cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of asymmetrical frontal cortical activity in aggression

Aggression correlates with relatively greater left than right frontal electroencephalographic activity (inverse of EEG alpha power). The present experiment extends this research by manipulating frontal asymmetry and examining its effect on aggression. Participants were assigned to increase left frontal activation or increase right frontal activation by contracting their contralateral hand. They then received insulting feedback and played a game in which they could aggress toward the person who insulted them. Right-hand contractions caused greater left than right central and frontal activation and aggression as compared to left-hand contractions. Within the right-hand contraction condition, greater relative left frontal activity was associated with greater aggression.
Posterior components separation during retromuscular hernia repair.

Background Retromuscular ventral hernia repair with mesh is a durable technique. In this paper, we describe a novel technique which allows for significant mesh overlap via the retromuscular space in cases of massive ventral hernia.
Three-dimensional Vp and Vp/Vs models in the Coso geothermal area, California: Seismic characterization of the magmatic system

We combine classic and state-of-the-art techniques to characterize the seismic and volcanic features in the Coso area in southern California. Seismic tomography inversions are carried out to map the variations of Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs beneath Coso. The velocities in the top layers of our model are correlated with the surface geological features. The Indian Wells Valley, with high silica content sediment strata, shows low-velocity anomalies up to 3 km depth, whereas the major mountain ranges, such as the south Sierra Nevada and the Argus Range, show higher velocities. The resulting three-dimensional velocity model is used to improve absolute locations for all local events between January 1981 and August 2011 in our study area. We then apply similar-event cluster analysis, waveform cross correlation, and differential time relocation methods to improve relative event location accuracy. A dramatic sharpening of seismicity patterns is obtained after using these methods. We also estimate high-resolution near-source Vp/Vs ratio within each event cluster using the differential times from waveform cross correlation. The in situ Vp/Vs method confirms the trend of the velocity variations from the tomographic results. An anomalous low-velocity body with low Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs ratios, corresponding to the ductile behavior underlying the Coso geothermal field from 6 to 12 km depth, can be explained by the existence of frozen felsic magmatic materials with the inclusion of water. The material is not likely to include pervasive partial melt due to a lack of high Vp/Vs ratios.
Strategy Guideline: High Performance Residential Lighting

The Strategy Guideline: High Performance Residential Lighting has been developed to provide a tool for the understanding and application of high performance lighting in the home. The high performance lighting strategies featured in this guide are drawn from recent advances in commercial lighting for application to typical spaces found in residential buildings. This guide offers strategies to greatly reduce lighting energy use through the application of high quality fluorescent and light emitting diode (LED) technologies. It is important to note that these strategies not only save energy in the home but also serve to satisfy the homeowner's expectations for high quality lighting.
Mapping field crop evapotranspiration using airborne multispectral imagery

Multispectral video images were collected over a wheat field in Smithfield, Utah. The data included digital images in the green, red, near-infrared and thermal-infrared portion of the spectrum. The images were registered to each other. Three layers of reflectance and a surface temperature layer were computed from the images. Spatially distributed net radiation, soil heat flux and sensible heat were estimated using the layers along with meteorological data from the USU drainage farm weather station. The estimated fluxes were compared to independent measurement from a Bowen ratio energy balance system setup in the field.
An optimum symbol-by-symbol decoding rule for linear codes

A decoding rule is presented which minimizes the probability of symbol error over a time-discrete memory]ess channel for any linear error-correcting code when the codewords are equiprobable. The complexity of this rule varies inversely with code rate, making the technique particularly attractive for high rate codes. Examples are given for both block and convolutional codes.
Reverse mathematics of MF spaces

This paper gives a formalization of general topology in second-order arithmetic using countably based MF spaces. This formalization is used to study the reverse mathematics of general topology. For each poset P we let MF(P) denote the set of maximal filters on P endowed with the topology generated by {Np | p ∈ P}, where Np = {F ∈ MF(P) | p ∈ F}. We define a countably based MF space to be a space of the form MF(P) for some countable poset P. The class of countably based MF spaces includes all complete separable metric spaces as well as many nonmetrizable spaces. The following reverse mathematics results are obtained. The proposition that every nonempty Gδ subset of a countably based MF space is homeomorphic to a countably based MF space is equivalent to over ACA0. The proposition that every uncountable closed subset of a countably based MF space contains a perfect set is equivalent over to the proposition that is countable for all A ⊆ ℕ. The proposition that every regular countably based MF space is homeomorphic to a complete separable metric space is equivalent to over .
The Effects of Microwave Heating on the Properties of Raw Unextracted Soybeans for Utilization by the Chick

