cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Capture Efficiency and Size Selectivity of Channel Catfish and Blue Catfish Sampling Gears

Abstract We used proportional recapture data from mark–recapture experiments to directly estimate capture efficiency (percentage of fish captured per standard level of effort) and size selectivity (for 50-mm size-groups) of catfish sampling gears. Hoop-net series were evaluated for collecting channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, and low-frequency, pulsed DC electrofishing was evaluated for collecting blue catfish I. furcatus. To examine spatial and temporal variability, capture efficiency and size selectivity were estimated in river and reservoir habitats during June, July, and September 2005. Selectivity of experimental gill nets was also assessed. Capture efficiency of hoop nets for channel catfish was consistent across months and between river and reservoir habitats (2.7–14.3% per 12 hoop-net series). Capture efficiency of low-frequency electrofishing was low (frequently, ≤1% per 120 min) and variable; recapture rates were greatest in river habitat during July and September. Hoop-net series collected r...
Identification, Impact, and Refactoring of Smells in Pipe-Like Web Mashups

With the emergence of tools to support visual mashup creation, tens of thousands of users have started to access, manipulate, and compose data from web sources. We have observed, however, that mashups created by these users tend to suffer from deficiencies that propagate as mashups are reused, which happens frequently. To address these deficiencies, we would like to bring some of the benefits of software engineering techniques to the end users creating these programs. In this work, we focus on identifying code smells indicative of the deficiencies we observed in web mashups programmed in the popular Yahoo! Pipes environment. Through an empirical study, we explore the impact of those smells on the preferences of 61 users, and observe that a significant majority of users prefer mashups without smells. We then introduce refactorings targeting those smells. These refactorings reduce the complexity of the mashup programs, increase their abstraction, update broken data sources and dated components, and standardize their structures to fit the community development patterns. Our assessment of a sample of over 8,000 mashups shows that smells are present in 81 percent of them and that the proposed refactorings can reduce the number of smelly mashups to 16 percent, illustrating the potential of refactoring to support the thousands of end-users programming mashups. Further, we explore how the smells and refactorings can apply to other end-user programming domains to show the generalizability of our approach.
Comparison of stainless and mild steel welding fumes in generation of reactive oxygen species

Welding fumes consist of a wide range of complex metal oxide particles which can be deposited in all regions of the respiratory tract. The welding aerosol is not homogeneous and is generated mostly from the electrode/wire. Over 390,000 welders were reported in the U.S. in 2008 while over 1 million full-time welders were working worldwide. Many health effects are presently under investigation from exposure to welding fumes. Welding fume pulmonary effects have been associated with bronchitis, metal fume fever, cancer and functional changes in the lung. Our investigation focused on the generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species from stainless and mild steel welding fumes generated by a gas metal arc robotic welder. An inhalation exposure chamber located at NIOSH was used to collect the welding fume particles. Our results show that hydroxyl radicals (.OH) were generated from reactions with H2O2 and after exposure to cells. Catalase reduced the generation of . OH from exposed cells indicating the involvement of H2O2. The welding fume suspension also showed the ability to cause lipid peroxidation, effect O2 consumption, induce H2O2 generation in cells, and cause DNA damage. Increase in oxidative damage observed in the cellular exposures correlated well with . OH generation in size and type of welding fumes, indicating the influence of metal type and transition state on radical production as well as associated damage. Our results demonstrate that both types of welding fumes are able to generate ROS and ROS-related damage over a range of particle sizes; however, the stainless steel fumes consistently showed a significantly higher reactivity and radical generation capacity. The chemical composition of the steel had a significant impact on the ROS generation capacity with the stainless steel containing Cr and Ni causing more damage than the mild steel. Our results suggest that welding fumes may cause acute lung injury. Since type of fume generated, particle size, and elapsed time after generation of the welding exposure are significant factors in radical generation and particle deposition these factors should be considered when developing protective strategies.
Integration of III-V Optoelectronic Components on Si Platform

A method for hybrid integration of III-V optoelectronic components on Si substrate using BCB was demonstrated. The method included bonding, selective wet etching of the GaAs substrate, components separation by wet etching, two-level metallization and lateral oxidation to form optical apertures. Simulations of thermal behavior and mechanical stresses of this integration scheme were performed using finite element analysis, which revealed adequate heat dissipation. Simulations show that this bonding protocol allows reduction of overheating and mechanical stress that enhances the optoelectronic device performance and increases reliability. Electro-luminescence spectrum, I-V and P-T characteristics were measured and compared with a reference homoepitaxial structure and the results of the simulations. Measured thermal impedance was found to be less then two times higher than that for the devices on a host GaAs wafer. Novel method of substrate removal named oxidation lift-off was proposed and demonstrated. This process allows to release a VCSEL structure with epitaxial DBRs and separate individual components on Si, reduces the number of process steps and eventually reduces cost of the fabricated devices. Au/Ge alloy was used for the metal bonding of the test oxidation lift-off structure. Substrate removal, device separation, bonding and formation of the oxide apertures were done within a single processing step.
Dilute acid pretreatment of rye straw and bermudagrass for ethanol production.

Ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials provides an alternative energy production system. Rye and bermudagrass that are used in hog farms for nutrient uptake from swine wastewater have the potential for fuel ethanol production because they have a relative high cellulose and hemicellulose content. Dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment of rye straw and bermudagrass before enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose was investigated in this study. The biomass at a solid loading rate of 10% was pretreated at 121 °C with different sulfuric acid concentrations (0.6, 0.9, 1.2 and 1.5%, w/w) and residence times (30, 60, and 90 min). Total reducing sugars, arabinose, galactose, glucose, and xylose in the prehydrolyzate were analyzed. In addition, the solid residues were hydrolyzed by cellulases to investigate the enzymatic digestibility. With the increasing acid concentration and residence time, the amount of arabinose and galactose in the filtrates increased. The glucose concentration in the prehydrolyzate of rye straw was not significantly influenced by the sulfuric acid concentration and residence time, but it increased in the prehydrolyzate of bermudagrass with the increase of pretreatment severity. The xylose concentration in the filtrates increased with the increase of sulfuric acid concentration and residence time. Most of the arabinan, galactan and xylan in the biomass were hydrolyzed during the acid pretreatment. Cellulose remaining in the pretreated feedstock was highly digestible by cellulases from Trichoderma reesei.
Graphical narrative interfaces: Representing spatiotemporal information for a highly autonomous human-robot team

Having a well-developed Graphical User Interface (GUI) is often necessary for a human-robot team, especially when the human and the robot are not in close proximity to each other or when the human does not interact with the robot in real time. Most current GUIs process and display information in real time, but the time to interact with these systems does not scale well when the complexity of the displayed information increases or when information must be fused to support decision-making. We propose a new interface concept, a Graphical Narrative Interface (GNI), which presents story-based summaries driven by accumulated data. We hypothesize that the GNI allows users to search and analyze spatiotemporal information more easily and quickly than a typical GUI. This paper (a) uses literature and preliminary GNI designs to identify a set of design requirements and (b) develops a conceptual GNI implementation that satisfies these requirements.
Consent for genetic research in a general population: an update on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey experience.

Purpose: The study determines the consent rates for storage of biologic samples for future research with and without genetic studies and describes trends in sociodemographic factors associated with consent. Methods: We performed an analysis of the characteristics of consenting individuals participating in three data cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative survey of the U.S. population. Results: In the 1999 to 2000 and the 2001 and 2002 surveys, 84.8% and 90.1% of eligible participants, respectively, consented to have their biologic samples including DNA stored in a national repository. Female and non-Hispanic black participants were least likely to consent when genetic studies and DNA were included. In the 2003 to 2004 survey, with the discontinuation of the DNA collection, 98.4% signed the consent document and these race/gender differences were no longer observed. Conclusion: Females and non-Hispanic blacks consistently had lower consent rates during the survey years when genetic studies were mentioned in the consent, but once DNA collection was discontinued these differences disappeared. These findings demonstrate wide acceptance among survey participants for allowing storage of specimens for future studies but indicate the need to explore race/gender issues with the collection and storage of DNA for genetic research.
A systematic approach in constructing fully differential amplifiers

The design of a common mode feedback for multistage amplifiers is a difficult process. Based on constructing the common mode feedback path to be topologically similar to the differential mode path, a systematic mapping approach for deriving a fully differential amplifier, from its single-ended counterpart, is presented. The motivation, usage, and efficiency of the proposed approach is demonstrated by two examples.
Are members of low status groups perceived as bad, or badly off? Egalitarian negative associations and automatic prejudice

Three studies explored the hypothesis that implicit measures of prejudice can tap negative, yet egalitarian associations. In Study 1, automatically associating African Americans with oppression predicted greater automatic prejudice. In Studies 2 and 3, classically conditioning associations between the novel group NoYans and words like oppressed, maltreated, and victimized led to greater automatic prejudice against NoYans. Results suggest that White Americans’ negative automatic associations with African Americans may partly result from associating members of low status groups with unfair circumstances. Because automatic associations predict prejudiced behaviors, the burden of proof is on those wishing to argue that egalitarian negative associations complicate the assessment of automatic attitudes rather than contribute to prejudiced responses. Discussion focuses on the implications of egalitarian negative associations for the theory and measurement of automatic prejudice. © 2006 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Perturbation of Mouse Retinal Vascular Morphogenesis by Anthrax Lethal Toxin

