cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Peak Diversity of Cretaceous Galatheoids (Crustacea, Decapoda) from Northern Spain

Abstract Galatheoids, squat lobsters, have recently received much systematic attention. We describe, discuss, and illustrate ten species of galatheoids found in the mid-Cretaceous (Albian/Cenomanian) Aldoirar patch reef in northern Spain. All are found in the abandoned Koskobilo quarry. The new taxa include two new genera, Hispanigalathea gen. nov. and Nykteripteryx gen. nov., and four new species: Hispanigalathea pseudolaevis sp. nov., H. tuberosa sp. nov., Nykteripteryx rostrata sp. nov., and Eomunidopsis aldoirarensis sp. nov. We redescribe E. navarrensis, E. orobensis, Paragalathea ruizi, P. straeleni, and P. multisquamata. Finally, an indeterminate galatheoid is also recognized. To date, this is by far the richest galatheoid fauna known in terms of the number of species and genera from the Cretaceous, both on the locality and formation level. This diversity is probably related to the reef facies in which the galatheoids were discovered.
Picosecond magnetic spectroscopy of two- and three-dimensional diluted magnetic semiconductors

The authors have developed a novel type of magnetic spectroscopy which relies on an integrated multichip SQUID (superconducting quantum interference devices) microsusceptometer to obtain nearly quantum-limited spin resolution. The susceptometer, including two DC SQUIDs, pickup loops, and field coils, was fabricated using VLSI technology to achieve an unprecedented scale of magnetic sensitivity, optimized for the study of microscopic samples or thin layers. Furthermore, in combination with an ultrafast pulsed laser system, measurements can be made at picosecond time scales, providing an understanding of the dynamics of the magnetic phenomena in these materials and the effects of quantum confinement on magnetic behavior. >
Discrepancies in Goldmann tonometer readings

Purpose: To evaluate discrepancies in Goldmann tonometer readings in eyes with varying degrees of corneal hydration and stromal amount. Methods. 6 Eye Bank eyes, donated by Florida Lion's Eye Bank, were evaluated. Each eye was affixed to a customized artificial orbit system with intraocular pressure (IOP) measured directly by a pressure transducer inserted into the vitreous and with a Goldmann tonometric readings. The eyes were dehydrated for 5-minute intervals in a 30% Dextran-BSS solution, with readings taken between each submersion. Once corneal thickness stabilized, a corneal trephination of 6mm was made. The corneal buttons were frozen and dehydrated by lyophilization and weighed. Results. Preliminary results show a possible overestimation in thicker corneas and an underestimation in thinner corneas, as previously published. Corresponding data on the weight of corneal material is provided. Further studies need to be conducted to determine statistical significance of the data. Conclusion. This study uses Eye Bank eyes with a protocol that produces results similar to previously published results. Further studies in correlating the amount of corneal stroma and discrepancies in Goldmann tonometer readings of intraocular pressure are important especially with the increasing acceptance of corneal refractive surgeries.
Evaluating Electoral Systems

La academia especializada ha sugerido que los sistemas electorales tienen como proposito promover (1) la representacion justa de los partidos, (2) la ejecucion adecuada de las politicas gubernamentales, y/o (3) la representacion correspondiente a los intereses de los votantes de cada circunscripcion electoral. Estos tres criterios pertenecen a tres diversas clases de rendicion de cuentas –la que existe de los partidos con sus seguidores; la del gobierno con la ciudadania, y la de los legisladores con su circunscripcion electoral– que no puede ser maximizadas simultaneamente. Este ensayo discute cada uno de estos criterios en abstracto para luego hacer referencia especifica a las implicaciones del sistema electoral chileno en estos y a las propuestas para reformarlo.
PL-a probabilistic logic

