cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bacterioplankton dynamics in northern San Francisco Bay: Role of particle association and seasonal freshwater flow

Bacterioplankton abundance and metabolic characteristics were observed in northern San Francisco Bay, California, during spring and summer 1996 at three sites: Central Bay, Suisun Bay, and the Sacramento River. These sites spanned a salinity gradient from marine to freshwater, and sampling occurred during a period of seasonally declining river flow. The microbial measures included radio-labeled amino acid uptake ( L-leucine, L-proline, Lserine), ectoenzyme activity (aminopeptidase and b-D-glucosidase), and bacterial abundance using 1-mm filters to separate free from particle-associated bacteria. A seasonal decline in all bacterial metabolic measures was observed at all stations, suggesting that a system-wide variable may be important in controlling bacterial activity. One such variable is freshwater flow into the Bay (as a proxy for organic matter flux), which positively covaried with all metabolic measures. A sharp decline in particle-associated bacteria was also observed in Suisun Bay and the Sacramento River between July and August. This decline may have been due to combined effects of declining nutritive value of the aging particles and increasing grazing pressure by benthic filter feeders. Aminopeptidase activity was positively related with increasing salinity, and b-D-glucosidase was negatively correlated with increasing salinity, indicating a gradient in the relative quality of organic matter from carbohydrate-rich riverine to proteinrich oceanic material. Overall, Suisun Bay had the highest mean proportion of particle-associated bacteria (49%), followed by Sacramento River (36%) and Central Bay (11%). Particles were the sites of enhanced ectoenzyme activity but not amino acid incorporation. Bacteria may be actively dissolving the particulate organic matter, but their growth rates on particles are not significantly enhanced.
Systematic analysis of multiple voting rules

For a class of voting rules, which includes Approval and Cumulative Voting, it is shown how to find and analyze all possible outcomes that arise with a specified profile, and, conversely, how to start with a potential region and determine whether there exist supporting profiles. The geometry of these regions is determined by the “Reversal symmetry” portion of a profile; i.e., components of the $${A\succ B\succ C, C\succ B\succ A}$$ type.
A resistive-gated IGFET tetrode

Studies of the properties of a new insulated-gate field-effect tetrode which consists basically of an IGFET triode having a resistive-gate electrode with connections transverse to the source-drain dimension are described. Experimental tetrodes on silicon with nichrome gates are fabricated to demonstrate applications of the device as a mixer, an amplitude modulator, and an AGC amplifier. Theories are also developed to calculate the static and the high-frequency characteristics of the tetrode, and are found to be in good agreement with the experimental results.
LILEANNA: a parameterized programming language

LILEANNA, a language for formally specifying and generating Ada packages, extends Ada by introducing two entities, theories and views, and enhancing a third, package specifications. A LILEANNA package, with semantics specified either formally or informally, represents a template for actual Ada package specifications. It is used as the common parent for families of implementations and for version control. A theory is a higher-level abstraction, a concept (or a context), that describes a module's syntactical and semantic interface. A view is a mapping between types, operations, and exceptions. The author describes key elements of the language and presents examples illustrating its applicability in support of a megaprogramming software development paradigm. >
Plant utilization patterns of a guild of leafhoppers on a woody plant community in the Chihuahuan Desert

We examined plant use versus plant availability by a leafhopper guild from a Chihuahuan Desert plant community. Some native woody plants species of the Chihuahua Desert behave as weeds (e.g., Gutierrezia spp.) and could be subjects of augmentative biological control. As a first step, we wanted to know how the leafhopper guild used the woody plant community in the Chihuahua Desert to identify possible candidates to be studied. At least 37 leafhopper species were sampled on 13 woody and perennial plant species. Individual plants were sampled with sticky-traps on nine dates from June 1997 to July 1998. Leafhopper counts and plant availability were used to determine if leafhoppers used plants in proportion to their availability. Analysis of the 13 most abundant leafhopper species indicated differential use of at least one or more plant species in proportion to plant occurrence. Approximately 40% of all possible plant-insect pairs (169 pairs, 13 plants, and 13 insects) demonstrated under-utilization of plants (less than expected) by the leafhoppers. Nearly 50% of the pairs demonstrated plant use in proportion to their availability (random utilization), and in only 10% of pairs, leafhoppers used plants more often than expected. In our study site, 66.7% of the leafhopper species exhibited preference for one or two plant species, whereas the remaining 33.3% exhibited no preference for any studied plant. Our plant utilization results reaffirm published available host plant records for the leafhoppers analyzed. Qualitative temporal patterns in plant utilization were not detected. Specialist species exhibited different host uses in response to increasing leafhopper abundance. At seasonal peak abundance, specialist leafhoppers showed two different strategies: leafhoppers increased their preference toward their preferred host plants, and leafhoppers decreased their preference toward their preferred plants. The possible use of this methodology for augmentative biological control is discussed.
Video game self-efficacy and its effect on training performance

This study examined the effects of using serious games for training on task performance and declarative knowledge outcomes. The purpose was to determine if serious games are more effective training tools than traditional methods. Self-efficacy, expectations for training, and engagement were considered as moderators of the relationship between type of training and task performance as well as type of training and declarative knowledge. Results of the study offered support for the potential of serious games to be more effective than traditional methods of training when it comes to task performance.
A pilot study describing knowledge and practices in the health care of men who have sex with men by U.S. Air Force primary care providers.

