cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 16098: Circulating Cyclic GMP: Relationship With Cardiovascular and Renal Disease in the General Community

Introduction: The 3’,5’ cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) is a second messenger for several physiological pathways, among which the atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic pepti...
Operative Treatment of Isolated Meniscus Injuries in Adolescent Patients: A Meta-Analysis and Review.

Context:With the rise in sports participation and increased athleticism in the adolescent population, there is an ever-growing need to better understand adolescent meniscus pathology and treatment....
Software engineering: industry meets academia

Software Engineering education stands at a turning point as industry continues to assert the need for more of an industry perspective in the education of software engineers and computer scientists. A two-semester course sequence in Software Engineering, taught at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is attempting to meet that demand by balancing theory and practice in an education environment which simulates industrial development of Software Engineering tools. Prevalent methodologies across the software life cycle are addressed, alternatives are assessed, and preferences are designated as the courses progress through the life cycle. The projects are assigned to teams and are directly related to automating parts of software production. Case studies are used on a weekly basis to reinforce concepts and to explore alternatives. An essential set of software engineering process principles serves as the foundation for this teaching approach. The students, while taxed with a demanding work load, have indicated that the approach is highly rewarding in the graduate education program.
Phenotypic Plasticity Promotes Overwintering Survival in A Globally Invasive Crop Pest, Drosophila suzukii.

Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, is a major pest of small fruit worldwide in temperate and subtropical growing regions. In Northern climates, D. suzukii likely overwinters locally under leaf litter and snow pack, but our understanding of the factors affecting thermal susceptibility is limited. While previous investigations of thermal susceptibility in this species have employed conventional static acclimation protocols, we aimed to determine whether gradual cooling, or dynamic acclimation, may extend the limits of known thermal tolerance by more closely approximating naturally occurring shifts in temperature. First, we assessed survival among adult and pupal D. suzukii using static acclimation. Then, we re-assessed survival using a novel dynamic acclimation method. We found that while static acclimation was sufficient to induce cold tolerance, dynamic acclimation significantly improved survival at temperatures as low as −7.5 °C. Following static acclimation, the lower lethal limit of adult D. suzukii was −1.1 °C in winter morphotype (WM) adults compared to 1.7 °C in non-acclimated summer morphotype (SM) adults. Dynamic acclimation reduced the lower limit to −5 °C in SM flies. At the end of our study 50% of WM flies survived 72 h at −7.5 °C. Below 0 °C pupal survival declined significantly regardless of acclimation procedure. However, pupal acclimation improved survival outcomes significantly compared to non-acclimated pupae, suggesting that while juvenile diapause is unlikely, cold hardening likely benefits those flies which may develop into the overwintering WM population. These data suggest that the degree of cold hardening is proportional to the thermal environment, a finding previously unrecognized in this species. Given the economic impact of this pest, these data may have important implications for offseason population monitoring and management. We discuss how phenotypic plasticity may drive geographical range expansion, and the impact of climate change on the spread of this species.
Experiments in linear and nonlinear acoustic landmine detection

When nonmetallic land mines are difficult to detect using ground penetrating radar, acoustic landmine detection is used as a confirmation sensor. Non-metallic mines include VS 1.6 and VS 2.2 anti-tank plastic landmines. In modeling nonlinear acoustic landmine detection, a 20 cm diam drum-like landmine simulant (5.08 cm height, 0.64 cm thick aluminum bottom, 0.64 cm thick acrylic top plate) was used. The flexural vibration of the acrylic top plate with the soil behaves nonlinearly. A concrete soil tank filled with dry sifted masonry sand served as an idealized granular medium. The soil tank was 57.2 × 57.2 × 22.9 cm deep (wall thickness 15.2 cm). The simulant is 3 cm deep. In airborne excitation experiments, two 8 inch diam subwoofers radiate a swept tone. A geophone (1 inch diam) measured the rms particle velocity at 28 scan locations across a 56 cm segment on the surface. The geophone-microphone frequency response (between 50 Hz and 450 Hz) vs. scan position is used to extract a response profile at any individual frequency. The lowest drum-like mode shape was strongest at 156 Hz. Nonlinear tuning curve measurements at fixed locations exhibit more softening “on the mine” vs. “off the mine.”
Entrepreneurial Savants or Purposive Thinkers? Alertness and Deliberate Cognition as Paths to Action

When environments change, executives often respond by taking action. Prior work examining antecedents of such action has focused on strategic information processing (SIP). However, are all response...
Matrices of motherhood in Judges 5

In Judges 5, patterns of motherhood weave throughout the poem, forming an intrinsic component of the fabric of the text. In pursuing these threads, I focus on the construction of Deborah as ‘mother...
Compensation Consultants: Whom Do They Serve? Evidence From Consultant Changes

