cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Natural variability in N export from headwater catchments: snow cover controls on ecosystem N retention

The causes of natural variability in catchment scale N export need to be understood and quantified before the effects of increased N deposition in high elevation catchments can be evaluated. This study evaluates controls on the size of the leachable soil N pool concurrent with the spring hydrologic flush that is primarily responsible for the transport of N to surface water. In high elevation catchments in the western United States, sources of N during this snowmelt flush include both atmospheric N deposition stored in the snowpack until melt and mobile soil N pools, and sinks are dominated by biogeochemical processes that occur in soil under snow cover. Because soil processes may serve either as a source or sink for N, controls on the amount of inorganic N leached from soil during the snowmelt period were evaluated in the major landscape types in four catchments in Colorado. Measurements of leached N were inversely related to measurements of over-winter CO 2 flux at all sites, indicating that N was immobilized in soil heterotrophic biomass. Because over-winter soil heterotrophic activity is controlled primarily by the depth and timing of snow accumulation, the importance of these plot scale measurements to catchment scale N export were evaluated using a long-term record of winter precipitation, N deposition, and N export from Loch Vale in Rocky Mountain National Park. This data set identified a strong, linear relationship (r 2 = 0.68) between catchment scale N retention and winter snow cover, consistent with subnivean, soil based controls on the mobile N pool identified at the plot scale. These results indicate that the winter snow pack is the major control both on hydrologic N export and on soil source/sink relationships for N concurrent with this transport mechanism. The effect of winter snow cover on the fate of both atmospheric and soil N needs to be considered when evaluating potential the effects of increased N deposition on either terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems in seasonally snow-covered watersheds. In these systems, changes in surface water chemistry are likely to occur in high deposition, snow-covered sites during low snow years before terrestrial vegetation is affected.
Erythrophagocytosis in vitro.

Summary. We developed a capillary method by which erythrophagocytosis can be induced consistently and the inducing agent studied quantitatively. By examining human and rabbit sera containing anti-erythrocyte antibodies reacting with blood cells of man, guinea pigs, mice, and hamsters, we demonstrated the high specificity and sensitivity of erythrophagocytosis. Hamster blood cells were found especially suitable for the study of erythrophagocytosis in vitro.
The Excitation of the Chandler Wobble by Earthquakes

Summary Elastic dislocation theory has been extended to deal with point tangential displacement dislocations in a spherically symmetric, self-gravitating Earth model with a fluid core and with arbitrary radial variations in density and in the elastic velocities. This theory may be used to compute the changes in the products of inertia of a realistic Earth model caused by the displacement on a fault of arbitrary location and orientation. It is found that, in general, the changes are several times greater than similar computations for a spherical, homogeneous Earth model would seem to suggest. The results are used to examine the hypothesis that earthquakes are responsible for the excitation of the Chandler wobble. An empirical earthquake moment-magnitude relationship is used together with the theory to estimate the total excitation of the Chandler wobble by all observed large earthquakes since 1904. Unfortunately, the uncertainties in the estimation of the moments of past large earthquakes preclude a really definite conclusion, but it appears likely from the results that the cumulative effect of past earthquakes is sufficient to maintain the observed level of excitation of the Chandler wobble. The theoretical effects on the Earth'spolar path of two large recent earthquakes, the 1960 Chilean earthquake and the 1964 Alaskan earthquake, may be computed using fault parameters determined from reliable field observations, and these are compared with the observed polar motion data.
Are livestock weight gains affected by black-tailed prairie dogs?

There is little empirical data addressing the important and controversial question of how prairie dogs (Cynomys spp) affect livestock weight gains in western rangelands. This is particularly relevant in the short-grass steppe, where the area occupied by prairie dogs has increased substantially in recent years, exacerbating conflicts with livestock producers. In our 6-year study, livestock weight gains decreased linearly, but at a rate slower than the rate of colonization by black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). This decrease in livestock gains resulted in lower estimated economic returns. For example, pastures with 20% of area occupied by prairie dogs reduced the estimated value of livestock weight gain by $14.95 per steer (from $273.18 to $258.23 per steer) and by $2.23 ha−1 (from $40.81 to $38.58 ha−1). In pastures with 60% occupancy, reduced livestock weight gain lowered estimated value by $37.91 per steer and $5.58 ha−1, or about 14%.
An aggregate model for the adaptation of the morphology and sand bypassing after basin reduction of the Frisian Inlet