Lethal factor, the enzymatic moiety of anthrax lethal toxin (LeTx) is a protease that inactivates mitogen activated protein kinase kinases (MEK or MKK). In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate LeTx targets endothelial cells. However, the effects of LeTx on endothelial cells are incompletely characterized. To gain insight into this process we used a developmental model of vascularization in the murine retina. We hypothesized that application of LeTx would disrupt normal retinal vascularization, specifically during the angiogenic phase of vascular development. By immunoblotting and immunofluorescence microscopy we observed that MAPK activation occurs in a spatially and temporally regulated manner during retinal vascular development. Intravitreal administration of LeTx caused an early delay (4 d post injection) in retinal vascular development that was marked by reduced penetration of vessels into distal regions of the retina as well as failure of sprouting vessels to form the deep and intermediate plexuses within the inner retina. In contrast, later stages (8 d post injection) were characterized by the formation of abnormal vascular tufts that co-stained with phosphorylated MAPK in the outer retinal region. We also observed a significant increase in the levels of secreted VEGF in the vitreous 4 d and 8 d after LeTx injection. In contrast, the levels of over 50 cytokines other cytokines, including bFGF, EGF, MCP-1, and MMP-9, remained unchanged. Finally, co-injection of VEGF-neutralizing antibodies significantly decreased LeTx-induced neovascular growth. Our studies not only reveal that MAPK signaling plays a key role in retinal angiogenesis but also that perturbation of MAPK signaling by LeTx can profoundly alter vascular morphogenesis.
A Stain for Δ5-3β-Hydroxysteroids and Sterols

Areagent has been devised which appears to be quite specific for the detection of Δ5-3β-hydroxysteroids and sterols on paper and thin-layer chromatograms. For paper chromatograms, 50 mg picric acid is dissolved in 16 ml glacial acetic acid, to which is added 4 ml 70% perchloric acid; the paper strip is dipped in this solution, blotted and heated at 70 to 75 C for 3 to 5 minutes, preferably in a well-ventilated oven. Thin-layer chromatography plates are sprayed with a solution of 100 mg picric acid in 36 ml glacial acetic acid, to which is added 6 ml 70% perchloric acid. The plate is gently heated on a hot plate at the same time the upper surface is dried with a hair-dryer. Both spraying and heating are best carried out in a hood because of the irritating fumes produced.
An Improved Decorrelator MUD for Asynchronous MC-CDMA with Extended Observation Window

In this paper we present and analyze an improved decorrelator MUD for asynchronous multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) systems with extended observation window. Specifically, we extend the receivers observation window from one symbol duration to two symbol durations enabling the receiver to completely harness the energy of the data symbol in the ith block in one shot. Hence, unlike previously proposed MUDs for asynchronous MC-CDMA, our approach remove the need to resynchronize to each users' symbol to detect all users' data. Furthermore, we analyze the decorrelator MUD in detail and propose several methods to improve its bit-error- rate performance resulting in gain of upto 2 dB relative to the traditional decorrelator MUD proposed in ([1]-[3]).
Reduction of excess cholesterol in the rabbit aorta by inhibition of endogenous cholesterol synthesis.

Hepatic cholesterol synthesis in rabbits, as measured by the incorporation of C14-labelled acetate, was inhibited by addition of non-toxic amounts of vanadyl sulfate (0.05 per cent VOSO4·2H2O) to the diet. This diet reduced excess aortic cholesterol in cholesterol prefed rabbits when fed during the 6 weeks immediately following a 4 week period of cholesterol feeding.
3d transition metal doping of semiconducting boron carbides

The introduction metallocenes, in particular ferrocene (Fe(η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 ), cobaltocene (Co(η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 ), and nickelocene (Ni(η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 ), together with the carborane source molecule closo-1,2-dicarbadodecaborane, during plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, will result in the transition metal doping of semiconducting boron carbides. Here we report using ferrocene to introduce Fe dopants, and a semiconducting boron-carbide homojunction has been fabricated. The diode characteristics are very similar to those fabricated with Co and Ni doping.
Assessing time to pulmonary function benefit following antibiotic treatment of acute cystic fibrosis exacerbations

