cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The valence and coordination of titanium in ordinary and enstatite chondrites

Abstract One way to better understand processes related to chondrite metamorphism is to evaluate changes in chondrite features as a function of petrologic type. Toward this end the valence and coordination of Ti in olivine and pyroxene in suites of ordinary (H, L, and LL) and enstatite (EH and EL) chondrites of types 3 through 6 have been determined with XANES spectroscopy. Trivalent Ti, typically 10–40% of the Ti in the analytical volumes, was found in ordinary chondrites of all types, despite the stability of oxidized iron in the samples. Average valences and the proportions of Ti that are in tetrahedral coordination generally decrease with increasing grade between types 3.0 and 3.5, increase from 3.5 to 4, and then level off. These trends are consistent with previous studies of chondrite oxidation states using other methods, except here the onset of oxidation is observed at a lower type, ∼3.5, than previously indicated (4). These results are also consistent with previous suggestions that oxidation of higher-grade ordinary chondrite samples involved exposure to aqueous fluids from melting of accreted ice. In the enstatite chondrites, typically 20–90% of the Ti is trivalent Ti, so it is reduced compared to Ti in the ordinary chondrites. Valence decreases slightly from petrologic type 3 to 4 and increases from 4 to 6, but no increases in tetrahedral coordination with petrologic type are observed, indicating a redox environment or process distinct from that of ordinary chondrite metamorphism. The presence of Ti4+ in the E chondrites supports previous suggestions that they formed from oxidized precursors that underwent reduction. Unlike ordinary chondrites, enstatite chondrites are thought to have been derived from a body or bodies that did not accrete ice, which could account for their different valence-coordination-petrologic type relationships. The hypothesis, based on observations of unmetamorphosed chondrules and supported by laboratory experiments, that equilibration of Ti valence is sluggish compared to that of Fe could account for the coexistence of reduced Ti and oxidized Fe seen in chondrites of all petrologic types.
Hail Britannia?: Institutional Investor Behavior Under Limited Regulation

We explore the role that legal restrictions and path dependence play in determining a country's corporate governance and finance through a case study of institutional investors in the United Kingdom. The U.K. has the same array of institutional investors as the U.S., much looser regulation of these investors, and a strong securities market (much like the U.S.). On the whole, British institutional investors are moderately more active than their U.S. counterparts. They intervene in companies to change management a few times per year. But they are still often passive, absent a crisis, and often prefer to sell their shares rather than press for a change in management or company strategy. Non-legal considerations, including fear that their activism may benefit their institutional rivals, inhibit their desire to participate in corporate governance. If Japan and Germany show how American corporate governance might have developed differently under different legal rules, Britain shows how American corporate governance might look rather similar under more limited regulation.
From Self-Estrangement to Restratification

In the present chapter I shall examine Lukacs’ theory of a proletarian ruling class and elucidate its implications. Lukacs is among the first significant Marxists (with Lenin and Antonio Gramsci) to claim that authentic Marxism is elitist; but, he surpasses all in his bluntness. Lukacs’ theory of the proletarian ruling class is on one hand an enlargement on his own early views about the “hero” — the gnostic activist — in whom essence comes to life, and on the other hand an ideological justification of his elitist measures during the Hungarian Commune of 1919, certifying them through his theory as fundamentally Marxist. During the Hungarian Commune, Lukacs had — as shown above — restratified people according to their political outlook even in situations — among writers, artists, etc. — in which previous societies or theories of society never ventured to rank people into classes.
From song dialects to speciation in white-crowned sparrows.

The behavioural signals used in mate selection are a key component in the evolution of premating isolating barriers and, subsequently, the formation of new species. The importance of mating signals has a long tradition of study in songbirds, where many species differ in their song characteristics. In oscine songbirds, individual birds usually learn their songs from a tutor. Mistakes during learning can help generate geographic dialects, akin to those within human language groups. In songbirds, dialect differences can often be substantial and there is an intuitive connection between the evolution of song amongst populations at a small scale, and the more substantive song differences between bird species and presumably used in species recognition. However, studies investigating the concordance between putative genetic and behavioural boundaries have generated mixed results. In many cases, this is possibly a function of the poor resolving power of the genetic markers employed. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Lipshutz et al. (2017) combine genomic markers with a robust behavioural assay to address the importance of song variation amongst white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) subspecies.
Thermal Stress and Low-Cycle Fatigue

(1967). Thermal Stress and Low-Cycle Fatigue. Nuclear Science and Engineering: Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 157-158.
Balanced and sparse Tamo-Barg codes

We construct balanced and sparse generator matrices for Tamo and Barg's Locally Recoverable Codes (LRCs). More specifically, for a cyclic Tamo-Barg code of length n, dimension k and locality r, we show how to deterministically construct a generator matrix where the number of nonzeros in any two columns differs by at most one, and where the weight of every row is d + r − 1, where d is the minimum distance of the code. Since LRCs are designed mainly for distributed storage systems, the results presented in this work provide a computationally balanced and efficient encoding scheme for these codes. The balanced property ensures that the computational effort exerted by any storage node is essentially the same, whilst the sparse property ensures that this effort is minimal. The work presented in this paper extends a similar result previously established for Reed-Solomon (RS) codes, where it is now known that any cyclic RS code possesses a generator matrix that is balanced as described, but is sparsest, meaning that each row has d nonzeros.
Videographic Assessment of Pediatric Tracheal Intubation Technique During Emergency Airway Management.

