cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LINKING ON-FARM DAIRY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO STORM-FLOW FECAL COLIFORM LOADING FOR CALIFORNIA COASTAL WATERSHEDS

How and where to improve water quality within an agricultural watershed requires data at a spatial scale that corresponds with individual management decision units on an agricultural operation. This is particularly true in the context of water quality regulations, such as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), that identify agriculture as one source of non-point source pollution through larger tributary watershed scale and above and below water quality investigations. We have conducted a systems approach study of 10 coastal dairies and ranches to document fecal coliform concentration and loading to surface waters at the management decision unit scale. Water quality samples were collected on a storm event basis from loading units that included: manure management systems; gutters; storm drains; pastures; and corrals and lots. In addition, in-stream samples were collected above and below the dairy facilities and from a control watershed, managed for light grazing and without a dairy facility or human residence and corresponding septic system. Samples were analyzed for fecal coliform concentration by membrane filtration. Instantaneous discharge was measured for each collected sample. Storm runoff was also calculated using the curve number method (SCS, 1985). Results for a representative dairy as well as the entire 10 dairy data set are presented. Fecal coliform concentrations demonstrate high variability both within and between loading units. Fecal coliform concentrations for pastures range from 206 to 2,288,888 cfu/100 ml and for lots from 1,933 to 166,105,000 cfu/100 ml. Mean concentrations for pastures and lots are 121,298 (SE = 62,222) and 3,155,584 (SE = 1,902,713) cfu/100 ml, respectively. Fecal coliform load from units of concentrated animals and manure are significantly more than units such as pastures while storm flow amounts were significantly less. Compared with results from earlier tributary scale studies in the watershed, this systems approach has generated water quality data that is beneficial for management decisions because of its scale and representation of current management activities. These results are facilitating on-farm changes through the cooperative efforts of dairy managers, regulatory agency staff, and sources of technical and financial assistance.
The Dynamics of Mushy Layers

The development of mathematical models describing mushy zones is reviewed. Particular attention is paid to the transport of mass, heat and species in these reacting, two-phase media. Dynamical interactions between solidification in mushy regions and three different types of convection are analyzed: convection due to shrinkage or expansion upon change of phase; and buoyancy driven convection driven either by thermal gradients or by solutal gradients. Directions for future reseach into the dynamics of mushy regions are suggested.
Diagnosis of TCM Failures in the IBM 3081 Processor Complex

The concepts of automated diagnostics that were developed for and that are implemented in the IBM 3081 Processor complex are presented in this paper. Significant features of the 3081 diagnostics methodology are the capability to isolate intermittent as well as solid hardware failures and the automatic isolation of a failure to the failing field-replaceable unit (FRU) in a high percentage of the cases. The problem of isolating intermittent faults is solved by a new strategy of dynamic error detection and fault isolation by analysis of data captured at the detection of the error.
Aprotinin reduces vasoactive medication use during adult liver transplantation.

Abstract Study objective To determine whether aprotinin use during adult liver transplantation results in an improvement in hemodynamic stability. Design Review of data collected during a prospective, randomized, double-blind trial. Setting Liver transplantation program in a tertiary referral institution. Patients 63 adult patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Interventions Patients were randomized to receive either aprotinin (1,000,000 KIU loading dose, followed by an infusion of 250,000 KIU/hr) for the duration of the surgery or a placebo infusion (normal saline). Measurements Hemodynamic parameters (mean systemic blood pressure, cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance, mean pulmonary artery (PA) pressure, and PA occlusion pressure) were compared at set time points during the procedure. The use of vasoactive medications during and after the reperfusion period was compared. Main results There were no significant differences in any of the measured hemodynamic parameters at any time point. Vasoactive infusions were used in 1 of 33 patients in the aprotinin group and in 6 of 30 patients in the control group ( p Conclusion Aprotinin infusion during adult liver transplantation results in less requirement for vasoactive intervention.
A soiling system for evaluation of house dust, allergens, and lead retention on carpets and other surfaces.

Artificial soiling of carpeted or other floor surfaces has several important applications in human exposure assessment and textile research including evaluation of textile properties, sampling devices, and cleaning regimens. A method was developed and validated to deposit uniform and reproducible known quantities of house dust, allergens, and leaded dust on carpets. The soiling apparatus consisted of a 100 cm X 60 cm inclined steel track and a plastic cylinder, with a series of staggered holes, that contains a known volume of reference house dust. After deposition, the dust is embedded by dragging a steel rod over the carpet surface. Deposition tests were performed with bulk house dust, sodium chloride, and house dust with reference quantities of dust mite allergen and lead. The apparatus deposited equivalent (arithmetic mean) amounts of dust, sodium chloride, and dust mite allergen on the front and back halves of test carpets. The introduction of inert fumed silica to the reference sample aided in disper...
Definition of the activities and properties of c-myc required to inhibit cell differentiation

