cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A methodology for constructing predicate transition net specifications

In this paper, a methodology for constructing hierarchical and structured predicate transition net specifications is developed, which includes new systematic notation extensions for supporting various transformation techniques upon predicate transition nets and several rules for applying such transformation techniques. The levelling technique in data-flow diagrams is adapted in the refinement and the abstraction techniques, and the state decomposition idea in state-charts is employed in designing various label formulation operators. The methodology is illustrated through the specification of a lift system. The methodology can significantly reduce the constructing complexity and enhance the comprehensibility of large predicate transition net specifications.
The natural course of post-operative Crohn's disease (CD) and factors that predict future surgery

Purpose: Multiple surgeries are often necessary for patients with CD. Aim: To define the natural course of post-operative CD and the factors that predict the need for future resectional surgery.
Localized planarization of optical damage using laser-based chemical vapor deposition

We present a method to repair damaged optics using laser-based chemical vapor deposition (L-CVD). A CO 2 laser is used to heat damaged silica regions and polymerize a gas precursor to form SiO 2 . Measured deposition rates and morphologies agree well with finite element modeling of a two-phase reaction. Along with optimizing deposition rates and morphology, we also show that the deposited silica is structurally identical to high-grade silica substrate and possesses high UV laser damage thresholds. Successful application of such a method could reduce processing costs, extend optic lifetime, and lead to more damage resistant laser optics used in high power applications.
The Relationship Between the Structural Geometry of a Textile Fabric and Its Physical Properties Part II: The Mechanics of Fabric Abrasion

This paper is primarily concerned with the mechanics of textile fabric abrasion. However, considerable attention is devoted to the theory of friction and the theory of cutting of crystalline solids. This is intended as a framework for the study of visco-elastic fibrous materials. Such an approach seems logical in view of the significant part which both the elastic and plastic properties of metals play in the phenomena of rubbing and cutting. It is particularly significant that these studies on metals often report the use of solid high polymers as models and experimental materials.It has taken over 100 years of research on the part of physicists and engineers to determine the nature and causes of friction in crystalline solids, and only in the last 15 years have they made progress in the study of surface cutting. Within the last few years several workers in the field of fibrous high polymers have recognized the applicability of the findings of crystalline-solid research as related to the study of friction,...
Apollo over the Ganges an Agro-Industrial Complex for Increasing Food Production in India

The geological origin of the vast alluvial Ganges plain is sketched as the filled-in foredeep of the Himalayan mountains. The prevalence offamine conditions there, in spite of the excellent soil and year-round growing season and good ground water supply, is noted. Prof. Stout's diagnosis in terms of the need for energy from external nonagricultural sources is set forth. An example employing a 1000 Mwe power plant and grid for irgation pumping and nitrogen fixation, together with an improved strain of wheat from Mexico, is presented and some rough cost and benefit estimates are made. It appears that this single project, providing one additional crop each year on a tenth of the cultivated land, could lift the entire 200 million people of the Ganges Valley from semistarvation to a healthful diet level
Child abuse, domestic violence, and animal abuse; Cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence

Edited by Frank R. Ascione and Phil Arkow. West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University Press, 1998, 479 pp. Edited by Randall Lockwood and Frank R. Ascione. West Layfayette, IN, Purdue University Press, 1997, 464 pp.
O-11 - Collective erosion of empathy in lithuania 1940–1953: psychiatric analysis of collaborators, survivors, and patriots

The WWII era saw atrocities to unarmed citizens in Eastern Europe, the so called Bloodlands, the likes of which may never have been witnessed before. The Baltic country of Lithuania was among the nations affected as it suffered occupation first by Soviet Russia (1940), then Nazi Germany (1941), then Soviet Russia again (1944) and to continue for almost five decades. In the early years of each of these occupations not insignificant numbers of Lithuanians fell in with the occupiers, and participated in atrocities against fellow citizens in which tens of thousands of people were murdered or deported, and their families and communities ravaged. Lithuania was not unique in this experience, but its smaller size may allow closer scrutiny of the process; which is not adequately explained by political ideology or traditional concepts of psychopathy. This paper explores the evolutionary, biological, and sociological constructs of empathy; and its surprising malleability. It draws from examples of the Lithuanian experience - not only with collaborators, but also survivors, and patriots who have been accused of atrocities. Special emphasis is on the power of the collective to alter empathy in sweeping ways. This has importance at a time when developments in neuroscience assert that lack of empathy is an inherent defect in some mental and personality disordered individuals. It also may be relevant to recent assertions that large scale world wars are no longer as likely. Neither of these assertions should be that comforting.
The timing of surgical staging has a significant impact on the complications and functional outcomes of adult spinal deformity surgery