Objectives To examine technical aspects of pediatric tracheal intubation using video recording and to determine the association between tracheal intubation technique and procedural outcomes. Design Prospective observational study. Setting Emergency department resuscitation bay in single tertiary pediatric center. Patients Children undergoing emergent tracheal intubation under videorecorded conditions. Interventions None. Measurements and main results A published scoring tool for characterizing patient positioning, intubator kinematics, and adjunctive maneuvers during tracheal intubation was applied to videorecorded pediatric resuscitations when tracheal intubation was performed. Procedural outcomes were measured from video review. Seventy-one children underwent 109 tracheal intubation attempts with an overall first attempt success rate of 69% and a median laryngoscopy duration of 34 seconds (interquartile range, 24-47 s). A significant subset of tracheal intubation attempts were made with the patient's bed at a height below the level of intubator's umbilicus (61%), the patient in a supine position without head elevation (55%), the intubator bent at the waist to greater than 45° (66%), less than 1 cm of mouth opening by the intubator's right hand prior to laryngoscopy (46%), and with the intubator's face less than 12 inches away from the patient's mouth (65%). Adjunctive maneuvers were used in a minority of attempts (cricoid pressure 48%, external laryngeal manipulation 11%, retraction of the right corner of the patient's mouth 26%). On multivariate analysis, including controlling for patient age category and intubator background, retraction of the right corner of the patient's mouth by an assistant showed an independent association with successful tracheal intubation. No other technical aspects were associated with tracheal intubation success. Conclusions Intubators commonly exhibited suboptimal technique during tracheal intubation such as bending deeply at the waist, having their eyes close to the patient's mouth, failing to widely open the patient's mouth, and not elevating the occiput in older children. Retraction of the right corner of the patient's mouth by an assistant during laryngoscopy and intubation was associated with TI success.
Creative Interdisciplinarity in the Arts

Building upon a transformation of the general education program at Montana State University that includes four inquiry courses and a research/creativity course for all students, Young and his colleagues designed interdisciplinary capstone courses to help students integrate professional skills with analysis, creativity, and collaboration. Team-taught seminars such as “Musi-Tecture: Seeking Useful Correlations Between Music & Architecture,” “London and the Lakes: Music and Economics from Handel to McCartney,” and “Music and the Brain” allowed students to design their own projects, conduct original interdisciplinary research, present them in class, and write summative essays. Student work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national conferences.
The Surgical Assistant in Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopy

The assistant surgeon in any procedure is the first officer of the operating room and, under the direction and supervision of the surgeon, aids with all aspects of the procedure. However, the increasing complexity of surgical operations, particularly minimally invasive, has necessitated the addition of surgical assistants.
Defective Interfering RNA Viruses and the Host-Cell Response

This chapter will emphasize recently derived knowledge concerning the nature of defective interfering (DI) particles of RNA animal viruses, their biological origins and functions, and their involvement in long-term persistent infections. We will not attempt to review all of the DI literature, and we will confine ourselves to DI particles of RNA viruses. The previous review by Huang and Baltimore (1977) amply documents the occurrence and behavior of DI particles in a wide variety of DNA and RNA viruses and discusses their biological effects, and a very thorough recent review of rhabdovirus DI particles by Reichmann and Schnitzlein (1978) provides excellent in-depth coverage of many areas not covered by the present chapter as well as some alternate viewpoints of areas which are considered here. We will omit DNA virus DI particles from extensive consideration because of space limitations and because they are generally less well characterized at present.
Cartilage-Producing Lesions

Tumors that produce a chondroid matrix are traditionally grouped together regardless of their histogenesis. There are three types of cartilage: hyaline cartilage, fibrocartilage, and elastic cartilage. In the adult, hyaline cartilage is present in the joints; fibrocartilage is mostly found in the spine; and elastic cartilage is seen in the external ear, epiglottis, and a few other places. The vast majority of cartilaginous matrix encountered in frozen sections is hyaline cartilage, which is easily recognizable based on its amorphous basophilic quality. Mature chondrocytes reside within sharp-edged lacunar spaces embedded in the matrix and have finely granular eosinophilic cytoplasm that is often vacuolated. The nuclei are typically small and round with condensed chromatin (“tight nuclei”). The nuclear detail is usually not appreciated. The presence of small clusters of chondrocytes, more than one cell per lacuna, and occasional binucleation is not uncommon. Mitotic activity is usually not discernable.
Ecological Interpretations of Development