ABSTRACTBackground: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends annual sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening in men who have sex with men (MSM) that is unique to this patient population. The goal of this study is to establish whether U.S. Air Force (USAF) providers are familiar with these guidelines and determine if USAF providers offer these tests appropriately. Methods: A survey designed to determine primary care provider knowledge and practices in MSM health care was disseminated via e-mail to 124 primary care providers at 3 separate USAF medical facilities in Northern California from September 15 to 30, 2011. Findings: There was a 46% response rate. 15% of respondents correctly identified all CDC-recommended STI screens. 42% stated that they did not know the CDC screening guidelines. 51% did not screen male patients for MSM activity in the past year. 81% of respondents had not offered the full complement of MSM STI screening in the past year. Conclusion: The majority of US...
Reliable ETF Buy and Sell Limits

A split-half research design is used to test the reliability of ETF trading limits calibrated to maximize returns. Use of prices relative to optimized timing of simple moving averages to detect turns in stock market trends is found reliable for only fifty-four percent of older ETFs. Exponential moving averages are less reliable. Calibration of weeks to compute moving averages of weekly initial unemployment claims in the United States, and trading limits based on them, produces superior returns that are reliably higher than buying and holding among most of a globally diverse sample of older exchange traded funds.
Man/Machine Interaction Dynamics and Performance Analysis, Biomechanics, and Ndiscos Multibody Equations

The Man/Machine Interaction Dynamics and Performance (MMIDAP) analysis project seeks to create an ability to study the consequences of machine design alternatives relative to the performance of both the machine and its operator. The MMIDAP problem highlights the conflicting needs and views of groups that focus on machine design and groups that focus on human performance, ergonomics, and cumulative injury potential. This chapter will overview and update ongoing MMIDAP capability development efforts being undertaken by a rather loose group of collaborating researchers. An attempt will also be made to highlight problems associated with using traditional multibody mechanical system analysis tools for musculoskeletal dynamics analysis at the level of fidelity needed by the biomechanics community. In particular problems associated with using traditional multibody system tools for viscoelastically restrained joints and multiple muscle systems will be discussed and enhanced solution approaches proposed. Additionally a definition of the capabilities and underlying theoretics of the multibody dynamics code NDISCOS (order N Dynamic Interaction Simulation of COntrols and Structure) will be provided. This code, originally referred to as DISCOS, has been significantly enhanced since its inital 1978 release. Capabilities and associated theoretics which have been previously reported in brief disconnected status papers are collected herein and concisely developed from end to end with appropriate source papers referenced.
18. Endoscopic Ablative Therapy

Barrett’s esophagus (BE) results from repeated damage of the esophageal squamous epithelium from gastroesophageal reflux. The defining lesion of BE is specialized intestinal epithelium which is characterized by columnar metaplastic epithelium with goblet cells. BE is a premalignant lesion that progresses to adenocarcinoma at a rate of 0.5% per year. This risk of progression increases with increasing degrees of dysplasia. High-grade dysplasia (HGD) carries the highest risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) that is 60–125 times that of nondysplastic BE.
An Automatic Chemosterilizing Insect Light Trap

Insects entering a light trap are deposited on a chemosterilant-treated belt and released after 16-1/2 min. The belt is automatically recoated with 6% tepa solution every 4th day. In tests with Culex pipiens quinquifasciatus Say, an average of more than 99% of the males and females entering the trap were stnilized by the technique.
Action of bacterial toxins on respiration of chicken erythrocytes.

Summary1. Chicken erythrocytes were exposed to various bacterial toxins for several hours and the rate of oxygen consumption was measured at 37°C2. Toxins from Clostridium perfringens appeared to increase the rate of oxygen consumption initially even though they hemolyzed the cells. After several hours a decrease was observed.3. Toxins from Clostridium septicurn had little effect on the rate of oxygen consumption.4. Toxins from Clostridium tetani apparently increased the rate of oxygen consumption for a period of more than 24 hours.5. Toxins from Bacillus cereus had little effect, but slight acceleration of oxygen consumption was noted in most of the experiments.6. Toxins from Micrococcus pyogenes, Var. aureus increased the rate of oxygen consumption during the first hour. This was followed by hemolysis of the cells and almost complete inhibition of respiration.7. Toxins from Corynebacterium diphtheriae increased the rate of oxygen consumption slightly during the first hour. This was followed by a gradual...
Circadian rhythms: from the bench to the bedside and falling asleep.

