cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aboveground Net Primary Productivity in a Riparian Wetland Following Restoration of Hydrology

This research presents the initial results of the effects of hydrological restoration on forested wetlands in the Mississippi alluvial plain near Memphis, Tennessee. Measurements were carried out in a secondary channel, the Loosahatchie Chute, in which rock dikes were constructed in the 1960s to keep most flow in the main navigation channel. In 2008–2009, the dikes were notched to allow more flow into the secondary channel. Study sites were established based on relative distance downstream of the notched dikes. Additionally, a reference site was established north of the Loosahatchie Chute where the dikes remained unnotched. We compared various components of vegetation composition and productivity at sites in the riparian wetlands for two years. Salix nigra had the highest Importance Value at every site. Species with minor Importance Values were Celtis laevigata, Acer rubrum, and Plantanus occidentalis. Productivity increased more following the introduction of river water in affected sites compared to the reference. Aboveground net primary productivity was highest at the reference site (2926 ± 458.1 g·m−2·year−1), the intact site; however, there were greater increase at the sites in the Loosahatchie Chute, where measurements ranged from 1197.7 ± 160.0 g m−2·year−1·to 2874.2 ± 794.0 g·m−2·year−1. The site furthest from the notching was the most affected. Pulsed inputs into these wetlands may enhance forested wetland productivity. Continued monitoring will quantify impacts of restored channel hydrology along the Mississippi River.
CS Education: Catching the Wave

Computer Science (CS) education has caught a wave -- of media attention, public support, public/private commitments, broad-based participation by educators, and a surge in student enrollments at the undergraduate level. It is a startling change over just the last 5 years. Over that 5 years, much has been accomplished at the high school level. The Exploring Computer Science and Advanced Placement® CS Principles courses were created to engage and inspire a diverse mix of students. Hundreds of teachers and university faculty have collaborated to develop course materials, assessments, MOOCS, and models of teacher professional development. Over 2,000 high schools now offer new CS courses, but that leaves out more than 34,000.Even then, students will need more than a single course, they will need a K-16 CS pathway. At the K-8 level, CS does not have the decades of research on the teaching and learning that is available to many other, more established disciplines. A stronger evidence base is needed as the basis for pedagogy, curricula, standards, and teacher preparation. The CS community must put greater emphasis on research in CS education and broadening participation, and it must build stronger collaborations with researchers in related disciplines.Over the last 5 years, college-level CS departments have been inundated with students. This growth is fueled by a strong job market for CS majors and an increasing awareness that computation is fundamental to many other industry sectors and academic disciplines. How will departments cope with increasing numbers without sacrificing access or quality? How will they respond to increasing diversity of ethnicity and gender, but also of interests, and career goals of their students? For those interested in CS education, it's an exciting time, but it comes with some urgency. This talk will discuss how to catch the current wave, using it to full advantage.
A Comparison of Optimization Approaches for Nationwide Trac Flow Management

Given thousands of flights in a capacity-limited airspace, finding optimal scheduling strategies that minimize delay costs is a computationally difficult task. In this paper, stochastic search techniques are applied to this fundamental Traffic Flow Management problem. Genetic algorithms and simulated annealing rely on searching the solution space in a manner much different than traditional optimization methods. These stochastic search techniques are compared to an integer linear programming model previously described in the literature. The runtime and aircraft schedules resulting from each model are analyzed. Results indicate that the integer programming model finds the optimal schedule faster than the next best technique, simulated annealing. In the presented experiments, solving the same problem with different simulated annealing solvers in parallel, a quality solution (within 5% of optimality) can be found in most cases. With roughly the same number of computations, simulated annealing reached a better solution than the genetic algorithm in 6 out of the 9 scenarios tested.
Analysis on the Eco-environmental Quality of Wuzhong District, Suzhou

Eco-environment is the foundation of human and the development of society and economy. Rapid economic growth improves the people's living standard, but brings some negative effects on the environment. To better understand the impacts of economic development on the eco-environment of city and rural, in this study, the ecological carrying capacity, land use and change, vegetation net primary productivity(NPP) and ecological factor index were selected as indexes to evaluate and analyze of eco-environmental quality of Wuzhong District of Suzhou. The results showed that(1) the ecological carrying capacity of Wuzhong were 0.273 4~0.104 4hm2, which appeared to be the ecological deficit obviously. In 2005 — 2012, the ecological carrying capacity, ecological footprint and ecological deficit decreased by 62%, 48% and 46%, respectively. However, in the terms of the ecological footprint and carrying capacity, the ecological deficit was still serious.(2) In 2000— 2013, the average vegetation NPP of Wuzhong decreased by 0.12 g·m-2(C), and the total carbon sequestration storage decreased by 0.8 × 109g·a-1(C), which implies that the carbon sequestration capacity and productivity of ecosystems in Wuzhong have been declining.(3) In 2000— 2013, 406.41 km2 of land cover changed, 139.53 km2 of lands changed into artificial land, which are mainly from farmland, vegetation and paddy lands with 76.16, 30.01 and 24.25 km2,respectively.(4) Natural ecological green area was increasing, but the vegetation thickness, ecological capacity and the amount of carbon sequestration decreased, which showed a deterioration of the eco-environmental quality of Wuzhong. In conclusion, the eco-environmental quality and the relationship between protection and development of Wuzhong have been becoming worse in 2000 —2013.
Analytical Equation of State for Solid-Liquid-Vapor Phases

