars together in unconventional ways, replacing the boundaries that separate disciplines with a more inclusive science-technology-policy interface. To address the need for knowledgeable practitioners in the nonproliferation field, education and training in nuclear security policy is accomplished via three major activities: First, Nuclear Security: The Nexus Between Policy and Technology is an innovative classroom experience offered jointly by the Department of Nuclear Engineering and the Goldman School of Public Policy to educate students on the policy and technological foundations of nuclear energy and weapons. Second, the Nuclear Policy Working Group was established to provide students beyond-the-classroom opportunities to collaboratively engage in interdisciplinary nuclear security policy research projects anchored in science and technology. Third, the NSSC collaborates with the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) to provide immersive education in nuclear security policy. Since 2011, NSSC students and faculty have participated in the Public Policy and Nuclear Threats Boot Camp, an established multidisciplinary program offered by the NSSC and the IGCC designed to provide graduate students and mid-career professionals with the necessary tools to contribute to the debate on nuclear security policy.
Evaluation of a microfabricated thermal modulator for comprehensive two-dimensional microscale gas chromatography

A microfabricated thermal modulator (μTM) designed for ultimate use in a comprehensive two-dimensional microscale gas chromatography (μGC × μGC) system is evaluated. The 2-stage device measures 13 ...
Research of the photovoltaic plant influence on the outgoing transmission line phase selector

This paper studies the influence to phase selectors based on the phase current difference suddenly-change and the sequence component from photovoltaic plant by a regional power grid. The capacity of photovoltaic plant compared with the system capacity is very small, in the system with outgoing main transformer neutral grounding, when a ground fault occurs in outgoing transmission line, zero sequence impedance is far less than positive sequence and negative sequence impedance, the main component of the fault current is zero sequence current, so the magnitude and phase of the three-phase currents are similar, resulting in erroneous phase selection. Taking a regional grid-connected photovoltaic plant for example, phase selector models based on the phase current difference suddenly-change and the sequence component are built and tested in PSCAD / EMTDC, and simulation results show that the action performances of phase selectors are severely affected.
The influence of preoperative shock on outcome in sequential endocardial resection for ventricular tachycardia.

Sequential endocardial resection was used in 92 consecutive patients to treat ventricular tachycardia. All patients had coronary artery disease with previous myocardial infarction. All patients had repeated cycles of mapping and resection of arrhythmogenic foci in the normothermic beating heart until ventricular tachycardia was no longer inducible. Eighty-six patients (93%) survived to hospital discharge. The survival rate in patients normotensive at the time of operation was 98% and in patients in shock at the time of operation, 43%. By Cox regression analysis, preoperative shock was the significant predictor (p
Multiple mechanisms generate a universal scaling with dissipation for the air-water gas transfer velocity

A large corpus of field and laboratory experiments support the finding that the water side transfer velocity kL of sparingly soluble gases near air-water interfaces scales as kL∼(νe)1/4, where ν is the kinematic water viscosity and e is the mean turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate. Originally predicted from surface renewal theory, this scaling appears to hold for marine and coastal systems and across many environmental conditions. It is shown that multiple approaches to representing the effects of turbulence on kL lead to this expression when the Kolmogorov microscale is assumed to be the most efficient transporting eddy near the interface. The approaches considered range from simplified surface renewal schemes with distinct models for renewal durations, scaling and dimensional considerations, and a new structure function approach derived using analogies between scalar and momentum transfer. The work offers a new perspective as to why the aforementioned 1/4 scaling is robust.
Applying Customer Lifetime Value to Major League Baseball Season Tickets

Customer lifetime value (CLV) is a commonly used metric for assessing marketing performance among businesses; however, there is little evidence of the use of CLV in Major League Baseball (MLB). The authors provide a methodology for calculating CLV for season ticket buyers to properly account for all direct revenue streams for a fan attending an MLB game, including ticket, concession, parking, and auxiliary revenues. Applications for customer lifetime value for MLB teams includes measuring the effectiveness of marketing activities, identifying seating that is over/under priced, and assisting in the management of fan experiences. Subscribe to JASM
Properties of Good Source Codes

Necessary conditions for a source code to be optimal or a sequence of source codes to be asymptotically optimal for a stationary source are developed for block and sliding-block codes.
Arguing for Open Borders