Despite its impressive history, developmental psychology has not provided a clear answer to the question of why organisms grow and age. Some have tried to obviate the problem by declaring that time itself may serve explanatory functions. This means nothing else than to say, for instance, 4-yearolds have a certain height because they are 4 years old. Others have been satisfied by (commonly overappreciated) attempts to reduce psychological development to changes in nonpsychological conditions, particularly biological factors, and to substitute phenotypical by so-called genotypical descriptions. Such an interpretation is implied, for example, when we explain growth in size by changes in the endocrine system. For many purposes such explanations will be fruitful. But they merely delegate the problem to another area of study where the same question arises again and no satisfactory answer is provided as to why organisms grow and age.
Quantum Symmetries: From Clifford and Hurwitz Algebras to M-Theory and Leech Lattices

We explore some consequences of a theory of internal symmetries for elementary particles based on exceptional quantum mechanical spaces based on Jordan algebra formulation that admit exceptional groups as gauge groups.
Human Norovirus Epitope D Plasticity Allows Escape from Antibody Immunity without Loss of Capacity for Binding Cellular Ligands.

Emergent strains of human norovirus seed pandemic waves of disease. These new strains have altered ligand binding and antigenicity characteristics. Study of viral variants isolated from immunosuppressed patients with long-term norovirus infection indicates that initial virus in vivo evolution occurs at the same antigenic sites as in pandemic strains. Here, cellular ligand binding and antigenicity of two cocirculating strains isolated from a patient with long-term norovirus infection were characterized. The isolated GII.4 viruses differed from previous strains and from each other at known blockade antibody epitopes. One strain had a unique sequence in epitope D, including loss of an insertion at residue 394, corresponding to a decreased relative affinity for carbohydrate ligands. Replacement of 394 with alanine or restoration of the contemporary strain epitope D consensus sequence STT improved ligand binding relative affinity. However, monoclonal antibody blockade of binding potency was only gained for the consensus sequence, not by the alanine insertion. In-depth study of unique changes in epitope D indicated that ligand binding, but not antibody blockade of ligand binding, is maintained despite sequence diversity, allowing escape from blockade antibodies without loss of capacity for binding cellular ligands. IMPORTANCE Human norovirus causes ∼20% of all acute gastroenteritis and ∼200,000 deaths per year, primarily in young children. Most epidemic and all pandemic waves of disease over the past 30 years have been caused by type GII.4 human norovirus strains. The capsid sequence of GII.4 strains is changing over time, resulting in viruses with altered ligand and antibody binding characteristics. The carbohydrate binding pocket of these strains does not vary over time. Here, utilizing unique viral sequences, we study how residues in GII.4 epitope D balance the dual roles of variable antibody binding site and cellular ligand binding stabilization domain, demonstrating that amino acid changes in epitope D can result in loss of antibody binding without ablating ligand binding. This flexibility in epitope D likely contributes to GII.4 strain persistence by both allowing escape from antibody-mediated herd immunity and maintenance of cellular ligand binding and infectivity.
Protective effect of silibinin against ultraviolet B radiation-induced apoptosis in mouse epidermal JB6 cells involves prolonged p53 serine15 phosphorylation

4786 Chronic exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) especially UVB (280-320 nm) is the major etiologic factor for non-melanoma skin cancers in humans. UVB exposure induces DNA lesions which are considered early biomarkers of tumor initiation as they are potentially mutagenic if allowed to persist in the genome. Recent studies by us in SKH1 hairless mice have shown that topical treatment of silibinin or its dietary feeding affords significant protection against a single UVB irradiation induced apoptosis as well as reduces the extent of DNA damage in skin keratinocytes. However, in cell culture studies, silibinin has shown dual efficacy against UVB-mediated apoptosis where it inhibits apoptosis induced by low to moderate doses of UVB but further enhances high doses of UVB-caused apoptosis in HaCaT and A431 cells. Based on these recent observations, the present study was designed to investigate the mechanism of the protective response of silibinin against UVB-induced cellular changes and apoptosis employing mouse epidermal JB6 cells, the most-extensively used model for UV molecular mechanistic studies. The cells were treated with silibinin and exposed to various doses of UVB, and as a function of time apoptosis was measured quantitatively by Annexin V/propidium iodide staining followed by FACS analysis. Silibinin pre-treatment of cells inhibited apoptosis induced by low doses (50 mJ/cm2) of UVB, and also partially reversed low dose UVB-induced S phase arrest. However, under identical treatment conditions, silibinin further increased UVB-caused apoptosis when UVB doses above 75 mJ/cm2 were used. Based on these observations, 30 and 50 mJ/cm2 doses of UVB were selected for further studies to investigate the mechanism of the protective effect of silibinin against UVB-caused cellular damages and apoptosis. The reduction in UVB-induced apoptosis by silibinin was accompanied by a further up-regulation of UVB-induced total as well as Ser15 phosphorylated forms of p53. In time-kinetics study, silibinin pre-treatment also showed a prolonged (up to 24 hrs after UVB irradiation) p53 phosphorylation at Ser15 as compared to UVB alone where no p53 Ser15 phosphorylation was evidenced after 12 hrs of exposure. In contrast to its effect on prolonged p53 Ser15 phosphorylation, silibinin pre-treatment of cells inhibited UVB-induced p21/Cip1 protein levels suggesting that silibinin might be down-regulating p21 independent of its effect on p53. Since ATR-Chk1 sensor pathway, activated by UVB-induced DNA damage, plays a key role in inducing p53 phosphorylation, we also investigated silibinin’s effect on Chk1 phosphorylation; however, silibinin pretreatment showed no effect on UVB-mediated Chk1 Ser317 phosphorylation. Taken together, these studies suggest a possible role of p53 in mediating silibinin’s protective response against UVB-caused apoptosis.
Parametric Analysis of Tradeoffs Between Transient and Steady-State Loss Reduction for Induction Machines of Different Sizes

