cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intraspecific variability in the life histories of endemic coral-reef fishes between photic and mesophotic depths across the Central Pacific Ocean

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) represent the lowest depth distribution inhabited by many coral reef-associated organisms. Research on fishes associated with MCEs is sparse, leading to a critical lack of knowledge of how reef fish found at mesophotic depths may vary from their shallow reef conspecifics. We investigated intraspecific variability in body condition and growth of three Hawaiian endemics collected from shallow, photic reefs (5–33 m deep) and MCEs (40–75 m) throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago and Johnston Atoll: the detritivorous goldring surgeonfish, Ctenochaetus strigosus, and the planktivorous threespot chromis, Chromis verater, and Hawaiian dascyllus, Dascyllus albisella. Estimates of body condition and size-at-age varied between shallow and mesophotic depths; however, these demographic differences were outweighed by the magnitude of variability found across the latitudinal gradient of locations sampled within the Central Pacific. Body condition and maximum body size were lowest in samples collected from shallow and mesophotic Johnston Atoll sites, with no difference occurring between depths. Samples from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands tended to have the highest body condition and reached the largest body sizes, with differences between shallow and mesophotic sites highly variable among species. The findings of this study support newly emerging research demonstrating intraspecific variability in the life history of coral-reef fish species whose distributions span shallow and mesophotic reefs. This suggests not only that the conservation and fisheries management should take into consideration differences in the life histories of reef-fish populations across spatial scales, but also that information derived from studies of shallow fishes be applied with caution to conspecific populations in mesophotic coral environments.
First-time homebuying: attitudes and behaviors of low-income renters through the financial crisis

AbstractWe use psychological theory to investigate how attitudes toward homebuying relate to first-time home purchases over the past decade. Homeownership rates in the US have dropped to 20-year lows, but whether views toward homebuying shifted due to the financial crisis is not known because studies have not compared attitudes for the same respondents pre- and post-crisis. We address this gap with 2004–2014 panel data from low-income renters. We find that a negative shift in homebuying attitudes is associated with a decline in first-time home purchases. Older renters aged more than 35 years at baseline report the greatest declines in homebuying intentions. Younger renters aged 18–34 also report diminished homebuying intentions, yet express highest overall levels of homebuying intentions pre- and post-crisis. Blacks report greater homebuying intentions although their odds of home purchase are 29 per cent lower than whites. Homebuying norms and favorability are associated with homebuying intentions but not...
From Bench to Bedside: The Hampton University Skin of Color Research Institute 2015 Skin of Color Symposium

The Hampton University Skin of Color Research Institute Skin of Color Symposium 2015: From Bench to Bedside was held in Williamsburg, Virginia at the Williamsburg Lodge, November 13–15, 2015. The conference was designed to promote, develop, and advance the education, knowledge, and research of cutaneous disorders disproportionately affecting people of racial and ethnic minority groups. Centered on the theme of "From Bench to Bedside", the symposium provided a program featuring a diverse panel of nationally recognized physician-scientists, basic scientists, and clinicians who updated attendees on the latest research advances across multiple relevant disciplines, including public health, basic science, and the clinical diagnosis and management of select complex and rare dermatologic conditions. Featured sessions included recent advances in vitiligo, disorders of hyperpigmentation, keloids, central centripetal cicatricial alopecia, and cutaneous lupus. We expect that the scientific sessions and interactive panel discussions, combined with the synergistic environment that has characterized this conference, will spur the formation of new collaborations and scientific discovery and, ultimately, will culminate in novel treatments for dermatologic disorders disproportionately affecting individuals with skin of color.
A novel UAV electric propulsion testbed for diagnostics and prognostics

This paper presents a novel hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed for systems level diagnostics and prognostics of an electric propulsion system used in UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle). Referencing the all electric, Edge 540T aircraft used in science and research by NASA Langley Flight Research Center, the HIL testbed includes an identical propulsion system, consisting of motors, speed controllers and batteries. Isolated under a controlled laboratory environment, the propulsion system has been instrumented for advanced diagnostics and prognostics. To produce flight like loading on the system a slave motor is coupled to the motor under test (MUT) and provides variable mechanical resistance, and the capability of introducing nondestructive mechanical wear-like frictional loads on the system. This testbed enables the verification of mathematical models of each component of the propulsion system, the repeatable generation of flight-like loads on the system for fault analysis, test-to-failure scenarios, and the development of advanced system level diagnostics and prognostics methods. The capabilities of the testbed are extended through the integration of a LabVIEW-based client for the Live Virtual Constructive Distributed Environment (LVC-DC) Gateway which enables both the publishing of generated data for remotely located observers and prognosers and the synchronization the testbed propulsion system with vehicles in the air. The developed HIL testbed gives researchers easy access to a scientifically relevant portion of the aircraft without the overhead and dangers encountered during actual flight.
Sensitivities of large-aperture plasmonic metasurface flat lenses in the long-wave infrared