To study the adaptation of the morphology of the Frisian Inlet after basin reduction an aggregate model is developed. In the model, especial attention is given to the sand transport to the down-drift coast. In developing the model the inlet system is divided into three elements, the ebb tidal delta, the Zoutkamperlaag and the tidal flats. Based on observations during the first 18 years after basin reduction the adaptation time scale of the tidal flats is expected to be much larger than that of the ebb tidal delta and the Zoutkamperlaag, essentially reducing the inlet schematization to a two-element system. The dependent variables in the model are the sand volume of the ebb tidal delta and the water volume of the channel. The governing equations are non-linear and for quantitative accurate results are solved numerically. To demonstrate the nature of the solution the equations are linearized assuming the morphological state is close to equilibrium. The linearized equations are solved analytically and the solution is applied to a hypothetical case where the tidal prism of the Frisian Inlet is reduced by 10%. From the analytical solution it follows that the adaptation of the volumes of the two elements, delta and channel, is governed by two system time scales. These system time scales are functions of two local time scales. The local time scales pertain to the adaptation of one element assuming the other element has reached equilibrium. Because there are two system scales the adaptation of the volumes of the delta and channel is not exponential and is not necessarily monotonic. For example, initially the transport of sand to the down-drift coast is larger than the long-shore sand transport entering the inlet system from the up-drift coast, then becomes smaller and after some time increases again to reach the value of the up-drift long-shore sand transport. Comparison of the numerical solution for the actual reduction in tidal prism of 30% with the analytical solution for the 10% reduction in tidal prism shows qualitatively the same results.
Two-dimensional heat conducting simulation of plasma armatures (for railguns)

Development of a two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code to simulate internal motions in a railgun plasma armature is discussed. The authors use the equations of resistive MHD, with ohmic heating, and radiation heat transport. A flux corrected transport code is used to advance all quantities in time. The runs show the development of complex flow, subsequent shedding of secondary arcs, and a drop in the acceleration of the armature. >
Affine image registration using a new information metric

We present a new information metric for multimodality image registration. The metric is technically a pseudometric since it satisfies the properties, (i) nonnegativity, (ii) symmetry, (iii) triangle inequality and is (iv) zero if (but not only if) the two image intensities are identical. Information metrics are rarely used in image registration and notably, the widely used mutual information measure is not a metric. Given images A and B, the metric used here is the sum of the conditional entropies H(A/spl bsol/B) and H(B/spl bsol/A). We show that when compared to mutual information which can even become negative in the multiple image case, it is easier to extend our metric to the registration of multiple images. And, after using an upper bound, we show that the sum of the conditional entropies can be efficiently computed even in the multiple image case. We use the metric to simultaneously register multiple 2D slice images obtained from proton density (PD), magnetic resonance (MR) T2 and MR T1 3D volumes and to match human face images obtained wider different illuminations. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of the metric in affine, multiple image registration.
Linked mechanical and biological aspects of remodeling in mouse pulmonary arteries with hypoxia-induced hypertension

Right heart failure due to pulmonary hypertension causes significant morbidity and mortality. To study the linked vascular mechanical and biological changes that are induced by pulmonary hypertension, we mechanically tested isolated left main pulmonary arteries from mice exposed to chronic hypobaric hypoxia and performed histological assays on contralateral vessels. In isolated vessel tests, hypoxic vessels stretched less in response to pressure than controls at all pressure levels. Given the short length and large diameter of the pulmonary artery, the tangent Young's modulus could not be measured; instead, an effective elastic modulus was calculated that increased significantly with hypoxia [(280 kPa (SD 53) and 296 kPa (SD 50) for 10 and 15 days, respectively, vs. 222 kPa (SD 35) for control; P < 0.02)]. Hypoxic vessels also had higher damping coefficients [(0.063 (SD 0.017) and 0.054 (SD 0.014) for 10 and 15 days, respectively, vs. 0.033 (SD 0.016) for control; P < 0.002)], indicating increased energy dissipation. The increased stiffness with hypoxia correlated with an increase in collagen thickness (percent collagen multiplied by wall thickness) as well as the sum of elastin and collagen thicknesses measured histologically in the artery wall. These results highlight the mechanobiological changes in the pulmonary vasculature that occur in response to hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. Furthermore, they demonstrate significant vascular mechanical and biological changes that would increase pulmonary vascular impedance, leading to right heart failure.
Molecular Pathogenesis and Diagnostics of Bladder Cancer

Despite elaborate characterization of the risk factors, bladder cancer is still a major epidemiological problem whose incidence continues to rise each year. Urothelial carcinoma is now recognized as a disease of alterations in several cellular processes. The more prevalent, less aggressive, recurrent, noninvasive tumors are characterized by constitutive activation of the Ras-MAPK pathway. The less common but more aggressive invasive tumors, which have a higher mortality rate, are characterized by alterations in the p53 and retinoblastoma pathways. Several diagnostic tests have attempted to identify these molecular alterations in tumor cells exfoliated in the urine, whereas prognostic tests have tried to identify aberrations so as to predict tumor behavior and identify therapeutic targets. The future of bladder cancer patient management will rely on the use of molecular tests to reliably diagnose the presence of disease, predict individual tumor behavior, and suggest potential targeted therapeutics.
THE EFFECT OF DILUTION OF PLASMA MEDIUM ON THE GROWTH AND FAT ACCUMULATION OF CELLS IN TISSUE CULTURES

