cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reaching Consensus in Crowdsourced Transcription of Biocollections Information

Crowdsourcing can be a cost-effective method for tackling the problem of digitizing historical bio collections data, and a number of crowd sourcing platforms have been developed to facilitate interaction with the public and to design simple "Human Intelligence Tasks". However, the problem of reaching consensus on the response of the crowd is still challenging for tasks for which a simple majority vote is inadequate. This paper (a) describes the challenges faced when trying to reach consensus on data transcribed by different workers, (b) offers consensus algorithms for textual data and a consensus-based controller to assign a dynamic number of workers per task, and (c) proposes further enhancements of future crowd sourcing tasks in order to minimize the need for complex consensus algorithms. Experiments using the proposed algorithms show up to a 45-fold increase in ability to reach consensus when compared to majority voting using exact string matching. In addition, the controller is able to decrease the crowd sourcing cost by 55% when compared to a strategy that uses a fixed number of workers.
Who is a school psychologist? (and what does he do?)

Abstract The wide variety of ways in which school psychologists function contributes to the difficulty in identifying a single “role.” It is suggested that the history of the development of school psychology as a profession partially explains why school psychologists function in a great variety of ways. As well as the varying goals and needs of school districts, it is postulated that wide differences in quality and emphasis of training also contribute to differences in psychological services performed. State and federal legislation are identified as major influences on school psychology functioning. All of these factors interact, with the inevitable result that although many psychologists are rendering meaningful services to the schools, some services may be of relatively little value.
Theory of Ferromagnetism and the Ordering of Electronic Energy Levels

Consider a system of N electrons in one dimension subject to an arbitrary symmetric potential, V(x1,...,x N ),and let E(S) be the lowest energy belonging to the total spin value S. We have proved the following theorem: E(S) < E(S’) if S < S’. Hence, the ground state is unmagnetized. The theorem also holds in two or three dimensions (although it is possible to have degeneracies) provided V (x1,y1,x1, …; x N ,y N ,z N ) is separately symmetric in the x i , y i , and z i . The potential need not be separable, however. Our theorem has strong implications in the theory of ferromagnetism because it is generally assumed that for certain repulsive potentials, the ground state is magnetized. If such be the case, it is a very delicate matter, for a plausible theory must not be so general as to give ferromagnetism in one dimension, nor in three dimensions with a separately symmetric potential.
Childhood abuse, depression, and chronic pain

AbstractObjective: To investigate the relationships among history of childhood abuse, type of pain, and depression.Design: Survey, consecutive sample, correlational.Setting: An interdisciplinary pain-management center in a rehabilitation hospital.Patients: The participants were 201 consecutive patie
Advantages of distributed and parallel algorithms that leverage Cloud Computing platforms for large-scale genome assembly.

Background: The transition to Next Generation sequencing (NGS) sequencing technologies has had numerous applications in Plant, Microbial and Human genomics during the past decade. However, NGS sequencing trades high read throughput for shorter read length, increasing the difficulty for genome assembly. This research presents a comparison of traditional versus Cloud computing-based genome assembly software, using as examples the Velvet and Contrail assemblers and reads from the genome sequence of the zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) model organism. Results: The first phase of the analysis involved a subset of the zebrafish data set (2X coverage) and best results were obtained using K-mer size of 65, while it was observed that Velvet takes less time than Contrail to complete the assembly. In the next phase, genome assembly was attempted using the full dataset of read coverage 192x and while Velvet failed to complete on a 256GB memory compute server, Contrail completed but required 240hours of computation. Conclusion: This research concludes that for deciding on which assembler software to use, the size of the dataset and available computing hardware should be taken into consideration. For a relatively small sequencing dataset, such as microbial or small eukaryotic genome, the Velvet assembler is a good option. However, for larger datasets Velvet requires large-memory compute servers in the order of 1000GB or more. On the other hand, Contrail is implemented using Hadoop, which performs the assembly in parallel across nodes of a compute cluster. Furthermore, Hadoop clusters can be rented on-demand from Cloud computing providers, and therefore Contrail can provide a simple and cost effective way for genome assembly of data generated at laboratories that lack the infrastructure or funds to build their own clusters.
How we do it: alcohol awareness group in the acute setting

This article highlights the need to provide interventions to those with mental health problems who also use alcohol or illicit substances. It identifies a group‐work package that aims to increase individuals' awareness of their use of substances, the impact this use may have upon their mental health and encourages a change in their behaviour to reduce the risk of alcohol or illicit drug related harm.
Notes on Some Early Geological Investigations in Kansas

