cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perceived spiritual support counteracts the traumatic impact of extreme disasters: Exploration of moderators.

INTRODUCTION Extreme disasters have increased exponentially in recent years and result in threats and traumatic reactions in communities globally. Humans turn to their existential relations for survival following disasters; yet, religion and spirituality (R/S) remains underinvestigated in disaster contexts, with most studies measuring general R/S concepts in Christian samples. To address the resulting gap, this study sought to (a) establish short form, disaster-specific scales of perceived spiritual support (PSS); (b) test the factor's relationships with mental health outcomes; and (c) explore moderators of those relationships. METHOD With strong community engagement, a culturally diverse sample (N = 566) completed an online survey after Hurricanes Maria and Michael (H-MM). Multivariate analyses established psychometric properties for 2 PSS short-form scales (PSSS-S1 and -S2) and revealed associations between and moderators of (disaster-related experiences and character strengths) the scales and 2 traumatic outcomes: posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG). RESULTS PSSS-S1 and -S2 demonstrated adequate reliability and validity. PSS was associated inversely with PTSD symptoms at a marginal level but positively and strongly with PTG. Character strengths moderated the link of PSS to PTSD but not PTG. Most disaster-related factors were associated with both outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the function of PSS in survival. PSSS-S1 and -S2 are adequate measures for rapid and cross-cultural data collection in extreme disasters. The differential associations of PSS and moderators with the 2 outcomes can be interpreted in light of 2 forms of well-being, which may have implications for theory, research, and practice in trauma psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Assessment of Ecological Effects in Water-Limited Environments

We consider that water-limited environments include arid lands that have less than 250 millimeters (10 inches) of annual precipitation and semiarid lands that have annual precipitation between 250 and 500 millimeters. This paper discusses the characteristics of arid and semiarid environments, approaches for evaluating the potential ecological impacts from anthropogenic contaminant sources, and the issues that make such assessments complex in arid and semiarid environments. Keywords: arid; assessment end points; contaminants; ecological risk; effluent; scale; semiarid; stressors
Cooperative Breeding and Human Evolution

The demographic success of humans compared to other closely related species is one of the remarkable stories of our evolutionary history. This can be attributed both to high fertility and improved chances of survival. But it is also fundamentally shaped by features of human parenting, cooperation, and social organization. The concept and theory of cooperative breeding combines these features and is a useful framework to consider child-rearing patterns characteristic of humans. Cooperative breeding theory was developed in biology to explain a social system found in relatively few animals in which nonparental members of a social group help to support offspring. In traditional human societies, numerous studies document that a variety of kin and nonkin of different ages and sex help mothers and contribute to infant childcare and provisioning juveniles. Cooperative breeding theory offers a well-developed theoretic and empirical context in which to evaluate cross-cultural diversity and to understand why humans cooperate in this way. This review situates humans compared to other species of cooperative breeders by outlining what we share in common and what are distinctly human aspects of parenting and childrearing. Attention is paid to both foundational research and new questions that have more recently surfaced through comparative research. Cooperative breeding is relevant to recent debates concerning the evolution of human life history, sociality, and psychology and has implications to demographic patterns, family formation, and social organization in the past as well as in today's world. Keywords: cooperative breeding; family formation; human evolution; behavioral ecology; life history; cooperation; childrearing; child development
Implementation and test results of a chip for the separation of mixed signals

We describe an algorithm and chip implementation for separating a mixture of unknown, but independent, temporal signals in static and dynamic environments. The proposed algorithm, which is a simple modification of the Herault and Jutten (HJ) algorithm, proved to be robust to parameter variations. Moreover, we present some chip results to quantify the performance of the modified algorithm in static and dynamic (mixing and filtering) environments.
Glucosamine Abrogates the Acute Phase of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis by Induction of Th2 Response

Glucosamine, a natural glucose derivative and an essential component of glycoproteins and proteoglycans, has been safely used to relieve osteoarthritis in humans. Recent studies have shown that glucosamine also possesses immunosuppressive properties and is effective in prolonging graft survival in mice. Whether this reagent is effective in human multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory demyelination in the CNS, is not known. We thus investigated the therapeutic effect of glucosamine on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS. We demonstrated that oral, i.p., or i.v. administration of glucosamine significantly suppressed acute EAE, with reduced CNS inflammation and demyelination. A significant, albeit not strong, blockade of Th1 response and an up-regulation of Th2 cytokines (IL-5 and IL-10) are observed in the splenocytes of glucosamine-treated mice. Glucosamine also regulates IL-5 and IL-10 in vitro. As glucosamine is able to effectively suppress acute EAE, has low or absent toxicity, and has been safely used in humans orally, our study suggests a potential use for this drug alone or in combination with other disease-modifying immunotherapies to enhance their efficacy and reduce their doses in MS and possibly other autoimmune disorders. Furthermore, because glucosamine functions not simply as an immunosuppressant, but as a mild immunomodulator, administration of glucosamine provides a novel immunoregulatory approach for autoimmune disorders.
Solute spreading in nonstationary flows in bounded, heterogeneous unsaturated-saturated media

