cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Grassland species effects on soil CO2 flux track the effects of elevated CO2 and nitrogen

Summary • Understanding and predicting the impacts of elevated atmospheric CO2, elevated nitrogen deposition, and decreases in plant diversity require better understanding of the way in which plant species influence soil CO2 flux. • In experimental grassland plots where atmospheric CO2, nitrogen supply, and species composition and diversity were manipulated, species effects on soil CO2 flux during 19 sampling periods over 2 yr were determined for 16 grassland species. • The average effect of a species on soil CO2 flux was correlated with biomass of the species grown in monoculture, suggesting that effects of species on soil CO2 flux are related to the potential productivity of a species and total belowground C allocation. During dry, warm conditions there is a greater effect of elevated atmospheric CO2 on soil CO2 flux and during these times deeper-rooted species contribute to soil CO2 flux more than average. • Although differences in responses to elevated CO2 and nitrogen among species were not great, decreases in diversity can affect belowground carbon allocation depending on the plant traits of the species that are lost from ecosystems.
Mullerian-Inhibiting Substance Induces Gro-β Expression in Breast Cancer Cells through a Nuclear Factor-κB–Dependent and Smad1-Dependent Mechanism

Mullerian-inhibiting substance (MIS), a transforming growth factor-beta family member, activates the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway and induces the expression of B-cell translocation gene 2 (BTG2), IFN regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1), and the chemokine Gro-beta. Inhibiting NF-kappaB activation with a phosphorylation-deficient IkappaBalpha mutant abrogated MIS-mediated induction of all three genes. Expression of dominant-negative Smad1, in which serines at the COOH-terminal SSVS motif are converted to alanines, suppressed MIS-induced Smad1 phosphorylation and impaired MIS-stimulated Gro-beta promoter-driven reporter expression and Gro-beta mRNA. Suppressing Smad1 expression using small interfering RNA also mitigated MIS-induced Gro-beta mRNA, suggesting that regulation of Gro-beta expression by MIS was dependent on activation of NF-kappaB as well as Smad1. However, induction of IRF-1 and BTG2 mRNAs by MIS was independent of Smad1 activation. Characterization of kappaB-binding sequences within Gro-beta, BTG2, and IRF-1 promoters showed that MIS stimulated binding of p50 and p65 subunits to all three sites, whereas phosphorylated Smad1 (phospho-Smad1) protein was detectable only in the NF-kappaB complex bound to the kappaB site of the Gro-beta promoter. Consistent with these observations, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed recruitment of both phospho-Smad1 and p65 to the Gro-beta promoter in vivo, whereas p65, but not phospho-Smad1, was recruited to the BTG2 promoter. These results show a novel interaction between MIS-stimulated Smad1 and NF-kappaB signaling in which enhancement of NF-kappaB DNA binding and gene expression by phospho-Smad1 is dependent on the sequence of the kappaB consensus site within the promoter.
Experimental validations of the learnable evolution model

A recently developed approach to evolutionary computation, called Learnable Evolution Model or LEM, employs machine learning to guide processes of generating new populations. The central new idea of LEM is that it generates new individuals not by mutation and/or recombination, but by processes of hypothesis generation and instantiation. The hypotheses are generated by a machine learning system from examples of high and low performance individuals. When applied to problems of function optimization and parameter estimation for nonlinear filters, LEM significantly outperformed the standard evolutionary computation algorithms used in experiments, sometimes achieving two or more orders of magnitude of evolutionary speed-up (in terms of the number of births). An application of LEM to the problem of optimizing heat exchangers has produced designs equal to or exceeding the best human designs. Further research needs to explore trade-offs and determine best areas for LEM application.
Integration of equally spaced sampled data using a generalized Whittaker's reconstruction formula

A family of integration formulas for equally spaced sampled data are derived which can have errors of -70 dB or less over a bandwidth of 95 percent of more of the Nyquist bandwidth. The formulas are based on the integration of a reconstructed waveform using a generalized Whittaker's cardinal function.
Database technology for decision support systems

Decision support systems form the core of business IT infrastructures because they let companies translate business information into tangible and lucrative results. Collecting, maintaining, and analyzing large amounts of data, however, involves expensive technical challenges that require organizational commitment. Many commercial tools are available for each of the three major data warehousing tasks: populating the data warehouse from independent operational databases, storing and managing the data, and analyzing the data to make intelligent business decisions. Data cleaning relates to heterogeneous data integration, a problem studied for many years. More work must be done to develop domain-independent tools that solve the data cleaning problems associated with data warehouse development. Most data mining research has focused on developing algorithms for building more accurate models or building models faster. However, data preparation and mining model deployment present several engaging problems that relate specifically to achieving better synergy between database systems and data mining technology.
Assessing Daily Diabetes Management by 24-Hour Recall Interview: The Validity of Children's Reports

The current investigation examined the accuracy of diabetic children's 24-hr recall data by comparing the 7- to 12-year-old children's reports to direct observations of their behavior. Observers' data evidenced sufficient reliability to serve as an acceptable standard to which the children's 24-hr recall data could be compared. The children exhibited excellent agreement with the observers' data on all measures of the occurrence/nonoccurrence of events, including insulin injections, exercise periods, glucose tests, meal, type and amount of insulin injected. Although somewhat poorer reporters on some behaviors, differences were small. Children underreported most dietary behaviors and some exercise behaviors.
In vitro and in vivo characterization of a reversible synthetic heparin analog.