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a life-shortening genetic disease in which ~80% of deaths result from loss of lung function linked to inflammation due to chronic bacterial infection (principally Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Pulmonary exacerbations (intermittent episodes during which symptoms of lung infection increase and lung function decreases) can cause substantial resource utilization, morbidity, and irreversible loss of lung function. Intravenous antibiotic treatment to reduce exacerbation symptoms is standard management practice. However, no prospective studies have identified an optimal antibiotic treatment duration and this lack of objective data has been identified as an area of concern and interest. We have retrospectively analyzed pulmonary function response data (as forced expiratory volume in one second; FEV1) from a previous blinded controlled CF exacerbation management study of intravenous ceftazidime/tobramycin and meropenem/tobramycin in which spirometry was conducted daily to assess the time course of pulmonary function response. Ninety-five patients in the study received antibiotics for at least 4 days and were included in our analyses. Patients received antibiotics for an average of 12.6 days (median = 13, SD = 3.2 days), with a range of 4 to 27 days. No significant differences were observed in mean or median treatment durations as functions of either treatment group or baseline lung disease stage. Average time from initiation of antibiotic treatment to highest observed FEV1 was 8.7 days (median = 10, SD = 4.0 days), with a range of zero to 19 days. Patients were treated an average of 3.9 days beyond the day of peak FEV1 (median = 3, SD = 3.8 days), with 89 patients (93.7%) experiencing their peak FEV1 improvement within 13 days. There were no differences in mean or median times to peak FEV1 as a function of treatment group, although the magnitude of FEV1 improvement differed between groups. Our results suggest that antibiotic response to exacerbation as assessed by pulmonary function is essentially complete within 2 weeks of treatment initiation and relatively independent of the magnitude of pulmonary function response observed.
Negative phase-sequence voltages on E&W transmission system

In the absence of phase transposition, overhead lines are a major source of unbalance in both currents and voltages on the transmission system. In the England and Wales (E&W) transmission system, the individual circuits are phased such that the average unbalance produced is minimized. The main negative phase-sequence (NPS) voltages on the transmission system arise at loop-in points for generation and load connection under an outage condition of one of the connection circuits and where there is a large NPS voltage induction from the parallel circuit. If not limited, excessive unbalance can cause system incidents and lead to damage of power system equipment.
Design of a flapping foil underwater vehicle

The design, construction and testing of a biomimetic flapping foil autonomous underwater vehicle are detailed. The project is a proof of concept for the use of flapping foils as the sole source of propulsion for an underwater vehicle. We intend to use the vehicle in several physical arrangements to compare the swimming performance of different shapes and foil arrangements. The vehicle was designed for maximum flexibility and scalability in terms of the number and placement of foils through the creation of self-contained modular actuators, each requiring only DC power and a connection to the vehicle Ethernet LAN. The current vehicle implementation consists of four actuators, each driving a single foil with a span of 0.40 m and an average chord of 0.10 m. The foils are paired port-starboard, with one pair at the bow and one at the stern. Each foil has a 180 degree range of motion about the roll (chordwise) axis and unrestricted motion about the pitch (spanwise) axis. The dimensions of the vehicle without the foils are approximately 2 mtimes0.5 mtimes0.5 m. Results from disparate sets of tests have been gathered to demonstrate the suitability of flapping foils for the generation of thrust and force vectoring during cruising, of thrust at zero-speed, and the development of rapid transient forces with a single foil stroke. All of these are requirements for operation in dynamic environments which impose unpredictable transient forces on an underwater vehicle
Mechanistic Interpretation of Rift Valley Formation

The stress distribution on the lithospheric plate due to excess magma pressure is obtained from an exact solution of the three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The analysis indicates that rift valley formation and associated structural and geophysical characteristics can be suitably explained by dike-like intrusions of magma or igneous mush into the lithospheric plate.
MULTICOMPONENT TRANSPORT OF ELECTROLYTES THROUGH CELLULOSE ACETATE MEMBRANES

A multicomponent transport model is presented to describe the rejection components of electrolyte systems by cellulose acetate reverse osmosis membranes. Comparison of the model with the experimental results obtained with NaCl-CaCl2-H2O solutions shows good agreement. It was observed that the presence of CaCl2 can reduce drastically the rejection of NaCl in this multicomponent system and even cause ‘negative rejection’ in certain cases. The results of this study will be helpful in better understanding, predicting and controlling the operation of reverse osmosis desalination plants that process multicomponent feeds where interactions among the electrolytes present can affect the performance of the membranes used
A cognitive basis for theories of intrinsic motivation

Since intelligent agents make choices based on both external rewards and intrinsic motivations, the structure of a realistic decision theory should also present as an indirect model of intrinsic motivation. We have recently proposed a model of sequential choice-making that is grounded in well-articulated cognitive principles. In this paper, we show how our model of choice selection predicts behavior that matches the predictions of state-of-the-art intrinsic motivation models, providing both a clear causal mechanism for explaining its effects and testable predictions for situations where its predictions differ from those of existing models. Our results provide a unified cognitively grounded explanation for phenomena that are currently explained using different theories of motivation, creativity and attention.
Cognitive Task Analysis for Developing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Wilderness Search Support