1. Dilution of plasma with isotonic solutions causes a more extensive migration in cultures of cells of the actively migratory type, such as those of spleen and bone marrow. Dilution with a limited quantity of distilled water produces the same effect. Less actively motile cells are influenced little or not at all by dilution. The effect on cells of the first type is probably due to the reduction in the quantity of fibrin in the clot producing lessened resistance to cell locomotion. 2. Dilution of plasma with either isotonic solutions or distilled water is without effect on cell multiplication, as is shown by records of the number of mitoses in living culture preparations. 3. Dilution of plasma with suitable quantities of Ringer's solution causes a marked diminution in the quantity of fat accumulated by the cells. This reduction is to be attributed to the decrease in the quantity of fat in the medium. The accumulation of fat by cells in cultures is therefore not to be regarded as the result of a cell degeneration, but as an accumulation, the source of the fat being the medium in which the cells are growing.
HIV Neutralizing Antibodies: Clinical Correlates and Implications for Vaccines

Neutralizing humoral immunity has been the subject of intense investigation since early in HIV research. While virtually all HIV-positive patients have antibodies capable of binding to HIV Env protein, only a subset of these antibodies, termed neutralizing antibodies (NAb), are able to block viral entry into target cells. NAbs develop later than other immune responses – at least 12 weeks after infection [1, 2] – and initially target only the infecting strain. Over time, in many patients this response broadens to allow recognition of heterologous strains [3, 4]. It is generally thought that NAbs will be a critical component of a successful vaccine-elicited immune response.
Amine-reactive Neutron-encoded Labels for Highly Plexed Proteomic Quantitation

We describe a novel amine-reactive chemical label that exploits differential neutron-binding energy between 13C and 15N isotopes. These neutron-encoded (NeuCode) chemical labels enable up to 12-plex MS1-based protein quantification. Each structurally identical, but isotopically unique, tag is encoded with a 12.6-mDa mass difference—relative to its nearest neighbor—so that peptides bearing these NeuCode signatures do not increase spectral complexity and are detected only upon analysis with very high mass-resolving powers. We demonstrate that the method provides quantitative performance that is comparable to both metabolic labeling and isobaric tagging while combining the benefits of both strategies. Finally, we employ the tags to characterize the proteome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the diauxic shift, a metabolic transition from fermentation to aerobic respiration.
From vehicle stability control to intelligent personal minder: Real-time vehicle handling limit warning and driver style characterization

This paper presents a novel approach to developing a driver advisory system that can warn the drivers of driving conditions close to the limit of vehicle handling. This advisory system utilizes intelligence inferred from vehicle states, measured signals, and the other computed variables used for active safety and vehicle control purposes. The onboard computing resources, algorithms, and sensors used to deduce such intelligence exist in today's electronic stability control systems.
Effect of jitter on linear self-referencing pulse-characterization techniques

The accuracy of modulator-based linear implementations of spectral shearing interferometry, simplified chronocyclic tomography, and spectrography when jitter is present on the electric modulator drive is studied analytically and simulated.
The Solution to North America’s Triple Problem: The Case for A North American Investment Fund

Aun con la expansion del comercio y la inversion que ha logrado el TLCAN siguen existiendo algunos retos. El mas serio es la persistencia de una brecha en el ingreso entre Mexico y sus vecinos del norte. Amenos que esta disminuya continuaran estos retos, incluyendo la migracion. La solucion es la creacion de un fondo de inversion para Norteamerica viable, el cual solo sera posible si los tres gobiernos articulan una comunidad norteamericana y garantizan que contribuiran, cada uno a su manera, a seguir una estrategia que disminuya la brecha en el ingreso y construya instituciones para resolver los viejos problemas y crear nuevas oportunidades.
Decisional balance for exercise: Adaptation of an instrument for older Mexican American women

The purpose of this study was to adapt and test an instrument to measure decisional balance for exercise with older Mexican American women. Items were derived from a Decisional Balance Scale (DBS) developed by Marcus, Rakowski, and Rossi (1992) and a focus group with Mexican American women aged 60 to 86 years. The adapted Spanish-English DBS was administered to 75 Mexican American women (38 exercisers and 37 non-exercisers). A factor analysis yielded a positive and a negative factor. Alpha coefficients were .95 for the positive factor and .79 for the negative factor. Decisional balance for exercise was significantly more positive for the exercisers than for the non-exercisers and was positively related to exercise readiness and habitual activity. The findings suggest that the adapted Spanish-English DBS can be used in exercise and activity research with older Mexican American women. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 28: 388–397, 2005.
Categorizing the Spectrum of Coordination Technology