A description is given of a logic called PL, which uses probability estimates to express uncertainties (without adopting the conventional probability axioms). The author proposes a generalization of the logical interpretations of the connectives and quantifiers to this case. The notions of a formula, a structure, assignment, satisfaction, deduction, etc., are generalizations of the corresponding first-order ones. A method of assigning semantics to PL is proposed, and some of its properties are studied. The soundness and completeness of PL is studied. In particular, PL is shown to be compatible with the first-order predicate calculus. >
Turning Back the Clock on Women's Health in Medically Underserved Communities.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) represents a watershed for women’s health policy in the United States. Among its many advances, the ACA establishes coverage of women’s preventive health services without cost-sharing as a near-universal standard for public and private health insurance. All contraceptive methods approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are part of this coverage standard, which is also integrated into Medicaid (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, 2011; 42 U.S.C. x300gg-13; 42 CFR x147.130; 42 U.S.C. x1396). But the struggle continues in the ongoing effort to turn promise into reality, and unfortunately, poor women have been a main casualty during 5 long years of crushing implementation battles. The most prominent battle, perhaps, has focused on the ACA’s Medicaid expansion. The poorest residents of 20 states, including close to 1.9 million women of childbearing age, remain without the law’s promised reforms, because their state refuses to participate in Medicaid, an option made possible by the United States Supreme Court’s decision in 2012 in National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius (Salganicoff, Ranji, & Sobel, 2015).1 Although Alaska and Montana have recently moved to expandMedicaid, bringing total participation to 30 states and the District of Columbia, the states that continue to hold out probably will not elect to participate any time soon. The struggle extends beyond Medicaid. Had the United States Supreme Court not turned back a lethal challenge to the ACA’s insurance expansions in King v. Burwell (2015), millions more
Robot Guided Sheaths (RoGS) for Percutaneous Access to the Pediatric Kidney: Patient-Specific Design and Preliminary Results

Robot-guided sheaths consisting of pre-curved tubes and steerable needles are proposed to provide surgical access to locations deep within the body. In comparison to current minimally invasive surgical robotic instruments, these sheaths are thinner, can move along more highly curved paths, and are potentially less expensive. This paper presents the patient-specific design of the pre-curved tube portion of a robot-guided sheath for access to a kidney stone; such a device could be used for delivery of an endoscope to fragment and remove the stone in a pediatric patient. First, feasible two-dimensional paths were determined considering workspace limitations, including avoidance of the ribs and lung, and minimizing collateral damage to surrounding tissue by leveraging the curvatures of the sheaths. Second, building on prior work in concentric-tube robot mechanics, the mechanical interaction of a two-element sheath was modeled and the resulting kinematics was demonstrated to achieve a feasible path in simulation. In addition, as a first step toward three-dimensional planning, patient-specific CT data was used to reconstruct a three-dimensional model of the area of interest.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Damage Growth in Prestressed Plain Weave Fabrics

A simplified micromechanics approach is used to develop a mathematical model to predict damage growth in prestressed plain weave fabrics near sites where yams are broken. Stress concentration in the yams neighboring yarn breaks is determined as a function of increasing loading. An evaluation of the load redistribution around the damage region includes a determination of the frictional slip of broken yams. Consid eration of equilibrium and deformation of constituent yams leads to linear differential equations for yarn displacements applicable to distinct regions where slipping does and does not occur. Slip frictional forces depend on yam normal contact forces at cross over points resulting from crimp interchange, Kawabata's model [12] is modified and used to motivate an analysis of frictional load transfer. The equations are nondimen sionalized, and dimensionless parameters involving both geometry and material prop erties are identified.
Multiple Exceptionalities: A Case Study

This study investigated an eleven-year-old boy with multiple exceptionalities. The participant was verbally gifted, learning-disabled in math, and health-impaired. Because of his health impairment, he had received home-bound instruction throughout his elementary school years and had had little contact with formal schooling. Using qualitative research methods, the investigators explored the participant's learning characteristics and educational experiences. Implications of Alec's story for the identification and education of gifted children with disabilities are discussed.
Natural variations in the stress and acute phase responses of cattle

Activation of the innate immune system and acute phase response (APR) results in several responses that include fever, metabolic adaptations and changes in behavior. The APR can be modulated by many factors, with stress being the most common. An elevation of stress hormones for a short duration of time can be beneficial. However, elevation of stress hormones repeatedly or for an extended duration of time can be detrimental to the overall health and well-being of animals. The stress and APR responses can also be modulated by naturally-occurring variations, such as breed, gender, and temperament. These three natural variations modulate both of these responses, and can therefore modulate the ability of an animal to recover from a stressor or infection. Understanding that cattle have different immunological responses, based on naturally occurring variations such as these, may be the foundation of new studies on how to effectively manage cattle so that health is optimized and production is benefited.
The impact of metallization thickness and geometry for X-band tunable microwave filters

The impact of dc resistance on the performance of X-band filters with ferroelectric varactors was investigated. Two series of combline bandpass filters with specific geometries to isolate sources of conductor losses were designed and synthesized. Combining the changes in filter geometry with microwave measurements and planar filter solver (Sonnet software) simulations quantitatively identified the dependency of insertion loss on overall metallization thickness and local regions of thin metallization. The optimized 8-GHz bandpass filters exhibited insertion losses of 6.8 dB. These filters required 2.5 ?m of metal thickness (or 3 effective skin depths) to achieve this loss. The trend of loss with thickness indicates diminishing return with additional metal. The integration scheme requires thin regions of metal in the immediate vicinity of the varactors. It is shown through experiment and simulation that short distances (i.e., 15 ?m) of thin metallization can be tolerated provided that they are located in regions where the resonant microwave current is low.
Microbial Pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Dawn of a Discipline