Just a little more than 250 years ago, a Frenchman passed up the Kaw (Kansas) River Valley and made note of the granite and quartzite boulders for what may have been the first recorded notes on the geology of Kansas. Most of the early records were sporadic and not systematically taken. Early expeditions were mainly military; later ones were railroad surveys. Scientists, if on the expeditions, were natural scientists and not geologists, so descriptions usually were of topography, agriculture suitability, transportation feasibility, climate, botany, and other natural phenomena, but seldom of the geology. Documents of these early expeditions, including those of expeditions of Lewis and Clark (1804-6), Pike (1805-7), Long (1819-20), Fremont (1843-45), Emory (1846-47), Stansbury (1849), Marcy (1852), and Beckwith (1853-54) were in a narrative form - long on generalities but short on detail. Thus by the mid-19th century, the geology of Kansas was known only in a general way.The ‘Great American Desert’ was a pla...
Numerical evaluation of heating in the human head due to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

In this paper we present a numerical model for evaluating tissue heating during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our method, which included a detailed anatomical model of a human head, calculated both the electromagnetic power deposition and the associated temperature elevations during a MRI head examination. Numerical studies were conducted using a realistic birdcage coil excited at frequencies ranging from 63 MHz to 500 MHz. The model was validated both experimentally and analytically. The experimental validation was performed at the MR test facility located at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH).
Experimental and Computational Study of Steric and Electronic Effects on the Coordination of Bulky, Water-Soluble Alkylphosphines to Palladium under Reducing Conditions: Correlation to Catalytic Activity

Sterically demanding, water-soluble alkylphosphine ligands 2-(di-tert-butylphosphino)ethyltrimethylammonium chloride (t-Bu-Amphos) and 4-(di-tert-butylphosphino)-N,N-dimethylpiperidinium chloride (t-Bu-Pip-phos) in combination with palladium salts provided active catalysts for the cross-coupling of aryl halides under mild conditions in aqueous solvents, whereas 4-(dicyclohexylphosphino)-N,N-dimethylpiperidinium chloride (Cy-Pip-phos) gave a less active catalyst. Catalyst activity increased with increasing cone angle of the ligands, but the χ electronic parameter determined from the symmetric C−O stretching frequency of LNi(CO)3 did not correlate with catalyst activity. Catalyst activity correlated with other calculated electronic parameters, such as the HOMO−LUMO energy gap of the ligand and the HOMO energy level of the LPd(0) species. Multinuclear NMR spectroscopic studies showed that t-Bu-Amphos and t-Bu-Pip-phos rapidly form L2Pd(0) (L = t-Bu-Amphos or t-Bu-Pip-phos) complexes when reacted with Pd(OAc)...
Modeling of oil retention and pressure drop in vertical suction risers

A semi-empirical model for prediction of oil retention and pressure drop in vertical suction lines of an air-conditioning system is presented. The model was developed using experimental data for R134a with polyol ester oil International Organization for Standardization 32 oil in a 10.2-mm-inside-diameter pipe and was supported by data for R410A with polyol ester oil 32 flows in 7.1- and 18.5-mm-inside-diameter pipes. The model predicts 90% of oil retention data within ±20% relative error and pressure drop data within ±30% relative error. A model was also developed for prediction of minimum refrigerant mass flux, which ensures oil returns as annular film in vertical suction lines. The oil return model was used to develop minimum cooling capacity tables versus vertical suction line diameter for R134a.
Lyapunov exponents of families of morphisms of metrized vector bundles as functions on the base of the bundle

We obtain a sharp Baire characterization of the Lyapunov exponents of a family of morphisms of metrized vector bundles as functions on the base of the bundle.
Political Benefits and Public Policy: Interpretation of Recent US Studies

A number of researchers have tested the general hypothesis that the spatial allocation of political benefits by the US federal legislature is linked to the electoral demands on congressmen. The evidence produced by these tests is equivocal. To account for this situation, the theory underpinning the electoral benefit hypothesis is extended to take account of congressmen's needs for political support.
Reflections: Acquiring “the eye of the tiger”: mental strategies for attaining and maintaining executive health

In today’s society, health and fitness are given much publicity. Advertisements, magazine articles and television shows, trumpeting the benefits of exercise, encourage people to undertake a fitness regimen. Indeed, for the busy executive, an exercise program can lead to a less stressful and more productive life. However, due to busy schedules and the challenge of maintaining interest once the novelty of an activity has faded, many managers quit these programs soon after starting them and return to their sedentary lifestyles. We believe that most people stop exercising because they are not mentally prepared for the difficult realities of maintaining a regular workout program. While most health articles provide the initial spark for beginning athletes, very few offer guidance for the person in the middle and latter stages of an exercise program. This article, which we have based on our personal experience as athletes (the authors have run 15 marathons between them) and on an extensive review of psychological, organizational, and sports‐related research, provides executives with five mental strategies for developing a mindset for maintaining physical fitness during these challenging stages.
Ultrafine particle formation by aerosol processes in turbulent jets: mechanisms and scale-up

