cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the AERMOD dispersion model as a function of atmospheric stability for an urban area

The AERMOD dispersion model was used to compute ambient air concentrations of SO2 for 1-, 3-, and 24-h averaging periods using the emission inventory data for Lucas County, Ohio for the year 1990. The estimated concentrations were classified based on the stability parameter, Monin–Obukhov length (L), for the two monitoring stations located in the area. The data were divided into two atmospheric stability classes (stable and convective cases) as used in the AERMOD model. These categories were further grouped into five subcategories based on the value of L to learn about fine details of model performance. The model evaluation was done using several statistical parameters used in air quality studies. AERMOD did not yield a satisfactory performance in predicting 1- and 3-h average concentrations for the multisource region but showed a slightly better performance in predicting the 24-h concentrations using urban option for the land use parameters. The model had a tendency to underpredict in both the stable and convective cases. In the 24-h averaging period factor of two (Fa2) values suggested a better performance than fractional bias (FB). The model seemed to perform better for the Main Street station than the Collins Park station. Limited analysis using different land use parameters reported in the paper indicates that model performance may improve for certain cases. Other errors include the unavoidable scatter arising from differences between wind direction and actual transport for an averaging period, formulation of the model, and the emission inventory. The results of the study should be used cautiously because of the limited scope of the evaluation. Future work should focus on the role of land use parameters in predicting concentrations at the monitors and finding ways to quantify errors attributed to other factors. However, it is clear that more guidance is needed to apply the AERMOD model for multisource regions. Alternative schemes to divide the data should also be considered for analyzing model performance. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2006
Using memory models to improve adaptive efficiency in dynamic problems

Many real-world problems involve the coordination of multiple agents in dynamic environments, where characteristics of the problem being solved change over time. In such problems, adaptive, self-organizing agent approaches have been shown to provide very robust solutions. However, these approaches often require non-trivial amounts of time to respond to large environmental shifts. Considering this limitation, we observe that environmental changes in a given dynamic problem are generally not completely random; similar states in the environment tend to reappear over time. Memory is one way to leverage this past information and improve the adaptive efficiency of the agent system. In this paper, we explore the use of memory as a means of boosting the performance of self-organizing agents in solving dynamic coordination problems. We consider the specific problem of coordinating product flows in a factory that is subject to changing job mixes over time, which has been previously solved using a computational model of the task allocation behavior of wasps. We augment this base procedure with a number of memory systems, the most sophisticated of which exploit memory models inspired by estimation of distribution algorithms (EDAs) to manage computational cost. An experimental analysis is presented which demonstrates the advantage of using memory. Configurations using the EDA-inspired memory models are shown to substantially outperform configurations with more standard and infinite-sized memory models, and all are shown to improve the performance of the baseline task allocation procedure.
From Boston to Shanghai to Deferred Acceptance: Theory and Experiments on a Family of School Choice Mechanisms

School choice has been one of the most important and widely-debated education policies in the past two decades, with game theory playing a major role in the adoption of school choice mechanisms. Similarly, college admissions in China have gone through many local experimentations, with a rich variety of mechanisms used in various provinces.
Mechanisms of Mutagenesis of E. Coli by Ultraviolet Light

This paper summarizes information concerning mechanisms of mutagenesis by ultraviolet light (UV), one of the most extensively studies mutagenic agents. The mechanisms are those in E. coli, one of the most thoroughly studied living systems. E. coli is a host for a number of bacteriophages (lambda, M13, etc.) which rely mainly on host enzymes for DNA replication and repair, and thus should be mutagenized by processes very similar to those which affect the host cell.
Interworking between Digital European Cordless Telecommunications and a distributed packet switch

The Digital European Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard specifies an air interface. DECT requires an external infrastructure to transfer information between wireless terminals, and to transfer information between a wireless terminal and a fixed network. The Public Switched Telephone Network, the GSM Cellular Network, Private Branch Exchanges and mobile data networks are all under investigation as DECT backbone networks. In this paper we look to the future and describe interworking between the DECT air interface and a wireless network infrastructure referred to as a Cellular Packet Switch. To achieve distributed network control, the Cellular Packet Switch uses an IEEE 802.6 Metropolitan Area Network to link base stations, databases and fixed networks. In this paper we specify details of DECT information transport on the Metropolitan Area Network. We also give examples of Network Layer message flows for location updating and handover. The messages for other key procedures including call origination and release appear in a more detailed technical report.
The power of narrative in environmental networks, by Raul Lejano, Mrill Ingram, and Helen Ingram

The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks is cutting-edge research that links networks and narratives: Networks narrate themselves into existence, say the authors. I take this seemingly offb...
Hyperspectral image enhancement with vector bilateral filtering

