cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An examination of the genetic control of Douglas-fir vascular tissue phytochemicals: Implications for black bear foraging

Silvicultural practices can influence black bear (Ursus americanus) foraging preferences for Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) cambial-zone vascular tissues, but little is known about the role of genetics. To study the impact of genetic selection, vascular tissue samples were collected from Douglas-fir trees in six half-sib families from five different sites in north central Oregon. Four replications of three-tree non-contiguous plots were sampled at each site to examine inter- and intra-site variation. Tree growth was measured as tree diameter at breast height and the absolute concentrations of 26 different terpenoids were determined by gas chromatography/flame ionization detection from ethyl acetate extracts. The simple carbohydrates fructose, glucose, and sucrose, and the phenolic glycoside coniferin were quantified using anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Cluster analysis was used to reduce the number of variables used in analyses of variance. Results for the families studied here indicate that tree growth and some terpenoids were under some level of genetic control. Furthermore, allocation of constitutive terpenoids in vascular tissues was not at the expense of tree growth. The sugars present in vascular tissue were affected by environment (site) and genetics (family) and their interaction.
Impact of Predation by Smallmouth Bass on Sockeye Salmon in Lake Washington, Washington

Abstract In the Lake Washington basin, run sizes of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka and other anadromous salmon species declined during the 1980s. Reduced survival of juvenile sockeye salmon in the lake suggested that increased predation may have contributed to the decreased run size. Introduced smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu were considered to be a potential cause of increased predation on juvenile salmonid populations. Ultrasonic tracking showed limited spatial and temporal overlap between smallmouth bass and juvenile sockeye salmon. Substantial overlap occurred only in the littoral zone during the migration of the sockeye salmon fry from the Cedar River into the lake and during the out-migration of smolts from the lake through the Lake Washington Ship Canal into Puget Sound. Salmonids occurred in smallmouth bass stomachs only during the out-migration of smolts from Lake Washington to Puget Sound. For smallmouth bass larger than 150 mm total length, juvenile salmonids constituted 28% of the diet...
Changes in morphogenetic hormone titers in isolated workers of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar).

The daily liters of juvenile hormone and ecdysteroids were determined for workers of the Eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) following isolation of the workers from soldiers and reproductives. Experiments have demonstrated that isolation leads to biochemical and physiological changes that result in a presoldier molt. Juvenile hormone (JH) and molting hormone (MH) titers were determined in hemolymph samples using radioimmunoassay. The identity of the ecdysteroids as predominantly 20-hydroxyecdysone (90%) and ecdysone (10%) was determined by HPLC using pooled extracts of hemolymph.
Life events and depressive symptoms in African American adolescents: do ecological domains and timing of life events matter?

Considerable research has documented associations between adverse life events and internalizing symptoms in adolescents, but much of this research has focused on the number of events experienced, with less attention to the ecological context or timing of events. This study examined life events in three ecological domains relevant to adolescents (i.e., family, peers, themselves) as predictors of the course of depressive symptoms among a community epidemiologically defined sample of 419 (47.2% females) urban African American adolescents. Given that youth depressive symptoms change over time, grade level was examined as a moderator. For males, the strength of associations between life events happening to participants, family life events, and peer life events and depressive symptoms did not change from grades 6–9. For females, the strength of the association between peer life events and depressive symptoms did not change over time, but the strength of associations between life events happening to participants and family life events and females’ depressive symptoms decreased over time. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Commentary on Values and Standards in Performance Assessment

Is construct validity relevant to performance assessment? Can these assessments allow meaningful comparisons? How can we minimize validity-reducing errors?
Identification of expanded alleles of the FMR1 Gene in the CHildhood Autism Risks from Genes and Environment (CHARGE) study.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a neuro-developmental disorder characterized by intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Expansion of a CGG trinucleotide repeat (>200 repeats) in the 5′UTR of the fragile X mental retardation gene, is the single most prevalent cause of cognitive disabilities. Several screening studies for FXS, among individuals with ID from different ethnic populations, have indicated that the prevalence of the syndrome varies between 0.5 and 16 %. Because the high co-morbidity with autism, we have conducted a screening study of the cohort from CHARGE, a large-scale, population-based, case control study. We have identified six subjects carrying an expanded allele, which emphasize the importance of screening for FXS in a population with intellectual disabilities and ASD.
Role of dipole charges in black hole thermodynamics

Modern derivations of the first law of black holes appear to sh ow that the only charges that arise are monopole charges that can be obtained by surface integrals at infinity. However, the recently discovered five dimensional black ring solutions empirically satisfy a first law in which dipol e charges appear. We resolve this contradiction and derive a general form of the first law for black rings. Dipole charges do appear together with a corresponding potential. We also include theories with Chern-Simons terms and generalize the first law to other horizon topologies and more generic local c harges.
Effects of structural disorders on sequential tunneling in multiple quantum wells