Abstract NUMEROUS workers have reported on various methods of heating unextracted soybeans for use in chick diets. The methods investigated include steam cooking at various pressures, extruding and infrared cooking. Combs (1960), Rogler and Carrick (1961) and Runnels (1961) reported on the utilization of steam cooking in the processing of unextracted soybeans. Other reports have been comprehensively reviewed by Featherston and Rogler (1966) and White et al. (1967). White et al. (1967) investigated infrared heating, autoclaving and extrusion as methods of processing unextracted soybeans. It was found that soybeans processed by these three methods approached the nutritional value of extracted soybean meal and soybean oil in isocalcoric-isonitrogenous rations. Hull et al. (1968) also conducted experiments to evaluate infrared heating and extrusion processing of unextracted soybeans for inclusion in broiler diets. These researchers found that diets which contained extruded soybeans supported chick performance equal or superior to rations which had solvent extracted…
Starc: static analysis for efficient repair of complex data

Data structure corruptions are insidious bugs that reduce the reliability of software systems. Constraint-based datastructure repair promises to help programs recover from potentially crippling corruption errors. Prior work repairs a variety of relatively small data structures, usually with hundreds of nodes. We present STARC which uses static analysis to repair data structures with tens of thousands of nodes. Given a Java predicate method that describes the integrity constraints of a structure, STARC statically analyzes the method to identify: (1) the recurrent fields, i.e., fields that the predicate method uses to traverse the structure; and (2) local field constraints, i.e., how the value of an object field is related to the value of a neighboring object field. STARC executes the predicate method on the structure and monitors its execution to identify corrupt object fields, which STARC then repairs using a systematic search of a neighborhood of the given structure. Each repair action is guided by the result of the static analysis, which enables more efficient and effective repair compared to prior work. Experimental results showthat STARC can repair structures with tens of thousands of nodes, up to 100 times larger than prior work. STARC efficiency is probably not practical for very large data structures in deployed systems, but opens a promising direction for future work.
Obesity's Effects on the Onset of Functional Impairment Among Older Adults

PURPOSE: This study has two purposes. First, it determines if there is a relationship between body weight and the onset of functional impairment across time among this sample of older adults. More specifically, it examines if obese older adults are more likely to experience the onset of functional impairment. Second, it explores how health behaviors and health conditions may explain the relationship between body weight and the onset of functional impairment. DESIGN AND METHODS: With the use of longitudinal data from the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) survey, logistic regression models on the onset of functional impairment over two time points are estimated for older adults. RESULTS: Results indicate that body weight (more specifically being overweight or obese) makes one more likely to experience the onset of functional impairment across various domains of impairment. Outside of health behaviors and health conditions, obesity has an independent effect on the onset of impairment in strength, lower body mobility, and activities of daily living. IMPLICATIONS: Study findings support the active treatment of weight problems in older adults. Future directions for research in this area should address effective weight management interventions targeting issues related to older individuals. Language: en
Solving chemical problems of environmental importance using cavity ring-down spectroscopy

Cavity ring-down (CRD) is a sensitive variant of traditional absorption spectroscopy that has found increasing use in a number of chemical measurement applications. This review focuses on applications of cavity ring-down spectroscopy that will be of interest to environmental chemists and analytical chemists working on environmental problems. The applications are classified into direct monitoring approaches, indirect analysis methods and ancillary studies and a differentiation is made between field-tested instruments and proof of principle studies.
Geodetic tilt measurements along the San Andreas Fault in central California

abstract Changes in tilt have been measured by annual or semi-annual spirit level surveys of small-aperture (40 to 400 m) bench mark arrays located at borehole tiltmeter sites along the San Andreas Fault in California. Because there are six or more bench marks in most arrays, the tilt is overdetermined, and realistic estimates of uncertainties can be made. The large arrays (aperture 300 m) afford a precision (two standard deviations) of about 3 μrad in measuring tilt, and the measured tilt remains constant to within ±5 μrad over periods of up to 5 years. The small arrays (aperture 10 μrad) in tilt within periods on the order of a year, but the best tiltmeters exhibit a stability comparable to that obtained from surveys of the large-aperture bench mark arrays.
Visual aftereffect of texture density contingent on color of frame