Conventional induction machine design generally focuses on steady-state loss reduction under constant rated flux. Transient loss reduction under flux manipulation during torque transients has not been well addressed in the design process in the literature. This paper investigates the design tradeoffs between transient and steady-state loss reduction in terms of induction machine equivalent circuit parameters. The total transient loss is further separated into accumulated steady-state loss and the energy consumption to change the rotor flux state (RFS). The parametric design tradeoffs between transient and steady-state loss reduction are first conducted on a traction size induction machine for torque transients during the UDDS driving cycle. The manipulation of machine equivalent circuit parameters to reduce transient losses without increasing steady-state losses is studied. The design tradeoffs are then conducted for a 3HP induction machine.
Children Learn From Both Embodied and Passive Pretense: A Replication and Extension

Research suggests that children can learn new information via pretense. However, a fundamental problem with existing studies is that children are passive receivers of the pretense rather than active, engaged participants. This preregistered study replicates previous learning from pretense findings (Sutherland & Friedman, 2012, Child Development), in which children are passive observers of pretense, and extends to two additional conditions that require children to partially (with puppets) or fully (with costumes) embody a character. Children (N = 144, 24?79 months) learned equally well, and better than those in the control condition, from all three play scenarios. At a 2-week follow-up, learning was equally retained across embodiment conditions for older, but not younger, preschoolers. Future research should consider embodiment?s role for more complex material.
The Contours of Assessment: Considering Aspects that Influence Prediction Performance

Actuarial assessments provide standardized scores for use in assigning client risk levels and identifying needs that can be matched with intervention. Drawing from an established theory and finding...
Bounds and algorithms for dither screens

A simple model for quantifying dither screen performance is proposed. Using this model, inherent limitations on the performance of dither screen halftoning are proved. An efficient method for generating quality dither screens, with good performance under our model, is presented.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Mobilizing From Scratch: Large-Scale Collective Action Without Preexisting Organization in the Syrian Uprising:

Core social movement research argues that large-scale challenges to authority build upon preexisting organization and civil society resources. How do dissenters mobilize masses in repressive settin...
Supramolecular Stereochemistry of Supercharged Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Reduction of corannulene and its simple alkyl derivatives with lithium metal gives tetraanions that come together to form ten-component aggregates with four lithium ions sandwiched between two decks of supercharged polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Analogous species are not formed on reduction with sodium or potassium. Stereochemical and dynamic aspects of the new sandwich compounds have been studied by NMR spectroscopy (1A, 13C, and 7Li), and a simple picture for the “supramolecular bonding” is presented.
RNA Catalysis and Transition State Stabilization

Since the first reports that RNA can have catalytic activity (Kruger et al. 1982; Guerrier-Takada et al. 1983), it has been speculated that RNA may have been the primitive macromolecular catalyst in the prebiotic world. Consequently, there has been considerable interest in expanding the scope of RNA catalysis from reactions in which the substrates are nucleic acids or nucleic acid deriva­tives to other basic chemical reactions. One such approach has involved gen­erating large libraries of RNAs and then screening these libraries for RNAs molecules that catalyze a desired chemical reaction. Mechanism-based screens have been used to identify RNAs with hydrolyase (Beaudry and Joyce 1992), ligase (Bartel and Szostak 1993), kinase (Lorsch and Szostak 1994) and aminoacyl transfer activities (Illangasekare et al. 1995) (see Williams and Bartel, this Vol.). However, such screens, although powerful, typically require that the catalyst itself be modified in the course of the reaction and they therefore are limited with respect to the transformations which can be examined.
Association between pre-diagnostic leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number and survival among colorectal cancer patients.