Abstract Based on an isotropic random distribution model, the effects of structural disorders embedded in the barriers on the sequential electron tunneling in multiple quantum wells were studied at low temperatures. By using a sequential tunneling model [Stievenard et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 61 (1992) 1582], the transmission coefficient through a single barrier was calculated using a finite-difference method and averaged over random configurations of disorders. To compute the tunneling current, a self-consistent calculation for the electronic states was performed, including the Hartree and exchange interactions and non-parabolic energy dispersion. Both disorder-assisted and disorder-impeded electron tunneling phenomena were found as a function of the activation energy. The effects of electric field, barrier width, and temperature were also studied. The predicted resonant disorder-assisted electron tunneling should be large enough to be observable at low temperatures in an experiment.
Skin care of the pediatric patient

Several factors influence the chronically ill child's susceptibility for skin breakdown. Nurses are an integral part of the care team that has the responsibility for identification of these factors, as well as pressure ulcer prevention and early intervention. An important aspect of this responsibility is identification of individuals at risk. This article provides a guide for assessment and early intervention for skin breakdown in chronically ill children. A care plan, and consultation recommendations are included.
3' Acceptor splice site mutation in intron 50 leads to mild Duchenne muscular dystrophy phenotype.

the disease in these patients is of great clinical importance and ,can lead to accurate carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis in these families. Furthermore, phenotype-genotype correlations in these patients may help us understand the mechanism of this gene. With the use of a vari- ety of screening point mutation detection techniques, such as chemical cleavage of mismatch analysis (CCMA) (Roberts et al.,
The effects of interconnect process and snapback voltage on the ESD failure threshold of NMOS transistors

The electrostatic discharge (ESD) failure threshold of NMOS transistors in a shelf-aligned TiSi/sub 2/ process has been identified to be sensitive to both interconnect processes and device structures. For a consistently good ESD protection level, there is a maximum limit of TiSi/sub 2/ thickness formed on a shallow junction. The thickness is less than that required to ensure a low junction leakage current. The effect of contact processes on ESD is also studied. Both the size and quantity of contacts on the source-drain area of NMOS transistors have important effects on the ESD failure threshold of the NMOS transistor. The ESD failure threshold voltage an NMOS transistor is strongly correlated with the snapback voltage of its lateral parasitic bipolar transistor. The ESD pass voltage or the highest current that an NMOS transistor can withstand is a decreasing function of its parasitic bipolar snapback voltage. This finding explains why an abrupt junction device has a higher ESD failure threshold voltage than a graded-junction device. The gate potential of an NMOS transistor also has important effects on its failure threshold voltage. >
Academic Courses in Biofeedback

The data presented here represent a sampling of the activities in programs offering academic courses in biofeedback that responded to the Education Committee's effort to develop a directory of such courses. A diversity of type and number of training experiences, equipment, resources, and approaches to training are represented. The committee is currently working on a format to share the wealth of course materials gathered in addition to the directory, which has already been published (Biofeedback Society of America, 1987).
BPA's Extra High Voltage DC Tests: I - Contaminated Insulators

Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the dc flashover characteristics of clean, artificially, and naturally contaminated transmission line suspension insulators. Direct current flashover of clean and contaminated insulators in the fog chamber is a linear function of string length up to 350 kV. Comparative data are presented on a number of specimens for clean-wet and contaminated insulators in the fog chamber. BPA's fog chamber tests on artificially contaminated insulators are equivalent to severe natural contamination.
High strain-rate interfacial behavior of layered metallic composites

Abstract The high strain-rate interfacial behavior of layered aluminum composite has been investigated. A dislocation-density based crystalline plasticity formulation, specialized finite-element techniques, rational crystallographic orientation relations, and a new fracture methodology for large scale plasticity been used. Two alloy layers, a high strength alloy, aluminum 2195, and an aluminum alloy 2139, with high toughness, were modeled with representative microstructures that included precipitates, dispersed particles, and different grain boundary (GB) distributions. The new fracture methodology, based on an overlapping element method and phantom nodes, along with a fracture criteria specialized for fracture on different cleavage planes is used to model interfacial delamination. Dislocation-density evolution significantly affects the delamination process, and this has a directly related to the strengthening, toughening, and failure of the layered composite. It is also shown that brittle alumina (Al2O3) platelets in the interface region played an important role in interfacial delamination and overall composite behavior.
Hormone replacement therapy (estrogen and progesterone): is it necessary for heart disease prevention?