We study compensation consultant dismissals to investigate whether consultants recommend outsized pay to earn repeat business. Our results show consultants’ interests are aligned with shareholders’ to appropriately pay the CEO. Boards are more likely to dismiss their consultant when CEO pay is abnormally large, particularly for firms with strong corporate governance. We suggest a possible mechanism; consultants influence pay by advising on the constituency of the compensation peer group. New consultants are less likely to select highly paid peers if the CEO was previously overpaid. Directors earn higher votes in annual elections when they replace their compensation advisors.
Technology-Mediated Writing: Exploring Incoming Graduate Students’ L2 Writing Strategies with Activity Theory

Abstract Despite the sizable body of research investigating L2 learners’ technology use and/or digital composition practices, scholars have noted that such studies have been predominately researcher-led intervention studies as opposed to descriptive, qualitative accounts that investigate learner-initiated technology use. To better understand existing learner practices surrounding digital composition, this study uses a case study design to explore two, Chinese L2 English writers as they compose assignments during their first semesters as doctoral students in an Applied Linguistics and Teacher Education program, respectively. An Activity Theory (Engestrom, 1987, 1999) framework is utilized to investigate students’ writing strategies in general, but particular emphasis is given to writers’ personal, artifact/tool-mediated uses of technology to assist in their writing. Data sources consist of: artifacts such as course syllabi and students’ writings; process logs; screen-recordings of students’ real-time writing; and also, semi-structured interviews and stimulated recalls. Findings show that students’ writing processes were influenced by numerous factors, which were rule-, community-, and artifact-mediated. The artifact-mediated strategies are discussed in relation to three categories that emerged from the data, including: (1) multimodal strategies; (2) tool-mediated strategies for content development; and (3) tool-mediated strategies for language development. Pedagogical implications of writerso artifact-mediated strategies involving technological tools are discussed.
Cardiac Dysfunction after Burn Injury: Role of the AMPK-SIRT1-PGC1α-NFE2L2-ARE Pathway.

Background Mitochondrial oxidative stress plays a prominent role in the development of burn-induced cardiac dysfunction. AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), an energy sensor, has a central role in the pathogenesis of heart failure. However, its role in cardiac dysfunction after burn injury is unclear. Our hypothesis is that burn injury acts through the AMPK-sirtuin 1-PGC1α-nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NFE2L2)-ARE signaling pathway, leading to cardiac mitochondrial impairment, resulting in cardiac dysfunction. Study Design Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent sham procedure or 60% total body surface area full-thickness burn. Echocardiograms were performed 24 hours post burn. Heart tissue was harvested at 24 hours post burn for biochemistry/molecular biologic analysis. AC16 cardiomyocytes were treated with either sham or burned rat serum (±AMPK inhibitor/AMPK activator/PGC1α activator) for evaluation of cardiomyocyte mitochondrial function by using seahorse in vitro. Results Burn injury-induced cardiac dysfunction was measured by echocardiogram. Burn injury suppressed cardiac AMPK, sirtuin 1, and PGC1 expression, leading to acetylation of cardiomyocyte proteins. In addition, burn injury caused NFE2L2 and NFE2L2 regulated antioxidants (heme oxygenase 1, NADH quinone oxidoreductase 1, glutamatecysteine ligase catalytic subunit, manganese superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase) to decrease, resulting in cardiac oxidative stress. In vitro, AMPK1 activator and PGC1α agonist treatment improved Ac16 cell mitochondrial dysfunction, and AMPK1 inhibitor treatment worsened Ac16 cellular damage. Conclusions Burn-induced cardiac dysfunction and cardiac mitochondrial damage occur via the AMPK-sirtuin 1-PGC1α-NFE2L2-ARE signaling pathway. AMPK and PGC1α agonists might be promising therapeutic agents to reverse cardiac dysfunction after burn injury.
Gender Differences in Health Care Needs and Service Attainment Among Violent Offenders

Research has determined that female inmates experience distinctive challenges both during and after incarceration. There has been little empirical inquiry, however, into the gendered nature of medi...
Experimental Determinations of Minimum Miscibility Pressures Using Hydrocarbon Gases and CO2 for Crude Oils from the Bakken and Cut Bank Oil Reservoirs

Minimum miscibility pressures (MMPs) were measured at reservoir temperatures using a capillary-rise vanishing interfacial tension (VIT) technique for four crude oils collected from different format...
Adapting to Remote Law Practice through the Pandemic: Essays from the GWNY 2020 Business Lawyering Class

The coronavirus pandemic requires law schools to train students in the new art of remote legal services, to anticipate how this will change the practice of law and what it means to be "practice ready." The accompanying essays, by students caught in the middle of the epidemic during an immersive training program, offer reflections and visions. Written by students at the end of their spring 2020 semester in George Washington University's New York City (GWNY) business law program, the students explore how they must adapt their competencies accordingly.
Supportive care and osteopathic medicine in pediatric oncology: perspectives of current oncology clinicians, caregivers, and patients.