The discovery of the molecular core machinery underlying the generation of circadian rhythms in mammals, and the ability to alter the genes and protein products that comprise the circadian clock, has led to a new appreciation of the role of the clock in regulating many parameters of the sleep-wake cycle, beyond just the timing of sleep. The journal, Sleep, with its mission of publishing papers on basic and translational research in the field of sleep, is in an ideal position to insure that advances in the field of circadian rhythms are used to improve human sleep and in the treatment of sleep-wake disorders. Citation: Turek FW. Circadian rhythms: from the bench to the bedside and falling asleep.
Kinetic modeling of near-interface defect segregation during thermal annealing of oxygen-conducting solid electrolytes

Abstract Solid electrolytes are widely employed in devices for energy storage and conversion. Extended defects (grain boundaries, surfaces and dislocations) can generate substantial resistance to ionic transport due to defect segregation. When synthesized through solid state reaction or sintered from powders, solid electrolytes go through thermal annealing processes at high temperatures. It is during these annealing phases that cation transport becomes fast enough to affect the distribution of cation defects near the interface. We developed a kinetic model of the annealing process as it affects the near-interface defect behavior based on the Poisson-Cahn model for predicting defect segregation behavior in concentrated solid solutions. Taking the fluorite-structured solid solution CeO 2 -Gd 2 O 3 as a model system, results reveal that dopant profiles approach equilibrium on a timescale of seconds at 1300 °C and 20%, 1% and 0.1% dopant cation concentration. At lower temperatures, the dopant profile developed much more slowly. The quench temperature is predicted to be around 900 °C, where it requires > 15 h for the dopant profile to reach equilibrium.
Equus przewalskii (Mongolian wild horse)

One of the small acrocentrics shows frequently a pronounced secondary constriction of the long arm near the centromere, similar to that of the domestic horse. Delicate satellites occur on the short arms of the largest chromosome.
IMPACT OF CARDIOGENIC SHOCK WITH OR WITHOUT MECHANICAL CIRCULATORY SUPPORT ON SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM SURVIVAL IN HEART FAILURE HOSPITALIZATIONS

Background: The impact of cardiogenic shock (CS) on survival in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in the present day coronary care unit (CCU) with current options for mechanical circulatory support (MCS) is of particular interest. Methods: We evaluated outcomes in
The Collaborative Construction and Evolution of Pseudo-knowledge in Online Conversations

Misinformation has found a new natural habitat in the digital age. Thousands of forums, blogs, and alternative news sources amplify inaccurate information to such a degree that it impacts our collective intelligence. Widespread misinformation is troubling, not just because it is wrong, but also because it can persist in the face of attempts to correct it, and thus becomes part of a larger culture of community-based pseudoknowledge (PK). Prior work has focused on the motivations and psychology of those who create and maintain PK but has neglected inspection of the dynamics of collective PK production itself. In this exploratory case study, we illustrate how the active participation of multiple collaborators adapts PK over time through a process we liken to participatory storytelling. We argue that the Internet provides a uniquely well-suited environment for evolving PK that is "more fit", in that it is more engaging, easier to defend, and possibly easier to spread.
Undergraduate Minor in Health Disparities in Society: a Magnet for Under-represented Pre-professional Students.

Increasing the diversity of tomorrow’s healthcare work force remains a challenge despite many thoughtful published reports and recommendations. As part of an effort to grow a more diverse pre-professional health population, we created an undergraduate minor, Health Disparities in Society, at the University of Florida. Most courses for the minor were identified from existing offerings, and we created only two new courses, an introduction course and a capstone service-learning course. The new minor quickly became the most popular in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (which has approximately 12,000 total undergraduate students), and importantly, students selecting the minor were more likely to be under-represented minorities than would be expected given undergraduate demographics. Pre-professional students choosing this minor reflect the desired diversity of the healthcare workforce of tomorrow.
The deubiquitylase USP10 regulates integrin β1 and β5 and fibrotic wound healing