“If we ask further what significance belongs to the results tered growth kinetics in experimental animals. This regained in this study of tuberculosis it must be considered view is not intended to comprehensively detail the ina gain for science that it has been possible for the first credible breadth of the mycobacterial literature, but time to establish the complete proof of the parasitic rather to highlight and interpret recent advances and to nature of a human infectious disease, and this of the point to future directions. most important one. So far such proof was established only for anthrax, while in a number of other infectious The Ongoing M. tuberculosis Epidemic diseases in human beings, for example relapsing fever, The global burden of M. tuberculosis infection is overwound infections, leprosy, gonorrhoea, it was only whelming. In addition, Bovine Tuberculosis (caused by known that parasites occur simultaneously with the Mycobacterium bovis) and Leprosy (caused by Mycopathogenic process, but the causal connection between bacterium leprae) remain significant global health probthe two has not been established. It may be expected lems. Recent estimates of Tuberculosis disease burden that the elucidation of the aetiology of tuberculosis will documented approximately 1.86 billion people infected provide new viewpoints for the study of other infectious with M. tuberculosis with 16.2 million cases of active diseases.” disease. These active cases resulted in approximately —Robert Koch, 1882 2 million deaths in 1997, an average global case fatality
Metabolic response of Geobacter sulfurreducens towards electron donor/acceptor variation

Background: Geobacter sulfurreducens is capable of coupling the complete oxidation of organic compounds to iron reduction. The metabolic response of G. sulfurreducens towards variations in electron donors (acetate, hydrogen) and acceptors (Fe(III), fumarate) was investigated via 13 C-based metabolic flux analysis. We examined the 13 C-labeling patterns of proteinogenic amino acids obtained from G. sulfurreducens cultured with 13 C-acetate. Results: Using 13 C-based metabolic flux analysis, we observed that donor and acceptor variations gave rise to differences in gluconeogenetic initiation, tricarboxylic acid cycle activity, and amino acid biosynthesis pathways. Culturing G. sulfurreducens cells with Fe(III) as the electron acceptor and acetate as the electron donor resulted in pyruvate as the primary carbon source for gluconeogenesis. When fumarate was provided as the electron acceptor and acetate as the electron donor, the flux analysis suggested that fumarate served as both an electron acceptor and, in conjunction with acetate, a carbon source. Growth on fumarate and acetate resulted in the initiation of gluconeogenesis by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and a slightly elevated flux through the oxidative tricarboxylic acid cycle as compared to growth with Fe(III) as the electron acceptor. In addition, the direction of net flux between acetyl-CoA and pyruvate was reversed during growth on fumarate relative to Fe(III), while growth in the presence of Fe(III) and acetate which provided hydrogen as an electron donor, resulted in decreased flux through the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Conclusions: We gained detailed insight into the metabolism of G. sulfurreducens cells under various electron donor/acceptor conditions using 13 C-based metabolic flux analysis. Our results can be used for the development of
Glycosyl Phosphatidylinositol Anchorage of Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor

Background— The endothelium is a major source of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), the endogenous regulator of TF-induced coagulation, and a significant proportion of the expressed TFPI remains associated with the endothelial surface. Methods and Results— Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) treatment reduced TFPI at the surface of cultured endothelial cells by ≈80%, and at least a portion of the TFPI released by PI-PLC contained an intrinsic glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor that is recognized by anti-crossreactive determinant antibodies. Endothelial cells express both of the alternatively spliced forms of TFPI mRNA at a ratio of TFPIβ/TFPIα mRNA of ≈0.1 to 0.2. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, TFPIα is predominantly secreted, whereas TFPIβ is a GPI-anchored membrane protein. Like TFPIβ, the small proportion of the TFPIα expressed by CHO cells that remains surface associated is also released by PI-PLC treatment, suggesting that it is bound to a separate GPI-anchored p...
Towards a quantitative comparison of location-independent network architectures

