cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using MODIS Terra 250 m imagery to map concentrations of total suspended matter in coastal waters

High concentrations of suspended particulate matter in coastal waters directly effect or govern numerous water column and benthic processes. The concentration of suspended sediments derived from bottom sediment resuspension or discharge of sediment-laden rivers is highly variable over a wide range of time and space scales. Although there has been considerable effort to use remotely sensed images to provide synoptic maps of suspended particulate matter, there are limited routine applications of this technology due in-part to the low spatial resolution, long revisit period, or cost of most remotely sensed data. In contrast, near daily coverage of medium-resolution data is available from the MODIS Terra instrument without charge from several data distribution gateways. Equally important, several display and processing programs are available that operate on low cost computers.
Urban Infrastructure Policies and Capital Spending in City Manager and Strong Mayor Cities

This paper analyzes the standard infrastructure policies of seven Texas city manager cities and seven Indiana strong mayor cities to (1) determine whether different levels of formality are associated with the policies; (2) assess differences in financial participation required of private developers and city governments; and (3) determine whether the resulting capital expenditure patterns of the cities vary. I use qualitative analysis, analysis of variance, and regression analysis to address these objectives. The analyses suggest that infrastructure policies of the strong mayor cities and city manager cities reflect two different approaches to the provision of public capital facilities. City manager policies are more formalized and have greater specifications for oversizing and cost sharing between the city and developers. Strong mayor policies are informal, flexible, and based on "case-by-case" consideration of developers' proposals. The different policy environments also seem to affect capital spending f...
Determining critical gust loads on aircraft structures using an evolutionary algorithm

In this paper an evolutionary algorithm (EA) is shown to be a feasible approach to solving the problem of determining the characteristics of wind gusts that result in critical loading of aircraft structures. The EA outperforms a traditional method suitable for solving linear problems, and is then extended to nonlinear problems for which there is no effective solution methodology.
Nanoparticle enhanced thermal therapies

Thermal therapies such as hyperthermia, radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, etc. have shown great potential and are gaining increasing clinical acceptance in the treatment of solid tumors. However, these treatment modalities are limited by the size of tumor that can be treated, incomplete tumor kill, and damage to adjacent normal tissues. To address these limitations, the concept of adjuvant-assisted thermal therapies has been proposed and tested to enhance the tumor destructive effects of thermal therapies. CYT-6091, a pegylated colloidal gold nanoparticle containing TNF-alpha bound to its surface, has been extensively investigated in our lab as an adjuvant to enhance thermal therapies. This paper describes our investigations of nanoparticle enhanced thermal therapies in various preclinical and translational models of solid tumors.
Unleashing the genome of brassica rapa.

The completion and release of the Brassica rapa genome is of great benefit to researchers of the Brassicas, Arabidopsis, and genome evolution. While its lineage is closely related to the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, the Brassicas experienced a whole genome triplication subsequent to their divergence. This event contemporaneously created three copies of its ancestral genome, which had diploidized through the process of homeologous gene loss known as fractionation. By the fractionation of homeologous gene content and genetic regulatory binding sites, Brassica’s genome is well placed to use comparative genomic techniques to identify syntenic regions, homeologous gene duplications, and putative regulatory sequences. Here, we use the comparative genomics platform CoGe to perform several different genomic analyses with which to study structural changes of its genome and dynamics of various genetic elements. Starting with whole genome comparisons, the Brassica paleohexaploidy is characterized, syntenic regions with Arabidopsis thaliana are identified, and the TOC1 gene in the circadian rhythm pathway from Arabidopsis thaliana is used to find duplicated orthologs in Brassica rapa. These TOC1 genes are further analyzed to identify conserved noncoding sequences that contain cis-acting regulatory elements and promoter sequences previously implicated in circadian rhythmicity. Each 'cookbook style' analysis includes a step-by-step walkthrough with links to CoGe to quickly reproduce each step of the analytical process.
Cascaded Switching Networks of Two-Input Flexible Cells

This paper studies a class of switching networks which are constructed by cascading two-input, single-output completely flexible binary logical cells. It is assumed that each cell can be adjusted at will in order that any one of the sixteen possible switching functions of its two binary inputs may be obtained at its single output lead. An n-input cascaded network is composed of n-l, two-input, single output logical cells. The inputs to a typical cell Ai consist of a signal variable Xi and the output ai from the preceding cell Ai-1. For the end cell A1 the inputs are the signal variables X0 and X1. The output is derived from the terminal cell An-1. In view of the growing interest in the area of ``self-organizing'' or ``adaptive'' switching networks, the study of the type of network just discussed seems to be pertinent. The results presented here are pertinent to typical n-input cascaded structures, and consist of characterization and enumeration of the class of all n-place realizable switching functions, test procedure for the determination of the realizability of arbitrary n-place switching functions, and finally determination of all possible cascaded structures for synthesis of realizable n-place switching functions. The paper develops some new techniques especially suited to the present study. These techniques may also hopefully find applications in other types of logic synthesis.
Avoiding unnecessary surgery in irritable bowel syndrome.