Plasmonic metasurface lenses based on polarization conversion are inherently limited in efficiency, and as a result, they have been given sparse attention in favor of higher-performing dielectric variants. However, recent proposals for expanding the design beyond a single interface offer hope for efficient plasmonic structures. Before developing these multi-layer structures, we wish to better understand dependencies of 2D plasmonic designs. Here we demonstrate the spectral, polarization and geometrical sensitivities of nine large-scale variants of the original V-antenna lens design at λ0 = 8μm. We show that the spectral response oscillates rapidly within a span as small as λ0/320, and that strong focusing can occur at both the designed polarization state, and its orthogonal state–and with differing focal distances. Additionally, we determine that the lens performance is only weakly tied to the size of the discretization, offering only marginal improvement as the discretization approaches a continuum.
The Impact of Exchange Rate Exposure on Multinationals' Credit Risk

This article explores the correlation between exchange rate exposure and multinationals' credit risk. Existing credit risk models do not distinguish between domestic and multinational companies, thus excluding the unique implications of exchange rate exposure on multinationals’ credit risk. Empirical results reveal that when stochastic foreign exchange is incorporated into the Merton model, most default probabilities increase. Parametric and nonparametric tests point to statistically significant differences between the traditional Merton model and the multinationals model. The proposed multinationals model is found to have higher predictive power. A simulation experiment illustrates the superiority of the new multinationals model within observed lenient policy.
Laparoscopy: the preferred method of cholecystectomy in the morbidly obese.

Background Morbid obesity has been considered a contraindication to laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Methods To evaluate this we reviewed our first 201 patients undergoing LC and compared the operative procedure and outcome in morbidly obese (greater than or equal to 100 pounds over ideal body weight [IBW]) and nonobese patients. We also compared a group of morbidly obese patients who underwent standard open cholecystectomy (n = 11) with the obese group undergoing LC (n = 21). All groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, and symptoms (acute vs chronic). The obese groups undergoing LC and open cholecystectomy had similar weights (134.0 +/- 9.4 pounds over IBW [range, 100 to 286 pounds] and 133.8 +/- 6.0 pounds over IBW [range, 108 to 170 pounds], respectively) and were significantly different from the nonobese group undergoing LC (28.3 +/- 2.0 pounds over IBW [range, 23 to 98 pounds]). Parameters evaluated included operative time, resumption of normal diet, length of postoperative hospitalization, complications, conversion to open procedure, and ability to perform cholangiography. Results There were no statistically significant differences between the obese and nonobese groups undergoing LC in any parameters studied (operative time, 151.7 +/- 4.0 minutes vs 160.7 +/- 9.9 minutes; tolerance of diet, 1.2 +/- 0.1 days vs 1.1 +/- 0.1 days; time to discharge, 2.0 +/- 0.1 days vs 1.8 +/- 0.2 days; complications, 7.0% vs 0.0%). Operative time (117.6 +/- 11.6 minutes) was shorter (p = 0.45) in obese patients undergoing open cholecystectomy. However, time to normal diet and length of postoperative hospitalization were significantly longer (3.1 and 4.6 days, respectively; p less than 0.01), and there were more complications (18.2%). Conclusions Rather than being contraindicated in the morbidly obese, LC appears to be the preferred method of cholecystectomy.
A Behavior Setting Approach to Microanalytical Simulation Models at the Community Level

Barker’s social accounting system for the town of Midwest is unique in both coverage and conception. Though official data systems exist for private enterprises and government, his includes churches, voluntary associations and a good deal more on schools than is found in the U.S. Census of Governments. The individual reporting unit distinguished in most official systems (manufacturing establishments, stores, etc.) may also contain many behavior settings. Similarly, the variables collected and structural detail on the internal characteristics of behavior settings extend well beyond traditional financial accounting variables that are given most emphasis in government data systems.
Better Hearing is Better Seeing: Molecular Photoacoustic Contrast Agents

The photoacoustic effect-the generation of a sound wave upon absorption of light by a sample-was developed over the past decades into photoacoustic imaging (PAI), and related technologies. These imaging modalities combine the advantages of optical imaging techniques (high resolution) with those of ultrasonic imaging (deep imaging depth). The light absorption by a tissue sample can be because of endogenous absorbers (such as hemoglobin or melanins). Alternatively-and most advantageously-is the use of exogenous dyes as contrast agents. Borg and Rochford present in this Journal (Photochem. Photobiol., 2018, https://doi.org/10.1111/php.12967) a comprehensive review of molecular dyes reported as contrast agents for PAI, referred to as molecular photoacoustic contrast agents (MPACs). Highlighted here is PAI as a most promising biomedical imaging modality and the importance of the rational development of novel, high-efficiency MPACs, an endeavor for which Borg and Rochford provided an excellent resource for novices and experts in the field, and anyone else interested in bioimaging or the interaction of light with chromophores.
Identifying weak interdomain interactions that stabilize the supertertiary structure of the N-terminal tandem PDZ domains of PSD-95

