cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of classical cosine series window functions to full response signaling offset quadrature binary modulation systems

It is proposed that classical cosine series window functions be applied to finite symbol duration quadrature binary modulation systems as pulse shapes in the interest of increasing the spectral confinement of the resulting modulated signals. The respective modulation systems are analyzed in terms of modulated signal envelope uniformity, spectral confinement, and bit error rate in the presence of white Gaussian noise with varying degrees of modulated signal amplitude compression. Even in the presence of moderate modulated signal compression, classical cosine series window function pulse shapes offer spectral confinement for quadrature binary modulation systems that is equal to or better than that provided by the conventional pulse shapes corresponding to QPSK, MSK, SFSK, and DSFSK. It is shown that moderate levels of modulated signal compression have negligible effects on the system bit error rate. A system implementation using the sum of FSK modulated signal components to achieve spectral confinement based on the classical cosine series window functions is presented. >
Transformations: a blueprint for narrative changes in therapy

When problematic-symptomatic behaviors are conceived as embedded, retained, and maintained in collective stories, therapy can be described as the transformative process by which patients, families, and therapists co-generate qualitative changes in those stories. An emphasis on narratives allows one to specify further how those transformations unfold at the more "micro" level of the exchanges that take place throughout the consultation. To that specification is devoted the core of this essay, which closes with a discussion of the clinical, training, and, especially, research potentials of this systematization.
Desktop to cloud transformation planning

Traditional desktop delivery model is based on a large number of distributed PCs executing operating system and desktop applications. Managing traditional desktop environments is incredibly challenging and costly. Tasks like installations, configuration changes, security measures require time-consuming procedures and dedicated deskside support. Also these distributed desktops are typically underutilized, resulting in low ROI for these assets. Further, this distributed computing model for desktops also creates a security concern as sensitive information could be compromised with stolen laptops or PCs. Desktop virtualization, which moves computation to the data center, allows users to access their applications and data using stateless “thin-client“ devices and therefore alleviates some of the problems of traditional desktop computing. Enterprises can now leverage the flexibility and cost-benefits of running users' desktops on virtual machines hosted at the data center to enhance business agility and reduce business risks, while lowering TCO. Recent research and development of cloud computing paradigm opens new possibilities of mass hosting of desktops and providing them as a service. However, transformation of legacy systems to desktop clouds as well as proper capacity provisioning is a challenging problem. Desktop cloud needs to be appropriately designed and provisioned to offer low response time and good working experience to desktop users while optimizing back-end resource usage and therefore minimizing provider's costs. This paper presents tools and approaches we have developed to facilitate fast and accurate planning for desktop clouds. We present desktop workload profiling and benchmarking tools as well as desktop to cloud transformation process enabling fast and accurate transition of legacy systems to new cloud-based model.
Nucleus tractus solitarii A2a adenosine receptors inhibit cardiopulmonary chemoreflex control of sympathetic outputs

Previously we have shown that stimulation of inhibitory A1 adenosine receptors located in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) attenuates cardiopulmonary chemoreflex (CCR) evoked inhibition of renal, adrenal and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity and reflex decreases in arterial pressure and heart rate. Activation of facilitatory A2a adenosine receptors, which dominate over A1 receptors in the NTS, contrastingly alters baseline activity of regional sympathetic outputs: it decreases renal, increases adrenal and does not change lumbar nerve activity. Considering that NTS A2a receptors may facilitate release of inhibitory transmitters we hypothesized that A2a receptors will act in concert with A1 receptors differentially inhibiting regional sympathetic CCR responses (adrenal>lumbar>renal). In urethane/chloralose anesthetized rats (n=38) we compared regional sympathetic responses evoked by stimulation of the CCR with right atrial injections of serotonin 5HT3 receptor agonist, phenylbiguanide, (1-8μg/kg) before and after selective stimulation, blockade or combined blockade and stimulation of NTS A2a adenosine receptors (microinjections into the NTS of CGS-21680 0.2-20pmol/50nl, ZM-241385 40pmol/100nl or ZM-241385+CGS-21680, respectively). We found that stimulation of A2a adenosine receptors uniformly inhibited the regional sympathetic and hemodynamic reflex responses and this effect was abolished by the selective blockade of NTS A2a receptors. This indicates that A2a receptor triggered inhibition of CCR responses and the contrasting shifts in baseline sympathetic activity are mediated via different mechanisms. These data implicate that stimulation of NTS A2a receptors triggers unknown inhibitory mechanism(s) which in turn inhibit transmission in the CCR pathway when adenosine is released into the NTS during severe hypotension.
Large-Bore and Small-Bore Chest Tubes: Types, Function, and Placement