This paper presents a quantitative methodology and results comparing different approaches for {\it location-independent} communication. Our approach is empirical and is based on real Internet topologies, routing tables from real routers, and a measured workload of the mobility of devices and content across network addresses today. We measure the extent of network mobility exhibited by mobile devices with a home-brewn Android app deployed on hundreds of smartphones, and measure the network mobility of Internet content from distributed vantage points. We combine this measured data with our quantitative methodology to analyze the different cost-benefit tradeoffs struck by location-independent network architectures with respect to routing update cost, path stretch, and forwarding table size. We find that more than 20% of users change over 10 IP addresses a day, suggesting that mobility is the norm rather than the exception, so intrinsic and efficient network support for mobility is critical. We also find that with purely name-based routing approaches, each event involving the mobility of a device or popular content may result in an update at up to 14% of Internet routers; but, the fraction of impacted routers is much smaller for the long tail of unpopular content. These results suggest that recent proposals for pure name-based networking are suitable for highly aggregateable content that does not move frequently but may need to be augmented with addressing-assisted approaches to handle device mobility.
Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells Promote Endothelial Cell Morphogenesis and Protect Endothelial Cells against Ischemia via HIF-1α-regulated VEGF Signaling

Vascular cells provide a neural stem/progenitor cell (NSPC) niche that regulates expansion and differentiation of NSPCs within the germinal zones of the embryonic and adult brain under both physiologic and pathologic conditions. Here, we examined the NSPC-endothelial cell (NSPC/EC) interaction under conditions of ischemia, both in vitro and after intracerebral transplantation. In culture, embryonic mouse NSPCs supported capillary morphogenesis and protected ECs from cell death induced by serum starvation or by transient oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD). Neural stem/progenitor cells constitutively expressed hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) transcription factor and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), both of which were increased approximately twofold after the exposure of NSPCs to OGD. The protective effects of NSPCs on ECs under conditions of serum starvation and hypoxia were blocked by pharmacological inhibitors of VEGF signaling, SU1498 and Flt-1-Fc. After intracerebral transplantation, NSPCs continued to express HIF-1alpha and VEGF, and promoted microvascular density after focal ischemia. These studies support a role for NSPCs in stabilization of vasculature during ischemia, mediated via HIF-1alpha-VEGF signaling pathways, and suggest therapeutic application of NSPCs to promote revascularization and repair after brain injury.
Pituitary Hormone Gene Expression and Secretion in Human Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Transgenic Mice: Focus on Lactotroph Function1

The human GH-releasing hormone (hGHRH) transgenic mouse has a hyperplastic anterior pituitary gland that eventually develops into an adenoma. We showed previously that the number of lactotrophs in the male hGHRH transgenic mouse is increased 2-fold, yet there is no concomitant increase in plasma levels of PRL. To further elucidate underlying changes in lactotroph function in the hGHRH transgenic mouse, the objectives of this study were to 1) examine the relative differences in PRL gene expression in transgenic mice and their siblings, 2) quantify PRL secretion at the level of the individual cell, 3) determine whether tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression and/or activity are altered in the hypothalamus of transgenic mice, and 4) assess dopamine receptor gene expression and functional sensitivity in lactotrophs of transgenic mice. Total PRL messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were increased nearly 5-fold in the hGHRH transgenic mouse, whereas the concentrations of PRL mRNA (PRL mRNA per μg total RNA) were unchanged....
Effects of Contracting Out Engineering Services Over Time in a State Department of Transportation

Perhaps the most prevalent form of privatization, in terms of incidents of its use, is contracting out for services. This is especially true in state departments of transportation (DOTs), which hav...
Reduced HyperBF Networks: Regularization by Explicit Complexity Reduction and Scaled Rprop-Based Training

Hyper basis function (HyperBF) networks are generalized radial basis function neural networks (where the activation function is a radial function of a weighted distance. Such generalization provides HyperBF networks with high capacity to learn complex functions, which in turn make them susceptible to overfitting and poor generalization. Moreover, training a HyperBF network demands the weights, centers, and local scaling factors to be optimized simultaneously. In the case of a relatively large dataset with a large network structure, such optimization becomes computationally challenging. In this paper, a new regularization method that performs soft local dimension reduction in addition to weight decay is proposed. The regularized HyperBF network is shown to provide classification accuracy competitive to a support vector machine while requiring a significantly smaller network structure. Furthermore, a practical training to construct HyperBF networks is presented. Hierarchal clustering is used to initialize neurons followed by a gradient optimization using a scaled version of the Rprop algorithm with a localized partial backtracking step. Experimental results on seven datasets show that the proposed training provides faster and smoother convergence than the regular Rprop algorithm.
Four Motives for Community Involvement

A conceptual analysis is offered that differentiates four types of motivation for community involvement: egoism, altruism, collectivism, and principlism. Differentiation is based on identification of a unique ultimate goal for each motive. For egoism, the ultimate goal is to increase one's own welfare; for altruism, it is to increase the welfare of another individual or individuals; for collectivism, to increase the welfare of a group; and for principlism, to uphold one or more moral principles. As sources of community involvement, each of these four forms of motivation has its strengths; each also has its weaknesses. More effective efforts to stimulate community involvement may come from strategies that orchestrate motives so that the strengths of one motive can overcome weaknesses of another. Among the various possibilities, strategies that combine appeals to either altruism or collectivism with appeals to principle may be especially promising.
UV Laser Ablation of Polymers