An aftereffect of perceived texture density contingent on the color of a surrounding region is reported. In a series of experiments, participants were adapted, with fixation, to stimuli in which the relative density of two achromatic texture regions was perfectly correlated with the color presented in a surrounding region. Following adaptation, the perceived relative density of the two regions was contingent on the color of the surrounding region or of the texture elements themselves. For example, if high density on the left was correlated with a blue surround during adaptation (and high density on the right with a yellow surround), then in order for the left and right textures to appear equal in the assessment phase, denser texture was required on the left in the presence of a blue surround (and denser texture on the right in the context of a yellow surround). Contingent aftereffects were found (1) with black-and-white scatter-dot textures, (2) with luminance-balanced textures, and (3) when the texture elements, rather than the surrounds, were colored during assessment. Effect size was decreased when the elements themselves were colored, but also when spatial subportions of the surround were used for the presentation of color. The effect may be mediated by retinal color spreading (Poppel, 1986) and appears consistent with a local associative account of contingent aftereffects, such as Barlow’s (1990) model of modifiable inhibition.
Cognitive intervention results in web-based videophone treatment adherence and improved cognitive scores

Background We report findings from an intervention study using telehealth modalities to determine whether provision of telehealth services can improve access to care and increase adherence to cognitive therapy in veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) while matching traditional care in terms of outcomes. Material and methods Veterans who were initially non-adherent to clinic-based cognitive therapy were offered a newly developed treatment. The control participants were selected from patient records of veterans who had completed cognitive treatment and matched to MOPS-VI participants on the basis of age, marital or relationship status, and composite memory index score. Baseline and post-treatment cognitive functioning as assessed by the Test of Memory and Learning 2nd Edition (TOMAL-2) was obtained for all participants. The MOPS-VI modules were designed to increase understanding of TBI and elicit problem-solving skills for attention and memory impairment. Results Sixty-seven percent of veterans (who were assigned to the MOPS-VI treatment group because they were initially non-adherent with the clinic-based treatment) completed the MOPS-VI telemedicine treatment. Results of a two-way analysis of Variance (ANOVA) comparing baseline and follow-up scores on the TOMAL-2 in the MOPS-VI and control groups revealed there was a significant pre-post assessment effect, indicating that participant's memory and learning improved after treatment for both MOPS-VI and standard treatment groups. There was no significant difference between clinic-based treatment and MOPS-VI therapy. Conclusions Preliminary evidence supports the efficacy of the treatment, defined as increased compliance in completing the treatment program, and improvements in standardized memory and learning test results comparable to those following clinic-based treatment.
Ovarian Progesterone Levels During in vitro Oocyte Maturation and Ovulation in Xenopus laevis

Endogenous progesterone was measured in ovaries of the frog Xenopus laevis following the administration of gonadotropins that induce meiotic maturation and ovulation of large oocytes. Ovarian pieces were incubated for 0, 1, 3, 5, or 10 h in Gurdon’s solution in the presence or absence of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG; 20 lU/mI) or a frog pituitary homogenate (FPH; 0.04 pituitary/mI). Each incubation sample was scored for ovulation and maturation at the end of its incubation period, homogenized in the medium, and extracted for progesterone with petroleum ether. Following purification on Sephadex LH-20, extracts were assayed for progesterone by a radioimmunoassay that was validated for use with frog ovarian tissue. In 13 experiments, mean (! SEM) progesterone concentration in untreated ovarian tissue was 3.7 ± 0.5 ng/gm at time zero and progesterone levels did not change significantly during 10 h of incubation. HCG-treated tissue (n = 6) exhibited a linear, two-fold increase in progesterone for the first 3 h of incubation and maintained that level for the remainder of the incubation. FPH treatment (n = 10) produced a linear six-fold increase in progesterone over the course of 10 h. Mean progesterone content across time was significantly greater (P<0.005) in FPH-treated tissue than in HCG-treated tissue. Both differed significantly (P<0.05) from untreated controls. In tissue treated with HCG the percent oocyte maturation was correlated (P<0.10) with both mean progesterone concentration across time and progesterone concentration at 10 h of incubation; ovulation did not occur. In FPH-treated tissue progesterone concentration was not correlated with percent maturation but was correlated (P<0.05) with the number of ovulations/gm. Treatment of ovarian pieces with the gonadotropins following a 10 h incubation in Gurdon’s solution produced effects similar to those following treatment at time zero. In vivo treatment with HCG prior to in vitro incubation of ovarian tissue with HCG or FPH resulted in an eight- or eleven-fold increase, respectively, in peak progesterone concentration as compared to tissue that was not pretreated in vivo. In two experiments large, preovulatory follicles contained sufficiently more (P<0.05) progesterone following FPH treatment than did smaller follicles. Both large and small FPH-treated follicles had significantly higher levels of progesterone than untreated control tissue.
China's economic growth in an international context