Chest tubes are placed in the pleural space, either surgically or percutaneously to evacuate abnormal fluid and air. Indications for chest tubes include therapeutic drainage of pleural conditions such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, empyema, chylothorax, and malignant effusions, as well as prophylaxis drainage of air, blood, and other fluids after chest surgery. This article characterizes the types of chest tubes, reviews the basic techniques for insertion, and describes the comparative effectiveness between large-bore and small-bore chest tubes.
The TAB method for numerical calculation of spray droplet breakup

A short history is given of the major milestones in the development of the stochastic particle method for calculating liquid fuel sprays. The most recent advance has been the discovery of the importance of drop breakup in engine sprays. We present a new method, called the TAB method, for calculating drop breakup. Some theoretical properties of the method are derived; its numerical implementation in the computer program KIVA is described; and comparisons are presented between TAB-method calculations and experiments and calculations using another breakup model.
Myers Briggs Type Indicator and Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire differences between bipolar patients and unipolar depressed patients.

A group of bipolar and a group of unipolar depressed pa-tients ﬁlled out the MBTI, the TPQ, the Beck Depression Inventory,and the CAGE questionnaire. The two groups were compared witheach other as to responses on the above surveys, and subgroups ofbipolar depressed and bipolar patients with manic symptoms were alsocompared.
A Single Subtype of Avian Pneumovirus Circulates among Minnesota Turkey Flocks

The recent emergence of avian pneumovirus (APV) infection among US turkey flocks has resulted in a major economic threat to the turkey industry. In order to elucidate the molecular epidemiology of APV, comparative sequence analysis of the fusion (F) protein gene of APV was performed for 3 cell culture-adapted isolates and 10 APV positive clinical samples recovered from US turkey flocks. Relatively modest levels of nucleotide and amino acid sequence divergence were identified, suggesting the prevalence of a single lineage of APV among US turkey flocks. Additionally, numerous polymorphisms were identified that were only represented in the clinical samples but not in the in vitro propagated isolates of APV. Phylogenetic analyses confirm that the subtype of APV circulating in the upper Midwestern United States is evolutionarily related to, but distinct from, European APV subgroups A and B. Overall, the results of the present investigation suggest that there has been only a single recent introduction of APV into US turkey populations in the upper Midwestern United States.
“De Facto Congregationalism” and Mormon Missionary Outreach: An Ethnographic Case Study

A number of theorists in the sociology of religion hold that denominations in the United States have remained vital by decentralizing power, and shifting control from central hierarchies to individual congregations: a strategy dubbed “de facto congregationalism.” However, changes in the polity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints (the LDS, or Mormon, Church) contravene this trend. Unlike most denominations, Mormonism—a vital faith by all accounts—has centralized its authority and standardized its programs in recent decades. This article investigates whether the logic of de facto congregationalism applies to Mormonism. From a case study of missionary outreach in an LDS congregation, I investigate how mandates from the church’s central headquarters are interpreted and implemented at the grassroots level. My findings show that the church’s centralized polity may hinder the functioning of Mormon congregations outside traditional strongholds in Utah and the Intermountain West—a finding consistent with the logic of de facto congregationalism. Certain sociologists of religion hold that the power of denominations to structure and define the religious lives of their U.S. constituents is waning relative to the waxing power of congregations. This decentralization of religious authority prompts Miller to write: “The style of Christianity dominated by ... bureaucratized layers of social organization is gradually dying” (Miller 1997:11). The decline of denominations heralds the rise of a polity dubbed “de facto congregationalism,” wherein decisions about how local religious communities are governed are increasingly made at the grassroots level (Warner 1993:1066). Local control allows autonomous congregationstofinduniquenichesinpluralisticenvirons,andtailortheirprogramstothespecific needs of church members (Eiesland 2000).
Pneumococcal Capsular Polysaccharide Structure Predicts Serotype Prevalence

There are 91 known capsular serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The nasopharyngeal carriage prevalence of particular serotypes is relatively stable worldwide, but the host and bacterial factors that maintain these patterns are poorly understood. Given the possibility of serotype replacement following vaccination against seven clinically important serotypes, it is increasingly important to understand these factors. We hypothesized that the biochemical structure of the capsular polysaccharides could influence the degree of encapsulation of different serotypes, their susceptibility to killing by neutrophils, and ultimately their success during nasopharyngeal carriage. We sought to measure biological differences among capsular serotypes that may account for epidemiological patterns. Using an in vitro assay with both isogenic capsule-switch variants and clinical carriage isolates, we found an association between increased carriage prevalence and resistance to non-opsonic neutrophil-mediated killing, and serotypes that were resistant to neutrophil-mediated killing tended to be more heavily encapsulated, as determined by FITC-dextran exclusion. Next, we identified a link between polysaccharide structure and carriage prevalence. Significantly, non-vaccine serotypes that have become common in vaccinated populations tend to be those with fewer carbons per repeat unit and low energy expended per repeat unit, suggesting a novel biological principle to explain patterns of serotype replacement. More prevalent serotypes are more heavily encapsulated and more resistant to neutrophil-mediated killing, and these phenotypes are associated with the structure of the capsular polysaccharide, suggesting a direct relationship between polysaccharide biochemistry and the success of a serotype during nasopharyngeal carriage and potentially providing a method for predicting serotype replacement.
Socioeconomic disparities in health change in a longitudinal study of US adults: the role of health-risk behaviors.