Most frameworks that categorize technology for collaborative software development look at only one aspect of coordination support. The Coordination Pyramid classifies technologies according to multiple coordination paradigms, offering a unified, complementary perspective and a structure for evaluating emerging technology.
ON MEASURING AND EXPLAINING SOCIOECONOMIC POLARIZATION IN HEALTH WITH AN APPLICATION TO FRENCH DATA

This paper proposes two original measures of socioeconomic polarization, in order to quantify phenomena that are not always taken into account by social inequality measures. Our approach is inspired by the literature on bivariate inequality (the concentration index) and univariate polarization. Like the concentration index, our social polarization measures can be easily computed thanks to a “convenient” regression and decomposed into their determinants. Moreover changes in polarization can also be decomposed into their causes. The paper also provides an empirical illustration of our methods for the probability of reporting excellent or very good health, using cross-sectional data on French women. The findings suggest that after 65 years of age, social polarization in this probability decreases whereas social inequality remains stable. Consequently social polarization conveys additional information to that contained in the concentration index.
Game-theoretic integration for image segmentation

Robust segmentation of structures from an image is essential for a variety of image analysis problems. However, the conventional methods of region-based segmentation and gradient-based boundary finding are often frustrated by poor image quality. Here we propose a method to integrate the two approaches using game theory in an effort to form a unified approach that is robust to noise and poor initialization. This combines the perceptual notions of complete boundary information using edge data and shape priors with gray-level homogeneity using two computational modules. The novelty of the method is that this is a bidirectional framework, whereby both computational modules improve their results through mutual information sharing. A number of experiments were performed both on synthetic datasets and datasets of real images to evaluate the new approach and it is shown that the integrated method typically performs better than conventional gradient-based boundary finding.
Congestion controllers for high bandwidth connections with fiber error rates

The inefficiency of a TCP connection in the presence of high bandwidth links due to the constant multiplicative decrease factor has been well documented in recent literature. In this paper we look at the effect of fiber error rates on the throughput of a TCP connection. We propose a congestion controller that removes the ill-effects of fiber error rates on TCP throughput by lower bounding the marking probability. We show that this congestion controller can achieve extremely high utilizations in high bandwidth links. We also discuss the TCP friendliness of this congestion controller and present simulation results that validate our analysis.
Influence of Nitrogen on Phytoplankton Biomass and Community Composition in Fifteen Snowy Range Lakes (Wyoming, U.S.A)

Abstract Nitrogen (N) deposition has been implicated in changes in surface water chemistry and algal composition in several dilute mountain lakes of the western United States. Lakes of the Snowy Range (Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming) appear to have low nitrate concentrations currently, and 2 Snowy Range lakes showed strong eutrophication responses to N or N + phosphorus (P) additions in previous enclosure experiments. In this study, we explored the regional extent of phytoplankton N limitation by examining a nutrient ratio index (dissolved inorganic nitrogen:total phosphorus) and phytoplankton species-environment relationships across 15 Snowy Range lakes. Based on this index, we estimate that phytoplankton biomass in the study lakes is largely N limited or N + P colimited. In addition, redundancy analysis demonstrated strong relationships between phytoplankton species composition and N gradients, with chrysophyte taxa favored in low-N lakes and cyanophytes and chlorophytes favored in higher-N lakes...
A Case Study of Trade-Wind Rainbands and Their Interaction with the Island-Induced Airflow

Abstract A case study of trade-wind rainbands observed on 22 August 1990 during the Hawaiian Rainband Project is presented. It shows that the interaction between the morning rainbands and the island-induced airflow is important for the evolution of the rainbands. In the early morning of 22 August, there are two convective periods, 0400–0600 and 0700–0900 HST (Hawaii standard time), on the windward side of the island of Hawaii. For both periods, preexisting rain cells are observed in the trade-wind flow at least 40 km upstream of the island and move westward toward the island. At night and in the early morning, the offshore flow opposes the trade winds resulting in a convergent region over the area immediately upstream of the island. As the first group of rain cells (0400–0600 HST) moves toward the island, the low-level convergent airflow provides a favorable kinematic background for the enhancement of the coming rain cells. These rain cells merge in the convergent zone and become a well-defined rainband. ...
Supply Chain Citizenship: Investigating the Antecedents of Customer Interorganizational Citizenship Behaviors