Abstract The turbulent jet is a convenient fluid mechanical configuration for the production of ultrafine particles (10 nm
Population-based learning of load balancing policies for a distributed computer system

Effective load-balancing policies use dynamic resource information to schedule tasks in a distributed computer system. We present a novel method for automatically learning such policies. At each site in our system, we use a comparator neural network to predict the relative speedup of an incoming task using only the resource-utilization patterns obtained prior to the task's arrival. Outputs of these comparator networks are broadcast periodically over the distributed system, and the resource schedulers at each site use these values to determine the best site for executing an incoming task. The delays incurred in propagating workload information and tasks from one site to another, as well as the dynamic and unpredictable nature of workloads in multiprogrammed multiprocessors, may cause the workload pattern at the time of execution to differ from patterns prevailing at the times of load-index computation and decision making. Our load-balancing policy accommodates this uncertainty by using certain tunable parameters. We present a population-based machine-learning algorithm that adjusts these parameters in order to achieve high average speedups with respect to local execution. Our results show that our load-balancing policy, when combined with the comparator neural network for workload characterization, is effective in exploiting idle resources in a distributed computer system.
Thermal history analysis of friction stir processed and submerged friction stir processed aluminum

Abstract In this research, equations are developed to model the rate of heat input from different geometries of friction stir processing (FSP) tools. The model is then compared with actual heat input obtained from embedded thermocouples within the stirred region. The cooling curves obtained from the thermocouple data are then applied to the Derby–Ashby model for high angle grain boundary migration to predict the final grain size of a bulk sample produced by the friction stirring method. Submerged friction stir processing (SFSP) is introduced as a way of increasing the cooling rate of the bulk samples in an attempt to decrease the grain size. Microstructures obtained from both FSP and SFSP are characterized using transmission electron microscopy.
Speciation, Divergence, and the Origin of Gryllus rubens: Behavior, Morphology, and Molecules

The last 25 years or so has seen a huge resurgence of interest in speciation research. This has coincided with the development and widespread use of new tools in molecular genetics, especially DNA sequencing, to inform ecological and evolutionary questions. Here I review about a decade of work on the sister species of field crickets Gryllus texensis and G. rubens. This work has included analysis of morphology, behavior, and the mitochondrial DNA molecule. The molecular work in particular has dramatically re-shaped my interpretation of the speciational history of these taxa, suggesting that rather than 'sister' species we should consider these taxa as 'mother-daughter' species with G. rubens derived from within a subset of ancestral G. texensis.
19F-Nuclear magnetic resonance of fluorine-labeled fatty acids in phospholipid bilayer vesicles

Abstract 19 F-labeled fatty acids, labeled at the 4, 6, 9, 12 and terminal positions, and intercalated into dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) small unilamellar vesicles were studied using 19 F-NMR as a function of temperature and perturbant incorporation. The perturbants studied were cholesterol, gramicidin A and polylysine. It was found that the fluorines give rise to a single resonance whose line width decreases substantially with increasing temperature and increases as the fluorine is positioned from the chain terminus toward the polar head group, peaking at the 6 position. When cholesterol is incorporated into the phospholipid vesicles, the fluorine resonance line widths increase dramatically and uniformly along the chain at all temperatures. Gramicidin A incorporation leads to a similar though smaller increase in line widths which, in contrast, diminish with increasing temperatures. On the other hand polylysine interactions lead to little change in the line width of the fluorine-substituted fatty acids. Incorporation of cholesterol increases the size of the phospholipid vesicles but the other perturbants do not, as determined by gel-permeation chromatography. These results are consistent with what is known about the changes in phospholipid bilayer structure brought about by the incorporation of these substances and indicate that 19 F-NMR of fluorine-substituted fatty acids intercalated in lipid bilayers can extend our knowledge of model membrane systems.
An electrophoretic and biochemical analysis of acid phosphatase in the tail of Xenopus laevis during development and metamorphosis

The properties of acid phosphatase from tail tissues of Xenopus laevis tadpoles have been investigated by means of acrylamide gel electrophoresis and biochemical assay with alpha-naphthyl acid phosphate as substrate. Studies were made on intact tails during development and spontaneous metamorphosis, and on isolated tail tips undergoing thyroxine-induced regression in culture. Quantitative and qualitative changes in acid phosphatase are found to occur during the process of tail resorption. The same types of changes are found during both spontaneous metamorphosis and thyroxine-induced regression in culture, although the magnitude of these changes is greater during spontaneous metamorphosis. Tail resorption is characterized by increases in total activity (per tail) and specific activity (per unit of protein) of acid phosphatase, as well as changes in the pH optimum and heat sensitivity of the enzyme. Electrophoresis of enzyme preparations from whole tails and different parts of the tail resolves two distinct forms of the enzyme which are both present throughout growth and regression. Densitometric tracings of these gels reveal that the ratio of one form to the other remains constant during growth and the early stages of tail regression. However during late stages of tail regression this ratio becomes significantly altered, due primarily to an increase in one form. Biochemical analysis of enzyme preparations subjected to hypotonic conditions and to Triton X-100 indicates that there is an increase in the proportion of soluble versus bound enzyme in tail tissues undergoing advanced atrophy. Possible implications of these results are discussed.
Cone-beam CT with a modified reverse helical trajectory for long object problem