This is a brief review of the rationale for estrogen replacement as prevention of coronary artery disease. Epidemiological data suggest that premarin (0.625 mg) together with medroxyprogesterone acetate (2.5 mg) can prevent or delay the onset of coronary artery disease in postmenopausal women. The major effects of estrogens are: improving the lipid profile by lowering low density lipoprotein and raising high density lipoprotein; acting on vessel walls to reduce intimal damage and plaque formation; dilating vessels by both an endothelial dependent and an independent pathway; and acting as an antioxidant, thereby reducing the oxidation of low density lipoprotein and increasing the production of nitric oxide locally in the blood vessel. Oral estrogens and transdermal estrogens may act differently on coagulation factors and lipids. The role of specific estrogen receptor modulators as possible treatment for postmenopausal women in part will depend on the effect of these drugs in preventing coronary artery disease. The specific estrogen receptor modulators decrease low density lipoprotein and prevent triglyceride increases but it is unknown if they have estrogenic effects on blood vessel walls. Better compliance with estrogen replacement therapy will depend on educating women about their risk of getting coronary artery disease, and assisting them in decision making, as well as reducing side effects. The Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study provides evidence that Prempro™ (Premarin/medroxyprogesterone acetate) should not be given to someone who already has heart disease without careful monitoring.
Atypical cpb2 Genes, Encoding Beta2-Toxin in Clostridium perfringens Isolates of Nonporcine Origin

Beta2-toxin, encoded by cpb2, is implicated in the pathogenesis of Clostridium perfringens enteritis. However, cpb2 genes from nonporcine C. perfringens isolates were not always expressed, at least in vitro. Nucleotide sequencing identified atypical cpb2 genes with 70.2 to 70.7% DNA identity to previously identified (consensus) cpb2. Atypical beta2-toxin displayed 62.3% identity and 80.4% similarity to consensus beta2-toxin. No porcine type C isolates (n = 16) and only 3.3% of porcine type A isolates (n = 60) carried atypical cpb2 genes. However, 88.5% of nonporcine isolates carried atypical cpb2 (n = 78), but beta2-toxin was not expressed. Almost half of the nonporcine consensus cpb2 genes (44.4%) carried a frameshift mutation (n = 9), resulting in an absence of beta2-toxin expression. These findings strengthen the role of beta2-toxin in the pathogenesis of enteritis in neonatal pigs. However, the identification of apparently nonexpressed, atypical cpb2 genes raises the question of whether this protein plays the same role in enteritis in other animal species.
TESLA-Based Defense against Pollution Attacks in P2P Systems with Network Coding

Pollution attacks are well-known to have detrimental effect on intra-session network coding in general, and in peer-to-peer (P2P) systems with network coding in particular. Previously proposed defense mechanisms against pollution attacks in intra- session network coding face various challenges that make them ill-suited for P2P systems: they are either computationally expensive, not collusion resistant, or work only on fixed, known topologies. In this work, we propose a novel, complete defense system for network coding-based P2P systems that can (i) quickly detect corrupted blocks, (ii) precisely identify the attackers, thereby eliminating them from the network, (iii) resist arbitrary collusion, and (iv) work with unknown, dynamic topologies, as it is the case in P2P systems. Our scheme uses and builds on two key ingredients: homomorphic message authentication codes and time asymmetry (as in TESLA) to provide source authentication for the detection scheme and non-repudiation for the identification scheme. Our mechanisms introduce significantly less communication and computation overhead than other comparable state-of-the-art schemes for P2P systems. Using implementation in both C/C++ and Java, on both a PC and an Android device, we show that the computational delay per block at each peer is as low as 600 microseconds and the bandwidth overhead is as low as 1.3%.
Signal-to-noise ratio for lightwave systems using avalanche photodiodes

An expression for the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the output of an avalanche photodiode (APD) receiver is derived that includes the effects of photoinjected carriers, dark-generated carriers, and the receiver circuitry. It is found that the dark current alters both the magnitude of the SNR and the value of the mean multiplication where the SNR achieves its maximum value. The formula differs from the expression that is conventionally used (S.M. Sze, 1981) in that it makes use of different excess noise factors for photo-generated and dark-generated carriers. >
Suprascapular nerve entrapment Neurophysiological localization in 6 cases

We report 6 cases of a suprascapular nerve lesion: 3 of them presented a nerve entrapment at the suprascapular notch and 3 at the spinoglenoid notch. Electrophysiological investigation localized the site of entrapment in all cases.
Influence of outer surface protein A antibody on Borrelia burgdorferi within feeding ticks

Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of Lyme disease, is transmitted by Ixodes ticks. When an infected nymphal tick feeds on a host, the bacteria increase in number within the tick, after which they invade the tick's salivary glands and infect the host. Antibodies directed against outer surface protein A (OspA) of B. burgdorferi kill spirochetes within feeding ticks and block transmission to the host. In the studies presented here, passive antibody transfer experiments were carried out to determine the OspA antibody titer required to block transmission to the rodent host. OspA antibody levels were determined by using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that measured antibody binding to a protective epitope defined by monoclonal antibody C3.78. The C3.78 OspA antibody titer (>213 microgram/ml) required to eradicate spirochetes from feeding ticks was considerably higher than the titer (>6 microgram/ml) required to block transmission to the host. Although spirochetes were not eradicated from ticks at lower antibody levels, the antibodies reduced the number of spirochetes within the feeding ticks and interfered with the ability of spirochetes to induce ospC and invade the salivary glands of the vector. OspA antibodies may directly interfere with the ability of B. burgdorferi to invade the salivary glands of the vector; alternately, OspA antibodies may lower the density of spirochetes within feeding ticks below a critical threshold required for initiating events linked to transmission.
Development and Application of a Statistical Methodology to Evaluate the Predictive Accuracy of Building Energy Baseline Models

Abstract This paper documents the development and application of a general statistical methodology to assess the accuracy of baseline energy models, focusing on its application to M&V (measurement and verification) of whole-building energy savings. The methodology complements the principles addressed in resources such as ASHRAE Guideline 14 and the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol. It requires fitting a baseline model to data from a “training period” and using the model to predict total electricity consumption during a subsequent “prediction period.” We illustrate the methodology by evaluating five baseline models using data from 29 buildings. The training period and prediction period were varied, and model predictions of daily, weekly, and monthly energy consumption were compared to meter data to determine model accuracy. Several metrics were used to characterize the accuracy of the predictions, and in some cases the best-performing model as judged by one metric was not the best performer when judged by another metric.
High-throughput screening for terpene-synthase-cyclization activity and directed evolution of a terpene synthase

A synthetic substrate enables a new colorimetric screen for terpene synthase cyclization activity, facilitating the engineering of these enzymes. Using directed evolution, the thermostability of the sesquiterpene synthase BcBOT2 was increased without the loss of other properties. The technique also enabled rapid optimization of conditions for expression and stabilization in lysate of another terpene synthase, SSCG_02150.
Changes in Oligosaccharide Content, Enzyme Activities and Dry Matter during Controlled Germination of Cowpeas (Vigna Unguiculata)

Cowpeas were germinated at 25, 30, and 35°C for 12, 24, 48, and 72 hr. Stachyose disappeared after 48 hr germination at 30°C while 85 and 95% reductions occurred at 35°C for 48 and 72 hr. respectively. Total oligosaccharide reduction was significantly greater at 30°C than at 25°C. Protease and amylase activities and rootlet development were minimal after 24 hr germination but increased thereafter. Anerobic incubation was ineffective in furthering reduction of olicosaccharides in seeds germinated at 25 or at 30°C for 12 or 24 hr. Total protein and carbohydrate contents were relatively unaffected.
The calculus for factorial arrangements: a review and bibliography

The content of this article is twofold. First, a selected review is given covering the calculus for factorial arrangements which was conceived by M. Zelen and introduced by Kurkjian and kavi. the review briefly summarizes how various researchers have either extended or incorporated the calculus into their work. It is divided into two main sections: (i) a discussion of results related to property (A) designs, and (ii) a discussion of results related to factorial structure. Second, a bibliography of over 80 items is presented. This bibliography has been prepared using the current indexing and abstracting journals as well as a computer-aided literature search.
When Girls and Boys Play: What Research Tells Us.

(2007). Review of Research: When Girls and Boys Play: What Research Tells Us. Childhood Education: Vol. 84, No. 1, pp. 38-43.
SOI MESFETs Fabricated Using Fully Depleted CMOS Technologies

Ultrathin channel metal-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MESFETs) have been fabricated using fully depleted silicon-on-insulator CMOS foundries with no changes to the process flow. The Schottky gate of the MESFET is formed from a metal silicide that consumes most of the thin ( < 50 nm) FD-SOI channel and fully depletes the remaining underlying silicon. Therefore, unlike partially depleted SOI MESFETs with a thicker silicon layer ( ~ 200 nm), the conducting channel of the FD-SOI MESFET cannot be formed directly under the Schottky gate. Instead, current flow in the FD-SOI MESFET is confined between islands of silicide that deplete the conducting channel in a lateral direction. The FD-SOI MESFETs operate as depletion mode devices with a threshold voltage that can be adjusted by varying the separation between the silicide islands. Both n- and p-channel devices can be realized using the same gate material on a common FD-SOI substrate.
Excess iodide ingestion and thyroid function in chicks.

SummaryThe effect of excess ioide in the drinking water on the thyroid function of chicks has been studied. There was no evidence of goiter production in four breeds of chicks fed up to 0.5% (w/v) KI in water for periods of up to six months. There was some evidence in acute experiments to suggest a temporary Wolff-Chaikoff effect with excess iodides. Components of thyroid hydrolysates were not different in iodide-treated chicks as compared to chicks not given excess iodide.
The Effect of Gametogenesis Regimes on the Chloroplast Genetic System of CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII.