Previous studies have shown that high levels of c-myc inhibit cell differentiation. The goal of this study was to define the activities and properties of c-myc that are necessary and/or sufficient for this effect. A series of mutant human c-myc genes were stably transfected into the 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cell line and assayed for their capacity to block differentiation into adipocytes. Results of the differentiation tests were then correlated with other known activities and properties of the mutants. Our studies show that the ability of c-myc to inhibit 3T3-L1 cell differentiation requires its transforming activity, and the ability of c-myc to bind sequence-nonspecific DNA and to form oligomers is not sufficient for this effect. Thus, the ability of c-myc to inhibit cell differentiation may be central to its role as a transforming oncogene.
The role of velocity, pressure, and bed stress fluctuations in bed load transport over bed forms: numerical simulation downstream of a backward-facing step

Abstract. Bed load transport over ripples and dunes in rivers exhibits strong spatial and temporal variability due to the complex turbulence field caused by flow separation at bedform crests. A turbulence-resolving flow model downstream of a backward-facing step, coupled with a model integrating the equations of motion of individual sand grains, is used to investigate the physical interaction between bed load motion and turbulence downstream of separated flow. Large bed load transport events are found to correspond to low-frequency positive pressure fluctuations. Episodic penetration of fluid into the bed increases the bed stress and moves grains. Fluid penetration events are larger in magnitude near the point of reattachment than farther downstream. Models of bed load transport over ripples and dunes must incorporate the effects of these penetration events of high stress and sediment flux.
Measurement and modeling errors in noise parameters of scaled-CMOS devices

Noise parameter measurements of submicrometer scaled-CMOS devices are error prone. These errors can propagate to a device model affecting the performance of low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) designed with them. In this paper, measurement errors in noise parameters of submicrometer scaled-CMOS devices are quantified. The sensitivity of different noise parameters to measurement and modeling errors is examined, showing that some parameters (NFmin,Rn) are more immune to such errors than others (Gopt,Bopt). We propose a modeling and design approach (desensitization by Rn-optimization) that can greatly alleviate the impact of such errors on the noise figure of LNAs. Measured results from a 90-nm LNA show substantial (ges 2.5 dB) improvement in its noise figure as a result of desensitization
SECURING THE ENGLISHMAN'S CASTLE: SITUATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

In 1839, the Constabulary Force Commission, created by Parliament to study the conditions of crime and policing beyond London and to make recommendations for jurisdictional reforms, published its findings in the First Constabulary Report. To illustrate for readers the necessity of establishing constabularies modeled after London's Metropolitan Police Force in counties and boroughs throughout England and Wales, Edwin Chadwick, utilitarian reformer and principal draftsman of the Report, interwove the Commission's recommendations with numerous testimonies from representatives of the so-called criminal classes that pervaded nineteenth-century society. These sometimes graphic confessions were calculated to shock as much as persuade, which made for popular reading, notwithstanding widespread political opposition to the Commission's proposals (Philips 69). Section twenty eight, for example, contains the account of “J– R–,” a nineteen-year-old ex-sailor from Manchester who had committed a series of petty larcenies before turning to more serious burglaries of homes and businesses, at which he became quite adept. This young-but-seasoned offender's confession included what were intended to be alarming revelations about the physical vulnerabilities of English houses. JR testified that he had “[f]ound none or very few difficulties in the way of committing crime. The readiness with which property was got . . . was an encouragement” (Lefevre, Rowan, and Chadwick 27). In recounting the details of his crimes (and citing anecdotal evidence from fellow thieves), he pointed out that most houses were entered easily with the use of skeleton keys or through cellar windows, and that householders and servants practiced few if any serious security precautions (27–28). JR concluded that he did “not know of any places or kinds of property so protected as to induce depredators to refrain from attacking them” but added, no doubt with pressure from the interviewer, that the “most important obstruction which could be placed in the way of depredations is a more efficient police” (29).
Cross-beta Order and Diversity in Nanocrystals of an Amyloid-forming Peptide