Scarring and fibrotic disease result from the persistence of myofibroblasts characterized by high surface expression of αv integrins and subsequent activation of the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) proteins; however, the mechanism controlling their surface abundance is unknown. Genetic screening revealed that human primary stromal corneal myofibroblasts overexpress a subset of deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs), which remove ubiquitin from proteins, preventing degradation. Silencing of the DUB USP10 induces a buildup of ubiquitin on integrins β1 and β5 in cell lysates, whereas recombinant USP10 removes ubiquitin from these integrin subunits. Correspondingly, the loss and gain of USP10 decreases and increases, respectively, αv/β1/β5 protein levels, without altering gene expression. Consequently, endogenous TGFβ is activated and the fibrotic markers alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and cellular fibronectin (FN-EDA) are induced. Blocking either TGFβ signaling or cell-surface αv integrins after USP10 overexpression prevents or reduces fibrotic marker expression. Finally, silencing of USP10 in an ex vivo cornea organ culture model prevents the induction of fibrotic markers and promotes regenerative healing. This novel mechanism puts DUB expression at the head of a cascade regulating integrin abundance and suggests USP10 as a novel antifibrotic target.
Be Here Now, and Then: Urban Ecological History into Art

Urban ecological history can give us a fascinating glimpse into the sometimes completely obscured natural past right under our noses. It is also an effective vehicle for reconnecting people with th...
Recent evidence that TADs and chromatin loops are dynamic structures

Mammalian genomes are folded into spatial domains, which regulate gene expression by modulating enhancer-promoter contacts. Here, we review recent studies on the structure and function of Topologically Associating Domains (TADs) and chromatin loops. We discuss how loop extrusion models can explain TAD formation and evidence that TADs are formed by the ring-shaped protein complex, cohesin, and that TAD boundaries are established by the DNA-binding protein, CTCF. We discuss our recent genomic, biochemical and single-molecule imaging studies on CTCF and cohesin, which suggest that TADs and chromatin loops are dynamic structures. We highlight complementary polymer simulation studies and Hi-C studies employing acute depletion of CTCF and cohesin, which also support such a dynamic model. We discuss the limitations of each approach and conclude that in aggregate the available evidence argues against stable loops and supports a model where TADs are dynamic structures that continually form and break throughout the cell cycle.
Track Star + Thing Power: Be[com]ing in the Literacy Workshop

This paper explores the intra-actions between and assemblages among classroom materials, a teacher's chair and a seven-year-old boy during a second grade literacy workshop. I consider the ways in w...
Specialty differences in physicians’ recommendations in relation to women’s pap testing behavior

Using data from a survey of internists, family and general practitioners, and obstetricians and gynecologists, and of women in Maryland, this article examines congruence between physicians' recommendations and women's Papanicolaou (Pap) testing behavior. Both the specialty of the physicians and the age of the women are considered. The majority of all three physician specialties recommended annual Pap tests for all their patients. However, the internists and family or general practitioners were less likely to recommend annual Pap smears for their elderly patients than for their younger patients. Obstetrician-gynecologists were consistently more likely than the other specialties to recommend zannual Pap tests, to send postcards to their patients reminding them to come in for Pap tests, and to view themselves as successful in inducing their patients to come in for routine Pap testing. Both the physicians and the women reported that elderly women were less likely than younger women to receive care from obstetrician-gynecologists. Women's reported Pap testing behavior indicated that they received Pap tests with far less frequency than the physicians recommended. Older age was related to less frequent Pap testing, while having a visit with an obstetrician-gynecologist was related to increased frequency. Findings indicate the need for education of physicians about methods of improving women's attendance for Pap testing and of women about the importance of routine Pap testing.
Using constraints to generate and explore higher order discriminative patterns

Discriminative pattern mining looks for association patterns that occur more frequently in one class than another and has important applications in many areas including finding biomarkers in biomedical data. However, finding such patterns is challenging because higher order combinations of variables may show high discrimination even when single variables or lower-order combinations show little or no discrimination. Thus, generating such patterns is important for evaluating discriminative pattern mining algorithms and better understanding the nature of discriminative patterns. To that end, we describe how such patterns can be defined using mathematical constraints which are then solved with widely available software that generates solutions for the resulting optimization problem. We present a basic formulation of the problem obtained from a straightforward translation of the desired pattern characteristics into mathematical constraints, and then show how the pattern generation problem can be reformulated in terms of the selection of rows from a truth table. This formulation is more efficient and provides deeper insight into the process of creating higher order patterns. It also makes it easy to define patterns other than just those based on the conjunctive logic used by traditional association and discriminant pattern analysis.
Storing Long-Lived Concurrent Schema and Data Versions in Relational Databases

Although there is a strong focus on NoSQL databases for cloud computing environments, traditional relational data bases are still an integral part of many computing services in the cloud. Two significant issues in managing a relational database in a cloud environment are handling the inevitable evolution of the database schema and managing changes to system configuration and other data stored in the database as the system evolves over time. Techniques for handling these issues in on-premise databases are much less feasible in cloud computing environments, which demand efficiency, elasticity, and scalability. We propose a versioning system that can be used in relational databases to allow new versions of the database schema and data to be maintained within the same database as the production data. Past research on versioning either handles data versioning but not schema changes, or handles both but is focused on OLAP or XML databases. In this paper, we describe a mechanism for storing concurrent versions of data in an OLTP database. We explore two different implementation alternatives for versioned data storage and evaluate their relative merits given different workloads. We provide a concrete description of how this can be implemented within the InnoDB storage engine, which is the default data store for MySQL databases, and we present a quantitative comparison of the two implementations in InnoDB.
Velocimetry during depressurized conduction cooldown events in the HTTF

