cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Number of thermodynamic states in the three-dimensional Edwards-Anderson spin glass

The question of the number of thermodynamic states present in the low-temperature phase of the three-dimensional Edwards-Anderson Ising spin glass is addressed by studying spin- and link-overlap distributions using population annealing Monte Carlo simulations. We consider overlaps between systems with the same boundary condition, which are the usual quantities measured, and also overlaps between systems with different boundary conditions, both for the full systems and also within a smaller window within the system. Our results appear to be fully compatible with a single pair of pure states such as in the droplet-scaling picture. However, our results for whether or not domain walls induced by changing boundary conditions are space filling or not are also compatible with scenarios having many thermodynamic states, such as the chaotic-pairs picture and the replica-symmetry-breaking picture. The differing results for spin overlaps in the same and different boundary conditions suggest that finite-size effects are very large for the system sizes currently accessible in low-temperature simulations.
“Visiting Day” at Rikers Island

Wacquant (2002) calls for ethnography to meet the jailhouse on its own terms, noting the dearth of first-hand writing from the carceral facility. This article describes a creative representation of...
The Memory of Environmental Chemical Exposure in C. elegans Is Dependent on the Jumonji Demethylases jmjd-2 and jmjd-3/utx-1.

How artificial environmental cues are biologically integrated and transgenerationally inherited is still poorly understood. Here, we investigate the mechanisms of inheritance of reproductive outcomes elicited by the model environmental chemical Bisphenol A in C. elegans. We show that Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure causes the derepression of an epigenomically silenced transgene in the germline for 5 generations, regardless of ancestral response. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), histone modification quantitation, and immunofluorescence assays revealed that this effect is associated with a reduction of the repressive marks H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 in whole worms and in germline nuclei in the F3, as well as with reproductive dysfunctions, including germline apoptosis and embryonic lethality. Furthermore, targeting of the Jumonji demethylases JMJD-2 and JMJD-3/UTX-1 restores H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 levels, respectively, and it fully alleviates the BPA-induced transgenerational effects. Together, our results demonstrate the central role of repressive histone modifications in the inheritance of reproductive defects elicited by a common environmental chemical exposure.
Divergent Paths of Protestantism and Asian Nationalism: A Comparison of Two Social Movements in Korea and China in 1919:

In Korea, the March First Movement in 1919 fused Christian identity with nationalistic rituals, making Korean Protestants respectable patriots in the eyes of their countrymen. In China, however, th...
Individual Liability of Supervisors for Sexual Harrassment Under Title VII: Courts' Reliance on the Rules of Statutory Construction

The United States Supreme Court has not considered the issue of individual liability under Title VII for workplace sexual harassment. There is, however, almost complete consensus on this issue among the federal courts. Only the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has refused explicitly to rule on the issue. Several district courts in the First Circuit allow supervisors to be sued in their individual capacities under Title VII. Other district courts, however, have rejected such lawsuits. This Note reviews the case law addressing the issue of individual liability of supervisors under Title VII, and concludes that Title VII imposes liability only on employers. Simply stated, supervisors cannot be sued as individuals under Title VII.
Emergency Department Preparation

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the preparation, planning, operations, and post-incident activities of a hospital emergency department during a terrorist attack. The rural areas are as likely to be affected by terrorism as the urban areas. All the hospital emergency departments and their staff need to address the training, planning, and practice needed to prepare for terror attacks. They should also be involved in the systematic planning for the hospital and their department. Physician-level training includes short continuing medical education activities (CMEs) to multiday conferences. Various advantages of such training include the ability to recognize the first signs of a biological terrorist attack and the ability to learn about the appropriate treatment of patients and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The plan for an emergency department's response to a terror attack should include some basic issues such as the flow of patient traffic into and through the emergency department, security of the emergency department, establishment of a decontamination area, and access to specialized equipment caches.
Organic Corn Seed Coat Treatments

Introduction Organic seed treatments have been limited in organic production, until recently. Agricoat Natural IITM, is reported to be “an organic liquid biological seed treatment applied as a seed film coating and formulated with beneficial microbes, macro and micro nutrients, amino acids, organic acids, enzymes, proteins, vitamins, and minerals.” Natural IITM also is applied to “promote root growth and protect seedlings against early season soil-borne pathogens, improving germination, stand establishment and uniformity.”
Effect of prothrombin complex concentrates on factor VIII inhibitor levels

Factor VIII inhibitor levels were measured on 261 occasions in 76 hemophilia-A inhibitor patients before and after prothrombin complex concentrate infusion at 13 treatment centers. A rise in inhibitor level to at least twice the pretreatment value occurred in 35 treatment episodes (13.5%), in 27 patients (36%). In 16 patients (21%), such an anamnestic immune response occurred with the first treatment. Factors predisposing to anamnestic responses may include patient idiosyncrasy, low pretreatment inhibitor levels, and exposure to concentrate over several days.
Dynamic analysis of human tyrosinase intra-melanosomal domain and mutant variants to further understand oculocutaneous albinism type 1

