cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Classification of Regional Climate Variability in the State of California

A novel approach is presented to objectively identify regional patterns of climate variability within the state of California using principal component analysis on monthly precipitation and temperature data from a network of 195 climate stations statewide and an ancillary gridded database. The confluence of large-scale circulation patterns and the complex geography of the state result in 11 regional modes of climate variability within the state. A comparison between the station and gridded analyses reveals that finescale spatial resolution is needed to adequately capture regional modes in complex orographic and coastal settings. Objectively identified regions can be employed not only in tracking regional climate signatures, but also in improving the understanding of mechanisms behind regional climate variability and climate change. The analysis has been incorporated into an operational tool called the California Climate Tracker.
Low-temperature plastic rheology of olivine determined by nanoindentation

Low-temperature plasticity is a deformation mechanism that occurs mainly at high stress and low temperatures and may be important in the shallow lithosphere, at the tips of cracks, and in laboratory experiments. Previous studies investigating the low-temperature plasticity of the mineral olivine have exhibited wide variability in their extrapolations to the athermal flow strength or Peierls stress. To better constrain the rheology of olivine, nanoindentation tests were performed on samples in the temperature range of 0–175°C. The indentation properties were converted to uniaxial properties using a finite element-based method. The data were fit to a standard flow law for low-temperature plasticity, and Peierls stresses between 5.32 and 6.45 GPa were obtained. These results provide increased confidence in the extrapolation of high-pressure and high-temperature laboratory experiments to low-temperature conditions and illustrate the applicability of nanoindentation methods to the study of mineral rheology.
Fetal suprarenal masses--assessing the complementary role of magnetic resonance and ultrasound for diagnosis.

To assess the value and complementary roles of fetal MRI and US for characterization and diagnosis of suprarenal masses. We conducted a multi-institutional retrospective database search for prenatally diagnosed suprarenal masses between 1999 and 2012 and evaluated the roles of prenatal US and fetal MRI for characterization and diagnosis, using postnatal diagnosis or surgical pathology as the reference standard. Prenatal US and fetal MRI were assessed for unique findings of each modality. The database yielded 25 fetuses (gestational age 20–37 weeks) with suprarenal masses. Twenty-one fetuses had prenatal US, 22 had MRI, 17 had both. Postnatal diagnoses included nine subdiaphragmatic extralobar sequestrations, seven adrenal hemorrhages, five neuroblastomas (four metastatic), two lymphatic malformations, one duplex kidney with upper pole cystic dysplasia, and one adrenal hyperplasia. Ultrasound was concordant with MRI for diagnoses in 12/17 (70.6%) cases. Discordant diagnoses between US and MRI included three neuroblastomas and two adrenal hemorrhages. In the three neuroblastomas US was equivocal and MRI was definitive for neuroblastoma, demonstrating heterogeneous, intermediate-signal solid masses and liver metastases. In the two cases of adrenal hemorrhage US was equivocal and MRI was definitive with signal characteristics of hemorrhage. In 2/4 neuroblastomas, Doppler US demonstrated a systemic artery suggesting extralobar sequestration; however MRI signal characteristics correctly diagnosed neuroblastoma. All cases of extralobar sequestration were correctly diagnosed by US and MRI. US and MRI both accurately detect suprarenal masses. MRI complements US in equivocal diagnoses and detects additional findings such as liver metastases in neuroblastoma.
Academic Instrumental Knowledge: Deconstructing Cultural Capital Theory for Strategic Intervention Approaches

This paper explores the issue of social and cultural capital with immigrant students and their families. Drawing on a cultural-historical theoretical framework, the article focuses on that subset related to schooling that we term academic instrumental knowledge (AIK) . This article draws from two related projects involving ethnographic work at home and at school with Latino immigrant families to examine the nature of specific examples of how this knowledge is constructed and how it operates in the daily lives of these families. The article argues all families possess cultural and social capital, but it does not always map easily on to that valued by schools. Moreover, that while such knowledge appears to be critical to school success, intervention based on simple transmission of important school-related facts and knowledge, without reference to the specific sociocultural contexts in which these families live, will not be effective
Raced Identities in White Spaces: The Racialized Professional Identity of African American Legislative Staff

Congressional scholars that study race often debate the merits of descriptive representation, or if constituents benefit from having a member of Congress of the same racial or gender identity. The research is inconclusive, primarily because members of Congress have numerous roles and hold multiple responsibilities, so descriptive representation may matter in only certain aspects of the work that legislators do. While there is a robust debate around the significance of descriptive representation among elected representatives, this question has not been extended to consider descriptive representation among our “unelected representatives”, otherwise known as congressional staff. I consider research that demonstrates the importance of studying the racial and gender identity of elected officials’ employees. I review data from over 70 interviews with congressional staffers about how they see their role in Congress. I show that there are distinct racial differences in how African American and white staffers perceive of their role in the legislature. I establish the importance of racial diversity in Congress and show how staffers of color add diverse opinions to policymaking discussions, act as interlocutors between white lawmakers and communities of color, and actively work to make the institution more inclusive.
Functional abnormalities of CD8+ T cells define a unique subset of patients with common variable immunodeficiency.