Wilderness search and rescue (WiSAR) requires thousands of hours of search over large and complex terrains. Mini-UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) may dramatically improve WiSAR search efficiency. Early field trials in UAV-enabled WiSAR indicated a need to improve the human-UAV interaction, the coordination between the UAV and ground search resources, and the UAV technology. A cognitive task analysis was conducted to inform the design of the UAV technology, the associated interface, and the roles and responsibilities associated with effectively integrating the technology into the existing WiSAR response. Two cognitive task analysis techniques were employed: goal-directed task analysis and a partial cognitive work analysis that included a work domain analysis and a control task analysis. Early field trials and WiSAR search personnel informed the task analyses, which consequently informed the UAV technology design and integration. This paper (a) reviews how and why the task analyses were conducted, how the systems engineering process incorporated field trials to inform the task analyses and to guide the technology development; and (b) provides examples of how the analyses informed the resulting technology development with an eye toward providing insight into how such analysis techniques can be applied to developing UAV systems.
Low-loss propagation in hollow ARROW waveguides for optical sensing

Low-loss propagation in novel integrated antiresonant reflecting optical (ARROW) waveguides with hollow cores and two-dimensional confinement is reported. Design principles and applications for optical sensing of gases and liquids are discussed.
Variations in Physician Attitudes Regarding ADHD and Their Association With Prescribing Practices.

Objective: The objective of this study was to test whether physicians’ attitudes regarding the impact of ADHD on health-related quality of life (HRQL) explain differences in practices for prescribing psychostimulants in children. Method: In a cross-sectional survey, U.S.-based pediatricians and psychiatrists (“physicians”) used the Paper-Standard Gamble—a widely used preference-based assessment of HRQL—to rate four vignettes describing ADHD health states of varying severity. Associations between standard gamble scores and questions about prescribing practices were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression. Results: Surveys were mailed to 291 physicians; 127 (44%) returned complete forms. Lower standard gamble scores were associated with more emphasis on children’s ADHD symptoms (p = .03) and less emphasis on parents’ concerns about stimulant side effects (p = .03) when prescribing psychostimulants. Conclusion: Differences in physician perceptions of the severity of ADHD symptoms and in their emphasis on ...
Ethics, accountability, and cost‐benefit analysis in legal research

The ethical standards that govern the legal profession are adopted by supreme courts and enforced through the state bar associations. Central to these codes is a recognition of the two roles of a lawyer, client's advocate and officer of the court, roles that frequently conflict. The codes of ethics necessarily set general standards for professional competency and candor. In a world where both legal issues and sources of legal research are becoming more complex, lawyers must often try to keep research costs down at the risk doing less than thorough research. The lawyer's choice potentially exposes her to either a malpractice suit or bar discipline. To prepare new lawyers better to balance such competing considerations, law schools are now taking a more active role in making the study of ethical considerations central to legal education.
Relational and item-specific information in memory

This paper develops the argument that many factors affecting retention can be understood in the context of a distinction between relational and individual-item processing. Relational processing refers to the encoding of similarities among a class of events and individual-item processing refers to encoding of item-specific information. Both forms of information are assumed to be important in retention, and the empirical argument for the distinction rests in part upon the reported demonstration of superior recall when both types of information are encoded. The experiments also demonstrate that variables influencing the type of processing, such as orienting instructions and the type of material, produce differential effects upon certain dependent measures. Thus, the data indicate facilitation of recall from the combination of relational and item-specific information, and further suggest the viability of a distinction between them because of differential effects of the two forms of processing upon recognition, clustering, and the relative recall of typical and atypical category instances.
Effect of humidity and pressure on the triboelectric nanogenerator

Abstract Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) as a novel energy harvester has raised wide research interests recently, although the environmental effect on its performance is still lacking. This paper attempted to experimentally quantify the effect of the relative humidity (RH) as well as the pressure on the charge generated from a TENG. It was found that under the same mechanical excitation, the generated charge of the TENG increased more than 20% when RH decreased from 90% to 10% at the ambient pressure. However, the generated charge decreased as the air pressure decreased from atmospheric pressure to 50 Torr at RH close to 0%, while the optimal pressure shifted to a lower level when the relative humidity was higher. This study can contribute not only to the design and packaging of triboelectric devices to operate in varying environments and extreme conditions, but also to the fundamental understanding of the mechanism of triboelectric effect.
BlastSim — Multi agent simulation of suicide bombing

This paper introduces BlastSim — physics based stationary multi-agent simulation of blast waves and its impact on human body. The agents are constrained by physical characteristics and mechanics of blast wave. The simulation is capable of assessing the impact of crowd formation patterns on the magnitude of injury and number of casualties during a suicide bombing attack. It also examines variables such as the number and arrangement of people within a crowd for typical layouts, the number of suicide bombers, and the nature of the explosion including equivalent weight of TNT, and the duration of the resulting blast wave pulse. The paper also explains the physics, explosive models, mathematics and the assumptions we need to create such a simulation. Furthermore, it also describes human shields available in the crowd with partial and full coverage in both two dimensional and three dimensional environments. The goals of this paper are to determine optimal crowd formations to reduce the deaths and/or injuries of individuals in the crowd. The findings, although preliminary, may have implications for forensics investigations, emergency response and counterterrorism.
REIT Share Repurchase Decisions and Stock Market Liquidity