Human tyrosinase (Tyr) is a Type I membrane glycoprotein that is the rate-limiting enzyme for controlling the production of melanin pigment in melanosomes. Currently, ~300 Tyr mutations are known to be involved in the genetic disease oculocutaneous albinism type 1 (OCA1), which exists in two forms, OCA1A and OCA1B. OCA1A is caused by a full loss of Tyr enzymatic activity, resulting in the absence of pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes, while OCA1B has reduced Tyr activity and pigment. Here, we used molecular modeling to try to understand the role of genetic changes at the protein level in inherited disease. The significant part of Tyr intra-melanosomal domain and five OCA1 mutant variants were built by homology modeling, glycosylated in silico, and refined using molecular dynamics in water. The modeling confirmed experimental results that N347 and N371 glycosylation is vital for protein stability. The changes caused by the T373K mutation indicate a significant impact on protein structure, as expected for OCA1A. In addition, evaluation of free energy changes in OCA1B mutants showed a strong association with the changes observed in our unfolding/refolding experiments in vitro. In conclusion, our results could be useful for understanding the role of OCA1 mutant variants in melanin pigment production, in silico searching for inhibitors and activators of tyrosinase activity, and genotype-to- phenotype analysis in OCA1.
Whole genome sequencing uses for foodborne contamination and compliance: Discovery of an emerging contamination event in an ice cream facility using whole genome sequencing.

Abstract We review how FDA surveillance identifies several ways that whole genome sequencing (WGS) improves actionable outcomes for public health and compliance in a case involving Listeria monocytogenes contamination in an ice cream facility. In late August 2017 FDA conducted environmental sampling inside an ice cream facility. These isolates were sequenced and deposited into the GenomeTrakr databases. In September 2018 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contacted the Florida Department of Health after finding that the pathogen analyses of three clinical cases of listeriosis (two in 2013, one in 2018) were highly related to the aforementioned L. monocytogenes isolates collected from the ice cream facility. in 2017. FDA returned to the ice cream facility in late September 2018 and conducted further environmental sampling and again recovered L. monocytogenes from environmental subsamples that were genetically related to the clinical cases. A voluntary recall was issued to include all ice cream manufactured from August 2017 to October 2018. Subsequently, FDA suspended this food facility's registration. WGS results for L. monocytogenes found in the facility and from clinical samples clustered together by 0–31 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The FDA worked together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Florida Department of Health, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to recall all ice cream products produced by this facility. Our data suggests that when available isolates from food facility inspections are subject to whole genome sequencing and the subsequent sequence data point to linkages between these strains and recent clinical isolates (i.e.,
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, epigenetics in stroke skeletal muscle, and exercise training

Objective (1) To compare paretic (P) vs nonparetic (NP) skeletal muscle brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the effects of resistive training (RT) on systemic and skeletal muscle BDNF mRNA expression in stroke; and (2) to compare the DNA methylation profile for BDNF and BDNFAS (BDNF antisense RNA) between P and NP muscle and the effects of aerobic exercise training (AEX) on DNA methylation in stroke. Methods In this longitudinal investigation, participants (50–76 years) with chronic stroke underwent a fasting blood draw, a 12-week (3×/week) RT intervention (n = 16), and repeated bilateral vastus lateralis muscle tissue biopsies (n = 10) with BDNF expression determined by RT-PCR. Five stroke survivors completed 6 months of AEX (3×/week) and had bilateral muscle biopsies. DNA methylation status in gene BDNF and BDNFAS was assessed by Illumina 450k methylation array. Results P muscle had ∼45% lower BDNF mRNA expression than NP muscle (6.79 ± 1.30 vs 10.52 ± 2.06 arbitrary units [AU], p Conclusions This is the first evidence that stroke hemiparesis reduces BDNF skeletal muscle expression, with our findings identifying methylation alterations on the DNA sequence of BDNF and BDNFAS gene. Preliminary results further indicate that AEX increases methylation in BDNFAS gene, which presumably could regulate the expression of BDNF.
Evaluation of the True Goals School Counseling Curriculum: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACTThis pilot study involved fourth and fifth-grade students (N = 25) from two elementary schools that receive the True Goals (TG) small group intervention during an after-school program in on...
ΔNp73/ETS2 complex drives glioblastoma pathogenesis- targeting downstream mediators by rebastinib prolongs survival in preclinical models of glioblastoma.