Abstract Background The global supply of unfractionated heparin (UFH) and all commercially available low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) remain dependent on animal sources, such as porcine intestine or bovine lung. Recent experience has shown that contamination of the supply chain (with over-sulfated chondroitin sulfates) can result in lethal toxicity. Fondaparinux is currently the only commercially available synthetic analog of heparin. We recently described a new class of chemoenzymatically synthesized heparin analogs. One of these compounds (S12-mer) is a dodecasaccharide consisting of an antithrombin-binding moiety with repeating units of IdoA2S-GlcNS6S and two 3-O-sulfate groups that confer the ability to bind protamine. Objective/methods We sought to further characterize this new compound in vitro using biochemical and global coagulation assays and in vivo using thrombosis and hemostasis assays. Results The anticoagulant activities of the Super 12-mer (S12-mer) and Enoxaparin in anti-factor Xa and plasma-based thrombin generation assays were roughly equivalent with a 50% reduction in peak thrombin generation occurring at approximately 325nM. When protamine was titrated against a fixed concentration of S12-mer in plasma or blood, the S12-mer displayed a significant restitution of thrombin generation and clot formation. In vivo , S12-mer inhibited venous thrombosis to a similar extent as Enoxaparin, with similar bleeding profiles. Conclusions These data show that the S12-mer has almost identical efficacy to Enoxaparin in terms of FXa inhibition, while displaying significant reversibility with protamine. Taken together with the ability to ensure purity and homogeneity from batch to batch, the S12-mer is a promising new synthetic heparin analog with a potentially enhanced safety profile.
III. The Kenseikai: Leader vs. Party Liberal

The period of Japan's greatest promise, the hopeful 1920's when dim flashes of political liberalism were sometimes discernible, was also the “golden era” of the Kenseikai. The picture of those eventful years would be incomplete if the image of this political party, both in and out of office, did not appear on at least one corner of the canvas. Occasionally displaying promise of strength but generally exhibiting its actual impotence, the Kenseikai nevertheless played a role of some significance to developments in Japan. It is the purpose of this essay to examine briefly some of the forces at work within the party which had their effect upon that role. This task calls for an investigation of the political inheritance of the Kenseikai, the circumstances surrounding its birth, the elements that went into its composition, the techniques used by some factions to consolidate their strength, and the devices utilized by competing groups to dislodge from power those in control of the organization.
Evaluation of security robustness against information leakage in Gaussian polytree graphical models

Extensive works have been undertaken to develop efficient statistical inference algorithms based on graphical models. However, there still lacks sufficient understanding about how topological properties affect certain information related metrics for certain graphs. In this paper, we are particularly interested in finding out how topological properties of rooted polytrees for Gaussian random variables determine its security robustness, which is measured by our proposed max-min information (MaMI) metric. MaMI is defined as the maximin value of the conditional mutual information between any two random variables (nodes) in a given DAG, conditioned on the value of a third random variable, which is at full disposal of an eavesdropper, under a constraint of a given fixed joint entropy. We show some general topological properties which the desired max-min solutions satisfy. Under such properties, we prove the superior max-min feature of the linear topology for a simple but non-trivial case. The results not only help us understand the security strength of different rooted polytree type DAGs, which is critical when we evaluate the information leakage issues for various jointly Gaussian distributed measurements in networks, but also provide us another algebraic and analysis perspective in grasping some fundamental properties of such DAGs.
PharmaTrend as a management tool: implementation in a university hospital