This study examines whether stock market liquidity affects a real estate investment trust's (REIT's) decision to initiate a share repurchase program. The results show that repurchasing REITs exhibi...
Efficient Semi-supervised Learning BitTorrent Traffic Detection with Deep Packet and Deep Flow Inspections

The peer-to-peer (P2P) technology has been well developed over the Internet. BitTorrent (BT) is one of the most popular P2P sharing protocols; BT network traffic detection has become increasingly important and yet technically challenging. In this paper we propose a new detection method that is based on an intelligent combination of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and Deep Flow Inspection (DFI) with semi-supervised learning. Comparing with existing methods, the new method has achieved equally high accuracy with shorter classification time. We believe that this highly effective BT detection method is not only significant to the BT community, but is also very useful to other groups that need to efficiently and correctly detect single applications.
Effects of Herbicides on Oats

South Dakota is part of the major oat producing region in the United States. Farmers in the state plant about 1,000,000 hectares of oats annually. It is estimated that 40% of the oats are sprayed with a herbicide. Most years we have some farmers complaining of injury to their oat crop. Many of these claim to have done everything properly. Our dilemma is not being able to prove whether the cause is mistake in formulation, rate or timing of application or some other reason such as environmental interaction or varietal sensitivity.
Withanolide Structural Revisions by 13C NMR Spectroscopic Analysis Inclusive of the γ-Gauche Effect

A classic withanolide is defined as a highly oxygenated C28 ergostane-type steroid that is characterized by a C22-hydroxy-C26-oic acid δ-lactone in the nine-carbon side chain. Analysis of the reported 13C NMR data of classic withanolides with hydroxy groups (C-14, C-17, and C-20) revealed that (1) a hydroxy (C-14 or C-17) substituent significantly alters the chemical shifts (C-7, C-9, C-12, and C-21) via the γ-gauche effect; (2) the chemical shift values (C-9, C-12, and C-21) reflect the orientation (α or β) of the hydroxy moiety (C-14 or C-17); (3) a double-bond positional change in ring A (Δ2 to Δ3), or hydroxylation (C-27), results in a minuscule effect on the chemical shifts of carbons in rings C and D (from C-12 to C-18); and (4) the 13C NMR γ-gauche effect method is more convenient and reliable than the traditional approach (1H NMR shift comparisons in C5D5N versus CDCl3) to probe the orientation of the hydroxy substituent (C-14 and C-17). Utilization of these rules demonstrated that the reported 13...
Three Occurrences of High-Thorian Uraninite Near Easton, Pennsylvania

The geology, mineralogy, and paragenesis of three occurrences of high- thorian uraninite in serpentine near Easton, Penna., are described. Seven x-ray fluorescence analyses and three chemical analyses revealed this mineral to be high-thorian uraninite rather than highuranoan thorianite as had been supposed. Six samples contained 15 to 35% ThO/sub 2/. It was pointed out that Th rich Easton uraninites do not alter readily to secondary minerals, except when subjected to severe deformation and concomitant attack by serpentinizing hydrothermal solutions. (R.V.J.)
An introduction to strong ion difference.

Traditionally, acid-base balance has been a difficult subject for many people to fully understand. The concept of strong ion difference (SID) has recently been developed. This article is presented in an attempt to provide an introduction to, and an understanding of, this concept.
Applications of Shaped Femtosecond near-IR Laser Irradiation in the Generation of Metal Nanoparticles

Femtosecond near IR laser irradiation is explored as a general methodology to produce metal nanoparticles from metal precursor solutions. Initial studies of the formation and transformations of gold nanoparticles in aqueous solution are used as model processes to evaluate the effects of laser parameters, reaction medium and surfactants in controlling metal nanoparticle formation. The addition of polymer surfactants such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was found to significantly accelerate Au(III) reduction as compared to surfactant-free systems. Photo-reduction for aqueous solutions of Au(III) in the presence of PEG results in relatively small narrowly dispersed spherical gold nanoparticles compared to relatively large well-formed crystalline nanoparticles that are observed in the absence of surfactants. Varying the concentration of PEG is an effective approach to tune the diameter and size distribution from 3.9±0.7 nm to 11±2.4 nm for Au nanoparticles produced by laser processing.
Floating-point precision tuning using blame analysis

While tremendously useful, automated techniques for tuning the precision of floating-point programs face important scalability challenges. We present Blame Analysis, a novel dynamic approach that speeds up precision tuning. Blame Analysis performs floating-point instructions using different levels of accuracy for their operands. The analysis determines the precision of all operands such that a given precision is achieved in the final result of the program. Our evaluation on ten scientific programs shows that Blame Analysis is successful in lowering operand precision. As it executes the program only once, the analysis is particularly useful when targeting reductions in execution time. In such case, the analysis needs to be combined with search-based tools such as Precimonious. Our experiments show that combining Blame Analysis with Precimonious leads to obtaining better results with significant reduction in analysis time: the optimized programs execute faster (in three cases, we observe as high as 39.9% program speedup) and the combined analysis time is 9× faster on average, and up to 38× faster than Precimonious alone.
Study of Competence Based Writing Education in College English Teaching