The seven-residue peptide GNNQQNY from the N-terminal region of the yeast prion protein Sup35, which forms amyloid fibers, colloidal aggregates and highly ordered nanocrystals, provides a model system for characterizing the elusively protean cross-beta conformation. Depending on preparative conditions, orthorhombic and monoclinic crystals with similar lath-shaped morphology have been obtained. Ultra high-resolution (<0.5A spacing) electron diffraction patterns from single nanocrystals show that the peptide chains pack in parallel cross-beta columns with approximately 4.86A axial spacing. Mosaic striations 20-50 nm wide observed by electron microscopy indicate lateral size-limiting crystal growth related to amyloid fiber formation. Frequently obtained orthorhombic forms, with apparent space group symmetry P2(1)2(1)2(1), have cell dimensions ranging from /a/=22.7-21.2A, /b/=39.9-39.3A, /c/=4.89-4.86A for wet to dried states. Electron diffraction data from single nanocrystals, recorded in tilt series of still frames, have been mapped in reciprocal space. However, reliable integrated intensities cannot be obtained from these series, and dynamical electron diffraction effects present problems in data analysis. The diversity of ordered structures formed under similar conditions has made it difficult to obtain reproducible X-ray diffraction data from powder specimens; and overlapping Bragg reflections in the powder patterns preclude separated structure factor measurements for these data. Model protofilaments, consisting of tightly paired, half-staggered beta strands related by a screw axis, can be fit in the crystal lattices, but model refinement will require accurate structure factor measurements. Nearly anhydrous packing of this hydrophilic peptide can account for the insolubility of the crystals, since the activation energy for rehydration may be extremely high. Water-excluding packing of paired cross-beta peptide segments in thin protofilaments may be characteristic of the wide variety of anomalously stable amyloid aggregates.
Membrane properties of medium-lead burst neurons may contribute to dynamical properties of saccades

Previous models of saccades use circuits with simple elements. Medium-lead burst neurons (MLBNs) fire only during saccades, and generate the eye velocity command. Omnipause neurons (OPNs) fire during fixation and pause during saccades in all directions. OPNs are assumed to inhibit MLBNs. MLBNs have been modeled with a single membrane time constant and a firing rate saturation. Therefore, circuit properties, and not properties of the neurons themselves, determine the dynamical properties of saccades. However, a recent study suggests that MLBNs may have another membrane property, post-inhibitory rebound depolarization, which plays a critical role in the generation of oscillations. This finding raises the question of the effect of OPN offset and rebound depolarization of MLBNs on saccades, because chemical lesions of the OPN region alter the dynamics of saccades. A new model with MLBNs that have two biophysical properties, post-inhibitory rebound depolarization and a threshold, produces behavioral changes in saccades after simulated OPN lesion that are consistent with experiment. We suggest that biophysical properties of MLBNs may contribute to dynamical properties of saccades, such as speed and latency.
A constant voltage maximum power point tracking method for solar powered systems

A constant voltage maximum power point (MPP) algorithm that automatically adjusts the reference voltage to account for varying environmental conditions is presented. A simple (and inexpensive) analog feedforward PWM controller is developed to continuously track the MPP of a solar cell array as the weather conditions vary. The solar array source is configured such that its open-circuit voltage is sampled without breaking the entire source from the load as is the case with other constant voltage MPP algorithms. MATLAB/Simulink simulations are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed MPP algorithm. The simulations correlated well with experimental results using a pure resistive load.
Description of Caldalkalibacillus uzonensis sp. nov. and emended description of the genus Caldalkalibacillus.

Strain JW/WZ-YB58T, a thermophilic (42–64 °C), aerobic, alkalitolerant (pH25 °C 6.4–9.7), heterotrophic, sporulating, retarded-peritrichously flagellated and slightly curved rod-shaped bacterium, was isolated from the hot spring Zarvarzin II in the East Thermal Field of the Uzon Caldera, Kamchatka (Far East Russia). The isolate tolerated high concentrations of CO. The major membrane phospholipid fatty acids of JW/WZ-YB58T included iso-C15 : 0 (24.5 %), anteiso-C15 : 0 (18.3 %) and iso-C17 : 0 (17.5 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA is 45 mol% (HPLC method). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and physiological properties, isolate JW/WZ-YB58T (=ATCC BAA-1258T =DSM 17740T) is proposed as the type strain of Caldalkalibacillus uzonensis sp. nov. In contrast to the type species Caldalkalibacillus thermarum, a catalase-reaction-positive aerobe, C. uzonensis was catalase-reaction-negative; thus the description of the genus Caldalkalibacillus is emended to include a catalase-reaction-negative species.
Evidence for spontaneous retrieval of suspended but not finished prospective memories

McDaniel and Einstein (2007) argued that prospective memories can be retrieved through spontaneous retrieval processes stimulated by the presence of a target cue. To test this claim, we investigated whether presenting a prospective memory cue during a task that did not require an intention to be performed spontaneously triggered remembering of that intention. In two experiments, participants performed an image-rating task in which a prospective memory task (to press the “Q” key when a target word appeared) was embedded. Then, participants were told that their intention was finished or suspended. Finally, participants performed a lexical decision task in which each target (and a matched control) word appeared. RTs were slower to target words than to control words when the intention was suspended but not when it was finished. These results suggest that target cues associated with suspended intentions can spontaneously trigger remembering but that finished intentions are quickly deactivated.
Insufficient stocking of cyanide antidotes in US hospitals that provide emergency care.