A review of the Ethics of Immigration, by Joseph Carens (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013).Joseph Carens is arguably the most prominent political theorist to defend open borders, a view which he did much to make intellectually respectable in a famous 1987 article, “Aliens and Citizens: The Case for Open Borders.” In The Ethics of Immigration Carens again defends the open borders view, but with a new rationale. Whereas before he argued that seemingly opposed philosophies provided converging support for open borders, now he bases his case on “democratic principles,” by which he means uncontroversial moral commitments that are widely shared in liberal states. Carens argues that one such commitment is to freedom, which can be understood as “not being the subject of the will of another.” A commitment to such a value would explain why freedom of movement within a state is considered a basic human right. But, Carens asks, if we have a general right to freedom of movement within countries, why not between them? Carens has long noted that despite the attractiveness of open borders at the level of pure justice, it is deeply at odds with how immigration policy is normally viewed. Given this, Carens’ many writings on immigration have long approached it from a second perspective, one that puts aside questions of ideal theory and takes for granted the conventional view that states are entitled to discretionary control over their borders. This second perspective is the dominant one in The Ethics of Immigration, as Carens spends most of the book outlining standards of fair treatment for permanent residents, temporary workers, refugees and other migrants that do not presuppose any commitment to open borders. In this mode Carens offers a revised version of one his most thought-provoking and controversial arguments, defending amnesty for immigrants who first arrive illegally. Carens’ investigation of immigration issues at both the level of ideal justice and the more immediate plane of the debate over amnesty and related issues makes his book unusually rich. It has the rare virtue of being both philosophically rigorous and politically relevant.
First Amendment Protection of Evidence-Based Promotion of Prescription Drugs: A Study of Published Clinical Evidence Supporting Off-Label Promotion in the USA

A heated debate surrounds pharmaceutical companies’ proactive dissemination of information about uses of their drugs beyond those approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a practice commonly referred to as “off-label promotion”. At the core of this debate is an underlying assumption that pharmaceutical company speech about off-label uses is inherently false and misleading and not in the best interests of patients. If, however, the companies’ off-label speech is truthful and not misleading, the speech may be protected by the First Amendment, making the FDA’s prohibition of off-label promotion unconstitutional. This study is the first to link alleged pharmaceutical company speech with published clinical evidence bringing data to inform the debate. To evaluate whether pharmaceutical company speech alleged in False Claim Act (FCA) complaints is supported by published clinical evidence. Reviewed were 66 FCA complaints alleging off-label promotion of branded prescription drugs. Indications in these complaints were matched to published clinical evidence using a nationally recognized compendium, Micromedex® 2.0. Of the uses alleged in FCA complaints, 51.6% (at least 22.1% of which were off-label) were supported by at least some published clinical evidence and, therefore, not inherently false or misleading. Given this evidence, the current government policy of prohibiting proactive dissemination of off-label information by manufacturers may not be consistent with the First Amendment. Some of the off-label uses alleged in FCA complaints investigated and settled by the federal government were supported by published clinical evidence; however, many of the alleged uses were unsupported by any clinical evidence and, thus, false and misleading. These results suggest that government regulation of pharmaceutical company speech remains warranted because company speech is not consistently evidence-based. Even so, evidence-based pharmaceutical company speech is protected by the First Amendment. As a result, the federal government’s historic practice of prohibiting all off-label promotion may be unconstitutional.
Believability of Cigarette Warnings about Addiction: National Experiments of Adolescents and Adults

Introduction We conducted two experiments to examine the believability of three addiction-focused cigarette warnings and the influence of message source on believability among adolescents and adults in the United States. Methods Experimental data were collected using national phone surveys of adolescents (age 13-17; n = 1125; response rate, 66%) and adults (age 18+; n = 5014; response rate, 42%). We assessed the believability of three cigarette warnings about addiction attributed to four message sources (Food and Drug Administration [FDA], Surgeon General, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], no source). Results The majority of adolescents and adults reported the three cigarette warnings were very believable (49%-81% for adolescents; 47%-76% for adults). We found four to five times higher odds of adolescents believing a warning that cigarettes are addictive (warning 1) or that nicotine was an addictive chemical (warning 2) compared to a warning that differentiated the addictive risks of menthol versus traditional cigarettes (warning 3), warning 1 adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 4.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.10, 6.63; warning 2 aOR: 3.87, 95% CI: 2.70, 5.50. Similarly, we found three to five times higher odds of adults (including current smokers) believing the same warnings, warning 1 aOR: 3.74, 95% CI: 2.82, 4.95; warning 2 aOR: 3.24, 95% CI: 2.45, 4.28. Message source had no overall impact on the believability of warnings for either population. Conclusions Our findings support the implementation of FDA's required warnings that cigarettes are addictive and that nicotine is an addictive chemical. These believable warnings may deter adolescents from initiating smoking and encourage adults to quit smoking. Implications This article describes, for the first time, the believability of different cigarette warnings about addiction. We now know that the majority of adolescents and adults believe cigarette warnings that highlight cigarettes as addictive and that nicotine is an addictive chemical in tobacco. However, a warning that highlighted the relative risk of addiction for menthol cigarettes compared to traditional cigarettes was not as believable among either population. Our findings support the implementation of FDA's required warnings that cigarettes are addictive and that nicotine is an addictive chemical that may deter adolescents from initiating smoking and encourage adults to quit smoking.
A Revision of the American Dream of Homeownership