This study investigated the hypothesis that socioeconomic differences in health status change can largely be explained by the higher prevalence of individual health-risk behaviors among those of lower socioeconomic position. Data were from the Americans' Changing Lives study, a longitudinal survey of 3,617 adults representative of the US non-institutionalized population in 1986. The authors examined associations between income and education in 1986, and physical functioning and self-rated health in 1994, adjusted for baseline health status, using a multinomial logistic regression framework that considered mortality and survey nonresponse as competing risks. Covariates included age, sex, race, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and Body Mass Index. Both income and education were strong predictors of poor health outcomes. The four health-risk behaviors under study statistically explained only a modest portion of the socioeconomic differences in health at follow-up. For example, after adjustment for baseline health status, those in the lowest income group at baseline had odds of moderate/severe functional impairment in 1994 of 2.11 (95% C.I.: 1.40, 3.20) in an unadjusted model and 1.89 (95% C.I.: 1.23, 2.89) in a model adjusted for health-risk behaviors. The results suggest that the higher prevalence of major health-risk behaviors among those in lower socioeconomic strata is not the dominant mediating mechanism that can explain socioeconomic disparities in health status among US adults.
Experiments in network queuing strategies for HF data networks

Discusses the integration of a LAN with HF communications. Various problems associated with throughput are considered together with the changes to the system to remedy these problems.
SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION OF POWERED PARAFOIL-VEHICLE FROM FLIGHT TEST DATA

The X-38/Crew Return Vehicle, a lifting body reentry vehicle, has been developed as a lifeboat in case of emergency at the International Space Station. To simulate and verify the performance of the onboard Parafoil Guidance, Navigation and Control system, a commercial powered parafoil vehicle, known as Buckeye, was modified to accommodate the avionics and reduced-scale parafoil for aerodynamic similarity. Dynamic modeling and system identification results for the Buckeye are described in this paper. The vehicle dynamics are modeled as an eight degrees-offreedom system comprising the six states for the parafoil and two states for the relative pitch and yaw angles of the vehicle with respect to the parafoil. Controllability and observability analyses are done using the Parafoil Dynamic Simulator, a six degreesof-freedom nonlinear simulation code used prior to the actual flight tests. For system identification, the Observer/Kalman Filter Identification method is applied to reduce the flight test data, as well as simulated ones from the Parafoil Dynamic Simulator for small excitations. The identification results demonstrate that this approach works well for parafoil-vehicle system identification using flight data.
Presentation of the Charles Schuchert Award of the Paleontological Society to Charles R. Marshall

About two years ago I was at a meeting in Boston, and my mind wandered a bit during an interminable talks on molecular evolution. I glanced to my left, and noticed that my neighbor was covering a tablet with scratches. Impressed that he was getting so much more out of the talk than I, I peered closer, only to have the scrawl resolve itself into equations. “Charles” I said. “What the hell are you doing?” Charles looked up at me with an impish grin and responded “Deriving the equation for paralinear normal distances from first principles.” Now I actually haven't a clue what Charles was doing, but he may have been telling the truth, which illustrates that Charles is not really one of us. Charles is one of them. One of those analytical sorts for whom paralinear normal distances, Baysian inference, and even more arcane mathematical mumbo jumbo are second nature. One of those skilled in magical manipulations of mathematical malfeasance, and the black arts of statistical subterfuge. In short, one of those determined to illuminate what the fossil record really says, rather than what we …
The evolution of the frontal lobes: a volumetric analysis based on three-dimensional reconstructions of magnetic resonance scans of human and ape brains