An approach is proposed to extend bilateral filtering to the vector case so as to simultaneously take spectral and spatial information into account by using spectral distances and multivariate Gaussian functions. To simplify the determination of the parameters of the corresponding covariance matrix, the data vectors are transformed to eigenspace through principal component analysis (PCA). By locally adapting to the spectral distribution in decorrelated PCA space, the proposed approach offers effective noise removal while keeping the spatial details in the band images. It also provides dynamic range enhancement of severely affected bands to make meaningful data extraction possible. Experimental results with the proposed approach using remote-sensed hyperspectral data demonstrate improved denoising and enhancement in comparison to existing methods.
Filling Gaps in the U.S. Commodity Flow Picture: Using the CFS with Other Data Sources

The U.S. Commodity Flow Surveys (CFS) provide a wealth of data on the movement of freight within the country, by mode of transportation, dollar value, annual tonnage, door-to-door shipment distance, and shipment size. Yet gaps in CFS coverage and a lack of spatial and commodity detail limit the value of this data for planning and policy supporting studies. This paper identifies these gaps and considers how supplementary data sources combined with statistical modeling techniques can be used to create a more complete picture of national and regional commodity flows. The first half of the paper describes current data gaps and available data resources. The second half of the paper discusses possible gap-filling solutions. Solutions fall into two categories: data synthesis using current data sources, and improved and expanded data collection methods.
Nonlinear aspects of air-bearing modeling and dynamic spacing modulation in sub-5-nm air bearings for hard disk drives

A new analytical model and method of analysis are proposed for understanding the dynamical behavior of ultralow flying height air-bearing sliders in proximity based on nonlinear dynamics. It is found that for sub-5-nm flying height air-bearing sliders, the nonlinear effects cannot be neglected. These nonlinear effects cause a slider's response to become highly nonstationary, making frequency domain analysis by fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) an insufficient means of analysis. Joint time-frequency analysis is applied for accurately analyzing the nonstationary slider responses and to verify the nonlinear nature of the air bearing for both experimental and simulation results. One degree-of-freedom (DOF) and 2-DOF nonlinear lumped parameter models are proposed showing the effect of nonlinearities on the FFT representations of air-bearing slider responses. The 2-DOF model is used to further investigate the nonlinear coupling effect, and it shows high correlation with experimental results from two different slider designs when in unsteady proximity. These findings suggest that the nonlinearities of the air-bearing slider must be considered when modeling slider-disk interface dynamics. Also, complex frequency domain representations of slider responses in proximity can be explained by the nonlinear nature of the air-bearing slider without contact between the slider and disk as previously proposed by other models.
Chirp control of a single-mode, good beam quality, zigzag dye laser

We report a substantial reduction of frequency chirp of a single-mode laser-pumped zigzag dye laser. A linear optical cavity using counterpropagating orthogonally polarized waves was injection-seeded at 568 mn and operated with a laser output of about 1 J. The chirp was controlled by an intracavity Pockels cell that was configured to add optical density at a rate which counterbalanced the decrease in optical density due to dye-solvent heating during the /spl sim/1-/spl mu/s laser pulse. Heterodyne measurements were used to determine that the bandwidth was near the transform limit and chirp rate of /spl sim/1 MHz//spl mu/s. The beam quality of the laser was measured at 10 Hz as 1.7 XDL.
Emerin Organizes Actin Flow for Nuclear Movement and Centrosome Orientation in Migrating Fibroblasts

In migrating fibroblasts, rearward movement of the nucleus orients the centrosome toward the leading edge. Nuclear movement results from coupling rearward-moving, dorsal actin cables to the nucleus by linear arrays of nesprin-2G and SUN2, termed transmembrane actin-associated nuclear (TAN) lines. A-type lamins anchor TAN lines, prompting us to test whether emerin, a nuclear membrane protein that interacts with lamins and TAN line proteins, contributes to nuclear movement. In fibroblasts depleted of emerin, nuclei moved nondirectionally or completely failed to move. Consistent with these nuclear movement defects, dorsal actin cable flow was nondirectional in cells lacking emerin. TAN lines formed normally in cells lacking emerin and were coordinated with the erratic nuclear movements, although in 20% of the cases, TAN lines slipped over immobile nuclei. Myosin II drives actin flow, and depletion of myosin IIB, but not myosin IIA, showed similar nondirectional nuclear movement and actin flow as in emerin-depleted cells. Myosin IIB specifically coimmunoprecipitated with emerin, and emerin depletion prevented myosin IIB localization near nuclei. These results show that emerin functions with myosin IIB to polarize actin flow and nuclear movement in fibroblasts, suggesting a novel function for the nuclear envelope in organizing directional actin flow and cytoplasmic polarity.
Graphene-on-Insulator Transistors Made Using C on Ni Chemical-Vapor Deposition