Abstract It is well accepted that homeowners, on average, have greater total wealth than renters. However, Beracha and Johnson (2012) show that in a strict “horserace” comparison, renting creates higher wealth than ownership in the majority of cases. In this paper, we revisit Beracha and Johnson's buy versus rent model to investigate factors affecting the wealth outcomes of the buy versus rent decision. Three key findings emerge: (1) the difference in wealth between renting and owning can be most affected by choices within the scope of the individual rather than through the impact of exogenous market variables; (2) households that fail to reinvest buy-rent cash flow differentials accumulate less wealth; and (3) property appreciation plays only a minor role in the results.
Unsupervised intrusion detection using color images

This paper presents a system to monitor a space and detect intruders. Specifically, the system analyzes color video to determine if an intruder entered the space. The system compares any new items in a video frame to a collection of known items (e.g. pets) in order to allow known items to enter and leave the space. Simple trip-line systems using infrared sensors normally fail when a pet wanders into the path of a sensor. This paper details an adaptation of the mean shift algorithm (described by Comaniciu et al.) in RGB color space to discern between intruders and benign environment changes. A refinement to the histogram bin function used in the tracking algorithm is presented which increases the robustness of the algorithm.
Fall-Behind Parents? The Influential Factors on Digital Parenting Self-Efficacy in Disadvantaged Communities:

As the Internet penetration in the United States increases, many digital divide researchers have delved into the parent–child dynamics regarding family digital access and use. However, little atten...
Reckless ambition: Moscow’s policy toward the United States, 2016/17

Russia’s attempt to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election succeeded in introducing an element of chaos into US politics, but neither Russia nor its leader Vladimir Putin gained much from it. Instead, US sanctions against Russia increased, and Russia’s 2017 attempt to introduce a new “reset” policy to the administration of Donald Trump fell flat as conflict between the two countries escalated. This article describes what we know about Russian actions and delves into the Russian foreign policy decision-making process, proposing four alternative explanations for Russia’s 2016/17 policies toward the US: Putin’s psychological mindset; the limited rationality inherent in all similarly autocratic regimes; competing economic interests among Russia’s elite patron–client system; and the loss of centralized control over the actions of officers in Russia’s intelligence agencies. While there is insufficient evidence to choose among these explanations, the exercise is useful because it encourages analysts to think both beyond standard realist explanations and beyond the role of Putin as an individual.
Islamophobia and the Public Health Implications of Religious Hatred.

The article discusses the public health implications of religious hatred, specifically Islamophobia. Topics include the negative impact of religious discrimination targeting Muslims on their physical and mental health, and the impact of religious discrimination on personal and institutional resources provided through partnerships between faith-based and public health sectors.
Producers and Processes Involved in Primary Production

There are many kinds of marine organisms that fix inorganic carbon into organic compounds using external sources of energy. There are many thousands of producer species with widely different phyletic origins (Taylor, 1978; Raven and Richardson, 1986), including single-celled phytoplankton and bottom-dwelling benthic algae, large many-celled macroalgae or seaweeds, symbiotic producers such as corals, and higher plants such as seagrasses.
Elaborating Patient Agency in Breast-Cancer Care: A Grounded Theoretical Analysis of Patients Asserting Treatment Preferences

i Chapter 1: Introduction & Review of Literature 4 Motivating this thesis from a qualitative epistemology 5 Reviewing patient agency 5 History of the breast cancer advocacy movement 6 A shift from paternalistic to patient-centered medicine 6 Self-determination theory 6 The goals of the present thesis 5 Chapter 2: Data & Method 1 Data Context 2 Open Coding 2 Saturation 2 Axial Coding 2 Selective Coding 2 Theme Generation 2 Interactional Positing of Units and Themes 2 Chapter 3: Results 1 Chapter 4: Discussion 1 Asserting a Preference for Surgical Option 2 Asserting a Preference – Scheduling Surgery ASAP 2 Asserting a Preference for Reconstructive Surgery 2 Summarizing Recommendation to Surgeons 2 Thematic Density 2 Interactional Position 2 Limitations 2 Future Directions 2 References 64
Ethical, Legal Considerations, and Final Remarks for Item Writers

This concluding chapter identifies and explains some elements of item construction that do not conveniently fit into any of the previously discussed categories yet are important, even overarching, elements of constructing good test items. These features include ethical concerns, considerations related to using copyrighted materials and obtaining copyright protection for one’s own items, and concerns for preparing or modifying items for use with people who have handicapping conditions. The chapter concludes with a final remark on the task of constructing meritorious test items.