Abstract Background context To our knowledge, the effect of the staging regimen on the surgical outcome in patients undergoing combined anterior/posterior surgery for the treatment of spinal deformity has not been previously studied. Purpose To compare outcomes of anterior/posterior surgery for adult spinal deformity staged less than 21 days apart versus those 21 or more days apart. Study design A retrospective comparison study. Patient sample Patients aged 40 years or older who underwent combined anterior/posterior fusions for spinal deformities. Outcome measures Self-reported measures, physiological measures, and functional measures. Methods We retrospectively reviewed prospectively collected data for 63 consecutive patients (50 females and 13 males) older than 40 years who underwent combined anterior/posterior fusions for spinal deformities and who had a minimum of 2-year follow-up. We divided them into those who had surgery staged less than 21 days apart (Group 1, N=29) and those who had surgery staged 21 or more days apart (Group 2, N=34). The groups were not statistically different in age; preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists, Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) patient questionnaire, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores; number of previous surgeries; number of levels fused; or total operative time. Hotelling t square test and the chi-squared test were used to compare clinical and radiographic parameters, complications, and functional outcomes between groups (significance, p Results Compared with Group 1 patients, Group 2 (staged) patients had a lower total estimated blood loss (average, 4.5 L [range, 1.90–8.75 L] vs. 4 L [range, 1.8–10.1 L], respectively), fewer combined hospital days (average, 14 days [range, 7–70 days] vs. 12 days [range, 6–44 days], respectively), and fewer major complications (total, 10 [35%] vs. 6 [18%], respectively). Preoperative SRS-22 and ODI scores were significantly better in Group 2 than in Group 1 at 6 weeks (p Conclusion For patients who require both anterior and posterior surgery for spinal deformity correction, staging the two procedures 21 or more days apart decreases total perioperative transfusion requirements although significantly improving functional outcomes.
A subnanowatt microbubble pressure sensor based on electrochemical impedance transduction in a flexible all-Parylene package

We present the first all-Parylene microbubble pressure transducer (µBPT) harnessing the ability of a microbubble (µB) to respond instantaneously to external pressure variations. A µB is electrolytically generated and physically trapped within a Parylene microchamber such that pressure-induced bubble size variation is detected by electrochemical impedance (EI) measurement. Real-time hydrostatic pressure measurement (−11.8 O/psi, ±0.1 psi) of negative and positive pressures (−2 – 4psi) is demonstrated. The open-package device design leverages the ambient liquid environment obviating the need for hermetic packaging techniques. μBPTs are biocompatible, flexible, ultra-miniature (200 µm diameter, 10 µm thick), and can be operated at very low power (≤ nW) making them especially attractive for wet, in vivo pressure measurement.
G Protein βγ Subunits Stimulate p114RhoGEF, a Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor for RhoA and Rac1: Regulation of Cell Shape and Reactive Oxygen Species Production

Rho GTPases integrate the intracellular signaling in a wide range of cellular processes. Activation of these G proteins is tightly controlled by a number of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). In this study, we addressed the functional role of the recently identified p114RhoGEF in in vivo experiments. Activation of endogenous G protein-coupled receptors with lysophosphatidic acid resulted in activation of a transcription factor, serum response element (SRE), that was enhanced by p114RhoGEF. This stimulation was inhibited by the functional scavenger of Gbetagamma subunits, transducin. We have determined that Gbetagamma subunits but not Galpha subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins stimulated p114RhoGEF-dependent SRE activity. Using coimmunoprecipitation assay, we have determined that Gbetagamma subunits interacted with full-length and DH/PH domain of p114RhoGEF. Similarly, Gbetagamma subunits stimulated SRE activity induced by full-length and DH/PH domain of p114RhoGEF. Using in vivo pull-down assays and dominant-negative mutants of Rho GTPases, we have determined that p114RhoGEF activated RhoA and Rac1 but not Cdc42 proteins. Functional significance of RhoA activation was established by the ability of p114RhoGEF to induce actin stress fibers and cell rounding. Functional significance of Rac1 activation was established by the ability of p114RhoGEF to induce production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) followed by activation of NADPH oxidase enzyme complex. In summary, our data showed that the novel guanine nucleotide exchange factor p114RhoGEF regulates the activity of RhoA and Rac1, and that Gbetagamma subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins are activators of p114RhoGEF under physiological conditions. The findings help to explain the integrated effects of LPA and other G-protein receptor-coupled agonists on actin stress fiber formation, cell shape change, and ROS production.
Performance and aliasing analysis of multi-rate digital controllers with interlacing

This paper is concerned with multi-rate digital control with interlacing. The multi-rate controller is designed from a single fast-rate controller by implementing slow-mode components of the controller at a slow rate. The slow mode part of the controller is further decomposed to several elements to interlace: i.e., different elements are updated at different fast sampling time instances. The objective of multi-rate control with interlacing is to reduce the amount of real-time computation. This paper addresses two issues due to slow rate implementation of the slow-mode components: performance degradation and signal aliasing. The multi-rate control system is a linear periodically time-varying (LPTV) system. Using a lifting approach, the frequency response of the multi-rate system is represented by a frequency domain matrix. This matrix provides the information to quantify the aliasing and the distortion effect in the multi-rate system. Finally, as an example of multi-rate control with interlacing, track-following control for hard disk drive is considered. In particular, two different multi-rate controller structures are studied: series structure and parallel structure. Performance and aliasing analysis is presented for both the series and parallel structures.
A spatially explicit analysis to extrapolate carbon fluxes in upland tundra where permafrost is thawing