Previous studies of the N-terminal PDZ tandem from PSD-95 produced divergent models and failed to identify interdomain contacts stabilizing the structure. We used ensemble and single-molecule FRET along with replica-exchange molecular dynamics to fully characterize the energy landscape. Simulations and experiments identified two conformations: an open-like conformation with a small contact interface stabilized by salt bridges, and a closed-like conformation with a larger contact interface stabilized by surface-exposed hydrophobic residues. Both interfaces were confirmed experimentally. Proximity of interdomain contacts to the binding pockets may explain the observed coupling between conformation and binding. The low-energy barrier between conformations allows submillisecond dynamics, which were time-averaged in previous NMR and FRET studies. Moreover, the small contact interfaces were likely overridden by lattice contacts as crystal structures were rarely sampled in simulations. Our hybrid approach can identify transient interdomain interactions, which are abundant in multidomain proteins yet often obscured by dynamic averaging.
Shifting Expectations: Understanding Youth Employees' Handoffs in a 3D Print Shop

As digital fabrication technology has become mainstream, the increased demand for 3D printed objects has created a new market for professional outsourcing. Given that most of this work does not require advanced training, and is an appropriate entry-level manufacturing job, there is an exciting opportunity to employ youth already skilled in "making" and interested in technology to do this work as an after-school job. The combination of this new technology and workforce calls for new workflows that streamline client-driven digital manufacturing. However, the limitations of current digital fabrication technology and youth schedules require that this work be spread between multiple shifts, necessitating employees to coordinate and handoff their work. We investigated the collaborative practices between youth employees while working on client jobs in a 3D print shop during one year of field work. In this paper, we describe instances where youth employees successfully, and unsuccessfully, handed off work between shifts and identify techniques utilized by youth to support successful handoffs, including: counting physical artifacts, using asynchronous chat programs, and documenting work. We then discuss the impact of the print shop manager's presence, physical characteristics of 3D prints, and youth perspectives of work on the selection of and effectiveness of these techniques. Finally, we offer lessons learned from successful handoffs in the print shop and recommendations for supporting youth in collaborative work environments.
Effect of processing and oil type on carotene bioaccessibility in traditional foods prepared with flour and puree from orange‐fleshed sweetpotatoes

Consumption of Orange‐Fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) and products as source of provitamin A is being promoted to tackle vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in sub‐Saharan Africa. However, limited information is available on β‐carotene retention in foods and delivery after digestion. The study assessed carotene retention and bioaccessibility following in vitro digestion on traditional foods having OFSP among the ingredients. Sunflower oil, margarine and beef fat were evaluated on their effect on β‐carotene bioaccessibility. Porridge and chapatis were prepared with either OFSP puree or flours in the formulations. Carotene retention was highest in chapatis (83%) as compared to porridge (65%). Micerallisation efficiency of all‐trans β‐carotene was comparable between similar products but greater in chapatis (62%) than porridge (11%). Sunflower oil had the highest all‐trans β‐carotene bioaccessibility compared to margarine and beef fat. The results support the promotion of consumption of OFSP‐based products as good source of provitamin A to fight VAD.
Expression and Response to Hypoxia of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in Rat and Rabbit Tissues

VEGF is a potent and specific endothelial cell mitogen and an important regulator and inducer of angiogenesis. Recent finding of capillary budding in hypoxic rat brain suggested that hypoxia might initiate angiogenesis in brain. As a key factor of angiogenesis VEGF is thought to be potent in the basement membrane destruction and leakage. It can enhance microvascular permeability with a potency some 50,000 times that of histamine,11 which is likely to elicit hypoxic cerebral edema. The pathologic findings of cerebral thrombosis and petechial hemorrhages12 in high altitude cerebral edema are also consistent with VEGF physiological effects such as induction of thromboplastin activity5 and stimulation of von Willebrand factor release from endothelial cells.2 We surmise that VEGF may contribute to hihgh altitude cerebral edema (HACE). Here we report the expression and responce to hypoxia of VEGF mRNA, VEGF protein and its receptor (flt-1) in hypoxic tissues
A Bayesian Knock Event Controller