Background Glioblastoma (GBM) remains one of the least successfully treated cancers. It is essential to understand the basic biology of this lethal disease and investigate novel pharmacological targets to treat GBM. The aims of this study were to determine the biological consequences of elevated expression of ΔNp73, an N-terminal truncated isoform of TP73, and to evaluate targeting of its downstream mediators, the angiopoietin 1 (ANGPT1)/tunica interna endothelial cell kinase 2 (Tie2) axis, by using a highly potent, orally available small-molecule inhibitor (rebastinib) in GBM. Methods ΔNp73 expression was assessed in glioma sphere cultures, xenograft glioblastoma tumors, and glioblastoma patients by western blot, quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and immunohistochemistry. Immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChiP) and sequential ChIP were performed to determine the interaction between ΔNp73 and E26 transformation-specific (ETS) proto-oncogene 2 (ETS2) proteins. The oncogenic consequences of ΔNp73 expression in glioblastomas were examined by in vitro and in vivo experiments, including orthotopic zebrafish and mouse intracranial-injection models. Effects of rebastinib on growth of established tumors and survival were examined in an intracranial-injection mouse model. Results ΔNp73 upregulates both ANGPT1 and Tie2 transcriptionally through ETS conserved binding sites on the promoters by interacting with ETS2. Elevated expression of ΔNp73 promotes tumor progression by mediating angiogenesis and survival. Therapeutic targeting of downstream ΔNp73 signaling pathways by rebastinib inhibits growth of established tumors and extends survival in preclinical models of glioblastoma. Conclusion Aberrant expression of ΔNp73 in GBM promotes tumor progression through autocrine and paracrine signaling dependent on Tie2 activation by ANGPT1. Disruption of this signaling by rebastinib improves tumor response to treatment in glioblastoma.
Behavioral state activity during nipple feedings for preterm infants.

The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of behavioral state activity during nipple feeding on feeding success for a group of 20 preterm infants. The infants, fed per hospital policy at scheduled three-hour intervals, were observed during four early nipple feedings. Nine of the 20 infants were able to successfully nipple their four nipple feedings; the other 11 infants were unable to successfully complete their nipple feedings. The 9 successful feeders exhibited significantly more awake behavior during feeding than unsuccessful feeders (F = 7.82; p = .012). The unsuccessful feeders spent 53 percent of their feeding in sleep states; successful feeders were in sleep states only 30 percent of their feeding time. Along with other research, these findings suggest that infant behavioral state may be a key consideration for nipple feeding success in preterm infants.
Can Script Training Improve Narrative and Conversation in Aphasia across Etiology

Script training is an effective treatment of stable (e.g., stroke-induced) and progressive aphasia of varying severities and subtypes. The theoretical underpinnings of script training are discussed and include fluency-inducing conditions, speech shadowing, principles of neuroplasticity, and automatization. Script training outcomes are reviewed, with a focus on discourse in persons with stable aphasia (PWSAs) and in persons with primary progressive aphasia (PWPPAs). PWSAs and PWPPAs are able to acquire and maintain short scripted monologues or conversational dialogues, with some evidence of generalization to untrained topics and settings. Advances in both technology and access have enriched script training protocols, so they now range from no-tech written script approaches to high-tech audiovisual support and avatars. Advances in audio and/or visual support promote large amounts of practice of less errorful whole-message language processing during a fluent language inducing condition. With enough practice, users decrease reliance on supports and independently produce scripted content. Script training can be delivered in a variety of settings (individual, group, telepractice), lends itself well to homework programs, and is in accordance with the principles of neuroplasticity for neurorehabilitation. Incorporating script training into therapy programming is advantageous throughout aphasia recovery following brain injuries such as stroke. It is also beneficial for persons with progressive disease for prophylaxis, remediation, and compensation. Recommendations for implementing script training in clinical practice and future research directions are presented.
The moderating role of donation quantifiers on price fairness judgments

Abstract In the cause-related marketing (CM) literature, transparent communication of donation amounts (e.g., monetary donation quantifiers) has been shown to positively impact the effectiveness of CM campaigns. In practice, however, many firms communicate their donation contributions in more ambiguous terms (e.g., descriptive quantifiers). Across three studies, the authors demonstrate when using monetary quantifiers is less beneficial, due to consumers’ skepticism of firm motives. Study 1 shows that the presence of a CM promotion positively affects perceptions of price fairness. Study 2 provides evidence that donation quantifier formats operate uniquely and impact price fairness through skepticism. Finally, Study 3 demonstrates ways in which practitioners can manage consumer skepticism, which affect perceptions of price fairness and ultimately purchase intent.
Steerable $e$PCA: Rotationally Invariant Exponential Family PCA

In photon-limited imaging, the pixel intensities are affected by photon count noise. Many applications, such as 3-D reconstruction using correlation analysis in X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) single molecule imaging, require an accurate estimation of the covariance of the underlying 2-D clean images. Accurate estimation of the covariance from low-photon count images must take into account that pixel intensities are Poisson distributed, hence the classical sample covariance estimator is sub-optimal. Moreover, in single molecule imaging, including in-plane rotated copies of all images could further improve the accuracy of covariance estimation. In this paper we introduce an efficient and accurate algorithm for covariance matrix estimation of count noise 2-D images, including their uniform planar rotations and possibly reflections. Our procedure, steerable $e$PCA, combines in a novel way two recently introduced innovations. The first is a methodology for principal component analysis (PCA) for Poisson distributions, and more generally, exponential family distributions, called $e$PCA. The second is steerable PCA, a fast and accurate procedure for including all planar rotations for PCA. The resulting principal components are invariant to the rotation and reflection of the input images. We demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of steerable $e$PCA in numerical experiments involving simulated XFEL datasets and rotated Yale B face data.
Sample sizes for surveillance of S. aureus transmission to monitor effectiveness and provide feedback on intraoperative infection control including for COVID-19.