Protecting patients with IBS from the risks and costs of unnecessary surgery Surgery has no role in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the prototypic functional bowel disorder.1 Nevertheless, since Ryle2 reported a high appendectomy rate in such patients nearly 80 years ago, descriptive case series, population-based studies and comparisons of patients with IBS with subjects without IBS and patients with inflammatory bowel disease3–8 have shown that patients with IBS are predisposed to surgery. In two large groups of patients with IBS, cholecystectomy and hysterectomy, which are mainly elective procedures, were increased threefold and twofold, respectively, and the primarily emergency operation, appendectomy, was also increased twofold.5,7 Other abdominopelvic operations, especially colon resection, are also increased,7 as is back surgery.5 Much of this increased surgery must be unnecessary, and high surgical rates have been reported from the UK, Western Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Latin America and South Africa. The association of IBS with normal appendiceal pathology after urgent appendectomy, as reported by investigators from Taiwan in this issue,9 ( see page 655 ) further emphasises the worldwide importance of avoiding unnecessary surgery in IBS. How much surgery is unnecessary on patients with IBS and the reasons for this problem are difficult to ascertain from studies that are retrospective and lack information on surgical pathology. Furthermore, unlike appendicitis, gallstones and uterine pathology are often asymptomatic and are not life threatening, so their documentation does not necessarily mean that surgery was needed. If hysterectomy is performed for dysfunctional uterine bleeding and chronic pelvic pain (CPP), consistent elimination of bleeding with variable pain relief complicates assessment of the overall benefit. Nevertheless, the available data identify preoperative misdiagnosis of the aetiology of pain as a major reason for increased abdominopelvic surgery in patients with IBS. The prospective study by …
The Squeezing of Eddies through Gaps

Abstract The islands of the Lesser Antilles present a porous meridional barrier to North Brazil Current (NBC) rings. To better understand if, when, and how a NBC ring could be squeezed into the Caribbean Sea through such a gappy barrier, the encounter of a westward drifting eddy with a porous meridional wall is considered. First an eddy encountering a single aperture is modeled. To do so, both an analytical model and a reduced-gravity primitive equations numerical model are used. This was followed by numerical experiments that explored eddy collisions with barriers containing many gaps. In all of these models, the collisions were forced by either β or a steady advection through the gap(s). Using integrated constraints, an analytical solution was constructed for a zero potential vorticity lens passing through a single gap on a β plane. The solution involves a small parameter e, the ratio of the short timescale associated with the f-plane adjustment, and the long encounter timescale due to β. It is found th...
Voluntary, non-visual control of the human vestibulo-ocular reflex

Voluntary control of the human vestibulo-ocular reflex with and without visual targets was investigated. Subjects were rotated sinusoidally from 0.1 to 1.0 Hz using d.c. electro-oculography to record eye position. The ratio of eye to head movement, or gain, of the vestibulo-ocular reflex was measured. When subjects were rotated in the dark at 0.3 Hz whilst performing mental arithmetic the gain was 0.65. When subjects were asked to fixate imaginary targets in the dark that were stationary in space, the gain rose to 0.95. When they imagined targets rotating with them on the chair, the gain dropped to 0.35. Our results indicate that the ability to modulate the gain of the vestibulo-ocular reflex does not depend entirely on the smooth pursuit system. Higher centers must modulate eye velocity so that it is appropriate to the subject's choice of a frame of reference, whether or not vision is available.
AN ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH COMPOSITION TEST ESSAY PROMPTS FOR DIFFERENTIAL DIFFICULTY

The purpose of this study was to conduct a detailed analysis of the difficulty over time of the essay prompts for the English Composition Achievement Test (ECT) with Essay of the College Board. Differential difficulty was explored by considering whether the relationship between the reference groups—male and white students—and the focal groups—female, American Indian, Asian American, Asian American ESL (English Second Language), black, Hispanic, and Hispanic ESL students—had remained constant over the seven years studied. The study used ECT data for seven of the last eight years: 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990. In order to study the relationship between the ECT objective and the ECT with Essay, linear regressions and conditional means of essay scores on objective scores were computed. For each comparison, difference lines for the regressions and conditional means were plotted in order to identify any years with aberrant differences. These differences were very consistent across the years, indicating that test developers had been successful in using essay prompts that did not generally cause groups to perform differentially. Two essay prompts, however, were identified that contained characteristics that may have been related to differential performance. It is recommended that these findings be followed by analysis of more essay prompts and by more research into the nature of the essay performance of minority and ESL groups.
Controls on soil biodiversity: insights from extreme environments