A simple analytical equation of state has been proposed for describing the phase behavior of three thermodynamic states (solid, liquid, and vapor) of matter. In terms of reduced parameters, it can be written as: $$P_{\text{r}} = \frac{{T_{\text{r}} }}{{V_{\text{R}} - b_{\text{R}} }}\left( {\frac{{V_{\text{R}} - d_{\text{R}} }}{{V_{\text{R}} - c_{\text{R}} }}} \right) - \frac{{a_{\text{R}} }}{{V_{\text{R}}^{\text{2}} }}.$$ Pr and Tr are reduced pressure and temperature with respect to the critical pressure (Pc) and temperature (Tc), respectively, while VR is a reduced molar volume defined as VR=PcV/RTc, where R is the universal gas constant. This may be regarded as an extension of the classical van der Waals's equation of state for fluid (liquid and vapor) only states. The four parameters, aR, bR, cR, and dR in this equation are free adjustable constants, and can be variable with temperature. The basic physical idea underlining the model is presented, and examples applied successfully to actual pure substances and mixtures are demonstrated. Also, applications to the hard-sphere model are examined. Further improvements, limitations, and possible applications of the present model are discussed.
Virtual Grey-Boxes Beyond Obfuscation: A Statistical Security Notion for Cryptographic Agents

We extend the simulation-based definition of Virtual Grey Box VGB security --- originally proposed for obfuscation Bitansky and Canetti 2010 --- to a broad class of cryptographic primitives. These include functional encryption, graded encoding schemes, bi-linear maps with uber assumptions, as well as unexplored ones like homomorphic functional encryption. Our main result is a characterization of VGB security, in all these cases, in terms of an indistinguishability-preserving notion of security, called $$\Gamma ^*$$Γi¾?-$$\textit{s-}{\textsf {IND}}\text{- }\!{\textsf {PRE}} $$s-IND-PRE security, formulated using an extension of the recently proposed Cryptographic Agents framework Agrawal et al. 2015. We further show that this definition is equivalent to an indistinguishability based security definition that is restricted to "concentrated" distributions wherein the outcome of any computation on encrypted data is essentially known ahead of the computation. A result of Bitansky et al. 2014, who showed that VGB obfuscation is equivalent to strong indistinguishability obfuscation SIO, is obtained by specializing our result to obfuscation. Our proof, while sharing various elements from the proof of Bitansky et al., is simpler and significantly more general, as it uses $$\Gamma ^*$$Γi¾?-$$\textit{s-}{\textsf {IND}}\text{- }\!{\textsf {PRE}} $$s-IND-PRE security as an intermediate notion. Our characterization also shows that the semantic security for graded encoding schemes Pass et al. 2014, is in fact an instance of this same definition. We also present a composition theorem for $$\Gamma ^*$$Γi¾?-$$\textit{s-}{\textsf {IND}}\text{- }\!{\textsf {PRE}} $$s-IND-PRE security. We can then recover the result of Bitansky et al. 2014 regarding the existence of VGB obfuscation for all $${\textsf {NC}}^{1}$$NC1 circuits, simply by instantiating this composition theorem with a reduction from obfuscation of $${\textsf {NC}}^{1}$$NC1 circuits to graded encoding schemas Barak et al. 2014 and the assumption that there exists an $$\Gamma ^*$$Γi¾?-$$\textit{s-}{\textsf {IND}}\text{- }\!{\textsf {PRE}} $$s-IND-PRE secure scheme for the graded encoding schema Pass et al. 2014.
Cognitive virtualization: combining cognitive models and virtual environments

3D manikins are often used in visualizations to model human activity in complex settings. Manikins assist in developing understanding of the range, scope and timing of various human activities. They are applicable to a wide range of environments.. One such environment,, the nuclear power plant control room, is a setting where manikins can be used to simulate more precise ergonomic assessments of human work stations. Next generation control rooms will pose numerous challenges for system designers. The manikin modeling approach by itself, however, is insufficient for dealing with the technical advancements and performance demands associated with proposed next generation control rooms. Uncertainty regarding effective staffing levels; and the potential for negative human performance consequences in the presence of advanced automated systems (e.g., reduced vigilance, poor situation awareness, mistrust or blind faith in automation, higher information load and increased complexity) call for further research. One approach to managing design uncertainty is through complementary analysis that merges ergonomic manikin models with models of higher cognitive functions, such as attention, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving. This paper will discuss recent advancements in merging a theoretical-driven cognitive modeling framework within a 3D visualization modeling tool to conduct next generation control room human factors and ergonomic assessments. Though this discussion primary focuses on control room design, merging 3D visualization and cognitive modeling can be extended to various areas of focus such as training and scenario planning.
GATA-2 Controls Proliferation of Megakaryocyte Progenitors and Its Expression Contributes to Human DS-AMKL.