Abstract Reductions in perioperative surgical site infections are obtained by a multifaceted approach including patient decolonization, hand hygiene, and hub disinfection, and environmental cleaning. Associated surveillance of S. aureus transmission quantifies the effectiveness of the basic measures to prevent the transmission to patients and clinicians of pathogenic bacteria and viruses, including Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). To measure transmission, the observational units are pairs of successive surgical cases in the same operating room on the same day. We evaluated appropriate sample sizes and strategies for measuring transmission. There was absence of serial correlation among observed counts of transmitted isolates within each of several periods (all P ≥.18). Similarly, observing transmission within or between cases of a pair did not increase the probability that the next sampled pair of cases also had observed transmission (all P ≥.23). Most pairs of cases had no detected transmitted isolates. Also, although transmission (yes/no) was associated with surgical site infection (P =.004), among cases with transmission, there was no detected dose response between counts of transmitted isolates and probability of infection (P =.25). The first of a fixed series of tests is to use the binomial test to compare the proportion of pairs of cases with S. aureus transmission to an acceptable threshold. An appropriate sample size for this screening is N =25 pairs. If significant, more samples are obtained while additional measures are implemented to reduce transmission and infections. Subsequent sampling is done to evaluate effectiveness. The two independent binomial proportions are compared using Boschloo's exact test. The total sample size for the 1st and 2nd stage is N =100 pairs. Because S. aureus transmission is invisible without testing, when choosing what population(s) to screen for surveillance, another endpoint needs to be used (e.g., infections). Only 10/298 combinations of specialty and operating room were relatively common (≥1.0% of cases) and had expected incidence ≥0.20 infections per 8 hours of sampled cases. The 10 combinations encompassed ≅17% of cases, showing the value of targeting surveillance of transmission to a few combinations of specialties and rooms. In conclusion, we created a sampling protocol and appropriate sample sizes for using S. aureus transmission within and between pairs of successive cases in the same operating room, the purpose being to monitor the quality of prevention of intraoperative spread of pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
Beyond the line of sight: labeling the underlying surfaces

Scene understanding requires reasoning about both what we can see and what is occluded. We offer a simple and general approach to infer labels of occluded background regions. Our approach incorporates estimates of visible surrounding background, detected objects, and shape priors from transferred training regions. We demonstrate the ability to infer the labels of occluded background regions in both the outdoor StreetScenes dataset and an indoor scene dataset using the same approach. Our experiments show that our method outperforms competent baselines.
Community-Informed Peer Support for Parents of Gender-Diverse Youth

* Abbreviations: CAB — : community advisory board GDY — : gender-diverse youth PFLAG — : Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays POP — : Parent Outreach Program Gender identity refers to an individual’s innate sense of self in the context of gender and may not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Gender-diverse or transgender individuals are those who experience any discordance between their gender identity and sex assigned at birth. According to the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, gender-diverse identities are more prevalent than previously recognized, with 1.8% of high school–aged students identifying as transgender.1 Gender-diverse youth (GDY) experience high rates of discrimination and victimization as well as mental health disparities including increased depression, anxiety, and suicidality.1,2 Previous studies suggest that family support and acceptance have the potential to mitigate existing health disparities.2,3 Some parents experience anxiety or fear in response to learning their child’s gender identity.4 They may lack understanding of gender-diverse experiences and knowledge of resources available, which can make it difficult for parents to affirm their child’s identity.3 Parental support is beneficial for all young people and, given the health disparities that GDY experience, strategies to empower parents to better support their gender-diverse children should be explored.4,5 Peer support programs have been implemented to help parents of other pediatric patient populations increase their ability to navigate challenges when caring for their children,6,7 but this has not been well documented in parents of GDY. After reviewing peer support literature and consulting with parents of GDY, we conceptualized a theoretical framework (Fig 1) that identifies factors promoting … Address correspondence to Kacie M. Kidd, MD, Center for Adolescent and Young Adult Health, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, 120 Lytton Ave, Mezzanine Floor, Suite M060, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. E-mail: kacie.kidd2{at}chp.edu
Levels of Uncertainty in Infrastructure Asset Management

The management of infrastructure assets is often challenged by uncertain factors such as changing weather trends and usage patterns. To reliably maintain the assets above a specified level of servi...
Mapping the Influence: A Nexus Analysis Approach to Addressing Food Access.