Objective: To identify the influence of catchment area, trauma center designation, hospital size, subspecialist employment, funding source, and other hospital characteristics on cyanide antidote stocking choice in US hospitals that provides emergency care. Materials and Methods: A web-based survey was sent out to pharmacy managers through two listservs; the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. A medical marketing company also broadcasted the survey to 2,659 individuals. We collected data on hospital characteristics (size, state, serving population, etc.,) to determine what influenced the hospital's stocking choice. Results: The survey response rate was approximately 10% ( n = 286). Thirty-eight hospitals (16%) stocked at least 4 antidote kits. Safety profile, recommendations from a poison control center, and ease of use had the strongest influence on stocking decisions. Conclusions: Survey of 286 US hospital pharmacy managers, 38/234 (16%) hospitals had sufficient stocking of cyanide antidotes. Antidote preference was based on safety, ease of use, and recommendations by the local poison center, over cost.
Holocene evolution of an estuarine coast and tidal wetlands

Modern facies-distribution patterns, extensive core data, and chronostratigraphic cross sections provide a detailed history of Holocene inundation within the Delaware Bay estuary and sedimentation in adjacent coastal environments. Flooding of the estuary occurred with rising sea level as the shoreline retreated northwest along a path determined by the pre-transgression topography. Simultaneous migration of an estuarine turbidity maximum depocenter provided the bulk of fine sediments which form the coastal Holocene section of the estuary. Prior to 10 Ka, the ancestral bay was predominantly a tidal river, and the turbidity maximum depocenter was located southeast of the modern bay mouth. By 10 Ka, lowlands adjacent to the ancestral channel of the Delaware River were flooded, forming localized tidal wetlands, and the depocenter had initiated high rates of fine-grained sedimentation near the present bay mouth. At that time, coastal Holocene strata began to onlap the interfluve highlands. By 8 Ka, the fine-grained depocenter had migrated northwest along the main channel of the Delaware River, although the widened mouths of tributary valleys continued to be active sites of sediment accumulation. Following the passage of the fine-grained depocenter, coarse-grained sediments accumulated along the coast in response to increased wind-wave activity. During the middle Holocene, portions of the estuarine coast began to resemble modern geomorphology, and washover barrier sands and headland beach sandy gravels accumulated along the southwest shore. The late Holocene was characterized by erosional truncation and submergence of aggraded coastal lithofacies and by planation of remnant highland areas. Knowledge of the eroded Holocene section is fragmentary. At present, continued sea-level rise is accompanied by deposition of tidally transported muds in coastal environments and deposition of sandy sediments in some offshore regions. An unconformity marks the base of the developing open estuarine sequence of coarse clastic lithofacies and denotes the end of coastal accumulations. Modeling of coastal-lithofacies transitions identifies specific lithofacies complexes in the Holocene stratigraphic section which were influential in the evolution of the coast. Development of the Holocene section of the estuary coast involved both constructive, or aggradational, and destructive, or erosional, phases.
Density of parasites in various organs and the relation to numbers of trypomastigotes in the blood during acute infections of Trypanosoma cruzi in mice.

SYNOPSIS Quantitative methods were used to (a) determine the density of Trypanosoma cruzi in organs of CF1 mice following intraperitoneal inoculation of 50,000 trypomastigotes of a Brazil strain of T. cruzi and (b) study the relation of the numbers of these intracellular stages to the numbers of trypomastigotes in the blood. Tissue stages (predominantly amastigotes) in heart, skeletal muscle (triceps), diaphragm, cerebrum, cerebellum, and musculature of stomach, duodenum, esophagus, jejunum, cecum, and rectum increased in numbers during the 1st 3 weeks of infection, reached maximum density 21–28 days after inoculation and subsequently declined in numbers until mice were histologically negative for intracellular parasites by 30–40 days. The density of tissue stages in the urinary bladder, uterine body, and ileum was similar with the exception that maximum numbers of parasites were observed slightly earlier at 15 days. The greatest density of intracellular stages was seen in heart, urinary bladder, diaphragm, and triceps muscle where mean counts of 44.6–60.0 × 106 parasites/cc of muscle were recorded while maximum density of parasites in the uterine body, cerebrum, stomach, cerebellum, duodenum, esophagus, jejunum, ileum, cecum, and rectum was 13.0 × 106/cc of muscle or less. Amastigotes were not observed in sections of lymph node, thymus, salivary glands, liver, spleen, or kidney and only a single pseudocyst containing 5 amastigotes was seen in lung. With the exception of the brain and lung, intracellular parasites were located exclusively in the musculature. Trypomastigotes in the blood increased during the 1st 3 weeks of infection, reached maximum numbers 21–28 days after initiation of infection, and subsequently decreased until by 30–40 days parasites were observed only rarely in the blood of a few animals. Thus generally close correlation was noted between the numbers of intracellular stages of T. cruzi in the organs and trypomastigotes in the blood throughout acute Chagas’ disease in mice as evidenced by the concomitant increase in numbers of both stages, the coincidence of days of maximum parasite levels, and the simultaneous decline in numbers of both stages. The mean number of parasites/pseudocyst section varied in the organs studied. Of the 15 positive organs studied, the pseudocyst sections in skeletal muscle contained the highest mean number of parasites (64.3 parasites/pseudocyst section) and those pseudocyst sections seen in the musculature of the small intestine contained the lowest mean number (5.5–6.8 parasites/pseudocyst section respectively in ileum and jejunum). Serial sections of skeletal muscle, heart, urinary bladder, and stomach revealed the largest pseudocysts in skeletal muscle while those in the musculature of the urinary bladder were the smallest.
A phase 2 trial of induction nab-paclitaxel and cetuximab given with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil followed by concurrent cisplatin and radiation for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