GATA2 is an essential transcription factor that regulates multiple aspects of hematopoiesis. Mutations in GATA2 are associated with blast crisis phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) while overexpression of GATA2 is a hallmark of Down syndrome acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (DS-AMKL), a malignancy that is defined by the combination of trisomic chromosome 21 and a GATA1 mutation. Here, we show thatGATA2 is essential for megakaryocyte development from both wild-type and GATA-1mutant hematopoietic progenitors. Furthermore, we reveal that GATA2 is indispensable for cell cycle progression and that its expression cooperates with activated JAK3 to promote TPO-independent expansion of megakaryocytes. Genome-wide microarray analysis revealed that GATA2 regulates a wide set of genes including cell cycle regulators and lineage-specific genes that are essential for terminal differentiation of megakaryocytes. Of note, a subset of genes within the GATA2 signature is contained within human DS-AMKL patient specimens. These observations implicate overexpression of GATA2 in the aberrant gene expression and proliferation of AMKL. Taken together, our data demonstrate thatGATA2 is a critical regulator of normal and malignant megakaryopoiesis.
For Profit U Through the Eyes of IPEDS: Warts and All

According to the institutional data collections maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education, “Private for-profit” institutions are “private institutions in which the individual(s) or agency in control receives compensation other than wages, rent, or other expenses for the assumption of risk.” This definition comes from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), through which the federal government has been tracking U.S. higher education activity since 1987. This chapter provides a descriptive analysis of “Private, for-profit” institutions within the full landscape of postsecondary institutions included in the “IPEDS Universe.” This universe currently numbers 7,737 “institutional entities,” among which 3,432 (44%) are in the For-Profit category.
Abstract 1303: A genome-wide association study of prostate cancer in Latinos

Recent studies estimate that individuals of African or Latin American ancestry represent less than 4% of samples analyzed to date in genome-wide association studies. The clinical value of genetic information in guiding personalized medicine in populations of non-European ancestry will require additional discovery and risk locus characterization efforts in these populations. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of prostate cancer in Latino men to search for risk loci that may be important in this population. We combined GWAS data for 1034 cases and 1046 controls genotyped with the Illumina 660 Beadarray with GWAS data for 1235 cases and 1053 controls genotyped with the Illumina Oncoarray as part of the ELLIPSE U19 GAME-ON Consortium. A total of ~11 million genotyped and imputed SNPs of ≥1% frequency were tested for association with prostate cancer risk in logistic regression models controlling for age, study and genetic ancestry. Genome-wide significant associations were observed with 24 variants all located at 8q24 (128.484-128.548), and which capture the first reported prostate cancer susceptibility locus in ‘region 1’ of 8q24. The most significant association genome-wide was with SNP rs7824776 (risk allele frequency, 0.35; OR=1.69, p=3.4x10-11). No novel genome-wide significant associations were noted outside of 8q24. We observed a high degree of generalizability of known prostate cancer risk loci, with 78 (76%) of the 103 known risk variants having effects that were directionally consistent in their association with prostate cancer risk as previously reported, of which 31 (30%) were statistically significant with p Citation Format: Hannah Hopp, Sue Ingles, Chad Huff, Xin Sheng, Brandi Weaver, Mariana Stern, Sara Strom, Ian Thompson, David Conti, Christopher A. Haiman. A genome-wide association study of prostate cancer in Latinos [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1303. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1303
Response of suction caissons for tidal current turbine applications in soft clay to monotonic and cyclic vertical loading

In soft marine clays, suction caissons provide a foundation system for tidal current turbines that further promote the sustainable nature of the system by allowing for their removal at the end of t...
Promoting School-Wide Social Skills

The purpose of this chapter is to describe the rationale, core features, and an implementation process for deliberately and explicitly teaching school-wide social skills within a multitiered system of support (MTSS) framework. Specifically, five questions are addressed: (1) Why is teaching school-wide social skills important? (2) How are social skills learned? (3) How does school-wide social skills instruction fit within MTSS? (4) How are social skills deliberately, explicitly, and routinely taught school-wide? And (5) How can social skills be promoted across classrooms and school-wide? Keywords: multitiered systems of support (MTSS); school-wide and classroom social skills; school-wide social skills; social competence; social skills; social skills instruction
Updating Introductory Computer Science with Creative Computation