We have applied two algorithms - chord-based backprojection-filtration (BPF) algorithm and Pack-Noo formula- based filtered-backprojection (FBP) algorithm - to reconstructing exact images from data acquired by a reverse helical CBCT. To achieve exact image reconstruction of a long object in a reverse helical CBCT, we have proposed an additional line scan with the chord-based algorithm. The added line scan yields additional chords that can completely fill the reconstructed the volume, thus avoiding the reconstruction gap when only a reverse helical trajectory is used. Numerical examples demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.
Hyperfiltration and glomerulosclerosis.

Nearly 70 years ago, the association between reduction in renal mass and subsequent glomerular injury was established. Later the pathologic changes were attributed to adaptive hemodynamic changes in the residual nephrons. This relationship seems to exist in a number of experimental animal species, as well as humans. Among the various hemodynamic changes that occur within residual nephrons, the increase in glomerular pressure is the most important in generating subsequent pathologic changes. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system seems to contribute to the intrarenal pressure. Both angiotensin and aldosterone participate. Increases in glomerular pressure appear to act on the mesangial compartment causing it to increase its cell number and matrix volume. Deleterious interactions between higher pressures, increased capillary volume, and a relatively fixed podocyte number also appear to contribute to the sclerotic process. Endothelial cell changes occur perhaps in response to direct hemodynamic stimuli, but their role in the sclerotic process is less clear than those of mesangial and glomerular epithelial cells.
74.4: A Novel Ultra Thin Backlight System without Optical Sheets Using a Newly Developed Multi‐Layered Light‐guide

We describe a backlight system using a newly developed Multi-Layered Light-guide (MLL). MLL can perform as a backlight without additional optical sheets such as prism sheets or diffusers. It was developed as a multi-layer sheet featuring different refractive indexes on different layers. A prototype was built, and the principles were confirmed in comparison with the theory. with a thickness of 0.514 mm, the built prototype is the thinnest backlight in the world, using only MLL without additional optical sheets.
Iterative unfalsified adaptive control: analysis of the disturbance-free case

The paradigm of classical linear system identification is to assume that the system generating the data belongs to an uncertainty model set consisting of unknown transfer function coefficients and unknown noise variances. However, this uncertainty model set does not provide a means for estimating the size of the unmodeled dynamics, although formulae exist for large data length and large model order]. A philosophical shift from identification to unfalsification allows the uncertainty model set to include dynamic uncertainty with an unknown bound which can be estimated (unfalsified) along with the usual system identification parameters. We examine the use of uncertainty model unfalsification for direct and indirect iterative adaptive control. Specifically, we analyze three approaches to iterative adaptive control: (1) indirect control design via classical system identification, (2) indirect control design via plant uncertainty model unfalsification, and (3) direct controller unfalsification. Each approach is analyzed under the same simplifying assumptions: infinite data, the plant is linear-time-invariant and disturbance-free, and the iterative controller is also linear-time-invariant.
Tracing Worm Break-In and Contaminations via Process Coloring: A Provenance-Preserving Approach

To detect and investigate self-propagating worm attacks against networked servers, the following capabilities are desirable: 1) raising timely alerts to trigger a worm investigation, 2) determining the break-in point of a worm, i.e., the vulnerable service from which the worm infiltrates the victim, and 3) identifying all contaminations inflicted by the worm during its residence in the victim. In this paper, we argue that the worm break-in provenance information has not been exploited in achieving these capabilities and thus propose process coloring, a new approach that preserves worm break-in provenance information and propagates it along operating- system-level information flows. More specifically, process coloring assigns a "color," a unique systemwide identifier, to each remotely accessible server process. The color will be either inherited by spawned child processes or diffused transitively through process actions. Process coloring achieves three new capabilities: color-based worm warning generation, break-in point identification, and log file partitioning. The virtualization-based implementation enables more tamper-resistant log collection, storage, and real-time monitoring. Beyond the overhead introduced by virtualization, process coloring only incurs very small additional system overhead. Experiments with real-world worms demonstrate the advantages of processing coloring over non-provenance-preserving tools.
Testicular Steroid Sulfotransferases: Comparison to Liver and Adrenal Steroid Sulfotransferases of the Mature Rat*