In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, gamete differentiation is induced by nitrogen deprivation. While cellular nitrogen content and amount of chloroplast DNA in cells of both mating types are reduced during gametogenesis, the spontaneous transmission of paternal (mt-) chloroplast alleles in crosses is specifically affected by the stringency of the nitrogen starvation regime used for pregrowth and gametogenesis of the mt- parent. In all cases, reciprocal crosses yielded biparental zygospores whose clones contain predominantly cells expressing only the chloroplast alleles from the maternal (mt+) parent. No differences attributable to strain divergence were seen in chloroplast gene inheritance pattern, DNA content, or the relative frequency of transmission of paternal chloroplast alleles to progeny of biparental zygospores.
Detection of Thin Lines using Low-Quality Video from Low-Altitude Aircraft in Urban Settings

A novel thin line detection algorithm for use in low-altitude aerial vehicles is presented. This algorithm is able to detect thin obstacles such as cables, power lines, and wires. The system is intended to be used during urban search and rescue operations, capable of dealing with low-quality images, robust to image clutter, bad weather, and sensor artifacts. The detection process uses motion estimation at the pixel level, combined with edge detection, followed by a windowed Hough transform. The evidence of lines is tracked over time in the resulting parameter spaces using a dynamic line movement model. The algorithm's receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) is shown, based on a multi-site dataset with 86 videos with 10160 wires spanning in 5576 frames.
Endocannabinoids mediate synaptic plasticity at glutamatergic synapses on spiny neurons within a basal ganglia nucleus necessary for song learning

Activation of type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) in many central nervous system structures induces both short- and long-term changes in synaptic transmission. Within mammalian striatum, endocannabinoids (eCB) are one of several mechanisms that induce synaptic plasticity at glutamatergic terminals onto medium spiny neurons. Striatal synaptic plasticity may contribute a critical component of adaptive motor coordination and procedural learning. Songbirds are advantageous for studying the neural mechanisms of motor learning because they possess a neural pathway necessary for song learning and adult song plasticity that includes a striato-pallidal nucleus, area X (homologous to a portion of mammalian basal ganglia). Recent findings suggest that eCBs contribute to vocal development. For example, dense CB1R expression in song control nuclei peaks around the closure of the sensori-motor integration phase of song development. Also, systemic administration of a CB1R agonist during vocal development impairs song learning. Here we test whether activation of CB1R alters excitatory synaptic input on spiny neurons in area X of adult male zebra finches. Application of the CB1R agonist WIN55212–2 decreased excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) amplitude; that decrease was blocked by the CB1R antagonist AM251. Guided by eCB experiments in mammalian striatum, we tested and verified that at least two mechanisms indirectly activate CB1Rs through eCBs in area X. First, activation of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors with the agonist 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) induced a CB1R-mediated reduction in EPSC amplitude. Second, we observed that a 10 s postsynaptic depolarization induced a calcium-mediated, eCB-dependent decrease in synaptic strength that resisted rescue with late CB1R blockade. Together, these results show that eCB modulation occurs at inputs to area X spiny neurons and could influence motor learning and production.
A Global Energy Curriculum

The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) opened in September 2005 as the tenth campus of the University of California system. UC Merced will offer a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs and is expected to grow to a 25,000-student enrollment at full build-out by approximately 2030. UC Merced is building a solar energy research program under the direction of Dean Jeff Wright and Professor Roland Winston. The solar energy research program will be complemented by a global energy curriculum. The curriculum will strive to integrate graduate-level education on energy issues, environmental science and policy, natural resources economics, and non-proliferation and international security studies into the world's first truly international university curriculum on global energy issues. The curriculum will allow students to gain top notch education provided by leading universities in various continents of the world, both in industrialized and developing countries.
Short-term captivity influences maximal cold-induced metabolic rates and their repeatability in summer-acclimatized American goldfinches Spinus tristis

Studies of metabolic variation in birds have involved both wild and captive individuals, but few studies have investi- gated whether captivity directly influences metabolic rates, despite such variation potentially confounding conclusions regarding how metabolic rates respond to the conditions under study. In addition, whether short-term captivity influences metabolic rate re- peatability in birds is currently uninvestigated. In this study, we measured Msum (maximal cold-induced metabolic rates) in sum- mer acclimatized American goldfinches Spinus tristis directly after capture from wild populations, after approximately 2 weeks of indoor captivity (Captive 1), and again after an additional 1-2 weeks of captivity (Captive 2). Msum increased significantly (16.9%) following the initial captive period, but remained stable thereafter. Body mass (Mb) also increased significantly (9.2%) during the initial captive period but remained stable thereafter, suggesting that muscle growth and/or remodeling of body composition pro- duced the observed metabolic variation. Mb and Msum were not significantly repeatable between wild and Captive 1 birds, but were significantly repeatable between Captive 1 and Captive 2 groups. These data suggest that caution must be exercised when extrapolating metabolic rates from short-term captive to wild populations. In addition, Msum was a repeatable trait for birds under conditions where mean metabolic rates remained stable, but Msum repeatability disappeared during acclimation to conditions pro- moting phenotypically flexible metabolic responses. This suggests that the capacity for phenotypic flexibility varies among indi- viduals, and such variation could have fitness consequences (Current Zoology 59 (4): 439-448, 2013).
SIGCSE 2016 new educators workshop