Graphene transistors are made by transferring a thin graphene film grown on Ni onto an insulating SiO2 substrate. The properties and integration of these graphene-on-insulator transistors are presented and compared to the characteristics of devices made from graphitized SiC and exfoliated graphene flakes.
A note on a theorem of F. Browder

A particular case of a mathematical theorem of F. Browder on the behavior of the fixed point set of a mapping under variations of a parameter has recently found applications in programming theory in connection with the abstract (non-linear) complementarity problem (see Eaves, [2, 3]). Two relevant extensions of Browder's result are provided: The first asserts that, under smoothness assumptions, the connected set of fixed points one gets from Browder's theorem is “generically” an arc; the second gives a generalization to the case where the mapping is an upper hemicontinuous contractible valued correspondence.
Atmospheric correction of ocean-color sensors: effects of the Earth’s curvature

We investigate the influence of the curvature of the Earth on a proposed atmospheric-correction scheme for the Sea-Viewing Wide-Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) by simulating the radiance exiting the top of a spherical-shell atmosphere and inserting the result into the proposed correction algorithm. The error in the derived water-leaving reflectance suggests that the effects of the curvature are negligible for solar zenith angles (θ0) ≤ 70°. Furthermore, for θ0 > 70° the error in atmospheric correction can usually be reduced if the molecular-scattering component of the top of the atmosphere reflectance (ρr) is computed with a spherical-shell atmosphere radiative transfer code. Also, for θ0 > 70° the error in atmospheric correction in a spherical-shell atmosphere, when ρr is computed with a spherical-shell model, can be predicted reasonably well from computations made with plane-parallel atmosphere radiative transfer codes. This implies that studies aimed at improving atmospheric correction can be made assuming plane-parallel geometry and that the investigator can be confident when θ0 > 70° that any improvements will still be valid for a spherical-shell atmosphere as long as ρr is computed in spherical-shell geometry. Finally, a scheme for computing ρr in a spherical-shell atmosphere in a relatively simple manner is developed.
Variation and species recognition in Eocene tapirs from southern California

Abstract Samples of the new middle Eocene tapiroid Hesperaletes are analyzed to determine the merits of their referral to particular species. Criteria for recognizing species not only include documenting apomorphic morphologies, but also statistically estimating similarity and variability between and within samples. These criteria are consistent with the general lineage species concept that considers species to be segments of population lineages. Statistical comparisons use Student t tests and an analysis of the coefficient of variation in different samples and combinations of pooled samples. Application of these criteria to samples of Hesperaletes leads to confident referral of late Uintan material to a single species, Hesperaletes borineyi, but indicate that early Uintan samples cannot confidently be referred to a single species. Accordingly, most of the early Uintan samples are referred to a second species, Hesperaletes walshi, with the exception of one sample of uncertain taxonomic status. Although se...
Inflammasome, mTORC1 activation, and metabolic derangement contribute to the susceptibility of diabetics to infections

The mechanisms leading to higher risks of infection in diabetics remain unknown despite recent advances in the understanding of associated immunological and metabolic aberrations. Hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in diabetics not only contribute to altered metabolism but glucose and free fatty acids can directly activate inflammation and the production of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 1β (IL-1β). Long-chain saturated fatty acids activate toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), generating diacylglycerol and activating protein kinase C to upregulate the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway. High glucose uptake switches cell metabolism from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis and deactivates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a critical sensor of nutrient and cellular energy, leading to mTORC1 activation. A deleterious consequence of mTORC1 activation is the suppression of autophagy which is a catabolic process for the lysosomal degradation of damaged organelles, protein aggregates and intracellular pathogens. In addition, high glucose concentration and fatty acids independently activate inflammasome, an intracellular multi-protein complex that promotes the proteolytic activation of caspase 1, leading to the processing and secretion of IL-1β. Other caspases induced by inflammasome can trigger apoptotic cell death. A common upstream signal for the activation of inflammasome and mTORC1 is oxidative stress, which generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) from dysregulated mitochondria. Increased flux of glucose and lipids activates stress kinases, enhances electron transport, and generates ROS in mitochondria. Mitochondrial stress arising from increased mitochondrial respiration and permeability damages mitochondria, activates caspases, which then induce apoptosis via the intrinsic cell death pathway releasing mitochondrial DNA. Normally apoptosis is down-regulated by autophagy as autophagy removes damaged organelles as a result of danger and stress signals. However, in diabetics, hyperactivation of mTORC1 disrupts the host autophagic degradation of microbes and damaged mitochondria which in turn exacerbates inflammasome activation and alters cell resistance to infection. Recognition of viral lipids and bacterial components by host cell pattern recognition receptors including TLR activates NFκB and stress kinase c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling. The transcription factor NFκB and JNK independently induce inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and further activate inflammasome. The convergence of inflammasome and mTORC1 activation with metabolic stress and vascular dysfunction in diabetics prevents pathogen clearance and contributes to an increased risk of infection.
The Saccharomyces Genome Database Variant Viewer

The Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD; http://www.yeastgenome.org) is the authoritative community resource for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae reference genome sequence and its annotation. In recent years, we have moved toward increased representation of sequence variation and allelic differences within S. cerevisiae. The publication of numerous additional genomes has motivated the creation of new tools for their annotation and analysis. Here we present the Variant Viewer: a dynamic open-source web application for the visualization of genomic and proteomic differences. Multiple sequence alignments have been constructed across high quality genome sequences from 11 different S. cerevisiae strains and stored in the SGD. The alignments and summaries are encoded in JSON and used to create a two-tiered dynamic view of the budding yeast pan-genome, available at http://www.yeastgenome.org/variant-viewer.
Chinese Flowers and the Idea of Cultivation in Early-Nineteenth-Century British Word and Image

ABSTRACTThis essay uses the example of the Chinese tree peony, a flower much desired by British gardeners at the start of the nineteenth century as well as a flower much reproduced in horticultural periodicals and on consumer commodities, to explain the era's interconnected understanding of the process of cultivation. Organic cultivations, foreign and domestic, were not separated from social and personal cultivations in verbal and visual discourse but rather mutually reinforced each other. Following these connections helps explain the ever-growing estrangement between nineteenth-century subjects and the nature that surrounded them in terms that connect environmental, aesthetic, and literary history.
Hydroxyl migration in heterotrimetallic clusters: an assessment of fluxionality pathways.

Water splitting at the unsaturated metal center and subsequent hydroxyl migration are key steps toward successful H2 liberation from cheap and abundant water using transition metal cluster anions. In this report we initiate a theoretical study (DFT) to assess the efficacy of heterometallic cores instead of the widely studied and well established homometallic cores. To accomplish this goal, one tungsten center in W3O6– core has been replaced by different transition metals such as titanium, technetium, and osmium. Introduction of the heterometal makes the core asymmetric and electronically anisotropic. To evaluate the efficiency of these heterometallic cores, fluxionality pathways for hydroxyl migration have been studied in detail. We show that the cores W2TcO6– (2) and W2OsO6– (3) can exhibit fluxionality for hydroxyl migration and thus can potentially facilitate H2 liberation from H2O. Notably, a new class of low-energy structures generated upon oxide bridge opening process and subsequent structural rearr...
The Influence of a Family Business on Portfolio Management: An Asset-Liability Management Approach

Human capital represents a large proportion of the assets on almost all investors’ life balance sheets and varies considerably in magnitude and character, which we show profoundly influences optimal asset allocation of a family’s financial assets. Using an asset-liability management framework, we demonstrate through the example of an ultra-high net worth family with a large operating company that the magnitude of the family’s investment goals in relation to their assets is a critical determinant of risk tolerance. For investors with substantial discretionary wealth, changes in asset valuations and investment priorities imply very large changes in optimal asset allocation, which are sometimes counterintuitive and further amplified when an illiquid operating company represents the bulk of a family’s assets.
Laboratory mating behavior of the plum curculio.

Studies were conducted to determine the mating behavior of Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst) in the laboratory. Combinations of aged and young adult curculios were found to mate as young as 6 days old; a single female mated at the age of 5 days. Males were capable of inseminating mature sperm at this early age, but the females did not oviposit fertile eggs until 8 days old. Males were shown to mate with as many as 16 different females by the time they were 30 days old. The average number of matings per male in a 30-day period was 10.4. Both virgin and non-virgin males were found to mate with more than 1 female in a 24-hr period. These females all produced large numbers of viable eggs. A single virgin male mated with 4 females in 1 day, and a single non-virgin male mated with 2 females in 1 day. The 1st as well as subsequent matings were responsible for large numbers of fertile eggs being produced. Females which had mated 1, 2, or 3 times were obtained by observing each mating. The average sperm content per female increased as the number of matings increased, although females that had mated only once produced what many workers have considered to be the average number of eggs per female. Females that mated 2 or 3 times produced more eggs during their lifespan than did those that mated only once.
Long-Term Effects of Adderall XR in ADHD

The long-term tolerability and effectiveness of extended release mixed amphetamine salts (Adderall XR) in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were evaluated in a 24-month, multicenter, open-label extension of 2 placebo-controlled studies at UCLA, Massachusetts General Hospital, UC-Irvine, Maitland, FL, and Shire Pharmaceutical, Wayne, PA.
Migrant Green Peach Aphids and the Spread of Yellows Viruses in Seed Beet Fields of Arizona

Ecological studies in beet seed fields of Arizona in 1961 and 1962 showed migrant green peach aphids, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), transmitting both beet western yellows and beet yellows viruses to beet seed fields at least 1 month prior to initiation of aphid-control programs. Green peach aphids transmitted persistent beet western yellows virus predominantly in the fall and semipersistent beet yellows virus in the spring. Aphids collected from safflower, Carthamus tinctorius L., did not transmit either virus.
Telethons and the Special Olympics: Where Does that Money Really Go? Some Revelations and How to Get More Information