One innovative approach toward addressing community-level food access is nexus analysis. This framework suggests that social actions do not happen outside of context, but rather are embedded within...
Convexification of Permutation-Invariant Sets and an Application to Sparse PCA.

We develop techniques to convexify a set that is invariant under permutation and/or change of sign of variables and discuss applications of these results. First, we convexify the intersection of the unit ball of a permutation and sign-invariant norm with a cardinality constraint. This gives a nonlinear formulation for the feasible set of sparse principal component analysis (sparse PCA) and an alternative proof of the $K$-support norm. Second, we characterize the convex hull of sets of matrices defined by constraining their singular values. As a consequence, we generalize an earlier result that characterizes the convex hull of rank-constrained matrices whose spectral norm is below a given threshold. Third, we derive convex and concave envelopes of various permutation-invariant nonlinear functions and their level-sets over hypercubes, with congruent bounds on all variables. Finally, we develop new relaxations for the exterior product of sparse vectors. Using these relaxations for sparse PCA, we show that our relaxation closes $98\%$ of the gap left by a classical SDP relaxation for instances where the covariance matrices are of dimension up to $50\times 50$.
Replicability in measures of attentional set-shifting task performance predicting chronic heavy drinking in rhesus monkeys.

Abstract This study was designed to replicate and extend a previous report that the increase in performance of an attentional set-shifting task (ASST) in rhesus monkeys predicted their future alcohol drinking status as a heavy drinker (HD) or non-heavy drinker (NHD). A cohort of 6 young adult male monkeys was trained and tested under the same ASST and then underwent a alcohol self-administration protocol that maintained open-access (22 hours/day) choice of alcohol or water 7 days/week for approximately 6 months. The average improvement in performance in the ASST, as measured by a performance index, was replicated in the cohort of 6 monkeys when compared to the increase in the task performance in a previous cohort of 9 male monkeys. The alcohol self-administration protocol was then used to determine the drinking status (HD: n = 4 or NHD: n = 2) of the replicate cohort, which was accurately predicted by the performance on the ASST. Finally, individuals from both cohorts could be combined based on future drinking status of HD (n = 8) or NHD (n = 7), and the association with pre-alcohol ASST performance remained. Specifically, monkeys that had lower rates of PI improvement were more likely to become HDs. To our knowledge, this is the first study to replicate that deficits in the set-shifting performance can predict chronic heavy alcohol drinking in primates.
Abstract 1673: Alternative NF-κB signaling promotes inflammatory cell recruitment and lung tumor formation

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a transcription factor that can be activated through either the classical or alternative signaling pathways. In lung tumors, high levels of classical and alternative pathway components have been observed. While many studies have demonstrated that classical NF-κB signaling is a central pathway regulating inflammation and tumorigenesis, the role of alternative NF-κB signaling remains undefined. We hypothesize that alternative NF-κB signaling in the lung epithelium plays a key role in inflammation and lung tumor formation through paracrine signaling to the inflammatory microenvironment. To investigate alternative NF-κB signaling in the lung epithelium, we generated a transgenic mouse model with doxycycline (dox)-inducible expression of the alternative pathway component p52 in airway epithelial cells (designated ALTA for alternative pathway trans-activated). When placed on dox, nuclear p52 is increased in the lungs of ALTA mice with no effect on activation of other NF-κB components. Surprisingly, alternative pathway activation alone did not cause a significant increase in inflammatory cell recruitment. However, in conjunction with the inflammatory stimulus lipopolysaccharide (LPS), alternative pathway activation caused increased mortality, which was associated with a significant increase in inflammation and increased lung permeability. To determine the effect of alternative pathway activation on lung tumor formation, mice were injected with the lung carcinogen urethane. Six weeks after urethane administration, ALTA mice demonstrated an increased number of bronchoalveolar lavage neutrophils, and by 6 months post-urethane, ALTA mice had an increased number of tumors, increased tumor size, and more advanced lesions. Together, these data suggest that alternative NF-κB signaling plays an important role in stimulus-induced inflammatory cell recruitment and that alternative pathway activation can promote lung tumor formation and progression. By defining the role of alternative NF-κB signaling in tumor formation, we hope to gain insight into the role of inflammation in lung carcinogenesis and to identify novel pathways and signaling targets that could potentially serve as therapeutic targets. Citation Format: Jamie Alicyn Ausborn, Dong-Sheng Cheng, Vasiliy Polosukhin, Wei Han, Fiona Yull, Timothy Blackwell. Alternative NF-κB signaling promotes inflammatory cell recruitment and lung tumor formation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1673. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1673
Harlow Shapley and the University of Missouri