Abstract Research in low biodiversity extreme environments allows separation of the climatic, soil and biological interactions that determine soil biodiversity and community structure. Studies focused on the response of low diversity communities in soils of the Antarctic Dry Valleys and the Chihuahuan Desert of the southwestern USA, to manipulations of soil resources and climate, offer the best opportunity to learn about the environmental controls on soil biodiversity and the role of biodiversity in soil functioning. We propose that insights based on research in these extreme environments should be applicable to understanding soil biodiversity in more complex, temperate and tropical ecosystems. The study of extreme soil ecosystems may also provide information on the response of soil biodiversity to increasing occurrences of environmental extremes that are predicted to occur from global change models. Studies from hot and cold deserts show that decomposition-based food webs can be very simple, that aridity produces similar mechanisms for survival and dispersal of organisms in temperate and polar systems, that suitable soil habitats are patchily distributed in arid environments, and the low biodiversity of extreme soil ecosystems creates little or no functional redundancy making these systems susceptible to disturbance. We suggest that species within the same functional group can have small differences in ecology that are sufficient to affect ecosystem processes. When this occurs, differential responses of species to disturbance within a functional group will not stabilise the soil ecosystem, but rather lead to dramatic changes in community composition and ecosystem process rates.
Teaching Undergraduates to think Like Scientists

The author discusses the importance of incorporating research into undergraduate curricula. Pedagogical approaches include faculty-directed research projects, off-campus internships, and researchoriented courses (R-courses). Examples of R-courses are reviewed, and an introductory microbiology course that teaches first year students "how to do science" is described in detail. R-courses can be used to enhance the learning of students across academic disciplines.
Multiparameter analysis of gamma radiation from the Barwell, St. Séverin and Tatlith meteorites

Abstract Cosmogenic gamma-emitting radionuclides in the Barwell, St. Severin and Tatlith stone meteorites were measured shortly after fall in a non-destructive gamma-gamma coincidence counting system. Comparison of the St. Severin results with specific activities reported by other investigators on nearby samples of Stone D confirms the location of the preatmospheric surface. An initial factor-of-two buildup in the concentrations of the low-energy spallation products Na22, Al26 and Mn54 is observed at 10–20 cm depths. Activity ratios in Barwell, St. Severin and Tatlith are compared with 9 published analyses of other freshly-fallen stone meteorites. Relying primarily on Be 10 Al 26 activity ratios, the various specimens are arranged in order of increasing depth, samples of Granes, Harleton and St. Severin (DII2) being least shielded and Bruderheim, Tatlith and St. Severin Stone A most shielded. In the least-shielded samples the Sc 46 Mn 54 activity ratio is 0.34, some three times larger than expected from artificial bombardment data. All the Cr 51 Mn 54 ratios are higher than predicted, but the ratio of 2.1 in the unshielded Granes sample is highest of all, a factor of three greater than expected. The three least-shielded samples have Co 60 Mn 54 ratios much higher than that of any specimen except the well-shielded St. Severin A sample. The relative enrichment in Cr51 and Sc46 can be explained by a low-energy solar flux, on the order of 5 nucleons/cm2/sec between 50 and 200 MeV. The Co60 surface enrichment suggests a history of exposure to solar flares.
Exciton-polaritons at room temperature in dielectric microcavities exhibiting rabi-splitting Ω R ≫ 100 meV

Exciton-Polariton states are observed at room temperature in planar sputter-coated dielectric microcavities containing 5 nm thick film of J-aggregated dye as excitonic layer exhibiting Rabi-splitting ΩR ≫ 100meV and empty cavity Q factor ≫> 700.
Mechanism Of Action For The hERG Potassium Channel Activator, PD-118057

Drug-induced long QT syndrome is a disorder characterized by impaired repolarization of the ventricular action potential which can lead to arrhythmia and sudden death. The most common form involves block of hERG1a channels which encode Ikr current in myocytes. Compounds which activate hERG1a channels could then provide an effective treatment for this disorder. We have studied a recently identified hERG1a activator, PD-118057, using the two microelectrode voltage clamp technique to analyze its affect on hERG1a current expressed in Xenopus oocytes. At 10 microM, PD118057 enhanced wild-type hERG1a current by slowing the rate of inactivation and shifting the voltage dependence to more positive potentials. Consistent with an inactivation perturbing mechanism, PD118057 failed to enhance the current magnitude of an inactivation removed hERG1a mutant channel, G628C/S631C. Unlike other hERG1a activators such as RPR260243, PD118057 did not alter the rate of hERG1a deactivation, suggesting a distinct binding site on the channel protein. Wild-type dEAG1 does not exhibit C-type inactivation and, as expected was unaffected by 10 microM PD118057. A single mutation in the S6 domain (Ala478Gly) of dEAG1 introduced a fast inactivation mechanism with similar time constants as for hERG1a channels. Ala478Gly dEAG current magnitude was enhanced by PD118057 in a concentration dependent manner through removal of the fast inactivation process. In contrast, other S6 mutations that introduce a marginally slower inactivation mechanism did not exhibit sensitivity to PD118057.
Design of stable recurrent fuzzy-logic-controllers

