cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
1600 Shifting times: recent rotational shiftwork and incident hypertension risk

Introduction Rotational shiftwork, such as alternating day, afternoon, and night shifts, causes chronobiologic phase disruptions which may cause an increase in hypertension risk. Prior research has classified rotational shiftwork using assigned schedules in lieu of actual recorded work which may result in exposure misclassification. Therefore, we assessed the association between a novel quantitative definition of rotational shiftwork and incident hypertension. Methods A cohort of 2156 new hires at 9 aluminium smelter and fabrication facilities were followed from 2003 through 2013 for incident hypertension defined by ICD-9 codes from insurance claims. Detailed time-registry data was used to classify each worker’s history of rotational shiftwork. Rotational shiftwork was defined as shift with a larger than 4 hour absolute value change in start time from the preceding shift that started on an earlier day. The association between incident hypertension and rotational shiftwork in the previous 12 months was estimated in a Cox proportional hazards model, adjusting for age, sex, facility, smoking history, annual BMI, annual health claims based risk score, night shift exposure (percentage of shifts that were night shifts cumulatively and in the previous year), and history of rotational work. Results The majority of workers (99.8%) experienced at least one rotation in their work history. The average worker had at 2.91 rotations (SD=1.87) per month with a mean of 130 rotations over their work history. Compared with workers with less than 5% rotational shiftwork in the previous year, the hazard ratio among workers with ≥5- Conclusion Our results suggest recent rotational shiftwork exposure may be associated with higher rates of hypertension. Furthermore, rotational shiftwork may have an independent effect on hypertension risk not explained by night work.
A tough decision made easy?: local government decision-making about contracting for cybersecurity

More and more local governments across the U.S. contract out for cybersecurity, yet the public administration literature suggests that the government's contracting decision might be problematic. There appears to be a disconnect between what the literature suggests behavior should look like and the actual outcome that results in cybersecurity contracting arrangements? This paper develops a conceptual model, illustrating a set of criteria and constraints that have influence on the local government's decision-making about contracting for cybersecurity. In exploring various legal, economic, and administrative issues that may have influence on contracting decisions for cybersecurity; and comparing those to traditional IT decision making, we found that the problems in traditional IT contracting are more pronounced in cybersecurity. This appears to be largely due to the unique nature of cybersecurity products and services, and the more pronounced challenges of the cyber workforce issues when compared with traditional IT workforce challenges.
The Enlightenment and Politics

The Enlightenment is a sort of political revolution in the broader sense of generalized Copernican cultural revolution or an intellectual movement with revolutionary and other relevant political, notably liberal-democratic, effects and legacies. In particular, these political outcomes comprise the French and American democratic revolutions usually considered, to a greater (the first) or lesser (the second) extent, what Pareto would call the “daughters” of the Enlightenment as their cultural foundation and prelude, specifically their intellectual rationale and herald. On account of its revolutionary influences and legacies, the Enlightenment turns out to be an indirect or “soft” (“velvet”) revolution in politics, notably democracy, as distinguished from direct or true (violent) political, including its own “daughters” the French and American, revolutions. At the minimum, the Enlightenment functions as the cultural functional equivalent or analog and proxy of modern political revolution, even if not as such in the strict sense. In Schumpeterian terms, it does so by virtue of originating as the project and functioning as the process of, like liberal modernity (Bauman 2001), “creative destruction” in politics through the cultural demolition of the old and the creation of new political structures.
Applications of First-Order Ordinary Differential Equations

This chapter provides an overview of applications of first-order ordinary differential equations. Two lines L 1 and L 2 , with slopes m 1 and m 2 , respectively, are perpendicular if the respective slopes satisfy the relationship m 1 = -1m2. Hence, two curves C 1 and C 2 are orthogonal at a point if the respective tangent lines to the curves at that point are perpendicular. The chapter illustrates orthogonal trajectories and presents their solutions. It discusses population growth and decay assuming that the rate at which a population y(t) changes is proportional to the amount present. Mathematically, this statement is represented as the first-order initial value problem dydt = ky, y(0) = y 0 , where y 0 is the initial population. If k > 0, then the population is increasing (growth), while the population decreases (decay) if k s of the surrounding medium. This situation is represented as the first-order initial value problem dTdt = k(T- T s ) , T(0) = T o , where T o is the initial temperature of the body and k is the constant of proportionality. The chapter illustrates some problems involving Newton's law of cooling in the examples presented in it.
Full-Bridge ZCS-Converter-Based High-Gain Modular DC-DC Converter for PV Integration With Medium-Voltage DC Grids