Abstract The High Temperature Test Facility (HTTF) is a quarter-scale integral-effect facility designed to study pressurized and depressurized conduction cooldowns (PCC and DCC, respectively) in high temperature, gas-cooled reactors (HTGR). This study focuses on DCC and aims to characterize the gas exchange between the reactor core and the reactor cavity to assess the risk for air ingress and subsequent potential for natural circulation core cooldowns. High-resolution velocity profile measurements are performed at the coolant pipe break location over a long time-scale using molecular tagging velocimetry. This non-intrusive, laser-based technique is applied for the first time in the field of nuclear thermal hydraulics, providing new insights for understanding the underlying phenomena at play during a DCC event. Such data are also valuable for validation of numerical simulations such as Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP). Results are reported here for various gas mixtures of helium (the coolant) and nitrogen (surrogate for air) to study the effect of density ratio. The short transient (30 s) lock-exchange phase is well captured with helium flow velocity between 0.8 and 2 m/s. The flow is shown to persist over much longer time-scales (hours) at a velocity of about 0.2 m/s, a likely consequence of gas mixing in the hot leg and in the lower plenum of the reactor. Flow visualization at the exit of the hot leg shows shear instabilities, which supports the hypothesis of significant mixing.
The Economics and Ecology of Shade-grown Coffee: A Model to Incentivize Shade and Bird Conservation

Abstract Shade-grown coffee, which is grown under a forest-like canopy of trees, is a production system widely regarded as environmentally sustainable and enabling for biodiversity conservation. Although shade-coffee systems enhance pest-control services from birds, there is an important potential tradeoff, namely lower coffee yields. Yet few studies have explicitly examined this tradeoff and the economic incentives required for smallholders to adopt shade practices rather than conventional systems, in which coffee is grown in full sun or little shade. We formulated a dynamic optimization problem to model a grower's decision to convert land from conventional to shade-grown production based on (1) expected yields and costs of each system, (2) gains from pest-control services provided by birds and (3) price premiums for higher-quality, sustainably-grown coffee. Our results suggest that at least 36% of a five-hectare farm should be allocated to shade-grown coffee to maximize inter-temporal income. This proportion is positively related to (1) production savings associated with birds, (2) prices for shade-grown and conventional coffees, (3) number of trees used for shade and (4) yields of shade-grown coffee. We show that smallholders have incentives to allocate more land to shade-grown coffee when they benefit from bird conservation under the appropriate market conditions.
Market uncertainty and trading volume around earnings announcements

Abstract This study examines the changes in trading volume around quarterly earnings announcements in regard to market uncertainty. When market conditions are volatile, investors face difficulty in predicting future cash flows and their beliefs are more dispersed. Under this larger dispersion in prior beliefs, investors learn more from earnings news, but they are also likely to differ in their interpretations. This leads to increased trading volume around earnings announcements under high market uncertainty. I find that abnormal trading volume around the 2-day announcement window increase with market return volatility and the VIX index. The increase in trading volume is more pronounced for firms with more market-wide information and larger firms, which tend to have larger market earnings components.
Signals that make waves

Neurons in the brain release proteins called neurotrophins, which bind to glial cells and unleash a wave of calcium ions inside them. This could be the missing link in a communication circuit between glia and neurons.
The Domestic Violence Shelter and Alternation: The Importance of Socialization on the Victim-Survivor’s Religion

Literature on intimate partner violence constructs the domestic violence shelter as a place of resocialization, sometimes including a rejection of patriarchal religion. I explore this alleged process of alternation by examining the lives of four shelter residents, discovering that the shelter stay was either too short or the affective bonds there too loose to facilitate sustainable or significant resocialization. Although the shelter situation did not provide a sustained or significant change in the worldview or lived religious practices of victim-survivors, the study provides insights about the utilization of faith and religious resources in these women’s lives. I found that the ability to utilize religious resources in this time of need was significantly linked to early and ongoing socialization prior to entering the shelter.
Targeting the ESCRT-III component CHMP2A for noncanonical Caspase-8 activation on autophagosomal membranes