Controllers based on fuzzy logic belong to the class of static or memoryless nonlinear controllers and provide better control than is possible using linear control. The major strength of fuzzy controllers lies in the way a nonlinear output mapping of a number of inputs can be specified easily using fuzzy linguistic variables and fuzzy rules. When we use fuzzy logic in feedback control, we in effect have a nonlinear system with feedback and the resulting system could potentially become unstable. In this work, we show how we can design feedback systems (with fuzzy control) that are guaranteed to be stable. This approach can also be used to design stand-alone feedback fuzzy systems (or recurrent fuzzy systems) that are guaranteed to be stable. >
Screening for diabetic kidney disease in primary care for the underinsured: A quality improvement initiative

Abstract Purpose Screening rates for DKD in primary care are low, even though diabetes accounts for 44% of all new kidney disease cases. The purpose of this project was to determine if a primary care team for the underinsured improved screening and diagnosis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) after initiating a quality improvement (QI) process. Methods A chart audit with feedback, provider education of clinical practice guidelines, and strategies from TeamSTEPPS™ were implemented with the inter-professional primary care team. Results Pre/post-intervention chart audit analysis showed the frequency of ordering microalbumin increased from 50.3% (n=148) to 75% (n=148), and diagnosing DKD rose from 3.3% (n=10) to 10.7% (n=21) over three months ( P =.000). Conclusion Implementing a QI process in underinsured primary care centers improved the compliance of proper screening and diagnosing DKD AND introduced inter-professional practice competencies and teamwork strategies not previously recognized at the centers.
XXIII.—A List of Flowering Plants found growing wild in Western Norfolk

(1841). XXIII.—A List of Flowering Plants found growing wild in Western Norfolk. Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Vol. 8, No. 50, pp. 171-191.
Injectable Collagenase (Clostridium histolyticum) for Dupuytren’s Contracture: Results of the CORD I Study

The purpose of this study was to conduct a Phase 3, FDA-regulated, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of injectable collagenase (Clostridium histolyticum) as a novel nonsurgical treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture. A total of 308 patients with MP or PIP joint contractures of ≥20° were randomized in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective study at 16 different sites in the USA. A total of 306 patients were analyzed for efficacy. Up to three collagenase injections (0.58 mg/injection) or placebo into the affected cord at 30 day intervals were given. On day one post injection, the joints were then manipulated with the use of a standardized procedure (finger extension) in an effort to rupture the cords. The primary endpoint was a reduction in primary joint contracture to 0–5° of full extension (0°) 30 days after the last injection. Results showed that the primary endpoint of 0–5° of full extension was significantly higher in patients injected with collagenase as compared to placebo (64.0% vs. 6.8%, p < 0.001) Overall, joint range of motion was significantly improved after collagenase treatment (43.9–80.7o) compared with placebo treatment (45.3–49.5o) (p < 0.001). Most commonly reported adverse events were localized edema, pain, swelling, bruising, pruritus, and transient regional lymph node swelling and pain, which resolved well in a median of 10 days. Three treatment-related serious adverse events were reported: two tendon ruptures and one complex regional pain syndrome. No significant changes in flexion or grip strength, no systemic allergic reactions, and no arterial or nerve injuries were observed.
Population trends of the Galápagos Penguin : Impacts of el niño and la niña

The Galapagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) population probably has always been small and largely restricted to the islands of Fernandina and Isabela. Counts suggest the current population of Galapagos Penguins is likely between 4,250 and 8,500, half of what it was in the early 1970s. Population size has varied and declined probably because of substantial changes in oceanic conditions. Body condition as evidenced by weight is enhanced during cold surface water conditions, La Nina, and deteriorates when surface waters are warmed, El Nino, and under the most severe conditions, penguins starve. Analysis of a long-term data set from counts of the population suggests that the population has fluctuated, dropping precipitously after the 1982-1983 El Nino and has since then been recovering very slowly. This parallels the overall warming in the Pacific during the last 20 years associated with the more frequent El Nino and less frequent La Nina events. These trends suggest that long-term global climate warming is likely to threaten the Galapagos Penguin population particularly because the population is small and its distribution restricted. New threats from climatic warming and increasing human perturbations such as fishing, inadvertent discharge of petroleum products, and transport of potential predators and pathogens to islands increase the risk of extinction.
Time Travel in Indeterministic Worlds