This paper presents a high-gain modular input-parallel output-series dc-dc converter for photovoltaic integration with medium-voltage dc grids. A new full-bridge zero-current-switching (FB-ZCS) converter proposed in this paper is used as a fundamental building block. Existing FB-ZCS converters utilize transformer leakage inductance and a shunt-connected resonant capacitor for achieving smooth resonant current commutation and ZCS. The shunt-connected capacitor requires dedicated charging interval in every switching cycle and stores full-load-rated resonant energy at all load/input conditions, resulting in significant duty-cycle loss. Moreover, it suffers from energy leakage through transformer winding and requires overrating. All these factors adversely impact the operation range of the converter, which is important for achieving a wide maximum power point tracking range. Novel improvements in the proposed converter include minimization of duty-cycle loss and resonant capacitor leakage and the realization of the current-adaptive resonant energy storage mechanism, without using additional switches or auxiliary circuits. Operation of the proposed converter is presented and validated with simulation and experimental results.
Compact Time-Mode SAR ADC With Capacitor Flipping Bit-Cycling Operation

This work describes an area efficient time-mode SAR ADC with capacitor flipping bit-cycling operation. The proposed SAR ADC can be realized with a single-capacitor and a single-current source where the capacitor flipping scheme eliminates multiple current sources used for the capacitor charging and discharging operation. Furthermore, the charge sharing error caused by parasitic capacitance is reduced by pre-charging the parasitic capacitor before the capacitor flipping operation. As a result, the SAR ADC can be implemented with extremely small area and low power consumption due to the reduced number of circuit components. An 8-bit 364.9kS/s time-mode SAR ADC is designed with CMOS 0.18um technology where the ADC operation and performance are verified through circuit level simulations.
Paraoxonase 2 protects against acute myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by modulating mitochondrial function and oxidative stress via the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β RISK pathway.

Abstract Objective To investigate the novel role of Paraoxonase 2 (PON2) in modulating acute myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Approach IRI was induced both in vivo and ex vivo in male, C57BL6/J (WT) and PON2-deficient (PON-def) mice. In addition, in vitro hypoxia-reoxygenation injury (HRI) was induced in H9c2 cells expressing empty vector (H9c2-EV) or human PON2 (H9c2-hPON2) ± LY294002 (a potent PI3K inhibitor). Infarct size, PON2 gene expression, mitochondrial calcium retention capacity (CRC), reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial membrane potential, CHOP and pGSK-3β protein levels, and cell apoptosis were evaluated. Results PON2 gene expression is upregulated in WT mice following in vivo IRI. PON2-def mice exhibit a 2-fold larger infarct, increased CHOP levels, and reduced pGSK-3β levels compared to WT controls. Global cardiac mitochondria isolated from PON2-def mice exhibit reduced CRC and increased ROS production. Cardiomyocytes isolated from PON2-def mice subjected to ex vivo IRI have mitochondria with reduced CRC (also seen under non-IRI conditions), and increased ROS generation and apoptosis compared to WT controls. PON2 knockdown in H9c2 cells subjected to HRI leads to an increase in mitochondrial membrane depolarization. H9c2-hPON2 cells exhibit i) improvement in mitochondrial membrane potential, pGSK-3β levels and mitochondrial CRC, and ii) decrease in CHOP levels, mitochondrial ROS generation and cell apoptosis, when compared to H9c2-EV controls. Treatment with LY294002 resulted in a decrease of mitochondrial CRC and increase in mitochondrial ROS production and cell apoptosis in the H9c2-hPON2 group versus H9c2-EV controls. Conclusion PON2 protects against acute myocardial IRI by reducing mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes via activation of the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β RISK pathway.
Extraordinary strength-ductility synergy in a heterogeneous-structured β -Ti alloy through microstructural optimization

This paper reports on a heterogeneous-structured β-Ti alloy with an exceptional combination of high strength and ductility, resulting from optimized hierarchical features in a lamellar microstructu...
Reducing radiation oncology time to treatment for definitive cancers.

84Background: Time to first treatment intervention has been associated with improved patient outcomes. Although, radiation therapy is not always the first treatment intervention, a reduced time to ...
Metasurface-based Polarization Insensitive Absorber for C, X, Ku and K bands Applications

This paper presents a metasurface-based multiband absorber in microwave frequency regime. The proposed metasurface absorbs electromagnetic (EM) waves in four different frequency bands: C-Band (7.75 - 7.88 GHz), X-band (11.084 - 11.183 GHz), Ku Band (13.99 - 14.22 GHz) and Ka Band (18.185 - 18.993 GHz). The unit cell of the periodic metasurface consists of a metallic star-shaped structure printed on 2.4mm thick FR4 substrate backed by a metallic ground plane. The full-wave numerical results show that absorption efficiencies are above 90% in all frequency bands. The C4-symmetry of the unit cell makes the response of metasurface exactly same for both x- and y-polarized incident waves.
Deep Fuzzy Neural Networks for Biomarker Selection for Accurate Cancer Detection