Many children receiving chemotherapy struggle with therapy-induced side effects. To date, there has been no literature investigating the needs, knowledge, or implementation of osteopathic manipulative treatments (OMT) as a supportive care option in pediatric oncology. We hypothesized that pediatric oncology clinicians, caregivers, and patients have (a) limited knowledge of OMT and (b) dissatisfaction with current supportive care options and (c) would be interested in having OMT available during chemotherapy, once educated. Participants included three cohorts: (1) children aged ≥ 9 years, diagnosed with cancer and actively receiving chemotherapy; (2) their caregivers; and (3) oncology clinicians at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Participants completed 1:1 semi-structured interviews, which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for thematic content regarding their perception of supportive care measures and views on OMT. Quantitative data was summarized descriptively. A total of 60 participants completed the interview. Participants demonstrated limited awareness of osteopathic medicine; no participant had more than “some” knowledge of OMT. After education about OMT using a brief video, all clinicians, caregivers, and 95% of patients were receptive to OMT as a supportive care option. Major themes included the following: (a) patients have uncontrolled chemotherapy side effects, (b) improved supportive care options are desired, and (c) osteopathic medicine is a favorable supportive care adjunct. Pediatric oncology clinicians, caregivers, and patients reported a need for better management of chemotherapy-associated side effects and an interest in utilizing OMT. These findings support further investigation into the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of implementing OMT in the pediatric oncology clinical setting.
A longitudinal case study of curriculum-based L2 writing development

Abstract In light of the long-term support needed for L2 writing development (Byrnes et al., 2010), this chapter presents a multi-year longitudinal case study of three L2 learners who completed three consecutive instructional levels of German in an articulated undergraduate program at a U.S. university. The article begins by contextualizing the study in terms of the SFL-informed literacy-oriented curriculum, wherein writing development is driven by the use of sequenced genre-based writing tasks throughout the four-year program. Next, a triangulated analysis is conducted of the three learners’ performances on these writing tasks according to (a) traditional syntactic complexity variables (e.g., mean length of sentence; mean length of clause); (b) SFL-based measures of learners’ emergent meaning-making (e.g., transitivity development; taxis; thematization patterns); and (c) learner interviews. Individual differences and similarities across curricular levels are reported and also correlated with a larger cohort who completed the same tasks (n = 117). Emphasis is placed on the varied development within an articulated program of study that has clear goals for learners’ writing performance across the curriculum. Learners’ reactions to the genre-based pedagogy and curricular sequencing are also presented. Last, implications of these findings for building models of collegiate L2 writing instruction are discussed.
Perceived Recovery and Self-Reported Functioning in Adolescents with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: The Role of Sleep, Mood, and Physical Symptoms

Purpose: To determine the contributions of anxiety, depressive, and concussion symptoms and sleep quality to self-perceived recovery in adolescents with concussion. Method: Adolescents aged 12–20 (...
Income Segregation: Up or Down, and for Whom?

Reports of rising income segregation have been brought into question by the observation that post-2000 estimates are upwardly biased due to a reduction in the sample sizes on which they are based. Recent studies have offered estimates of this “sample-count” bias using public data. We show here that there are two substantial sources of systematic bias in estimating segregation levels: bias associated with sample size and bias associated with using weighted sample data. We rely on new correction methods using the original census sample data for individual households to provide more accurate estimates. Family income segregation rose markedly in the 1980s but only selectively after 1990. For some categories of families, segregation declined after 1990. There has been an upward trend for families with children, but not specifically for families with children in the upper or lower 10% of the income distribution. Separate analyses by race/ethnicity show that segregation was not generally higher among blacks and Hispanics than among white families, and evidence of segregation trends for these separate groups is mixed. Trends vary for specific combinations of race/ethnicity, presence of children, and location in the income distribution, offering new challenges for understanding the underlying processes of change.
Pushing the Needle of Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Where Do Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons Stand?

Background Plastic and reconstructive surgery has a well-recognized history of disruption and innovation. It remains unclear, however, how the specialty's priority on innovation materializes into commercialization or bench to bedside led by plastic surgeons. Methods Our analysis utilized Pitchbook (Seattle, Wash.), a market database of companies and investors, for ventures that have designed innovations related to plastic and reconstructive surgery. Companies were categorized into 5 focus areas: provider (outpatient surgical or hospital entity), aesthetics (cosmetics/injectables), devices (instrumentation, lasers, implants), regenerative medicine (tissue engineering/wound healing), and software (digital solutions). Company websites, LinkedIn (Sunnyvale, Calif.) profiles, and Crunchbase (San Francisco, Calif.) were reviewed to determine the leadership roles of plastic surgeons. Results Plastic surgeons primarily serve as advisors, as opposed to founders or chief executive officers (CEOs). Our analysis additionally found that provider and software solutions had a greater degree of plastic surgeon-led leadership, whereas regenerative medicine and device innovation remains less frequented. There was a relatively balanced representation of academic and private plastic surgeons in entrepreneurial pursuits. Conclusions Plastic surgeons typically serve as board advisors, as opposed to founders and CEOs. Reasons for disengagement from leadership roles may include satisfaction with clinical work, time constraint, lack of business knowledge, financial constraint, and opportunity cost associated with starting a venture. To promote participation in innovation, future studies should explore tangible ways to engage in such opportunities. In doing so, plastic surgeons can own the "organ" of innovation, and continue to contribute to the legacy and the advancement of the specialty.
The emergence of peace engineering and innovation