Abstract Background Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) is considered a biomarker for mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. Although previous studies have suggested a potential relationship between mtDNAcn at the time of colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis and CRC prognosis, findings have been inconsistent, and no study has specifically investigated the association of pre-diagnostic mtDNAcn with CRC survival. Methods We examined the association of pre-diagnostic leukocyte mtDNAcn (measured by qPCR) with overall and CRC-specific survival among 587 patients in Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Cox models were constructed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs). Results During a mean follow-up of 10.5 years, 395 deaths were identified; 180 were due to CRC. Overall, we did not observe significant associations between mtDNAcn and either overall or CRC-specific survival among all cases or by cancer location, grade, or stage. In an exploratory stratified analysis, a suggestive inverse association of mtDNAcn and overall death risk appeared among current smokers [HR (95 % CI) for 1 SD decrease in mtDNAcn = 1.50 (0.98, 2.32), P-trend = 0.06]. Reduced mtDNAcn and lower CRC-specific death risk was observed among patients aged ≤ 70.5 at diagnosis [HR (95 % CI) for 1 SD decrease of mtDNAcn = 0.71 (0.52, 0.97), P-trend = 0.03], ≤ 5 years from blood collection to diagnosis [HR (95 % CI) for 1 SD decrease in mtDNAcn = 0.65 (0.44, 0.96), P-trend = 0.03] and those consuming a low-inflammatory diet [HR (95 % CI) for 1 SD decrease in mtDNAcn = 0.61 (0.42, 0.88), P-trend = 0.009]. Conclusion no significant associations between pre-diagnostic leukocyte mtDNAcn and either overall or CRC-specific survival appeared but exploratory analysis identified potential sub-group associations.
Devitt and the Case for Narrow Meaning

In the late 1970s, Jerry Fodor, Hilary Putnam and Stephen Stich argued that the intentional content of most mental states is “wide,” i.e., does not supervene on the physical makeup of the subject’s head at a time. But many (including Fodor himself) have since argued that underlying the ordinary wide contents there must also be distinct, narrow ones. In “A Narrow Representational Theory of the Mind,” Michael Devitt defends the claim that the laws of mental processes as investigated by cognitive psychology should advert only to the narrow properties of representations, though some of those properties will be meaning properties specified by conceptual role, and that the scientifically appropriate boundary for explaining the behavior of an organism is its skin. But in Coming to Our Senses he repudiates that doctrine, because he has come to accept that widely characterized behavior is a more appropriate explanandum for psychology than behavior narrowly characterized.
Abstract 16429: Questioning the Effect of Hypogastric Artery Exclusion on Erectile Function Following Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Introduction: Published reports suggest negative effect of exclusion of antegrade hypogastric artery flow on erectile function after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVR). This has stimulated new bran...
Innovative Care Delivery of Acute Rehabilitation for Patients With COVID-19: A Case Report.

Objective The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted acute rehabilitation delivery by challenging the reliance on in-person care and the standard practice of delivering separate physical and occupational therapy services. Health care systems are rapidly developing innovative models of care that provide essential acute rehabilitation services while mitigating viral spread. We present 2 case reports to illustrate how we used technology and COVID-19-specific decision-making frameworks to deliver acute rehabilitation. Methods We iteratively developed 2 decision-making models regarding care delivery and discharge planning in the context of the challenges to delivering care in a pandemic. We leveraged use of video communication systems installed in all COVID-19 rooms to reduce the number of in-room providers and frequency of contact. Two patients were admitted to the hospital with symptomatic COVID-19 (males, ages 65 and 40 years). Results With the use of a video communication system and the decision-making frameworks for care delivery and discharge planning, we avoided 7 in-person sessions. Both patients demonstrated functional gains and were dischargedhome. Conclusion The 2 case reports highlight the innovative use of a technology and COVID-19-specific decision-making processes to provide patient-centered care given the challenges to care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Impact The use of technology and decision-making models allows for delivery of safe acute rehabilitation care that minimizes contact, conserves personal protective equipment, and prepares for COVID-19 surges. The discussion points raised have applicability to patients without COVID-19 and other health care systems. Future research is needed to determine the effectiveness, costs, and downstream effects of our novel approach to acute rehabilitation for patients with COVID-19.
The Moderating Role of Emotion: The Combinatory Effects of Positive Emotion and News Framing Techniques on Climate Change Attitudes:

Based on mood management theory and the broaden-and-build theory, this study examines whether an individual’s emotional state influences the persuasive efficacy of climate change news framing techn...
The political economy of ethnic mobilisation: comparing the emergence, consolidation, and radicalisation of ethnic parties in post-colonial Sri Lanka and Malaysia

The paper focuses on the emergence, consolidation and radicalisation of ethnic parties in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. It finds that the degree of inter-ethnic violence is a function of their pattern of mass ethnic mobilisation. More specifically, ethnic parties will resort to mass violence and spark intra-state ethnic conflict when ethnic group leaders rely on critical masses of ethnic group supporters whose economic well-being, in turn, depends on controlling the state in order to allocate material resources to themselves.
Case Study: The Evolution of Tourism and Sea Turtle Conservation at Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica

Abstract Sea turtle conservation and research efforts in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, began in the 1950s. Legislation protecting sea turtles and creating Tortuguero National Park (TNP) in the 1960 and 1970s caused the village economy to change, from natural resource exploitation to an economy based on ecotourism. Tourism increased in the park rapidly, and so did the impact on the Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting population. The need to limit this impact led the TNP to implement a tour guide program in the early 1990s. This program, although a significant improvement over previous human activity on the beach, was only partially successful, due to the large numbers of tourists on the beach every night. Therefore, the Spotters Program was created, whose main purpose is to reduce the presence of tourists on the beach. Here, we present a description, an appraisal, of the evolution of the Tortuguero Visitation Program as a conservation tool.
Module-level material engineering for continued DRAM scaling

Memory-hungry applications in the current data-driven economy demands DRAM devices with higher bit densities at a low cost. This demand has driven DRAM manufacturers to find innovative methods to extend Moore’s scaling and reduce the area required to store individual bits. A DRAM unit memory cell is based on a one transistor one capacitor (1T1C) design. To increase DRAM densities, both transistor and capacitor must scale. As the capacitor diameter shrinks with scaling, the ratio of its height to its diameter--its aspect ratio (AR)--climbs quickly. This higher AR results in the need to produce relatively deeper holes to fabricate capacitors, increasing the demands on etch and deposition processes. In this paper, we present a solution to capacitor scaling by co-optimization of the hardmask and etch. The co-optimization involved novel deposition and etch techniques to enable continued scaling while maintaining device performance. We also discuss novel metrology methods that enable us to test and optimize the unit processes as well as the module-level integrated sequence.
Laboratory Happiness or Human Flourishing: The Empirical Science of Wellbeing in Phenomenological Perspective

In this paper I analyze philosophically the dominant conception of happiness operative in the increasingly popular global movement to empirically define, measure, and promote human happiness: the idea of “subjective psychological wellbeing” (SWB). SWB is presented as an ethically and metaphysically neutral “scientific” view of the human good or wellbeing, grounded purely in empirical psychology, survey data, and neuroscientific findings about the brain mechanisms involved in happiness. I argue that this conception of happiness actually rests upon highly controversial philosophical (non-empirical) presuppositions about the nature of human agency, pleasure, emotion, and the experience of value. I then draw upon phenomenology, the philosophy of emotion, and ethics to argue that this particular conception of happiness, while perhaps suitable for certain limited purposes, is highly problematic when given the leading normative role by the happiness science movement, particularly as a guiding aim of individual decision-making and public policy interventions.
Quench Process and Steel Chemistry Optimization to Prevent Quench Cracking during Hardening of Splined Semi – Axles

In the paper the hardening process of splined semi-axles is discussed and physics of preventing the quench crack formation during intensive quenching (IQ) is explained. It is shown that during IQ process at the splined cylindrical surface very high compressive current band residual stresses are formed which prevent the possibility of quench crack formation on splines. It is enough to optimize the stress distribution through the section of semi-axle and perform IQ process in order to prevent quench cracks formation in splines. It is achieved via optimizing depth of surface hardened layer. In this case the depth of surface hardened layer for cylinders and for cylinders with splines are the same. There is no need to create a special thin shell on splines or perform carburization to create such shell. Due to larger martensite specific volume, it results in surface compressive residual stress formation. Absence of martensite phase at the core eliminates core swelling that could be a reason in tensile surface stresses. The idea is supported by FEM calculations and testing of real semi-axles in industrial condition. The new idea simplifies cardinally technological process and makes it less costly.
Mobile Banking Adoption—Extending Technology Acceptance Model with Transaction Convenience and Perceived Risk: A Conceptual Framework

M-banking has become a fast-growing banking service in the past decade. The development of m-banking is due to the advantages of conducting banking transactions. However, when individuals decide to use m-banking, they will also consider the system’s weaknesses. Therefore, this study examines TAM in increasing m-banking adoption through transaction convenience and perceived risk. This study proposes a conceptual framework by exploring the factors of ease and benefit of a system. If the individual feels the comfort and benefits of a system, the individual will feel the transactions convenient and be interested in adopting m-banking. The adoption process is supported by the guarantee of bank security against financial transactions accessed through m-banking. This study contributes to developing the technology acceptance model with transaction convenience and perceived risk to increase intention and actual usage of m-banking.
Stereo Based 3D Tracking and Scene Learning, Employing Particle Filtering within EM

We present a generative probabilistic model for 3D scenes with stereo views. With this model, we track an object in 3 dimensions while simultaneously learning its appearance and the appearance of the background. By using a generative model for the scene, we are able to aggregate evidence over time. In addition, the probabilistic model naturally handles sources of variability.
Finite precision implementation of LDPC coded M-ary modulation over wireless channels