Different biomedical computing methods for cancer-specific gene recognition have been developed in recent years. Currently, building an open-box machine learning system to discover explainable knowledge from gene expression data is a difficult research problem due to a large number of genes, a small number of samples, and noise. Fuzzy systems can be used to deal with data ambiguity and noise issues and extract meaningful knowledge from gene data. In this article, we create a new deep fuzzy neural network to handle the uncertainty in gene data to generate useful knowledge for specific disease diagnosis. A new hybrid algorithm is designed to preprocess data and select informative genes for accurate cancer detection. Various experiments using six different cancer datasets indicate that the new method has better and more reliable performance than the other conventional classification methods with different gene selection methods.
Political Uncertainty, Market Structure and the Forms of State Capture

This paper studies when and why firms prefer more direct forms of state capture (i.e. without intermediaries, such as patronage or appointments to the bureaucracy) to more indirect ones (e.g. lobbying). Using a novel database on contractual arrangements between politicians, political brokers and businessmen in Benin, we find that an increase in political uncertainty is associated with an increase in direct forms of capture. We rationalize our findings through a principal-agent model under political uncertainty. Firms induce market distortions by making transfers to incumbents. Direct capture acts as an insurance for the firm, guaranteeing that its paid for distortions are kept in place even when the incumbent is displaced. We structurally estimate our model and show that policies thought to decrease state capture, such as improved bureaucrat selection, can have little to no effect once substitution towards indirect control is accounted for.
Forensic Source Conclusions: Twenty Threats to Validity

Forensic science evidence may be the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of law enforcement officials and prosecutors. As such, it is important to be aware of factors that threaten the validity of forensic source conclusions (e.g., “This bullet was fired from that gun”). This paper identifies 20 threats to the validity of forensic source conclusions including threats that spring from: (a) the evidentiary samples themselves, (b) forensic examiners and the procedures they use, (c) features of the law, and (d) cognitive limitations of jurors and others who must weigh forensic science source claims.
Factors that Affect Aggression Among the Worker Caste of Reticulitermes spp. Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Aggression was observed among both inter- and intraspecific combinations of four colonies of Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) and Reticulitermes hageni Banks in laboratory assays each month for 4 consecutive months. Termites were most frequently aggressive toward colonies of a different species. Number of individuals that displayed aggression decreased over the study period, from April to July. There was a slight trend toward reduced aggressive behavior as termites were maintained in the laboratory for 3 months. Passive and aggressive individuals were identified and reexamined for display of aggressive or passive behavior toward nonnestmates. Eighty-nine percent of previously aggressive termites displayed aggression a second time. Eighty-eight percent of previously passive termites were passive upon reexamination. Differences in head capsule size between passive and aggressive individuals provided no correlation between the presence of aggressiveness and the head capsule size in the worker caste.
"Yeah, We All Here Tryna Flourish": A Reflection on a Symposium on Eudaimonia and Music Learning.

This article presents reflections on a symposium on eudaimonia and music learning, from the perspective of one of the organizers. The symposium had been planned as a traditional, in person event in the United States, but was held online in response to the Spring, 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The video-conferencing format created a more democratized liminal space that served to dissolve hierarchies and broaden participation.
The Nutrient Quality of Foods Provided to Clients at the Largest Food Pantry in Alaska

The study assessed the diet quality of pantry foods. Chi-square or t-tests determined associations between food security status, client demographics, nutrients, and diet quality. Of the 148 clients...
How Does Financial-Reporting Regulation Affect Industry-Wide Resource Allocation?

This paper examines the impact of mandatory reporting and auditing of firms’ financial statements on industry‐wide resource allocation. Using threshold‐induced variation in the share of mandated firms in a given industry, I document that reporting mandates facilitate ownership dispersion in capital markets and spur competition in product markets. I, however, do not find that reporting mandates unambiguously improve the efficiency of industry‐wide resource allocation. With respect to auditing mandates, I find only that they impose a fixed cost on firms, deterring smaller entrants.
Correlation Between Plasma Catecholamines, Weight, and Diabetes in Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma.

CONTEXT Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PCC/PGL) are neuroendocrine tumors with discrete catecholamine profiles that cause incompletely understood metabolic and physiologic changes. OBJECTIVE The objective was to evaluate relationships between plasma catecholamines, body weight, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). We hypothesized that individual catecholamines would correlate negatively with weight and glucose control. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study was performed (1999-2020). Wilcoxon rank-sum tests compared nonparametric, continuous variables; mixed-effect linear modeling (MEM) evaluated relationships between catecholamines and weight or HbA1c. The median study duration was 54.2 months [interquartile range (IQR) 19.0-95.1]. SETTING Tertiary academic hospital. PATIENTS 360 patients were identified prospectively by referral to our center for management or surveillance of PCC/PGL. The median age was 59 years (IQR 45-67) and 56.4% (n = 203) were female. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary and secondary outcomes were weight and HbA1c, respectively. RESULTS On multivariable MEM, norepinephrine (P < 0.0005) negatively correlated with weight when all catecholamines and their derivatives were tried in the model, and normetanephrine (P < 0.0005) correlated when only metanephrines were included. In the surgical cohort (n = 272), normetanephrine decreased postoperatively and was inversely associated with weight (P < 0.0005). Elevated norepinephrine or normetanephrine at the study termination, indicative of metastatic and/or recurrent disease (MRD), correlated with weight loss. Norepinephrine and normetanephrine (P < 0.0005) directly correlated with HbA1c. CONCLUSION Plasma norepinephrine and its metabolite directly correlate with HbA1c and inversely correlate with weight in PCC/PGL. After resection, declining normetanephrine levels correlate with improving HbA1c despite an increase in patient body weight. Persistently elevated catecholamines and decreasing weight are observed in MRD.
Do Grading Standards Affect the Incentive to Learn