Problems with the telethon organizations - the Muscular Dystrophy Association, United Cerebral Palsy, Easter Seals and the Arthritis Foundation - as well as the Special Olympics, have been well documented in this and other disability publications. But there's an issue which has been raised and discussed that still needs clear documentation: where does the money come from and where does it go?
Dignity, Politics, and the Community of Being

Eric Voegelin’s four "partners in being" — individual, society, the world (nature), and the divine — have become ever more differentiated both from each other and within themselves. With regard to the individual, this has led, in part, to the "turn to the subject"; an increasing emphasis on the sanctity of personhood; the rise of the importance of ideas of inherent and equal universal human dignity and rights; and various, sometimes insalubrious, forms of individualism. Clarifying the notions of, and making the distinction between, equal inherent human dignity, on the one hand, and the achievement of dignified living, on the other, helps one to recognize that respect for persons based on the former cannot be concretely actualized or meaningful without politically addressing the creation or sustaining of opportunities for all persons that assist them to realize the latter. A philosophically sound stance that seeks to advance realistic "assistance" toward the "common good" in this last regard requires recognizing 1) that the ongoing and increasing conceptual differentiation between individual and society involves no ontological divorce between these two "partners," just as there is no ontological divorce between persons, society, and the divine, even as the differentiating insights advance; and 2) that the universal promotion of the achievement of dignified living in a society, based on the recognition of universal and equal inherent dignity, can, in some respects, only be achieved through the organized policies and political actions of government, understood as existentially representative of the members of society; and thus that the only way to fulfill the Gospel message of loving one’s neighbor and caring for the other — a message that constitutes a key basis of the idea of human dignity — is to encourage and implement certain governmental policies that advance the rights and dignity of all persons. These clarifications in turn provide a basis for a critique of “individualism” in its more nefarious ideological manifestations.
Interest Convergence: A Revolutionary Theory for Athletic Reform

Athletic reform has been a reoccurring issue among the concerns and on the agendas of various organizations and associations that are stakeholders of the intercollegiate athletic complex. This chapter provides a brief overview of the history of athletic reform, the different organizations approaches to reforming intercollegiate athletics, and an overview of grassroots activism among students that have sought sociopolitical reform. It is proposed in this chapter that interest convergence can be a revolutionary theory that can inform Black athletes, as activist, and provide them with the leverage needed to negotiate their athletic talents in return for a quality educational experience.
Sonographically Guided Knee Meniscus Injections: Feasibility, Techniques, and Validation

Abstract Background There is a growing interest in the use of biologic agents such as platelet-rich plasma and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells to treat musculoskeletal injuries, including meniscal tears. Although previous research has documented the role of diagnostic ultrasound to evaluate meniscal tears, sonographically guided (SG) techniques to specifically deliver therapeutic agents into the meniscus have not been described. Objective To describe and validate SG injection techniques for the body and posterior horn of the medial and lateral meniscus. Design Prospective, cadaveric laboratory investigation. Setting Academic institution procedural skills laboratory. Subjects Five unenbalmed cadaveric knee-ankle-foot specimens from 5 donors (3 female and 2 male) ages 33-92 years (mean age 74 years) with body mass indices of 21.1-32.4 kg/m 2 (mean 24.1 kg/m 2 ). Methods A single, experienced operator completed SG injections into the bodies and posterior horns of the medial and lateral menisci of 5 unenbalmed cadaveric knees using colored latex and a 22-gauge, 38-mm needle. After injection, coinvestigators dissected each specimen to assess latex distribution within the menisci and identify injury to intra-articular and periarticular structures. Main Outcome Measures Latex location within the target region of meniscus (accurate/inaccurate), and iatrogenic injury to "at risk" intra- and periarticular structures (present/absent). Results Seventeen of 20 injections were accurate. Two of 3 inaccurate injections infiltrated the posterior horn of the medial meniscus instead of the targeted meniscal body. One inaccurate lateral meniscus injection did not contain latex despite sonographically accurate needle placement. No specimen exhibited injury to regional neurovascular structures or intra-articular hyaline cartilage. Conclusions SG meniscus injections are feasible and can accurately and safely deliver injectates such as regenerative agents into bodies and posterior horns of the medial and lateral menisci. The role of SG intrameniscal injections in the treatment of patients with degenerative and traumatic meniscal disorders warrants further exploration. Level of Evidence Not applicable.
A bifunctional 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine-based ligand for ratiometric Cu(II) sensing