[1] It is commonly assumed in stochastic solute (advective) transport models that either the velocity field is stationary (statistically homogeneous) or the mean flow is unidirectional. In this study, using a Lagrangian approach, we develop a general stochastic model for transport in variably saturated flow in randomly heterogeneous porous media. The mean flow in the model is multidirectional, and the velocity field can be nonstationary (with location-dependent statistics). The nonstationarity of the velocity field may be caused by statistical nonhomogeneity of medium properties or complex boundary configurations. The particle's mean position is determined using the mean Lagrangian velocity. Particle spreading (the displacement covariances) is expressed in terms of the state transition matrix that satisfies a time-varying dynamic equation whose coefficient matrix is the derivative of the mean Lagrangian velocity field. In the special cases of stationary velocity fields the transition matrix becomes the identical matrix, and our model reduces to the well-known model of Dagan [1984]. For nonstationary but unidirectional flow fields our model reduces to that of Butera and Tanda [1999] and Sun and Zhang [2000]. The validity of the transport model is examined by comparisons with Monte Carlo simulations for the following three cases: transport in a mean gravity-dominated flow, in an unsaturated flow with a water table boundary, and in a saturated-unsaturated flow. An excellent agreement is found between our model results and those from Monte Carlo simulations.
On genetic representation of high dimensional fuzzy systems

We explore evolutionary design of fuzzy systems for high dimensional input systems. We evaluate three fuzzy system representations that avoid the exponential increase in the number of rules as the input dimension increases. We report on system design aspects such as the performance of the search algorithm, and the quality and complexity of the final solution. Based on our results, we discuss the merits and drawbacks of each representation and propose a technique to mix representations.
2,4,6,8,10,12‐Hexa­benzyl‐5‐(nitro­methyl­ene)‐2,4,6,8,10,12‐hexa­aza­tri­cyclo[7.3.0.03,7]­do­decane

The title compound, C49H49N7O2, is a crowded tricyclic heterocycle substituted with six benzyl groups. It is related to the hexa­aza­isowurtzitane family of high-density, high-energy polycyclic cage compounds. The central six-membered ring adopts a boat conformation which minimizes the steric repulsion of the six benzyl substituents. The nitro­methyl­ene substituent on the methyl­ene C atom of one of the five-membered rings has a considerable influence on the metric parameters of that ring. From the bond distances in the nitro group and the five-membered ring it appears that the mol­ecule is zwitterionic, rather than neutral, in the vicinity of the nitro group.
Applications of the wavelet transform in spread spectrum communications systems

In communication applications, particularly ones using spread spectrum (SS) techniques, transform domain processing can be utilized to suppress undesired interference and, consequently, improve system performance. Since traditional applications requiring transform domain processing perform excision only in the Fourier domain, one of the main objectives of this paper is to extend transform domain processing to include wavelets as the basis functions. Specifically, the use of wavelets in the excision of jamming signals from SS communications will be investigated. Simulations have been performed using several basis functions for an SS receiver with narrowband jamming. Results of this simulation are presented, including BER figures, and compared with conventional Fourier domain processing. Implementation of the exciser using multirate digital filtering filters is also discussed. An intercept receiver which employs wavelet transform domain excision is also described. The receiver detects DS-BPSK spread spectrum signals in the presence of narrow-band interference by employing adaptive interference rejection techniques. The improvement in the system performance over that of conventional radiometric detection only is shown by presenting numerical simulation results of probability of detection versus false alarm as the receiver-operating- characteristic (ROC) for an enhanced total power detector.
ACROMEGALY ASSOCIATED WITH AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS AND ACROMEGALY OF THE AMYOTROPHIC TYPE REPORT OF 3 CASES

IT IS always intriguing to study the association of two diseases in which the cause of one is obscure. Under such circumstances ailments previously considered as separate entities have since been found to constitute a single disorder, thereby suggesting the cause and sometimes the cure for the disease. For example, the discovery of pituitary tumor led the way to our knowledge of the source of acromegaly and the development of much information concerning the endocrine control of growth. Generalized osteitis fibrosa cystica was described before it was known that the disease was associated with parathyroid tumors and, through the discovery of their association, hyperparathyroidism was eventually understood. It is obvious that no causal relationship between acromegaly and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or muscular dystrophy has been discovered. Nevertheless, we believe that the coexistence of the apparently related changes in the 3 patients reported here as well as similar instances from the literature may rep...
Sequential inference and decision making for single mission systems development

Abstract There is a host of literature focusing on modeling product reliability during the development phase under the title reliability growth modeling . However, these models are seldom used to address the issue of when to terminate the development process. This is important to decision makers as it is directly related to budgeting for the development process, program monitoring, and predicting when the product will be ready for field use. Herein, we address these issues by developing a Bayesian decision theoretic framework for analyzing the problem of when to terminate testing for ‘single shot’ or ‘single mission’ systems and derive an optimal stopping rule. We illustrate the approach with an example.
Computer evaluation of high order numerical schemes to solve advective transport problems