A new Bayesian knock event control system is proposed in which the controller maintains the probabilities of different theories regarding the unknown spark angle of BorderLine audible knock, using them to select an optimal control move. Unlike previous controllers that reset every time a control move is made, the new controller incorporates all prior information, thereby giving improved control as more data arrives. Uncertainty can also be injected into the model to maintain transient performance and adaptability to real changes (as opposed to disturbances) that might occur as a result of changes in operating condition. This tradeoff and several variants of the new controller design are investigated using Monte Carlo simulations to obtain rigorous and repeatable statistical assessments of closed-loop behavior. The results show that the controller can deliver fast transient response with reduced cyclic variability and improved steady-state performance with respect to a classical control strategy.
MFOX-Technology, transceiver design and performance

The multipurpose fiber optic transceiver (MFOX) family of fiber-optic transceivers will provide standard, military-qualified off-the-shelf transmitters and receivers for ground-based tactical fiber-optic communications. The author describes these units and their capabilities for diverse military applications.
8 – Materials Science

Publisher Summary Materials possess two types of structures—atomic structure and microscopic structure. All materials are composed of atoms, which in turn consist of a nucleus and a number of shells of planetary electrons. The simplest representations of atoms are known as Bohr models. Such models are somewhat oversimplified and are incapable of explaining all atomic characteristics. Radicals are combinations of atoms that are particularly stable and which are involved in chemical reactions without being decomposed into their constituent elements. The valence electrons are responsible for the bonding forces holding materials together. In addition to an atomic picture of metals, a microscopic one is also of value in explaining the behavior of material. The structure of metals is studied microscopically by polishing the surface of a small specimen of metal until it is flat and free of scratches. Galileo differentiated between solids and liquids depending on whether a finely divided solid would stand up in a pile, like sand, or flow into a puddle, like pitch. Classification of materials into solid or liquid may also be made in terms of structure. According to this point of view, a solid has a long-range order in its structure, whereas a liquid contains many holes or imperfections and has only a short-range order.
Fatty acid-like Pt(IV) prodrugs overcome cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer by harnessing CD36.

Resistance to the platinum-based chemotherapy drug, cisplatin, is a significant setback in ovarian cancer. We engineered fatty acid-like Pt(IV) prodrugs that harness the fatty acid transporter CD36 to facilitate their entry to ovarian cancer cells. We show that these novel constructs effectively kill cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells.
Pericytes as Cell Therapy for Locomotor Recovery

The purpose of this review is to explore the rationale and evidence for using pericytes in cell therapy applications to improve locomotor recovery post-injury. Pericyte adaptability in form and function aids in maintaining central nervous system homeostasis after injury but can also contribute to pathology. Current cell therapy techniques involve manipulation of endogenous pericytes to enhance their pro-recovery activities and manipulation of exogenous pericytes in vitro for injection post-injury. The mechanisms of pericyte-induced recovery of locomotor function are unclear but seem to involve stabilization of vascular functions and regulation of vascular and axonal growth. Injected exogenous pericytes, manipulated in vitro before injection, could provide neurotropic signals that promote recovery and/or differentiate and take the place of missing neuronal components. Pericytes have emerged as novel candidates for cell therapy-mediated tissue recovery. Pericytes are harvestable cells that have the potential to be a readily translatable therapy for locomotor recovery. The field is in a state of infancy. Although promising, at this point only pre-clinical evidence exists. Choosing a consistent and reliable source of pericytes, characterizing them extensively, and then applying these principles in a large animal model of central nervous system injury could help to move the field towards clinical trials.
An Empirical Investigation of Contextualized Number Prediction

We conduct a large scale empirical investigation of contextualized number prediction in running text. Specifically, we consider two tasks: (1)masked number prediction– predict-ing a missing numerical value within a sentence, and (2)numerical anomaly detection–detecting an errorful numeric value within a sentence. We experiment with novel combinations of contextual encoders and output distributions over the real number line. Specifically, we introduce a suite of output distribution parameterizations that incorporate latent variables to add expressivity and better fit the natural distribution of numeric values in running text, and combine them with both recur-rent and transformer-based encoder architectures. We evaluate these models on two numeric datasets in the financial and scientific domain. Our findings show that output distributions that incorporate discrete latent variables and allow for multiple modes outperform simple flow-based counterparts on all datasets, yielding more accurate numerical pre-diction and anomaly detection. We also show that our models effectively utilize textual con-text and benefit from general-purpose unsupervised pretraining.
Age of Man Environmentalism and Respect for an Independent Nature

The debate about a new geological epoch ‘The Anthropocene’ has helped spawn ‘Age of Man Environmentalism’ (AME). According to AME, humans’ planetary impact indicates that respect for independent na...
Diagnosis of venous thromboembolism using clinical pretest probability rules, D-dimer assays, and imaging techniques.

ABSTRACT Venous thromboembolism is a significant clinical entity that includes two associated medical disorders: deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. The goal of this article is to describe the optimal approach to evaluating venous thromboembolism including pretest probability clinical decision rules and appropriate testing to ensure an accurate diagnosis.
Power and Efficacy of Maternal Voice in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: Implicit Bias and Family-Centered Care.