AbstractSynthesis and characterization of the bifunctional sensor receptor ligand N-([2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine]-4′-yl)methyl)-N-propylacrylamide (1) and the model ligand N-([2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine]-4′-yl)methyl)-N-propylisobutyramide (2) are described. Ligand 1 is a receptor for Cu(II) that is copolymerizable with N-isopropylacrylamide giving a ratiometric sensor of weakly bound Cu(II) in environmental waters. Ligand 2 is a model for copolymerized 1 whereby the reactive acrylamide group is replaced by isobutyramide. Solution speciation of complexes of Cu(II) and Zn(II) with 2 were investigated spectroscopically and their solid-state structures were studied through single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Solution UV–vis and fluorescence studies show a preference of 2 toward Cu(II) over Na(I), Zn(II), Cu(II), Co(II), Mn(II), Ni(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) in accord with the Irving–Williams series and other coordination principles. Solution speciation determined in a weakly coordinating aqueous-organic (60 : 40 DMF/H2O)...
Novel species-specific glycoprotein on the surface of Mytilus edulis and M. trossulus eggs

AbstractProtein–protein interactions play a central role in the gamete attraction, binding, and fusion stages of gamete interactions and fertilization for broadcast spawning species, such as marine mussels in the Mytilus edulis species complex. Although assortative gamete interaction has been implicated in the level of reproductive isolation among the three species in this complex, the molecular basis of these interactions has not been elucidated. Using mass spectrometry peptide sequencing, cDNA sequencing, and bioinformatics approaches, we have investigated species-level variation in the proteins expressed on the surface of mussel eggs. We herein describe an extracellular protein, MESP-1, from the surface of the eggs of M. edulis and M. trossulus that has a unique domain structure when compared to protein structures that have heretofore been identified. Given variation in the size of MESP-1 predicted from cDNA sequences versus those estimated from SDS-PAGE gels, we conclude this protein is subject to sig...
Practical lookup tables for ensuring target coverage in a clinical setup for skin cancer electron therapy

AimTo create practical lookup tables containing percent depth dose (PDD) and profile parameters of electron beams and to demonstrate clinical application of the lookup tables to skin cancer treatment to ensure target coverage in a clinical setup.Materials and methodsFor 6 and 9 MeV electron energies, PDDs and profiles at clinically relevant depths [i.e., R95 (distal depth of 95% maximum dose), R90, R85 and R80] were measured in water at 100 cm source-to-surface distance for an 10×10 cm2 open field and circular cutouts with diameters of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 cm. Then PDD parameters along with profile parameters such as width of isodose lines and penumbra at the clinically relevant depths were determined. Output factors for the cutouts were measured at dmax in water and solid water.ResultsWith PDD and profile parameters, dosimetry lookup tables were generated. Based upon the lookup tables, target coverage at prescribed depths was retrospectively reviewed for three skin cancer cases. The lookup tables suggested larger cutouts for adequate target coverage.FindingsDosimetry lookup tables for electron beam therapy should include profile parameters at clinically relevant depths and be provided to clinicians to ensure target coverage in a clinical setup.
Sexual Assertiveness Skills and Decision-Making in Adolescent Girls: Moving to Replication, Scale, and Digital Health Impact.

An editorial is presented which addresses the author's views about digital health and adolescent girls' sexual assertiveness and decision-making skills, and it mentions another article which appears in the same issue of the journal and deals with the Health Education and Relationship Training (HEART) interactive skills-building online program. Adolescent girls' safer sex behavior and intentions are examined, along with the health-related aspects of the Internet and social media.
A novel FTA™ elute card collection method that improves direct DNA amplification from bloodstained concrete

Concrete is a common construction material found in residential and commercial buildings, bridges and parking lots that is a composite matrix containing aggregate held together with cement. The porous nature of concrete can make the collection and genotyping of biological fluids, such as blood, challenging. Forensic evidence can become embedded within the matrix, potentially reducing the amount of DNA available for analysis. In forensic science, "direct" amplification refers to a genotyping method that amplifies a DNA profile directly from a sample without DNA extraction, saving time and money. We investigated a novel application of Whatman™ FTA™ Elute cards in their ability to directly amplify PowerPlex® Fusion and Y23 profiles from minute amounts of blood that had been deposited on different concrete structures. In comparison to traditional collection methods, directly profiling blood stained construction materials using FTA™ Elute cards increased the percentage loci amplified and significantly improved both allele peak height and peak height ratio while reducing allelic drop-out. FTA™ Elute cards can provide a reliable, inexpensive and superior alternative to traditional methods.
Collaborative Journals: Scaffolding Reflective Practice in Teacher Education