BACKGROUND: Complete response (CR) at the primary tumor site as assessed by clinical examination following induction chemotherapy with PF (cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil [5-FU]) is a favorable predictive factor for overall survival and disease control in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. In most series, the rate of CR at the primary site after induction PF was 20% to 30%. This study evaluated the efficacy and feasibility of induction nab-paclitaxel and cetuximab given with PF (ACPF) followed by definitive chemoradiation (CRT) in a phase 2 trial. METHODS: Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with ACPF (nab-paclitaxel 100 mg/m2/week; cetuximab 250 mg/m2/week; cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on day 1; 5-FU 750 mg/m2/day on days 1 through 3) every 21 days for 3 cycles followed by CRT (cisplatin 100 mg/m2 on days 1, 22, and 43 of radiation therapy [RT]). CR at the primary tumor site after 2 cycles of ACPF was the primary endpoint. RESULTS: Thirty patients were enrolled, of which 22 (73%) had large (T3/T4) primary tumors. The CR rate at the primary tumor site after 2 cycles of ACPF was 53% and the overall response rate was 100%. Twenty-nine (96%) patients completed 3 cycles of ACPF, 26 (90%) completed definitive RT per protocol, and 22 of the 27 evaluable patients (81%) received > 2 of the 3 planned doses of cisplatin with RT. The estimated 2-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 84% and 65%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Induction ACPF resulted in a high CR rate (53%) at the primary tumor site even in large tumors and did not adversely affect delivery of definitive CRT. Further investigation of ACPF is warranted. Cancer 2013. © 2012 American Cancer Society.
Semianalytical solutions for transport in aquifer and fractured clay matrix system

A three-dimensional mathematical model that describes transport of contaminant in a horizontal aquifer with simultaneous diffusion into a fractured clay formation is proposed. A group of semianalytical solutions is derived based on specific initial and boundary conditions as well as various source functions. The analytical model solutions are evaluated by numerical Laplace inverse transformation and analytical Fourier inverse transformation. The model solutions can be used to study the fate and transport in a three-dimensional spatial domain in which a nonaqueous phase liquid exists as a pool atop a fractured low-permeability clay layer. The nonaqueous phase liquid gradually dissolves into the groundwater flowing past the pool, while simultaneously diffusing into the fractured clay formation below the aquifer. Mass transfer of the contaminant into the clay formation is demonstrated to be significantly enhanced by the existence of the fractures, even though the volume of fractures is relatively small compared to the volume of the clay matrix. The model solution is a useful tool in assessing contaminant attenuation processes in a confined aquifer underlain by a fractured clay formation.
Natural Gas Hydrogen Reformer Controller Design With Disturbance Rejection

In this paper we present a controller design for a linearized model of a fuel cell hydrogen gas reformer, which produces hydrogen from natural gas. We design two feedback control loops, one of them with an integrator and another one with proportional state feedback. In the third step, a feed-forward controller is designed whose role is to off-set for the impact of the disturbance represented by the fuel cell current. Both the feedback controller and the feedforward controller are obtained through a rigorous dynamic optimization process of a quadratic performance criterion along trajectories of a linear dynamic system. According to the presented simulation results, the proposed controller copes well with the disturbance and reduces its impact within a few seconds from the time when the disturbance occurs, despite large jumps in the fuel cell current (disturbance).Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Phonological code retrieval during picture naming: Influence of consonant class