Implicit bias can lead medical professionals in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) to disregard mothers who are Black and economically disadvantaged as they advocate for their infants’ health. Disregard can weaken underlying communication principles within the Family-Centered Care (FCC) model of pediatric health in NICUs and increase maternal distress. This study is the first to address communication disregard by examining mothers’ perceived power and efficacy of voice with NICU doctors and nurses. We hypothesized that mothers who are Black and economically disadvantaged would report lower efficacy of voice and higher levels of distress as compared to White mothers with higher income. During pre-assessment within a small clinical trial of a parenting intervention, 33 racially and economically diverse mothers, from three Midwest NICUs serving the urban poor, responded to a 14-item measure of maternal power and efficacy of voice and measures of somatization, depression, anxiety and eating/sleeping disorders. Nonparametric examinations assessed the relation of power and efficacy of voice to maternal race, income, and distress. In contrast to White, higher-income mothers, Black, economically disadvantaged mothers reported lower perceived efficacy of voice with doctors (U = 74.5, d = 0.65) and nurses (U = 74.0; d = .0.66). These mothers with lower perceived efficacy with doctors and nurses, reported higher levels of somatization (U = 16.5, d = 1.14; U = 13.5, d = 1.38, respectively) and eating disorders (U = 14.0, d = 1.29; U = 12.0, d = 1.48, respectively). Study results are discussed within the framework of implicit bias in FCC in the NICU, expanding our understanding of effective communication with economically stressed, Black mothers.
Parent and teacher educational expectations and adolescents' academic performance: Mechanisms of influence.

The current study investigated how parents' and teachers' educational expectations both directly and indirectly shaped young people's academic outcomes in a nationally-representative sample of high school students (Education Longitudinal Study; N = 9654 adolescents). Higher parent and math teacher expectations in 10th grade were associated with better 12th grade math scores and higher grade point averages, math course-taking sequence, and educational attainment two years post-high school. High parent expectations generally magnified the particularly strong positive effects of high math teacher expectations, and there was some evidence of variation in links between adult expectations and outcomes by both student race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Parents' educational involvement at school, teacher-student relationships, and school-parent communication mediated the links between adult educational expectations and academic outcomes.
Constrained subspace classifier for high dimensional datasets

Abstract Datasets with significantly larger number of features, compared to samples, pose a serious challenge in supervised learning. Such datasets arise in various areas including business analytics. In this paper, a new binary classification method called constrained subspace classifier (CSC) is proposed for such high dimensional datasets. CSC improves on an earlier proposed classification method called local subspace classifier (LSC) by accounting for the relative angle between subspaces while approximating the classes with individual subspaces. CSC is formulated as an optimization problem and can be solved by an efficient alternating optimization technique. Classification performance is tested in publicly available datasets. The improvement in classification accuracy over LSC shows the importance of considering the relative angle between the subspaces while approximating the classes. Additionally, CSC appears to be a robust classifier, compared to traditional two step methods that perform feature selection and classification in two distinct steps.
State Academies of Science Web Sites

L'article etablit le profil des sites Web d'une selection d'academies des sciences d'Etat de diverses regions des Etats-Unis : la California Academy of Sciences, la Florida Academy of Sciences, la Iowa Academy of Science, la New York Academy of Sciences et la Texas Academy of Science. Les pages d'accueil vont des formats les plus simples au plus complexes, du balisage HTML (HyperText Markup Language) et aux fichiers PDF (Portable Document Format) de base aux presentations audio et video.
Mode of action of streptomycin in relation to thechanges in spinal fluid sugar in tuberculous meningitis: II. Observations on the effect of intrathecal streptomycin treatment on the cerebrospinal fluid sugar in tuberculous meningitis