Steroid sulfotransferase activity was investigated in cytosol fractions of whole testes, isolated seminiferous tubules, isolated interstitial tissue, livers, and adrenal glands of mature male rats. Enzyme activity was measured by incubating cytosol fractions with 3H-labeled pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, or estradiol and the active sulfate donor 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate. Testicular steroid sulfotransferase activity was found in seminiferous tubules. 3 beta-Hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase activity of seminiferous tubules exhibited a pH optimum of 10 in contrast to a pH optimum of 5 reported for cytosol fractions of rat liver. Marked differences in substrate specificity were demonstrated in the three tissues. The preferred substrate for the 3 beta-hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase in seminiferous tubules was pregnenolone, and in liver it was dehydroepiandrosterone, No 3 beta-hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase activity could be detected in cytosol fractions of adrenal glands. Testosterone was sulfated only by hepatic cytosol fractions. All three tissues contained estrogen sulfotransferase activity. These data suggest that the 3 beta-hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase of seminiferous tubules is distinct from the 3 beta-hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase of liver. These differences may relate to different functions of steroid sulfates in liver and testes.
Forecasting multivariate time-series: Confidence intervals and comparison of performances of feed-forward neural network and statespace models

Summary form only given. A comparison of forecasting by nonlinear neural networks and by linear state-space models was performed. In both cases, individual solutions were obtained for time-series data sets and used to determine confidence intervals for parameters of the converged systems, Multivariate time-samples of the behavior of newborn human infants under each of two conditions of stimulation were analyzed. Using a multilayer feedforward network, connection weights for nonlinear forecasting were obtained from networks converged separately for each time-series data set by means of backpropagation. Confidence intervals for connection weights were determined from observed weights of the converged networks. Similarly, optimal parameters for linear forecasting were obtained from state-space analyses using Akaike's information criterion, and confidence intervals for parameters were determined from observed parameters of the converged state-space models. Forecasting performances for networks were superior to state-space for 22 out of 23 comparisons. >
Avian Bioclimate Chambers for Research—with a Note on Panting Thresholds in Adult Leghorn Hens

Abstract THERE are certain problems more suitable for controlled bioclimate than field research which may be listed as follows:biological rhythms, acclimatization, thermoregulation, respiratory studies, neuro-vascular studies, feather formation and dermatology, efficiency of production under various environmental conditions, physiological changes with seasonal patterns of environment, water exchange, behavioral studies concerned with thermoregulation, interactions of environmental variables. While some excellent field research has been done on the effect of the biometeorological factors of production in poultry, there are certain limitations to this type of research. For example, it is apparent that there are no two successive days in nature that are exactly alike. Furthermore, the meteorological conditions vary with the poultry house so that research done at a particular location cannot easily be repeated in another location with meaningful results. Some of these pitfalls may be avoided by the use of the bioclimate chamber, although it must be admitted that there are some…
Phenotypic quality influences fertility in Gombe chimpanzees

Summary 1. Fertility is an important fitness component, but is difficult to measure in slowly reproducing, long-lived animalssuch as chimpanzees (Pantroglodytes). 2. We measured fertility and the effect of measured covariates on fertility in a 43-year sample of birth intervals of chimpanzees from the Gombe National Park, Tanzania using Cox proportional hazardsregression with individual-levelrandom effects. 3. The birth hazard declined with mothers’ age at a rate of 0AE84 per year following age at first reproduction. Thisvalue is somewhat stronger than previous estimates. 4. Lossof theinfantthatopenedthe birth interval increased thebirth hazard 134-fold. 5. Birth intervals following the first complete birth interval were shorter than this first interval, whilesex of the previous infanthadno significanteffect. 6. Maternal dominance rank was significant at the P< 0AE1 level when coded as high⁄middle⁄low but washighly significantwhen we simply consideredhighrank vs.others. 7. Individual heterogeneity had a substantial impact on birth interval duration. We interpret this individual effect as a measure of phenotypic quality, controlling for the measured covariates such as dominance rank. This interpretation is supported by the correlation of individual heterogeneity scoreswith similarindependentmeasures of body mass.
Spatial sampling design for parameter estimation of the covariance function

We study the spatial optimal sampling design for covariance parameter estimation. The spatial process is modeled as a Gaussian random field and maximum likelihood (ML) is used to estimate the covariance parameters. We use the log determinant of the inverse Fisher information matrix as the design criterion and run simulations to investigate the relationship between the inverse Fisher information matrix and the covariance matrix of the ML estimates. A simulated annealing algorithm is developed to search for an optimal design among all possible designs on a fine grid. Since the design criterion depends on the unknown parameters, we define relative efficiency of a design and consider minimax and Bayesian criteria to find designs that are robust for a range of parameter values. Simulation results are presented for the Matern class of covariance functions.
Youth perspectives on the intersections of violence, gender, and hip-hop