Investigations of the time course of various stages of lexical processing have indicated either early or late onset of brain activation for phonological code retrieval. The basis of the differential findings is unclear, but factors related to segmental phonology appear to be part of it. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether phonological encoding is influenced by consonant type. Undergraduate students were presented pictures of common and familiar objects to name. Each picture label had an initial liquid (/l/, /ɹ/) or a stop (/b/, /d/) consonant. Accuracy of picture naming was high and comparable for the two stimulus sets. However, words beginning with liquids elicited larger N2 ERP responses than did those with initial stops. Cluster permutation analysis indicated that the ERP responses elicited by words in the two stimulus sets differed between 293 ms and 371 ms post picture onset. These findings point to a late onset of phonological code retrieval. They have implications for segmental phonology and/or motor planning and execution of speech.
Cost of Debt and Federal Home Loan Bank Funding at U.S. Bank and Thrift Holding Companies

ABSTRACTWe investigate the relationship between the cost of debt issued by bank holding companies (BHCs) and thrift holding companies (THCs) and their use of Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) advances. Cost of debt is used as a measure of bank riskiness for the first time in a FHLB study. A two-equation model of FHLB advances and cost of debt is estimated. Three main results are obtained. First, greater reliance on advances by BHCs and THCs is associated with lower cost of debt in the pre-crisis period, and more strongly so during the crisis, because granting of advances sends a positive signal to the market about FHLB’s support. Second, greater holding company (HC) cost of debt, as an explanatory variable, is associated with smaller advances as FHLBs restrict advances to riskier HCs. Third, we find no separate effect on the cost of debt from FHLB membership. Our results are robust to 3SLS estimation, used to address endogeneity, and to alternative model specifications. The negative association between cost o...
Open Source Software for Mission Operations - Technology, Licensing and Community

HISTORICALLY, mission operations software has been proprietary, requiring formal agreements to share designs and code. Such formalization, plus the sense of ownership engendered by proprietary software, hinders collaboration and sharing. At NASA Ames Research Center we have developed and open sourced open mission control technologies (Open MCT), which provides data integration and display technology for mission operations. Open MCT Desktop is available on GitHub at https://github.com/nasa/mct. A Web version, Open MCT Web, is nearing first release. The software is available under an industrystandard Apache 2.0 license agreement, making it usable and shareable by any organization. A primary motivator for our team to open source our software is to foster collaboration without barriers and to enable contributions and sharing across organizations. Our goal is to create a broader community of contributors inside and outside NASA. The long-term hope is that this will be the start of a trend in which open-source mission operations software becomes widely available, thus reducing the time and effort required for any space organization to build its ground system. Open-source software can incur legal and support costs to the developing/ hosting organization. The legal costs come from licensing reviews to determine the legality of open sourcing all included code, including third-party packages. The support costs come from building and supporting the community. Support costs will vary with organizational goals and technical requirements. Our opensource Web site includes a downloadable demo, support for users, a blog, and a forum. Beyond direct support, there is the issue of building a community. Given the many projects that compete for developers’ time, there must be a reason to contribute to an open-source project.
Database-Assisted Design: Why and How?

This paper presents an overview of the Database-Assisted Design (DAD) methodology, and describes its motivation, the technological developments that enabled its development, and its main features. DAD is an integrated methodology that does not just calculate wind loadings, but rather performs the automatic calculation of internal forces and demand-to-capacity indexes, and the detailed verification of the adequacy of the structural design. The paper discusses interpolation issues, wind directionality effects, and the estimation of wind effects with specified mean recurrence intervals. It concludes by noting the potential of using DAD in conjunction with Computational Fluid Dynamics methods.
Analysis on 1406 Serological Detection Reports of Brucellosis among High Risk Group in Shanxi Province

[Objective]To understand infectious situation of Brucellosis through analysis of Brucellosis high risk group's serological detection results.[Methods] The monitoring was carried on according to " Shaanxi Brucellosis monitoring program" and "Xi'an Brucellosis monitoring and implementation program";results were determined based on GB 15988-1995.[Results] A total of 1406 samples of Brucellosis serum were collected,with a maximum in monitoring spots of provincial level(953 samples,69.78%),positive rate in PBPT detection was 4.69%,fluctuations of the positive RBPT rate between different groups were from 1.99% to 18.92 % ;the positive rate in monitoring spots of city-level was 6.23%,1.99% in provincial level,the difference was significant based onχ2 test(χ2=83.9382,v=2,P0.01).Positive rate in SAT test was 39.39% with fluctuations from 26.32% to 53.57%.Outbreak focus took the first place,followed by monitoring spots of provincial level and city-level,the difference was not significant based onχ2 test(χ2=4.2042,v=2,P0.05).12 infectors were judged by national standards,7 hidden infectors and 7 confirmed cases were found,difference between different types of infection was not significant(χ2=6.1100,v=4,P0.01).[Conclusion] The coincidence rate of serum examinations in monitoring county is not high;it is related with Lack of control in experiments,poor control of experimental conditions,and no quality control test.
Putting Women First: The Teaching of Female Sexuality

AbstractMost college-level courses in human sexuality focus on male sexuality as the norm for sexual behavior. The authors discuss why this situation exists and, in an effort to counteract the problem of sexism in teaching human sexuality, describe an interdisciplinary sexuality course that focuses exclusively on the female. A discussion of methodology, philosophy, and the advantages of this approach to teaching sexuality is included. An ideal sequence of sex education courses at the college level is suggested by these considerations.
Assessing the economic burden of Alzheimer's disease patients first diagnosed by specialists.