The Laws Observatory of the University of Missouri is an example of the small university observatory that under lean financial circumstances succeeded for a number of years (1890–1920) as a successful research institution. Productive research appears to have been due to the temperament of the individual astronomers who had the ability to find projects which could be accomplished with small telescopes, minimal equipment, and few other resources. In these circumstances, a handful of students began careers in astronomy at the University of Missouri.
A DNS based new route optimization scheme with fast neighbor discovery in mobile IPv6 networks

In this paper, we propose a new route optimization scheme (EDNS-MIPv6) for MIPv6 using the enhanced Domain Name System (DNS) together with local mobility management scheme to reduce the signaling delay. EDNS-MIPv6 alleviates the triangle routing problem and reduces both the signaling delay to the home network, and the home agent's processing load.
Cross Validated Non parametric Bayesianism by Markov Chain Monte Carlo

Completely automatic and adaptive non-parametric inference is a pie in the sky. The frequentist approach, best exemplified by the kernel estimators, has excellent asymptotic characteristics but it is very sensitive to the choice of smoothness parameters. On the other hand the Bayesian approach, best exemplified by the mixture of gaussians models, is optimal given the observed data but it is very sensitive to the choice of prior. In 1984 the author proposed to use the Cross-Validated gaussian kernel as the likelihood for the smoothness scale parameter h, and obtained a closed formula for the posterior mean of h based on Jeffreys's rule as the prior. The practical operational characteristics of this bayes' rule for the smoothness parameter remained unknown for all these years due to the combinatorial complexity of the formula. It is shown in this paper that a version of the metropolis algorithm can be used to approximate the value of h producing remarkably good completely automatic and adaptive kernel estimators. A close study of the form of the cross validated likelihood suggests a modification and a new approach to Bayesian Non-parametrics in general.
Measurements of moisture solubility for differently conditioned transformer oils

It is important to know the moisture solubility of transformer oil in a transformer. It has been reported that transformer oils under different conditions have different solubility. Measurements of solubility for four different types of conditioned oil are presented in this paper fresh Shell Diala AX oil, lab-aged Shell Diala A oil, Texas Utility used transformer oil, and Ramapo Substation used transformer oil. To avoid the difficulty of achieving full saturation, this paper proposes an alternative method of measuring the moisture solubility in transformer oil using a relative humidity sensor. It utilizes the linearity between the relative humidity of the oil and the moisture content of the oil to indirectly measure the solubility. The measured results of fresh oil lab-aged oil, and the Texas Utility oil are very close and only Ramapo oil shows different sensor response characteristics and solubility.
School Psychologists as Systems-Level Consultants: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Since its inception, large-scale school reform has been an integral part of the U.S. educational system. Although school reform is commonplace, educators continue to grapple with how to bring about effective systems-level change. School-based consultants (e.g., school psychologists) are in an ideal position to help facilitate the implementation and evaluation of systems-level reform to ensure substantive change (see Illback, 2014). However, there is a paucity of research on how school psychologists can serve as systems-level consultants to actualize reform. Therefore, the purpose of this double issue is to identify high-quality research that demonstrates the implementation of school-based, systems-level reform in which school psychologists were instrumental in working with other professionals. The articles represent a wide range of school reforms that are occurring across diverse school contexts and collectively address implications for future research, training, and practice.
Dermal versus total uptake of benzene from mineral spirits solvent during parts washing.

Quantitative approaches to assessing exposure to, and associated risk from, benzene in mineral spirits solvent (MSS), used widely in parts washing and degreasing operations, have focused primarily on the respiratory pathway. The dermal contribution to total benzene uptake from such operations remains uncertain because measuring in vivo experimental dermal uptake of this volatile human carcinogen is difficult. Unprotected dermal uptake involves simultaneous sustained immersion events and transient splash/wipe events, each yielding residues subject to evaporation as well as dermal uptake. A two-process dermal exposure framework to assess dermal uptake to normal and damaged skin was applied to estimate potential daily dermal benzene dose (Dskin ) to workers who used historical or current formulations of recycled MSS in manual parts washers. Measures of evaporation and absorption of MSS dermally applied to human subjects were modeled to estimate in vivo dermal uptake of benzene in MSS. Uncertainty and interindividual variability in Dskin was characterized by Monte Carlo simulation, conditioned on uncertainty and/or variability estimated for each model input. Dermal exposures are estimated to average 33% of total (inhalation + dermal) benzene parts washing dose, with approximately equal predicted portions of dermal dose due to splash/wipe and to continuous contact with MSS. The estimated median (95th percentile) dermal and total daily benzene doses from parts washing are: 0.0069 (0.024) and 0.025 (0.18) mg/day using current, and 0.027 (0.085) and 0.098 (0.69) mg/day using historical, MSS solvents, respectively.
Island time and the interplay between ecology and evolution in species diversification.