Abstract China is widely regarded as the most rapidly growing economy in the world over the past two decades. A growing number of studies, however, suggest that the official growth rate of 9.4 per cent for the years from 1978 through 1995 is biased upwards. No consensus has yet emerged on the degree of overstatement. Estimates range from as little as 1.2 percentage points per annum, which would still leave China near the apex of the world growth sweepstakes, to as much as 3.8 percentage points per annum, which would knock China off the list of the world's ten most rapidly growing countries. The principal source of growth has been factor accumulation, almost all due to China's high rate of investment, which has been financed almost entirely with domestic savings. Sustaining China's growth will require both maintaining the high rate of savings by households, who have emerged as the principal source of savings in the reform era, and increasing the contribution of technological progress. The most serious thre...
PREPARATION OF MONOMETHYL FUMARATE

(1983). PREPARATION OF MONOMETHYL FUMARATE. Organic Preparations and Procedures International: Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 233-238.
DDT congener effects on secondary sex coloration in the reed frog Hyperolius argus: a partial evaluation of the Hyperolius argus endocrine screen.

Organochlorine compounds such as o,p'DDT can mimic estrogen effects. We compared the effects of o,p'DDT and six other DDT congeners to the effects of estradiol by comparing in vivo color changes in the reed frog (Hyperolius argus). Premature female color pattern induction in H. argus is specific to estrogens and the current study suggests that this assay has potential for use in discriminating between xenobiotic estrogens and non-estrogens. Animals were treated at forelimb emergence and maintained in treated solution until final evaluation. Estradiol, o,p.DDT (0.1 microg/ml), o,p'DDE (1 microg/ml) and o,p'DDD (1 microg/ml) prematurely induced adult female coloration patterns in juvenile animals, whereas p,p'DDT, p, p'DDE and p,p'DDD did not.
Human resource strategies: some ecological cracks?

This article examines conventional models of human resource management from an ecological perspective, emphasizing the dynamic interrelationship between generalist and specialist organizational forms at the level of business populations.
Religious Plurality and Contemporary Philosophy: A Critical Survey

The fact of religious plurality and how to interpret this fact have in the 1 last decade become central issues in contemporary theology and philosophy of religion. The discussion in recent years has been focused on the debate between the pluralists and the inclusivists, as represented respectively in the volume edited by John Hick and Paul F. Knitter, The Myth of Christian Uniqueness: Toward a Pluralistic Theology of Religions and that edited by Gavin D'Costa, Christian Uniqueness Reconsidered: The Myth of a Pluralistic Theology of Religions.1 There is a range of definitions of pluralism and inclusivism, and the relation between the two obviously depends on these definitions. A reading of current literature, and especially the above-mentioned volumes, leads to these definitions: inclusivism is the view that sees truth and salvation in other religious traditions but understands these as manifestations of the truth and salvation that are known normatively in one's own tradition. Pluralism is the point of view that holds all the great religious traditions to be roughly equal in regard to truth and salvation; furthermore, pluralism maintains that no one religion is superior to or normative for the others.
Application of High-Intensity Ultrasound to Palm Oil in a Continuous System

High-intensity ultrasound (HIU) was used in a continuous system to change the crystallization behavior of palm oil. Different power levels (75, 110, and 180 W) and pulse durations (continuous application and 5, 10, and 15 s pulses) were used to optimize sonication conditions. Results showed that HIU applied at low power level (75 W) was the most efficient condition in inducing palm oil crystallization at 35 °C, generating a crystalline network with higher solid fat content (SFC), higher elasticity, and sharper melting profile after 60 min of crystallization. Changes in elasticity observed as a consequence of sonication were maintained after tempering the samples at 25 °C for 24 h, but were lost after tempering at 5 °C. No significant differences (α = 0.05) were observed in SFC values of the sonicated and nonsonicated samples after tempering, whereas the sharper melting behavior observed in the sonicated sample was maintained after tempering.
Religion and Class

While analyses of gender, ethnicity, and race have become widely accepted and are put to use in religious and theological studies, this is not the case with the notion of class. Despite the fact that race, gender, and class are often mentioned together, there is very little sustained reflection on class. Reflections on race and gender in religious and theological studies, while addressing issues of power, rarely include reflections on class. In the rare cases when class is addressed, especially in the United States, it is connected to notions of poverty, social stratification, or income differentials, which are insufficient at best and misleading at worst. Of course, investigating class does not mean turning one’s back to matters of gender, ethnicity and race. The intersectionality of these various factors is non-negotiable, yet without deeper understandings of class the analysis of the other factors is likely to suffer.
Serological evidence for localized and persistent antibody response in Zika virus-positive neonates with microcephaly (Brazil, 2015)- a secondary analysis