It is not known if there is a differential impact on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis and outcomes if/when patients are diagnosed with cognitive decline by specialists versus non-specialists. This study examined the cost trajectories of Medicare beneficiaries initially diagnosed by specialists compared to similar patients who received their diagnosis in primary care settings. Patients with ≥2 claims for AD were selected from de-identified administrative claims data for US Medicare beneficiaries (5 % random sample). The earliest observed diagnosis of cognitive decline served as the index date. Patients were required to have continuous Medicare coverage for ≥12 months pre-index (baseline) and ≥12 months following the first AD diagnosis, allowing for up to 3 years from index to AD diagnosis. Time from index date to AD diagnosis was compared between those diagnosed by specialists (i.e., neurologist, psychiatrist, or geriatrician) versus non-specialists using Kaplan-Meier analyses with log-rank tests. Patient demographics, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) during baseline, and annual all-cause medical costs (reimbursed by Medicare) in baseline and follow-up periods were compared across propensity-score matched cohorts. Patients first diagnosed with cognitive decline by specialists (n = 2593) were younger (78.8 versus 80.8 years old), more likely to be male (40 % versus 34 %), and had higher CCI scores and higher medical costs at baseline than those diagnosed by non-specialists (n = 13,961). However, patients diagnosed by specialists had a significantly shorter time to AD diagnosis, both before and after matching (mean [after matching]: 3.5 versus 4.6 months, p < 0.0001). In addition, patients diagnosed by specialists had significantly lower average total all-cause medical costs in the first 12 months after their index date, a finding that persisted after matching ($19,824 versus $25,863, p < 0.0001). Total per-patient annual medical costs were similar for the two groups starting in the second year post-index. Before and after matching, patients diagnosed by a specialist had a shorter time to AD diagnosis and incurred lower costs in the year following the initial cognitive decline diagnosis. Differences in costs converged during subsequent years. This suggests that seeking care from specialists may yield more timely diagnosis, appropriate care and reduced costs among those with cognitive decline.
Stockbridge: the New England patriots

On a cold January night in 1778, Albigence Waldo, a homesick Connecticut surgeon serving with Washington's army at Valley Forge, was called to minister to a dying soldier. The man expired before Waldo reached the hut where he lay, but his passing prompted the doctor to reflect on life, death, and the human condition: There the poor fellow lies not Superior now to a clod of earth – his Mouth wide open – his Eyes staring. Was he affrighted at the scene of Death – or the consequences of it? … What a frail – dying creature is Man. We are Certainly not made for this world – daily evidences demonstrate the contrary. Such thoughts in the midst of war and in face of death may not be unusual, but in this case the fallen comrade in arms, dying in a place that has become symbolic of America's struggle for freedom, was an Indian. Ever since the Declaration of Independence denounced the Indians as “savage” allies of a tyrannical monarch, those who fought with, rather than against, the Americans have tended to be forgotten. The Oneidas, Tuscaroras, and several tribes in Maine and Nova Scotia lent their support to the American war effort, as did Indian towns in southern and central New England. No Indian community gave the patriot cause more dedicated service than the town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, a composite community of Mahican, Housatonic, and Wappinger peoples from the Hudson Valley and western Massachusetts. The Stockbridge experience vividly illustrates that though Indian people laid down their lives in the cause of freedom, they could not enjoy the benefits of freedom once it was won. According to a native account, the Mahican or Muhheakunnuk nation were formidable before the Chuckopek or white people came to their country: “Before they begun to decay, our forefathers informed us, that Muhheakunnuk nation could then raise about one thousand warriors.” But ever since the Dutch established trading posts on the Hudson River early in the seventeenth century, the Mahicans had endured devastating new forces.
Visual completion from 2D cross-sections: Implications for visual theory and STEM education and practice