Youth's perceptions of violence within their social environments can provide relevant insights into the gender-based interpersonal violence epidemic in inner-city communities. To explore this issue, we examined two sets of narratives with young men and women, aged 15 to 21, involved in hip-hop culture in New York City. In the analysis, we reveal youth accounts of street and interpersonal violence, examining the interconnections with gender and hip-hop culture. Our findings suggest that youth involved in hip-hop culture vary in the comprehensiveness of their definitions of violence and viewed violence as entertainment or as a way to gain or maintain respect. Moreover, many respondents described episodes of interpersonal violence but failed to classify the behavior as violent, which suggests that dialogue with youth is needed to deconstruct diverse cultural understandings and more effectively address violence among youth. We recommend using hip-hop as a tool for reform in the process. Language: en
Custom Microcomputers for CAD Optimization Software

This paper explores the concept of using minimal configuration microcomputer systems for use with computer-aided design optimization software. Two different approaches - EPROMs and audio cassettes - were examined. The advantages were ease of use, portability and low costs. It is believed that small, portable, custom-built "design boxes" of this type have a role both in design offices and as on-board machine controllers. Indeed they may be the beginning of an integration of these roles, in a limited kind of self-designing machine.
Use of random forests for modeling and mapping forest canopy fuels for fire behavior analysis in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, USA

Abstract Fire managers often need data that is spatially explicit at a fine scale (30 m) but is also laborious and time consuming to collect. This study integrates Landsat 5 imagery and topographic information with plot and tree based data to model and map four key canopy fuels variables: Canopy Bulk Density (CBD), Canopy Cover (CC), Canopy Base Height (CBH), and canopy Height (HT). We sampled 223 plots of 500 m 2 each in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Within each plot we recorded every tree by species, diameter, condition, and canopy position. Additionally, we measured each tree’s height, height to live crown base and height to dead crown base. Finally, we took three hemispherical photographs of the forest canopy above each plot. We developed five topographic variables—elevation, slope, aspect, and two measures of topographic position—and used Landsat 5 spectral bands 1–5, and 7 as well as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Tasseled Cap Greenness, Brightness, and Wetness to model and then predict these canopy fuels variables for both 2009 and 2003 across LVNP. RF models relating predictor variables to canopy fuels characteristics had pseudo- r 2 values ranging from 0.55 to 0.68. To demonstrate the potential utility of our mapping procedure, we used our 2003 canopy fuels map along with a previously unpublished contemporary surface fuels map and the fire behavior modeling program FlamMap® to relate predicted fire behavior of our fuels maps with fire severity from the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) dataset for the Bluff (2004) fire.
An approach for software design method comparison

Design is to create a product in the process that transforms “what you want” to “how you realize it”. Many design methods have been suggested in the software research community in the past. Hence, to know the differences between design methods or to understand the benefits of a single method, many papers about software design methods comparisons have been published. However, most of them are from subjective observations or designer's surveys. In other words, none of the past studies provided an objective basis for design comparison. In addition, there is no systematic and generic approach that can be applied universally to any design method or process in an empirical study. To remedy this, we proposed a Template-based Design Method Comparison Approach (TDMCA). In this paper, we explain TDMCA and demonstrate the evaluation of it. In our evaluation, we use Object-oriented (OO) system designs to validate TDMCA. Therefore, a graph-based similarity is created to measure the result. The evaluation result convinces us that TDMCA can provide the basis for objectively comparing any different design methods.
Endoglin Requirement for BMP9 Signaling in Endothelial Cells Reveals New Mechanism of Action for Selective Anti-Endoglin Antibodies

Endoglin (ENG), a co-receptor for several TGFβ-family cytokines, is expressed in dividing endothelial cells alongside ALK1, the ACVRL1 gene product. ENG and ACVRL1 are both required for angiogenesis and mutations in either gene are associated with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangectasia, a rare genetic vascular disorder. ENG and ALK1 function in the same genetic pathway but the relative contribution of TGFβ and BMP9 to SMAD1/5/8 activation and the requirement of ENG as a co-mediator of SMAD phosphorylation in endothelial cells remain debated. Here, we show that BMP9 and TGFβ1 induce distinct SMAD phosphorylation responses in primary human endothelial cells and that, unlike BMP9, TGFβ only induces SMAD1/5/8 phosphorylation in a subset of immortalized mouse endothelial cell lines, but not in primary human endothelial cells. We also demonstrate, using siRNA depletion of ENG and novel anti-ENG antibodies, that ENG is required for BMP9/pSMAD1 signaling in all human and mouse endothelial cells tested. Finally, anti-ENG antibodies that interfere with BMP9/pSMAD1 signaling, but not with TGFβ1/pSMAD3 signaling, also decrease in vitro HUVEC endothelial tube formation and inhibit BMP9 binding to recombinant ENG in vitro. Our data demonstrate that BMP9 signaling inhibition is a key and previously unreported mechanism of action of TRC105, an anti-angiogenic anti-Endoglin antibody currently evaluated in clinical trials.
The Institute of Medicine report on high-quality cancer care: implications for oncology nursing.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To present key recommendations from a recently released Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on high-quality cancer care. DATA SOURCES The recommendations were derived from the IOM report Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis. DATA SYNTHESIS The authors reviewed each of the recommendations to identify implications for oncology nurses. CONCLUSIONS Nurses will play a vital role in the future design and delivery of high-quality cancer care. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Oncology nurses should use the IOM recommendations in their settings to prepare for the delivery of oncology care amidst health system challenges, including an aging society. KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION The IOM recommendations identify key areas of concern to nurses. Key aspects of nursing practice, including involvement in advanced care planning, patient-centered care, and evidence-based practice, are essential for high-quality care. Oncology nurses will be centrally involved in healthcare innovations, such as rapid learning systems, and as key members of a well-trained workforce.
Exon Skipping in IVD RNA Processing in Isovaleric Acidemia Caused by Point Mutations in the Coding Region of the IVD Gene