Abstract Peace Engineering and Innovation is an emergent field with the potential to disrupt traditional engineering and management of technology research, education, and practice. Peace Engineering and Innovation is a potential disruption of, and radical innovation in, the meaning of engineering and innovation. Yet the concept, so enthralling, requires analysis of the literature base to facilitate its operationalization. We add to the literature by focusing on the field's works and bifurcating them into two divergent paths. We utilize meta-analysis methodologies and data surface mining to demonstrate the large-scale patterns in the Peace Engineering and Innovation literature. Our findings provide policy makers, educators, students, practitioners, and researchers a knowledge base that is parsed into actionable areas. These results provide innovation pathways for the 21st century engineer.
Introduction: Human Dynamics Research with Social Media and Geospatial Data Analytics

Social media and geospatial big data have provided researchers new ways to study human dynamics, which is a transdisciplinary research field that focuses on the understanding of dynamic patterns, relationships, narratives, changes, and transitions of human activities, behaviors, communications, and interactions. This book, entitled Empowering Human Dynamics Research with Social Media and Geospatial Data Analytics, discusses theoretical backgrounds, techniques and methodologies, and applications of the current state-of-the-art human dynamics research utilizing social media and geospatial big data. It describes various forms of social media and big data with location information, theory development, data collection and management techniques, and analytical methodologies to conduct human dynamics research including geographic information systems (GIS), spatio-temporal data analytics, text mining and semantic analysis, machine learning, trajectory data analysis, and geovisualization. The book also covers applied interdisciplinary research examples ranging from disaster management and public health to urban geography and spatiotemporal information diffusion. This chapter introduces a contextual background of this book including research rationales and notable challenges and then provides an overview of the subsequent chapters.
Supporting hierarchical soil biogeochemical modeling: Version 2 of the Biogeochemical Transport and Reaction model (BeTR-v2)

Abstract. Reliable soil biogeochemical modeling is a prerequisite for credible projections of climate change and associated ecosystem feedbacks. This recognition has called for frameworks that can support flexible and efficient development and application of new or alternative soil biogeochemical modules in earth system models (ESMs). The BeTR-v1 code (i.e., CLM4-BeTR) is one such framework designed to accelerate the development and integration of new soil biogeochemistry formulations into ESMs, and to analyze structural uncertainty in ESM simulations. With a generic reactive transport capability, BeTR-v1 can represent multi-phase (e.g., gaseous, aqueous, and solid), multi-tracer (e.g., nitrate and organic carbon), and multi-organism (e.g., plants, bacteria and fungi) dynamics. Here, we describe the new version BeTR-v2, which adopts more robust numerical algorithms and improves on structural design over BeTR-v1. BeTR-v2 better supports different mathematical formulations in a hierarchical manner by allowing the resultant model be run either for a single topsoil layer, a vertically resolved soil column, or fully coupled with the land component of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM). We demonstrate the BeTR-v2 capability with benchmark cases and example soil BGC implementations. By taking advantage of BeTR-v2’s generic structure integrated in E3SM, we then found that calibration could not resolve biases introduced by different numerical coupling strategies of plant-soil biogeochemistry. These results highlight the importance of numerically robust implementation of soil biogeochemistry and coupling with hydrology, thermal dynamics, and plants— capabilities that the open-source BeTR-v2 provides.
The Bartonian (Middle Eocene) GSSP: Historical Considerations and Challenges

The Bartonian Stage is one of the standard stages of the Eocene. It has a complex history of usage dating from the mid-nineteenth century. In defining its GSSP, the Bartonian Working Group plans to honour the historical concept of the Bartonian Stage as originally identified in the Hampshire Basin, and will select a definition that does not truncate the “unit stratotype” of the Bartonian Stage. The Working Group recognizes that the lithostratigraphic concept of the Barton Clay Formation differs from the chronostratigraphic concept of the Bartonian Stage. It is proposed that the Nummulites prestwichianus bed in the Hampshire Basin be used to define the base of the historical Bartonian Stage in that region. Previously proposed guide events for the Bartonian Stage that both honour this definition and which may serve to define a GSSP include either the base or the top of magnetochron C19n, the first occurrence of planktonic foraminiferan Turborotalia cerroazulensis, and the last occurrence of the planktonic foraminiferan Guembelitrioides nuttalli. Additionally, the lowest occurrence of the calcareous nannofossil Reticulofenestra reticulata is a widely recognized biolevel that correlates closely with the base of C19n. Ongoing biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic work on sections in Spain and Italy will likely produce a GSSP for the Bartonian Stage.
Consistency, feasibility and multiplicity of fluxes in metabolic pathways