Accurately inferring three-dimensional (3D) structure from only a cross-section through that structure is not possible. However, many observers seem to be unaware of this fact. We present evidence for a 3D amodal completion process that may explain this phenomenon and provide new insights into how the perceptual system processes 3D structures. Across four experiments, observers viewed cross-sections of common objects and reported whether regions visible on the surface extended into the object. If they reported that the region extended, they were asked to indicate the orientation of extension or that the 3D shape was unknowable from the cross-section. Across Experiments 1, 2, and 3, participants frequently inferred 3D forms from surface views, showing a specific prior to report that regions in the cross-section extend straight back into the object, with little variance in orientation. In Experiment 3, we examined whether 3D visual inferences made from cross-sections are similar to other cases of amodal completion by examining how the inferences were influenced by observers’ knowledge of the objects. Finally, in Experiment 4, we demonstrate that these systematic visual inferences are unlikely to result from demand characteristics or response biases. We argue that these 3D visual inferences have been largely unrecognized by the perception community, and have implications for models of 3D visual completion and science education.
Conditions of Subject and Object

This collection of articles concerning archaeological and historical investigations of New Philadelphia concludes with a commentary that discusses the heritage of Frank and Lucy McWorter and the town, and the challenges of such research endeavors from the perspective of a descendant and a scholar of Black agency and African American history. Like many other McWorter descendants, Abdul Alkalimat sees such an archaeological project as a way to promote, preserve, and further explore the story of that founding family and the town. The role of such research projects in expanding the base of support and knowledge is highly valuable. The legacy of freedom, a powerful story rooted in the history of Frank and Lucy McWorter, provides a profound and important message within American history.
Heart block and cardiac embolization of fractured inferior vena cava filter.

Objective A 66-year-old man underwent a placement of an inferior vena cava filter before a gastric surgery 9 years prior, presented to the emergency room with a complete atrioventricular block. Chest x-ray and transthoracic echocardiogram showed struts migrating to right ventricle with tricuspid regurgitation. Cardiothoracic surgery was consulted and declined an open surgical intervention due to the location of the embolized fragments and the patient's overall condition. It was also felt that the fragments had migrated chronically and were adhered to the cardiac structures. Methods The patient underwent a dual-chamber permanent pacemaker implantation. Post-implant fluoroscopy showed no displacement of the inferior vena cava filter struts due to the pacemaker leads indicating that the filter fracture had likely been a chronic process. Results This case highlights a rare combination of complications related to inferior vena cava filter fractures and the importance of assessing for such fractures in chronic placements. Inferior vena cava filter placement for a duration greater than 1 month can be associated with filter fractures and strut migration which may lead to, although rare, serious or fatal complications such as complete atrioventricular conduction system disruption and valvular damage including significant tricuspid regurgitation. Conclusions Assessing for inferior vena cava filter fractures in chronic filter placement is important to avoid such complications. When possible, retrieval of the filter should be considered in all patients outside the acute setting in order to avoid filter-related complications. Filter retrieval rates remain low even when a retrievable filter is in place and the patient no longer has a contraindication to anticoagulation.
CHAPTER 9 – Pesticide Use Practices in Integrated Pest Management

Integrated pest management (IPM) is the management of insect, disease, nematode, weed, and vertebrate pests in a systems framework, rather than a tactic or group of tactics for a specific pest or pest group. IPM strategies and tactics have gradually been adopted as alternatives to the conventional chemical control paradigm. IPM uses a systems approach to reduce pest damage to tolerable levels through a variety of techniques, including natural predators and parasites, genetically resistant hosts, environmental modifications and, when necessary and appropriate, chemical pesticides. IPM strategies generally rely first upon biological defenses against pests before chemically altering the environment. Pesticides often represent the first line of defense in situations of pest outbreak or where a specific pest must be eradicated for quarantine or public health purposes. Pesticides may be used in an IPM system when applied based on scouting and strict consideration of available action thresholds. Where choices of pesticides exist, those which are least toxic and present the lowest potential for disruption should be selected for use to reduce selection pressure on the pest population and delay the development of pesticide resistance. Reduced-risk pesticides and those pesticides that have less potential for harming humans or the environment are favored in IPM systems.
Points of Departure: Notes Toward a Reversible History of Architectural Visualization

Before a pencil moves or a mouse twitches, computation, or at least, a certain computational intuition, has already “taken command” in architectural design studios and offices worldwide. But to what historical changes does this intrinsic development correspond? What continuities and discontinuities define the present in relation to the various modes of visualization by which, for example, modern architecture came into being in its diverse forms during the twentieth century? On the one hand, we see a shift away from a representational regime, governed by the projected building-as-telos, toward a communicational one, in which every drawing effectively redraws another, and the building is merely one informational node among many. Yet, the X-Y-Z coordinate system, the basis of much older projective systems such as linear perspective that persist into the present, underlies this shift. Historical change in modes of visualization is therefore nonlinear. Moreover, insofar as its governing technical logic remains calibrated to numerical grids on which two-way input-output sequences are performed, any history of digital modeling must be considered “reversible,” or indeterminate, precisely to the degree that it is technically determined.