The implementation of ASHP's hospital pharmacy management information system, PharmaTrend, in a university hospital is described. The pharmacy department at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC) is a decentralized operation with 63.5 pharmacist full-time equivalents (FTEs) and 81.6 supportive staff FTEs. The multipharmacy capability of PharmaTrend, which allows workload and productivity data for several pharmacies (usually satellites) to be combined into total departmental data for a given period, was used by UWHC to describe the pharmacy department's major cost centers individually. These centers were inpatient services, outpatient services, home health i.v. services, and two offsite pharmacies. Data were divided into elements collected by computer, elements not previously collected or requiring new procedures, and elements requiring manual collection. Data entry forms specific to each cost center were developed. With these forms, collected data can be categorized appropriately by technical staff members. Work hour allocation for each cost center was determined on the basis of PharmaTrend definitions and institution-specific considerations; only those hours reflecting direct fiscal burden of the department on the hospital were included. A manual process for collecting and categorizing data on hours worked and hours paid was automated and adapted for use in PharmaTrend. Finally, some preliminary experience with the system was obtained so that information could be collected for the development of policies, procedures, and training methods and on the use of forms and categorization methods. In particular, the time requirements for collecting, categorizing, and entering selected PharmaTrend data by cost center were determined. Optimal use of PharmaTrend requires creativity and a commitment of time and effort.
Infrared Spectra of the Hydrated Borates.

Infrared absorption spectra of 42 different hydrated borates were obtained in the 2000-300 cm-1 range. A few spectra were obtained between 4000 and 2000 cm-1. Most spectra are complex and cannot be interpreted satisfactorily except in the case of the simplest anions. Many correlations between spectra are possible, however, and possible anion types have been deduced. Differentiation between triangular and tetrahedral boron is possible on the basis of the spectra but IS less certain than in the case of the anhydrous borates.
Optimal Online Sensing Scheduling for Energy Harvesting Sensors With Infinite and Finite Batteries

In this paper, we study the optimal sensing scheduling problem for an energy harvesting sensor. The objective is to strategically select the sensing time such that the long-term time-average sensing performance is optimized. In the sensing system, it is assumed that the sensing performance depends on the time durations between two consecutive sensing epochs. Example applications include reconstructing a wide-sense stationary random process by using discrete-time samples collected by a sensor. We consider both scenarios where the battery size is infinite and finite, assuming the energy harvesting process is a Poisson random process. We first study the infinite battery case and identify a performance limit on the long-term time average sensing performance of the system. Motivated by the structure of the performance limit, we propose a best-effort uniform sensing policy, and prove that it achieves the limit asymptotically, thus it is optimal. We then study the finite battery case, and propose an energy-aware adaptive sensing scheduling policy. The policy dynamically chooses the next sensing epoch based on the battery level at the current sensing epoch. We show that as the battery size increases, the sensing performance under the adaptive sensing policy asymptotically converges to the limit achievable by the system with infinite battery, thus it is asymptotically optimal. The convergence rate is also analytically characterized.
Analysis of Epidemiology Features of Infectious Diseases in Tianhe District,Guangzhou City,1985—2009

OBJECTIVE Analysis of this area 25 years,infectious diseases occurred and trends and explore their evolution law for the formulation of prevention and control measures to provide reference.METHODS Descriptive epidemiological method was used in this area between 1985 and 2009 various statutory infectious diseases reporting data for statistical analysis.RESULTS During the 25 years reported a total of 31 kinds of 60 762 thousand cases of legal infectious diseases,of which 1 species of 97 cases of Group A and B 22 species of 39,187 cases,21 479 cases of C 8 species.During the 25 years A-class infectious disease report appearing on 9 years,morbidity is among them in 1998 maximal(13.52/10million),2004 begins to rehabilitate,more than is even in 1985 horizontal.Morbidity remained at a relatively high category B infectious diseases 1985 —2003 the morbidity memorials come down year by year,from but volatility in interval(99.41/10 million~649.09/10 million).Class C infectious diseases,the incidence peaked in 2005,before this was low-level fashion trends,fall in subsequent years,but the drop rate is not obvious.During the 25 years,the infectious disease of all kinds composes than the infectious disease and the pneogaster infectious disease give first place to intestines mainly,in recent years,emerging infectious diseases and sexually transmitted diseases have increased year by year trend.Entomophila and natural epidemic disease source nature disease fluctuation are less.In addition,each year of infectious diseases before the five kinds of sorting in the 25 year period there have been a total of 16 infectious diseases,including viral hepatitis appeared 23 times,13 years ranked No.1,intestinal diseases and respiratory diseases before the annual ranking of the most.CONCLUSION Because this area more complex composition of the population,the floating population and the movement of more frequent,normative vaccination difficult to achieve.Coupled with frequent occurrence of imported cases of infectious diseases,resulting in the prevention and control of infectious diseases more difficult,require government agencies to increase the prevention and control of infectious diseases of human and financial resources.
Identification Using Russell 1000/2000 Index Assignments: A Discussion of Methodologies

This paper discusses tradeoffs of various empirical methods used in recent papers that rely on Russell 1000/2000 index assignments for identification. The paper also addresses why different approaches to this identification appear to reach different conclusions about the effect of index assignment on firm’s ownership structure and corporate policies.
Spatial distributions of Anopheles freeborni, Gambusia affinis and Lepomis cyanellus in experimental rice plots.