A simple and convenient source of laser radiation in the ultraviolet region became available with the invention of the excimer laser in the 1970’s. Studies on the interaction of ultraviolet laser pulses with solid organic matter such as synthetic polymers and biological tissue led to the discovery in 1982 (1–4) of the phenomenon of “ablative photodecomposition” which results in the break-up of the structure of the organic solid by the photons and the expulsion of the fragments at supersonic velocities. The result is an etch pattern in the solid with a geometry that is defined by the light beam. The principal advantages in using ultraviolet laser radiation rather than visible or infrared laser radiation for this purpose lie in the precision (± 2000 A) with which the depth of the cut can be controlled and the lack of thermal damage to the substrate to a microscopic level.
Capital in the Twenty-First Century—in the Rest of the World

Recent work has documented an upward trend in inequality since the 1970s that harks back to the Gilded Age: the inegalitarian pre–World War I world. Most prominently, Thomas Piketty argues in Capital in the Twenty-First Century that this is partially due to the fact that capitalism is hardwired to exacerbate the gap between the rich and poor. By critically evaluating recent literature on this topic, this article offers three big contributions. First, we advance an alternative explanation for the long-term U-shaped nature of inequality that Piketty examines. Political regime types and the social groups they empower, rather than war and globalization, can account for the sharp fall and then sharp rise in inequality over the long 20th century. Second, we demonstrate that this U-shaped pattern only really holds for a handful of industrialized economies and a subset of developing countries. Finally, we provide a unified framework centered on two unorthodox assumptions that can explain inequality patterns beyon...
Evolution of chemical diversity by coordinated gene swaps in type II polyketide gene clusters

Natural product biosynthetic pathways generate molecules of enormous structural complexity and exquisitely tuned biological activities. Studies of natural products have led to the discovery of many pharmaceutical agents, particularly antibiotics. Attempts to harness the catalytic prowess of biosynthetic enzyme systems, for both compound discovery and engineering, have been limited by a poor understanding of the evolution of the underlying gene clusters. We developed an approach to study the evolution of biosynthetic genes on a cluster-wide scale, integrating pairwise gene coevolution information with large-scale phylogenetic analysis. We used this method to infer the evolution of type II polyketide gene clusters, tracing the path of evolution from the single ancestor to those gene clusters surviving today. We identified 10 key gene types in these clusters, most of which were swapped in from existing cellular processes and subsequently specialized. The ancestral type II polyketide gene cluster likely comprised a core set of five genes, a roster that expanded and contracted throughout evolution. A key C24 ancestor diversified into major classes of longer and shorter chain length systems, from which a C20 ancestor gave rise to the majority of characterized type II polyketide antibiotics. Our findings reveal that (i) type II polyketide structure is predictable from its gene roster, (ii) only certain gene combinations are compatible, and (iii) gene swaps were likely a key to evolution of chemical diversity. The lessons learned about how natural selection drives polyketide chemical innovation can be applied to the rational design and guided discovery of chemicals with desired structures and properties.
Atherosclerosis and Nanotechnology: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications

Over the past several decades, tremendous advances have been made in the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, with shifting demographics and evolving risk factors we now face new challenges that must be met in order to further advance are management of patients with CAD. In parallel with advances in our mechanistic appreciation of CAD and atherosclerosis, nanotechnology approaches have greatly expanded, offering the potential for significant improvements in our diagnostic and therapeutic management of CAD. To realize this potential we must go beyond to recognize new frontiers including knowledge gaps between understanding atherosclerosis to the translation of targeted molecular tools. This review highlights nanotechnology applications for imaging and therapeutic advancements in CAD.
Comparison of adrenal and extraadrenal pheochromocytomas

Background. It is commonly believed that extraadrenal tumors (EAT) of the paraganglion system are more likely to be malignant than adrenal tumors (AT) and carry a poorer prognosis. We analyzed 73 paraganglion tumors (PT) to determine whether EATs are more likely to be malignant or have a poorer prognosis than ATs. Methods. A review of patients with PTs at three institutions was performed. Malignant tumors were defined as those that metastasized. Comparison of the frequencies of malignant tumors was performed by chi-squared analysis
MOSAIC: A Cohesive Method for Orchestrating Discrete Analytics in a Distributed Model