A substantial subgroup of patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVI) exhibit an abnormal T-cell phenotype characterized by a low CD4/CD8 ratio associated with a significant increase in the absolute number of CD8+ T cells (CVI4/8low patients). In the present study, we examined the phenotypic and functional properties of purified T-cell subsets in this group of CVI patients. CD8+ T cells from CVI4/8low patients manifested increased expression of HLA-DR and CD57 and decreased expression of CD45RA as compared with CD8+ T cells from normal controls. When stimulated with anti-CD3 and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, purified patient CD8+ T cells exhibited significantly decreased proliferation, c-myc expression, and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production compared with that of normal CD8+ T cells. Nevertheless, mitogen-activated patient CD8+ T cells secreted elevated amounts of gamma-interferon and IL-5 and normal amounts of IL- 4. This abnormal pattern of proliferation and cytokine production was limited to the CD8+ T-cell subset as CD4+ T cells from these patients exhibited normal proliferation and cytokine production. In further functional studies, purified CD8+ T cells from CVI4/8low patients manifested increased cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity and suppressor activity, as compared with normal CD8+ T cells, when they were tested in (1) an anti-CD3 “redirected” cytotoxicity assay and (2) a suppressor assay consisting of CD8+ T cells and Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC) plus IL-2-stimulated normal (allogeneic) B cells. In the latter case, patient CD8+ T cells suppressed IgG production, but not IgM production. Finally, in studies to evaluate the role of patient CD8+ T cells in the pathogenesis of hypogammaglobulinemia, we determined the capacity of SAC and IL-2 to induce Ig production in highly purified patient B cells, ie, in the absence of patient CD8+ T cells. We found that, whereas B cells from one patient produced normal amounts of IgG, B cells from three patients were unable to produce normal amounts of IgG under these conditions. These data establish the phenotypic and functional characteristics of CD8+ T cells in CVI4/8low and clearly distinguish CVI4/8low patients from other patients with this syndrome. The data do not support the contention that hypogammaglobulinemia in CVI4/8low patients is due to a direct effect of CD8+ T cells on terminal B-cell differentiation, except in the occasional patient. The abnormal CD8+ T cells may, nevertheless, have more subtle effects of lymphoid function that play a role in disease pathogenesis.
Here. Shake: a box of stories

The essays, stories, and novel sections within this multi-genre collection have been assembled through the process of creating small fragments and parts. Through juxtaposition these small parts create multi-genre narratives. The first section, Family Artifacts, is comprised of two creative non-fiction essays tackling complex family dynamics, identity, class, and gender. The same subjects are extended into fiction in the second section titled Story Scraps featuring a short story and sections of a novel in-progress. This thesis offers vastly different examples of the author’s voice and range as she works through the dangerous territories of complicated cultural and personal questions within the landscape of a multi-genre collection.
Ethical dimensions of agroecology criticism to the agrobiotechnology

The goal of this report is to put into question the false promises that agroindustry has made about genetic engineering in agriculture. They have promised that the transgenic crops should generate agriculture less dependent of chemical supplies, it should increase the productivity and it would help to reduce the environmental problems. On the other hand, this paper analyzes the environmentalist criticism to the biotechnology, specially the deep worry about the social, economic moral, religious, and cultural effects or values that have been ignored in the biotechnological development of the agrobiotechnology. The author concludes starting that it has arrived the social moment to challenge the reality of genetic engineering. The biotechnology companies must feel the impact of environmentalist, labor and rural movements, so that they may reorient their work for the benefit of society and nature.
An accumulation of turtle eggs with embryos from the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) Judith River Formation of Montana

Abstract A weathered accumulation of turtle eggs, interpreted as remnants of a single clutch composed of at least 16 turtle eggs (MOR 710) from the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) Judith River Formation of north-central Montana, USA, represents a new oospecies Testudoolithus zelenitskyae . This ootaxon is diagnosed by the following unique combination of characters: spherical eggs 34–39 mm in diameter, 660–760 μm thick eggshell, shell unit height-to-width ratio of 3.15:1–5.5:1, and domed shell units. Estimated egg mass indicates that the egg-laying adult likely possessed a carapace 35.0–54.4 cm in length. Similarities between T. zelenitskyae oosp. nov. and Adocus sp. eggs, along with comparable body size, suggest that this taxon might have produced MOR 710. One egg exhibits abnormal multilayered eggshell, likely resulting from prolonged egg retention by the female turtle. At least five of these eggs, including the multilayered specimen, preserve embryonic remains that demonstrate a late stage of embryonic development. This suggests that death occurred just prior to hatching.
Between Electricity and Spirit: Paranormal Investigation and the Creation of Doubt in England