A simple test to check the consistency of large scale stoichiometric matrices in metabolic pathways is presented. Once the flux obtained is consistent, a systematic method is developed to examine the structure of multiple solutions in the metabolic network. Many of these multiple solutions are thermodynamically infeasible, hence a computational method is developed which is computationally intensive when we have to generate feasible multiple solutions. Changing certain fluxes, for example the glucose intake affects the growth of the cell or knocking out a particular gene can affect other fluxes, to explain such features we examine the sensitivity of fluxes to change in controllable fluxes. This technique has been applied to the metabolic network of Escherichia coli.
Interpreting Lamprey Attacks on Pacific Cod in the Eastern Bering Sea

AbstractAdult anadromous lampreys attack several species targeted by large-scale commercial fisheries in the North Pacific Ocean, and the potential negative impact to these host fishes is not well understood. The Arctic Lamprey Lethenteron camtschaticum and Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus are anadromous species that feed in the eastern Bering Sea, and lamprey parasitism is evident on Pacific Cod Gadus macrocephalus near the Bering Slope. To examine this parasitic interaction, we first built models using morphological measurements from lamprey oral discs to predict which lamprey species caused the observed wounds on Pacific Cod. We then examined lamprey wounding rates and explored healing patterns related to the severity and location of lamprey wounds. We scanned 8,746 Pacific Cod for lamprey wounds and found that 4.9% of the cod had at least one wound. Lamprey wound morphology was better predicted by an oral disk model built for Pacific Lamprey than by a similar model built for Arctic Lamprey. The...
Cardiovascular fitness and quality of life in adolescents with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most severe chronic diseases of childhood and adolescence (Dabelea & Klingensmith, 2008). For youth 10-19 years of age, type 1 DM remains the more common type with a prevalence rate of 2.28 per 1,000, compared to the much lower rate of 0.42 per 1,000 for those with type 2 DM (Liese et al., 2006). Current therapeutic regimens for adolescents with diabetes, regardless of the type, are based on self-management of pharmacological interventions with insulin and/or oral agents, medical nutritional therapy, and regular exercise to maintain glycemic control, preserve quality of life (QoL), and minimize future complications (American Diabetes Association, 2010). Although adolescents face many developmental and emotional challenges for managing their DM, the American Diabetes Association (2010) presently recommends that A1C values be maintained below 7.5% to improve long-term health outcomes. A major focus of pediatric multidisciplinary DM care is the attainment of optimal glycemic control (A1C) while ensuring high QoL (Ingerski, Laffel, Drotar, Repaske, & Hood, 2010). Glycemic control reflects the physiological outcome of DM management, whereas QOL represents the psychological perspective of treatment outcomes for individuals with DM. As a major co-morbid consequence of DM, cardiovascular (CV) disease has potentially devastating effects on all aspects of QoL and is the leading cause of mortality for persons with DM later in life (CDC, 2009). With increasing numbers of youth diagnosed with DM, more investigators have begun to examine the early onset of CV risks in youth with type 1 or type 2 DM (Jarvisalo et al., 2004; Margeirsdottir, Larsen, Brunborg, Overby, & Dahl-Jorgensen, 2008; Rodriguez et al., 2006). Regular exercise is known to improve glucose control, reduce known CV risk factors, and improve QoL (American Diabetes Association, 2010; Rachmiel, Buccino, & Daneman, 2007). Importantly, higher levels of exercise intensity are associated with increased physical fitness and even better glucose control in persons with type 1 or type 2 DM (Boule, Haddad, Kenny, Wells, & Sigal, 2001; Boule, Kenny, Haddad, Wells, & Sigal, 2003; Faulkner, Quinn, Rimmer, & Rich, 2005). Studies in adults with type 2 DM have shown that regular exercise improves CV fitness, hyperlipidemia, and A1C (Balducci et al., 2009; Zois et al., 2009). Despite the emphasis on exercise as a means for enhancing CV fitness, glucose control, and possibly improvements in lipid profile for adolescents with DM, the few available studies are limited to those with type 1 DM (Rachmiel et al., 2007). No studies report outcomes for adolescents with type 2 DM or the associations of CV fitness or physical activity to QoL. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between CV fitness (i.e., VO2peak), as well as self-reported physical activity, with generic or health-related QoL, glycemic control, and lipid profile in adolescents with type 1 or type 2 DM.
RESEARCH: Parental Global Religiousness, Sanctification of Parenting, and Positive and Negative Religious Coping as Predictors of Parental and Child Functioning

Conducted with an economically and ethnically diverse sample of 149 parents of preschoolers, this study tested the degree to which parental global religiousness, sanctification of parenting, and positive and negative religious coping predicted three measures of parental functioning (investment, satisfaction, and efficacy) and three measures of child functioning (coping competence, inattentive/hyperactive symptoms, and oppositional defiant symptoms). Hierarchical regression analyses that controlled for sociodemographic and family variables showed that parental and child functioning were better predicted by the manner in which parents saw God involved in their parenting than by their global religiousness or the extent to which they sanctified parenting. Specifically, (a) positive facets of family functioning were associated with lower levels of negative religious coping and, to a lesser extent, with some evidence of positive religious coping, and (b) negative facets of functioning—especially low parental in...
Adaptive noise suppression technique for dense 3D point cloud reconstructions from monocular vision