This paper studies the finite precision effects on the LDPC decoding performance with high order modulation over Rayleigh fading channels. We compare the performance of different quantization schemes and decoding algorithms using discretized density evolution over code ensembles of various code rates. We find that the min-sum algorithm with a simple correction term using 5 bits for quantization offers a very good performance in all code rate and modulation combinations. The loss is only 0.1 dB compared to floating point implementation. Direct implementation of the sum product algorithm with 6-bit quantization suffers a much larger performance loss when high rate LDPC codes are used. Both software simulations and test results of a hardware decoder implemented on FPGA verify these conclusions.
Penicillin-resistant Variants of Pneumococci

All of the 74 strains of pneumococci isolated from human infections from 1963 to 1964 proved to be uniformly and highly susceptible to penicillin. Of these strains, 15 were identified by capsule-swelling reactions and were submitted to serial transfer in the presence of increasing concentrations of penicillin. Highly penicillin-resistant mutants were selected from 14 of the 15 strains, whereas one strain was moderately resistant. Of these mutants, 11 could still react with specific antiserum, and all of the mutants could be identified by fermentation reactions and optochin inhibition. The in vitro development of penicillin resistance in these mutants did not result in a change in cell-wall composition sufficient to diminish bile solubility. The possibility of encountering rising penicillin resistance among pneumococci, as well as the possibility that such mutants may react atypically, should be kept in mind.
U234U238 in the East Pacific sector of the Antarctic Ocean and in the Red Sea

Abstract U 234 U 238 ratios were determined in two composite sea water samples from the Pacific Antarctic (115°W) north and south of 60°S, and in a recent coral from the Red Sea. The respective values 1.13 ± 0.02 and 1.16 ± 0.02 in the Antarctic sea water and 1.15 ± 0.01 in the coral indicate that constancy of the U 234 U 238 ratio is maintained even in remote regions of the oceans.
Spirillum minus and Streptobacillus moniliformis

1 Spirillum minus 2 Streptobacillus moniliformis 3 Conclusion Keywords: Spirillum minus and Streptobacillus moniliformis; principal reservoir of S. minus-being the rat; staining reactions and culturability; Spirillum minus-etiological agent of rat-bite fever or Sodoku; Streptobacillus Moniliformis-fastidious, highly pleomorphic, aerobic and anaerobic, gram-negative rod; culture characteristics and growth requirements; Streptobacillary rat-bite fever occurring worldwide; susceptibility to antimicrobial agents
Polyclonal activation of human peripheral blood B lymphocytes. III. Cellular interaction and immunoregulation of immunoglobulin-secreting cells induced by formaldehyde-fixed Salmonella paratyphi B.

Abstract We studied the interactions between regulatory cells and B cells in cultures of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) stimulated with various polyclonal B-cell activators, i.e., pokeweed mitogen (PWM), Staphylococuss aureus Cowan I (SAC), and Salmonella paratyphi B (SPB). Polyclonal B-cell activation in cultures was evaluated by enumeration of cells secreting immunoglobulin (Ig) and/or by quantitation of Ig released into culture supernates. Cord blood T cells and PBL after activation with concanavalin A or by prolonged incubation were used as sources of suppressor T cells. In coculture experiments, SPB-induced generation of Ig-secreting cells (ISC) was not affected, whereas PWM-induced generation of ISC was inhibited by suppressor T cells. The effects of suppressor T cells on SAC-induced generation of ISC was variable. Monocytes were required for PWM-induced generation of ISC; in contrast, SPB- and SAC-induced B-cell activation were not dependent on monocytes. Moreover, SPB-induced B-cell activation appeared to be susceptible to monocyte-mediated suppression. These results indicate that monocyte-mediated suppression is exerted directly on B cells rather than indirectly via suppressor T cells.
Roles of water stress and phytotoxins in the development of Pierce's disease of the grapevine

The water relations of healthy grapevines ( Vitis vinifera cv. “Chardonnay”) were compared to those of nearby grapevines infected with the Pierce's disease (PD) bacterium under vineyard conditions. Xylem blockage in the node and petiole was associated with the development of marginal leaf chlorosis and necrosis for diseased vines. Diseased leaves developed a lower midday water potential (ψ w ) and lower cell turgor than healthy leaves. At midday, turgor of the chlorotic tissue of a diseased leaf decreased to near zero which was related to an increase in leaf solute potential (ψ s ). At dawn, leaf ψ w and turgor were higher than at midday for both healthy and diseased leaves, but they remained significantly lower in diseased leaves. An increase in midday stomatal resistance was also associated with marginal leaf chlorosis and necrosis for grapevines with PD as well as for almond trees with almond leaf scorch, another disease caused by the PD bacterium. Diseased grape leaves had higher levels of proline than healthy leaves or symptomless leaves on diseased vines. Symptomless leaves on diseased vines also had distinctly less xylem blockage in the node and petiole, and lower midday stomatal resistance than leaves with PD symptoms. The biophysical and biochemical changes observed for diseased vines indicate that marginal leaf necrosis occurs when water stress develops. Diseased leaves are apparently water stressed because of vascular dysfunction which, when prolonged, may result in accelerated leaf senescence. The role of phytotoxin(s) in the development of PD was also investigated. The involvement of toxin(s) was questionable because sterile culture medium components caused leaf scorching similar to that previously attributed to toxin(s) produced by the PD bacterium. These medium components were present in both inoculated and noninoculated crude filtrates, and they were of similar low molecular weights as the reported phytotoxin(s).
Themes and Threads