This paper reports on the results of a multi-year project in which we identified essential pedagogy and curriculum for teaching introductory computing courses focused on Creative Computation using Processing. The curriculum aligns with a traditional 'CS1' approach as well as 'AP CS A', and goes well beyond "CS Principles" standards to teach foundations of computer science and programming. We addressed the bridge between high school and entry-level college curriculum in computer science (American freshman high school to freshman college) and demonstrated how algorithmic art provides a powerful vehicle for diverse student populations within a broad range of pedagogical frameworks ranging from traditional structured classrooms to inquiry-based student-driven project labs. A secondary result is that instructors require long-term engagement with mentors to extend their own knowledge of computing, visual arts and appropriate pedagogy.
Neuro-oncologists have spoken – the role of bevacizumab in the inpatient setting. A clinical and economic conundrum

Background Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key player in tumor angiogenesis. The drug can halt tumor progression, treat radiation necrosis, and reduce peritumoral edema. Although it does not increase overall survival, bevacizumab can improve progression-free survival and quality of life. In many countries, bevacizumab use in the inpatient setting is restricted due to its significant cost. Here, we explore attitudes towards the use of bevacizumab amidst practitioners treating brain tumors and assess ease of accessing the drug in the inpatient setting. Design/methods A 10-question survey querying practitioners' opinions of inpatient bevacizumab utility and its availability was distributed to the membership of the Society of Neuro-Oncology in July 2016. Results Eighty-seven percent felt that there was a role for bevacizumab in the inpatient setting, and 69% reported favorable experiences with bevacizumab use. However, 40% encountered difficulty in obtaining approval for inpatient use. We present two contrasting clinical cases that highlight favorable and unfavorable outcomes when bevacizumab use was and was not permitted, respectively. Conclusions In this sample of neuro-oncology practitioners, there is general consensus that bevacizumab plays an important role in the inpatient treatment of brain tumors. In light of ongoing barriers to inpatient bevacizumab use due to cost concerns, these data motivate the creation of standardized policies for inpatient bevacizumab use that balances its important role in improving quality of life with financial considerations.
Families in Crisis: Research and Theory in Child Mental Retardation:

A review of pertinent research uncovers some of the assumptions and hypotheses that have combined into a construct of a retarded child's effect on the family. Concepts in wide use focus on the fami...
High-resolution mapping adjacent to the Pc71 crown-rust resistance locus in hexaploid oat.

The D526-derived BC1F2 population of hexaploid oat segregates for resistance to crown rust isolate 345. A mapping population consisting of 440 F2 individuals was used to develop a high-resolution RFLP map of the area of the genome where Pc71, the locus conferring this resistance, is located. Twelve RFLP markers have been identified within ca. 6 cM of Pc71, with cosegregating loci Xcdo1502 and Xcdo783 positioned 0.2 cM from the locus. All of the RFLP markers map to the same side of the locus, suggesting either that the Pc71 resistance locus resides at the end of a linkage group, or that there is no detectable heterozygosity on the opposite side. Some degree of microcollinearity between rice and oat is present in this area, as the two markers, Xcdo783 and Xrz69, linked to Pc71 are linked also in rice; however the genetic distance in oat is much less than the genetic distance in rice (6.2 cM and 20 cM, respectively).
Transcriptome Profiling of Plant Genes in Response to Agrobacterium tumefaciens-Mediated Transformation.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a plant pathogen that causes crown gall disease. During infection of the host plant, Agrobacterium transfers T-DNA from its Ti plasmid into the host cell, which can then be integrated into the host genome. This unique genetic transformation capability has been employed as the dominant technology for producing genetically modified plants for both basic research and biotechnological applications. Agrobacterium has been well studied as a disease-causing agent. The Agrobacterium-mediated transformation process involves early attachment of the bacterium to the host’s surface, followed by transfer of T-DNA and virulence proteins into the plant cell. Throughout this process, the host plants exhibit dynamic gene expression patterns at each infection stage or in response to Agrobacterium strains with varying pathogenic capabilities. Shifting host gene expression patterns throughout the transformation process have effects on transformation frequency, host morphology, and metabolism. Thus, gene expression profiling during the Agrobacterium infection process can be an important approach to help elucidate the interaction between Agrobacterium and plants. This review highlights recent findings on host plant differential gene expression patterns in response to A. tumefaciens or related elicitor molecules.
Prazosin during fear conditioning facilitates subsequent extinction in male C57Bl/6N mice