In contemporary England, amateur paranormal investigators actively seek empirical evidence of the paranormal. These investigators are self-fashioned experts who aim to balance scientific and spiritual perspectives in hopes of researching the existence of ghosts from an objective perspective. Despite actively seeking out ghosts and amassing firsthand paranormal experiences, investigators remain deeply doubtful about the nature of their evidence and the existence of the paranormal. Here, I explore the production and experience of doubt by examining paranormal investigators’ struggles to define and quantify the paranormal. Competing ideas about the substance or nature of ghosts lie at the heart of this struggle. Paranormal investigators agree that collecting and analyzing electromagnetic energy offers the most promising pathway for establishing empirical evidence of the paranormal. However, there is analytic uncertainty regarding the meaning of electromagnetic energy: it might indicate a spiritual or natural presence. Here, I argue that these two competing frames of interpretation engender and sustain states of doubt among investigators; however, paradoxically, these very states of doubt allow them to maintain and sustain embodied encounters with the very paranormal forces they doubt. [doubt, knowledge production, science, spirituality, paranormal, electromagnetic energy, embodied encounters, England]
Canadian agriculture factor retention under different policy regimes

The study explores the implications different Canadian policy regimes have for agriculture resource markets. Particular attention is focused on agriculture labor retention. Two markedly different policy regimes are analyzed: a continuation of the current commodity specific policy setting and a decoupled policy setting which is composed purely of lump sum transfers to farm operator labor. The amount of income transferred to agriculture producers in the decoupled policy setting is set equal to the compensating variation associated with current policies. The compensating variation is determined as the difference between Canadian producers net income when all countries, inclusive of Canada, continue with their status quo policy courses and when all countries stop all government intervention;The analysis is conducted in the empirical setting of the CAM and the BLS. Preparatory to doing the analysis, the input block of the CAM was revised to make it a better vehicle for the study. One of the key and novel revisions was to use the efficiency wage hypothesis along with Okun's Law to explain the existence of unemployment at equilibrium;This study finds that the decoupled policy regime: (1) is more conducive to preserving the traditional family farm than status quo policies; (2) leads to a greater diversification in agriculture output than status quo policies; (3) has similar directional effects on agriculture labor force size and composition as a multilateral move to agriculture trade liberalization would have, but opposite directional effects on capital usage; and (4) has a smaller negative influence on commodity world prices than the current policy course has.
The Jewish Dietary Laws in the Ancient World

In The Jewish Dietary Laws in the Ancient World Jordan D. Rosenblum explores how cultures critique and defend their religious food practices. In particular he focuses on how ancient Jews defended the kosher laws, or kashrut, and how ancient Greeks, Romans, and early Christians critiqued these practices. As the kosher laws are first encountered in the Hebrew Bible, this study is rooted in ancient biblical interpretation. It explores how commentators in antiquity understood, applied, altered, innovated upon, and contemporized biblical dietary regulations. He shows that these differing interpretations do not exist within a vacuum; rather, they are informed by a variety of motives, including theological, moral, political, social, and financial considerations. In analyzing these ancient conversations about culture and cuisine, he dissects three rhetorical strategies deployed when justifying various interpretations of ancient Jewish dietary regulations: reason, revelation, and allegory. Finally, Rosenblum reflects upon wider, contemporary debates about food ethics.
Histocompatibility Testing in the Transplant Setting

The goal of histocompatibility testing is to ensure that a transplanted organ remains viable in the recipient for the longest period of time. Three sets of tests are performed to accomplish this goal. The first is determining the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types of the patient and donor. This test allows for determination of the amount of mismatch between a donor and a recipient. The second is determining the presence and identity of any anti-HLA antibodies by testing against a reference cell panel, otherwise known as panel-reactive antibody or PRA testing. Lastly, donor-specific antibody response is measured in the crossmatch assay. The goal of antibody testing (PRA and crossmatch) is to determine if there are anti-HLA antibodies present in the recipient and, if so, are these antibodies clinically significant.
Mechanistic investigation of Fe(III) oxide reduction by low molecular weight organic sulfur species