One of the most important changes in high-latitude ecosystems in response to climatic warming may be the thawing of permafrost soil. In upland tundra, the thawing of ice-rich permafrost can create localized surface subsidence called thermokarst, which may change the soil environment and influence ecosystem carbon release and uptake. We established an intermediate scale (a scale in between point chamber measurements and eddy covariance footprint) ecosystem carbon flux study in Alaskan tundra where permafrost thaw and thermokarst development had been occurring for several decades. The main goal of our study was to examine how dynamic ecosystem carbon fluxes [gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Reco), and net ecosystem exchange (NEE)] relate to ecosystem variables that incorporate the structural and edaphic changes that co-occur with permafrost thaw and thermokarst development. We then examined how these measured ecosystem carbon fluxes responded to upscaling. For both spatially extensive measurements made intermittently during the peak growing season and intensive measurements made over the entire growing season, ecosystem variables including degree of surface subsidence, thaw depth, and aboveground biomass were selected in a mixed model selection procedure as the ‘best’ predictors of GPP, Reco, and NEE. Variables left out of the model (often as a result of autocorrelation) included soil temperature, moisture, and normalized difference vegetation index. These results suggest that the structural changes (surface subsidence, thaw depth, aboveground biomass) that integrate multiple effects of permafrost thaw can be useful components of models used to estimate ecosystem carbon exchange across thermokarst affected landscapes.
Interannual drought length governs dissolved organic carbon dynamics in blackwater rivers of the western upper Suwannee River basin

[1] The Little River (LR) in southern Georgia, U.S., has experienced lengthening droughts since monitoring began in 1972. We evaluated the impacts of drought on riverine carbon cycling using a 9 year data set of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) coupled with laboratory experiments in the LR, as well as long-term data sets in three additional rivers within the Suwannee River basin. Longer drought periods reduced downstream DOC export but also led to higher DOC concentrations in the following hydroperiod. Within a hydroperiod, DOC concentration was positively correlated with temperature and negatively correlated with river discharge but also negatively correlated with total discharge during the previous hydroperiod. Among hydroperiods, DOC concentration was more strongly correlated with antecedent hydrological conditions than with current hydrological conditions across broad spatial scales: in three additional rivers within the Suwannee River basin (Alapaha, Withlacoochee, and Okapilco) and in headwater and downstream reaches of the LR. Microbial DOC consumption and CO2 production were elevated when DOC concentration was high. Despite dramatic hydrologic changes, DOC composition appeared stable, with optical analyses suggesting that LR DOC is primarily composed of three terrestrial humic-like fluorescence groups. If the current climatic trend of intensifying droughts, elevated temperatures and decreased discharge continue, our results suggest the net effect may be for a more localized riverine carbon cycle with reduced downstream transport of DOC, but higher local mineralization rates due to elevated DOC concentrations.
The Effects of Reader Perspective and Cognitive Style on Remembering Important Information from Texts

The effects of reader perspective and cognitive style on encoding, storage, and retrieval processes were investigated in two experiments. In both experiments, subjects read a story from one of two different perspectives or from no directed perspective, recalled the story from either the originally assigned perspective or the alternative perspective, and then took a recognition test on the story. In addition, subjects in both experiments were given an embedded figures test. In Experiment 1, subjects took the recall and recognition test immediately after reading the story and in Experiment 2, the recall and recognition tests were given four days later. In Experiment 1, subjects who read the story from either of the assigned perspectives (burglar or home buyer) correctly recognized more items that were important to the burglar perspective, but subjects who were not assigned a perspective showed no difference in recognition of burglar and home buyer information. It was suggested that perhaps assigning subjects a perspective induces them to think more about the passage and relate it to their world knowledge. The results of the immediate recall test suggest that readers use their knowledge associated with the assigned perspective as a retrieval plan. Individual differences in cognitive style had no effect on subjects' recall or recognition performance in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, subjects with either high or low scores on the embedded figures test who recalled the story from either of the assigned perspectives (burglar or home buyer) recalled more burglar than home buyer information. Subjects with intermediate scores, however, showed no difference in recall of burglar and home buyer information. These results, together with those of Ex
Measurement Scales for Quantifying Attributes

Prescriptive analysis of decision processes of human organisms requires the establishment of scales to indicate the degree to which objectives are achieved. Such scales are either selected from existing measures, such as cost or number of people, or constructed for a specific situation, such as indices of environmental impact or aesthetic degradation. Implicit value judgments are necessarily made in both of these cases. These value judgments are clearly indicated and the manner in which they should be addressed is discussed. The concepts are illustrated with examples from energy facility siting studies.
City-wide drug testing using municipal wastewater