There is no possible world in which someone travels back in time and kills her self as a baby. All possible worlds are internally consistent; the one just described would not be. For this reason, autoinfanticide is metaphysically impossible. This metaphysical impossibility is philosophically intriguing because unlike most impossible events, we can vividly picture how it might look. Time travel itself seems possible, and for those who arrive in the past with proper equipment and training, the actual infanticide should not be difficult. The considerations in this paper have led me to conclude that there are indeterministic worlds in which instances of autoinfanticide have a chance of succeeding, sometimes even a high chance. Some may be tempted to resist this conclusion, uncomfortable with the notion that something metaphysically impossible can have a positive chance. Understandably, they expect something which happens at no world to also have no chance of happening. However, no plausible theory of chance fits these pre conceptions.
Before the “Triple Bottom Line” New Deal Defense Housing as Proto-sustainability

Those who aspire to practice “sustainable development” often bemoan the difficultly of achieving the ideal balance of the three E’s made famous in the Brundtland Report: economy, ecology, and equit...
Reoperative Anti-incontinence Surgery

Reoperative anti-incontinence surgery can be a challenging clinical entity. A thorough evaluation of persistent or recurrent urinary incontinence, including a history, physical exam, and additional diagnostic testing is needed to determine the onset and severity of leakage, previous treatments, contributing etiologies and health of the underlying urethral tissue. With regard to technique, repeat anti-incontinence surgery ranges from cases with near standard anatomy and easily identifiable tissues that differ little from the original operation, to those with obliterated tissue planes, as in the setting of previous radiation or extensive tissue destruction from prior dissection and local infections. Here in, we present a stepwise approach to management of the most common scenarios for repeat anti-incontinence surgery.
Studies on Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Oryza rufipogon near the Tropic of Cancer in China

The Tropic of Cancer in China has been recognized as the center of Oryza rufipogon with abundant superior genes such as resistance to diseases and pests.To provide information for the conservation of O.rufipogon in this area,342 individuals from 13 populations near the Tropic of Cancer in Laibin City,Guangxi Autonomous Region,were collected and studied for the genetic diversity and population structure with 26 SSR primer pairs which were distributed among the genome of rice.The results indicated that:(i) Relatively high level of genetic variation was detected both at species(A=9.154,Ae=4.446,I=1.547,He=0.671) and population levels(P=95%,A=4.219,Ae=2.394,I=0.905,He=0.476) comparing to previous studies on O.rufipogon.(ii) The genetic differentiation(Gst=0.30) suggested that 30% genetic variation existed among populations,meaning that most variation happened among the individuals within populations.(iii) The cluster analysis showed that genetic identity among populations was negatively correlated with geographical distance,consistent with the isolation by distance model for the isolation populations.Based on the above results and the conservation actuality of O.rufipogon in China, it could be concluded that population G13 and G06 should be given priority for in-situ conservation.
Effectiveness of a thoracic multidisciplinary clinic in the treatment of stage III non-small-cell lung cancer.

Introduction The Institute of Medicine, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the European Society of Medical Oncology promote a multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of cancer. Stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents a heterogeneous group of diseases necessitating coordination of care among medical, radiation, and surgical oncology. The optimal care of stage III NSCLC underscores the need for a multidisciplinary approach.
Introduction Conservatism and the Intergenerational Imagination

An astute reader of Edmund Burke, William Hazlitt recognized that within Burke’s conservatism lurked an anti-capitalist social ecology: he writes, “To think of reducing all mankind to the same insipid level, seemed to him [Burke] the same absurdity as to destroy the inequalities of surface in a country, for the benefit of agriculture and commerce.” As much as he was opposed to the hierarchical and nationalist aspects of Burke’s work, Hazlitt admires his critique of competitive individualism, particularly the ways in which it reveals how the scramble for privatization, improvement, and profit will irrevocably erode diverse, communal, social ecologies. Like Hazlitt, in my reading of Burkean conservatism, “I do not say that his arguments are conclusive; but they are profound and true, as far as they go” (SW 56). This book argues that Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790) is the beginning of a strand of Romantic political conservatism that is committed to environmental conservation. Romantic conservative critiques of modernity — found in texts as diverse as poetry, novels, political philosophy, natural history, and agricultural periodicals — all manifest conservative-conservationist reactions against the progressive ideology of capitalist modernity. Like the Reflections, they locate communal futurity in the past by championing localized, customary communities and practices that have been, in Burke’s words, “formed by habit” (R 315).
The preparation of some highly reactive, three membered ring organic compounds as cryochemical reagents, and the low temperature mass spectrometric study of their stability and molecular energetics

Preparation of reactive cyclic compounds using cryochemical techniques, and low temperature mass spectrometric stability and molecular energetics study
Into the arms of dolls: Japan’s declining fertility rates, the 1990s financial crisis and the (maternal) comforts of the posthuman