Recovery from a traumatic experience requires extinction of cue-based fear responses, a process that is impaired in post-traumatic stress disorder. While studies suggest a link between fear behavioral flexibility and noradrenaline signaling, the role of specific receptors and brain regions in these effects is unclear. Here, we examine the role of prazosin, an α1-adrenergic receptor (α1-AR) antagonist, in auditory fear conditioning and extinction. C57Bl/6N mice were subjected to auditory fear conditioning and extinction in combination with systemic (0.1–2 mg/kg) or local microinjections (3 or 6 mM) of the α1-AR antagonist prazosin into the prelimbic division of medial prefrontal cortex or basolateral amygdala. Conditioned fear and anxiety-like behaviors were compared with vehicle-injected control animals. Mice that received systemic prazosin prior to fear conditioning exhibited similar initial levels of cue-elicited freezing compared to vehicle controls on the following day. However, at all doses tested, fear that was acquired during prazosin treatment was more readily extinguished, whereas anxiety-like behavior on the day of extinction was unaffected. A similar pattern of results was observed when prazosin was microinjected into the basolateral amygdala but not the prelimbic cortex. In contrast to pre-conditioning injections, prazosin administration prior to extinction had no effect on freezing. Our results indicate that α1-AR activity during aversive conditioning is dispensable for memory acquisition but renders conditioned fear more impervious to extinction. This suggests that behavioral flexibility is constrained by noradrenaline at the time of initial learning via activation of a specific AR isoform.
Bayesian Approach for Automatic Joint Parameter Estimation in 3D Image Reconstruction from Multi-Focus Microscope

We present a Bayesian approach for 3D image reconstruction of an extended object imaged with multi-focus microscopy (MFM). MFM simultaneously captures multiple sub-images of different focal planes to provide 3D information of the sample. The naive method to reconstruct the object is to stack the sub-images along the $z$ -axis, but the result suffers from poor resolution in the $z$ -axis. The maximum a posteriori framework provides a way to reconstruct a 3D image according to its observation model and prior knowledge. It jointly estimates the 3D image and the model parameters. Experimental results with synthetic and real experimental data show that it enables the high-quality 3D reconstruction of an extended object from MFM.
Identifying Essential Epistemic Heuristics for Guiding Mechanistic Reasoning in Science Learning

Mechanistic reasoning, or reasoning systematically through underlying factors and relationships that give rise to phenomena, is a powerful thinking strategy that allows one to explain and make pred...
Indoor temperature, relative humidity and CO2 monitoring and air exchange rates simulation utilizing system dynamics tools for naturally ventilated classrooms

Abstract This study reports the results of two-season (summer and winter) monitoring of indoor CO2, temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) levels conducted in naturally ventilated classrooms of a primary school. Parameters were recorded at 1-min interval for one week including occupancy and non-occupancy hours. CO2, T and RH exceeded ASHRAE recommended limits for significant fraction of occupancy period. Minute-by-minute ventilation (VRs) and air exchange rates (AERs) were calculated for occupancy hours. Results showed significant variation (p 0.98 for all classrooms, using minute-by-minute VRs) with monitored CO2 concentration and low root mean square error. Similarly, minute-by-minute VRs input to models showed more accurate simulation as compared to VRs averaged for a session (Correlation coefficient
Haploinsufficiency of Tmem43 in cardiac myocytes activates the DNA damage response pathway leading to a late-onset senescence-associated pro-fibrotic cardiomyopathy.

Aims Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) encompasses a genetically heterogeneous group of myocardial diseases whose manifestations are sudden cardiac death, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, and in a subset fibro-adipogenic infiltration of the myocardium. Mutations in the TMEM43 gene, encoding transmembrane protein 43 (TMEM43) are known to cause ACM. The purpose of the study was to gain insights into the molecular pathogenesis of ACM caused by TMEM43 haploinsufficiency. Methods and results The Tmem43 gene was specifically deleted in cardiac myocytes by crossing the Myh6-Cre and floxed Tmem43 mice. Myh6-Cre: Tmem43W/F mice showed an age-dependent phenotype characterized by an increased mortality, cardiac dilatation and dysfunction, myocardial fibrosis, adipogenesis, and apoptosis. Sequencing of cardiac myocyte transcripts prior to and after the onset of cardiac phenotype predicted early activation of the TP53 pathway. Increased TP53 activity was associated with increased levels of markers of DNA damage response (DDR), and a subset of senescence-associated secretary phenotype (SASP). Activation of DDR, TP53, SASP and their selected downstream effectors, including phospho-SMAD2 and phospho-SMAD3 were validated by alternative methods, including immunoblotting. Expression of SASP was associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and age-dependent expression of myocardial fibrosis and apoptosis in the Myh6-Cre: Tmem43W/F mice. Conclusions TMEM43 haplo-insufficiency is associated with activation of the DDR and the TP53 pathways, which lead to increased expression of SASP and an age-dependent expression of a pro-fibrotic cardiomyopathy. Given that TMEM43 is a nuclear envelope protein and our previous data showing deficiency of another nuclear envelope protein, namely lamin A/C, activates the DDR/TP53 pathway, we surmise that DNA damage is a shared mechanism in the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathies caused by mutations involving nuclear envelope proteins. Translational perspective The data indicate that the DNA damage response (DDR) to double stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) is activated in a mouse model of cardiomyopathy caused by haplo-insufficiency of the Tmem43 gene. The TMEM43 gene is a known cause of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in humans. The DDR activates the TP53 pathway and leads to expression of senescence associated secretary phenotype (SASP), such as TGFβ1, which induce a senescence-associated pro-fibrotic cardiomyopathy.These findings along with our previous data identify the DDR as a putative common mechanism in the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathies, and likely in the pathogenesis of over two dozen diseases, caused by mutations in the nuclear envelope proteins (envelopathies).
Library consultations and a global pandemic: An analysis of consultation difficulty during COVID-19 across multiple factors