Abstract This study evaluates the performance of three representative high-order finite difference schemes to solve two sets of simple one-dimensional benchmark problems in terms of their ability to resolve spurious oscillation, numerical spreading, and peak clipping. Three models, namely QUICKEST, ULTIMATE, and ENO were constructed to represent the classical high-order schemes without a flux limiter, TVD with a flux limiter, and TVB schemes, respectively. Three sets of results generated by QUICKEST, ULTIMATE, and ENO were compared with the analytical solutions. The first set indicated that none of these high-order schemes could yield satisfactory simulations when the grid size and time-step size specified by the benchmark problems were used. The second set showed that all three numerical schemes generated excellent computations when the grid size was reduced to one-tenth and the time-step size was reduced to one-fifth of those specified by the benchmark problems. The third set demonstrated that the results obtained by these schemes deteriorated even with the reduced grid size and time-step size when 100 folds of simulation times was conducted. The ENO and ULTIMATE schemes successfully eliminated spurious oscillations for all cases as expected. The QUICKEST scheme alleviated the problem of spurious oscillations only when the reduced grid and time-step sizes were used. In terms of numerical spreading and peak clipping, none of the three schemes produced satisfactory results unless the reduced grid and time-step were used. Peak clipping poses a more severe problem for these high order schemes than numerical spreading. A common set of benchmark problems is needed for the evaluation and testing of any numerical scheme.
Electromagnetic-SPICE modeling and analysis of 3D power network

Accurate modeling and estimation of 3D power network electrical performance are vitally important to aid the 3D integration and packaging design. In order to achieve high accuracy, we combine the electromagnetic (EM) and analytic simulations in this work to evaluate the electrical performance of a 3D power network, which consists of Cu through-strata-vias (TSVs), solders, micro-solders, and on-chip power grids. We intentionally partition the real stack-up structure of 3D power network into separated components, electromagnetically extract all the passive elements (resistance, inductance, con­ductance, and capacitance, i.e., RLGC) for each component at certain frequency points of interest. We then assemble all the components again into a corresponding SPICE model of 3D power network and import EM-extracted RLGC values to analyze the overall 3D system power performance. The number of stacked ICs, floorplanning of TSV/micro-solders, operating frequency of 3D system, and characteristics of decoupling capacitance are examined to unveil several 3D power delivery design implications.
A robust method for automated background subtraction of tissue fluorescence

This paper introduces a new robust method for the removal of background tissue fluorescence from Raman spectra. Raman spectra consist of noise, fluorescence and Raman scattering. In order to extract the Raman scattering, both noise and background fluorescence must be removed, ideally without human intervention and preserving the original data. We describe the rationale behind our robust background subtraction method, determine the parameters of the method and validate it using a Raman phantom against other methods currently used. We also statistically compare the methods using the residual mean square (RMS) with a fluorescence-to-signal (F/S) ratio ranging from 0.1 to 1000. The method, ‘adaptive minmax’, chooses the subtraction method based on the F/S ratio. It uses multiple fits of different orders to maximize each polynomial fit. The results show that the adaptive minmax method was significantly better than any single polynomial fit across all F/S ratios. This method can be implemented as part of a modular automated real-time diagnostic in vivo Raman system. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Functionalized ferratricarbadecaboranyl complexes for potential anticancer applications

Two different synthetic strategies were employed to generate a library of functionalized cyclopenta dienyl ferratricarbadecaboranes containing potential anticancer and/or solubilizing groups, including 1-( η 5 -C 5 H 5 )-2-R- closo -1,2,3,4-FeC 3 B 7 H 9 complexes where R = pyridine, indole, imidazole, pyrazol, benzimidazoles, fluorophenyl or alkylammonium and 1-( η 5 -C 5 H 4 –CH 2 -( p -OCH 3 –C 6 H 4 ))-2R- closo -1,2,3,4-FeC 3 B 7 H 9 complexes, where R = Ph or imidazole. The results of a National Cancer Institute 60 cell line screen for anticancer activity showed that while all complexes appeared to inhibit cell growth, the imidazole substituted 1-( η 5 -C 5 H 5 )-2-C 4 H 5 N 2 - closo -1,2,3,4-FeC 3 B 7 H 9 complex also exhibited significant cytotoxic activities against select cell lines.
Solid state properties of phenylquinoxaline-arylene ester copolymers

The thermomechanical behavior and mechanical properties were studied for a series of poly (phenylquinoxaline-arylene ester) block copolymers. The copolymers investigated were composed of a phenylquinoxaline oligomer of block length 12,900 g/mol, and the weight percent of the polyester coblock varied from 15 to 50 percent. Both homo-and heterogeneous morphologies were observed depending on the weight percent of polyester incorporated. Improved elongations were observed as the polyester compositions increased at a minimal sacrifice to the bulk properties (i.e., modulus).
Antibodies to purified membrane-bound ATPase from Bacillus megaterium KM and their reaction with protoplasts and cytoplasmic membranes.