Summary 1. Case histories and spinal fluid sugars are reviewed in five patients having tuberculous meningitis: a. Case 1, B. P., had a block at the region of the fourth ventricle. This patient did not have previous I.T. streptomycin therapy. b. Case 2, D. L., had a history of tuberculous meningitis of one month's duration. As in Case 1, there had been no prior treatment with streptomycin intrathecally. c. Case 3, L. S.; Case 4, M. M.; and Case 5, C. M.—all had previous therapy with I.T. and parenteral streptomycin up to the test period. 2. In the two cases, B. P. and D. L.,not having previous I.T. or parenteral streptomycin therapy, variable increases in the C.S.F. sugar were noted at intervals up to eighteen hours after treatment. 3. In Case M. M. after I.T. streptomycin had been discontinued for a four-week period and then larger amounts given (0.1 Gm. instead of 0.05 Gm.), there was a marked increase in the C.S.F. sugar. 4. In Case C. M. it was noted that there was a gradual rise in C.S.F. sugar eighteen days after I.T. and parenteral therapy were instituted. This did not correlate with clinical improvement because, as noted, the C.S.F. sugar remained elevated (within normal range) despite actual clinical deterioration and death. 5. In two cases, L. S. and C. M.,after previous treatment with I.T. and subcutaneous streptomycin, there was very little rise noted in the C.S.F. sugar twelve to twenty-four hours after intrathecal streptomycin therapy. 6. Evidence is presented that streptomycin's action as a nonglucose reducing substance is not responsible for the rise in spinal fluid sugar after intrathecal treatment with this antibiotic. a. In Case B. P., the rise of C.S.F. sugar occurred five hours (Fig. 2) after the peak of streptomycin concentration in the C.S.F. This increase, being “true” sugar, would indicate that streptomycin's effect as a nonglucose reducing agent is not the cause of the increased spinal fluid sugar. b. Increases in the C.S.F. glucose inCases B. P., M. M., and D. L., during the test periods were demonstrated to have been due to “true” sugar. In Case L. S., pretreatment levels of C.S.F. sugar and those during the test period were all near the low level of 10.7 mg. per 100 ml. In Case C. M., however, the levels prior to and during the test period were normal.
Influence of Channel Morphology and Flow Regime on Larval Drift of Pallid Sturgeon in the Lower Missouri River

The transition from drifting free embryo to exogenously feeding larvae has been identified as a potential life-stage bottleneck for the endangered Missouri River pallid sturgeon. Previous studies have indicated that river regulation and fragmentation may contribute to the mortality of larval pallid sturgeon by reducing the extent of free-flowing river available to free embryos to complete ontogenetic development. Calculations of total drift distance based on mean velocity, however, do not address the potential for complex channels and flow patterns to increase retention or longitudinal dispersion of free embryos. We use a one-dimensional advection–dispersion model to estimate total drift distance and employ the longitudinal dispersion coefficient as a metric to quantify the tendency towards dispersion or retention of passively drifting larvae. We describe the effects of different styles of channel morphology on larval dispersion and consider the implications of flow regime modifications on retention of free embryos within the Lower Missouri River. The results illustrate the complex interactions of local morphology, engineered structures, and hydraulics that determine patterns of dispersion in riverine environments and inform how changes to channel morphology and flow regime may alter dispersion of drifting organisms. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Chapter 1. Antipsychotic and Antianxiety Agents

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the development of antipsychotic and antianxiety agents. Clozapine has emerged as the focus of clinical and theoretical interest in the antipsychotic area based on its extremely low incidence of extrapyramidal side reactions. Structure–activity relationships (SAR) of the tricyclic psychotherapeutics and clinical experience with the long-acting neuroleptics have been reviewed. The SAR studies in the dibenzo[b,f]thiepin and related 6,7,6 systems have shown that substitution by chlorine in the 9-position of perathiepin results in diminished activity. Important pharmacokinetic study correlated chlorpromazine (CPZ) plasma levels with therapeutic response and found that plasma levels in the range of 150–300 ng/ml usually corresponded to clinical improvement. Concomitant administration of an antiparkinson agent (trihexyphenidyl) tended to lower plasma levels of CPZ, an effect ascribed to reduce gastric motility and decreased absorption of CPZ. A series of benzodiazepine (2, halazepam) showed evidence of efficacy against acute psychotic symptoms in an uncontrolled tria1. CI-686 was predicted to have major tranquilizer activity of short duration on the basis of quantitative pharmaco-EEG studies. Butaclamol possessed pharmacological actions resembling fluphenazine, with activity residing solely in the (+)-enantiomer.
Computational approaches to identifying transcription factor binding sites in yeast genome

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the basic ideas behind some of the algorithms. In the yeast genome, there are an estimated 500-600 transcription factors. The targets of these factors can range from a few to a few hundred genes. Typically the upstream region of a gene includes the binding sites of different transcription factors that control the expression of the gene under different conditions. Thus, on a genomic scale, transcriptional regulation has a huge combinatorial complexity and the identification of regulatory sites is a very challenging problem. Several approaches have been developed to tackle this problem. One commonly used approach has been to delineate as sharply as possible a group of coregulated genes and search for common sequence patterns in their upstream regulatory regions. The computational algorithms range from finding overrepresented substrings or regular expression patterns to multiple local sequence alignment. The prerequisite for this class of algorithms is a cleanly defined subset of genes that may share a few common motifs. The chapter describes a few representatives in this category. An alternative approach is to delineate combinatorial motifs from a large collection of regulatory sequences without the need for defining coregulated groups. The chapter also describes two algorithms in this category that have been developed. One algorithm is based on a mathematical model of probabilistic segmentation, a generalization of segmentation models used in statistical language processing. Another algorithm identifies sequence patterns in the promoter regions of genes that strongly correlate with the genome-wide gene expression data.
The Cultural Basis for Our Environmental Crisis