Drug users do not want to be identified and do not want to reply to surveys. So how do you find out how many of them there are? The answer lies below the city streets. Caleb Banta-Green and Jennifer Field delve deep.
Embracing Our Visual Inspection and Analysis Tradition Graphing Interobserver Agreement Data

Most investigators using single-case experimental designs use interobserver agreement (IOA) checks to enhance the credibility of the collected data, and they report the results of those assessments using percentage of agreement estimates. An alternative is to graph both observers’ records of the measured behavior on the primary study graphs. Such graphing leads to greater transparency and is advocated for five reasons: (a) to make explicit how IOA assessments were distributed across the study, (b) to ensure agreement estimates are reported at the level of the measured behavior of interest rather than a broader observational code, (c) to detect observer drift, (d) to detect the effect of observer expectations, and (e) to put the IOA data in a more suitable context for assessing the internal validity of the study by eliminating the need for an arbitrary agreement criterion.
Modeling Soybean Rust Spore Escape from Infected Canopies: Model Description and Preliminary Results

Abstract Asian soybean rust, caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, an airborne fungal pathogen, is an annual threat to U.S. soybean production. The disease is spread during the growing season by fungal spores that are transported from warm southern locations where they overwinter. Current models of long distance spore transport treat spore sources as constant emitters. However, evidence suggests that the spore escape rate depends on 1) the interaction between spores and turbulence within and above an infected canopy and 2) the filtering capacity of the canopy to trap upward-traveling spores. Accordingly, a theoretically motivated yet computationally simple forecast model for escape rate is proposed using a simple turbulence closure method and a parameterization of the canopy porosity. Preliminary escape-rate forecasts were made using the friction velocity, an estimate of initial spore concentrations inside an infected canopy, and the canopy’s leaf area distribution. Sensitivity tests were conducted to determin...
Cooperative and competitive binding in synergistic mixtures of Thermobifida fusca cellulases Cel5A, Cel6B, and Cel9A.

Synergism between cellulases facilitates efficient hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose. We hypothesize that the effects of synergism, observed as enhanced extents of hydrolysis, are related to cellulase binding to the substrate in mixtures. In this study, direct measurements of bound concentrations of fluorescence-labeled T. fusca Cel5A, Cel6B, and Cel9A on bacterial microcrystalline cellulose were used to study binding behaviors of cellulases in binary component reactions. The accuracy of the determination of fluorescence-labeled cellulase concentrations in binary component mixtures was in the range of 7-9%. Data at 5 °C show that binding levels of cellulases in mixture reactions are only 22-70% of the binding levels in single component reactions. At 50 °C, however, most of the cellulase components in the same mixtures bound to extents of 40-126% higher than in the corresponding single component reactions. The degrees of synergistic effect (DSE) observed for the reactions at 50 °C were greater than 1, indicating that the components in the mixture acted synergistically, whereas DSE 1. We conclude that the lower extents of binding at 5 °C are due to competition for binding sites by the cellulase components in the mixtures and the enhanced binding extents at 50 °C are due to increased availability of binding sites on the substrates brought about by the higher extents of hydrolysis.
A Tale of Two Pulsars and the Origin of TeV Gamma Rays from the Galactic Center

The Galactic Center (GC) has been long known to host gamma-ray emission detected to >10 TeV. HESS data now points to two plausible origins: the supermassive black hole (perhaps with >PeV cosmic rays and neutrinos) or high-energy electrons from the putative X-ray pulsar wind nebula G359.95-0.04 observed by Chandra and NuSTAR. We show that if the magnetic field experienced by PWN electrons is near the several mG ambient field strength suggested by radio observations of the nearby GC magnetar SGR J1745-29, synchrotron losses constrain the TeV gamma-ray output to be far below the data. Accounting for the peculiar geometry of GC infrared emission, we also find that the requisite TeV flux could be reached if the PWN is ~1 pc from Sgr A* and the magnetic field is two orders of magnitude weaker, a scenario that we discuss in relation to recent data and theoretical developments. Otherwise, Sgr A* is left, which would then be a PeV link to other AGN.
iTunes University and the classroom: Can podcasts replace Professors?

iTunes University, a website with downloadable educational podcasts, can provide students the opportunity to obtain professors' lectures when students are unable to attend class. To determine the effectiveness of audio lectures in higher education, undergraduate general psychology students participated in one of two conditions. In the lecture condition, participants listened to a 25-min lecture given in person by a professor using PowerPoint slides. Copies of the slides were given to aid note-taking. In the podcast condition, participants received a podcast of the same lecture along with the PowerPoint handouts. Participants in both conditions were instructed to keep a running log of study time and activities used in preparing for an exam. One week from the initial session students returned to take an exam on lecture content. Results indicated that students in the podcast condition who took notes while listening to the podcast scored significantly higher than the lecture condition. The impact of mobile learning on classroom performance is discussed.
Cultural Meanings of Resource Management for Mexican–Americans