A recent publication in The Lancet by Cordeiro and colleagues reported levels of IgM for Zika (ZIKV) and dengue (DENV) viruses in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 31 infants born with microcephaly in Brazil. [The Lancet. 2016;387(10030):1811-1812. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30253-7.] Their study suggests higher titers in CSF relative to serum in individual neonates, but no quantitative comparisons are reported. In this short report, the differences in antibody titers are quantified and compared between sample sources; across sampling periods; and between sample sources within individual neonates to more comprehensively understand these data to inform serological surveillance. These are statistically significant differences in ZIKV titers between CSF and serum samples, (in contrast to DENV titers), and these ZIKV titer levels remain elevated across sampling dates, whereas the titer in serum trends downward by sampling date. In multivariate models, ZIKV titer in CSF samples is independent of titer in serum, and of DENV antibodies in both CSF and serum. These findings quantify the compartmentalization of ZIKV antigens across the blood-brain barrier, and suggest complex interplay between ZIKV and cross-reacting DENV antigens in congenital/neonatal infections.
Sympathetic augmentation of cardiac function in developing hypertension in conscious dogs

To determine the alterations in left ventricular (LV) function and the mechanisms involved that occur during the development of perinephritic hypertension, dogs were instrumented with a miniature LV pressure transducer, aortic and left atrial catheters, and ultrasonic crystals to measure LV diameter in the short and long axes and wall thickness. At 2 wk after initiation of perinephritic hypertension, increases (P less than 0.05) were observed in LV systolic pressure, LV end-diastolic pressure, both short- and long-axis end-diastolic diameters, calculated LV end-diastolic volume, stroke volume, global average LV systolic wall stress, first derivative of LV pressure (LV dP/dt), and ejection fraction, whereas mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (Vcf) and rate of change of LV short-axis diameter (LV dD/dt) rose but not significantly. At three levels of matched preload and afterload induced by the administration of graded doses of phenylephrine, Vcf, LV dD/dt, and LV dP/dt increased in hypertension compared with the same levels of preload and afterload before hypertension. When the loading conditions in the normotensive and hypertensive dogs were matched, either after ganglionic blockade or beta-adrenergic blockade, both isovolumic and ejection-phase indexes of LV function remained similar before and after hypertension. Thus we conclude that 1) LV function in intact, conscious dogs with early hypertension is enhanced, and 2) the major mechanism for the increase in LV function involves the sympathetic nervous system.
Investigation of Cathodic Reaction Mechanisms of H2S Corrosion Using a Passive SS304 Rotating Cylinder Electrode

The internal corrosion of pipeline steel in the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) represents a significant problem in the oil and gas industry. Its prediction and control pose a challenge for the corrosion engineers. In previously published research by the same authors, an electrochemical model of H2S corrosion was developed in both pure H2S and H2S/CO2 aqueous systems. An additional electrochemical cathodic reaction, direct H2S reduction, was uncovered based upon the carbon steel corrosion experimental results. However, in the carbon steel corrosion experiments, the Tafel’s region of cathodic reactions experienced interference by the anodic iron dissolution reaction, making the electrochemical kinetics of cathodic reactions unclear. In the present study, experimentation was conducted to better resolve the direct reduction of H2S while minimizing the effect of the anodic reaction by using a passive stainless steel working electrode. The electrochemical kinetics parameters for H2S reduction (i.e., Tafel s...
Political Issues in Endovascularsurgery

"Political issues" may determine the relative progress if not the ultimate success and acceptance of endovascular surgery as much as its intrinsic merits. These issues include turf battles, commercialization of newly developing technologies, unethical advertising, and self-serving reporting practices in presenting clinical results. Acceptable indications, methods of evaluating results, standardized reporting practices, appropriate "gold standards"for comparison, and controlled trials (without premature release) are recommended, as well as an emphasis on the future need for proper training and credentialing and quality assurance programs.
Meaningful use: an electronic medical record tool for cerebrospinal fluid shunt history

The care of patients with shunted hydrocephalus can be complicated. The best assessment is provided when all data are available to the neurosurgery practitioner. However, data can be time-consuming to gather, especially in the setting of a busy practice, a trainee environment with duty-hour restrictions, and an electronic medical record (EMR) not specifically designed for the needs of subspecialists. For these reasons, the complete clinical picture, especially the historical component, is sometimes not assembled. To address these shortcomings, the authors created a patient-level electronic CSF shunt history tool that leverages the power of the EMR concordant with the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services meaningful use principles. It is immediately available within the EMR for all users in all patient care contexts (e.g., outpatient, inpatient, perioperative, emergency, and remote access), centrally located, and designed to capture the vast range of circumstances inherent to the hydroce...
Analysis of workers' compensation disabling claims in Oregon's seafood preparation and packaging industry, 2007-2013.