The forces of democracy, technology, urbanization, increasing individual wealth, and an aggressive attitude toward nature seem to be directly related to the environmental crisis now being confronted in the Western world. The Judeo-Christian tradition has probably influenced the character of each of these forces. However, to isolate religious tradition as a cultural component and to contend that it is the "historical root of our ecological crisis" is a bold affirmation for which there is little historical or scientific support.
Inducement as an Approach to Exercising Influence

ent system—for example, husbands, teachers, landlords, county boards of supervisors, or employers—may have to change their behavior. In situations requiring the exercise of influence, social workers often use Gamson's typology and classify the various approaches as instances of per suasion, inducement, or constraint. Persuasive strategies involve produc ing change in the way the target or target system perceives some issue through the provision of new infor mation.2 A target is given informa Ronald L. Simons
Airway epithelial cell tolerance to Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The respiratory tract epithelium is a critical environmental interface that regulates inflammation. In chronic infectious airway diseases, pathogens may permanently colonize normally sterile luminal environments. Host-pathogen interactions determine the intensity of inflammation and thus, rates of tissue injury. Although many cells become refractory to stimulation by pathogen products, it is unknown whether the airway epithelium becomes either tolerant or hypersensitive in the setting of chronic infection. Our goals were to characterize the response of well-differentiated primary human tracheobronchial epithelial cells to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to understand whether repeated exposure induced tolerance and, if so, to explore the mechanism(s). The apical surface of well-differentiated primary human tracheobronchial epithelial cell cultures was repetitively challenged with Pseudomonas aeruginosa culture filtrates or the bacterial media control. Toxicity, cytokine production, signal transduction events and specific effects of dominant negative forms of signaling molecules were examined. Additional experiments included using IL-1β and TNFα as challenge agents, and performing comparative studies with a novel airway epithelial cell line. An initial challenge of the apical surface of polarized human airway epithelial cells with Pseudomonas aeruginosa culture filtrates induced phosphorylation of IRAK1, JNK, p38, and ERK, caused degradation of IκBα, generation of NF-κB and AP-1 transcription factor activity, and resulted in IL-8 secretion, consistent with activation of the Toll-like receptor signal transduction pathway. These responses were strongly attenuated following a second Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or IL-1β, but not TNFα, challenge. Tolerance was associated with decreased IRAK1 protein content and kinase activity and dominant negative IRAK1 inhibited Pseudomonas aeruginosa -stimulated NF-κB transcriptional activity. The airway epithelial cell response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa entails adaptation and tolerance likely mediated, in part, by down-regulation of IRAK1.
An alternative approach to processing dispersion-stabilized superalloys

Abstract A possible simpler, more direct, more reproducible and less expensive method for processing nickel-base oxide-dispersion-stabilized alloys is described. The process calls for melting or remelting of fully alloyed master alloys and then atomizing to produce a high yield of fully alloyed, rapidly solidified fine powders, ideally finer than about 44–60 μm. The fine powders are attrited to flakes nearly a micron thick in a protective fluid, followed by ball milling in an inert atmosphere to blend in very fine refractory oxide particles. Excellent dispersion of the oxides is obtained. After consolidation by hot extrusion, direcitonally recrystallized coarse grains with a 〈100〉 fiber texture and high grain aspect ratio are produced using a solid state crystal-growing zone-aligned polycrystal (ZAP) process. The stress rupture strength of the ZAP superalloy product is twice that of the same alloy given a conventional recrystallization heat treatment and about four times that of the as-extruded material. The application of this technique to both solid solution and precipitation-strengthened oxide-dispersed alloys is discussed.
Insight into the output of reverse-time migration: what do the amplitudes mean?

Summary With the purpose of attaching meaning to the waveforms imaged by reverse-time migration, we obtain an expression for the output of such an algorithm over a simple subsurface model of a dipping interface. We invoke the cross-correlation imaging condition and make extensive use of the stationary phase approximation to analyze the migrated image. Our result quantifies the meaning of the amplitudes output from reverse-time shot-profile migration and should have relevance for direct migration of passive seismic data and frequency-swept source signals. A numerical example of reverse-time migration supports our theoretical results.
An applied ethical analysis system in business

Much of the discussion on business ethics is philosophical in nature. There is no lack of theories and ideals on moral reasoning. What is missing is translating these moral theories and principles into specific, operational procedures that can indicate a proper course of action. Although most business actions are routine and do not raise serious ethical questions, many people experience difficulty in applying their personal moral principles to specific business decisions in ethically-dilemmatic situations. This study seeks to develop a framework that can be utilized to implement personal moral reasoning based on the teleological theory of Utilitarianism and the deontological theory of Ross's Prima Facie Duties in the business decision-making process. The central feature in the framework is a point-system that quantities the ethical worth of a proposed business action and determines whether the action would be ethically desirable if taken. It provides an objective element in an otherwise qualitative ethical inquiry process. This study also illustrates practical applications of the system by analyzing the ethical implications of a proposed action where foreign bribery is involved.
Effect of subsurface acidity on alfalfa in a Tatum clay loam