Abstract Low molecular weight organic sulfur species, often referred to as thiols, are known to be ubiquitous in aquatic environments and represent important chemical reductants of Fe(III) oxides. Thiols are excellent electron shuttles used during dissimilatory iron reduction, and in this capacity could indirectly affect the redox state of sediments, release adsorbed contaminants via reductive dissolution, and influence the carbon cycle through alteration of bacterial respiration processes. Interestingly, the reduction of Fe(III) oxides by thiols has not been previously investigated in environmentally relevant conditions, likely due to analytical limitations associated with the detection of thiols and their oxidized products. In this study, a novel electrochemical method was developed to simultaneously determine thiol/disulfide pair concentrations in situ during the reduction of ferrihydrite in batch reactors. First order rate laws with respect to initial thiol concentration were confirmed for Fe(III) oxyhydroxide reduction by four common thiols: cysteine, homocysteine, cysteamine, and glutathione. Zero order was determined for both Fe(III) oxyhydroxide and proton concentration at circumneutral pH. A kinetic model detailing the molecular mechanism of the reaction was optimized with proposed intermediate surface structures. Although metal oxide overall reduction rate constants were inversely proportional to the complexity of the thiol structure, the extent of metal reduction increased with structure complexity, indicating that surface complexes play a significant role in the ability of these thiols to reduce iron. Taken together, these results demonstrate the importance of considering the molecular reaction mechanism at the iron oxide surface when investigating the potential for thiols to act as electron shuttles during dissimilatory iron reduction in natural environments.
The Politics of Relay Translation and Language Hierarchies: The Case of Stanisław Lem’s Solaris

This chapter proposes that the presence of doubly translated literary texts in English points to a political dimension of literary trends. Relay translations are commissioned and published because minority and less translated languages are not accorded importance or prestige. The chapter’s central argument is twofold. First, it argues that doubly mediated English translations indicate the position of source languages and literatures within the global hierarchies of cultural prestige. Second, by using as a case study the 1970 relay translation (via French) of Stanislaw Lem’s critically acclaimed novel, Solaris, the chapter demonstrates that by introducing a third linguistic layer, cultural context, and translator, relay translation increases the likelihood of inaccuracies and errors, making it a method particularly unsuited to literary translation.
The Energy Multiplier Module (EM2): Status of Conceptual Design

AbstractThe Energy Multiplier Module (EM2) is a helium-cooled fast reactor with a core outlet temperature of 850°C. It is designed as a modular, grid-capable power source with a net unit output of 265 MWe. The reactor employs a convert-and-burn core design that converts fertile isotopes to fissile and burns them in situ over a 30-year core life. The reactor is sited in a below-grade sealed containment. It uses passive safety methods for heat removal and reactivity control to protect the integrity of the fuel, reactor vessel, and containment. The plant also incorporates a below-grade, passively cooled spent fuel storage facility with capacity for 60 years of full-power operation. EM2 employs a direct closed-cycle gas turbine power conversion unit (PCU) with an organic Rankine bottoming cycle for 53% net power conversion efficiency assuming evaporative cooling. The high-power conversion efficiency and long-burn fuel cycle reduce the electricity cost by 35% when compared with the conventional light water rea...
Ethical considerations when delivering behavior analytic services for problem behavior via telehealth.

Delivery of healthcare services via telehealth has been growing in popularity, and work completed by behavior analytic researchers and practitioners have supported this trend. Behavior analysts at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital (UICH) developed a telehealth model of service delivery to build upon their already established in-clinic and in-home services. Results from their telehealth studies showed positive effects. Social functions were identified for most children, and problem behavior decreased by an average of 94.14%. Additionally, parent satisfaction was quite high, suggesting this mode of service delivery was acceptable to caregivers. Given the increasing empirical support for providing behavior analytic services via telehealth, careful consideration needs to be given to the numerous ethical issues involved in telehealth service delivery. The current article describes the telehealth service delivery model developed at UICH as well as the ethical issues considered at different points when delivering these telehealth services. Following these ethical considerations, implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
Design matters: explorations of content and design in fraction games

The goal of the current study was to contribute to our emergent understanding of whether and how particular types of digital games can support student learning and engagement. We focused on commercially available educational apps that focused on similar content (fraction comparison and equivalence) but represented extremes in how game-like they were (games vs. worksheets). Third-grade students (n = 95) worked on the apps for an hour in their math classrooms. Students preformed equally well on a paper-and-pencil assessment, but students’ enjoyment of the games was significantly higher. Student interviews indicated that students who played the games noticed the mathematics content in the games, sometimes linking it to the game mechanics, noticed the relevance of the game for the assessment and talked about enjoying the games. Findings suggest that exploratory games that implicitly support mathematics knowledge can improve students’ math knowledge outside of the game context and improve student engagement.
Plasma levels of the proangiogenic protein CXCL16 remains elevated for 1 month after minimally invasive colorectal cancer resection.