Scenarios regarding the evolution of cognitive function in hominids depend largely on our understanding of the organization of the frontal lobes in extant humans and apes. The frontal lobe is involved in functions such as creative thinking, planning of future actions, decision making, artistic expression, aspects of emotional behavior, as well as working memory, language and motor control. It is often claimed that the frontal lobe is disproportionately larger in humans than in other species, but conflicting reports exist on this issue. The brain of the apes in particular remains largely unknown. In this report we measure the volume of the frontal lobe as a whole and of its main sectors (including cortex and immediately underlying white matter) in living humans, and in post-mortem brains of the chimpanzee, gorilla, orang-utan, gibbon and the macaque using three-dimensional reconstructions of magnetic resonance (MR) scans of the brain. On the basis of these data we suggest that although the absolute volume of the brain and the frontal lobe is largest in humans, the relative size of the frontal lobe is similar across hominoids, and that humans do not have a larger frontal lobe than expected from a primate brain of the human size. We also report that the relative size of the sectors of the frontal lobe (dorsal, mesial, orbital) is similar across the primate species studied. Our conclusions are preliminary, because the size of our sample, although larger than in previous studies, still remains small. With this caveat we conclude that the overall volume of the frontal lobe in hominids enlarged in absolute size along with the rest of the brain, but did not become relatively larger after the split of the human line from the ancestral African hominoid stock. Aspects other than relative volume of the frontal lobe have to be responsible for the cognitive specializations of the hominids.
Optimal Operating Frequency in Wireless Power Transmission for Implantable Devices

This paper examines short-range wireless powering for implantable devices and shows that existing analysis techniques are not adequate to conclude the characteristics of power transfer efficiency over a wide frequency range. It shows, theoretically and experimentally, that the optimal frequency for power transmission in biological media can be in the GHz-range while existing solutions exclusively focus on the MHz-range. This implies that the size of the receive coil can be reduced by 104 times which enables the realization of fully integrated implantable devices.
Microwave Radar Detection of Stored-Product Insects

A microwave radar system that senses motion was tested for capability to detect hidden insects of different sizes and activity levels in stored products. In initial studies, movements of individual adults or groups of Lasioderma serricorne (F.), Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), Attagenus unicolor (Brahm), and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) were easily detected over distances up to 30 cm in air. Boxes of corn meal mix and flour mix were artificially infested with 5–100 insects to estimate the reliability of detection. The likelihood that a box was infested was rated by the radar system on a quantitative scale. The ratings were significantly correlated with the numbers of infesting insects. The radar system has potential applications in management programs where rapid, nondestructive targeting of incipient insect infestations would be of benefit to the producers and consumers of packaged foods.
The Return of Endarch: Journal of Black Political Research

Join past and present Editors and Editorial Reviewers of Endarch: Journal of Black Political Research for a panel discussion on the upcoming edition of Endarch. Endarch: Journal of Black Political Research is a double blind peer-reviewed journal published by Clark Atlanta University Department of Political Science in partnership with Atlanta University Center Robert Woodruff Library. Since the Fall of 1974, Endarch: Journal of Black Political Research has sought to reflect, analyze, and generate activity, which will ultimately lead toward the expansion, clarification, and solidification of black political thought. For this purpose, the journal publishes articles that report original investigations and contribute new scholarship to the field of political science.
The Relationship of Direct Price Flexibilities to Direct Price Elasticities

In agricultural economics research, it is frequently easier to estimate direct and cross price flexibilities rather than price elasticities. However, elasticity estimates may be needed or wanted. The paper shows that, under rather general conditions, the reciprocal of the direct price flexibility is the lower absolute limit of the direct price elasticity. The departure of the true price elasticity from the flexibility reciprocal depends upon the strength of the cross effects of substitution and complementarity with other commodities.
Deploying and Managing State-of-the-Art Workstation Labs Like a Boss!

Our PACE Computer-Aided Design (CAD) / Manufacturing (CAM) / Engineering (CAE) Lab is one of our flagship computer labs at Lehigh University. The Lab is uniquely supported by both the Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics (MEM) Department and the IT organization. It is also unique in that we make available pools of virtual workstations to supplement the 60 physical high-end Windows workstations that are critical to our teaching and research missions. In addition to the PACE Lab, we also have to deploy and support 25 other lab and research environments, each having their own unique software and requirements. The entire university has been using Symantec Ghost for image management for nearly 15 years, but we needed a more flexible and automated solution to create, deploy, and manage Windows Operating Systems. You will learn why we decided to focus our efforts on the completely free Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Lite Touch solution, and how it has increased the efficiency of our deployments. We are currently expanding these techniques and realizing their time-saving benefits even in our datacenter and support of IT infrastructure. We have also been successful in deploying the Windows 10 Technical Preview in a test lab and are keenly awaiting the final release of the updated deployment tools that will officially support the new Microsoft Operating System. You will walk away with real-world best-practice workflows that you can immediately implement in your own environment to realize some of the benefits that we have already seen.
Brother Jonathan and John Bull build a nation: the transactional nature of American nationalism in the early nineteenth century

This article employs a transactional approach to examine the role of national stereotypes in the rise of American nationalism in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Despite deep sectional and partisan divisions within the US population, an American national identity was constructed in contrast to the British national character and perceived British ideals. This identity was constructed on an external categorization by the elite males of other nations, particularly England. Political satires and caricatures, particularly in the character of Brother Jonathan and John Bull, illustrate the oppositional nature of this nascent national identity during the early nineteenth century.
Types and Characteristics of Childhood Sexual Abuse: How Do They Matter in HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Women in Methadone Treatment in New York City?