Mobile vision-based autonomous vehicles use video frames from multiple angles to construct a 3D model of their environment. In this paper, we present a post-processing adaptive noise suppression technique to enhance the quality of the computed 3D model. Our near real-time reconstruction algorithm uses each pair of frames to compute the disparities of tracked feature points to translate the distance a feature has traveled within the frame in pixels into real world depth values. As a result these tracked feature points are plotted to form a dense and colorful point cloud. Due to the inevitable small vibrations in the camera and the mismatches within the feature tracking algorithm, the point cloud model contains a significant amount of misplaced points appearing as noise. The proposed noise suppression technique utilizes the spatial information of each point to unify points of similar texture and color into objects while simultaneously removing noise dissociated with any nearby objects. The noise filter combines all the points of similar depth into 2D layers throughout the point cloud model. By applying erosion and dilation techniques we are able to eliminate the unwanted floating points while retaining points of larger objects. To reverse the compression process, we transform the 2D layer back into the 3D model allowing points to return to their original position without the attached noise components. We evaluate the resulting noiseless point cloud by utilizing an unmanned ground vehicle to perform obstacle avoidance tasks. The contribution of the noise suppression technique is measured by evaluating the accuracy of the 3D reconstruction.
The role of hoplonemerteans in the ecology of seagrass communities

Seagrasses of the world harbor a rich and varied fauna, but a review of the literature revealed that little has been done to evaluate the ecological importance of nemerteans in such communities. Monostiliferous hoplonemerteans are common inhabitants of some seagrasses, e.g. eelgrass (Zostera), but generally they are seldom collected or identified or are apparently absent in other species such as shoalgrass (Halodule) or turtlegrass (Thalassia). Nineteen species of hoplonemerteans (four families) have been identified from eelgrass beds around the world; they exist mainly as epifauna, and all except two species are probably suctorial feeders. Some palaeonemerteans (2 species) and heteronemerteans (4 species) are also associated with eelgrass, but mainly as infauna. Suctorial nemerteans (4 species in 3 families) from eelgrass beds located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States feed in the laboratory on a variety of amphipod species that inhabit eelgrass. Tubicolous species (e.g. Corophium) seem to be preferred. Zygonemertes virescens feeds on nine species of amphipods belonging to six families, and is the only species to feed on isopods (3 species). Analyses of field studies on the occurrence of hoplonemerteans in eelgrass beds in Virginia and New Jersey, along with available information on the food habits of these worms, were used as a basis for demonstrating their potential importance as predators of peracarids in seagrass systems. More careful methods for collecting and identifying worms, continued studies on food preferences and rates of predation, and emphasis on the population dynamics of worms and prey, are recommended in order to evaluate the role of suctorial hoplonemerteans in the ecology of seagrasses.
Financial characteristics of a red drum aquaculture firm with winter nursery production

Abstract The interaction of debt structure and financial feasibility in an aquaculture firm growing red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) all year is analyzed. The production cycle consists of raising fry from November to the end of February in a 0.49-ha nursery pond covered with a greenhouse. Stocked fry cost $0.14, weigh 0.38 g, and are 3.8 cm long. The fry are moved as fingerling weighing 50 g to one of four 7.4-ha grow-out ponds starting in March and harvested in late October weighing 1.02 kg. Input data are organized into cash flow budgets for the nursery and grow-out enterprises, the combined operation, cost recovery schedules for fixed expenses, and amortized loan schedules. The analysis utilizes a spreadsheet template to compute financial ratios for liquidity, solvency, profitability, and financial efficiency at the start and 5 years into production. Despite the investment having a positive net present value and high internal rate of return, the heavy dependence on each harvest to service the debt burden exposes the firm to large risks. The risk almost certainly acts to discourage producers and lenders from entering the industry.
Relations among Nightmare Frequency and Ego Strength, Death Anxiety, and Sex of College Students

The present study was designed to investigate empirically the relationship between self-reports of nightmare frequency and ego strength and death anxiety in both men and women. In addition, the interrelations among these variables were assessed. 20 undergraduates with high frequencies of nightmares and 20 with low frequencies (10 men and 10 women per group) were administered the Barron Ego Strength Scale and a death anxiety scale. Significant differences were found between nightmare groups on the Barron scale for men and women but none on the death anxiety scale either by nightmare frequency or sex. A significant negative correlation of -.47 between death anxiety and ego strength was found for women and in one high frequency group. Women with high frequencies of nightmares showed the highest correlation, -.83. These data suggest that nightmare frequency may be a mediating factor in the relationship between ego strength, death anxiety, and sex of subject.
Error Correction in Foreign Language Teaching: Recent Theory, Research, and Practice*