A successful career as a computer science educator involves much more than a deep understanding of a particular research area. A successful educator must also be an effective teacher, a collegial collaborator, a capable politician, and an expert time manager. While most computer science graduate programs emphasize research expertise, and perhaps provide teaching experience through methods courses and assistantships, they often address other aspects of an academic career only through informal (and inconsistent) mentoring. Choosing the appropriate type of institution and career path; balancing teaching, research, service, and family life; working with colleagues and surviving institutional politics; navigating the tenure and/or advancement processes -- these are all important aspects of a career that must be tackled by new educators.
47 – Biological Properties of Beer and Its Components Compared to Wine

Increasing evidence supports the health benefits of moderate consumption of alcohol as part of a healthy lifestyle. Numerous studies suggest that moderate drinking of beer is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis. Recent researches in bioactive principles revealed many notable properties of hop compounds. Scientific evidence has accumulated over the last years pointing to the potential anticancer activities of selected hop-derived beer constituents. A generalized radical scavenging activity was described for most beer polyphenolic components, and a protection against DNA oxidative damage was reported. In this chapter, we will discuss the potential chemopreventive role and helpful effects on health of beer and its constituents compared to wine.
Junk Science and the Execution of an Innocent Man

Cameron Todd Willingham was tried and executed for the arson deaths of his three little girls. The expert testimony offered against him to establish arson was junk science. The case has since become infamous, the subject of an award-winning New Yorker article, numerous newspaper accounts, and several television shows. It also became enmeshed in the death penalty debate and the reelection of Texas Governor Rick Perry, who refused to grant a stay of execution after a noted arson expert submitted a report debunking the “science” offered at Willingham’s trial. The governor then attempted to derail an investigation by the Texas Forensic Science Commission into the arson evidence presented at Willingham’s trial.
Increasing Role of Economic Analysis in the Health Care Industry

As the health care industry continues to absorb an ever-larger portion of society's resources, increasing pressure is being placed on the industry to justify its decisions about the outcomes of the services it renders relative to their costs. Emphasis is being shifted from accessibility to and availability of health care to the cost-effective delivery of those services. This focus on cost effectiveness is creating intense pressure on the various segments of the industry to justify their existence as cost-effective providers of services. To demonstrate cost effectiveness, the various segments are searching for tools to assist them. In this article, an outline of a mechanism for evaluating the cost effectiveness of providing physical therapy services is presented.
Numerical and Experimental Study of Fuel and Air Flow in Carburetors for Small Engines

This work presents a complete model of the carburetor for small engines. It extends the previously published models by incorporating a detailed review of two-phase flow pressure drop, the effect of the fuel well on the control of airbleed flow, and unsteady flow. The homogenous two-phase flow model, which is commonly used in carburetor modeling, was compared with an empirical correlation derived from experiments in small pipes and found to be in poor agreement. In order to assess unsteady flow conditions, the model was extended by solving instantaneous one-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations in single-phase pipes. This strategy proved successful in explaining the mixture enrichment seen under pulsating flow conditions. The model was also used to derive a sensitivity analysis of geometries and physical properties of air and fuel.
Support for Current Sex Offender Management Policies: A National Survey of the Perceptions of Professionals

Utilizing a sample gathered from two professional organizations, this study compared the perceptions held by criminal justice professionals and clinical specialists toward current sex offender management policies. In addition to controlling for demographic variables, consideration was given to the roles of belief in the cause of sex offending and punishment philosophy, both largely absent from the literature on sex offender policy perceptions, as influencing factors of policy support. Results indicate low levels of support for current policies across professional groups, however, criminal justice professionals are significantly more likely to support current policies than clinical specialists. Furthermore, belief that sex offending is caused by a lack of virtue, holding a traditional punishment philosophy, and being a parent were associated with increased support for current policies. The implications of these findings for the management of sex offenders are discussed.
The Role of the Military in Disaster Response in the U.S.