AbstractJapan’s 1990s financial crisis proved psychically traumatic for many men, their trauma exacerbated by decades of falling fertility rates and related sociospatial attenuation. The crisis disrupted a range of heteronormative practices that had stabilized post-war gendered identities, especially marriage and stay-at-home motherhood. Some men consequently began seeking comfort in the company of youthful-looking, large-format, hyper-feminized commodity-dolls of which there are two psychical kinds: ‘infantile’ dolls used largely by precariously positioned young men for comfort and play; and expensive ‘Oedipal’ silicone sex dolls associated with Japanese salarymen whose jobs had become less secure. Both have worked emotionally for two reasons: dolls are evocative of the maternal – the basis of intersubjective (be) longing/Eros; and the dolls are owned, ownership allowing pleasure and control more securely to intertwine. Following the oil crisis and the de-industrialization that followed, men in racially ...
Once a physicist: Scott Russell Sanders

Why did you choose to study physics? I spent much of my childhood outdoors, exploring the woods, fields and creeks. I was drawn to science initially as a way of learning about the aspects of nature that I could actually see – rocks, bugs, clouds, fossils, birds, stars and the like. As I grew up in Tennessee and Ohio during the 1950s and 1960s, reading about nuclear weapons and satellite launches, I became more interested in the dimensions of nature that I could not see – the infinitesimally small and the unimaginably large – and in the evolution of the universe. This interest led me, as a high-school student, to the passionate study of physics.
Participant-Informant Relationships Affect Quality of Life Ratings in Incipient and Clinical Alzheimer Disease.

Objective Clinical trials in incipient and clinical Alzheimer disease (AD) often include informant-reported outcomes. Whereas informant reports in AD dementia may be modulated by the nature of participant–informant relationships, whether informant type affects reporting at earlier disease stages is less certain. We sought to determine the effects of participant–informant relationships on informant assessments of quality of life (QOL), functional abilities, and behavioral symptoms in individuals with normal cognition (NC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and mild-to-moderate AD dementia. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Easton Center for Alzheimer Disease Research at the University of California, Los Angeles. Participants A total of 399 individuals who met criteria for NC (N = 100), MCI [amnestic (N = 125) and nonamnestic (N = 61)], and AD (N = 113). Participants were subdivided into groups based on informant–participant relationships (spouse versus other). Measurements We examined informant effects on the Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) scale, the Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ), and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Results After adjustments for demographic and cognitive factors, spouse informants reported higher participant QOL in the amnestic MCI and AD groups than did other informants. No informant effects were seen on QOL-AD ratings in the nonamnestic MCI or NC groups or on the FAQ or NPI in the MCI and AD groups. Conclusions Participant–informant relationships may modulate informant responses on subjective measures such as the QOL-AD in both incipient and clinical AD. Clinical trials that use informant measures may need to address these effects.
Antecedents of Suicide among Youth Aged 11-15: A Multistate Mixed Methods Analysis.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth aged 11 to 15, taking over 5,500 lives from 2003 to 2014. Suicide among this age group is linked to risk factors such as mental health problems, family history of suicidal behavior, biological factors, family problems, and peer victimization and bullying. However, few studies have examined the frequency with which such problems occur among youth suicide decedents or the context in which decedents experience these risk factors and the complex interplay of risk that results in a decedent’s decision to take his/her own life. Data from a random sample of 482 youth (ages 11–15) suicide cases captured in the National Violent Death Reporting System from 2003 to 2014 were analyzed. The sample had fewer girls than boys (31 vs. 69 %) and comprised primarily White youth (79 %), but also African Americans (13 %), Asians (4 %), and youth of other races (4 %). Narrative data from coroner/medical examiner and law enforcement investigative reports were coded and analyzed to identify common behavioral patterns that preceded suicide. Emergent themes were quantified and examined using content and constant comparative analysis. Themes regarding antecedents across multiple levels of the social ecology emerged. Relationship problems, particularly with parents, were the most common suicide antecedent. Also, a pattern demonstrating a consistent progression toward suicidal behavior emerged from the data. Narratives indicated that youth were commonly exposed to one or more problems, often resulting in feelings of loneliness and burdensomeness, which progressed toward thoughts and sometimes plans for or attempts at suicide. Continued exposure to negative experiences and thoughts/plans about suicide, and/or self-injurious acts resulted in an acquired capacity to self-harm, eventually leading to suicide. These findings provide support for theories of suicidal behavior and highlight the importance of multi-level, comprehensive interventions that address individual cognitions and build social connectedness and support, as well as prevention strategies that increase awareness of the warning signs and symptoms of suicide, particularly among family members of at-risk youth.
Cost Effectiveness Strategy to Predict Postoperative Bleeding in Von Willebrand Disease.

Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common congenital bleeding disorder, affecting up to 1% of the population. In type 1 VWD, which accounts for 65% of the disease, bleeding may be mild and up to 50% may have a normal screening APTT. Thus, in many the diagnosis may be missed and excess bleeding may occur postoperatively, which could potentially be prevented if reliable preoperative predictors existed. In order to assess possible predictors of postoperative bleeding and determine a cost-effective strategy to predict postoperative bleeding in patients with type 1 VWD, we constructed a decision tree model to test various screening strategies, including bleeding severity score (BSS), VWD assays (VWF:RCo; VWF:Ag, VIII:C), platelet function (PFA-100), and family bleeding history (Fam Hx), alone and in combination, in various sequence. For the model, sensitivity and specificity of coagulation tests, BSS, and family bleeding history were determined on 129 subjects with type 1 VWD, including 74 experiencing postoperative bleeding prior to diagnosis and 55 experiencing no postoperative bleeding prior to diagnosis. BSS was determined for each subject at the time of diagnosis (but prior to surgical bleeding), based on abstracted outpatient medical records. Testing, transfusion, and hospitalization costs were based on local costs, and DDAVP cost was based on average wholesale price. Outcomes were testing strategy cost and strategy effectiveness, as measured by postoperative bleeding risk. It was assumed that all patents testing positive, based on a given strategy, would receive preoperative DDAVP and be 100% protected from bleeding; and that those who developed postoperative bleeding would require three days of hospitalization and receive a transfusion. In the base case analysis, with VWD prevalence of 1%, BSS 3 3 and the Test Series (any of VWF:RCo VWF:Ag, F.VIII) dominates over all other strategies, based on having the highest sensitivity. When prevalence is varied 0–1%, the strategy of BSS 3 3 and the Test Series seems a reasonable choice if prevalence is 3 1%. At 1% prevalence, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) is about $103,000 which is at the edge of what may be considered economically reasonable. However, the ICER, for this strategy falls fairly rapidly, and is
The Liriomyza (Agromyzidae: Schizophora: Diptera) of California

The Californian species of Liriomyza Mik are revised, including descriptions, illustrations, photographs and a key to species. Sixty-three species are now known to occur in the state, 12 of which are described here as new: L. bispinula, L. conclavis, L. cunicularia, L. merga, L. miserabilis, L. nebulosa, L. parabella, L. phyllodes, L. projecta, L. salpingion, L. tricornis and L. trixivora. Liriomyza virginica Spencer is included as a junior synonym of L. helianthi Spencer, and L. similis Spencer is included as a synonym of L. artemisiae Spencer. Two species are newly recorded in the United States: L. equiseti Meijere, previously known from Canada and Europe, and L. montana Sehgal, previously known from Canada. A number of specimens of L. brassicae (Riley) have been identified as potential new host “races” or species. Morphological characters are provided to diagnose the sister species L. huidobrensis (Blanchard) and L. langei Frick, previously recognizable only on the basis of molecular data. Numerous new state, county and host records are also presented, and hosts are compared for five of the most common North American agricultural pests: L. brassicae, L. huidobrensis, L. langei, L. sativae Blanchard and L. trifolii (Burgess). California contains the highest diversity of Liriomyza known to occur in North America, containing approximately 70% of all described species known from the lower 48 states.
Unconventional regulation for unconventional energy in Northern Colorado? Municipalities as strategic actors and innovators in the United States

Abstract Since the early 2000s, the U.S. has experienced a rapid increase in domestic unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD). Continuing a legacy as an oil and gas producing state, Colorado has emerged as a leader in this development. Yet these extraction practices have created a burden for municipal governments who have had little to no previous exposure to oil and gas development and were thus unprepared to regulate it. Through the application of a strategic action field (SAF) theoretical framework, this paper examines the processes through which local governments—Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado—have pursued divergent strategies to regulate UOGD in their city limits, and the extent to which collective incumbents and challengers in the broader field environment have wielded meaning making practices and other resources to influence these strategies. To explore this understudied area of the governance process, I primarily draw from qualitative interviews with city staff and council members. Results suggest that both meaning making and power are critical components of strategic field action, and that the social skill of meaning making is in itself a form of power.
Exploring the Effect of Gender and Disability on Gross Motor Performance in Kindergarten Children