AbstractBackground: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is often considered an important distal factor in HIV sexual risk behaviors; however, there are limited and mixed findings regarding this relationship among women experiencing substance use problems. In addition, research with this population of women has yet to examine differences in observed CSA-HIV sexual risk behaviors relationships by CSA type and characteristics. Objectives: This study examines relationships between CSA coding, type, and characteristics and HIV sexual risk behaviors with main intimate partners among a random sample of 390 women in methadone treatment in New York City who completed individual interviews with trained female interviewers. Results: Findings from logistic regression analyses indicate that CSA predicts substance use with sexual activity, with variations by CSA coding, type, and characteristics; however, the role of CSA is more limited than expected. Having a main partner with HIV risk mediates some relationships between CSA...
The Organizational Trust Quotient

The Organizational Trust Quotient (OTQ)©™ is the term coined by Dr. Vernon T. Cox to illustrate the benefits of forming a specific communication plan in contemporary organizations; especially those organizations in which their leaders will require change within the group.
Quantification of Stream Depletion Due to Aquifer Pumping Using Adjoint Methodology: A Case Study

Water availability for humans and the environment faces increasing threats from expanding populations and potential reduction in supply due to changes in climactic patterns. In light of these threats, the need to minimize stream depletion, defined as the depletion of flows in streams and rivers caused by groundwater pumping, becomes paramount. Stream depletion associated with pumping wells has been quantified by both analytical and numerical approaches; however, methods for identifying the stream depletion caused by new wells remain inefficient and require separate simulations for each potential well location. In this work, we develop adjoint equations of a coupled groundwater and surface water system that can be solved to calculate stream depletion. We use MODFLOW with the stream package to solve the adjoint equations, and, unlike previous work, we allow the head and resulting flow in the river to change as a result of depletion. With only one simulation of the adjoint equations, stream depletion can be calculated for a well at any location in the aquifer, making it an efficient method for siting future wells. A case study is presented comparing the stream depletion calculated using adjoint methodology with that found using traditional methods.
Molecular topography of the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The Ca2+ binding site region of the Ca2+ — ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum was labeled with several fluorescent analogs of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. As has been shown by Chadwick and Thomas [1, 2], in the absence of Ca2+ in the medium, labeling with the naphthyl carbodiimide results in the inhibition of enzyme activity. Further, Ca2+ occupancy of the high affinity sites of the enzyme protects against incorporation into the site(s). The fluorescent carbodiimide has been used to determine the depth of the site of label incorporation relative to the aqueous-bilayer interfaces by quenching studies using spin-labeled fatty acid derivatives. The series of quenchers used have their spin-label moiety located at different positions along the fatty acid chain. It was found that after suitable correction for differences in partitioning of the various derivatives, the order of quenching efficiency was 16 - > 12- > 10- > 7- > 5-NS, indicating that the naphthyl moiety is near the center of the bilayer. In contrast, quenching with the aqueous-restricted I− indicated that the label is accessible from the external milieu, likewise for a presumed aqueous quencher, acrylamide. The aqueous quenchers accessibilities were altered upon Ca2+ binding to the ATPase. Quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence with the x-NS derivatives indicates that the ATPase tryptophan residues are primarily localized at the aqueous-membrane interfaces, with the order of quenching being 5- > 7- > 10- > 12- > 16-NS. The trp residue(s) which changes its fluorescence upon Ca2+ binding is shown to be near the membrane surface.
Design Optimization of a WR-90 Slotted Waveguide Antenna Stiffened Structures