Isovaleric acidemia (IVA) is a recessive disorder caused by a deficiency of isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase (IVD). We have reported elsewhere nine point mutations in the IVD gene in fibroblasts of patients with IVA, which lead to abnormalities in IVD protein processing and activity. In this report, we describe eight IVD gene mutations identified in seven IVA patients that result in abnormal splicing of IVD RNA. Four mutations in the coding region lead to aberrantly spliced mRNA species in patient fibroblasts. Three of these are amino acid altering point mutations, whereas one is a single-base insertion that leads to a shift in the reading frame of the mRNA. Two of the coding mutations strengthen pre-existing cryptic splice acceptors adjacent to the natural splice junctions and apparently interfere with exon recognition, resulting in exon skipping. This mechanism for missplicing has not been reported elsewhere. Four other mutations alter either the conserved gt or ag dinucleotide splice sites in the IVD gene. Exon skipping and cryptic splicing were confirmed by transfection of these mutations into a Cos-7 cell line model splicing system. Several of the mutations were predicted by individual information analysis to inactivate or significantly weaken adjacent donor or acceptor sites. The high frequency of splicing mutations identified in these patients is unusual, as is the finding of missplicing associated with missense mutations in exons. These results may lead to a better understanding of the phenotypic complexity of IVA, as well as provide insight into those factors important in defining intron/exon boundaries in vivo.
Social Interactions and Cardiovascular Reactivity during Problem Disclosure among Friends

The authors examined the relations of social interactions with cardiovascular response in the context of two friends disclosing a problem. They also examined the relations of the sex composition of the dyad and partner gender-related traits (communion/agency) with social interactions. Same-sex and opposite-sex dyads (N = 79) came to the lab. One friend disclosed a real-life problem while the partner provided support; cardiovascular response was monitored. Women provided more emotional support than men, and this sex difference was due to women's higher levels of communion. Agency was linked with greater advice, whereas unmitigated communion was linked with greater negative interactions. Negative interactions predicted slower diastolic blood pressure (DBP) recovery, whereas advice predicted slower heart rate (HR) recovery. Sex composition of dyad moderated some of these effects.
Leading the Court: Studies in Influence as Chief Justice

Chief Justice Roberts has now completed five years of what is likely to be a lengthy tenure in the Court’s center seat. The quality of his institutional leadership, like that of his predecessors, resists confident contemporary assessment to a unique degree among principal offices of American government inasmuch as much of what a Chief Justice does is invisible to all but a relatively few observers, most or all of whom generally remain discreetly silent about such matters. Nonetheless, history counsels that the professional and interpersonal skill which a Chief Justice displays may substantially affect the Supreme Court and the quality of its work. This Article for a symposium on the Roberts Court suggests that the approach which David J. Danelski used to measure the leadership of Chief Justices Taft, Hughes and Stone in an important article published roughly a half century ago may prove useful in thinking about Chief Justice Roberts’s performance. Following Danelski, the Article suggests that the work of a Chief Justice may be usefully examined by analyzing the task and social leadership he or she offers. It uses Danelski’s concepts to discuss the leadership of the seven Chief Justices who preceded Roberts. The Article suggests that Danelski’s approach be modified to recognize more explicitly the crucial role of two variables which determine the influence of a Chief Justice, namely intangible leadership qualities and context. The Article suggests that Roberts possesses both the professional and interpersonal skill to become a successful Chief Justice and that his relative youth raises the possibility that he will exert extraordinary influence, depending on Court composition and other contextual factors. History’s ultimate judgment will depend on his ability to lead the Court in a direction deemed to enhance the rule of law.
When Gender (Sometimes) Trumps Party: Citizen Attitudes Toward Torture in the War Against Terror