Achieving an HLT analytic architecture that supports easy integration of new and legacy analytics is challenging given the independence of analytic development, the diversity of data modeling, and the need to avoid rework. Our solution is to separate input, artifacts, and results from execution by delineating different subcomponents including an inbound gateway, an executive, an analytic layer, an adapter layer, and a data bus. Using this design philosophy, MOSAIC is an architecture of replaceable subcomponents built to support workflows of loosely-coupled analytics bridged by a common data model.
Transformative experience and the limits of revelation

In her recent book, L. A. Paul presses a serious problem for normative decision theory (Transformative experience, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014). Normative decision theory seems to be inapplicable when the values of potential outcomes are unknown, or when our preferences may change as a result of our choice. Paul then offers a framework for overcoming these problems, known as the revelation approach. I argue that, contrary to what Paul suggests, this approach is unhelpful in the large class of cases where the decision at hand centrally concerns persons other than the decision-maker. Unless Paul’s account is supplemented in order to handle such cases, many decisions will remain rationally intractable.
LAB PROFILE AND REFLECTION CHANGES FOR H /L =0.02

Reflection coefficients and profile changes were measured during four lengthy experiments in two relatively long, narrow wave tanks. Each tank had a periodic wave generator at one end and a 0.2 mm movable sand bed at the other end. Generator period (1.90 sec), water depth (2.33 ft), nominal wave height before reflection (0.36 ft), and initial sand slope (1:10) were constant In the four experiments. Measured reflection coefficients (K = H /H.) ranged from 0.05 to 0.30, with the typical time variation of K related to profile changes as follows: K increased by a factor of 3 to 4 within the first minutes while a steep foreshore was built on the undeformed profile; K fluctuated and dropped to a lower value as the inshore widened; K increased as the offshore steepened. Large variations in K near the end of the experiments appeared to result from minor profile changes. The apparently similar experiments showed very different rates of profile development, implying control by other variables such as water temperature or tank geometry. "Equilibrium" in these experiments was never reached, even after as many as 375 hours of wave action.
Life History of the Parsnip Webworm, Depressaria pastinacella (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae), in Central Iowa

Quantitative information on the life history of the parsnip webworm, Depressaria pastinacella (Duponchel), was gathered from three insect populations and their host plants in the Ames, Iowa, area. The eggs are ca. 0.56 mm long and 0.29 mm wide. Both laboratory-reared and field-collected larvae progress through six stadia identifiable by head-capsule-width measurements. Developmental time in the laboratory (egg to adult) is ca. 38 days, including 4 days in the egg stage, 21 days in the larval stage, and 13 days in the pupal stage. A complete and viable second generation seems unlikely in Iowa. Numbers of both eggs and larvae in the field declined dramatically from the first to the second generation, and no second-generation pupae were found. Most eggs are laid on parsnip leaves; most larvae occur in immature parsnip umbels; most pupae are formed within parsnip stalks. Parasitoids, primarily Apanteles depressariae Muesebeck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), were rare and only emerged from fourth-instar hosts. Overwintering seems to occur in the adult stage, but moths were very difficult to collect in the field.
Octave-spanning microcavity Kerr frequency combs with harmonic dispersive-wave emission on a silicon chip

We engineer dispersion and coupling of a Si3N4 microresonator to achieve an octave-spanning comb with a 200mW pump. Our microcomb features dispersive-wave spectral peaks at 1 μm and 2 μm, which potentially enable on-chip self-referencing.
Effects of Quantum States on the Photocurrent in a "Superlattice"

Photocurrent measurements in GaAs-GaA1As superlattices grown by molecular-beam epitaxy enable us to observe simultaneously quantum states and associated anomalous conductance. The spectrum in the photocurrent shows a series of peaks of photon energies corresponding to transitions between quantum states in the valence and conduction bands. As a function of applied voltage, the photocurrent exhibits pronounced negative differential conductance when the potential-energy difference between two adjacent wells of the superlattice exceeds the bandwidth of the quantum states.
Home Range and Activity Patterns of the Giant Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys ingens

Home range and activity patterns were studied on kangaroo rats, Dipodomys ingens , equipped with blinking-light transmitters. Patterns of space use are presented as three-dimensional utilization distributions (UD) with intensity of use as the third axis. Home ranges, calculated from these UDs ranged from 60 to 350 m2. Study animals were active on average less than 20 min/night, but continued active on nights of rain, snow, and bright moonlight. Males and females did not differ significantly in the size of their home ranges or patterns of activity. Measures of overlap between individual home ranges suggest strict intrasexual avoidance but moderate levels of intersexual contact.
Modeling Technology Strategies for Thermal Energy Services in Rural Developing Communities