The paper extends the literature on education production functions by arguing that incentives partly determine student performance. The paper develops a model in which schools' grading standards influence student effort. The model is tested using the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY). The level of grading standards at each school is a highly significant predictor of gains in student test scores, more so than are standard measures of school resources. Amount of homework performed by students also responds to grading standards. The paper concludes that higher grading standards represent an important tool for improving school quality.
Solvable models of material breakdown

The history of the study of fracture of materials is briefly reviewed. Then the importance of analytically solvable models in understanding material breakdown is illustrated by a review of the work of Duxbury, Leath and Beale on simple analytically solvable models of fuse network breakdown in brittle systems. We then review recent work extending this analytically to include close pairs of clusters of defects or double clusters, which also exhibit the double-exponential failure distribution. Finally, a new analytic recursion method is presented for breakdown of systems with linear cracks, but a continuous distribution of breaking strengths. Remarkably, these systems exhibit an optimum sample size where the failure probability can, at low stress, be reduced by many orders of magnitude below that of a single bond.
Vapor-liquid-solid epitaxial growth of Si1−xGex alloy nanowires: Composition dependence on precursor reactivity and morphology control for vertical forests

Growth of high-density group IV alloy nanowire forests is critical for exploiting their unique functionalities in many applications. Here, the compositional dependence on precursor reactivity and optimized conditions for vertical growth are studied for Si1−xGex alloy nanowires grown by the vapor-liquid-solid method. The nanowire composition versus gas partial-pressure ratio for germane-silane and germane-disilane precursor combinations is obtained at 350 °C over a wide composition range (0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.98) and a generalized model to predict composition for alloy nanowires is developed based on the relative precursor partial pressures and reactivity ratio. In combination with germane, silane provides more precise compositional control at high Ge concentrations (x > 0.7), whereas disilane greatly increases the Si concentration for a given gas ratio and enables more precise alloy compositional control at small Ge concentrations (x < 0.3). Vertically oriented, non-kinking nanowire forest growth on Si (111) subs...
Dynamics of Ichthyoplankton in the Kanawha River, West Virginia

ABSTRACT Ichthyoplankton distribution and abundance were examined in the upper Kanawha River in the main channel, main-channel border (nearshore), and shoreline habitats. Drift of larval fish was comprised of 25 taxa distributed among 11 families and occurred from early April to late August, with peak densities in early June. Fish larvae appeared and densities peaked at water temperatures of 8.5°C and 22°C, respectively. Larval freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) was the most abundant taxa followed by Clupeidae, common carp (Cyprinus carpio), and other Cyprinidae. Clupeidae, common carp, and freshwater drum dominated main channel and nearshore collections. Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, and bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) dominated shoreline collections. Most fish larvae (99%) collected in the main channel and nearshore habitats were protolarvae, while the larger larvae, meso- and metalarvae, were more abundant along the shoreline. In the main channel, fish larvae and eggs were generally distributed...
SERODS: a new medium for high-density optical data storage

A new optical dada storage technology based on the surface- enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect has been developed for high-density optical memory and three-dimensional data storage. With the surface-enhanced Raman optical data storage (SERODS) technology, the molecular interactions between the optical layer molecules and the nanostructured metal substrate are modified by the writing laser, changing their SERS properties to encode information as bits. Since the SERS properties are extremely sensitive to molecular nano- environments, very small 'spectrochemical holes' approaching the diffraction limit can be produced for the writing process. The SERODS device uses a reading laser to induce the SERS emission of molecules on the disk and a photometric detector tuned to the frequency of the RAMAN spectrum to retrieve the stored information. The results illustrate that SERODS is capable of three-dimensional data storage and has the potential to achieve higher storage density than currently available optical data storage systems.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Large-eddy simulation of equilibrium plasma-assisted combustion in supersonic flow