Background: Gross motor movement is a vital part of the growing process and ultimately plays a role in a person’s ability to lead a physically active life. Researchers have analyzed the different ways in which individuals develop skills. At the heart of that discussion has been gender. Most recently, researchers have focused on the differences among various forms of disability. However, little has been done to understand how these variables interact with each other in the development of gross motor skills. Objective: Therefore, in this study I sought to explore the interaction of disability and gender on gross motor performance. Method: Utilizing a national dataset, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 dataset (ECLS-K), I utilized a 2 × 2 factorial ANOVA to understand the effects of gender and disability on gross motor score. Results: A large sample (N = 16,960) was utilized to indicate a significant interaction effect of gender and disability, as well as significant main effects. Results suggest that both gender and disability have an effect on gross motor performance; specifically, boys with disabilities are at a higher risk for having low gross motor skills. Conclusion: The significant results from this analysis demonstrate that gender and disability have an effect on the gross motor ability of young children. In contrast to other literature, in this study female participants performed slightly better than male participants did, and in line with other research, in this research the group without disabilities demonstrated a better gross motor score than the group with disabilities. Subscribe to TPE
Effect of Donor Strength and Bulk on Thieno[3,4-b]-pyrazine-Based Panchromatic Dyes in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Near-infrared-absorbing organic dyes are critically needed in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine (TPz) based dyes can access the NIR spectral region and show power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to 8.1 % with sunlight being converted at wavelengths up to 800 nm for 17.6 mA cm−2 of photocurrent in a co-sensitized DSC device. Precisely controlling dye excited-state energies is critical for good performances in NIR DSCs. Strategies to control TPz dye energetics with stronger donor groups and TPz substituent choice are evaluated here. Additionally, donor size influence versus dye loading on TPz dyes is analyzed with respect to the TiO2 surface protection designed to prevent recombination of electrons in TiO2 with the redox shuttle. Importantly, the dyes evaluated were demonstrated to work well with low Li+ concentration electrolytes, with iodine and cobalt redox shuttle systems, and efficiently as part of co-sensitized devices.
Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor in a Patient With BAP1 Tumor Predisposition Syndrome.

Background Germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1-associated protein-1 (BAP1), a nuclear ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase with evidence suggestive of independent tumor suppressor function, predispose affected families to uveal melanoma, cutaneous melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, malignant mesothelioma, and possibly a range of other tumors and malignancies as part of the BAP1 tumor predisposition syndrome, a recently recognized hereditary cancer syndrome. Case Description A 50-year-old woman presented with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the left fifth metatarsal head. Further examination revealed a right renal mass and left breast mass. Her family history was significant for astrocytoma, melanoma, cholangiocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Genetic testing revealed a BAP1 mutation in the proband. Conclusions Although there have been reports of sarcomas and meningiomas in patients affected with BAP1 mutations, to our knowledge malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors in this patient population have not been previously reported. We report a case of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in a patient affected by a BAP1 mutation.
Protein biomarkers for subtyping breast cancer and implications for future research.

Introduction: Breast cancer subtypes are currently defined by a combination of morphologic, genomic, and proteomic characteristics. These subtypes provide a molecular portrait of the tumor that aid...
The influence of social networks, social capital, and the ethnic community on the U.S. destination choices of Mexican migrant men

Compared to the overwhelming emphasis on the causes of international migration, less attention has been paid to immigrant destination choice. Studies which have addressed destination outcomes are g...
Hidden Plaquette Order in a Classical Spin Liquid Stabilized by Strong Off-Diagonal Exchange.

We report a new classical spin liquid in which the collective flux degrees of freedom break the translation symmetry of the honeycomb lattice. This exotic phase exists in the frustrated spin-orbit magnets where a dominant off-diagonal exchange, the so-called $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ term, results in a macroscopic ground-state degeneracy at the classical level. We demonstrate that the system undergoes a phase transition driven by thermal order by disorder at a critical temperature ${T}_{c}\ensuremath{\approx}0.04|\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}|$. This transition reduces the emergent spherical spin symmetry to a cubic one: spins point predominantly toward the cubic axes, yet seem to remain disordered at $Tl{T}_{c}$. Importantly, we show that the phase transition corresponds to a hidden plaquette ordering of hexagonal fluxes, which explicitly breaks the cubic symmetry, a scenario that is confirmed by our extensive Monte Carlo simulations. We further compute the dynamical structure factors of the spin-liquid phase and reveal unusual dynamical properties of the hexagonal flux parameters.
An Assessment of the Measurement Validity of the Value-Relevant Involvement Scale

Two studies assessed the construct validity of the value-relevant involvement scale (Cho & Boster, 2005), (N = 308 and N = 285). Study 1 assessed the extent to which VRI was related to attitude structure and self-reports of behavior about a topic. Study 2 tested the extent to which VRI can predict reactions to counterattitudinal messages. The data were consistent with the hypotheses proposing that VRI is associated with the strength of biased processing outcomes including perceiving bias in the source, the belief that the source’s supporters have been misled, and arguing about the topic on Facebook.
The Effect of Surface Contamination on the Drift Velocity of Water Waves

This paper presents a study on the effect of surface contamination on the damping of progressive waves and on the second order Eulerian drift. The results are shown to subsume those obtained by Phillips in the limiting case of an inextensible film. The quasi-steady states are examined.
Using Domain Requirements to Achieve Science-Oriented Provenance

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) is adopting the use of formalized provenance to support observational data products produced by ARM operations and relied upon by researchers. Because of the diversity of needs in the climate community provenance will need to be conveyed in a domain-oriented context. This paper explores a use case where semantic abstract workflows (SAW) are employed as a means to filter, aggregate, and contextually describe the historical events responsible for the ARM data product the scientist is relying upon.