Several scholarly works have documented a heightened military involvement in responding to natural and man-made disasters. This is due to both the historical focus of the military on responding to domestic disasters and the recent impact of large-scale terrorist attacks on the U.S. territory. While retaining its primary role of safeguarding the country from external threats, the military has become one of the main partners of federal, state, and local agencies in disaster response operations, providing its available resources, logistical capacity, and operational services effectively used against both man-made and natural disasters. This article discusses the role of the military in responding to natural and man-made disasters and explores the historical involvement of military in disaster management.
Splints and Casts

This article presents methods by which physical therapists can use splints and casts to intervene directly in pediatric foot deformity management, preprescription evaluation, rehabilitation, and new splint designs for children with neuromotor disorders. Recent advances in biomechanics, engineering, and orthotics have introduced new methods of preventing or reducing foot deformity while facilitating optimal function. Several splint styles are described with current indications and contraindications for their use. The use of casts in serial applications to reduce soft tissue contracture rather than to reduce muscle tone is discussed.
Hypothermic effect of chlorpromazine, histamine and serotonin, and acclimatization to cold.

SummaryThe hypothermic effect of chlorpromazine, serotonin and histamine was investigated in rats at 21°C after acclimatization at 6°C for 1 to 28 days. The response to chlorpromazine was greatly reduced in animals acclimatized to cold for 7 and 28 days. Similarly, the fall in body temperature observed with serotonin and histamine was not as pronounced in acclimatized as in control animals.
Sleuth Strategies: Detection and Prevention of Plagiarism

With the phenomenal growth of online full-text sources, the opportunity to cut and paste portions of documents has increased rapidly. The advent of paper mills has also made it easy for writers to locate and download the full-text of papers. The authors suggest strategies for detecting plagiarism and assignment parameters for preventing plagiarism that librarians can share with faculty, as well as examples of library instruction materials about the ethical and moral implications and repercussions of practicing plagiarism.
The Impact of the Fishery upon the Midge Populations of Clear Lake, Lake County, California

The midge, or gnat, of primary concern in this study was the Clear Lake gnat, Chaoborus astictopus Dyar and Shannon (Culicidae: Chaoborinae), a species of considerable economic concern to this area. Despite its great abundance in this environment, this gnat species was found in less than 16% of the 1940 stomachs examined from representatives of virtually every fish species occurring in Clear Lake. Chironomid midges, on the other hand, though far less abundant than chaoborids in this lake, were found in 43% of the stomachs examined. From an overall evaluation of the results obtained, an attempt was made to explain possible reasons why the Clear Lake gnat was not more heavily utilized for food. This information will provide a basis to be used in evaluating those characteristics most potentially desirable in any alien fish species under consideration for introduction into Clear Lake as a possible biological control agent of the Clear Lake gnat.
Occurrence of Two Fusarium Species in Two Maize Cultivars in West Africa

1. Ascospores smooth without apiculi, longer than 30 ,m, white or pallid, on algae, on soil and vegetable debris 2 1. Ascospores apiculate and marked with irregular warts, 17-22 X 7-8 /um, on watersoaked twigs and wood T. rivicola (Vacek) Kimbr. & Pfister 2. Ascospores 30-36 X 15-16 ,im, apothecia light tan reaching a diam of up to 0.5 cm, asci predominantly 4-spored, paraphyses of two types T. phycophilus Pfister 2. Ascospores 35-45 X 15-20, m, apothecia white, 2-3 mm in diam, asci 8-spored, paraphyses of one type ....... T. pallens (Boud.) Kimbr.
Perioperative morbidity and mortality after noncardiac surgery in young adults with congenital or early acquired heart disease: A retrospective cohort analysis of the national surgical quality improvement program database

An increasing number of patients with congenital heart disease survive to adulthood. Expert opinion suggests that noncardiac surgery is a high-risk event, but few data describe perioperative outcom...
Epidemiological survey of diphtheria antibody level in Shijiazhuang City and its influencing factors, 2013

Objective To investigate the levels of diphtheria antibody of people in Shijiazhuang and analyze its influencing factors.Methods The levels of diphtheria antibody in 0-, 1-, 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, 30-, 35- and 40- age groups were tested. Logistic regression was taken to explore the influencing factors. Results The positive rate of diphtheria antibody was 98.53%, and the protective rate was 46.22%. The mean of concentration was 1.85IU/ml. The last inoculation time of DPT(Against Diphtheria and Pertussis) Vaccine(OR=4.161) and the full immunization of DPT Vaccine(OR=1.759) had a significant impact on diphtheria antibody. Conclusion The prevention and control of diphtheria in Shijiazhuang are remarkable. Therefore, recently, diphtheria outbreak would not occur in Shijiazhuang.
Assessing the health effects of climate change in Alaska with community-based surveillance