Etude des caracteristiques de l'habitat de A.f. et de 2 de ses predateurs, G.a. et L.c., de la repartition des populations pour tenter d'expliquer le manque de regulation du moustique par ses predateurs.
Immunologic Studies of Hemoglobins II. Quantitative Precipitin Test Using Anti Fetal Hemoglobin Sera

IN THE PREVIOUS PAPER, 1 data were presented which suggest that an anti fetal hemoglobin serum of high titer can be obtained by the immunization of rabbits with purified fetal hemoglobin incorporated into Freund’s adjuvant mixtures. Since preliminary studies with this serum indicated the presence of fetal hemoglobin not only in blood obtained from the newborn infant but also in specimens from patients with sickle cell anemia and a number of other syndromes where an alkali resistant, fetal-like, hemoglobin fraction has been demonstrated by the denaturation procedure, 2 it was felt advisable to study the nature of this antiserum more extensively. Furthermore, hemoglobin specimens from many hematologically normal adult subjects were found to give weak positive reactions with the serum. By developing a quantitative precipitin test based upon the relationship between the time of reaction and the concentration of fetal hemoglobin, it has been possible to measure accurately the amount of the embryonic pigment in any blood specimen. A comparison between the values for the quantity of alkali resistant hemoglobin in a given sample determined chemically and of fetal hemoglobin determined immunologically suggests that the resistant, fetal-like pigment found under various circumstances is probably identical with the normally occurring hemoglobin of the fetus.
What Is the Future of Italian Politics

Our treatment of the Italian political system has focused on its weaknesses and imperfections. We have seen the serious problems facing the Italian economy and Italian society; the disruptive effects of rapid modernization; the survival of widespread political alienation at the level of the mass culture; the lack of unified, coherent political leadership; and the absence of effective coordination over the institutions responsible for policy formulation and policy implementation. It would be tempting, at this point, to add another voice to the chorus that proclaims the Italian polity to be hovering on the brink of the precipice.
Corporate Environmentalism and Public Policy: The design of public voluntary agreements

INTRODUCTION Public voluntary agreements (PVAs) are primarily a US phenomenon. In our view, the separation of power between the executive branch and the legislative branch that is characteristic of the US presidential system has contributed to the emergence of PVAs. In a parliamentary democracy, a single party controls both the executive and legislative functions, making it easier for the executive to issue credible legislative threats. Chapter 7's analysis of negotiated agreements (NAs) is applicable to such situations. In a presidential democracy like the USA, however, such threats are much less credible, as the legislative branch is often controlled by a different party from the executive. Even when a single party controls both branches, executive branch control is limited since legislators and the president are elected in separate elections. In this context, PVAs may play two different roles. In some cases, the executive branch wants to pursue stronger environmental policies but cannot get its proposals through the Congress, and falls back upon PVAs. In other cases, the executive may have little interest in passing new environmental legislation, but may find PVAs a convenient way to reduce legislative pressure for environmental action. In either case, however, PVAs tend to be relatively modest instruments useful in part due to splits between the goals of the executive and the legislative branches. Chapter 8 presented a framework for comparing the performance of PVAs against that of mandatory emissions control programs such as emissions taxes or emissions permit trading schemes. The chapter characterized PVAs as providing modest subsidies — primarily technical assistance and public recognition — to firms that adopt environmentally beneficial technologies. Our broad conclusion was that voluntary programs are generally likely to produce weaker environmental results than mandatory programs unless there is strong industry political resistance to mandatory policies.
Deciding to Collaborate and Selecting our STEM Project

In 2001, the National Science Foundation (NSF) established a new awards program ($19 million) to advance the status of academic women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. Open only to institutions, Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers (ADVANCE) reflected the “increasing recognition that the lack of women’s full participation at the senior level of the academe is often a systemic consequence of academic culture” (NSF Institutional Transformation Awards, 2001, ¶ 1)
The Role of Mountain Flows in Making Clouds

Mountains disrupt basic airflows to force ascending air currents and initiate clouds. Clouds are produced when air becomes saturated and water condenses. Air can be brought to saturation by evaporation, by cooling, or by expansion from adiabatic lifting—adiabatic lifting being the most important process in the atmosphere. Mountains produce rising motion and adiabatic ascent in two ways, forced ascent and convergence caused by the heating of elevated topography.
Online programming tutors or paper study guides