Research has consistently established the strategic importance of supply chain collaboration. As a result, interfirm behavioral dynamics and relationships have emerged as key topics for both the academic and practitioner communities. This paper explores an interpersonal exchange tactic that is inherent to many collaborative initiatives—interorganizational citizenship behaviors (ICBs). The study specifically investigates why retail customers in business-to-business exchange relationships would exhibit ICBs, and explores how they assess and respond to the ICBs of suppliers. Findings of the study suggest that customers generally interpret and value the various types of ICBs differently, resulting in differential effects regarding the supply chain performance and relational implications of the behavior. These results not only inform managerial practice but also provide future research opportunities in the area of ICBs and the broader realm of interpersonal supply chain dynamics.
Introduction to Nuclear-Pumped Lasers

Nuclear-Pumped Lasers are lasers that are “pumped” by the products from nuclear reactions. In Chap. 1, the reader is introduced to lasers, the important components of a laser, some basic properties of lasers and how those properties can lead to solutions for problems requiring high-energy/high-power lasers. The development and understanding of these fundamentals are essential for the transitioning of the discussions into an understanding of the principles which are critical to nuclear-pumped laser research.
Model Reduction for Flow Analysis and Control

Advances in experimental techniques and the ever-increasing fidelity of numerical simulations have led to an abundance of data describing fluid flows. This review discusses a range of techniques for analyzing such data, with the aim of extracting simplified models that capture the essential features of these flows, in order to gain insight into the flow physics, and potentially identify mechanisms for controlling these flows. We review well-developed techniques, such as proper orthogonal decomposition and Galerkin projection, and discuss more recent techniques developed for linear systems, such as balanced truncation and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD). We then discuss some of the methods available for nonlinear systems, with particular attention to the Koopman operator, an infinite-dimensional linear operator that completely characterizes the dynamics of a nonlinear system and provides an extension of DMD to nonlinear systems.
Analysis of hand-foot-mouth disease infection in kindergartens of Tai'an city in 2012-2013

Objective To detect the pathogens of specimens from children with hand-foot-mouth diseases(HFMD) in kindergartens of Tai ' an city from 2012 to 2013, and to understand HFMD situation there. Methods A total of 249 stool specimens from clinically-diagnosed HFMD children in nurseries were collected. Pan-enterovirus,cxsackie A16(CA16) and enterovirus 71(EV71) were detemined by real-time PCR. Results Enterovirus was detected in 110 of 132 children(83. 33%) and in 109 of 117 children respectively in 2012 and in 3013. Total enterovirus positive rate was 87. 95%(219 /249),of which CA16 accounted for 0. 56%(101 /249),EV71 for 28. 92%(72 /249) and others for 18. 47%(46 /249). The positive rate of CA16 was higher than that of EV71. The peak age of onset was mainly from 2 to 4 years,and the male to female ratio was 1. 47:1. Conclusions HFMD epidemic shows significant difference in age and gender among kindergartens of Tai'an,and various strains of virus coexist,the prevailing one is CA16.
Lower limb ischaemia in patients with diabetic foot ulcers and gangrene: recognition, anatomic patterns and revascularization strategies

The confluence of several chronic conditions--in particular ageing, peripheral artery disease, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease--has created a global wave of lower limbs at risk for major amputation. While frequently asymptomatic or not lifestyle limiting, at least 1% of the population has peripheral artery disease of sufficient severity to be limb threatening. To avoid the critical error of failing to diagnose ischaemia, all patients with diabetic foot ulcers and gangrene should routinely undergo physiologic evaluation of foot perfusion. Ankle brachial index is useful when measurable, but may be falsely elevated or not obtainable in as many as 30% of patients with diabetic foot ulcers primarily because of medial calcinosis. Toe pressures and skin perfusion pressures are applicable to such patients.
Exploring training issues in healthcare: towards identifying barriers to increase electronic medical records adoption by healthcare professionals

Many healthcare organizations in the U.S are working on the implementation of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Systems. This literature review identifies technology training related factors that hinder adoption of technologies by clinical and non-clinical staff during implementation. We present the important concepts as defined by the literature within EMR context and the importance of analyzing training barriers and the role of Human-centered computing (HCC) in healthcare. We conclude that there is a need to create specific HCC focused training guidelines to effectively train end users in the healthcare domain. Major concepts of these guidelines can include consistency in training, providing feedback, reducing cognitive load and recognizing user diversity which includes understanding the user profiles and tasks required for those users functioning in a time-pressured environment such as healthcare.
PTEN hamartoma of the soft tissue: the initial manifestation of an underlying PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome in a 4-year-old female