Study’s purpose was to investigate distal and proximal contextual influences affecting resource decisions of Latinos of Mexican origin living in the US. Deacon and Firebaugh’s (1988) family resource management theory guided the study. Documentation status and transnationalism were primary distal influences. Primary proximal influences included strength and depth of relationship currency, family remittances to Mexico, present-time orientation, orientation to resource access, and a holistic well-being definition. Five couple work/financial patterns existed; the most prominent was where husbands worked and wives managed the money. Spousal interdependence in discussing and in making final financial decisions created resiliency in their new, challenging environment. Education for this audience needs to address literacy level, language, documentation status, relevancy and flexibility in curriculum content and educational timing.
Cow weights and reproduction on native rangeland and native rangeland-complementary forage systems.

Replicated cow herds of 15 Angus x Hereford (AH) and 15 Brahman x Hereford (BH) F1 cows each were placed on native rangeland (NR) or native rangeland-complementary forage (NRCF) systems. The NR was 8.1 ha of sagebrush-mixed prairie per cow-calf unit and the NRCF used the same mixed prairie complemented by .4 ha of double-cropped winter wheat and summer annual forage replacing about 30% of the mixed prairie for each cow unit. Calving seasons, spring for NR and fall for NRCF, were selected to complement the respective forage systems. Cow weights, reproductive performance, and population demographics were measured through seven calf crops to investigate their relationship to forage systems and cow breed types. Seasonal average cow weights increased from 484 +/- 7 (SE) kg during calf crop 1 to a peak weight of 568 +/- 8 kg at calf crop 5. Average weight of AH cows was 514 +/- 3 kg, compared with 539 +/- 3 kg for the BH cows (P < .01). Angus x Hereford and BH cows were 38 and 44 kg heavier, respectively, on the NRCF system than on the NR system. The average percentage of reproduction for AH cows was 90 +/- 2%, compared with 87 +/- 2% for the BH cows (P < .13). Both breeds had approximately 87 (AH) to 89% (BH) reproductive rate on the NR system. In contrast, AH cows had 94 +/- 2% reproduction on the NRCF system, compared with 84 +/- 2% for the BH cows.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Late Preclassic Mortuary Patterns and Evidence for Human Sacrifice at Chalchuapa, El Salvador

Salvage excavations in 1977–1978 of Structure E3-7 at Chalchuapa, El Salvador, revealed the structure to have been a multiple-episode Late Preclassic burial mound. The skeletal remains of 33 individuals were found in the construction fill. These remains are interpreted as evidence for human sacrifice. Osteological analysis was performed with the skeletal materials in situ. The individuals whose sex could be determined were adult males. This and other evidence suggests that the E3-7 burials might have been war captives from a “foreign” (non-Chalchuapa) population.
Two New Species of Clavarioid Fungi

The genus Clavicorona Doty is divided into three sections, each being described here as new. Clavicorona divaricata and C. avellanea are described as new species and one new combination is made. In...
Photoisomerization of Azobenzene Derivatives in Nanostructured Silica

A series of derivatized azobenzene molecules are synthesized such that one of the phenyl groups can be chemically bonded to mesostructured silica and the other, derivatized with dendrons, is free to undergo large-amplitude light-driven motion. The silica frameworks on which the motion takes place are either 150 nm thick films containing ordered hexagonal arrays of tubes (inner diameter about 2 nm) containing the bonded azobenzenes, or particles (about 500 nm in diameter) containing the same ordered arrays of functionalized tubes. The photoisomerization yields and the rate constants for the thermal cis to trans back-reaction of the azobenzenes in the tubes are measured and compared to those of the molecules in solution. The rate constants decrease with increasing size of the dendrons. Fluorescence spectra of the cis and trans isomers in the pores show that the photoisomerization in the nanostructured materials is selectively driven by specific wavelengths of light and is reversible.
A Coupled Powersim and MCNPX-Beta Analysis of Online Reprocessing Requirements for a One-Fluid U-233/Th-232 FLiBe Molten Salt Thermal Breeder Reactor