Research on the dynamics of biodiversity has progressed tremendously over recent years, although in two separate directions – ecological, to determine change over space at a given time, and evolutionary, to understand change over time. Integration of these approaches has remained elusive. Archipelagoes with a known geological chronology provide an opportunity to study ecological interactions over evolutionary time. Here, I focus on the Hawaiian archipelago and summarize the development of ecological and evolutionary research; I emphasize spiders because they have attributes allowing analysis of ecological affinities in concert with diversification. Within this framework, I highlight recent insights from the island chronosequence, in particular the importance of (i) selection and genetic drift in generating diversity; (ii) fusion and fission in fostering diversification; and (iii) variability upon which selection can act. Insights into biodiversity dynamics at the nexus of ecology and evolution are now achievable by integrating new tools, in particular (i) ecological metrics (interaction networks, maximum entropy inference) across the chronosequence to uncover community dynamics and (ii) genomic tools to understand contemporaneous microevolutionary change. The work can inform applications of invasion and restoration ecology by elucidating the importance of changes in abundances, interaction strengths, and rates of evolutionary response in shaping biodiversity.
Transgenic grapefruit plants expressing the PAPETALA3-IPTGP gene exhibit altered expression of PR genes.

Transgenic grapefruit plants (Citrus paradisi cv. ‘Duncan’) with the isopentenyltransferase (ipt) gene under the control of APETALA3 promoter have been produced using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The relative expression level of the ipt gene was between 2.3 and 7 times higher in transformed plants than in the wild-type but despite the presence of a tissue-specific promoter, the expression was not limited only to flower tissue. Increased levels of trans-zeatin riboside between 9.4 and 32-fold found in transgenic grapefruit were considered the consequence of ectopic expression of the ipt gene. Chlorophyll levels in fully expanded uppermost leaves were also about 30% higher in transgenic than in wild-type plants. Involvement of cytokinins in control of expression of three pathogenesis-related protein genes: β-1,3-glucanase, a stress related PR gene 24P220, and an acidic chitinase, 24P262 was examined. Expression of β-1,3-glucanase, and 24P220 gene were significantly enhanced in transgenic plants while the expression of chitinase was reduced to low levels. Our results confirm the effect of cytokinins on expression of genes implicated in the response of grapefruit plants to pathogen attack and suggest a possible role of cytokinins in pathogen resistance.
Studies on the formation of calcified egg-capsules of ampullarid snails

Large quantities of calcium carbonate crystals were present in the albumin gland of the reproductive system of the fresh-water snailPomacea paludosa. X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that they were vaterite. Scanning electron microscope observation of the albumin gland revealed that they occurred as spherules and were distributed throughout the gland. Vaterite spherules were present in the albumin gland ofPomacea urceus and the capsule gland ofPila virens. The mineral portion of the egg capsules was also vaterite. The egg capsule of these snails consisted of two morphologically distinct layers. Vaterite is less common in nature than the other two polymorphs of calcium carbonate, calcite and aragonite, and has not been recorded in the reproductive system of molluscs. It is interesting to note that in these snails calcium carbonate was present as vaterite both in the storage organ and fully differentiated egg capsule.
Minimum angular vibration design of airborne electro-optical packages

Low-level angular vibration disturbances to airborne electro-optical packages can sometimes severely degrade the accuracy of such systems. This paper is an investigation into the possibility of minimizing the angular vibration response of selected points on an optical bench by redistributing the mass. The governing equations are presented in a form suitable for application of the Pontryagin maximum principle with the beam cross-sectional area playing the role of the control function. Angular vibration reduction at the ends of a pinned beam of an order of magnitude are demonstrated.
Work in Progress: Increasing Recruitment of Native American Students in Computing Programs

While Native Americans make up 6.9% of the population of Arizona, they comprise only 1.9% of the student body at Arizona State University. Additionally, only about 1.9% of the students in Computing and Engineering programs at Arizona State University are Native American. From 1994 to 2005, Native American students constituted between 2% and 3% of Computer Science and Engineering enrollment. Clearly, Native American students are under-represented in computing and engineering in Arizona. This paper describes a curriculum that we are developing to help increase the recruitment of Native American students in the computing programs at Arizona State University.
The role of cultural factors on clients' attitudes toward caregiving, perceptions of service delivery, and service utilization.

SUMMARY The purpose of the present study was to gain a better understanding of the role of culture in the use of respite services. Culture was defined in three different ways: (1) ethnicity (African-American, Hispanic/Latino, or White); (2) relationship of the caregiver to the care receiver (spouse, adult-child, or other); and (3) geographic location (urban or rural). All three of these classifications were significantly related to the use of respite services, even after controlling for elders' income. Two sets of potential intervening variables that might explain the effects of culture on respite use were investigated: caregivers' attitudes and beliefs, and clients' evaluation of aspects of service delivery. When these variables were controlled, the main effects for relationship of the care-giver to the care receiver and geographic location on respite use were no longer significant. The effect of ethnicity on respite use persisted in the presence of these controls, but was greatly diminished. The results...
A "functional biopsy" of muscle properties in sprinters and distance runners.