Abstract A large-eddy simulation (LES) model with a new localized dynamic subgrid closure for the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations is used to investigate plasma-assisted combustion in supersonic flow. A 16-species and 74-reactions kinetics model is used to simulate hydrogen-air combustion and high-temperature air dissociation. The numerical model is validated with experimental data for non-reacting and reacting supersonic flow over a rearward-facing step. The creation of a plasma source near the step corner is shown to have a strong localized effect with the high temperature region resulting in an increase of the radical species concentration in the mixing region. This has the potential for enhancing combustion. In addition, downstream fuel–air mixing is improved, primarily by the creation of a strong baroclinic torque effect in the near field of the plasma source. Furthermore, by adding an uniform external magnetic field, the Lorentz force effect helps to further enhance mixing by lifting the shear layer and increasing fuel penetration by approximately 20%.
The key to modernisation

Science is undergoing a renaissance in post-Mao China. The United States National Academy of Sciences has been keeping track of the changes, as Mary Brown Bullock reports
A model of coalition formation in animals

A simple three-player model is presented for the evolution of coalitions. The model demonstrates that, under certain conditions, 'winner' and 'loser' effects both favour coalition formation. Winner effects are defined as an increased probability of winning at time T + 1, given a victory at time T, whereas loser effects entail an increased probability of losing at time T + 1, given a loss at time T. Increasing the strength of loser effects or winner effects, or the strength of an individual's position in the hierarchy, makes coalition formation in general more likely, whereas increasing the costs of giving aid does the opposite. The model does not assume any form of reciprocity, but rather examines whether some form of reciprocity or pseudoreciprocity emerges from the model itself. When either winner or loser effects exist, reciprocal coalition formation (e.g. i helps j against k, and j helps i against k) between β (second-ranked individual) and α (highest-ranked individual) or between α and γ (lowest-ranked individual) was possible, but reciprocal aid-giving between γ and β was never favoured. Thus, we have the counterintuitive result that although a coalition between the two lowest members of a hierarchy against the dominant individual is possible (as selection may favour γ aiding β against α), such a coalition is not predicted to be reciprocal in kind. Interpopulational comparisons examining winner/loser effects and coalition formation would allow for a test of many of the model's most basic predictions. Unfortunately, most work on coalitions has been undertaken in primates, whereas work on winner and loser effects has focused on rodents, and more recently, in fish and birds. Hopefully, the model presented here will spur future work that will look at all of these factors simultaneously in many taxa.
The shadow response of the estuarine copepod Acartia tonsa (Dana)

Abstract The effects of shadows on the swimming behavior of light-adapted Acartia tonsa (Dana) were studied using a video-computer system for motion analysis. Copepods exhibited “startle” responses consisting of a short burst of high speed swimming when exposed to 0.5 s duration shadows with an optical density ⩾0.5. When presented with a series of 0.5 s shadows at 5-s intervals, copepods showed significant increases in average swimming speed, significant increases in the number of bursts of swimming speed, and a significant decrease in turning behavior compared to their swimming behavior before exposure to shadows. For shadows with optical densities of 1.0 or 0.5, there was a significant increase in lateral displacement in the presence of shadows, and no significant change in upward displacement. The startle responses of Acartia may have adaptive value for avoiding potential predators such as ctenophores and cnidarian medusae, which tend to swim primarily in the vertical plane, and may cast shadows on their prey while feeding near the surface during the day.
Precision of volumetric assessment of proximal femur microarchitecture from high-resolution 3T MRI

To evaluate the precision of measures of bone volume and bone volume fraction derived from high-resolution 3T MRI of proximal femur bone microarchitecture using non-uniformity correction. This HIPAA compliant, institutional review board approved study was conducted on six volunteers (mean age $$56\pm 13$$ years), and written informed consent was obtained. All volunteers underwent a 3T FLASH MRI hip scan at three time points: baseline, second scan same day (intra-scans), and third scan one week later (inter-scans). Segmentation of femur images and values for total proximal femur volume ( $$T$$ ), bone volume ( $$B$$ ), and bone volume fraction (BVF) were calculated using in-house developed software, FireVoxel. Two types of non-uniformity corrections were applied to images (N3 and BiCal). Precision values were calculated using absolute percent error (APE). Statistical analysis was carried out using one-sample one-sided t test to observe the consistency of the precision and paired t test to compare between the various methods and scans. No significant differences in bone volume measurements were observed for intra- and inter-scans. When using non-uniformity correction and assessing all subjects uniformly at the level of the lesser trochanter, precision values overall improved, especially significantly ( $$p< 0.05$$ ) when measuring bone volume, $$B$$ . $$B$$ values using the combination of N3 or BiCal with CLT had a significant consistent APE values of less than 2.5 %, while BVF values were all consistently and significantly lower than 2.5 % APE. Our results demonstrate the precision of high-resolution 3D MRI measures were comparable to that of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Additional corrections to the analysis technique by cropping at the lesser trochanter or using non-uniformity corrections helped to improve precision. The high precision values from these MRI scans provide evidence for MRI of the proximal femur as a promising tool for osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment.
Reinventing Ourselves: Interdisciplinary Education, Collaborative Learning, and Experimentation in Higher Education (review)

(2002). Reinventing Ourselves: Interdisciplinary Education, Collaborative Learning, and Experimentation in Higher Education. The Journal of Higher Education: Vol. 73, No. 5, pp. 667-669.
Applying ad hoc institutional research findings to college strategic planning

Environmental scanning, enrollment forecasting, budget analyses, and institutional effectiveness assessment are examples of the explicit contributions institutional research offices make to campus strategic planning.
Effects of sequential implanting and ractopamine hydrochloride supplementation on carcass characteristics and longissimus muscle tenderness of calf-fed steers and heifers.