Abstract Antibodies to the solubilized purified Ca 2+ -activated ATPase from the cytoplasmic membrane of Bacillus megaterium KM form a single precipitin line when they are tested against the homologous antigen. The antibodies inhibit both soluble and membrane-bound ATPase activity. The inhibition is non-competitive. Both protoplasts and cytoplasmic membranes of B. megaterium KM can compete with soluble ATPase for antibody although membranes compete more effectively than protoplasts. Addition of anti-ATPase immunoglobulin (IgG) to protoplasts or membranes causes agglutination. No agglutination occurs with control IgG. The clumping can be prevented by addition of purified ATPase to the IgG before mixing with the protoplasts or membranes. These results suggest that part of the ATPase molecule may be exposed on the outer surface of the cytoplasmic membrane, and part of the inner surface.
Moving two-dimensional patterns can capture the perceived directions of lower or higher spatial frequency gratings

Abstract Coherent plaid motion is produced by superimposing two one-dimensional gratings of the same spatial frequency moving ± 60° from the intersection-of-constraints (IOC) resultant direction. These moving plaids were found to change the perceived direction of a third one-dimensional grating, either 6-fold lower or higher in spatial frequency, from traveling in one of the plaid's component direction to the IOC resultant direction. We describe this phenomenon as coherence capture. Coherence capture was found to be effective between plaids with 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 c/deg components and gratings of 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 c/deg respectively. It was also found to be effective between plaids with 3.0 c/deg components and gratings of 0.5 c/deg. However, coherence capture between higher spatial frequency plaids and lower spatial frequency gratings became less effective when the component spatial frequencies of the plaid increased.
Multiplex Spectroscopy: Determining the Transition Moments and Absolute Concentrations of Molecular Species

A procedure is described that uses two spectroscopic techniques, absorption and infrared degenerate four-wave mixing, in tandem (multiplex) to measure the transition dipole moments and absolute concentrations of molecular species in situ. The method is demonstrated by the measurement of the relative transition moments and concentrations of two dissimilar sample gas components, hydrogen chloride and nitrogen dioxide, but is applicable to a wide variety of molecules and, thus, can provide new information for transient molecular species. Further, difficulties in obtaining quantitative information through techniques such as laser-induced fluorescence, coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, and degenerate four-wave mixing spectroscopies can be overcome when a multiplex approach is used.
Calculation of Unsteady Turbulent Boundary Layers

An unsteady, two-dimensional boundary-layer solution procedure is used to predict two different types of incompressible turbulent mean flows, the Blasius and Howarth flows, with superimposed time-dependent harmonic oscillations. A simple algebraic mixing length model that includes a minor modification for unsteadiness in the inner part of the boundary layer was used. Computed results for the two different mean flows over a wide range of unsteady conditions are presented and compared with measured data and other numerical solutions. The overall agreement of the present solutions with measurements is very good, although details of unsteady characteristics are not completely resolved due to shortcomings in the closure model.
Monitoring Soil Quality to Assess the Sustainability of Harvesting Corn Stover

Harvesting feedstock for biofuel production must not degrade soil, water, or air resources. Our objective is to provide an overview of field research being conducted to quantify effects of harvesting corn (Zea mays L.) stover as a bioenergy feedstock. Coordinated field studies are being conducted near Ames, IA; St. Paul and Morris, MN; Mead, NE; University Park, PA; Florence, SC; and Brookings, SD., as part of the USDA-ARS Renewable Energy Assessment Project (REAP). A baseline soil quality assessment was made using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF). Corn grain and residue yield for two different stover harvest rates (~50% and ~90%) are being measured. Available soil data remains quite limited but sufficient for an initial SMAF analysis that confirms total organic carbon (TOC) is a soil quality indicator that needs to be closely monitored closely to quantify crop residue removal effects. Overall, grain yields averaged 9.7 and 11.7 Mg ha -1 (155 and 186 bu acre -1 ) in 2008 and 2009, values that are consistent with national averages for both years. The average amount of stover collected for the 50% treatment was 2.6 and 4.2 Mg ha -1 for 2008 and 2009, while the 90% treatment resulted in an average removal of 5.4 and 7.4 Mg ha -1 , respectively. Based on a recent literature review, both stover harvest scenarios could result in a gradual decline in TOC. However, the literature value has a large standard error, so continuation of this long-term multi-location study for several years is warranted.
Development of a LC–LC–MS complete heart-cut approach for the characterization of pharmaceutical compounds using standard instrumentation