A 4-year-old female was referred to pediatric orthopedic surgery for left leg pain and limping for 3 months following a motor vehicle collision. Recently, the patient's mother had noted left knee swelling and dragging of the left leg when walking. Past medical history was significant for hip dysplasia with slight leg length discrepancy. The patient was otherwise healthy. Physical examination was remarkable for left pre-patellar soft tissue fullness with normal range of motion. There was no warmth or tenderness. Subsequent ultrasound revealed a heterogeneous soft tissue mass superior and medial to the patella with a moderate degree of internal vascularity. MR exhibited a heterogeneous soft tissue mass with heterogeneous signal on both T1- and T2-weighted images centered within the vastus medialis obliquus muscle infiltrating the quadriceps tendon. Excisional biopsy was performed with a histopathologic diagnosis of fibroadipose tissue with anomalous vessels, suggestive of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) hamartoma of the soft tissue (PHOST). The patient was found to be positive for the PTEN gene mutation on genetic testing. The child was also determined to be macrocephalic, a major criterion for PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS). The geneticist advised the patient to undergo yearly physical examinations and early, routine surveillance for several malignancies occurring with PHTS. This case report presents the ultrasound and MRI appearance of a rare benign tumor typically appearing in pediatric patients. The strong association between PHOST and other soft tissue malignancies and the resulting need for life-long surveillance make PHOST an important pathology to recognize.
The 1-Nullity of Sasakian Manifolds

On a closed, (2n + 1)-dimensional Sasakian manifold, we show that either the dimension of the 1-nullity distribution N(1) is less than or equal to n, or N(1) is the entire tangent bundle TM. In the latter case, the Sasakian manifold M is isometric to a quotient of the Euclidean sphere under a finite group of isometries.
Identity and political preferences in Ukraine – before and after the Euromaidan

AbstractTaking advantage of a panel survey in Ukraine before and after the Euromaidan, we analyze the relationship between ethnicity, language practice, and civic identities on the one hand and political attitudes on the other. We find that while ethnic identities and language practices change little on the aggregate level over the period, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of people thinking of Ukraine as their homeland. There has also been a large fall in support for a close political and economic relationship with Russia and some increase in support for joining the European Union. Nevertheless, we find that identities in general, and language practice in particular, remain powerful predictors of political attitudes and that people are more likely to shift attitudes to reflect their identities rather than modify their identities to match their politics.
Does money matter for infrastructure outcomes? The effects of public infrastructure finance on state infrastructure quality

Given the significant amount of public infrastructure spending and the widely expressed concern about the declining quality of the American public infrastructure system, research about the effectiveness of public infrastructure investment is especially timely and crucial. The study extends public service production theory and public choice theory to the public infrastructure field, and develops a realistic and full theoretical model of public highway production by taking state highway efficiency differences into account. The panel fixed-effects method is used to examine the effects of state highway finance on state highway infrastructure quality. This study finds that state highway maintenance spending plays a crucial role in improving state road and bridge quality. Moreover, highway efficiency elements matter for state highway infrastructure quality.
Redox Modulation of Oligomeric State in Proline Utilization A

Homooligomerization of proline utilization A (PutA) bifunctional flavoenzymes is intimately tied to catalytic function and substrate channeling. PutA from Bradyrhizobium japonicum (BjPutA) is unique among PutAs in that it forms a tetramer in solution. Curiously, a dimeric BjPutA hot spot mutant was previously shown to display wild-type catalytic activity despite lacking the tetrameric structure. These observations raised the question of what is the active oligomeric state of BjPutA. Herein, we investigate the factors that contribute to tetramerization of BjPutA in vitro. Negative-stain electron microscopy indicates that BjPutA is primarily dimeric at nanomolar concentrations, suggesting concentration-dependent tetramerization. Further, sedimentation-velocity analysis of BjPutA at high (micromolar) concentration reveals that although the binding of active-site ligands does not alter oligomeric state, reduction of the flavin adenine dinucleotide cofactor results in dimeric protein. Size-exclusion chromatography coupled with multiangle light scattering and small-angle x-ray scattering analysis also reveals that reduced BjPutA is dimeric. Taken together, these results suggest that the BjPutA oligomeric state is dependent upon both enzyme concentration and the redox state of the flavin cofactor. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of redox-linked oligomerization in the PutA family.
Generalization Processes in Child Behavior Change