8 The goals are to assess the sensitivity of EM performance and to optimize the objective function, electric field (E-field) peak magnitude, with respect to geometric parameters of the waveguide: the slot size, offset distance from centerline, spacing between the slots in the longitudinal direction, and the cross-sectional dimensions of WR-90 waveguide. The relevant slot parameters of the RF performance are analyzed and discussed. Existing antennas are attached to an aircraft surface as blades or enclosed within the aircraft structure, typically covered by electromagnetically transparent and structurally weak composite materials such as fiberglass. Whereas conformal antennas may be integrated into the honeycomb core, stiffeners or the skin of aircraft surface panel, this new concept antenna structure, SWASS, can be installed in the main part of load bearing structures. It will perform the roles of a structure and an antenna. Also, the size of a waveguide structure antenna can be bigger than any other antennas that are located on the surface of the fuselage. Most of aircraft have an electric device for radio detecting and ranging (radar). Radar radiates electromagnetic (EM) waves to detect far off objects such as aircraft, ships, and buildings, and recognize them by the reflecting echo from the objects. Since radar typically uses microwave frequencies, waveguide antennas are good airborne radar antennas for satellite communication, detecting targets, and missile tracking or guidance radar. The microwave band of radar is divided into narrow bands and allocated letters for purpose of military security: L, S, C, X, and K-band. Compared to the higher frequencies, the hardware is larger for the lower frequencies, since the wavelengths are longer. Higher frequencies have a higher limitation on the power transmission. Nevertheless, microwave devices have some merits. Firstly, they can focus a narrow beam width to detect targets accurately. The power can be accordingly concentrated in a particular direction. Secondly, microwaves pass through the atmosphere with low attenuation of absorption and scattering due to water vapors or raindrops. Below about 0.1 GHz, the atmospheric attenuation such as absorption and scattering is negligible, but it becomes significant beyond 10 GHz. Lastly, ambient noise gradually decreases from L-band to X-Band, but it becomes increasingly higher for K-band.
A Reassessment of Morphological Specializations for Digging in Pocket Gophers

An analysis of structural variation of the digging apparatus in pocket gophers of the genera Geomys, Thomomys , and Cratogeomys shows various degrees of specializations for tooth and claw digging. Thomomys is relatively more specialized for tooth digging, whereas Geomys specializes in claw digging and Cratogeomys is intermediate. It is suggested that claw diggers are restricted to sandy soils, whereas modifications for tooth digging allow exploitation of a broad range of soil types.
Prediction of abnormal postpartum glucose tolerance testing in mild gestational diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE To describe the liikelihood of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)--who are at increased risk for developing overt diabetes--undergoing postpartum testing, and the patient characteristics associated with abnormal postpartum glucose tolerance testing (GTT) in mild GDM. STUDY DESIGN This was a retrospective chart review that included mild GDM patients, defined as those with fasting plasma glucose levels < 95 mg/dL on a 3-hour 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Patients who underwent postpartum testing were assessed and predictive factors for abnormal results evaluated. RESULTS Mild GDM was diagnosed in 414 (39.6%) women, 201 (48.6%) of whom completed a postpartum 2-hour 75-g OGTT. Abnormal testing was seen in 69 (34.3%), with diabetes in 6 (3%); those with abnormal testing had been diagnosed with GDM at an earlier gestational age, had higher 1-hour 50-g OGTT values, and were also more likely to require pharmacologic therapy. Combining several variables produced a predictive model with positive and negative predictive values of 50% and 84%, respectively. CONCLUSION Antenatal factors (alone or in combination) do not allow for prediction of abnormal postpartum OGTT results in mild GDM patients. Patients with mild GDM are at a slightly decreased postpartum risk of developing diabetes and prediabetes as compared to other patients with GDM.
The application of benthic macroinvertebrates in aquatic ecosystem health assessment

Benthic macroinvertebrates are the main components of the aquatic ecosystem and play a key role in function and health of aquatic ecosystem.With the increasing emphasis on the aquatic ecosystem management based on watershed integrity in China,the studies on aquatic ecosystem health is more and more detailed,thus the study of benthic macroinvertebrates are improved not only in depth but also in breadth.The main study tasks,impacting factors and analytical methods on benthic macroinvertebrates were summarized at home and abroad in recent years.The results indicate that the response of benthic macroinverebrates to the variation of aquatic ecosystem is significant on the spatial scale,so the effects of natural environment,habitat conditions and water quality on benthic animal diversity and its community structure in the different spatial scales were analyzed.The variations of water environment factors caused by the human activities or the damage of habitat could influence directly the species composition and community features of benthic animal according to the integrated analysis of various factors.The analytical methods on benthic animal could be classified as two types,namely,a model analytical method and a biology index assessment method.Which one is selected in the actual application depends on the features of model and index.
Physiology in Perspective: Physiological Transitions During Our Lifespan

Our lifespan is filled with physiological transitions that are too often ignored in our physiological and pathophysiological studies. In this issue of Physiology , we emphasize the importance of sex differences in the incidence and progression of disease. An important physiological transition that
In Vitro Studies of Glucose Metabolism of the Rabbit Urinary Bladder