Abstract A total heart-cut LC–LC–MS technique is described for the analysis of pharmaceutical compounds. Utilizing ordinary LC–MS equipment, a standardized multi-dimensional, highly selective approach was developed. The system was developed on synthetic mixtures containing ten active pharmaceutical compounds. The methodology would be further deployed for the impurity characterization of batches of active chemical, process intermediates, and reference standards. Column-switching was employed to heart-cut sequential fractions from one set of LC conditions to another set of LC conditions. Two high efficiency columns, including the Merck Chromolith® C18, for fast LC–LC analysis were used. The system provides a highly automated, turnkey, multi-dimensional approach applicable to a variety of complex mixtures with little user intervention. It is envisioned that this idea could be viewed as a platform for other types of LC–LC analyses including peptide and achiral–chiral analyses.
On the Equivalence of Codes over Finite Rings

It is known that if a finite ring R is Frobenius then equivalences of linear codes over R are always monomial transformations. Among other results, in this paper we show that the converse of this result holds for finite local and homogeneous semilocal rings. Namely, it is shown that for every finite ring R which is a direct sum of local and homogeneous semilocal subrings, if every Hamming-weight preserving R-linear transformation of a codeC1 onto a code C2 is a monomial transformation then R is a Frobenius ring.
Polar lipid remodeling and increased sulfatide expression are associated with the glioma therapeutic candidates, wild type p53 elevation and the topoisomerase-1 inhibitor, Irinotecan

We report changes in gene and polar lipid expression induced by adenovirus-delivered wild-type (wt) p53 gene and chemotherapy of U87 MG glioblastoma cells, a treatment known to trigger apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Sulfatides (sulfonated glycolipids) were most highly modulated by wild-type p53 treatment; however, no changes were observed in expression levels of mRNA for genes involved in sulfatide metabolism, indicating post-transcriptional control of sulfatide synthesis. Modulation of the aglycones of GD1 and GM1b was observed in wild-type p53-treated cells. The treatment also leads to an increase in phospholipids such as phosphatidyl inositols, phosphatidyl serines, phosphatidyl glycerols, and phosphatidyl ethanolamines, especially hydroxylated phospholipids. These dramatic changes in the composition of cellular glycolipids in response to p53 gene expression and cytotoxic chemotherapy treatment indicate the large role that they play in cell signaling. The use of the human glioma cell line U87 appears to be an excellent model system both in tissue culture and in intracranial murine xenograft models to further characterize the role of sulfatides in modulating glioma responsivity to therapeutic agents.
Steady-state cerebrospinal fluid transfer of verapamil and metabolites in patients with schizophrenia.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma levels of verapamil and its two metabolites, norverapamil and D-620, were measured in seven patients with schizophrenia under steady-state conditions. Simultaneous sampling of CSF and plasma just before the dose during week 4 of the trial showed that verapamil, norverapamil, and D-620 partition in the CSF and reflect 7%, 5%, and 12% of the corresponding levels in plasma, respectively. There was a significant decrease in the mean unbound fraction of verapamil in schizophrenic patients as compared with normal subjects (0.058 vs. 0.11; p < 0.001). Estimates of the mean unbound fraction obtained from CSF/plasma verapamil concentrations and the pH partition hypothesis showed excellent agreement with that measured by equilibrium dialysis (0.055 vs. 0.058) in these patients. Although systemic pool protein concentrations in schizophrenic patients were within normal range, an excellent positive correlation was observed between the ratio of the bound/ free verapamil concentration and α1-acid glycoprotein levels (r = 0.86; p < 0.05). Determination and development of correlations between plasma and GSF may enhance our understanding of the central nervous system effects of verapamil. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1988) 44, 550–557; doi:10.1038/clpt.1988.193
Analysis of 3'-phosphoglycolaldehyde residues in oxidized DNA by gas chromatography/negative chemical ionization/mass spectrometry.

Deoxyribose oxidation in DNA represents a biologically important facet of oxidative DNA damage that gives rise to protein−DNA cross-links and base adducts. Toward the goal of quantifying deoxyribose oxidation chemistry in cells, we report a method for the quantification of 3‘-phosphoglycolaldehyde (PGA) residues, which likely arise from 3‘-oxidation of deoxyribose in DNA. The method exploits the aldehyde moiety in PGA by derivatization as a stable oxime with pentafluorobenzylhydroxylamine, followed by solvent extraction and gas chromatography/negative chemical ionization/mass spectrometry. A stable isotopically labeled [13C2]PGA was synthesized and used as an internal standard. The assay showed a linear response over the range of 30 fmol to 300 pmol, and its precision was verified by analysis of a synthetic, PGA-containing oligodeoxynucleotide. The limit of detection in the presence of DNA was 30 fmol per sample, corresponding to two molecules of PGA in 106 nucleotides for 170 μg of DNA. Samples were expo...
Optical and magneto-optical properties of erbium doped InGaN and GaN epilayers