Autophagosomal membranes can serve as activation platforms for intracellular death-inducing signaling complexes (iDISCs) to initiate Caspase-8-dependent apoptosis. In this study, we explore the impact of ESCRT-III-dependent phagophore closure on iDISC assemblies and cell death in osteosarcoma and neuroblastoma cells. Inhibition of phagophore closure by conditional depletion of CHMP2A, an ESCRT-III component, stabilizes iDISCs on immature autophagosomal membranes and induces Caspase-8-dependent cell death. Importantly, suppression of the iDISC formation via deletion of ATG7, an E1 enzyme for ubiquitin-like autophagy-related proteins, blocks Caspase-8 activation and cell death following CHMP2A depletion. Although DR5 expression and TRAIL-induced apoptosis are enhanced in CHMP2A-depleted cells, the canonical extrinsic pathway of apoptosis is not responsible for the initiation of cell death by CHMP2A depletion. Furthermore, the loss of CHMP2A impairs neuroblastoma tumor growth associated with decreased autophagy and increased apoptosis in vivo. Together, these findings indicate that inhibition of the ESCRT-III-dependent autophagosome sealing process triggers noncanonical Caspase-8 activation and apoptosis, which may open new avenues for therapeutic targeting of autophagy in cancer.
Oxidative dehydrogenation of propane over 3D printed mixed metal oxides/H-ZSM-5 monolithic catalysts using CO2 as an oxidant

Abstract The effect of Ga, V, and Zr content on the structural properties and the catalytic behavior of H-ZSM-5 monolithic catalysts-supported gallium oxide, vanadium oxide, and zirconium oxide in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) have been investigated in a continuous tubular microreactor using CO2 as a mild oxidant. The SEM-EDX confirmed the homogeneous distribution of metal oxides within printed metal oxide/H-ZSM-5 monolithic catalysts The ODHP reaction was carried out in the absence of CO2 (5 mol% propane, balanced with N2) and presence of CO2 (2.5 mol% propane, 5 mol% CO2 balanced with N2) at 500, 550, 600, and 650 ℃, 1 bar, and a space velocity of 4500 mL/gcat.hr. Among all synthesized Ga, V, and Zr/H-ZSM-5 monolithic catalysts, 15V-15Zr@ZSM-5 catalyst exhibits both high activity and stability for dehydrogenation of propane, with a propane conversion of 38 % and propylene selectivity of 90 % without any observable trend of benzene, toluene, xylene (BTX) production and catalyst deactivation in 6 h time on stream. The catalyst’s stability is also enhanced by the introduction of CO2. In the absence of CO2, more coke formation was observed which was in addition to the reduced conversion of propane and propylene selectivity by ∼1−5 %.
RELIGIONS AS WAYS OF LIFE, PATHS OF STUDY, COMMUNITIES IN THE MAKING

The thesis of this essay is relatively simple, familiar, but also challenging, if we take it seriously: religion is a constitutive and inevitable part of 21st century life and not a dimension that is option, able to be put aside in a secular society. All citizens, even those interested only in their own religion or not personally committed to any religion, must know religions well, for the common good of all people in a city, state, or nation. If we are to take religions seriously, we must be committed to thinking non-reductively about life’s ‘religious dimension,’ retrieving a rich sense of being-religious, and affirming religion as a whole way of life, rather than one component among many. In particular, scholars and professors, their students, and the wider reading public need to cultivate practices of interreligious reading as a course of daily life in the 21st century. This thesis is explored with reference to the author’s reflections on religion as a way of life, the vocation of teaching and the practice of interreligious teaching, and his own study of Hindu traditions as a Christian for nearly 50 years.
Pediatric Trainees as Parents: Perspectives on Parenthood from Pediatric Resident Parents.

Abstract Objectives Prior work across medical and surgical specialties shows that parenthood during residency training is associated with challenges including limited parental leave, lack of accommodations for breastfeeding, and concerns about career impact. Less is known about the experience of parenthood during pediatric residency training. The objective of this study was to identify themes related to the experience of parenthood during pediatric residency. Methods In this qualitative study using thematic analysis, we performed semistructured interviews with participants who were currently in pediatric residency or had graduated in the previous 3 years and were parents during residency. Participants were recruited by e-mail. Data were collected and analyzed iteratively until thematic saturation was achieved. Two independent reviewers coded each transcript. Codes were grouped into categories and then into dominant themes. Results Thirty-one residents were interviewed from 13 pediatric residency programs. Four major themes regarding the experience of parenthood during pediatric residency were defined by the data: 1) the struggles of parenthood and residency exacerbate each other; 2) institutional modifiers strongly influence the experiences of resident parents; 3) resident parents develop skills and perspectives that enhance their pediatric training; and 4) although levels of support for pediatric resident parents vary, the culture of pediatrics positively influences the experience of parenthood in residency. Conclusions There are numerous challenges navigating parenthood and residency, but institutional policies and culture can modify the experience. Importantly, the educational value of parenthood to pediatric training was immense. Our findings may be used to design interventions to support parenting during residency.
Undergraduate Certificate in Beef Cattle Production Management