An undergraduate data structures course is challenging to teach due to the vast number of complex topics that need to be covered. The use of instructional tools, such as an online programming tutor, can reinforce topics students typically find difficult. Prior research has shown using programming tutors can have a positive impact on student learning in an introductory Computer Science course. We hypothesized that we would see similar results using an online tutor in a second year programming course. Our study used an existing programming tutor, Problets, to supplement course instruction on two identified topics (functions and pointers) over one semester in two sections of a data structures course. In the first part of the study, we compared the optional use of an online tutor to no supplemental instruction. In the second part of the study, we compared the use of the online tutor to paper study guides. We conducted a two-tailed unpaired t-test on the students' midterm examination scores. The results from the first module showed that simply providing an optional tool had limited value. Surprisingly, the results from the second module showed no significant difference based on the type of practice. We discuss possible explanations for these results.
“A Book Never Dies”: The American Library Association and the Cultural Reconstruction of Czechoslovak and Polish Libraries, 1945–1948

ABSTRACTThe American Library Association (ALA)'s role in the postwar cultural reconstruction of East Central European countries such as Czechoslovakia and Poland has not been widely studied. The paper contributes to a better understanding of American cultural influence in that part of Europe by examining the ALA's efforts of sharing the works of American culture and science with war-devastated libraries in the context of war losses suffered by Czechoslovak and Polish libraries and a rising tide of totalitarianism in Eastern Europe. Particular attention is given to individual requests for books and periodicals as they offer a firsthand account of the war devastation and an insight into various needs of Czechoslovak and Polish libraries in early postwar years.
Three-dimensional texture visualization approaches: theoretical analysis and examples

Crystallographic textures are commonly represented in terms of Euler angle triplets and contour plots of planar sections through Euler space. In this paper, the basic theory is provided for the creation of alternative orientation representations using three-dimensional visualizations. The use of homochoric, cubochoric, Rodrigues and stereographic orientation representations is discussed, and illustrations are provided of fundamental zones for all rotational point-group symmetries. A connection is made to the more traditional Euler space representations. An extensive set of three-dimensional visualizations in both standard and anaglyph movies is available.
Signaling Learner Stance through Multimodal Resources

Stance refers to a display of a socially recognized epistemic or affective attitude toward a referent or proposition (Ochs, 1993). Although this display of attitude can be performed linguistically, paralinguistically, and non-verbally (Du Bois, 2007), it has primarily been explored in terms of linguistic strategies (use of reference terms, constructed dialogue, repetition, etc.) that can contribute to the process of socialization and the expression and construction of sociocultural identities and relationships. Gordon (2004), for instance, showed how members of one family socialized each other and constructed a shared identity as Democrats by using referring terms, repetition, narratives, constructed dialogue, and laughter to express positive and negative stances toward presidential candidates in the 2000 U.S. elections. Damari (2010) demonstrated how, during an interview, a married couple used constructed dialogue, constructed stance, verb tense, and adverbials to express their own and each other’s stances and thus construct divergent identities related to their cultural differences. And in her analysis of interviews with members of a Jewish community in Philadelphia, Schiffrin (1984) found that, by expressing divergent stances or disagreements, her participants actually signaled closeness and solidarity.
Vulnerability survival analysis: a novel approach to vulnerability management.

Computer security vulnerabilities span across large, enterprise networks and have to be mitigated by security engineers on a routine basis. Presently, security engineers will assess their “risk posture” through quantifying the number of vulnerabilities with a high Common Vulnerability Severity Score (CVSS). Yet, little to no attention is given to the length of time by which vulnerabilities persist and survive on the network. In this paper, we review a novel approach to quantifying the length of time a vulnerability persists on the network, its time-to-death, and predictors of lower vulnerability survival rates. Our contribution is unique in that we apply the cox proportional hazards regression model to real data from an operational IT environment. This paper provides a mathematical overview of the theory behind survival analysis methods, a description of our vulnerability data, and an interpretation of the results.
Effects of liposomal-curcumin on five opportunistic bacterial strains found in the equine hindgut - preliminary study.

The horse intestinal tract is sensitive and contains a highly complex microbial population. A shift in the microbial population can lead to various issues such as inflammation and colic. The use of nutraceuticals in the equine industry is on the rise and curcumin is thought to possess antimicrobial properties that may help to minimize the proliferation of opportunistic bacteria. Four cecally-cannulated horses were utilized to determine the optimal dose of liposomal-curcumin (LIPC) on reducing Streptococcus bovis/equinus complex (SBEC), Escherichia coli K-12, Escherichia coli general, Clostridium difficile, and Clostridium perfringens in the equine hindgut without adversely affecting cecal characteristics. In the first study cecal fluid was collected from each horse and composited for an in vitro, 24 h batch culture to examine LIPC at four different dosages (15, 20, 25, and 30 g) in a completely randomized design. A subsequent in vivo 4 × 4 Latin square design study was conducted to evaluate no LIPC (control, CON) or LIPC dosed at 15, 25, and 35 g per day (dosages determined from in vitro results) for 9 days on the efficacy of LIPC on selected bacterial strains, pH, and volatile fatty acids. Each period was 14 days with 9 d for acclimation and 5 d withdrawal period. In the in vitro study dosage had no effect (P ≥ 0.42) on Clostridium strains, but as the dose increased SBEC concentrations increased (P = 0.001). Concentrations of the E. coli strain varied with dose. In vivo, LIPC’s antimicrobial properties, at 15 g, significantly decreased (P = 0.02) SBEC when compared to 25 and 35 g dosages. C. perfringens decreased linearly (P = 0.03) as LIPC dose increased. Butyrate decreased linearly (P = 0.01) as LIPC dose increased. Further studies should be conducted with a longer dosing period to examine the antimicrobial properties of curcumin without adversely affecting cecal characteristics.
A note on the diffusion approximation for single neuron firing problems.