Abstract Using combined excitation–emission spectroscopy we have studied the erbium incorporation into GaN and InGaN for in situ doped MOCVD-grown layers and compared them to samples grown by MBE. A smaller up-conversion efficiency for the main site is observed compared to minority sites in the same sample as well as versus all sites from MBE grown samples. Furthermore, we show that the 1.54 μm emission efficiency is reduced with increasing In-content both under excitation above the bandgap in the UV as well as under resonant excitation at around 980 nm. This indicates that non-radiative decay channels for the Er ion are the largest contributing factor for this behavior. Finally, the Zeeman splitting of the excitation and emission lines of Er:GaN under application of magnetic fields up to 6.6 T with B||c-axis is shown.
The Immigrant Paradox in Pregnancy: Explaining the First-Generation Advantage for Latina Adolescents

The immigrant paradox is a population health pattern whereby later generation immigrant youth display less favorable outcomes when compared to first-generation co-ethnic peers. This study examines the role of number of sex partners in explaining the immigrant paradox in pregnancy among Latina adolescents. This secondary analysis utilized a nationally representative sample of Latinas in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. As expected, first-generation Latina adolescents demonstrated less risk than second- or third+ generation Latinas for becoming pregnant. Further, the lower number of sexual partners fully accounted for the first generation's advantage in lower rate of adolescent pregnancy. These findings have important implications for healthcare providers who work with Latina girls in pregnancy prevention.
Trends in the Parent-Report of Health Care Provider-Diagnosed and Medicated Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: United States, 2003–2011

Objective Data from the 2003 and 2007 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) reflect the increasing prevalence of parent-reported attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis and treatment by health care providers. This report updates these prevalence estimates for 2011 and describes temporal trends. Method Weighted analyses were conducted with 2011 NSCH data to estimate prevalence of parent-reported ADHD diagnosis, current ADHD, current medication treatment, ADHD severity, and mean age of diagnosis for U.S. children/adolescents aged 4 to 17 years and among demographic subgroups. A history of ADHD diagnosis (2003–2011), as well as current ADHD and medication treatment prevalence (2007–2011), were compared using prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results In 2011, 11% of children/adolescents aged 4 to 17 years had ever received an ADHD diagnosis (6.4 million children). Among those with a history of ADHD diagnosis, 83% were reported as currently having ADHD (8.8%); 69% of children with current ADHD were taking medication for ADHD (6.1%, 3.5 million children). A parent-reported history of ADHD increased by 42% from 2003 to 2011. Prevalence of a history of ADHD, current ADHD, medicated ADHD, and moderate/severe ADHD increased significantly from 2007 estimates. Prevalence of medicated ADHD increased by 28% from 2007 to 2011. Conclusions Approximately 2 million more U.S. children/adolescents aged 4 to 17 years had been diagnosed with ADHD in 2011, compared to 2003. More than two-thirds of those with current ADHD were taking medication for treatment in 2011. This suggests an increasing burden of ADHD on the U.S. health care system. Efforts to further understand ADHD diagnostic and treatment patterns are warranted.
Epigenetics and Oncology

Epigenetic modifications play a critical role in the development of pediatric and adult cancers, contributing to the cumulative changes observed as normal cells undergo malignant transformation. These modifications have been studied to develop epigenome-targeted therapies and new diagnostic tools. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved four epigenome-targeted anticancer drugs. Two are drugs that inhibit DNA methyltransferases: azacitidine and decitabine, and two are drugs that inhibit histone deacetylases: vorinostat and romidepsin. These initial successes demonstrate the potential effectiveness of epigenome-targeted therapies as monotherapy in hematologic malignancies, but newer studies are focused on combination therapy in many cancers. Epigenetic modifications have also been used to evaluate potential biomarkers to diagnose patients with cancer, identify patient populations likely to respond to specific anticancer therapies, and select reasonable dosages for investigational anticancer drugs, as observed with other newer targeted anticancer drugs. Although much has been learned about the relationship between the epigenome and cancer, many questions remain unanswered at this time. The next step is to continue to translate emerging epigenetic knowledge into anticancer drug development. In this review, we discuss the role of epigenetic modifications in the development of cancer and anticancer drug resistance, and we describe the progress and challenges associated with developing epigenome-targeted anticancer drugs and diagnostic tools that identify epigenetic modifications.
A comparison of fragmentation models

Abstract The key to conducting an accurate lethality assessment is the use of a robust assessment methodology. One of the critical components of a lethality assessment is the characterization of the debris cloud created by the initial high speed impact. Without a proper characterization, it is impossible to obtain an accurate prediction of the response of an interior target component to subsequent debris cloud impact loadings. The fast-running codes FATEPEN2, KAPP-II, and PEN4 contain fragmentation models that characterize the debris cloud fragment population resulting from a high speed impact. The objective of the work described in this paper as to compare the predictions of the fragmentation models within these three codes over the 1–16 km/s impact velocity regime. This objective was achieved through a parametric study of debris cloud material characterization using the fragmentation schemes in the FATEPEN2, KAPP-II, and PEN4 semi-empirical lethality assessment schemes for a variety of projectile and target materials and configurations.
Rational Mixed-Integer and Polyhedral Union Minimization Models

