Echinoderms form an abundant and ecologically important group of marine animals, and they are found in nearly every marine environment, from shallow tropical waters to deep polar benthos and even in the pelagic zone. They exhibit a wide diversity of reproductive strategies that range from broadcasting millions of gametes, with...
Complex engineered systems design is a collaborative activity. To design a system, experts from the relevant disciplines must work together to create the best overall system from their individual components. This situation is analogous to a multiagent system in which agents solve individual parts of a larger problem in a...
The term out‐of‐hospital has long been used as a kind of shorthand to refer collectively to births that occur in birth centers or at home. However, this term has also been a persistent cause of concern among health care providers who attend births in these settings, and researchers and midwives...
Following trends in higher education that emphasize quantitative analytical approaches to assess educational outcomes, academic libraries are increasingly attempting to quantify their impacts on student learning and demonstrate their value to the university’s educational mission. By applying learning analytics techniques to library use and instructional data, libraries have especially focused...
This paper presents a new mechanical design of an anthropomorphic robot hand. The hand is designed such that it is adaptive, backdrivable, modularized to provide both dexterity and robustness. The hand has 18 joints, 14 degrees of freedom, and a new joint mechanism called an active DIP-PIP joint for the...
We investigate the modular properties of a new partition rank, the M-d-rank of overpartitions. In fact this is an infinite family of ranks, indexed by the positive integer d, that gives both the Dyson rank of overpartitions and the overpartition M-2-rank as special cases. The M-d-rank of overpartitions is the...
A period of cooling about 13,000 years ago interrupted about 2,000 years of deglacial warming. Known as the Younger Dryas (YD), the event is thought to have resulted from a slowdown of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in response to a sudden flood of Laurentide Ice Sheet meltwater that reached...
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as energy storage devices play an important role in all aspects of our life. The increasing energy demand of the society requires LIBs with higher energy density and better performance. We here develop a new and easy-to-scaleup sol-gel method to coat a surface protection layer on commercial...
This article presents a novel method combining ion irradiation, in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and microchemistry analysis before/after irradiation, which allows to examine same microstructural areas throughout ion irradiation. A 12 wt% Cr Ferritic/Martensitic steel (HT9) was irradiated in the TEM to 1.17 x 10(20) ions.m(-2) at 440 degrees C...
The environmental fate of conifer resins and their natural product compounds as mixtures is of importance for source, alteration, and transport studies. The compound compositions of resins of the common Callitris species (Cupressaceae) based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry have not been reported. Results show that diterpenoids were the most abundant...
BackgroundEpidemiological evidence suggests that arsenic (As) exposure during pregnancy may reduce infant birth weight. One significant source of As exposure is diet; thus, As may indirectly affect infant growth by mediating the effect of maternal diet on birth weight (BW). This study evaluated the potential mediating effect of As in...
In this paper, we report a unique property of inactivating Gram-positive/negative bacteria in the dark via apatite-covered Ag/AgBr/TiO2 nanocomposites (AAAT). We demonstrate that the inactivation mechanism is bacteriostatic based on the cellular integrity and motility of bacteria, low toxicity and high durability of AAAT. From straight observations, the catalytic loading...
Acer is a large and important genus of woody plants most commonly encountered as small to large trees in urban landscapes. Considerable investigation has been devoted to addressing the taxonomy of maples, but little is known about genome sizes across the genus. Relatively more work has been conducted to determine...
The energy barrier heights between two recently reported Ta-based amorphous metals (TaWSi and TaNiSi), TaN, and atomic layer deposited Al2O3 and HfO2 insulators are measured in metal/insulator/metal (MIM) structures with Au top electrodes using internal photoemission (IPE) spectroscopy. For Al2O3, the Ta-based metal barrier heights, phi(Bn), increase with increasing metal...
Mammalian cells generate ATP by mitochondrial (oxidative phosphorylation) and non-mitochondrial (glycolysis) metabolism. Cancer cells are known to reprogram their metabolism using different strategies to meet energetic and anabolic needs (Koppenol et al., 2011; Zheng, 2012). Additionally, each cancer tissue has its own individual metabolic features. Mitochondria not only play a...
Forests play a crucial role in the global carbon (C) cycle by storing and sequestering a substantial amount of C in the terrestrial biosphere. Due to temporal dynamics in climate and vegetation activity, there are significant regional variations in carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes between the biosphere and atmosphere in forests...