The concept generalization has always been a prevalent feature of discussions on human behavior. Since the earliest psychological writings, theorists have guessed at the process by which people appear to transcend boundaries that supposedly govern their actions. Arguments concerning the process have usually run something like this: Human behavior is best understood as a set of specific units;—units of overt responses, units of measurable internal events, and units of environmental events. Some interacting combination of these units provides our understanding of why people do what they do. But, in addition to this focus on the specific units and their combinations, somthing general or nonspecific must be brought into this understanding. While one might draw useful conclusions through mapped-out unit combinations shown to govern behavior, there always seem to be instances in which the organism acts beyond the confines of this mapping. For example, consider a child who is taught to attach the letter S to a group of nouns referring to more than one object. As that learned group expands in number, the child begins to apply this rule of thumb to nouns not included in the group. The child’s use of the plural for the original group is understandable through a reinforcement process; the generalization, however, is not “explained” by the process.
Drug Delivery in the Context of Stroke and Brain Trauma

Stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) cause marked changes in blood–brain barrier (BBB) function. These changes result in increased barrier permeability, vasogenic edema, and an influx of leukocytes into brain. As such, they are a therapeutic target. In addition, changes at the BBB can affect the entry of therapeutics into the brain. This chapter describes the changes in BBB function that occur after brain injury, the impact on drug delivery for stroke and TBI and potential ways of circumventing the BBB for therapy.
Surrogacy: An Illinois Policy Conceived

It is predictable that the precipitous decline in the number of available children for adoption will find many Illinois couples pursuing the surrogate route, as has happened in other states. The current uncertain status of Illinois law regarding surrogate contracts demands legislative focus and direction. To prevent protracted litigation as in other jurisdictions and to prevent injustices to those involved in the surrogate argument, "what we do, let us do quickly."
Coastal wetland resilience to climate variability: A hydrologic perspective

Abstract Climate-induced disturbances are expected to increase in frequency and intensity and affect wetland ecology by altering its hydrology. Investigating how wetland hydrology responds to climate disturbances is an important first step to understand the ecological response of coastal wetlands to these disturbances. Wetland hydrologic resilience, the ability of wetland in absorbing disturbances and restoring to pre-disturbance conditions in hydrological function, is a critical measure of wetland hydrological response to climate disturbances. However, a practical methodology for quantifying wetland hydrologic resilience (HR) is still lacking. This study aimed to improve the approach for quantifying the hydrologic resilience of wetland ecosystems to climate variability and climate change. A set of quantitative metrics was developed including the variations of groundwater table, overland flow, and saltwater table. This approach was then applied to a coastal landscape that includes coastal-forested and herbaceous wetlands in North Carolina, USA. We investigated the threshold behaviors of groundwater table, overland flow, and saltwater table for a 20-year period (1995–2014) by applying a regional scale wetland hydrological model, Penn State Integrated Hydrological Model for wetland hydrology (PIHM-Wetland). We found that the multiscale variations of groundwater table under dry climatic conditions is a good indicator of wetland HR to drought. The variation of overland flow during rainfall events effectively quantified HR to wet periods. We also found that the variation of the water level of saltwater is an important metric of wetland HR to sea level rise. This study improves the methodology of quantifying wetland hydrologic resilience at a regional scale, representing an important first step towards understanding the wetland hydrological and ecological resilience to future intensified climate disturbances in coastal regions and beyond.
What's the Value of the P Value?

Many studies published in current scientific journals include a P value as part of the data analysis, often as an indication of statistical significance of the results. What does the P value mean? A P value is related to the null hypothesis (i.e., there is no difference between the no-treatment and treatment groups) and represents the probability of obtaining the observed results if the null hypothesis is true (1). For example, a P value of 0.05 represents a 5% probability of obtaining the observed results if the null hypothesis (no difference) is true. In a recent Viewpoint article published in JAMA (2), John P.A. Ioannidis discusses a …
How Much Do TMTs Matter in Founder-led Firms?

As firms mature, their founders are often replaced with seasoned executives. When founders are retained, the surrounding TMT members are viewed as critical resources in helping compensate for the founder’s managerial deficiencies. Surprisingly, however, little is known about how TMT members affect a founder-led firm’s performance later in a firm’s life. Using novel methods and a sample of over 2,000 firms, we address this gap. We find that although team structure has a significant impact on the performance of non-founder-led firms (consistent with past literature), it has little to no effect on the operating performance of founder-led firms, suggesting that founder CEOs may exert too much control. Thus, the irony is that founders are retained to propel progress but their very retention may prevent progress. Taken together, our findings add to the entrepreneurship, team, and research methods literatures.
Basic Psychological Need Fulfillment by Gender in Team Environments