The minimization model concept is defined, and its applications to nonlinear optimization are described. Necessary conditions and sufficient conditions are established for functions to have minimization models of certain types. These necessary conditions may also be thought of as properties of the optimal value functions of certain optimization problems subject to linear RHS perturbations.
TUBERCULOSIS SKIN TESTING : NEW SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

In the past 10 years, I have cared for more than 500 children and adolescents with tuberculosis. Only one of them—an asymptomatic 5-year-old with mild hilar adenopathy—was discovered via a school skintesting program, although since 1990, the Houston Independent School District has required all new entrants to have a tuberculin skin test. During the last 5 years, the number of children in Houston with tuberculosis has increased. School-based skin testing has neither found many active cases nor prevented their occurrence. At first glance, requiring all schoolchildren to have a tuberculin skin test seems to be a reasonable response to the desire to promote prevention of a potentially serious and still prevalent disease.
Estimation and Simulation for the M-Wright Function

In this article, a structural form of an M-Wright distributed random variable is derived. The mixture representation then led to a random number generation algorithm. A formal parameter estimation procedure is also proposed. This procedure is needed to make the M-Wright function usable in practice. The asymptotic normality of the estimator is established as well. The estimator and the random number generation algorithm are then tested using synthetic data.
Landsat-8 data processing evolution

Shortly after Landsat-8 launched in February 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center began creating radiometrically and geometrically corrected products. In order to provide these products as soon as possible, the Landsat Product Generation System (LPGS) was developed based on instrument designs and testing prior to launch. While every effort was made to ensure the LPGS produces highly accurate products, some aspects of the sensors are difficult to characterize during testing on the ground. Examples of these characteristics include differences between individual detectors that make up the focal plane array, and the way detectors view radiometric targets in preflight testing versus the way they view the Earth on orbit, and the accuracy of the measurements made on the ground. Once in orbit, more accurate measurements of these sensor characteristics were made that improved processing parameters, resulting in improved quality of the final imagery. This paper reviews the changes that have occurred to the processing of Landsat-8 data products which include parameter changes as well as some modifications to the processing system itself. These changes include: improved linearization of the data, both to parameters and the algorithm used for linearizing the data; improved radiance and reflectance conversion coefficients; individual detector coefficients to improve uniformity; and geometric alignment coefficients to improve the geometric accuracy. These improvements lead to a reprocessing campaign that occurred in early in 2014 that replaced all prior data with improved products.
Residual Resistivity of Copper and Silver Alloys: Dependence on Periodic Table

Attention is called here to the fact that polyvalent impurities of the silver period of the periodic table give rise to a smaller residual resistivity in both copper and silver than do polyvalent impurities belonging to the copper period. An explanation of this experimental result is presented. The explanation is based on a modification of the Friedel sum rule suggested by Harrison by which one may take lattice distortion into account. The calculated results reflect in every detail the qualitative features of the experimental data and, moreover, lead to better quantitative agreement between theory and experiment than previous calculations based on the free-electron model. The occurrence of a similar period dependence of the thermoelectric power of these alloy systems is suggested and is currently being investigated.
First Triazole-Linked Porphyrin−Fullerene Dyads

A general procedure for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole-linked porphyrin-fullerene dyads is described. Four of these compounds have been prepared and characterized.
Assessing biodeterioration in wood using ATP photometry: Part II. Calculating a conversion factor for Phanerochaete chrysosporium using ATP and adenylate energy charge

Abstract The ATP content and Energy Charge (EC) of Phanerochaete chrysosporium (a white rot), was measured at different phases of growth in batch culture. The nucleotide, protein and chitin contents, and the dry weight of the mycelium were measured during 4 weeks of incubation. The log growth phase was associated with the highest ATP concentrations and highest EC values. The variation in the ATP content of the mycelium was classified using the EC values. Two classes were identified: class 1 included samples with EC equal to or larger than 0.65; and class 2 included samples with EC below 0.65. The average ATP content for class 1 was 4.57 nM mg−1 of dry weight, and for class 2, 0.99 nM mg−1 of dry weight. These average values were adopted as conversion factors (ATP/biomass) to estimate fungal biomass in field samples. Protein and chitin measurements were not as consistent and varied more than the ATP values. Protein concentrations varied between 12.43 μg mg−1 of dry weight, on the third day of growth, and 87.03 μg mg−1 of dry weight on the seventh day of growth. Similarly, the chitin content of P. chrysosporium varied between 4.59 μg mg−1 of dry weight on the first day of growth and 82.25 μg mg−1 of dry weight on the tenth day. The variability found in the protein and chitin content was not as classifiable as the ATP data. An average of all the protein and chitin measurements (protein = 48.34 μg mg−1 of dry weight; chitin = 49.96 μg mg−1 of dry weight), regardless of the phase of growth, was adopted as the conversion factor to estimate fungal biomass.
Geometry and the deformation of pack ice: I. A simple kinematic model