Americans remained engaged in a contentious debate: whether the US government should engage in the torture of prisoners as a matter of explicit policy. Given the controversy that surrounds the issue and the number of surveys conducted, there has been surprisingly little scholarly work that seeks to explain not just the percentage of Americans who support torture, but exactly which citizens express that support. In this article, I analyze the correlates of support for torture in American public opinion, with particular attention to contextual variation in the relative impact of partisanship and gender. I analyze several different surveys over the period 2004-2011 and find that partisanship usually dominates as a correlate of torture support. However, both in 2004 and in early 2009, gender had a stronger influence on support for torture. I argue that the influence of gender was heightened by the substantial publicity that accompanied the release of photographs from the Abu Ghraib prison in April 2004 and the attention to moral arguments against torture that resulted from the announcement of President Obama’s executive order that banned torture in January 2009. The implications for the study of torture and gender politics are discussed together with some observations about torture as a political issue.
Maine's 'Taxpayer Bill of Rights' Proposal Fails to Fix Flaws of Colorado's TABOR

The authors criticize a Maine spending limit initiative that is based on Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights. The Maine limit proposal does not fix the greatest problems with Colorado's spending limit - its rachet effect - the authors say. The population-plus-inflation formula for allowing spending increases is too restrictive, the authors say.
Influence factors of estimation errors for total corneal astigmatism using keratometric astigmatism in patients before cataract surgery

Purpose To evaluate the influence factors of the estimation errors for total corneal astigmatism using keratometric astigmatism in patients preparing for cataract surgery. Setting EYE and ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Design Prospective observational study. Methods Eyes of patients preparing for cataract surgery were measured with Pentacam Scheimpflug imaging device. Keratometric astigmatism was obtained using the anterior corneal surface measurement and the keratometric index (1.3375) while neglecting the posterior corneal surface measurement. The Scheimpflug-measured total corneal astigmatism was derived by vector analysis of the astigmatism on both corneal surfaces. Results The study comprised 374 eyes of 374 patients 45 to 84 years old. The mean absolute error in magnitude and mean absolute error in angle comparing keratometric astigmatism with Scheimpflug-derived astigmatism was 0.18 ± 0.14 diopter (D) and 7.7 ± 11.0 degrees, respectively. The mean magnitude of the error vector was 0.24 ± 0.14 D. The error in magnitude was significantly larger in eyes with against-the-rule anterior astigmatism, while error in angle was larger in eyes with with-the-rule and oblique anterior astigmatism. Multiple regressions showed that 4 predictors (difference in anterior–posterior astigmatism axis, magnitude of posterior astigmatism, magnitude of keratometric astigmatism, and axial length [AL]) were significantly associated with the absolute error in magnitude. Predictors including the difference in the anterior–posterior astigmatism axis, magnitude of posterior astigmatism, magnitude of keratometric astigmatism, and age were significantly associated with the absolute error in angle and magnitude of the error vector. Conclusions Neglecting posterior corneal astigmatism yielded significant estimation errors in total corneal astigmatism in patients preparing for cataract surgery. Estimation errors were significantly influenced by the difference in the anterior -posterior astigmatism axis, magnitude of posterior astigmatism, keratometric astigmatism, AL, and age. Financial Disclosure None of the authors has any conflicts of interest to disclose.
Effect of dilution on reaction properties and bonds formed using mechanically processed dilute thermite foils

Thermites have been used for over a century for joining applications and in this paper we present fully dense diluted thermite foils that react in a self-propagating manner and produce sufficient heat and molten braze to join aluminum-, magnesium-, and iron-based alloys. Al:NiO, Al:CuO, and Al:Cu2O thermite systems were systematically diluted with Ni or Cu to decrease the maximum reaction temperature and hence the amount of gas generated during the self-propagating reactions. Velocities and mass ejection were measured for reactions within free-standing foils as a function of dilution. The dilution that leads to quenching during propagation within a bond is identified, and finally, Al:NiO:10wt%Ni and Al:CuO:40wt%Cu foils were used to demonstrate the ability to join aluminum-, magnesium-, and iron-based alloys.
Extreme Value Metamodeling for System Reliability With Time-Dependent Functions

The reliability of a system is usually measured by the probability that the system performs its intended function in a given period of time. Estimating such reliability is a challenging task when the probability of failure is rare and the responses are nonlinear and time variant. The evaluation of the system reliability defined in a period of time requires the extreme values of the responses in the predefined period of time during which the system is supposed to function. This work builds surrogate models for the extreme values of responses with the Kriging method. For the sake of computational efficiency, the method creates Kriging models with high accuracy only in the region that has high contributions to the system failure; training points of random variables and time are sampled simultaneously so that their interactions could be considered automatically. The example of a mechanism system shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.Copyright © 2015 by ASME