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between librarians' perception of the difficulty of patron consultations and a variety of factors that characterize these interactions in the context of an academic library at a large public university The study also provides insight into how changes in library service operations due to the global COVID-19 pandemic have affected the perceived difficulty of library consultations Data samples were drawn from a LibInsight dataset and limited to consultations from Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 (N = 3331) Statistical analysis was conducted using ordinal logistic regression to quantify the relationship between perceptions of difficulty and factors indicating pre/post-COVID-19 modifications, patron type, scheduling, question format, library department, consultation duration, semester, and campus Most notably, results indicate a statistically significant (p < 0 001) increase in the perceived difficulty of consultations that followed the closure of the library's physical spaces due to COVID-19, even when controlling for other factors in multiple model formulations These results, as well as insights pertaining to other factors associated with library consultations and perceptions of difficulty, have implications for how librarians frame, understand, and manage their workloads Additionally, findings may provide library service managers with the evidence needed to better coordinate and evaluate library services
“Not Just For Us Nerds”: Examining Elementary Teachers’ Perspectives of Contemporary Children’s Nonfiction

Children’s nonfiction once had a reputation as a lackluster genre. However, the nonfiction books published today are noteworthy for their appeal and quality. This study’s purpose was to examine contemporary teachers’ perceptions of recent children’s nonfiction. Fourteen elementary teachers shared their opinions of contemporary nonfiction for children in written reflections, which were inductively analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The teachers addressed the following themes in their reflections: 1) presentation of the books, 2) the potential of books to support elementary readers, and 3) ways books could support learning opportunities. The findings indicate these teachers had a positive response to contemporary nonfiction, but they suggest there is still work to be done to ensure elementary students’ access to a diverse array of nonfiction books.
COVID-19 morbidity and mortality associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers use among 14,129 patients with hypertension from a US integrated healthcare system

Abstract Objective Although recent evidence suggests no increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) use, the relationship is less clear among patients with hypertension and diverse racial/ethnic groups. This study evaluates the risk of hospitalization and mortality among patients with hypertension and COVID-19 in a large US integrated healthcare system. Methods Patients with hypertension and COVID-19 (between March 1- September 1, 2020) on ACEIs or ARBs were compared with patients on other frequently used antihypertensive medications. Results Among 14,129 patients with hypertension and COVID-19 infection (mean age 60 years, 48% men, 58% Hispanic), 21% were admitted to the hospital within 30 days of COVID-19 infection. Of the hospitalized patients, 24% were admitted to intensive care units, 17% required mechanical ventilation, and 10% died within 30 days of COVID-19 infection. Exposure to ACEIs or ARBs prior to COVID-19 infection was not associated with an increased risk of hospitalization or all-cause mortality (rate ratios for ACEIs vs other antihypertensive medications ​= ​0.98, 95% CI: 0.88, 1.08; ARBs vs others ​= ​1.00, 95% CI: 0.90, 1.11) after applying inverse probability of treatment weights. These associations were consistent across racial/ethnic groups. Use of ACEIs or ARBs during hospitalization was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (odds ratios for ACEIs or ARBs vs others ​= ​0.50, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.72). Conclusion Our study findings support continuation of ACEI or ARB use for patients with hypertension during the COVID-19 pandemic and after COVID-19 infection.
Determination of oxidation rates and volatile oxidation products for HTGR graphite matrix material exposed to steam atmospheres

Abstract High-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) in operation use tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particles embedded in graphite and carbonized resin matrix to form the fuel element. This graphite matrix material serves as a supportive structural element, heat transfer medium, and neutron moderator. In HTGR designs, fuel compacts are exposed to helium coolant, which facilitates high outlet temperatures (750°C
Abstract MP20: Optogenetic Control Of Pip2 To Assess Mechanisms Regulating The Epithelial Sodium Channel

The epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) plays a key role in Na+ transport in epithelial linings to include the lung, colon and kidney. In the distal kidney tubules, ENaC regulates Na+ reabsorption and bl...
Mitigating Debt Risk with Economic Corridor Projects Through Treaties and Sequenced Financing

“The purpose of this note is to narrowly examine the role of banks in the debt financing of projects along an economic corridor such as cross-border pipelines, and the use of multilateral treaties and “debt sequencing” to mitigate risk in the development of such projects. There are many tools and strategies available to banks and lending institutions to mitigate risks to debt service, from the use of guarantees and long-term bonds, to insurance coverage. This note will narrowly focus on just two innovative approaches that can be applied in the context of multiple country mega-projects.”
An Incident in Leon