A 4 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments (4 growth-enhancement treatments × 2 sex classes) was used to quantify effects of initial implanting (I-implant, d 0), terminal implanting (T-implant, d 63), and feeding ractopamine hydrochloride [RAC, 200 mg/(animal/d)] for the last 28 d on feed on carcass characteristics and LM shear force (WBSF) of calf-fed steers (n = 159) and heifers (n = 132). Growth-enhancement treatments included the following: TRT1, T-implant only; TRT2, I-implant and RAC; TRT3, I-implant and T-implant; TRT4, I-implant, T-implant, and RAC. Growth responses (BW and ADG) were measured in 3 segments of the finishing period: 1) d 0 to 63, 2) d 63 to 28 d before slaughter, and 3) final 28 d. Cattle were slaughtered after 152, 166, or 180 d of finishing; carcass data were collected after a 48-h chill; and LM WBSF was measured at 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 d postmortem. A priori contrasts were constructed to test effects associated with use vs. exclusion of growth enhancement in each segment of the finishing period. The interaction between sex class and treatment was not significant (P > 0.05) for any trait tested, indicating that the 4 treatments elicited similar effects in both sexes. Initial implanting improved (P 0.05) by initial or terminal implanting; however, RAC supplementation increased (P = 0.007) mean LM WBSF by 0.23 kg, which translated into a reduction (P = 0.007) in predicted consumer acceptance of LM steaks.
The Steady-State Atmospheric Circulation Response to Climate Change–like Thermal Forcings in a Simple General Circulation Model

Abstract The steady-state extratropical atmospheric response to thermal forcing is investigated in a simple atmospheric general circulation model. The thermal forcings qualitatively mimic three key aspects of anthropogenic climate change: warming in the tropical troposphere, cooling in the polar stratosphere, and warming at the polar surface. The principal novel findings are the following: 1) Warming in the tropical troposphere drives two robust responses in the model extratropical circulation: poleward shifts in the extratropical tropospheric storm tracks and a weakened stratospheric Brewer–Dobson circulation. The former result suggests heating in the tropical troposphere plays a fundamental role in the poleward contraction of the storm tracks found in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)-class climate change simulations; the latter result is in the opposite sense of the trends in the Brewer–Dobson circulation found in most previous climate change experiments. 2) Cooling in the polar stratosp...
Naming and category concept generation in older adults with and without dementia

Background: An intact semantic memory system is vital for accurate naming of objects; naming failures exhibited by individuals with dementia have been a means of identifying the nature of the semantic memory impairment. However, naming impairment has also been reported in healthy older adults. Categorisation is a process of concept formation within semantic memory. Category type influences ability to synthesise category concepts. Studies investigating categorisation skills in adults with dementia have revealed deterioration in conceptual knowledge as compared to age‐matched healthy cohorts. Aims: It is hypothesised that normal older adults are impaired at the lexical access stage of word retrieval; those with dementia have deficits in the earlier concept identification stages of word retrieval and lexical access difficulties. Methods & Procedures: A group of adults with dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) and a group of normal elderly adults were examined on naming and category concept generation tasks...
Sex-change in the Native Oyster (O. edulis)

IT is well known that sex-change in the native oyster (O. edulis) occurs at some period of its life. This mollusc apparently always begins life as a male, and may change into a female at the age of one or two years. Very little is, however, known about the change of sex afterwards. In following up the indications given from a general study of breeding (see J. H. Orton, “Sea-temperature, Breeding, and Distribution in Marine Animals”, Journal of the Marine Biological Association, vol. xii., July, 1920, pp. 339–66), it seemed certain that an oyster ought to continue breeding in the same season even after becoming white-sick, i.e. after extrusion of ova into the mantle cavity. Thus if a breeding oyster were marked and examined afterwards, it should be possible to find out something about a possible annual change of sex. Accordingly on July 30, 1920, two white-sick oysters were isolated in a tank at Plymouth, and one of them was cut open and examined on August 26, 1920. At the latter date the one examined1 was found to have its gonad full of wholly ripe sperm-morulae, which disintegrated into separate active and apparently ripe sperm as soon as they were placed in sea-water. Thus a female-functioning oyster had changed into a male-functioning oyster within less than a month. An indication of this change had already been given on July 29, when the gonad of a white-sick oyster—examined at the moment when it contained embryos in the mantle cavity—showed developing sperm-morutae and some actively tailed sperm-morulae.
Fingerprint of ozone depletion in the spatial and temporal pattern of recent lower-stratospheric cooling