Abstract hile completing my doctorate in marriage and family therapy, I also completed a omen's studies graduate minor. For the final exam, I as asked to reflect on themes from my omen's studies courses, and ho feminist scholarship has influenced my clinical practice of marriage and family therapy. Integrating these interdisciplinary ideas into my understanding and practice of MFT has been an important exercise in my professional development. I offer this reflection for the purpose of continued dialogue in feminist family therapy and as an example of ho interdisciplinary studies can be useful in expanding upon MFT studies.
Performance of convection-permitting hurricane initialization and prediction during 2008–2010 with ensemble data assimilation of inner-core airborne Doppler radar observations

[1] This study examines a hurricane prediction system that uses an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) to assimilate high-resolution airborne radar observations for convection-permitting hurricane initialization and forecasting. This system demonstrated very promising performance, especially on hurricane intensity forecasts, through experiments over all 61 applicable NOAA P-3 airborne Doppler missions during the 2008–2010 Atlantic hurricane seasons. The mean absolute intensity forecast errors initialized with the EnKF-analysis of the airborne Doppler observations at the 24- to 120-h lead forecast times were 20–40% lower than the National Hurricane Center's official forecasts issued at similar times. This prototype system was first implemented in real-time for Hurricane Ike (2008). It represents the first time that airborne Doppler radar observations were successfully assimilated in real-time into a hurricane prediction model. It also represents the first time that the convection-permitting ensemble analyses and forecasts for hurricanes were performed in real-time. Also unprecedented was the on-demand usage of more than 23,000 computer cluster processors simultaneously in real-time.
Elaboration of a fragment library hit produces potent and selective aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors

Aspartate-β-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (ASADH) lies at the first branch point in the aspartate metabolic pathway which leads to the biosynthesis of several essential amino acids and some important metabolites. This pathway is crucial for many metabolic processes in plants and microbes like bacteria and fungi, but is absent in mammals. Therefore, the key microbial enzymes involved in this pathway are attractive potential targets for development of new antibiotics with novel modes of action. The ASADH enzyme family shares the same substrate binding and active site catalytic groups; however, the enzymes from representative bacterial and fungal species show different inhibition patterns when previously screened against low molecular weight inhibitors identified from fragment library screening. In the present study several approaches, including fragment based drug discovery (FBDD), inhibitor docking, kinetic, and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies have been used to guide ASADH inhibitor development. Elaboration of a core structure identified by FBDD has led to the synthesis of low micromolar inhibitors of the target enzyme, with high selectivity introduced between the Gram-negative and Gram-positive orthologs of ASADH. This new set of structures open a novel direction for the development of inhibitors against this validated drug-target enzyme.
High Prevalence of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Adolescents Undergoing Bariatric Surgery

Background & Aims Little is known about the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among severely obese adolescents or factors that determine its development. We investigated the prevalence of NAFLD in a multicenter cohort of adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery and the factors associated with it. Methods We enrolled 242 adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery between March 2007 and February 2012 at 5 tertiary care centers into a multicenter, prospective observational cohort study. Intraoperative core liver biopsies were collected from 165 subjects; 17 were excluded because of insufficient liver tissue or use of hepatotoxic medications, so 148 remained in the study (mean age, 16.8 ± 1.6 years; median body mass index = 52 kg/m 2 ). Liver tissues were analyzed by histology using validated criteria. Hepatic gene expression was analyzed in 67 samples. Results NAFLD was present in 59% of this predominantly female (72%), white (68%), non-Hispanic (91%) cohort. Of subjects with NAFLD, 24% had borderline and 10% had definite nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Mild fibrosis (stage 2 or lower) was observed in 18% of liver biopsies and stage 3 was observed in 0.7%, but cirrhosis was not detected. Dyslipidemia was present in 78% of subjects, hypertension in 44%, and diabetes in 14%. More severe NAFLD was associated with increasing levels of alanine aminotransferase, fasting glucose level, hypertension (each P P = .04). Only diabetes was associated with detection of fibrosis (odds ratio = 3.56; 95% confidence interval: 1.93−6.56). Microarray analysis associated presence of NASH with altered expression of genes that regulate macrophage chemotaxis, cholesterol absorption, and fatty acid binding. Conclusions More than half of adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery in this cohort had NAFLD, yet the prevalence of severe or fibrotic NASH was low. Increasing severity of NAFLD was associated with level of alanine aminotransferase and cardiometabolic risk factors, but not body mass index. Based on gene expression analysis, borderline and definite NASH were associated with abnormal immune function, intestinal cholesterol absorption, and lipid metabolism.