Thorium-fueled nuclear reactor technology can offer cost-efficient power generation while avoiding many proliferation concerns. Chemical reprocessing systems must be developed to operate simultaneously with a thorium-fueled reactor. This paper offers a detailed reprocessing scheme for potential support of a novel one-fluid thorium-fueled molten salt breeder reactor that is called here the “Liquid Fluoride Reactor” (LFR). The LFR operates using the U-233/Th-232 fuel cycle. In equilibrium, it breeds sufficient U-233 from Th-232 to maintain criticality and to fuel other reactors, with only Th-232 as input to the reactor. The LFR includes, as a part of the reactor plant, a reprocessing system for continuous fuel recycling. This paper presents a coupled Powersim and MCNPX-Beta analysis of online reprocessing requirements for a one-fluid U-233/Th-232 FLiBe molten salt thermal breeder reactor. The coupled Powersim and MCNPX-Beta computer model is demonstrated. The results of the calculations show that: 1) for larger reprocessing rates, the fuel in the reactor is cleaner (the Fission Product (FP) inventory in the circulating fuel decreases) and the reactor has a larger value of keff, and 2) the time until the inventory of Pa233 has increased to the point that the LFR is producing instantaneously more U-233 than it consumes can be on the order of months.
Population Dynamics of Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae: Phlaeothripidae) Inhabiting Vaccinium (Ericales: Ericaceae) Galls in Georgia

Thrips inhabiting leaf galls on noncultivated Vaccinium species were surveyed throughout Georgia. Frankliniella caudiseta Sakimura & O'Neill was present on V. tenellum Aiton, and V. myrsinites Lam. Blueberry thrips, Frankliniella vaccinii Morgan, was only collected from V. arboreum Marsh. Catinathrips similis Nakahara occurred on V. tenellum and V. myrsinites . However, C. vaccinicola Nakahara was collected only on V. arboreum. Haplothrips rectipennis Hood, a predaceous species, was found on all Vacciniurn species. F. vaccinii and C. vaccinicola were both capable of initiating gall formation on plants in the spring. Both species may coexist in the same gall and are univoltine on mature growth during a season. However, in cutover areas where new plant growth was generated during the summer, 1 additional generation was produced. Adult terebrantians became active during April. Larvae were abundant during May and June. On 2nd-growth plants, larvae were abundant during July and August and adults were collected in October. The predator H. rectipennis colonized galls during May. Larvae of this species became abundant during May and June. One generation was produced. Adults remained in the galls until leaves dropped from the plants, usually in October. Thrips significantly reduced shootlength, bud formation, and fruit production of both V. arboreurn and V. myrsinites . These observations have implications for blueberry plant improvement efforts.
Facilitating Public Participation in Local Governments in Hard Times

In the wake of the economic crisis in 2007, many municipal governments faced a variety of financial challenges. Scholars and practitioners call for citizen participation in various parts of governm...
The Effects of Aggregated Search Coherence on Search Behavior

Aggregated search is the task of combining results from multiple independent search systems in a single Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Aggregated search coherence refers to the extent to which different sources on the SERP focus on similar senses of an ambiguous or underspecified query. In previous studies, we found that the query senses in a set of vertical results can influence user engagement with the web results (the so-called “spillover” effect). In this work, we investigate five research questions (RQ1--RQ5) that extend our prior work. First, we investigate the extent to which results from different sources focus on different senses of an ambiguous query (RQ1). Second, we investigate how the vertical-to-web spillover effect varies across different verticals (RQ2). Then, we examine whether the level of spillover depends on the vertical position (RQ3) and on whether the vertical results are displayed with a border and different-colored background to distinguish them from the web results (RQ4). Finally, we propose a new method for displaying results from a particular vertical that are more consistent with the query senses in the web results (RQ5). We evaluate this new method based on how it influences users to make more correct decisions with respect to the web results—to engage with the web results when at least one of them is relevant and to avoid engaging with the web results otherwise. Our results show the following trends. In terms of RQ1, our analysis suggests that the top results from the web search engine are more diversified than the top results from our four different verticals considered (images, news, shopping, and video). In terms of RQ2, we found a stronger spillover effect for the images vertical than the news, shopping, and video verticals. In terms of RQ3, we found a stronger level of spillover when the vertical was positioned at the top of the SERP versus to the right side of the web results. In terms of RQ4, we found an interesting additive effect between the vertical’s position and displaying the vertical results enclosed in a border and with a different-colored background—the image vertical had no spillover when presented to the right side of the web results and with a border and background. Finally, in terms of RQ5, we found that our proposed vertical results selection approach can influence users to make more correct predictions about their level of engagement with the web results.
Green Supply Chain, Logistics, and Transportation

This chapter presents the concepts of green supply chain network, green supply chain management, and green logistics. Increasing environmental concerns requires companies to become more responsive to products that either has been returned or that are at the end of their useful lives. Organization’s responsiveness and their reactions toward life cycles of products are critical to achieve sustained success once fluctuations are recurrent and the business environments are turbulent. Life cycles are getting shorter, and effective managing can save large amounts of cash as many materials can be extracted, reused, and redistributed. Alongside this context, this chapter focuses on a general overview toward closed-loop supply chains and offers a generalized optimization model. In addition, incentive approaches for an optimal recovery plan in a closed-loop supply chain are discussed in this chapter.
TDP-43 pathology and memory impairment in elders without pathologic diagnoses of AD or FTLD.