Background Few occupational health and safety studies have focused on the US seafood preparation and packaging industry, and none on Oregon's seafood industry. Methods Oregon workers’ compensation (WC) disabling claims data were analyzed. Oregon Employment Department and US Census Bureau data were used as denominators for rates. Results During 2007-2013, there were 188 accepted disabling claims, with an average annual rate of 24 claims per 1000 workers. Men experienced a significantly higher rate (27.6 per 1000) than women. The most frequent incident characteristics and circumstances were: by nature—traumatic injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints (42%); by body part—upper extremities (44%); and by event—overexertion and bodily reaction (48%), and contact with objects and equipment (31%). Conclusion Analyzing WC disabling claims data provides important preliminary information for understanding workplace hazards to develop control strategies. Reducing traumatic and cumulative injury risk among seafood workers is paramount.
A comparison of Aqua MODIS ice and liquid water cloud physical and optical properties between collection 6 and collection 5.1: Cloud radiative effects

In our companion study, we show how cloud property products change from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) collection 5.1 (C51) to collection 6 (C6) for both ice and liquid water clouds through a pixel-to-pixel comparison. However, the question remains as to the full impacts of these cloud property differences between collections on the inference of cloud radiative effects (CREs). In this study, we address this question from a modeling perspective using one year (2012) of MODIS gridded annual-averaged ice/liquid water cloud properties at 0.5° × 0.5° spatial resolution. The rapid radiative transfer model for general circulation model applications is used to simulate the broadband radiative fluxes at the top of the atmosphere under clear-sky and cloudy-sky conditions. The shortwave, longwave, and net radiative effects of ice, liquid water, and total clouds are derived individually assuming different cloud optical property parameterization schemes. The results provide quantifications of ice and liquid water CRE contributions to the total CRE. We find significant differences in the simulated CREs between C6 and C51 for ice clouds (up to 23 W m−2 for the shortwave CRE) and liquid water clouds (approximately −4.5 W m−2 for the shortwave CRE). The C6 total CRE provides the closest match with the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System Energy Balanced And Filled product. Sensitivity studies are performed to estimate the impacts of different ice optical parameterization schemes and multilayer cloud overlap assumptions. Results show that the C6–C51 CRE differences are larger than the CRE variations caused by the other factors.
Tourism Life Cycle, Tourism Competitiveness and Upgrading Strategies in the Caribbean

In the 1980s Butler adapted the life cycle product model to the tourism industry and created the “Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model”. The model recognizes six stages in the tourism product life cycle: exploration, investment, development, consolidation, stagnation and followed, after stagnation, by decline or revitalization of the product. These six stages can in turn be regrouped into four main stages. The Butler model has been applied to more than 30 country cases with a wide degree of success. De Albuquerque and Mc Elroy (1992) applied the TALC model to 23 small Caribbean island States in the 1990s. Following De Albuquerque and Mc Elroy, the TALC is applied to the 32 member countries of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) (except for Cancun and Cozumel) to locate their positions along their tourism life-cycle in 2007. This is done using the following indicators: the evolution of the level, market share and growth rate of stay-over arrivals; the growth rate and market share of visitor expenditures per arrival and the tourism styles of the destinations, differentiating between ongoing mass tourism and niche marketing strategies and among upscale, mid-scale and low-scale destinations. Countries have pursued three broad classes of strategies over the last 15 years in order to move upward in their tourism life cycle and enhance their tourism competitiveness. There is first a strategy that continues to rely on mass-tourism to build on the comparative advantages of “sun, sand and sea”, scale economies, all-inclusive packages and large amounts of investment to move along in Stage 2 or Stage 3 (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico). There is a second strategy pursued mainly by very small islands that relies on developing specific niche markets to maintain tourism competitiveness through upgrading (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos), allowing them to move from Stage 2 to Stage 3 or Stage 3 to a rejuvenation stage.There is a third strategy that uses a mix of mass-tourism, niche marketing and quality upgrading either to emerge onto the intermediate stage (Trinidad and Tobago); avoid decline (Aruba, The Bahamas) or rejuvenate (Barbados, Jamaica and the United States Virgin Islands). There have been many success stories in Caribbean tourism competitiveness and further research should aim at empirically testing the determinants of tourism competitiveness for the region as a whole.
Women who carry a fragile X premutation are biologically older than noncarriers as measured by telomere length.

Women who carry a fragile X premutation, defined as having 55-200 unmethylated CGG repeats in the 5' UTR of the X-linked FMR1 gene, have a 20-fold increased risk for primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI). We tested the hypothesis that women with a premutation + FXPOI have shorter telomeres than those without FXPOI because they are "biologically older." Using linear regression, we found that women carrying a premutation (n = 172) have shorter telomeres and hence, are "biologically older" than women carrying the normal size allele (n = 81). Strikingly, despite having shorter telomeres, age was not statistically associated with their telomere length, in contrast to non-carrier controls. Further, telomere length within premutation carriers was not associated with repeat length but was associated with a diagnosis of FXPOI, although the latter finding may depend on FXPOI age of onset.
Experimental Power for Indirect Effects in Group-randomized Studies with Group-level Mediators.