This work experimentally assesses the thermodynamic performance of the only single kWe, variable-output continuous duty, internal combustion engine driven, residential micro-combined heat and power (mCHP generator (Marathon Engine Systems ecopower) available in the United States. The system underwent steady state testing over its full operating range, and first (energy) and...
Aim C-4 grasses are distinct from C-3 grasses, because C-4 grasses respond in a different manner to light, temperature, CO2 and nitrogen and often have higher resource-use efficiencies. C-3 and C-4 grasses are typically represented in earth system models (ESMs) by different plant functional types (PFTs). The ability of ESMs...
We propose a time dependent Eulerian model for sea surface entrainment, buoyancy transport and droplet dynamics of ocean oil. The model captures the microscale vertical oil mass exchanges in the neighborhood of the sea surface. This model is in turn part of an oil fate model designed to capture oil...
This study explores the interrelationship between social capital and poverty, a negative indicator of well-being, in the Western United States. Econometric models that account for the endogeneity of poverty and social capital, spatial dependence, and cross-equation error correlation were used to explore two questions: is the presence of social capital...
Plate anchors are embedded into the ocean floor to provide holding capacity for offshore structures. Anchor holding capacity is a function of both the anchor and soil properties. Although plate anchors have been widely studied experimentally and numerically, there is still no universally agreed-upon design approach, indicating that the problem...
Construction sites are responsible for generating a high concentration of pollutants in surrounding air. Emission level can be different depending on the materials used for the construction. One of the methods for quantifying air pollution is to measure particulate matters (PM) emitted on construction sites. This study aims to determine...
The mitigation hierarchy is a decision-making framework designed to address impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services through first seeking to avoid impacts wherever possible, then minimizing or restoring impacts, and finally by offsetting any unavoidable impacts. Avoiding impacts is seen by many as the most certain and effective way of...
Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) have a global distribution, but the population inhabiting the Gulf of California (GoC) is thought to be geographically and genetically isolated. However, their distribution and movements are poorly known. The goal of this study was to describe fin whale movements for the first time from 11...
During traditional boat-based surveys of marine megafauna, behavioral observations are typically limited to records of animal surfacings obtained from a horizontal perspective. Achieving an aerial perspective has been restricted to brief helicopter or airplane based observations that are costly, noisy, and risky. The emergence of commercial small unmanned aerial systems...
To provide an easy and reliable work tool to identify the sex of Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) chicks, we weighed and measured 95 nestlings in the creche phase during 24-31 January 2017 on the Falkland Islands, Argentina. Sex was subsequently determined using DNA analyses of blood from the same individuals....
Soil moisture strongly affects the balance between nitrification, denitrification and N2O reduction and therefore the nitrogen (N) efficiency and N losses in agricultural systems. In rice systems, there is a need to improve alternative water management practices, which are designed to save water and reduce methane emissions but may increase...
The isotopic composition of water vapour provides integrated perspectives on the hydrological histories of air masses and has been widely used for tracing physical processes in hydrological and climatic studies. Over the last two decades, the infrared laser spectroscopy technique has been used to measure the isotopic composition of water...
Monotonic and cyclic tests were carried out to determine strength and stiffness characteristics of 2.44 m (8 ft) long shear connections with 8 mm and 10 mm diameter self-tapping screws. The goal of this research is to compare test values of cross-laminated timber (CLT) diaphragm connections in seismic force-resisting systems...
Six Ca(NO3)(2) sprays at 0.3% and 0.6% from pit hardening (PH) to 1 week before harvest (1WBH) most effectively increased Ca uptake in sweet cherry (Prunus avium). Low concentration (< 0.3%) did not affect the absorption of Ca; high concentration (> 1.6%) caused burning of leaf margins. Fruit treated with...
Complex engineered systems can carry risk of high failure consequences, and as a result, resilience-the ability to avoid or quickly recover from faults-is desirable. Ideally, resilience should be designed-in as early in the design process as possible so that designers can best leverage the ability to explore the design space....
In this research, a three-dimensional coupled wave-circulation model, including meteorological forcing, freshwater inflow and time varying open boundary conditions, for New River Inlet is validated. A mechanistic approach is taken to investigate how various wave-current interaction mechanisms affect the nearshore circulation, plume expansion and surface wave field in the plume...
Objectives
A growing body of research has found that healthcare discrimination is a significant barrier in accessing healthcare among Latino patients. Despite evidence of the effects of perceived discrimination among Latinos, psychometric testing of scales used in previous research is limited. The present study explored the psychometric properties of a...