Abstract Soil acidity is a major cause of low yields and reduced longevity of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in the Eastern United States. This research was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of subsurface placement (30 cm) of P and K fertilizer and dolomitic lime on alfalfa yield and quality. The study was carried out in 1981 and 1982 on a Tatum clay loam (Typic Hapludult, clayey, mixed, thermic) soil where plowsole amendments were applied in 1980. The experimental design was a completely randomized block and was seeded with ‘WL 311’ alfalfa. Yields and root length were not altered by the absence of plowsole application of lime, P or K. Soil exchangeable Al was higher, while pH was lower for soils in the control, as compared to treatments where lime was placed in the plowsole. These data indicate that the ‘WL 311’ variety will grow through the Tatum soil subsurface horizons in spite of its acidic nature and high exchangeable Al content. This may be related to the greater tolerance of this variety t...
Mechanical injury to the coronary arteries during operative cannulation

Abstract An extensive review of 18 patients who died after aortic valve surgery indicated that operative cannulation caused fatal mechanical injury in 10 of these patients. Underlying coronary arterial anomalies and atherosclerosis were present in most of these cases. It is probable that many operative deaths which have formerly been attributed to the patient's heart disease are really due to iatrogenic coronary artery obstruction. Disease coronary arteries and the technical problems of cannulation present hazards which may offset those of intermittent ischemia.
Diabetes-associated, ventromedial hypothalamic neuronal degeneration in the Chinese hamster

The hypothalamic neurons of the diabetic Chinese hamster exhibited degradation associated with the hyperglycemic, diabetic condition as compared with matched control animals. In particular, neurons in the arcuate and ventromedial nuclei exhibited characteristic indications of neuronal death associated with diabetes. These studies indicate that hypothalamic depopulation induced by diabetes is characterized by neuronal degradation in the nuclei associated with CNS regulation of pancreatic function.
Experimentally Validated High-Resolution Imaging with Adaptive Multi-aperture Folded Architecture

We present experimental results of imaging and digital super-resolution in a multi-aperture miniature folded imaging architecture called PANOPTES. We prove the feasibility of integrating folded imagers within a steerable multi-aperture framework while maintaining thin profiles.
Compressive image acquisition and classification via secant projections

Given its importance in a wide variety of machine vision applications, extending high-speed object detection and recognition beyond the visible spectrum in a cost-effective manner presents a significant technological challenge. As a step in this direction, we developed a novel approach for target image classification using a compressive sensing architecture. Here we report the first implementation of this approach utilizing the compressive single-pixel camera system. The core of our approach rests on the design of new measurement patterns, or projections, that are tuned to objects of interest. Our measurement patterns are based on the notion of secant projections of image classes that are constructed using two different approaches. Both approaches show at least a twofold improvement in terms of the number of measurements over the conventional, data-oblivious compressive matched filter. As more noise is added to the image, the second method proves to be the most robust.
1-Soliton solution of the generalized Camassa-Holm Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation

Abstract An exact 1-soliton solution of the generalized Camassa–Holm Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation is obtained in this paper by the solitary wave ansatze. This solution is a generalized form of the solution that is obtained in earlier works.
Hereditary Land in the Third Reich

I. Provisions of the Reichserbhofgesetz, 465.—Amendments and modifications, 467.—II. Motives underlying the law: improving the immediate condition of the farmer, 467.—III. Social or national objectives: checking subdivision of farm properties, 469; establishment of a rural caste, 470; protection to the rural birthrate, 471.—IV. Effects of the law, 472. — The problem of new farm financing, 473.—Destruction of property values, 474. — Check to progress of landless toward land ownership, 475.—V. General conclusions, 476.
Requirements Driven Dynamic Services Composition for Web Services and Grid Solutions

In this paper, we present the Web Services Outsourcing Manager framework via a mathematical model for dynamic business processes configuration using existing Web Services to meet customers’ requirements. An XML-based annotation document is proposed to capture the business requirements and used to dynamically generate search scripts for an advanced Web services discovery engine to find Web services from both UDDI registries and Web Services Inspection Language documents. A list of available Web services are returned for further composition and optimization to produce the final business process. This paper proposes a novel mechanism to map a service selection problem into a solution space {0,1} to utilize global optimization algorithms such as Genetic Algorithms (GA). A working research prototype has been implemented to demonstrate the feasibility of the on-demand Web services flow composition for e-business and Grid solutions.