Preservice teachers enrolled in a choral music methods class were asked to write journals about their field experiences in local schools. To foster reflective practice in a peer-supported environment, the students chose classmates to serve as collaborative journal partners. These narrative accounts of the students’ field experiences and the participants’ interactions were later collected as data for this study. Emergent themes included the development of pedagogical thoughtfulness and tact (Van Manen M, The tact of teaching: The meaning of pedagogical thoughtfulness, Althouse Press, London, 1991; The tone of teaching: The language of pedagogy. Althouse Press, London, 2002 AU: As per standard convention, the citations in the abstract are replaced by the respective references. Please check.) as the students considered not only their own actions but also the experiences of the students in their classrooms. In addition, students gained the “gift of confidence” (Mahn H and John-Steiner V, Learning for life in the 21st century, Blackwell, Oxford, 2002) as they provided a safe place for exchanging both joys and concerns. By seeing the “teacher” in the other, the students enabled a sense of “becoming” that supported their own emerging teacher identity.
Vanadium-Uranium Constitutional Diagram

Abstract: "Vanadium-uranium equilibrium studies were made on alloys prepared from high-purity vanadium and good biscuit uranium. No intermetallic phases occur in the system. Additions of vanadium lover the uranium melting point and transformations producing a eutectic at 1240 +/- 5 C and eutectoid reactions at 727 +/- 5 and 652 +/- 5 C. The maximum solubility of uranium in vanadium is about 4 atomic per cent (15 weight per cent)."
A novel approach to converting alkylated arsenic to arsenic acid for accurate ICP-OES determination of total arsenic in candidate speciation standards

Abstract A new approach was developed for quantitatively converting alkylated arsenic to arsenic acid (AsV). Conversion of the organic As species to AsV was required to prevent bias in the ICP-OES measurements because the species in the calibration standard was AsV. The approach was used in the development of a new series of organic As reference materials, SRMs 3030, 3031, 3033 and 3034, for monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine and arsenocholine, respectively, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) was used as a model alkylated arsenic compound to assess the effectiveness of the conversion due to its structural stability and difficulty to convert to AsV. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) was the only reagent capable of quantitative conversion of the alkylated arsenic compound to AsV using microwave assistance. The minimum concentration of HCl required for quantitative conversion under the experimental conditions was 4.4 mol L−1, which was 3 mL of concentrated HCl in 8 mL of solution. This is the first report of HCl affecting the quantitative conversion of alkylated arsenic to AsV. After converting to AsV, the mass fraction of arsenic in the alkylated arsenate compounds was quantified using ICP-OES with an expanded uncertainty ≤ 2.4 %. These ICP-OES results were in good agreement with INAA, a technique that is not susceptible to interferences from elemental speciation.
Questions 101–110

This chapter illustrates a variety of different scenarios of rheumatic disease in succinct question and answer format. It contains ten complex cases with potentially unusual diagnoses designed to stimulate thought and further reading in this rapidly evolving specialty.
Low-Power Wide-Area Network Over White Spaces

As a key technology driving the Internet-of-Things, low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs) are evolving to overcome the range limits and scalability challenges in traditional wireless sensor networks. This paper proposes a new LPWAN architecture called sensor network over white spaces (SNOW) by exploiting the TV white spaces. The SNOW is the first highly scalable LPWAN over TV white spaces that enable asynchronous, bi-directional, and massively concurrent communication between numerous sensors and a base station. This is achieved through a set of novel techniques. The SNOW has a new OFDM-based physical layer that allows the base station using a single antenna-radio: 1) to send different data to different nodes concurrently and 2) to receive concurrent transmissions made by the sensor nodes asynchronously. It has a lightweight media access control protocol that: 1) efficiently implements per-transmission acknowledgments of the asynchronous transmissions by exploiting the adopted OFDM design and 2) combines CSMA/CA and location-aware spectrum allocation for mitigating hidden terminal effects, thus enhancing the flexibility of the nodes in transmitting asynchronously. We implement the SNOW in GNU radio using universal software radio peripheral devices. Experiments through deployments in three radio environments—a large metropolitan city, a rural area, and an indoor environment—as well as large-scale simulations demonstrated that the SNOW drastically enhances the scalability of a sensor network and outperforms existing techniques in terms of scalability, energy, and latency.
Wildfire and topography impacts on snow accumulation and retention in montane forests

Abstract Wildfires are increasing in frequency, severity, and size in many parts of the world. Forest fires can fundamentally affect snowpack and watershed hydrology by restructuring forest composition and structure. Topography is an important factor in snowpack accumulation and ablation as it influences exposure to solar radiation and atmospheric conditions. Few direct measurements of post-fire snowpack have been taken and none to this date that evaluate how topographical aspect influences the effect of forest fire on snowpack accumulation and ablation. We set up a two-year experiment on the Twitchell Canyon fire in south-central Utah on both north and south facing aspects and burned and unburned forest conditions across three replicated blocks. There was a significant interaction between burn condition and aspect for snow depth in which there was a reduction in snow depth in burned areas on south facing aspects but not on northern facing aspects. Snowpack disappeared earlier in burned areas than unburned areas, particularly on south facing slopes. Snow water equivalence (SWE) did not vary between burned and unburned forest. Year and topographical aspect were primary drivers of both snow depth and SWE. A review of five similar studies suggests that sites at southern latitudes and lower elevations could be more susceptible to reduction in snowpack after wildfire.
A platform for case-control matching enables association studies without genotype sharing