The deformation of pack ice is modeled as the discrete motion of rigid plates. A continuous and differentiate field of large-scale velocity is sampled at the center Joint of each plate to determine its uniform translation. Discontinuities in the ice velocity occur at the cracks separating pairs of adjacent plates. Ice deformation that is characterized by opening, ridging and sliding coefficients is computed directly by integrating the velocity jumps over the length of each crack, and summing over all cracks in I representative area. These coefficients depend on the large-scale strain rate and the geometry of the cracks. The relevant geometric parameters are the orientations of (a) the cracks with respect to the principal axis of the strain rate, and (b) the cracks with respect to the relative position vectors between the center points of adjacent plates on either side of the crack. For all tilings of uniform, equilateral diamonds (including squares) the opening and ridging are minimized, and the sliding is maximized, when an axis of symmetry of the plate coincides with the principal axis of the strain rate.
Control mechanisms for gonadotrophic hormone production in vitro

An internal control mechanism capable of controlling gonadotrophic hormone secretion in the human trophoblast has been identified by incubation of an established cell line with a precursor of progesterone. Biological, biochemical, and electron microscopic findings verify inhibition of gonadotrophic hormone synthesis, depletion of glycogen, activation of phosphorylase, the glycogen-metabolizing enzyme, and ultrastructural appearance of liquid-containing cytoplasmic granules in single cells, indicative of steroid synthesis.
Does salary discussion hurt the developmental performance appraisal

Abstract The “split roles of performance appraisal” perspective introduced by H. H. Meyer and associates in 1965 (H. H. Meyer, E. Kay, J. R. P. French, Jr. Harvard Business Review, 43, 123–129) argues that discussing salary has a negative impact on the developmental aspects of performance appraisal (PA). This research provides the first empirical evaluation of that proposition. Of key interest is the relationship between salary discussion and process characteristics (e.g., participation), content characteristics (e.g., work planning), and the outcomes (e.g., utility) of PA. Also, several contingency factors are investigated to see if they moderate the impact of discussing salary. The results indicate that salary discussion has either no impact or a positive impact on PA process, content, and outcomes. Of the five contingency factors, only performance level has a consistent moderating impact. Low performers, compared to high performers, evidence a stronger positive relationship between salary discussion and key PA variables.
Modified uni-traveling-carrier photodiode-based V-band optoelectronic mixers with high up-converted power and high responsivity

A modified uni-traveling-carrier photodiode-based V-band optoelectronic mixer is demonstrated which can up-convert intermediate-frequency (IF) signals with both the 59.5 GHz local oscillator (LO) and the IF signals in optical form. By properly choosing the ratio between the injected optical LO and IF signals, a high up-converted signal power of -13.1 dBm was obtained at 30 mA of photocurrent and 1.6 V reverse bias without any cooling operation. When a thermal electric cooler is used, up-converted signal power as high as -4.7 dBm was obtained at 70 mA of photocurrent and 3.5 V reverse bias.
Vaccines against Gonorrhea: Current status and Future Challenges

Gonorrhea occurs at high incidence throughout the world and significantly impacts reproductive health and the spread of human immunodeficiency virus. Current control measures are inadequate and seriously threatened by the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance. Progress on gonorrhea vaccines has been slow; however, recent advances justify significant effort in this area. Conserved vaccine antigens have been identified that elicit bactericidal antibodies and, or play key roles in pathogenesis that could be targeted by a vaccine-induced response. A murine genital tract infection model is available for systematic testing of antigens, immunization routes and adjuvants, and transgenic mice exist to relieve some host restrictions. Furthermore, mechanisms by which Neisseria gonorrhoeae avoids inducing a protective adaptive response are being elucidated using human cells and the mouse model. Induction of a Th1 response in mice clears infection and induces a memory response, which suggests Th1-inducing adjuvants may be key in vaccine-induced protection. Continued research in this area should include human testing and clinical studies to confirm or negate findings from experimental systems and to define protective host factors.
An examination of the relationship of sample size and mean length of utterance for children with developmental language impairment

Mean length of utterance (MLU) is a frequently used measure of the expressive language of young children. The suggested conventional, contemporary, clinical practice is to calculate it from a language sample of a minimum of 50 to100 contiguous intelligible utterances. This practice places considerable strain on professionals working with young children with language disorders, for it is often impractical to devote the time needed to collect, transcribe, and analyse the recommended number of utterances. This research investigated the consistency of MLU calculated across language samples of different sizes for the same children. Transcripts of expressive language samples of research participants with developmental language impairment were analysed, with MLU being calculated on samples of varying sizes. The language samples ranged from 10 to 150 utterances. Measures of statistical differences and consistency of MLU across the various language samples were examined. Results demonstrate that, on the whole, one...