This paper presents a well-known stochastic model used to describe the firing or discharge pattern of a single neuron in terms of various input processes, and shows how the potential level of the neuron can be given by means of a diffusion equation approximation. There is a discussion of the adequacy of this approximation, and the paper concludes with a brief discussion of first passage time problems.
A temporal and spatial analysis of climate change, weather events, and tourism businesses

Abstract The study explores how precipitation and temperature have changed across the United States at multiple outdoor tourism locations within six unique climate zones from 1990 to 2015 compared to long-term averages from 1901. A multiple-location case-study design is then used to analyze the impact of long-term weather conditions and weather events – both favorable and unfavorable – on daily sales for 13 outdoor tourism locations within the six climate zones. The study is the first to draw on the construal level theory to quantitatively and longitudinally explore the geographic and temporal proximity of climate change and extreme events on business outcomes. The methodologies used, including time-series forecasting, provide a blue-print for at-risk businesses to analyze the impact of climatic factors and weather conditions no matter location.
Dynamic Response of Aluminum 5083 During Taylor Impact Using Digital Image Correlation

Aluminum 5083 was tested using forward Taylor impact experiments for impact velocities ranging from 75 to 393 m/s, using stereo digital image correlation (DIC) at 320,000 Hz as the primary data collection method. The Taylor impact experiment is a simple method for evaluating the response of materials at high strain and strain rate, historically by using relationships between the material sample geometric profile after the experiment and yield stress. Initially, this limited Taylor impact experiments to qualitative studies, since the time-variance of the stress-strain state complicates analysis. A benefit of using DIC is that a single experiment sample provides quantitative information about the material deformation response at a wide range of strains and strain rates. DIC was used in this experimental program to measure the strain field, strain rate, and profile of the samples during impact. Peak strains approaching 80% and strain rates approaching 105/s were measured at the impact-end of the material samples at higher velocities (320 m/s and higher). Numerical simulations of the experiments were conducted using LS-DYNA and showed good time-resolved agreement with the experiment result strain and strain rate profiles from DIC. Highlights of the DIC data, including strain fields, time histories, and comparisons between experiments will be presented along with comparisons of the DIC data to the numerical analysis.
Development of a Scalable Distributed Model Predictive Control System for Hydronic Networks with Bilinear and Hybrid Dynamics

AbstractHydronic heating and cooling systems are growing in complexity as the buildings and other infrastructure systems they serve demand greater efficiency and become larger. Increasing the scale...
Cardiopulmonary Function in Elderly

Overall cardiovascular function at rest in most healthy elderly individuals is adequate to meet the body’s need for pressure and flow. The resting heart rate and heart size are essentially not different in younger vs. older adults, but heart wall thickness increases modestly, due largely to an increase in myocyte size [1]. Atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis progressively decrease the tissue oxygen supply, cell constituents to change with aging, as a consequence, most biological functions show a progressive, age-related deterioration [2]. Aging is a complex process involving many variables: genetics, lifestyle factors, and chronic diseases that interact with one another, greatly influencing the manner in which the individual ages. Participation in regular physical activity both aerobic and resistive exercises elicits a number of favorable responses that contribute to healthy aging. Much has been learned recently regarding the adaptability of various biological systems as well as the ways that regular exercise can influence them. The functional capacity of the cardiopulmonary system, as assessed by VO2max, declines with advancing age in trained and untrained individuals (Figs. 8.1 and 8.2). This reduction results in a decrease in physiological functional capacity that would contribute to a loss of independence, increased incidence of disability, and reduced quality of life with age. The primary aging process, itself genetically associated, occurs both independently of lifestyle and in the absence of disease [3]. Accordingly, one may expect maximal cardiac output to decrease with aging irrespective of lifestyle because of genetic factors (Fig. 8.3). Reduced (a-v)O 2 at maximal effort is the second factor associated with decrease with aging of VO2max [4].
Boolean-Valued Sets as Vague Sets