Mediation analyses have provided a critical platform to assess the validity of theories of action across a wide range of disciplines. Despite widespread interest and development in these analyses, ...
EchoSafe: Sonar-based Verifiable Interaction with Intelligent Digital Agents

Voice controlled interactive smart speakers, such as Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod are becoming commonplace in today's homes. These devices listen continually for the user commands, that are triggered by special keywords, such as "Alexa" and "Hey Siri". Recent research has shown that these devices are vulnerable to attacks through malicious voice commands from nearby devices. The commands can be sent easily during unoccupied periods, so that the user may be unaware of such attacks. We present EchoSafe, a user-friendly sonar-based defense against these attacks. When the user sends a critical command to the smart speaker, EchoSafe sends an audio pulse followed by post processing to determine if the user is present in the room. We can detect the user's presence during critical commands with 93.13% accuracy, and our solution can be extended to defend against other attack scenarios, as well.
Public CPR and AED Knowledge: An Opportunity for Educational Outreach in South Carolina

Objectives Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, and the key to increased survival is emergent bystander intervention. A growing body of evidence has shown that timely bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation are significantly correlated with an increased likelihood of survival. Despite these demonstrated benefits, bystanders perform these interventions in less than half of witnessed SCA cases. We hypothesized that the level of public CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) knowledge may be limited and may play a role in the likelihood of intervening. Methods A convenience survey of potential bystanders to SCA was conducted in a high-traffic shopping center to estimate the overall knowledge level of CPR and AED usage and determine general attitudes toward intervening in the setting of SCA. Concurrently with the survey, professional emergency responders offered free bystander compression-only CPR and AED training on location. Results The majority of survey respondents expressed a willingness to perform the aforementioned interventions when asked directly. Results, however, indicate that although 69% of respondents consider themselves to have a general knowledge of CPR, only 18% spontaneously mentioned CPR when presented with a hypothetical SCA scenario. In addition, only 2.2% mentioned defibrillation, and 63% indicated that they would not know how to locate a public access AED when needed. Of the individuals who participated in both the survey and the training, all of them indicated that they were more likely to intervene in an SCA after receiving the training. Conclusions Our findings suggest that future public outreach efforts should target the current CPR and AED knowledge gap. They also indicate that free, brief trainings offered at public events are a feasible way to increase the knowledge and skills of potential bystanders to SCA.
Locus Computation in Dynamic Geometry Environment

The article is focused on investigation of geometric loci by current dynamic geometry software. On a few problems we illustrate ability of actual software to determine an unknown locus and its equation in terms of given properties using GeoGebra commands Locus and LocusEquation. After the use of these commands we present how computer arrives at the searched locus and how to analyze the cases when we get some extra components apart from the locus, either due to degenerate instances of the construction or due to Zariski closure of an algebraic set. We also demonstrate the ways how to attain new results by experiments, which would be hardly accessible without computers.
National Security: An Integration

The concept of national security is a relatively new one (Neocleous 2006). In 1934, the Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, published by Macmillan, had no entry for the term “national security.” By 1968, however, when the title of this same work was known as the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, there was not only an entry for this term but also the suggestion that the concept had been “long been used” by politicians and military leaders (Neocleous 2006, p. 364).
Design Philosophy of Long Range LFC Transports with Advanced Supercritical LFC Airfoils

With the interest in long range air transportation, the question arises concerning the design philosophy of long range LFC transports, which can reach any point on earth at high subsonic speeds with relatively large payloads without refuelling. Figure 1 shows as an example a 180,000 kg take-off gross weight LFC transport airplane with 50,000 kg payload (250 passengers plus cargo) cruising at M cruise = 0.83. Cruise lift to drag ratios of 39.4 appear feasible with 70% laminar flow on the wing-, tail-, nacelle- and strut surfaces by means of suitable geometry and boundary layer suction in the upstream parts of these surfaces, while accepting a turbulent fuselage. At the same time the induced drag to lift ratio D i /L = W/πqb 2 is minimized by raising the wing span b and aspect ratio b 2/S. Advanced overall and detailed design concepts were used to minimize the wing structural weight [Ref. 1].
Sambo Dialects: Defining National Language Boundaries via Early Representations of Stereotypically Black Speech