owa State University (ISU) offers undergraduate certificates to demonstrate completion of a focused study in a specialized area across a variety of disciplines. The certificate has the significant benefit of allowing students to customize their curriculum and document completion of an approved course of study. A Beef Cattle Production Management Certificate is offered within the Animal Science Department at ISU. The certificate requirements are organized to correspond with faculty and employer-defined needs for a successful transition from ISU student to beef cattle industry professional. The Beef Cattle Production Management certificate will integrate technical topics in animal science with practical considerations in enterprise management. Two critical components to the certificate are the capstone Beef Cattle Enterprise Management course and a required internship that focuses on beef cattle management. Students that complete the certificate will have the background to identify and address challenges in modern beef cattle production enterprises. Further, the certificate assists employers in identifying students that have shown the interest, discipline, and ability to complete this specialized study program.
America's Dirty Wars: Irregular Warfare from 1776 to the War on Terror

This book examines the long, complex experience of American involvement in irregular warfare. It begins with the American Revolution in 1776 and chronicles big and small irregular wars for the next two and a half centuries. What is readily apparent in dirty wars is that failure is painfully tangible while success is often amorphous. Successfully fighting these wars often entails striking a critical balance between military victory and politics. America's status as a democracy only serves to make fighting - and, to a greater degree, winning - these irregular wars even harder. Rather than futilely insisting that Americans should not or cannot fight this kind of irregular war, Russell Crandall argues that we would be better served by considering how we can do so as cleanly and effectively as possible.
Oil and Gas Development and Associated Environmental Impact Studies on the Pacific Coast of The United States

Oil was discovered in the United States in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1863. In the 1880’s, oil and gas development began on the West Coast and the first offshore well was drilled in the Summer land field, near Santa Barbara, in 1896 into the Monterey Formation. This activity has greatly intensified, particularly offshore in the last 20 years. The States of California, Oregon and Washington have jurisdiction from the shoreline to a distance of 3 nautical miles offshore. The Federal Government has jurisdiction from 3 to 200 nautical miles offshore in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The U.S. Department of Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management and the Minerals Management Service, has been in the middle of an increasingly strident public debate, while trying to carry out an environmental studies program and management offshore leases in a timely manner. Those involved in the government, as advisor’s to the government and as contractors on the studies, have tried to develop an environmental assessment program which complements other research efforts along the U.S. Pacific Coast. Some good science has resulted, as well as better understanding between the participants: government, industry and academic science.
Suicidal Patients: The Ultimate Challenge for Master Psychotherapists

Publisher Summary The finality of suicide constitutes a formidable challenge to psychotherapists, most often prompting them to overly hospitalize these patients to be on the safe side. However, unnecessary hospitalization, the belief that only a psychiatrist can manage suicidal patients, or the converse, attempting to take responsibility for a patient's life can all be counterproductive and even harmful to the patient, increasing the risk of suicide. A master therapist can differentiate the lethal patient from the nonlethal patient and proceed appropriately to prevent both death in the first and eliminate repetitive threats and attempts at suicide in the latter. Master therapists understand the three-stage suicidal process and can recognize the warning signs with each, know how to intervene, and prevent what would otherwise be the imminent death of their lethal patients, and are adept at developing tailored treatment interventions for their nonlethal patients. There are verbal, nonverbal, and tactile indicators of lethal suicide, and there are three stages in the lethal process—ideation, planning, and autopilot. Having missed indicators and the first two stages, autopilot is the last opportunity to intervene and prevent the suicide, but this autopilot is usually manifested and disguised in outward improvement and the imminent lethality is missed by the therapist.
Podcasting religious studies

AbstractIn the past few years a handful of religious-studies scholars have turned to podcasting. This article offers an overview of these podcasts in the academic study of religion and explores the possibilities for scholarly communication and research opened up by podcasting. It also examines the institutional and administrative limits to podcasting due to tenure and promotion decisions and the evaluation of digital scholarship.
Playing Creative Soccer: Randomized Behavioral Kinodynamic Planning of Robot Tactics

Modern robot soccer control architectures tend to separate higher level tactics and lower level navigation control. This can lead to tactics which do not fully utilize the robot's dynamic actuation abilities. It can furthermore create the problem of the navigational code breaking the constraints of the higher level tactical goals when avoiding obstacles. We aim to improve such control architectures by modeling tactics as sampling-based behaviors which exist inside of a probabilistic kinodynamic planner, thus treating tactics and navigation as a unified dynamics problem. We present a behavioral version of Kinodynamic Rapidly- Exploring Random Trees and show that this algorithm can be used to automatically improvise new ball-manipulation strategies in a simulated robot soccer domain. We furthermore show how opponent-models can be seamlessly integrated into the planner, thus allowing the robot to anticipate and outperform the opponent's motions in physics-space.
Organizational Alliances by U.S. Schools