Competence based education plays an active role in college English teaching and the introduction of this education into writing teaching can provide more specific goals and content priorities to writing teaching,diversify English classroom teaching approaches and enhance students' interest and motivation in leaning English.
Problems Associated with Clinical Determination of Pulmonary Shunting

A disturbance of pulmonary gas exchange results in hypoxaemia and hypercarbia. Given a stable cardiac output and a known FiO2, it is possible to explain changes in arterial PO2 and PCO2 by mismatch of alveolar ventilation to pulmonary perfusion or disturbance of the distribution of the alveolar ventilation to perfusion ratio (VA/Q). The normal healthy lung consists of more than 300 million alveoli which all receive the same inspiratory gas and mixed venous blood. Nevertheless the composition of intraalveolar and endcapillary partial pressures of O2, CO2 and N2 differ between various areas of the lung because the partial pressures in the alveoli (PA) depend upon the VA/Q.
The Argument of an Appeal

IF A LECTURE on the well worn subject assigned to me is to be given in this series, no one knows better than the Chairman of your Committee on Post-Admission Legal Education1 that he and not I should be the person to give it. This is true in the first place because of the fact that in his lecture on Summary Judgment he has given the perfect example of what these lectures ought to be?informative, scholarly, help ful?and has set a standard which it is unfair to ask others to rival. And in the second place a discourse on the argument of an appeal would come with superior force from a judge who is in his judicial person the target and the trier of the argument than from a random archer like myself. Or, supposing fishes had the gift of speech, who would listen to a fisherman's weary dis course on flycasting, the shape and color of the fly, the size of the tackle, the length of the line, the merit of different rod makers and all the other tiresome stuff that fishermen talk about, if the fish himself could be induced to give his views on the most effective methods of approach. For after all it is the fish that the angler is after and all his recondite learning is but the hopeful means to that end.
Factors determining test speed of automated EMI measurements

This paper describes the impact of different categories of factors on the overall test time of radiated EMI measurements. Throughput and efficiency, along with measurement accuracy and repeatability, are major concerns of EMI test facility operators today. Therefore various test methods, particularly in radiated EMI compliance measurements, are in use to reduce the test time. The difficulty of optimizing test throughput by minimizing time however lies in the variety of factors impacting the test time. Some of them are related to the equipment under test (EUT) itself, others related to the measurement system used and test procedure applied. For these reasons no one single approach of achieving utmost efficiency under all circumstances is available. Understanding the impact and the nature of time contributing factors allows an easier streamlining of each individual measurement, especially in case a dedicated application software is used.
The battle lines are drawn

In his new book, The War on Science, Shawn Otto documents the modern clash between what he calls the "authoritarians" (governments, large corporations, and religious groups) and the "antiauthoritarians" (scientists and other liberal thinkers). Drawing on recent examples ranging from the evolution debate to vaccine skepticism, Otto describes the emergence of an antiscience movement whose focus is to disrupt the creation of evidence-based policy for the sake of preserving profitable business models or entrenched religious dogma.
Polymerase Chain Reaction Identification of Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli Seeded into Raw Milk

Molecular biological techniques for identifying pathogenic foodborne bacteria use small amounts of bacterial nucleic acids that must be purified and concentrated from complex food matrices. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifies specific segments of DNA and speeds the identification of bacterial strains. Methods for preparing DNA for PCR analysis were tested by seeding enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) cells into raw milk. Test samples of milk were heated at 35°C and were treated with proteinase and detergent. As few as 102 cells of EIEC per ml of seeded milk were identified after amplification of a plasmid-borne gene required for invasion.
Enhanced NF-Kb Non-Canonical Signaling Impairs Hematopoietic Stem Cell Self-Renewal

Abstract We previously demonstrated that the NF-kB non-canonical signaling way positively and intrinsically regulates hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) self-renewal and maintains stromal/osteoblastic niches (Stem Cells 2012 30:709-18). These results lead us to think that persistent activation of NF-kB non-canonical signaling would have favorable effects on the HSPC pool size and self-renewal capacity. NF-kB-inducing kinase (NIK) plays a critical role in non-canonical NF-kB signaling by directly phosphorylating IKKk. It is constitutively degraded by TRAF3 in unstimulated cells to prevent unwanted NF-kB activation. To investigate the enhanced NF-kB non-canonical signaling specifically in hematopoietic cells, we crossed Vav-Cre mice with a mouse strain in which a mutated form of NIK lacking the TRAF3-binding domain is expressed under the control of the ROSA26 promoter after Cre-mediated deletion of the LoxP-flanked STOP cassette (NIKΔT3Cre mice). In contrast to what we expected in these preliminary studies, the NIKΔT3Cre mice rapidly developed anemia, pancytopenia, with a reduced HSPC pool and marrow cellularity and postnatal lethality, mimicking many of the findings in humans with bone marrow failure syndrome, and different from recently published mice with deficiency in A20, which also activates NF-kB signaling. Furthermore, the NIK activated HSPCs have profoundly impaired engraftment and self-renewal activity after transplantation into wild-type recipients. Further analysis showed that the mutant cells are proliferate faster and predispose to apoptosis than wild type cells. These observations suggest that finely controlled NF-kB activity is crucial for HSC maintenance. Currently, we are focusing on the analysis of the underlying molecular mechanisms. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Credit-Informed Tactical Asset Allocation