Inflammation-induced endothelial precursor cell recruitment and angiogenesis are thought to be associated with CXCL16-CXCR6 pair activity. This study’s main purpose was to determine plasma CXCL16 levels after minimally invasive colorectal resection (MICR) for colorectal cancer (CRC); an adjunct study assessed wound fluid (WF) and plasma CXCL16 levels in a separate group of CRC patients. CRC patients who had MICR and for whom plasma was available in a tissue bank were eligible. Plasma samples were collected preoperatively from all patients. Samples were also collected on postoperative days (POD) 1 and 3 and at various late postoperative time points (POD 7–34). In a separate study, blood and intra-abdominal wound fluid (WF) samples were collected from CRC MICR patients (pts). Samples were stored at − 80 °C. CXCL16 levels were determined via ELISA. The Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann and Whitney tests were used for analysis. Main study: 86 CRC pts. were included. The mean preoperative plasma CXCL16 level was 2.36 ± 0.57 ng/ml. Elevated mean plasma levels (p < 0.0001 × first 4 time points) were noted on POD 1 (2.82 ± 0.81, n = 86), POD 3 (3.12 ± 0.77, n = 82), POD 7–13 (3.28 ± 0.88, n = 64), POD 14–20 (3.03 ± 0.62, n = 24), POD 21–27 (3.06 ± 0.67, n = 20, p = 0.0003), and POD 28–34 (3.17 ± 0.43, n = 11, p = 0.001) vs. preop levels. WF study: In the adjunct study, plasma and WF CXCL16 levels were determined for 23 CRC MICR pts. WF levels at all time points were significantly elevated over plasma levels. Plasma CXCL16 levels were elevated for 4 weeks after minimally invasive colorectal resection for cancer. Also, WF CXCL16 levels were 3–10 times greater than the corresponding plasma concentrations. The source of the late plasma elevations may be the healing wound. Increased plasma CXCL16 levels may promote tumor angiogenesis in the first month after MICR.
Accommodating life sciences on the Space Station

The NASA Ames Research Center Biological Research Project (BRP) is responsible for identifying and accommodating high priority life science activities, utilizing nonhuman specimens, on the Space Station and is charged to bridge the gap between the science community and the Space Station Program. This paper discusses the approaches taken by the BRP in accomodating these research objectives to constraints imposed by the Space Station System, while maintaining a user-friendly environment. Consideration is given to the particular research disciplines which are given priority, the science objectives in each of these disciplines, the functions and activities required by these objectives, the research equipment, and the equipment suits. Life sciences programs planned by the Space Station participating partners (USA, Europe, Japan, and Canada) are compared.
Component-Mode-Synthesis-Based Method for Structural Synthesis

In many engineering applications, selection of subcomponents for assembly into a useful structure is a more important design decision than modification of the detailed dimensions of individual subcomponent. Examples in the automobile industry include selection of strength members of the roof of a van to enhance buckling resistance or placement of engine support members in the chassis of a truck to reduce vibration. In these problems, the design variables are the subcomponents themselves, rather than the dimensions of the subcomponents.
Vascular Factors Affecting Drug Delivery to Brain Tumors

A satisfactory agent for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) must bind tumor cells in preference to normal cellular elements of the brain. However, it must also be delivered in sufficient concentration to the tumor cells by the bloodstream. The latter depends upon the degree of uptake or binding of the agent by blood cells or plasma proteins, the blood flow within the tumor, the permeability of the tumor vasculature to the particular boronated agent, and the distribution volumes of the agent within the tumor and adjacent brain tissue1,2.
Radical prostatectomy then and now: Surgical overtreatment of prostate cancer is declining from 2009 to 2016 at a tertiary referral center.

Abstract Background In the era of increasing scrutiny of delivery of quality care, efforts to decrease surgical overtreatment of insignificant prostate cancer (iCaP) continue. Objective To quantify the incidence of surgical overtreatment over time among a contemporary series of men diagnosed with CaP. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and pathologic specimens for men with CaP who underwent radical prostatectomy between January 2009 and December 2016 at a tertiary referral center. Overtreatment, defined as presence of iCaP in radical prostatectomy specimens, was the primary endpoint. iCaP was defined as a tumor of Gleason score no more than 6 and a tumor diameter ≤10mm (volume Results A total of 1,283 men were eligible for analysis. Overtreatment was found in 86 (6.7%) patients. The frequency of overtreatment significantly decreased from 15% (24/165) in 2009 to 3% (4/134) of patients in 2016 (P Comment Surgical overtreatment of CaP has declined to a rate of approximately 3% at this tertiary referral center; further decline is likely. The decline probably has a multifactorial explanation: decreased rate of overdiagnosis, better patient selection for surgery, or change in the referral pattern.
Bilayer Passivation Film for Cu Interconnects on Si Interconnect Fabric

The Silicon Interconnect Fabric (Si-IF) is a heterogenous integration platform where heterogeneous bare dies are bonded to a Si substrate at fine die-to-wafer interconnect pitches (2–10 μm), Since Cu-Cu thermo compression bonding (TCB) is needed to enable fine die-to-wafer interconnect pitches, there arises a need for a novel low thermal-budget passivation thin film to protect the bonded Cu interconnect pillars against moisture ingress to prevent Cu oxidation. In this paper, we present a novel low-thermal budget (130 °C) bilayer thin film made of SiNx/Parylene C, which is used for passivation of the Si-IF. Parylene C adhesion to SiNx was optimized using an adhesion promoter under various annealing conditions. Adhesion of Parylene C to SiNx was then tested using the ASTM D3359 standard. Adhesion of Parylene C to SiNx substrate was evaluated after subjecting the bilayer to “85/85” Steady-State Humidity Life Test standard”. The tape test was performed on a passivated sample every 24 hours during humidity testing up to 144 hours. Results show that adhesion remains constant throughout test duration. “85/85” test was also used to study moisture ingress induced failure mechanisms in a period of 168 hours. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) was utilized to detect oxidation in the blanket Cu samples passivated with bilayer thin film. XRD scans showed no signs of oxidation in the samples up to 168 hours of testing. In addition, Cu interconnects of various widths (10–100 μm) were passivated and tested for electrical resistance change after similar stress time. Change in average resistance was less than 3% after testing for 168 hours.
Tourism and stress hormone measures in Gentoo Penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula

The impacts of tourism on wildlife have long been a concern in areas where ecotourism is a major industry. The issue is especially pressing in Antarctica, which has a rapidly growing tourism industry largely concentrated around penguin colonies on the Antarctic Peninsula. Guidelines developed by both the Committee for Environmental Protection and the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators include measures to minimize wildlife impacts. In this study, we examined the relationship between physiologic stress in Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua) and tourism. Corticosterone is an adrenal glucocorticoid that has been shown in previous studies to increase in response to stressors such as low food availability, environmental conditions, as well as human visitation and proximity. Fecal glucocorticoids (FGM; primarily corticosterone and metabolites) were measured in Gentoo Penguin guano collected at 19 breeding colonies (n = 108, 3–10 samples per site) on the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, representing a wide range of tourism visitation. We found a large degree of variation in FGM concentrations, and no relationship between FGM concentrations and number of tourists landed at that site. These results suggest that current tourism management guidelines on the Antarctic Peninsula are effective at preventing increased stress in Gentoo Penguins as measured by hormonal markers, and demonstrate the use of guano as a non-invasive, low-impact methodology for monitoring Gentoo Penguin stress.
How can memory bits and power sets benefit each other?: nifty assignment

Discrete math (or math in general) is an indispensable part of the computer science curriculum. However, many students feel that math and computer science are separated, or more specifically, that computer science has nothing to do with math and vice versa. The intention of this assignment is to correct this misconception by letting students investigate the relation and the mutual benefits between memory bits (a computer science notion) and power sets (a math notion).
Ventilatory Responsiveness during Exercise and Performance Impairment in Acute Hypoxia.

INTRODUCTION An adequate increase in minute ventilation to defend arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2) during hypoxic exercise is commonly viewed as an important factor contributing to large inter-individual variations in the degree of exercise performance impairment in hypoxia. Although the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) could provide insight into the underpinnings of such impairments, it is typically measured at rest under isocapnic conditions. Thus, we aimed to determine whether 1) HVR at rest and during exercise are similar and 2) exercise HVR is related to the degree of impairment in cycling time trial (TT) performance from normoxia to acute hypoxia (∆TT). METHODS Sixteen endurance-trained men (V˙O2peak, 62.5 ± 5.8 mL·kg-1·min-1) performed two poikilocapnic HVR tests: one during seated rest (HVRREST) and another during submaximal cycling (HVREX). On two separate visits, subjects (n = 12) performed a 10-km cycling TT while breathing either room air (FiO2 = 0.21) or hypoxic gas mixture (FiO2 = 0.16) in a randomized order. RESULTS HVREX was significantly (P < 0.001) greater than HVRREST (1.52 ± 0.47 and 0.22 ± 0.13 L·min-1·%SpO2-1, respectively), and these measures were not correlated (r = -0.16, P = 0.57). ∆TT was not correlated with HVRREST (P = 0.70) or HVREX (P = 0.54), but differences in ventilation and end-tidal CO2 between hypoxic and normoxic TT and the ventilatory equivalent for CO2 during normoxic TT explained ~85% of the variance in performance impairment in acute hypoxia (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION We conclude that 1) HVR is not an appropriate measure to predict the exercise ventilatory response or performance impairments in acute hypoxia and 2) an adequate and metabolically matched increase in exercise ventilation, but not the gain in the ventilatory response to hypoxia, is essential for mitigating hypoxia-induced impairments in endurance cycling performance.
10. CREATING A HOLISTIC MODEL OF BURNOUT DRIVERS AND MOVING TOWARD USEFUL INTERVENTIONS IN PEDIATRIC ACADEMIC MEDICAL FACULTY