The standard fuzzy logic and fuzzy set theory are degree-functional and thus susceptible to the problem of penumbral connections. This chapter attempts to radically revise them in order to remove this feature. Whereas the original theory assigns any real number in [0,1] to a proposition or set membership, the revised theory, called Boolean-valued set theory, assigns a value in a Boolean lattice structure B = ⟨D,∧,∨,¬,0,1⟩; consequently, “p or not-p” will receive value 1 and “p and not-p” will receive value 0 for any proposition p in Boolean-valued set theory. The resulting view of vague sets is essentially that depicted in Boolean-valued models of ZFC set theory introduced by Scott and Solovay. On this view, propositions and set membership have many values between 0 and 1, but the values are Boolean-structured and only partially ordered, so we cannot turn them into meaningful numerical degrees in [0,1]. The identity relation between two sets is also given various values, depending on the values of the membership relations involving the two sets; so this theory also endorses vague identity among sets.
Non-Volition and Hypnosis. Reals vs. Simulators: Experiential and Behavioral Differences in Response to Conflicting Suggestions during Hypnosis

Susceptible real and low susceptible simulating subjects were instructed to attend to, imagine, and think about described actions, but not to engage in movements while hypnotized. Susceptible imagination subjects received identical instructions but no prior induction. Testing occurred in small groups where observers rated movement responses to five motoric suggestions. As predicted, reals responded behaviorally following their experiential involvement in suggestions more than did simulators. Simulators moved more at one extreme or the other (movement or no movement) than reals, as predicted. Reals coded testimony reflected more conflict, sensations, imaginative involvement, and lack of volition than simulators. Although the imagination group behaved like simulators, their testimony paralleled the reals, with the exception that more volitional control was reported. In a second replication of real-simulator movement differences with a separate group of subjects, even when simulators were not released from their role plays when subjective reports were collected, they continued to differ on all subjective scales with the exception that they appreciated the conflict inherent in the situation, as did the reals. This second study demonstrated that real-simulator differences are still evident when simulators role play.
Leave It in the Ground: Science, Politics, and the Movement to End Coal Use

Over the past few years, climate scientists have developed a new approach to studying the effect of greenhouse gases on climate change; the focus of study has turned from the annual amount of greenhouse gas emissions to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The new model predicts that the earth’s average daily temperature will rise further than previously thought, and that the time in which this rise can be limited is shorter.At the same time, political activists concerned with climate change have shifted their tactics – and perhaps their strategy – from an emphasis on lobbying and education to an emphasis on direct action, mass protest, and civil disobedience. This change has been driven in part by purely political considerations, such as the strength of climate denial in the US House of Representatives and the failure of the Copenhagen talks. However, it has also been driven by knowledge of the scientific developments. For example, Bill McKibben, leader of 350.org, frequently refers to climate scientist James Hansen’s statement that if all the carbon stored in the Athabascan oil sands were released it would be “game over for the planet.”This paper examines parallel changes in the summary assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and in the approach of climate activists, with case studies of the Sierra Club’s “Beyond Coal” campaign and the campaign to stop the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Impact of Sea-Level/Land-Level Change on Society

Prediction of the magnitude, timing, and severity of human influence on climate is elusive, but considerable effort has been spent identifying geographic areas and natural processes that are sensitive to climate change. Studies of impacts have been performed for different scenarios of climate change and have focused on the vulnerability of individual regions. Although useful for sensitivity analysis, these approaches are limited because they commonly neglect the full suite of physics associated with climate change. For instance, sea-level rise, the primary concern here, is assumed to inundate coastal regions with little if any consideration for self-maintenance processes such as longshore and cross-shore sediment transport or dynamics of barrier beaches. Essentially, the uncertainties for predicting climate change are compounded by the uncertainties in the modeling of impacts given that climate change. However, a broad range of climate-change impacts can be discussed with some degree of certainty, including some effects of possible increased rate of relative sea-level rise.
Contributing to Geriatric Health and Well-Being Through Improving Community Resilience Capacities

This chapter provides clinicians and other healthcare and caregivers an appreciation of how improved community health resilience can help assure disaster preparedness of the geriatric population through enhancing the resilience of individuals and hospitals, health centers, eldercare facilities, and essential logistic chains that serve seniors. The chapter also discusses the challenges facing the elderly in facing disasters and collaborative actions key community stakeholders can take to support unique needs of older residents.
Rectal Douching Practices Associated with Anal Intercourse: Implications for the Development of a Behaviorally Congruent HIV-Prevention Rectal Microbicide Douche.