T HROUGHOUT the 1950s and well into the 1960s, the audiolingual approach to teaching foreign languages was in full swing. Language students were supposed to spend many hours memorizing dialogs, manipulating pattern drills, and studying all sorts of grammatical generalizations. The assumed or explicit aim of this teaching method could be called "practice makes perfect," and presumably some day, when students needed to use a foreign language to communicate with native speakers, they would do so fluently and accurately. We now realize that this was not what in most
Giovanni Arrighi: os caminhos sinuosos do capital

Entrevista realizada por David Harvey (City University of New York - CUNY) Traducao de Pedro Antonio Vieira e Fabio Soncini (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC)
Hydrodynamic processes affecting benthic recruitment1

Recruitment of animals into initially dcfaunated sites containing simulated stalks of a marsh grass was studied on an intertidal sandflat. Laboratory flume experiments were used to predict the effects of these structures on near-bed flow, the sediment size-frequency composition, and the patterns and rates of benthic recruitment. The effects of simulated stalks on both rates of fluid transport near the bed and boundary shear stress change profoundly with their numerical density. Patterns of sedimentation in the field and patterns and rates of rccruitment of several taxa depended strongly on the presence and numerical density of these structures, in agreement with a priori predictions assuming passive (i.e. purely hydrodynamic) dispersal. Hydrodynamic (or other physical) effects of manipulation are important and form an additional, but infrequently posed, null hypothesis against which biological effects such as substrate selection, competition, predation, or disturbance should be tested.
Defective pro-IL-1β responses in macrophages from aged mice

Cytokines regulated by the inflammasome pathway have been extensively implicated in various age-related immune pathologies. We set out to elucidate the contribution of the nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway to the previously described deficiencies in IL-1β production by macrophages from aged mice. We examined the production of pro-IL-1β and its conversion into IL-1β as two separate steps and compared these cytokine responses in bone marrow derived macrophages from young (6–8 weeks) and aged (18–24 months) C57BL/6 mice. Relative to macrophages from young mice, macrophages from aged mice produced less pro-IL-1β after TLR4 stimulation with LPS. However upon activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome with ATP, macrophages from young and aged mice were able to efficiently convert and secrete intracellular pro-cytokines as functional cytokines. Lower levels of IL-1β production are a result of slower and lower overall production of pro-IL-1β in macrophages from aged mice.
A generally covariant formulation of classical electrodynamics for charges of finite extension

Abstract A generally covariant formulation of classical electrodynamics for charges of finite extension has been developed. The charges are required to maintain a prescribed “rigid” shape throughout the course of their motion. An action principle is formulated for the coupled system consisting of the charges plus electromagnetic and gravitational fields. The action principle yields a complicated set of coupled integro-differential equations for the motion and fields. A perturbation expansion in powers of the size of the charge distribution is obtained. In the limit that the size of the charge tends to zero, only a few kinematical features survive in the equations of motion. The resulting equations of motion have the DeWitt-Brehme [Ann. Phys.9 (1969), 220] form, but with additional curvature-coupling terms which were omitted by them owing to an algebraic error.
Seismic response variability of hybrid-controlled bridges

Abstract The present author, collaborating with others, developed earlier a prototype hybrid base isolation system using friction-controllable sliding bearings and demonstrated its effectiveness in circumventing the shortcomings of passive counterparts by means of shaking table tests and numerical analysis under the 1940 El Centro earthquake record linearly scaled to various levels of intensity. The purpose of the present paper is to show that the same hybrid system exhibits a similar degree of effectiveness over a practical range of parameters that define the ground acceleration characteristics. These parameters include spectral shape, dominant frequency, and duration of the ground motion. For this purpose, artificial earthquake ground acceleration histories representing different sets of these parameter values are generated using a modified Kanai-Tajimi spectrum. The bridge responses under these earthquakes are evaluated numerically when the bridge is isolated by passive and hybrid sliding systems. The results demonstrate that the hybrid system indeed more effectively isolates the bridge under a variety of ground motion characteristics.
Differentiation Between Primary and Secondary Hypertension in Children Using Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

Objective. To determine whether ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) can help differentiate children with secondary hypertension from those with primary hypertension. Methods. Ninety-seven ABPM studies obtained from 85 children followed in a pediatric hypertension clinic were analyzed. Forty studies were performed in patients with primary hypertension, and 57 studies were performed in patients with secondary hypertension. Mean patient age was 13.8 ± 3.5 [mean ± standard deviation] years, range 4 to 19.7 years; patients with secondary hypertension were younger and had lower body mass index than patients with primary hypertension. Results. Daytime diastolic and nocturnal systolic blood pressure (BP) loads, defined as the percentage of readings greater than a threshold value, were significantly greater in patients with secondary hypertension compared with patients with primary hypertension. A daytime diastolic BP load of ≥25% and/or a nocturnal systolic BP load of ≥50% was highly specific for secondary hypertension. Conclusions. Secondary hypertension in childhood is characterized by daytime diastolic BP elevation and nocturnal systolic BP elevation. This pattern of hypertension on ABPM may be a clue to underlying renal or other organ system pathology in children being evaluated for suspected hypertension and could help to identify children who require more detailed evaluation to determine the cause of their hypertension.
Precise orders of strong unicity constants for a class of rational functions

Abstract Let R ⊆ C[∞-1, 1] denote a certain class of rational functions. For each f ϵ R, consider the polynomial of degree at most n that best approximates f in the uniform norm. The corresponding strong unicity constant is denoted by M n ( f ). Then there exist positive constants α and β, not depending on n , such that an ⩽ M n ( f )⩽ βn , n = 1,2,….
New opioid peptides, peptidomimetics, and heterocyclic compounds from combinatorial libraries.