Background Burnout drivers and interventions are poorly understood despite numerous studies addressing the topic. Burnout rates are steady or increasing in physicians although many organizations have implemented wellness interventions. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to create a holistic picture of burnout drivers in academic medical faculty in a single department of a large, research university. Methods This qualitative interview study used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and the Job Demands-Resources Model. Full-time faculty members completed two semi-structured interviews. Topics discussed included: job roles, stressors, resources, attitudes, organizational characteristics, and asked faculty to define burnout and describe their own levels of burnout. Interviews were transcribed and coded using deductive and inductive coding. A transferrable model of drivers was created. Results Twenty-two faculty were interviewed. Eight participants (36%) self-reported burnout; 9 (41%) denied burnout. Burnout was reported in multiple specialties, experience levels, and demographics. The most common theme was job demands, but stressors were unit- or context-specific, not universal. Faculty discussed interpersonal factors as meaningful aspects of their jobs. Faculty did not participate in organization-sponsored interventions due to a lack of time or interest but discussed their own personal coping mechanisms. Recognition salient in determining self-reported level of burnout. Conclusions Organizations should focus resources on interpersonal factors rather than individual interventions. Recognition scholars recommend promoting social and political recognition, which has been shown to increase feelings of personal accomplishment, an established dimension of burnout. Organizations should use caution using the term burnout to mask more serious mental health conditions. Scholars note no difference in symptoms between stress, burnout, and depression and add that burnout has been used as a catch-all. Recommendations were made to department leadership in four action areas.
Arduino Based Smart Security System Design for Surveillance

This paper presents an idea for a smarter security system that is a way better than the conventional systems that involve a lot of human labor. The design considerations and working environment of our prototype are discussed here briefly. This prototype can be extended to many domains ranging from household security to the defense security systems. For designing this security system, we have proposed an architecture using ATmega328 – Arduino Uno board and servo motors. By using this prototype in the real time effectively combining with the human intelligence higher level of security can be achieved.
Leveraging Course Evaluations To Empower Students And Improve Teaching

Location: JC Room D Course evaluations, in recent decades, have been used increasingly for the purpose of high-stakes employment decisions, such as promotion, salary and re-hire. Research, however, clearly indicates that such forms, often biased, are best utilized as a snapshot of student impressions of teaching, and are, thus, best used as a means of formative, not summative assessment. Due to this misuse/misunderstanding of the form, faculty are missing the opportunity to utilize student-centered evaluative methods to gain insight into student perceptions of learning. Faculty generally dread looking at their course evaluation results. Low ratings may mean no salary increase, no promotion, or, even, termination. Even when ratings are high, instructors are well aware that course evaluations results are frequently biased by factors such as race, gender, age, grade expectation, course subject, number of respondents, level of instruction, type of course (required vs. elective), and enjoyment of course (Boring, Ottoboni & Stark 2016; Kornell & Hausman 2016; Ray, Babb and Wooten 2018). This roundtable discusses a series of possible measures to address this problem. It presents the results of the work by the Mason Effective Teaching Committee of revising the current course evaluation form. The presentation focuses on the research suggesting ways to use both the course evaluation form, as well as other measures, to obtain valuable information about student learning. These changes go beyond creating and validating a set of new items for the institutional form. They also require a cultural shift in understanding how student perceptions of their own learning can be utilized as an important formative tool, rather than merely a summative tool. In particular, the presentation describes the process followed by the committee to create new items and re-word old ones in order to shift the focus from the instructor to the student. Also, it discusses how the committee consulted with students to make sure that items were comprehensible, as well as with all stakeholders at Mason and statisticians for test reliability and validity purposes. Last, and most importantly, this roundtable discusses a series of recommendations at the instructor, program, and university levels needed for this cultural shift to happen. Boring, A., Ottoboni, K. & Stark, P. B. 2016. Student evaluations of teaching (mostly) do not measure teaching effectiveness. ScienceOpen Research. DOI: 10.14293/S2199-1006.1.SOR-EDU.AETBZC.v1.
LGBT Elders in Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care Facilities, and Residential Communities

This article examines the opportunities and challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender elders who are aging in the long-term care continuum. From independent and community living, to adult day services, assisted living and nursing facilities, LGBT elders may face discrimination from administrators, direct care professionals, neighbors, and other residents/participants. Ironically, enduring a lifetime of fear and discrimination has many positive factors for LGBT elders’ resiliency, self-esteem, and social networking. Further, LGBT individuals are now increasingly accepted into “mainstream” society. It is, however, important to understand that that the current cohort of LGBT elders may not only fear, but lack the funds to participate in, the long-term care continuum.
Solution X-ray scattering as a probe of hydration-dependent structuring of aqueous solutions

We report on new X-ray solution scattering experiments and molecular dynamics simulations conducted for increasing solute concentrations of N-acetyl-amino acid-amides and -methylamides in water, for the amino acids leucine, glutamine, and glycine. As the concentration increases, the main diffraction peak of pure water at Q = 2.0 A-1 shifts to smaller angle for the larger leucine and glutamine amino acids, and a new diffraction peak grows in at Q ∼ 0.8 A-1 for only the hydrophobic amino acid leucine. The unaltered value of the peak position at Q ∼ 0.8 A-1 over a large concentration range suggests that a stable and ordered leucine solute–solute distribution is sustained. Simulations of the distributions of leucines in water that reproduce the experimental observable show that mono-dispersed to small molecular aggregates of two to six hydrophobic amino acids are formed, as opposed to complete segregation of the hydrophobic solutes into one large cluster. The scattering results for the hydrophobic leucine amino acid are contrasted with experiments and simulations of the model hydrophilic side chain glutamine and the model backbone glycine. The self-assembly process of protein folding modeled with these experiments, in particular the condensation to a hydrophobic core, shares similar issues with the desolvation phenomena that are important in drug discovery.
Systematic review: the epidemiology of eosinophilic oesophagitis in adults