Approximately 40% of the world’s population lives in energy poverty, lacking basic clean energy to prepare their food, heat water for washing, and provide light in their homes. Access to improved energy services can help to alleviate this poverty and result in significant improvements to health and livelihoods, yet past strategies for meeting the needs of this large and diverse population have often been top-down and focused on single intervention or solution, leading to limited success. Using a systems-based approach to examine residential thermal energy needs, this paper explores five intervention strategies to provide energy services for a remote off-grid village in Mali. The five intervention strategies are (1) general improved biomass cookstoves, (2) advanced biomass cookstoves, (3) communal biomass cookstoves, (4) LPG cookstoves, and (5) solar water heaters. Using a probabilistic multi-objective model that includes technical, environmental, economic, and social objectives, the potential net improvements, critical factors, and sensitivities are investigated. The results show that the factors with the most impact on the outcome of an intervention include the rate of user adoption, value of time, and biomass harvest renewability; in contrast, parameters such as cookstove emission factors have less impact on the outcome. This suggests that the focus of village energy research and development should shift to the design of technologies that have high user adoption rates. That is, the results of this study support the hypothesis that the most effective village energy strategy is one that reinforces the natural user-driven process to move toward efficient and convenient energy services.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Anthropology and Global Capital Rediscovering the Noble Savage

This article examines the recent burgeoning of tribal movements within the context of the current global political economy. Contemporary events within the Thane District of Maharashtra, India are linked up with scientific and institutional discourses on tribal and indigenous people, which present certain caveats for anthropologists. I argue that positive representations of tribal people do not necessarily translate into an advancement of struggles for justice and equity. In the conclusion, I focus upon the need for social theorists to rethink their role to be one of articulation rather than of representation of tribal issues/movements.
Risk factors and nursing interventions of peripherally inserted central catheters among premature neonates

This paper summarized the risk factors of peripherally inserted central catheters(PICC) used in the premature neonates which included catheter-related bloodstream infections(CRBSI),catheter malposition,catheter migration,catheter fracture or break,catheter occlusion,thrombosis,phlebitis and arterial error puncture,and so on,and put forward appropriate nursing management interventions.On the basis of this review,the prospects of the application of PICC used in premature neonates in domestic and foreign were assumed.
The validity of political institutions: the important prerequisite for the political stability in our country

The stability of political systems needs a political institution which can keep long-term validity and the validity of political institutions directly relates to the stability of a political system.The validity of our country's political institutions does not only contain the intrinsic validity,but also includes the external validity.The intrinsic validity of political institutions is the intrinsic beginning and the basic demand of our country's political stability and the external validity of political institutions is the guarantee and inevitably needs our country's political stability.
Techniques for Calculating and Controlling Formation Pore Pressure and Pore Fluid Velocity under Tight Well Pattern Condition

Under the condition of tight well pattern, the major geologic factors influencing well cementing quality are the formation pore pressure and velocity of pore fluid. The theory of potential difference of pressure applied on random point of formation by multiwells are used as the sum of potential difference applied on the point by each of the single well, the filtration velocity of fluid velocity from the random point of formation is used as the vector of fluid velocity by multiwell co-action, by which methods for calculating the pore pressure and the velocity of pore fluid are given and corresponding control technique is established. The methods and techniques are used to calculate the pore pressure and filtration velocity of pore fluid from the formation that workover will be conducted in Daqing Oilfield. The result indicates that the methods and techniques are high precision, the calculated result is consistent with application.
Technology at the Table: Attitudes about Mobile Phone Use at Mealtimes

Mealtimes are a cherished part of everyday life around the world. Often centered on family, friends, or special occasions, sharing meals is a practice embedded with traditions and values. However, as mobile phone adoption becomes increasingly pervasive, tensions emerge about how appropriate it is to use personal devices while sharing a meal with others. Furthermore, while personal devices have been designed to support awareness for the individual user (e.g., notifications), little is known about how to support shared awareness in acceptability in social settings such as meals. In order to understand attitudes about mobile phone use during shared mealtimes, we conducted an online survey with 1,163 English-speaking participants. We find that attitudes about mobile phone use at meals differ depending on the particular phone activity and on who at the meal is engaged in that activity, children versus adults. We also show that three major factors impact participants' attitudes: 1) their own mobile phone use; 2) their age; and 3) whether a child is present at the meal. We discuss the potential for incorporating social awareness features into mobile phone systems to ease tensions around conflicting mealtime behaviors and attitudes.
Modeling Track Geometry Degradation Using Support Vector Machine Technique