OBSERVATIONS of air temperatures in the lower stratosphere from 1979 to 1990 reveal a cooling trend that varies both spatially and seasonally1. The possible causes of this cooling include changes in concentrations of ozone or of other greenhouse gases2,3, and entirely natural variability, but the relative contributions of such causes are poorly constrained. Here we incorporate the observed decreases in stratospheric ozone concentrations4 over the same period into a general circulation model of the atmosphere, to investigate the role of the ozone losses in affecting patterns of temperature change. We find that the simulated latitudinal pattern of lower-stratospheric cooling for a given month through the decade corresponds well with the pattern of the observed decadal temperature changes. This result confirms the expectation, from simpler model studies2,3,5, that the observed ozone depletion exerts a spatially and seasonally varying fingerprint in the decadal cooling of the lower stratosphere, with the influence of increases in concentrations of other greenhouse gases being relatively small. As anthropogenic halocarbon chemicals are important causes of stratospheric ozone depletion2,3, our study suggests a human influence on the patterns of temperature change in the lower stratosphere over this 11-year period.
Simple estimates of stress intensity factors by crack path approximation with application to fatigue reliability

Abstract Simple methods for estimating stress intensity factors are developed for non-rectilinear edge cracks in two dimensions. These methods are based on observations that the stress intensity factors depend primarily on only a few crack geometry characteristics; for edge cracks in a uniaxial stress field, the location of and tangent to the crack tip are critical. Examples demonstrate that the stress intensity factor estimates obtained by approximating the shape of edge cracks are highly accurate. Simple yet versatile formulas are presented for estimating the stress intensity factors for small cracks that emanate from a free surface. Application of these estimates in a fatigue reliability setting is demonstrated.
Minimum Hellinger distance estimation for supercritical Galton–Watson processes

Abstract This paper studies the asymptotic behavior of the minimum Hellinger distance estimator of the underlying parameter in a supercritical branching process whose offspring distribution is known to belong to a parametric family. This estimator is shown to be asymptotically normal, efficient at the true model and robust against gross errors. These extend the results of Beran (Ann. Statist. 5, 445–463 (1977)) from an i.i.d., continuous setup to a dependent, discrete setup.
Disproof of a coefficient estimate related to Bazilevic functions

A coefficient estimate for powers of a class of Bazilevic functions obtained by M.M. Elhosh, is disproved and some sharp bounds are given.
Non-enzymic reactions of indoles with coenzyme I.

IN the course of studies of possible enzymically catalysed reactions of coenzyme I (diphosphopyridine nucleotide) with 5-OH-tryptamine (serotonin), tryptamine and tryptophan1, it was observed that these indoles react non-enzymically with coenzyme I. Thus, when 5-OH-tryptamine was added to a solution of coenzyme I, an intense yellow coloration appeared. Tryptamine and tryptophan also reacted in the same manner, but larger concentrations of the latter substances were required in order to give the same intensity of colour. Spectral characteristics of the coloured materials are shown in Fig. 1.
The role of calcium ions in phytochrome-mediated germination of spores of Onoclea sensibilis L.

Phytochrome is confirmed to be the photoreceptor pigment in the germination response of Onoclea sensibilis L. by demonstrating red-far-red (R-FR) photoreversibility. External Ca2+ is required for this response with a threshold at a submicromolar concentration. Ethylene glycol-bis(β-amino-ethyl ether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid, La3+ and Co2+ reversibly inhibit germination. Lanthanum only inhibits germination when applied before or during irradiation, indicating that the external Ca2+ requirement is transient, although in the absence of Ca2+ the R-stimulated system remains maximally poised to accept the ion for over 4 h after irradiation. The ability to respond to Ca2+ 4.1 h after R-irradiation is not reversed by FR-irradiation, indicating that Ca2+ transport has been uncoupled from phytochrome. Barium and Sr2+, but not Mg2+ can substitute for Ca2+. Artificially increasing the concentration of intracellular free Ca2+ with the ionophore A 23187 stimulates germination in the dark. The Ca2+-calmodulin antagonists, trifluoperizine and chlorpromazine, reversibly inhibit germination. Calcium is required in phytochrome-mediated fern spore germination; it may be acting as a second messenger.
Ten ways to waste a parallel computer