Tenofovir administration via rectal douching results in higher rectal-mucosa drug concentration than oral administration. Many who engage in receptive anal intercourse (RAI) use cleansing rectal douches. To inform development of a behaviorally-congruent tenofovir douche, 4751 individuals ≥ 18 years-old, born male, from all US states/territories, who engaged in anal intercourse responded to an online survey. Of those who reported RAI in the prior 3 months, 80% douched beforehand, 82% within 1 h, mean 2.9 consecutive applications; 27% douched afterwards, 83% within 1 h, mean 1.7 consecutive applications. Among multidose users, 78% applied doses within 2 min, and 76% retained liquid < 1 min. Most used tap water (89%) in an enema bottle (50%) or rubber bulb (43%), and douched for cleanliness (97%), to avoid smelling bad (65%), and to enhance pleasure (24%). 98% reported high likelihood of using an HIV-prevention douche. An ideal product will protect within a user’s typical number of applications, within 1 h, and be dissolvable in tap water.
Fracture behavior of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites: An optical study of loading rate effects

Abstract Crack initiation and growth in single-edge notched unidirectional T800s/3900-2 CFRP laminates are studied under stress wave and quasi-static loading conditions. An optical technique called reflection-mode Digital Gradient Sensing is also extended to study fracture mechanics of CFRP by using it in conjunction with ultrahigh-speed photography to perform full-field measurement of crack-tip deformations in the pre- and post-crack initiation regimes. DGS is capable of measuring two orthogonal surface slopes in the crack-tip vicinity as angular deflection of light rays. A method for extracting crack-tip parameters – the instantaneous crack speed and stress intensity factor (SIF) histories – associated with the stationary and propagating cracks using measured surface slopes is presented. The effect of fiber orientation in the range 0°–60° relative to the initial notch and two loading rates are investigated. Nominally mode-I fracture occurs when the fiber orientation is 0° whereas mixed-mode fractures ensue in others. Besides crack initiation occurrence at higher loads as fiber orientation increases, the SIF histories imply strong fiber bridging at low fiber orientations under quasi-static conditions. Furthermore, this CFRP shows significant loading rate dependence during crack growth. Unlike stress wave loading conditions, an increasing crack growth resistance immediately after crack initiation is seen under quasi-static conditions.
Pediatric Inguinal Hernia

Inguinal hernias in children are a result of failure of the processus vaginalis to obliterate leading to herniation of abdominal contents through the internal ring and into the inguinal canal. Most children are asymptomatic at presentation; however, some will present with acute incarceration with risk of strangulation. Diagnosis is based on physical examination. Ultrasound may occasionally rarely be helpful. Treatment is surgical with ligation of the hernia sac at the level of the internal ring. This can be completed electively unless the hernia is unreducible there is concern for incarceration or stangulation, at which time emergent repair is required. Inguinal hernia repair may be completed through an open or laparoscopic approach, based on surgeon preference. Assessment and repair of an asymptomatic contralateral patent processus vaginalis remains controversial.
Association Between Electronic Cigarette Use and Marijuana Use Among Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance Use of electronic cigarettes (often callede-cigarettes) has increased considerably among young people in the past 5 years. Use of e-cigarettes has been associated with higher rates of marijuana use, which is associated with several adverse health outcomes in youth. Objective To characterize and quantify the association between e-cigarette and marijuana use among youth using a meta-analysis. Data Sources PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science & ProQuest Dissertations and Theses were searched from inception to October 2018. A gray-literature search was also conducted on conference abstracts, government reports, and other sources. Study Selection Included studies compared rates of marijuana use among youth aged 10 to 24 years who had used e-cigarettes vs those who had not used e-cigarettes. Two reviewers independently assessed studies for inclusion; disagreements were discussed with a third reviewer and resolved by consensus. Data Extraction and Synthesis Data were extracted by 2 independent reviewers following Meta-analyses of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) reporting guidelines and pooled using a random-effects analysis. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess data quality and validity of individual studies. Main Outcomes and Measures Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of self-reported past or current marijuana use by youth with vs without past or current e-cigarette use. Results Twenty-one of 835 initially identified studies (2.5%) met selection criteria. The meta-analysis included 3 longitudinal and 18 cross-sectional studies that included 128 227 participants. Odds of marijuana use were higher in youth who had an e-cigarette use history vs those who did not (AOR, 3.47 [95% CI, 2.63-4.59];I2, 94%). Odds of marijuana use were significantly increased in youth who used e-cigarettes in both longitudinal studies (3 studies; AOR, 2.43 [95% CI, 1.51-3.90];I2, 74%) and cross-sectional studies (18 studies; AOR, 3.70 [95% CI, 2.76-4.96];I2, 94%). Odds of using marijuana in youth with e-cigarette use were higher in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (AOR, 4.29 [95% CI, 3.14-5.87];I2, 94%) than young adults aged 18 to 24 years (AOR, 2.30 [95% CI, 1.40-3.79];I2, 91%). Conclusions and Relevance This meta-analysis found a significant increase in the odds of past or current and subsequent marijuana use in adolescents and young adults who used e-cigarettes. These findings highlight the importance of addressing the rapid increases in e-cigarette use among youths as a means to help limit marijuana use in this population.