Analyzing track geometry defects is of crucial importance for railway safety. Understanding when a defect will need to be repaired can help in both planning a preventive maintenance schedule and reducing the probability of track failures. This paper discusses the data cleaning and analysis processes for modeling track geometry degradation. An analytical data model named the Support Vector Machine (SVM) was developed to model the deterioration of track geometry defects. This paper mainly focuses on the following three defect types — surface, cross level and dip. The model accounts for traffic volume, defect amplitude, track class, speed and other potential factors. Results demonstrate that the proposed analytical data model can have a prediction accuracy above 70%.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Row width, plant population, and corn (Zea mays L) hybrid effects on canopy spectral characteristics, plant traits, and grain yield

Farmers are always looking for new management practices or enhancements to current cropping systems that will increase corn (Zea mays L.) grain yield per unit area. Improved plant genetics, fertility, plant populations, row widths, tillage practices, and pest management are some factors farmers have evaluated to determine if corn responds with increased grain yield. Corn has been produced in 0.76-m row widths for many years in North America. Much work has been done evaluating row width: plant population, and hybrid combinations over the years, but definitive answers remain elusive. Objectives of this research project were to compare com response in 0.38and 0.76-m row widths, to determine if plant populations and hybrids respond differently as row width narrows, and to look at the relationship of light quality in the canopy and grain yield. These results show that corn response to narrowing row widths from 0.76-m to 0.38-m had varying responses for grain yield and grain moisture. There was a trend for more consistent grain yield increases for com grown in narrow rows and at higher plant populations in the NW region. In a given year within a region, the optimum plant populations for 0.38and 0.76-m row widths were not different. Row width effects on the R:FR ratio were significant at one sampling date in each year. There was a trend for 0.76-m plots to have a higher R:FR ratio compared to 0.38-m plots across sampling dates. At all sampling dates in 1998 and 1999, the 93 860 plant ha"1 plots had lower R:FR ratio measurements. The erect-leaf hybrid, P3394, had higher R:FR ratio for most sampling dates when compared to the horizontal leaf-type hybrids, P3376 and
The Argument for Simulation-Based Training in Dietetic Clinical Education: A Review of the Research

Simulation methodology has been successfully incorporated into a multitude of health care education disciplines with demonstrated efficacy through validated evaluation and research. Similarly, health education programs have increasingly implemented modeling and simulation methodologies into their curricula. At this time, however, there is comparatively little research of simulation-based tools or methodologies used in dietetic clinical education. Does simulation-based health education produce positive learning outcomes? Is there evidence-based research to substantiate adoption of simulation-based methodologies and tools in clinical dietetic education? This article focuses on the qualitative and quantitative research currently available in this arena.
Neuroendocrine Growth Disorders – Dwarfism, Gigantism

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the presentations and most common causes of these neuroendocrine growth disorders, highlighting various gene mutations, endocrine syndromes, and acquired defects that result in states of growth hormone deficiency or excess. Growth hormone (GH) is secreted by the somatotrope cells of the anterior pituitary gland. Although its main function is to promote postnatal longitudinal growth, GH exerts numerous additional functions, such as regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, bone apposition, skeletal and cardiac muscle mass growth, and arterial pressure. Insulin-like growth factor–1 (IGF–1) plays a paramount role in controlling growth and orchestrating its progression. The GH-releasing (GHR) hormone a membrane-bound 626–amino acid glycoprotein which includes an extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular domain that couples with the JAK-Stat, PI3kinase and MAP kinase pathways. Gigantism refers to a condition characterized by excessive longitudinal growth beyond the patient's genetic target. By definition, this originates during childhood while epiphyseal growth plates are still open.
Response to Professor John Hall's discussion of Hardyniec and Charney's paper, ‘An investigation into the effects of damping and nonlinear geometry models in earthquake engineering analysis’

Summary The discussion presents questions regarding the recommended damping scheme from the discussed paper and provides an alternative recommendation. The discussion also requests further explanation on behavioral differences between models incorporating the P-delta and corotational approaches that are presented in the paper. Responses to these questions are presented. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Parent educational materials regarding the newborn hearing screening process

Abstract Purpose Newborn hearing screening (NHS) procedures and implementation vary from state to state in the US. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the content and nature of information provided to parents about their infant's NHS across states to answer two questions: 1) what information is included in each state's parent information brochure? and 2) do the brochures include educational information requested by parents that may help reduce parental anxiety, improve satisfaction, and decrease the potential for misunderstandings? Method Each state's parent brochures and educational resources provided to parents were accessed via the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) website, categorized, and reviewed for content. Results Results indicate that the information provided to parents varies considerably across states and many brochures do not contain important information that is desired by parents. Conclusions NHS procedures may be improved by providing standardized information regarding the process to parents in all states.