This Research Work in Progress seeks to assess to what extent students’ genders are correlated with how they experience the satisfaction of their basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) within engineering student project teams. In particular, it asks: are female students more likely to experience a deficit of any of these psychological needs compared to male students in the student project team environment? This work is grounded in self-determination theory, which suggests that motivation exists not just in the binary (motivated or not), but rather in a continuum from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation, the type most associated with positive learning outcomes, is supported for an individual when their particular environment meets their basic psychological needs. Basic psychological need fulfillment is the extent to which an individual experiences autonomy, competence, and relatedness to others in a particular context. A survey tool from the literature (Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale) was modified for this study to map students’ basic psychological needs “profile” within the team environment to their genders. This 21-item scale gives students an interval score between 1 and 7 for each subscale: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Data have been collected from 89 undergraduate students enrolled in a class involving a long-term group project component. To answer the research question, k-means clustering techniques and t-tests are used to explore the relationships between gender and motivation.
Affordances of Recommender Systems for Disorientation in Large Online Conversations

In the context of large annotation-based literature discussions, this research examines the affordances of recommender systems on users’ disorientation. Drawing insights from literature on group co...
Effects of Multi-Species Lactobacillus and Sunflower Seed Meal on Nitrogen-Containing Compounds in Laying Hens' Manure and Biological Components in Blood Serum

SUMMARY The primary purpose of this study was 2-fold. First, it was important to investigate the effects of short-term feeding of Lactobacillus species (plantarum, paracasei, and rhamnosus) via water on nitrogen compounds in manure and blood serum. Second, the effects of sunflower seed meal (SFM) on the same compounds were investigated. Components measured were: ammonia (NH3) emissions from manure, and ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations in the manure. Biological components of serum included NH3, uric acid, blood urea nitrogen, total protein, albumin, and creatine kinase. Probiotics were mixed in chlorinated drinking water at > 23.3 Mil cfu/g product or 3.64 × 106 cfu/L for each Lactobacillus species to produce approximately 70,000,000 cfu/g product or 1.092 × 107 cfu/L in total. Laying hens (65- to 74-wk-old) were randomly assigned to 4 treatments and fed for 4 wk. Diets were a corn-soy based Control, the Control + Probiotics, the Control + 20% SFM + probiotics or the control + 20% SFM. Major effects and interactions were determined for manure and serum measurements at P
PROMIS® Adult Health Profiles: Efficient Short-Form Measures of Seven Health Domains.

Abstract Background There is a need for valid self-report measures of core health-related quality of life (HRQoL) domains. Objective To derive brief, reliable and valid health profile measures from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS®) item banks. Methods Literature review, investigator consensus process, item response theory (IRT) analysis, and expert review of scaling results from multiple PROMIS data sets. We developed 3 profile measures ranging in length from 29 to 57 questions. These profiles assess important HRQoL domains with highly informative subsets of items from respective item banks and yield reliable information across mild-to-severe levels of HRQoL experiences. Each instrument assesses the domains of pain interference, fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, physical function, and social function using 4-, 6-, and 8-item short forms for each domain, and an average pain intensity domain score, using a 0-10 numeric rating scale. Results With few exceptions, all domain short forms within the profile measures were highly reliable across at least 3 standard deviation (30 T-score) units and were strongly correlated with the full bank scores. Construct validity with ratings of general health and quality of life was demonstrated. Information to inform statistical power for clinical and general population samples is also provided. Conclusions Although these profile measures have been used widely, with summary scoring routines published, description of their development, reliability, and initial validity has not been published until this article. Further evaluation of these measures and clinical applications are encouraged.
Building a culture of health through research: The role of the physical activity research center.

Abstract This paper provides brief context for why the physical activity research center was created and how it supports the national movement to build a culture of health.
EPPIC (Efficient Purification by Parental Inducer Constraint) Platform for Rapid Generation of Recombinant Vaccinia Viruses.

Vaccinia virus (VACV) was successfully used as a vaccine in the smallpox eradication campaign. Since then, it has been widely used in the development of vaccine and therapeutic vectors. However, methods of generating and purifying recombinant VACVs (rVACVs) are often time-consuming, cumbersome, and in some cases require specialized cell lines or equipment. Here, we describe a novel EPPIC (Efficient Purification by Parental Inducer Constraint) platform for the rapid generation of rVACVs using a replication-inducible VACV (vIND) as a parental virus for homologous recombination. Purification of the rVACV from the parental vIND is achieved by two serial passages in the absence of inducer (i.e., parental inducer "constraint") in standard laboratory cell lines, without the need for specialized equipment, within 1 week. We determined the optimal conditions for homologous recombination and serial purification and generated a suite of vIND parental viruses to facilitate customization of the platform. Importantly, the EPPIC platform can be adapted to rapidly generate replication-deficient and replication-competent rVACVs expressing vaccine or therapeutic antigens, with or without screening markers, by simple modifications to a DNA shuttle vector, thus allowing the rapid development, updating, and refinement of personalized or custom vaccines and therapeutic vectors in a matter of days.