This paper outlines a tactical asset allocation (TAA) strategy that takes signals from the credit markets and applies them to the stock market. A power model is built using the Russell 2000 equity index and the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch High Yield B index. This model is then used in a tactical asset allocation strategy to judge whether equities are expensive or cheap relative to high yield bonds. Based on back-test results from 1997 to the present, the approach provides equity-like returns while lowering portfolio volatility.
Beta-Catenin and N-Cadherin in Myeloma: Implications for Adhesion and Migration.

Increasing evidence suggests that altered Wnt signaling plays an important role in myelomagenesis. We recently discovered that myeloma plasma cells secrete soluble inhibitors of Wnt signaling and these prevent osteoblast differentiation and contribute to development of osteolytic lesions. We have also shown that myeloma plasma cells are capable of activating both canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways and that this primarily induces morphological changes, invasion and migration through non-canonical signaling. As beta-catenin is the primary effector of canonical Wnt signaling, we investigated the potential role of beta-catenin in primary myeloma. Although beta-catenin can be stabilized upon Wnt-3A treatment of both primary myeloma cells and myeloma cells lines, we were unable to note any effects on proliferation or activation of beta-catenin-TCF targets genes. Western blotting of protein extracts from plasma cells from 69 newly diagnosed cases showed highly variable levels of stable beta-catenin. Using SAM analysis with a 1% false discovery rate we correlated beta-catenin levels with global gene expression levels in these 69 samples and found that high beta-catenin levels were strongly correlated with expression of only a single gene, the neural adhesion molecule N-cadherin ( CDH2 ). Microarray analysis on a large panel of normal and malignant B-cells showed that CDH2 expression was unique to myeloma plasma cells and that CDH2 was expressed highest in hyperdiploid and FGFR3 / MMSET -positive cases. As expected CDH2 expression was high in in-vitro-expanded mesenchymal stem cells, osteoblasts and CD34-selected stem cells. In-vitro derived osteoclasts from myeloma patients and normal donors did not express CDH2 . N-cadherin was immunoprecipitated from 8 primary myeloma cells and 6 myeloma cell lines and resolved by SDS-PAGE and N-cadherin and beta-catenin were detected in immunoprecipitation complexes following immunoblotting. Moreover, beta-catenin and N-cadherin protein levels showed a high degree of correlation on western blots. Flow cytometery of N-cadherin expression on primary samples showed heterogeneous expression with as little as 15% and as much as 77% of CD38+/CD45− plasma cells expressing the protein. OPM2, JJN3, and ARP1 myeloma cell lines, which express different levels of N-cadherin, were treated with the N-cadherin neutralizing antibody GC-4 and the cells subjected to the transendothelial migration assay. Maximum inhibition was observed for JJN3 cells, with 60% inhibition at 24 hrs, while OPM2 had an intermediate level of inhibition (40%) and ARP1, the only N-cadherin negative line, underwent transendothelial migration as efficiently as control cells. These data suggests that functional adherns junctions of beta-catenin and N-cadherin likely exist on myeloma plasma cells and these junctions may play a role in myeloma biology that centers on cell adhesion and migration and possibly cell-cell communication.
California Resident Motives for Gambling at Indian Reservations Versus Las Vegas

ABSTRTACTThe casino gaming sector has become a lucrative part of the hospitality industry. California Indian casinos have expanded to now compete with casinos in Las Vegas, but more California residents gamble in Las Vegas casinos. Little research has been conducted to reveal why California residents travel to Las Vegas to gamble at casinos when California Indian casinos are closer. Thus, this study focused on what motivates California residents to gamble at California Indian casinos as opposed to those who gamble at Las Vegas casinos. A total of 300 online surveys were used for data analysis. First, exploratory factor analysis was performed to find the underlying dimensions of casino motivations. Second, independent-samples t-tests were conducted to compare the perceptions the two groups have of casinos. Then, one-way ANOVA tests were implemented to find differences between casino motivation factors and six different demographic variables. This study will help both California Indian and Las Vegas casinos...