As clock speed increases taper off and hardware designers struggle to scale parallelism within a chip, software developers and researchers must face the challenge of writing portable software with no clear architectural target. On the hardware side, energy considerations will dominate many of the design decisions, and will ultimately limit what systems and applications can be built. This is especially true at the high end, where the next major milestone of exascale computing will be unattainable without major improvements in efficiency.Although hardware designers have long worried about the efficiency of their designs, especially for battery-operated devices, software developers in general have not. To illustrate this point, I will describe some of the top ways to waste time and therefore energy waiting for communication, synchronization, or interactions with users or other systems. Data movement, rather than computation, is the big consumer of energy, yet software often moves data up and down the memory hierarchy or across a network multiple times. At the same time, hardware designers need to take into account the constraints of the computational problems that will run on their systems, as a design that is poorly matched to the computational requirements will end up being inefficient. Drawing on my own experience in scientific computing, I will give examples of how to make the combination of hardware, algorithms and software more efficient, but also describe some of the challenges that are inherent in the application problems we want to solve. The community needs to take an integrated approach to the problem, and consider how much business or science can be done per Joule, rather than optimizing a particular component of the system in isolation. This will require rethinking the algorithms, programming models, and hardware in concert, and therefore an unprecedented level of collaboration and cooperation between hardware and software designers.
Antenatal risk factors associated with postpartum comorbid alcohol use and depressive symptomatology.

Background: High rates of comorbid depression and alcohol use disorders have been reported in epidemiological studies; little work has considered comorbidity in women during the perinatal period. The goal of this work was to identify prenatal factors (at each trimester) that predicted postpartum comorbid depressive symptoms and alcohol use in women. Methods: The data are from an ongoing longitudinal study of pregnancy outcome that is now in its 16th year of follow-up. The first four assessments were used in this study (fourth and seventh prenatal months, delivery, and 8 months after delivery; n= 595). Prenatal variables in five domains (psychological, substance use, social, obstetrical, and demographic) were considered in analyses to predict postpartum comorbid depressive symptoms and alcohol use in women. Results: At each trimester, higher rates of depressive symptoms, binge drinking (four or more drinks per occasion), and tobacco use were significantly associated with comorbidity at the eighth postpartum month. Third-trimester anxiety was also significantly associated with postpartum comorbidity. Prenatal social support, obstetrical complications, and demographic factors were not related to an increased risk for postpartum comorbidity. Conclusions: Women with more depressive symptoms, who binge-drink, or who smoke cigarettes at any time during their pregnancies are at risk for postpartum comorbidity. Women should be screened for depressive symptoms and substance use, and treatment should be initiated when women exhibit the risk factors described.
Power of in silico QTL mapping from phenotypic, pedigree, and marker data in a hybrid breeding program

Most quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping studies in plants have used designed mapping populations. As an alternative to traditional QTL mapping, in silico mapping via a mixed-model approach simultaneously exploits phenotypic, genotypic, and pedigree data already available in breeding programs. The statistical power of this in silico mapping method, however, remains unknown. Our objective was to evaluate the power of in silico mapping via a mixed-model approach in hybrid crops. We used maize (Zea mays L.) as a model species to study, by computer simulation, the influence of number of QTLs (20 or 80), heritability (0.40 or 0.70), number of markers (200 or 400), and sample size (600 or 2,400 hybrids). We found that the average power to detect QTLs ranged from 0.11 to 0.59 for a significance level of α=0.01, and from 0.01 to 0.47 for α=0.0001. The false discovery rate ranged from 0.22 to 0.74 for α=0.01, and from 0.05 to 0.46 for α=0.0001. As with designed mapping experiments, a large sample size, high marker density, high heritability, and small number of QTLs led to the highest power for in silico mapping via a mixed-model approach. The power to detect QTLs with large effects was greater than the power to detect QTL with small effects. We conclude that gene discovery in hybrid crops can be initiated by in silico mapping. Finding an acceptable compromise, however, between the power to detect QTL and the proportion of false QTL would be necessary.
Directly measured limit on the interplanetary matter density from Pioneer 10 and 11

Abstract The Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft had exceptional deep-space navigational capabilities. The accuracies of their orbit reconstruction were limited, however, by a small, anomalous, Doppler frequency drift that can be interpreted as an acceleration of ( 8.74 ± 1.33 ) × 10 −8 cm / s 2 directed toward the Sun. We investigate the possibility that this anomaly could be due to a drag on the spacecraft from their passing through the interplanetary medium. Although this mechanism is an appealing one, the existing Pioneer radiometric data would require an unexpectedly high mass density of interplanetary dust for this mechanism to work. Further, the magnitude of the density would have to be nearly constant at distances ∼ 20 – 70 AU . Therefore, it appears that such an explanation is very unlikely, if not ruled out. Despite this, the measured frequency drift by itself places a directly-measured, model-independent limit of ≲ 3 × 10 −19 g / cm 3 on the mass density of interplanetary dust in the outer ( ∼ 20 – 70 AU ) solar system. Lower experimental limits can be placed if one presumes a model that varies with distance. An example is the limit ≲ 6 × 10 −20 g / cm 3 obtained for the model with an axially-symmetric density distribution that falls off as the inverse of the distance. We emphasize that the limits obtained are experimentally-measured, in situ limits. A mission to investigate the anomaly would be able to place a better limit on the density, or perhaps even to measure it.