Objective: To investigate the association of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology with memory, other cognitive domains, and dementia in community-dwelling elders without pathologic diagnoses of Alzheimer disease (AD) or frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Methods: Of 1,058 autopsied participants, 343 (32.4%) did not have pathologic diagnoses of AD or FTLD. Diagnosis of dementia was based on clinical evaluation and cognitive performance tests, which were used to create summary measures of global cognition and of 5 cognitive domains. TDP-43 pathology evaluated in 6 brain regions by immunohistochemistry was converted into a summary measure of TDP-43 severity. Results: Of 343 participants, 135 (39.4%) had TDP-43 pathology with a mean TDP-43 severity score of 0.394 (SD 0.490). TDP-43 inclusions were confined to the amygdala (stage 1) in 43.7% of participants, 40% showed additional involvement of the hippocampus or entorhinal cortex (stages 2), while fewer (16.3%) showed additional TDP-43 pathology in the temporal and frontal cortices (stage 3). Severity of TDP-43 pathology was independently related to lower function in global cognition and episodic and semantic memory while increased odds of dementia was only a trend. When participants with hippocampal sclerosis (HS) were excluded from the models, TDP-43 pathology remained associated with lower episodic memory but relationships with global cognition, semantic memory, and dementia were attenuated. Conclusions: TDP-43 pathology in elders, without pathologic diagnoses of AD or FTLD, is common and independently associated with lower function in episodic memory, while its associations with global cognitive impairment and dementia are difficult to separate from HS.
Recognising the archpriest: seeking clarification or fomenting schism?

Rome’s decision to name an archpriest and to erect a highly irregular administrative structure, the archpresbyterate, surprised secular clergy and Jesuits who had advocated the establishment of bishops. Recent tension between Jesuits and secular clergy highlighted the need and importance of an hierarchical, ecclesiological office. But the appointment was made in such a way that some secular clergy questioned its legitimacy and authenticity. Until they ascertained that the decision had in fact been made by the pope, they withheld recognition of the archpriest. As they awaited a reply to their appeal, two Appellants, John Colleton and William Clarke, debated the matter with two Jesuit supporters of the archpriest, Henry Garnet and Edward Oldcorne who apparently failed to see the canonical issue involved, as they perceived anti-Jesuitism as the motivating factor.
Accurate characterization of rain drop size distribution using meteorological particle spectrometer and 2D video disdrometer for propagation and remote sensing applications

Accurate measurements of rain drop size distributions (DSD), with particular emphasis on small and tiny drops, are presented. Measurements were conducted in two very different climate regions, namely Northern Colorado and Northern Alabama. Both datasets reveal a combination of (i) a drizzle mode for drop diameters less than 0.7 mm and (ii) a precipitation mode for larger diameters. Scattering calculations using the DSDs are performed at S and X bands and compared with radar observations for the first location. Our accurate DSDs will improve radar-based rain rate estimates as well as propagation predictions.
Postacute Care Setting, Facility Characteristics, and Poststroke Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Objective To synthesize research comparing post-stroke health outcomes between patients rehabilitated in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs). Secondly, to evaluate relationships between facility characteristics and outcomes.
Polyglandular Autoimmune Syndrome Type IIIB: Hyperthyroidism and Pernicious Anemia, a Reminder of the Past

Polyglandular autoimmune syndrome (PAS) refers to the coexistence of at least two different glandular autoimmune diseases. There are several different classes of PAS which involve different organs and present at different age ranges. PAS type IIIB, also known as thyrogastric syndrome, refers to the presence of thyroid autoimmune disease in patients with pernicious anemia. We report a case of a 46-year-old female with Graves disease who presented with pyelonephritis and was found to have severe vitamin B12 deficiency due to pernicious anemia. In patients with autoimmune conditions, it is important to be on the lookout for the development of other forms of autoimmune disease. J Endocrinol Metab. 2017;7(5):159-161 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem451w
Neural Feature Extraction

Neural feature extraction is an effective method for acquiring quantitative information from neural signals. It is especially important for real–time decision support systems, including closed-loop brain–machine interface systems. The implementation of on-chip energy efficient neural feature extraction significantly reduces the wireless bandwidth required for streaming the raw data, and also minimizes the processing delay. In this chapter, neural features commonly used in closed-loop brain–machine interface systems are first reviewed. Then, the design of a field potential energy extraction module is presented. A novel natural logarithmic domain tuning scheme is proposed in favor of the brain oscillation bands. The design takes advantage of the natural logarithmic behavior of MOSFET transistors biased in the sub-threshold region. Next, an energy efficient current-mode action potential detection and discrimination circuit module is proposed and tested. The design achieves an optimal trade-off between the power efficiency and detection accuracy. Finally, a novel matched filter is proposed to extract amplitude-phase coupled neural features. Combined with pre-whitening filters, the matched filter achieves a superior detection accuracy compared with conventional filters.
A parametric study of the microwave plasma-assisted combustion of premixed ethylene/air mixtures