Acquiring a sufficiently powered cohort of control samples can be time consuming or, sometimes, impossible. Accordingly, an ability to leverage control samples that were already collected and sequenced elsewhere could dramatically improve power in all genetic association studies. However, since majority of the genotyped and sequenced human DNA samples to date are subject to strict data sharing regulations, large-scale sharing of, in particular, control samples is extremely challenging. Using insights from image recognition, we developed a method allowing selection of the best-matching controls in an external pool of samples that is compliant with personal genotype data protection restrictions. Our approach uses singular value decomposition of the matrix of case genotypes to rank controls in another study by similarity to cases. We demonstrate that this recovers an accurate case-control association analysis for both ultra-rare and common variants and implement and provide online access to a library of ~17,000 controls that enables association studies for case cohorts lacking control subjects.
Can Building an Electric Bicycle Build an Engineering Identity

This work in progress research to practice paper contains a report on the effects of a STEM PBL activity, designing and building an electric bicycle, on a diverse and underrepresented group of eighth grade students. The traditional methods for engaging students in science, engineering, and mathematics activities have proven insufficient for fostering equitable engagement among students from underrepresented populations. Therefore, there is a critical need for innovative approaches that foster equity, diversity, and inclusion in engineering fields that may increase the number of students from underrepresented populations in the engineering pipeline. Based on this need, the design and scope of this study is grounded in the following question: What effects does the STEM PBL activity of building an electric bicycle have on building an engineering identity among underrepresented students? Students participating in this study will be selected at random from 8th grade students to engage in a one-day workshop led by STEM professionals where they will convert a traditional bicycle into an electric bicycle using engineering design process. The implications of this study include the infusion of innovative strategies in STEM curriculum and pedagogy that encourage greater participation of students from diverse and underrepresented populations in STEM fields.
Effectiveness of Peer-Delivered Trauma Treatment in a Rural Community: A Randomized Non-inferiority Trial

This randomized controlled non-inferiority trial explored the effectiveness of Seeking Safety (SS) delivered by peer providers compared to its delivery by licensed behavioral health clinicians. The study enrolled 291 adults with PTSD and/or substance use disorders. Data were collected at 3 and 6-months post start of treatment. With respect to long-term outcomes, at 6 months PTSD symptoms decreased by 5.1 points [95% CI (− 9.0, − 1.1)] and by 4.9 points [95% CI (− 8.6, − 1.1)] and coping skills increased by 5.5 points [95% CI (0.4, 10.6)] and by 5.6 points [95% CI (0.8, 10.4)], in the peer- and clinician-led groups, respectively. This study demonstrated non-inferiority of peer-delivered SS compared to clinician-delivered SS for reducing PTSD symptoms and similar outcomes for both groups with respect to coping skills. A confirmatory study on the effectiveness of peer-delivered trauma-specific services is warranted, especially given the potential for increasing access to such treatment in underserved rural communities.
Optimization of thin film solid phase microextraction and data deconvolution methods for accurate characterization of organic compounds in produced water

The continued rise in the extraction of unconventional oil and gas across the globe poses many questions about how to manage these relatively new waste-streams. Produced water, the primary waste by-product, contains a diverse number of anthropogenic additives together with the numerous hydrocarbons extracted from the well. Due to potential environmental hazards, it is critical to characterize the chemical composition of this type of waste before proper disposal or remediation/reuse. In this work, a thin film solid phase microextraction approach was developed and optimized to characterize produced water. The thin film device consisted of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance particles embedded in polydimethylsiloxane and immobilized on a carbon mesh surface. These devices were chosen to provide broad extraction coverage and high reusability. Various parameters were evaluated to ensure reproducible results while minimizing analyte loss. This optimized protocol, consisting of a 15 min extraction followed by a short (3 s) rinsing step, enabled the reproducible analysis of produced water without any sample pretreatment. Extraction efficiency was suitable for both produced water additives and hydrocarbons. The developed approach was able to tentatively identify a total of 201 compounds from produced water samples, by using one-dimensional gas chromatography hyphenated to mass spectrometry and data deconvolution.
Management, marketing, financial, and legal issues

Initially, resource recovery efforts focused on the development of technology. Two years ago, it became apparent that the problem to be solved was not just with supply (technology), but also with demand (markets). Marketsfor energy and secondary products are indeed major issues. As the implementation effort has matured, it has become apparent that technology and markets are not the only problems. The other problems include economics, marketing, financing, management, and complex legal issues. This paper addresses these issues.