Measurements that link surface conditions and climate can provide critical information on important biospheric changes occurring in the Earth system. As the direct driving force of energy and water fluxes at the surface-atmosphere interface, land surface temperature (LST) provides information on physical processes of land-cover change and energy-balance changes that...
Precision agriculture offers the technologies to manage for infield variability and incorporate variability into irrigation management decisions. The major limitation of this technology often lies in the reconciliation of disparate data sources and the generation of irrigation prescription maps. Here the authors explore the utility of the cosmic-ray neutron probe...
Background A novel equine parvovirus (EqPV-H) was recently discovered in the equine liver with Theiler's disease. Objectives To determine the prevalence of EqPV-H infection in naturally occurring Theiler's disease cases and in-contact horses in the absence of historical equine biologic product administration. Animals Ten cases of Theiler's disease from 6...
Aim The hypothesis that habitat fragmentation negatively influences biodiversity stems from island biogeography and metapopulation theory which predict negative impacts of decreasing patch size on richness and distribution patterns. Empirical support of this idea is weak in terrestrial systems, though tests of fragmentation effects are typically confounded with landscape composition...
Objective: To examine the relationship between wealth and cardiovascular disease risk factors among Hispanic/Latinos of diverse backgrounds.
Design: This cross-sectional study used data from 4971 Hispanic/Latinos, 18-74 years, who participated in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) baseline exam and the HCHS/SOL Sociocultural Ancillary Study. Three objectively measured...
In the Pacific Northwestern United States, the hop powdery mildew fungus, Podosphaera macularis, survives overwintering periods in association with living host tissue because the ascigerious stage of the pathogen is not known to occur in this region. Field experiments were conducted over a 5-year period to describe the overwintering process...
Fish monitoring programs often rely on the collection, species identification, and counting of individual fish over time to inform natural resource management decisions. Thus, the utility of the data used to inform these decisions can be negatively affected by species misidentification. Fish species misidentification bias can be minimized by confirming...
Whether CaCO₃ dissolves within the top centimeters of marine sediments overlaid by deep, supersaturated bottom waters remains an area of debate in geochemistry. This uncertainty stems from the fact that different methods used to assess CaCO₃ dissolution rates often provide what appear to be profoundly different results. Here we combine...
In this article, we price American options under Heston's stochastic volatility model using a radial basis function (RBF) with partition of unity method (PUM) applied to a linear complementary formulation of the free boundary partial differential equation problem. RBF-PUMs are local meshfree methods that are accurate and flexible with respect...
Silvopasture is the planned and managed agroecosystem in which forage, livestock, and woody perennials are integrated "either simultaneously or sequentially on the same parcel of land." Silvopasture can help mitigate anthropogenic climate change through carbon sequestration in perennial vegetation. We examined silvopasture, forest, and pasture systems in eastern North Carolina...
In view of the widespread damage to coastal bridges during recent tsunamis (2004 Indian Ocean and 2011 in Japan) large-scale hydrodynamic experiments of tsunami wave impact on a bridge with open girders were conducted in the Large Wave Flume at Oregon State University. The main objective was to decipher the...
The sustainability of the food system is at the forefront of academic and policy discussions as we face the challenge of providing food security to a growing population amidst environmental uncertainty and depletion, social disruptions, and structural economic shocks and stresses. Crafting a sustainable and resilient food system requires us...
Objective: We conducted a randomized controlled trial to test whether brief exercise and diet advice provided during child patient visits to their orthodontic office could improve diet, physical activity, and age-and-genderadjusted BMI.
Methods: We enrolled orthodontic offices in Southern California and Tijuana, Mexico, and recruited their patients aged 8-16 to...
Water-atomized and gas-atomized 17-4 PH stainless steel powder were used as feedstock in selective laser melting process. Gas atomized powder revealed single martensitic phase after printing and heat treatment independent of energy density. As-printed water atomized powder contained dual martensitic and austenitic phase regardless of energy density. The H900 heat...
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have been subject to long-term and continuing declines in population and habitat since European settlement of western North America. Increased wildfire activity constitutes a primary threat to the species in western portions of their range, with documented declines in wildfire-affected populations. Following a 187,000-ha wildfire in...
Developing aquifers as underground water supply reservoirs is an advantageous approach applicable to meeting water management objectives. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is a direct injection and subsequent withdrawal technology that is used to increase water supply storage through injection wells. Due to site-specific hydrogeological quantification and evaluation to assess...