Taking up the origins of another feature of the stereotype of foolish blackness or purported black irrationality, the fourth chapter explores the cultural work enacted by a long history of estranging idioms spoken by blackfaced fools. On the one hand, the invitation to laugh at the misspeaking of pan-European performers in blackface contributed to proto-nationalist projects standardizing different vernacular languages across Western Europe. On the other hand, the spreading stereotype of the black misspeaker defined a transnational meta-discourse voicing early modern proto-racist ideology defining black peoples as inherently irrational and hence inferior. In particular, the type of the childish, Sambo-like, broken-speaker can be found, alongside the spread of African slavery, in drama across Western Europe from the fifteenth century on.
Defining limits on efficacy of CD8 T cell-based HIV vaccines

It is generally accepted that an effective HIV vaccine should be able to induce neutralizing antibodies and memory CD8 T cells. Yet, basic features of protective CD8 T cell responses remain poorly defined. Using recently published data from a cohort of HIV-infected patients that were followed from the onset of symptoms into the chronic phase, we determined the basic quantitative in vivo features of HIV-specific CD8 T cell responses. First, we found that the number of responses recognizing different viral epitopes (immune response breadth) varied greatly between patients and on average, 8 epitopes were recognized by CD8 T cells. Surprisingly, we found that in most patients the breadth did not change significantly over the course of first year of infection suggesting that most HIV-specific T cell responses were primed in acute infection. There was a strong negative correlation between the predicted precursor frequency and the rate of expansion of epitope-specific T cells suggesting intraclonal competition. Finally, we found that the majority of CD8 T cell populations expanded and contracted in unison; however, about 20% of all CD8 T cell responses had a discordant dynamics suggesting interclonal competition. Taken together, our results suggest that effective control of HIV infection can be achieved with broad CD8 T cell response if vaccine-induced breadth is larger than that induced by a natural infection. However, broader T cell response will likely lead to interclonal competition between responses, and boosting the magnitude of epitope-specific T cell responses may reduce the expansion rate of these responses due to intraclonal competition. Our results thus suggest potential limits on the efficacy of CD8 T cell-based HIV vaccines.
Sub-Cyclic Damaging Ferroresonant Overvoltages in 230 kV Transmission Systems Field Experience of 230 kV Transformer-Ended Cable Feeders Failure

Extensive research and world-class standards have reported the ferroresonance phenomenon as a low-frequency temporary overvoltage with a range of voltage shape starting from 1 cycle. This paper provides a case study for a typical 230 kV transformer-ended cable feeder configuration that has experienced damaging ferroresonant overvoltages in 3/4 cycle. Ferroresonant overvoltages were recorded in two (2) different incidents and a similar 230 kV feeder configuration with magnitudes exceeding 2.75 pu in 12 ms causing a phase insulation breakdown in power transformers and a longitudinal insulation breakdown in circuit breakers. Waveform records captured at 32 samples per cycle are analyzed and used to validate a PSCAD/EMTDC model. Trigger mechanisms of this sub-cyclic ferroresonance profile are identified and preventive/protective measures are discussed based on recommendations for IEEE and IEC standards.
Lithium and development imaginaries in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia

Abstract The world’s largest deposits of lithium lie in brines found underneath salt flats in the desert between Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. Globally, lithium may reduce fossil fuel use by making batteries for cars and renewable energy storage more affordable. This article analyzes ongoing debates about lithium in these three countries to identify what hopes, fears and expectations different stakeholders are bringing to debates about lithium. My approach builds on the idea of resource imaginaries, particularly the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries that highlights the importance of science and technology to projections of desirable futures. I analyze the tensions, visions and metaphors used by different stakeholders, including activists, the media, and state and industry officials, to imagine and thus legitimate lithium extraction. This study finds three co-existing positions in these debates: lithium as a commodity, as a strategic resource or as the subject of a sociotechnical imaginary. Chile, Argentina and Bolivia are converging on the last of these, best described as a reimagining of the relationship between mining and development in which lithium, through innovation and industry, will redefine the relationship between Latin American economies and global markets. This imaginary projects a binary between raw and industrial materials and deterministically assumes that science and technology will transform the former into the latter. Disagreements and challenges notwithstanding, the article argues that this imaginary is evidence of a crisis of confidence in development that is creating space for a more dynamic debate about the social value of mining and the proper role of the state in development. This convergence will have also implications for how sustainable, equitable and reliable lithium production will be.
Impact of chronic total occlusion on ventricular arrhythmia and mortality in ischaemic cardiomyopathy patient with implantable cardiac defibrillator: a meta-analysis.

AbstractBackground: Recent studies suggested that chronic total occlusion of the coronary artery increased risk of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) and all-cause mortality in ischaemic cardiomyopathy (I...