AT ONE POINT in the Nicaraguan struggle against Somoza his National Guard was able, in the language of a communique, to "recuperate" the ancient city of Leon. The rebels all went underground, or fled, and the people of the City were left without any food or water. When they came into the streets from their battered houses to share their terrors, they told stories to anybody who would listen: of indiscriminate bombings and strafings; of certain young men and boys being rounded up and machine-gunned to death, with their hands fastened behind their backs, by elite killer squads of Guardsmen, and paramilitaries. All the barricades they had built up before were being demolished now by big orange government bulldozers, and some of us in the press were promised safe conducts by the Guard, if we agreed not to stray too far off the main avenues of the City. My friends and I returned to the old city with the hope of finding certain of our friends in Leon, people we had met and thought we knew a little and cared about. Food was still scarce everywhere so we brought only what we could buy from the hotel to give as presents to these people to eat: huge whipped cream cakes, and sacher tortes, fruit pies, expensive silver foil chicken box lunches. Laden down, we made our way past all the final road blocks waving our white flags, fearfully cavorted along the cobbled streets, like intrepid Lady Bountifuls, hoping to locate these old friends. There was a great deal of street life, a milling about. Each greeting was an acknowledgement that one had survived with hope and defiance intact. But occasional sniper fire kept going off in the adjacent barrios, like billiards caroming. Around the market place, we had also been told, the Guard had taken to shooting into the air to scare off those hungry people who might be looting. The people in the streets, after we had relieved ourselves of our packages, showed us all the numerous freshly-dug graves in their back yards, and the holes they had dug into back yard adobe walls so that they could communicate one to the other during the bombardments with some degree of safety. I met very few Somocistas on the streets of Leon that day, or any other day. A woman on the street told me, "If we ever are victorious I shall learn how
Ultra High Temperature Rare Earth Metal Extraction by Electrolysis

Current industrial methods used for rare earth element (REE) extraction involve: 1) ore enrichment, 2) separation of rare earth oxides (REOs), 3) chlorination or hydrofluorination, and 4) individual electrowinning of REEs from a molten halide electrolyte. The complexity of REE extraction is inherited from their electronic configuration. Recently, molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) has been used to produce reactive metals directly from their oxides, e.g. titanium. As a single-step alternative to processes 3) and 4), or laboratory has investigated rare earth extraction by MOE. A key challenge is to find a molten electrolyte more stable than REOs. One possibility is to use binaries of REOs directly as a solvent. We have, therefore, developed two experimental approaches for studying molten REOs at temperatures exceeding 2200oC. The present work reports the most recent experimental results obtained with La2O3-Y2O3. Those promising results demonstrate potential for operating with molten REOs and refine the underlying materials challenge for electrodes to enable metal recovery.
Chapter 4 – Phenology: Changes in Timing of Biological Events Due to Climate Change

The cherry blossoms are out earlier this year than ever before. This statement has been true many times in Washington, DC, during the past two decades, and it is likely to be true this year and most years thereafter. Significantly, it is as true in Washington State as it is in Washington, DC. In fact, it is true in Japan, Europe, and other locations where cherries are grown. The cherry trees are blooming earlier because climate is getting warmer and winter is ending earlier. Many other biological phenomena - from egg laying to pest emergence - are responding to warming too. This chapter outlines the evidence for changes in phenology from around the world.
High-efficiency terahertz sources based on plasmonic contact electrodes

Use of plasmonic contact electrodes in photoconductive terahertz sources offers significantly higher optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiencies and terahertz radiation powers by mitigating the inherent tradeoff between photoconductor quantum efficiency and ultrafast operation. We demonstrate that optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiencies as high as 7.5% and milliwatt-level terahertz radiation powers can be offered by plasmonic photoconductive terahertz sources in both continuous-wave and pulsed operation.
Environmental tracers applied to quantifying causes of salinity in arid-region rivers: results from the Rio Grande Basin, Southwestern USA.

The upper Rio Grande extends ∼1,200 km between its headwaters in southern Colorado (USA) and the USA/Mexico border region. Over this distance the total dissolved solids content of the water increases from ∼40 mg L−1 to over 2,000 mg L−1. This increase has previously been attributed to evapotranspirative concentration and to flushing by irrigation water of salts accumulated by pre-irrigation evapotranspiration. We employed environmental tracers, including σ18O, σ2H, Cl−, and the Cl/Br ratio to help identify the causes of salinization. Both σ18O and σ2H are enriched with flow distance due to evaporation, but not sufficiently to explain most of the salinization as caused by evapotranspiration. The Cl/Br ratio increases from about 50 in the headwaters to over 1,000 at the distal end of the river basin, indicating influx of subsurface saline waters, which are commonly characterized by high Cl/Br ratios. The Cl− concentration and the Cl/Br ratio increase in a stepwise fashion and are typically localized at the southern ends of the sedimentary basins comprising the Rio Grande Rift, suggesting that the salts are from discharge of deep ground water where it is forced to the surface by bedrock highs, rather than due to flushing by irrigation water.
A COMPARISON OF GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATIONS OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSTIC DATA