Purpose Fast- and slow-twitch human muscle fibers exhibit large (two- to threefold) differences in metabolic enzyme activities and contractile economy. We asked whether comparable flux differences are evident in the muscles of athletes specializing in extremely different (i.e., sprint and long-distance) running events. Methods We took an in vivo “functional biopsy” of the ankle dorsiflexor muscles of 17 members of a university track team by using 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Ten sprinters (SPR) and seven distance runners (DIS) performed rapid isometric dorsiflexions against the resistance of a plastic foot holder. The contractile cost of exercise and glycolytic flux were calculated from changes in pH, [PCr], and [Pi] during ischemic exercise, and oxidative capacity was calculated from PCr recovery kinetics after aerobic exercise. Results Contractile costs were 47% higher in SPR than in DIS, whereas oxidative capacities were 52% higher in DIS than in SPR. Surprisingly, glycolytic ATP production was similar in the two groups. Conclusion The muscles of SPR and DIS exhibit clear differences in energetic properties, but these differences are smaller than the two- to three-fold variations seen in the properties of individual muscle fibers.
Rationality for isolated expansive sets

Abstract An expansive isolated set of a diffeomorphism with nondegenerate periodic points has a rational zeta function.
High speed trot-running: Implementation of a hierarchical controller using proprioceptive impedance control on the MIT Cheetah

This paper presents implementation of a highly dynamic running gait with a hierarchical controller on the MIT Cheetah. The developed controller enables high-speed running of up to 6 m/s (Froude number of Fr â 7.34) incorporating proprioceptive feedback and programmable virtual leg compliance of the MIT Cheetah. To achieve a stable and fast trot gait, we applied three control strategies: (a) programmable virtual leg compliance that provides instantaneous reflexes to external disturbance and facilitates the self-stabilizing shown in the passive dynamics of locomotion; (b) tunable stance-trajectory design, intended to adjust impulse at each foot-end in the stance phase in a high speed trot-running according to the equilibrium-point hypothesis; and (c) a gait-pattern modulation that imposes a desired cyclic gait-pattern taking cues from proprioceptive TD feedback. Based on three strategies, the controller is hierarchically structured. The control parameters for forward speeds, a specific gait-pattern, and desired leg trajectories are managed by a high-level controller. It consists of both a gait-pattern modulator with proprioceptive leg TD detection and a leg-trajectory generator using a BA¨zier curve and a tunable amplitude sinusoidal wave. Instead of employing physical spring/dampers in the robot's leg, the programmable virtual leg compliance is realized using proprioceptive impedance control in individual low-level leg controllers. To verify the developed controller, a robot dynamic simulator is constructed based on the model parameters of the MIT Cheetah. The controller parameters are tuned with the simulator to achieve self-stability, and then applied to the MIT Cheetah in an experimental environment. Using leg kinematics and applied motor current feedbacks, the MIT Cheetah achieved a stable trot-running gait in the sagittal plane.
Quantum dot superlattice thermoelectric materials and devices.

PbSeTe-based quantum dot superlattice structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy have been investigated for applications in thermoelectrics. We demonstrate improved cooling values relative to the conventional bulk (Bi,Sb) 2 (Se,Te) 3 thermoelectric materials using a n-type film in a one-leg thermoelectric device test setup, which cooled the cold junction 43.7 K below the room temperature hot junction temperature of 299.7 K. The typical device consists of a substrate-free, bulk-like (typically 0.1 millimeter in thickness, 10 millimeters in width, and 5 millimeters in length) slab of nanostructured PbSeTe/PbTe as the n-type leg and a metal wire as the p-type leg.
Neural plasticity in fathers of human infants

Fathering plays an important role in infants’ socioemotional and cognitive development. Previous studies have identified brain regions that are important for parenting behavior in human mothers. However, the neural basis of parenting in human fathers is largely unexplored. In the current longitudinal study, we investigated structural changes in fathers’ brains during the first 4 months postpartum using voxel-based morphometry analysis. Biological fathers (n = 16) with full-term, healthy infants were scanned at 2–4 weeks postpartum (time 1) and at 12–16 weeks postpartum (time 2). Fathers exhibited increase in gray matter (GM) volume in several neural regions involved in parental motivation, including the hypothalamus, amygdala, striatum, and lateral prefrontal cortex. On the other hand, fathers exhibited decreases in GM volume in the orbitofrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and insula. The findings provide evidence for neural plasticity in fathers’ brains. We also discuss the distinct patterns of ...
HIV Testing Rates and Factors Associated With Recent HIV Testing Among Male Couples

Little data exists on HIV testing rates among male couples. By using dyadic data from 142 male couples, we found that less than a quarter of the men had gotten tested for HIV in the previous three months. Few factors also were associated with their most recent HIV test.