Here we review the use of combinatorial libraries in opioid receptor assays. Following a brief description of the history of the combinatorial field, methods for the generation of synthetic libraries and the deconvolution of mixture-based libraries are presented. Case studies involving opioid assays used to demonstrate the viability of combinatorial libraries are described. The identification of new opioid peptides from combinatorial libraries is reviewed. The peptides found are composed of L-amino acids, D-amino acids, or L-, D-, and unnatural amino acids, and range from tetrapeptides to decapeptides. Likewise, new opioid compounds identified from peptidomimetic libraries, such as peptoids and alkylated dipeptides, and those identified from acyclic (e.g., polyamine, urea) and heterocyclic (e.g., bicyclic guanidine) libraries, are reviewed.
Market structure and welfare under monopolistic competition

Abstract This paper analyzes the relationship between market structure and welfare by developing a model of monopolistic competition in which exogenous entry costs and endogenous differentiation costs determine market concentration and market power. A non-monotonic link is identified between these costs and welfare under a decentralized equilibrium. These results detail new reasons why simple market concentration indicators are a misleading statistic for welfare evaluations.
Epstein–Barr virus nuclear protein 3C binds to the N-terminal (NTD) and beta trefoil domains (BTD) of RBP/CSL; Only the NTD interaction is essential for lymphoblastoid cell growth

Association of EBV nuclear proteins EBNA2, EBNA3A and EBNA3C with RBP/CSL, is essential for lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) proliferation. Conserved residues in the EBNA3 homology domain, required for RBP/CSL interaction, lack the WΦP motif that mediates EBNA2 and Notch binding to the RBP/CSL beta-trefoil domain (BTD). We map RBP/CSL interacting residues within EBNA3A(aa128-204) and EBNA3C(aa211-233). The EBNA3A results are consistent with an earlier report (aa125-222), but the EBNA3C domain is unexpectedly small and includes a "WTP" sequence. This EBNA3C WTP motif confers RBP/CSL binding in vitro, in yeast, and in mammalian cells. Further, an EBNA3C WTP→STP(W227S) mutation impaired BTD binding whereas EBNA3 homology domain mutations disrupted RBP/CSL N-terminal domain (NTD) binding. WTP was not essential for EBNA3C repression of EBNA2 in reporter assays or for maintenance of LCL growth. Our results indicate that EBNA3 proteins interact with multiple RBP/CSL domains, but only NTD interactions are required for LCL growth.
Variance Estimators Using the Parkinson Approach: A Note on Bias and Efficiency

Measuring return volatility remains a core issue not only in performance evaluation but also in trading an underlying strategy. For those who desire a relatively straightforward approach, the commonly used Parkinson method (variance estimator based on the mean of observed ranges) provides one such means. This estimator is not widely used, possibly because the estimator is biased, but the degree of bias is explored in the finance literature. It is shown here that the bias inherent in these estimators is a function of the sample size used, and is easily quantified and corrected.
Aviation-Related Injury Morbidity and Mortality: Data from U.S. Health Information Systems

INTRODUCTION: Information about injuries sustained by survivors of airplane crashes is scant, although some information is available on fatal aviation-related injuries. Objectives of this study were to explore the patterns of aviation-related injuries admitted to U.S. hospitals and relate them to aviation deaths in the same period. METHODS: The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) contains information for approximately 20% of all hospital admissions in the United States each year. We identified patients in the HCUP NIS who were hospitalized during 2000-2005 for aviation-related injuries based on the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, codes E840-E844. Injury patterns were also examined in relation to information from multiple-cause-of-death public-use data files 2000-2005. RESULTS: Nationally, an estimated 6080 patients in 6 yr, or 1013 admissions annually (95% confidence interval 894-1133), were hospitalized for aviation-related injuries, based on 1246 patients in the sample. The average hospital stay was 6.3 d and 2% died in hospital. Occupants of non-commercial aircraft accounted for 32% of patients, parachutists for 29%; occupants of commercial aircraft and of unpowered aircraft each constituted 11%. Lower-limb fracture was the most common injury in each category, constituting 27% of the total, followed by head injury (11%), open wound (10%), upper extremity fracture, and internal injury (9%). Among fatalities, head injury (38%) was most prominent. An average of 753 deaths occurred annually; for each death there were 1.3 hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: Aviation-related injuries result in approximately 1000 hospitalizations each year in the United States, with an in-hospital mortality rate of 2%. The most common injury sustained by aviation crash survivors is lower-limb fracture. Language: en