An experiment is described in which eleven experienced psychiatrists each fabricated archetypal psychiatric patients of four different diagnostic types, using the 17 variable Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. The resulting 17 dimensional data vector was plotted for each “patient” using several different techniques. For each technique, 13 judges attempted to sort the representations into the four equal groups that underlie the data. The difficulty experienced by the judges and the success they had in recovering the diagnostic groups is described for each method. Dimensional reduction to representation as a point in the cartesian plane was the best approach. For judges that did well overall, representation of the data vector as a polar graphed function of an angle was the best multidimensional graphical technique, while judges with low overall recovery rates tended to do better with Chernoff's faces. Finally, an experiment combining factor analysis with polar Fourier representation is presented.
Multicentric foci of carcinomas arising in structures of cloacal origin.

Abstract Increasing instances of multicentric carcinomas of the lower genital tract, including vulvar and perianal skin, are being reported. Ten new cases are added. Three patients presented with simultaneous malignancies in two locations and 7 developed sequential appearance of such malignancies. “Cloacogenic” carcinoma of the anal canal occurred concomitantly with another genital lesion and sequentially in 4 instances. Studies of human embryos indicate that the surfaces of the ectocervix, vagina, vulva, perianal skin, and lower anal canal appear to have a common (cloacal) origin
Protein Biosynthesis in the Spleen: III. AMINOACYLTRANSFERASE I AS A TRANSLATIONAL REGULATORY FACTOR DURING THE IMMUNE RESPONSE

Microsomes and crude ribosomes from spleens of immunized rats were more active in polyuridylic acid-stimulated phenylalanine incorporation than were corresponding particles from control spleens. Ribosomes were more active than homologous microsomes, suggesting the presence of an inhibitor bound to the membranes. Stripping the ribosomes of bound factors partially diminished their ability to incorporate amino acids, but also eliminated differences between control and immunized particles. The pH 5 enzyme fraction from immunized spleen was almost as active as that from liver in stimulating amino acid incorporation by stripped liver ribosomes. This fraction from control spleen was almost inactive. Fractionation and partial purification of the transfer factors, aminoacyltransferase (T I) and translocation factor (T II), from spleen supernatants revealed that immunized spleens contained both factors but control spleens were almost wholly deficient in T I. This data suggested that T I is a regulatory factor in controlling protein synthesis at translation. The difference noted between control and immunized particles does not imply structural or functional differences between them, but is probably due to their contamination with bound transfer factors and reflects a deficiency of T I in the control cytoplasm.
MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms among breast cancer survivors and the relationship between menopausal symptoms and quality of life (QOL). DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive. SETTING: Outpatient breast care center servicing a southeastern city and regional rural areas. SAMPLE: 114 postmenopausal breast cancer survivors with a mean age of 59 years (SD = 10; range = 36-83 years) who were a mean of 34.9 months postcompletion of surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy (SD = 22; range = 4-116 months). METHODS: Telephone interviews were used to assess demographic variables, menopausal status (questions adapted from the Massachusetts Women's Health Study), menopausal symptoms (adapted from the Blatt Menopausal Index), and QOL (SF-12 Health Survey). Disease and treatment information was extracted from medical records and the state cancer registry. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Menopausal status, menopausal symptoms, and QOL. FINDINGS: The most commonly reported menopausal symptoms (joint pain (77%), feeling tired (75%), trouble sleeping (68%), and hot flashes (66%)) were also the most severe. More than 40% of breast cancer survivors who reported these symptoms rated them as "quite a bit" to "extremely" severe. The total number and severity of symptoms reported was significantly related to the number of years postmenopause but not to time postdiagnosis. Higher prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms were related to lower physical and emotional QOL. CONCLUSIONS: Menopausal symptoms appear to be a significant problem for breast cancer survivors. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Nurses can inform women that menopausal symptoms may be experienced following breast cancer treatment and that these symptoms may be more severe than those experienced by healthy women without cancer.
Solar parabolic dish thermal power systems - Technology and applications

Activities of two projects at JPL in support of DOE's Small Power Systems Program are reported. These two projects are the Point-Focusing Distributed Receiver (PFDR) Technology Project and the Point-Focusing Thermal and Electric Applications (PFTEA) Project. The PFDR Technology Project's major activity is developing the technology of solar concentrators, receivers and power conversion subsystems suitable for parabolic dish or point-focusing distributed receiver power systems. Other PFDR activities include system integration and cost estimation under mass production, as well as the testing of the hardware. The PFTEA Project's first major activity is applications analysis, that is seeking ways to introduce PFDR systems into appropriate user sectors. The second activity is systems engineering and development wherein power plant systems are analyzed for specific applications. The third activity is the installation of a series of engineering experiments in various user environments to obtain actual operating experience