AbstractThe urinary bladder, as do all smooth muscle organs, depends on the delivery of oxygen and metabolic substrates for proper functioning. Although glucose metabolism has been studied and evaluated for a variety of smooth muscle systems, little is known about carbohydrate metabolism of the urinary bladder.In the present investigation glucose metabolism and glycogen formation of the urinary bladder of the rabbit was studied in vitro. Isolated urinary bladder strips were prepared from bladder base and body and the following metabolic determinations were made: glucose utilization, glycogen formation, CO2, and lactic acid formation. In addition, the effect of insulin on glucose metabolism was investigated.Glucose utilization was similar in bladder base and body (6.57 ± 0.67μmols/gm./2 hours in combined tissues). Eighty-one percent of the glucose utilized was metabolized to lactate whereas 11% was oxidized to CO2 and 4.7% was incorporated into glycogen. Insulin caused a small but significant increase in g...
Love in the Trenches: German Soldiers’ Conceptions of Sexual Deviance and Hegemonic Masculinity in the First World War

Germany’s traumatic experience with total war in 1914–18 presents challenges for historians dealing with the history of gender. The responses of common soldiers to the trauma of war, and their conceptions of masculinity and sexuality, were complex. While the all-pervasive image of the steel-nerved, disciplined warrior suggests an easily identifiable, militarized egemonic ideal, this masculine image was fragile and, as Monika Szczepaniak recently noted, tends to be oversimplified.1 Sociologist R. W. Connell argues that while hegemonic masculinity was defined in opposition to subordinate forms of masculinity, perceptions and constructions of hegemonic masculinity were elusive, contested and always changing.2 To what degree did soldiers embrace dominant images of masculinity? As Christa Hammerle recently observed, it is difficult to uncover the degree to which hegemonic, militarized conceptions of masculinity were accepted by the majority of soldiers who experienced the Great War.3
Why math works.

The article examines why mathematics is such an effective tool to explain and predict natural phenomena. The author suggests that mathematics is both an invention of the human mind and the discovery of an independently existing set of rules. Mathematicians picked mathematical principles that applied to the natural world and scientists adopted models and problems that can be described well by these principles. At the same time, there are clear symmetrical patterns in nature, such as the laws of physics, which are consistent throughout the universe, gauge symmetries within the quantum realm, and supersymmetry, which posits that all known particles have a partner. INSET: IN BRIEF.
Parental Decision-Making Preferences in Neonatal Intensive Care

Objective To explore how characteristics of medical decisions influence parents' preferences for control over decisions for their seriously ill infants. Study design In qualitative interviews, parents of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were asked to consider all medical decisions they could recall, and were prompted with decisions commonly encountered in the NICU. For each decision, parents were asked detailed questions about who made each decision, whom they would have preferred to make the decision, and why. Using standard qualitative methods, responses were coded and organized such that decision-level characteristics could be analyzed according to preferred decision-making role. Results Parents identified 2 factors that were associated with a preference to delegate decisions to the medical team (high degree of urgency, high level of required medical expertise) and 4 factors associated with a preference to retain parental control (high perceived risk, high personal experience with the decision, involvement of foreign bodily fluids, and similarity to decisions that they perceived as part of the normal parental role). Conclusions Characteristics of decisions influence preferences for control over medical decisions among parents of patients in the NICU. These insights may guide improvements in physician-parent communication and consent.
Modeling of a Small Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle for Autonomous Navigation and Control

Autonomous control of a remotely operated underwater vehicle requires a high fidelity simulation model to be developed. In this paper, we present a simulation model of a commercially available Mini Observant Class ROV that is developed based on first principles and validated by empirical data. Open-loop testing conducted on the underwater vehicle is utilized to validate the pitch attitude behavior and fine-tune the physical parameters in the simulation model. In addition, three autopilot systems is designed using classical control theory to enable autonomous control over the attitudes and depth of the underwater vehicle.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Digital Narratives of Place: Learning About Neighborhood Sense of Place and Travel Through Online Responses

As the market penetration of mobile information and communication technologies continues to grow, visitor feedback, such as online reviews of locations or sites visited, will continue to grow in parallel at finer temporal and geographic scales. This growth in data opens the opportunity for travel demand analysts to assess location attractiveness on the basis of online reviews and subsequently inform destination choice models. In geography and urban planning, the construct of sense of place (SOP) has emerged as an indicator for visitor association or connection with a place or site. An opportunity exists for examining SOP through the lens of text mining (i.e., extracting information from online text reviews and forming digital narratives of place). Several websites devoted to sharing feedback on experiences and overall perceptions exist, including Yelp and TripAdvisor. With text-mining methods, previously unidentified SOP-related topics and issues may emerge from online reviews and serve as a basis for sub...
The use of the h-index to evaluate and rank academic departments