Summary Background The epidemiology of eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) in adults remains unclear. Aim To estimate the prevalence and incidence of EoE through a systematic review of published literature. Methods We conducted systematic literature searches in PubMed in September 2009. Studies were excluded if they contained any participants below 18 years of age, published in languages other than English, or had no exact reporting of prevalence or incidence rates. Results Nine studies fulfilled the criteria; one evaluated a population-based sample, one examined patients referred from a defined geographical region and seven studies examined the prevalence in a total of 6018 patients in clinic or hospital settings. The lowest prevalence was reported in population-based studies (4 and 0.23 per 1000), followed by studies of unselected patients (1.0%, 6.5%) and highest in the other five clinic/hospital based studies (2.2–48.2%). Men were more affected in seven of eight studies (64.5–100%). The sample size weighted average prevalence from the population-based studies was 0.03%. For studies evaluating symptomatic patients, it was 2.8%. Conclusions The prevalence of EoE in adults varies considerably based on the study sampling frame: high in dysphagia patients, quite low in population-based studies and intermediate among unselected endoscopy patients.
A mid-Holocene environmental change in Amazonian savannas

Aim The main goal of this study was to investigate how climate and human activities may have influenced ecotonal areas of disjoint savannas within Brazilian Amazonia. Location Eastern Brazilian Amazonia, Amapa State. Methods The fossil pollen and charcoal records of two lakes in Amapa (Marcio and Tapera) were used to provide a Holocene palaeoecological history of eastern Amazonian savannas. Detrended correspondence analysis was used to enhance the patterns of sample distribution along the sediment core. Results Even though sedimentary hiatuses were recognized in the sediment cores from both lakes, a marked change in vegetation from closed forests with swamp elements to open flooded savanna at c. 5000 yr bp was evident from the pollen record. Charcoal analysis revealed a pattern of increased accumulation of charred particles coincident with the establishment of savanna vegetation, suggesting higher fire frequency near the lakes. Because the timing of the sedimentary hiatus overlapped with the highest Holocene sea level, which would have increased the local water table preventing the lakes from drying out, we infer that both lakes used to depend heavily on flood waters, and the sedimentary gap was caused by reduced discharge from the Amazon River, due to a dry period in the Andes, when precipitation levels markedly decreased between 8000 and 5000 yr bp. The lack of Andean pollen (probably river transported) in the sediment record after this event and the existence of similar records near the study site make this interpretation more appealing. The resumption of sedimentation in Lake Marcio, contemporaneous with falling sea level and increasingly wet conditions in the Andes after 5000 yr bp, indicates that Holocene sea-level variation did not play an important role in maintaining lake levels. Main conclusions The study site recorded long-term occupation by pre-Columbian peoples. However, it is still unclear whether these disjoint savannas have an anthropogenic origin. Even though locally dry environmental conditions were inferred from both records, there is no evidence of a mid-Holocene dry climate in eastern Amazonia. Instead, the Amapa record indicates a connection between Andean climate and eastern Amazonia, demonstrating the need for a better understanding of the impacts and magnitude of climate changes.
Commentary: U.S. Banking in an Increasingly Integrated and Competitive World Economy

George Benston has done his usual masterful job in laying out a basic structure of how we should think about the competitiveness of U.S. banks. As I understand his article, he reaches three major conclusions. First, the efficiency of U.S. banks appears to be declining. Second, our banks continue to be on the cutting edge of innovation and new product development—developing new financial instruments, new hedging strategies, and so on. Third, unnecessary flaws in our bank regulatory system are holding our banks back—the Glass-Steagall Act, the McFadden Act, and the Bank Holding Company Act, among others. If these flaws were corrected, U.S. banks would be more competitive.
From label to trademark

Purpose – This research aims to examine a number of legal sources for evidence that US marketers were interested in protecting their brand identities in the 1800s.Design/methodology/approach – The research examines historical legal records including registrations for commercial prints and labels, design patents and trademarks as well as other legal records. The work discusses the evolution of the concept of brand identity by examining various legal methods that were used to try to protect brand identity from imitation.Findings – The research suggests that marketer interest in the development and protection of brand identity preceded the US Civil War and confirms that this interest was led by marketers of patent medicines, tobacco and liquor. However, the study also demonstrates strong interest by marketers of many other types of products from disposable products to durable manufactured items.Research limitations/implications – Many original records were lost in the 1836 Patent Office fire or have been sim...