U.S. law schools increasingly are forming organizational alliances with other training providers in the interests of market expansion and/or consolidation. At the top of the market, U.S. law schools are seeking to brand their positions within the global economy by forming alliances with elite foreign law schools, business schools, and corporate law firms and clients. Schools outside of this market are moving to establish alternative niches through alliances with solo and small firm practitioners, CLE providers, and other organizations serving low- and middle-income clients, as well as through the development of accelerated and/or specialty degrees. Schools at all levels are increasingly emphasizing the “practical” (i.e., immediate market) value of the training they offer rather than the rigor or value of “professional” legal training per se. This paper examines emerging alliances between U.S. law schools and other training providers and speculates about likely future patterns. It argues that law schools face increasing pressure to move away from their traditional strategy of diversification — providing a variety of specialized courses, clinics, concentrations, and degree programs within (or on top of) a formally unified J.D. curriculum — and toward strategies for institutional and market specialization. Formal organizational alliances are an increasingly important component of such strategies. Yet while there are many organizational partners for elite law schools serving global, corporate markets, there are fewer for law schools primarily serving local and consumer markets. Thus, law school alliances raise questions about the boundaries of unified legal education and, ultimately, the legal profession.
Vegetable Fiber Fermentation by Human Fecal Bacteria: Cell Wall Polysaccharide Disappearance and Short-Chain Fatty Acid Production during In Vitro Fermentation and Water-Holding Capacity of Unfermented Residues

Dietary fiber from eight vegetables (broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, lettuce, onion and radish) was analyzed for chemical composition and potential in vitro fermentation by human fecal bacteria. Total dietary fiber concentration of substrates ranged from 34.9 (broccoli) to 5.8 (cucumber) g/kg edible matter. Substrate fiber fractions were composed primarily of pectic substances and cellulose with smaller concentrations of hemicelluloses and lignin. Total dietary fiber residues isolated from substrates were fermented in vitro for 24 h with fecal bacteria obtained from each of three human volunteers. Substrate dry matter disappearance during fermentation was highest for carrot (63.7%) and lowest for cucumber (49.4%). Averaged across all substrates, disappearances of arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, xylose and uronic acids during fermentation were 96, 90, 54, 68, 51 and 97%, respectively. Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production during substrate fermentation averaged 10.5 mmol SCFA/g dry matter fermented. Averaged across all substrates, production of the major SCFA, acetate, propionate and butyrate, occurred in the molar ratio 76:14:10. Potential water-holding capacity of substrates was not influenced by fiber source and averaged 2.04 g H2O/g original substrate dry matter. Extent of substrate fermentation, SCFA production and substrate potential water-holding capacity were significantly different among inoculum donors, indicating that considerable inter-individual variation exists in the potential in vivo fermentation of vegetable fiber.
Los mercados prehispánicos La economía y el comercio

El mercado fue el centro de la vida social y economica en el Mexico antiguo. Era en los centros urbanos donde gran numero de personas se congregaba para comprar y vender las mercancias que necesitaba en su vida diaria. En las zonas rurales era en el mercado donde las familias podian vender algunos de los alimentos que producian y comprar los bienes artesanales que necesitaban
An integrated system for real-time software

A language supporting the construction of real-time software systems for reusable components is described in this paper. An architecture suited to the efficient execution of such software is also described. Additionally, the author provides a framework for analyzing real-time systems developed and executed in this context. Specifically, the assignment of modules to the processors of a parallel machine is considered and the analysis of programs to determine if deadlines are met is discussed. >
EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES ON THE PALMER DROUGHT SEVERITY INDEX IN THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES

The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of temperature and precipitation effects on the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Both theoretical and observational analyses were applied to separate and compare temperature and precipitation effects on PDSI. The results showed that because of the dependence of PDSI on the ‘climatologically appropriate rainfall’, which is a function of time and varies with surface air temperature, the PDSI can be equally affected by temperature and precipitation, when both have similar magnitudes of anomalies. Calculations using observational data further illustrated the temperature influence on PDSI in different climate regions in the central United States. The temperature effect on PDSI complicates the usage of the index in interpreting precipitation anomalies and its application in inferring precipitation variations, particularly from reconstructed PDSI. Copyright © 2000 Royal Meteorological Society.
3D Prestack Data Mining to Meet Emerging Challenges

As we enter the 21 century, geoscientists are expected to extract even more detailed information from seismic data. The effective utilization of 3D prestack imaged (migrated) data allows for a step change in the ability to extract stratigraphic and structural information from seismic data, improve qualitative and quantitative attribute analysis and compensate for, in the interpretation phase, limitations in the seismic processing process.