Abstract A method is proposed by which the h-index of individual researchers is extended to evaluate the performance of engineering departments. For a specific department, the h-index of each faculty is plotted against the number of years since the first publication. The plot is linearized and the slope is determined, which we term Departmental Productivity Index. This index represents the collective productivity of the department members. The statistical analysis is applied to two years: 2008 and 2017. This slope is correlated with the ranking of the department from USNW the highest being 0.99 and lowest increasing to 0.5. For MSE departments, the same trend is observed: in 2008, they vary from 1.36 to 0.51, while in 2017 they range from 1.89 to 0.61. There is a systematic difference between Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Departments, the latter having dp-indices that are in average 30% lower than the former ones. This might be a reflection of the greater resources available nationally for materials research and of the service role that many ME departments have in Engineering Schools. The increase in dp-indices in the nine-year span (2008–2017) results from the rise in individual h-index for researchers, which reflects greater emphasis on research, increased collaborations, and an evolving research landscape. An additional observation that is revealed by this statistical analysis is that the difference between first and third tier departments decreased from 2008 to 2017, a reflection of the ‘democratization’ of research through a more equitable distribution of resources and talent. This method is also suggested to be an effective quantitative measure of departmental and faculty member performance.
Memory in wild mountain chickadees from different elevations: comparing first-year birds with older survivors

Understanding both inter- and intraspecific variation in animals' cognitive abilities is one of the central goals of cognitive ecology. We developed a field system for testing spatial learning in wild chickadees using radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled feeders that allowed us to track individuals across multiple years. Mountain chickadees, Poecile gambeli, inhabit a continuous montane gradient, and individuals inhabiting higher elevations experience harsher winters than those at lower elevations. Previous studies found that chickadees at higher elevations cached more food and demonstrated better spatial memory, but they performed worse during reversal learning than chickadees at lower elevations. Here, we employed spatial learning, reversal learning and memory retention tasks to compare elevation-related performance of first-year juvenile birds with that of adults that had survived at least 1 year. Chickadees from high elevation performed better in the initial learning task but worse in the reversal task than birds from low elevation. There were no differences between first-year birds and adults in the initial learning task, but adults performed significantly better in the reversal test. First-year birds also made more errors associated with the initial target, which suggests higher levels of proactive interference. There were no significant differences between elevations or between juvenile and adults in memory performance after a 16-day retention. After retention, chickadees did not discriminate between the feeders that provided food during the initial task or during the reversal task prior to retention. These results are also consistent with the effects of proactive interference, as birds should have only visited the most recently rewarding feeder. Our findings suggest that the ability to quickly learn changing information is critical for chickadees at both elevations as surviving adults did better in the reversal task than first-year birds. Our results also suggest that selection may favour better reversal learning abilities associated with lower levels of proactive interference.
A Standard Methodology to Characterize the Intrinsic Material Properties of Compliant Test Stimuli

Understanding how we perceive differences in material compliance, or ‘softness,’ is a central topic in the field of haptics. The intrinsic elasticity of an object is the primary factor thought to influence our perceptual estimates. Therefore, most studies test and report the elasticity of their stimuli, typically as stiffness or modulus. However, many reported estimates are of very high magnitude for silicone-elastomers, which may be due to artifacts in characterization technique. This makes it very difficult to compare the perceptual results between the studies. The work herein defines a standardized and easy-to-implement way to characterize test stimuli. The procedure involves the unconstrained, uniaxial compression of a plate into cylindrical substrates 10 mm tall by 10 mm diameter. The resultant force-displacement data are straightforwardly converted into stress-strain data, from which a modulus is readily derived. This procedure was used to re-characterize stimuli from prior studies. The revised results from the validated method herein are 200-1,100 percent lower than modulus values either reported and/or approximated from stiffness. This is practically significant when differences of 10-15 percent are perceptually discriminable. The re-characterized estimates are useful in comparing prior studies and designing new studies. Furthermore, this characterization methodology may help more readily bridge studies on perception with those designing technology.
Assessing future water resource constraints on thermally based renewable energy resources in California.

Abstract In this study, we investigate the extent to which physical water resource availability constraints can limit the deployment of solar thermal and geothermal-based energy resources under future climate scenarios in California. This is accomplished by (1) calculating the water unconstrained potential capacity for solar thermal and geothermal power plants, (2) estimating the available water supply for supporting the water needs of these plants using four climate model simulations under representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5, and (3) determining the supportable capacity from the available water supply based on power plant cooling type. We show that regional water availability can limit the installable capacity of solar thermal resources to a range of 10.9–52.6% of solar thermal potential and geothermal resources to between 17.9% and 100% of geothermal potential, depending on cooling system and regional water demand levels by the year 2050. The limiting factor for installable capacity was driven by whether the locations of solar thermal and geothermal resources were spatially aligned with precipitation patterns, with cooling system type acting as a secondary factor. In regions with high solar thermal and geothermal potential, reducing water demand from other sectors was important for alleviating the water constraints on solar thermal and geothermal capacity and increasing total resource potential. Water conservation policies can therefore support the deployment of renewable energy resources and should be considered in future water and energy resource planning.