A parametric study of microwave argon plasma assisted combustion (PAC) of premixed ethylene/air mixtures was carried out using visual imaging, optical emission spectroscopy and cavity ringdown spectroscopy as diagnostic tools. The parameters investigated included the plasma feed gas flow rate, the plasma power, the fuel equivalence ratio and the total flow rate of the fuel/air mixture. The combustion enhancement effects were characterized by the minimum ignition power, the flame length and the fuel efficiency of the combustor. It was found that: (1) increasing the plasma feed gas flow rate resulted in a decrease in the flame length, an increase in the minimum ignition power for near stoichiometric fuel equivalence ratios and a corresponding decrease in the minimum ignition power for ultra-lean and rich fuel equivalence ratios; (2) at a constant plasma power, increasing the total flow rate of the ethylene/air mixture from 1.0 slm to 1.5 slm resulted in an increase in the flame length and a reduction in the fuel efficiency; (3) increasing the plasma power resulted in a slight increase in flame length as well as improved fuel efficiency with fewer C2(d) and CH(A) radicals present downstream of the flame; (4) increasing the fuel equivalence ratio caused an increase in flame length but at a reduced fuel efficiency when plasma power was kept constant; and (5) the ground state OH(X) number density was on the order of 1015 molecules/cm3 and was observed to drop downstream along the propagation axis of the flame at all parameters investigated. Results suggest that each of the parameters independently influences the PAC processes.
90mW, 4.4Vp-p, 11.35Gb/s MZM driver enabling low-power tunable transmitter for SFP+ module application

Power consumption is the most challenging requirement as bit rate increases for a given form factor. This paper reports a 90mW 11.3Gb/s 4.4Vp-p Mach-Zehnder Modulator (MZM) driver that enables a 750mW tunable transmitter suitable for SFP+ form factor for 80km transmission system.
An Overview of Practical Impacts of Functional Programming

Functional Programming (FP) is a programming paradigm in which the mathematical function evaluation is the main block in building the software. FP languages are more suitable for handling parallelism and concurrency. Over the years, many different FP languages and programming style had been proposed and studied. However, FP is generally considered to be difficult to learn and master than another programming paradigms such as object-oriented programming. In this paper, we aim at deriving an understanding of practical impacts of using this paradigm in the software engineering practices through a literature review.
Adjuvant chemotherapy for stage I ovarian clear cell carcinoma: Patterns of use and outcomes.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns of use and outcomes of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients diagnosed with FIGO stage I ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC). Methods A cohort of patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2015 with OCCC was drawn from the National Cancer Database. Those with stage I disease who had primary surgery and underwent systematic lymphadenectomy (defined as at least 10 lymph nodes removed) were selected for further analysis. Factors associated with the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy were investigated with multivariate logistic regression. Overall survival (OS) was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves for patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2014, while comparisons were made with the log-rank test. Multivariate Cox analysis was performed to control for possible confounders. Results A total of 2325 patients met the inclusion criteria. Median age was 55 years. The majority were White (86.6%). Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to 1839 (79.1%) patients. Hospital type and location, patient age, disease sub-stage, and year of diagnosis were independently associated with the administration of chemotherapy. Patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 1629) had better OS than those who did not (n = 443), (5-year OS rates 89.2% vs 82.6%, p Conclusions Adjuvant chemotherapy could be associated with a survival benefit for patients with stage I OCCC.
Information Sharing and Interaction in Collaborative Convergence

In multiple research literatures, successful collaborative problem solving and learning is analyzed in terms of success of information sharing. In this paper we report analyses of an experimental study that bring the sufficiency of an information sharing account of collaboration into question. One treatment group achieved greater convergence and integration of information in their handling of a complex problem, yet this same group shared less information in a hidden profile design. An additional analysis was conducted to assess whether interaction beyond information sharing accounts for the convergence and integration. The pattern of convergence is more closely mirrored by interactivity quantified as the number of “round trips” addressing the same information items.
Single track scanning experiment in laser powder bed fusion process

Abstract Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process utilizes laser source to melt the powder particles. As a result, melt pool is formed which develops along the scan track. In this study, single track scanning with Ti-6Al-4V alloy is performed in alternate layers over the supporting base pad. Multiple single scan tracks with scanning speeds of 200mm/s, 400 mm/s and 600 mm/s are defined and thermal responses are captured using infrared camera. The thermal images record the apparent temperature measurements; therefore, derivate method is used to find the liquidus-solidus transition region which is required to estimate the melt pool length and width. Based on the estimation, the average melt pool width of the single track decreased with increasing speed while the average melt pool length for 200 mm/s scanning speed was 438.62 μm, for 400 mm/s was 432.27 μm and for 600 mm/s was 451.2 μm. Besides, cylindrical powder container samples with enclosed single tracks were designed to investigate internal features using computed tomography (CT). The CT images showed that the scanning speed of 200 mm/s and 400 mm/s resulted in formation of significant number of pores due to keyhole formation which may contribute to variation in melt pool length.