The environmental effects of climate change are greatest in the northern latitudes. There is a need for epidemiological investigations to assess the health impacts of climate change on the health of residents of the circumpolar north. This study employed a participatory, community-based surveillance system to collect repeated observations of environmental conditions and syndromic health outcomes in sentinel communities across three ecologically distinct regions of Alaska. The study revealed that unintentional injury was significantly more likely in months when respondents reported unseasonable environmental conditions, and particularly so when they changed travel plans as a consequence of those conditions. The study also found that incidence of respiratory syndromes, such as pollen allergies and asthma, were significantly higher during months when unseasonable environmental conditions were observed. We conclude that unseasonable environmental conditions likely associated with climate change are having adverse effects on the health of circumpolar northern populations.
Specifying a Model of Political Infeasibility for Voter Fraud in State Representative Elections

I present an analytical model that challenges the assumptions underlying recent legislative activism that has created what I describe as an excessive system of protection against voter fraud. The data set includes all 3,858 state representative contests in 38 states in the general election of 2006. Partisan control of state legislatures yields one of the most valued prizes in politics: the ability to re-district both the state legislature itself and the U.S. House of Representatives. This model shows that in order fraudulently to elect a single member of a state house of representatives there must be both an elaborate conspiracy and a deep trough of corruption. I argue that it is essentially impossible to create such a conspiracy or to manipulate such a thoroughly corrupt system in the dozens of precincts necessary to create a winning majority for a single house member.
Ethanol-induced fluidization of brain lipid bilayers: required presence of cholesterol in membranes for the expression of tolerance.

The effects of ethanol on fluidity of reconstituted membranes formed from lipid extracts of tolerant and control mice synaptosomal membranes were assessed by fluorescence polarization techniques. Ethanol was less able to fluidize reconstituted membranes of ethanol-tolerant mice than controls. Acute in vivo administration of ethanol did not alter ethanol-induced fluidization of the reconstituted membranes. Since increased membrane cholesterol has been suggested to account for tolerance, the cholesterol and trace nonpolar lipids from the lipid extracts were removed and then cholesterol was added back so as to equalize its level in all groups. Following removal of cholesterol, it was not possible to detect any differences between the tolerant and control groups. However, when the cholesterol was added back so that all groups had a cholesterol/phospholipid ratio of 0.54, i.e., the control group level, it was possible to measure differences between tolerant and control lipid extracts. These results suggest that changes in the lipid composition of membranes can account in part for tissue adaptation to ethanol-induced membrane fluidization. Moreover, while the presence of cholesterol in the membranes appears to be required for the expression of tolerance, the small changes in the cholesterol content of membranes observed following development of tolerance probably are not responsible for the attenuation of ethanol-induced membrane fluidization.
Large-Scale medical image analytics: Recent methodologies, applications and Future directions

Despite the ever-increasing amount and complexity of annotated medical image data, the development of large-scale medical image analysis algorithms has not kept pace with the need for methods that bridge the semantic gap between images and diagnoses. The goal of this position paper is to discuss and explore innovative and large-scale data science techniques in medical image analytics, which will benefit clinical decision-making and facilitate efficient medical data management. Particularly, we advocate that the scale of image retrieval systems should be significantly increased at which interactive systems can be effective for knowledge discovery in potentially large databases of medical images. For clinical relevance, such systems should return results in real-time, incorporate expert feedback, and be able to cope with the size, quality, and variety of the medical images and their associated metadata for a particular domain. The design, development, and testing of the such framework can significantly impact interactive mining in medical image databases that are growing rapidly in size and complexity and enable novel methods of analysis at much larger scales in an efficient, integrated fashion.
Compatibilism and Retributivist Desert Moral Responsibility: On What is of Central Philosophical and Practical Importance

Much of the recent philosophical discussion about free will has been focused on whether compatibilists can adequately defend how a determined agent could exercise the type of free will that would enable the agent to be morally responsible in what has been called the basic desert sense (see, e.g., Pereboom in Living without free will, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2001; Pereboom in Free will, agency, and meaning in life, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014; Strawson in Freedom and belief, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1986; Strawson in Philos Stud 75(1):5–24, 1994; Fischer in Four views on free will, Wiley, Hoboken, 2007; Vargas in Four views on free will, Wiley, Hoboken, 2007; Vargas in Philos Stud, 144(1):45–62, 2009). While we agree with Derk Pereboom and others that the compatibilist’s burden should be properly understood as providing a compelling account of how a determined agent could be morally responsible in the basic desert sense, the exact nature of this burden has been rendered somewhat unclear by the fact that there has been no definitive account given as to what the basic desert sense of moral responsibility amounts to. In Sect. 1 we set out to clarify the compatibilist’s burden by presenting our account of basic desert moral responsibility—which we call retributivist desert moral responsibility for purposes of clarity—and explain why it is of central philosophical and practical importance to the free will debate. In Sect. 2 we employ a thought experiment to illustrate the kind of difficulty that compatibilists of any stripe are likely to encounter in attempting to explain how determined agents can exercise the kind of free will needed for retributivist desert moral responsibility.