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In 1987, the Department of the Navy enacted the Special Warfare Technician/SEAL chief warrant officer designator to support the Naval Special Warfare SEAL Teams’ officer community. In general, the U.S. Navy recognizes the chief warrant officer program’s value; however, amid Naval Special Warfare’s Force Optimization plan, the SEAL chief warrant officer’s value proposition is unclear. This study aims to answer the question: How should Naval Special Warfare select and employ their SEAL chief warrant officers in order to best contribute to the improvement of Naval Special Warfare’s organizational effectiveness? This thesis provides recommendations from the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data that examines and compares the selection requirements and employment utilization of U.S. Navy SEAL chief warrant officers and Army Special Forces warrant officers. The results of the study reveal that SEAL chief warrant officers are not tactically employed; are too diverse across the Naval Special Warfare spectrum; are not optimally utilized as newly commissioned chief warrant officers; may not be remaining at the same command for repeated tours; and face qualification selection requirements that are too broad. This research offers a framework and mechanism for coherent action among the stakeholders that will increase the value proposition of the Special Warfare Technician and, consequently, improve Naval Special Warfare’s organizational effectiveness. Outstanding Thesis Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy Chief Warrant Officer Three, United States Army Approved for public release. distribution is unlimited

International audience; Quantification of biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) fluxes into the atmosphere is crucial to understand their role in atmospheric oxidation and biogeochemical cycles. BVOC flux measurements were carried out in nine forest ecosystems using a relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) based sampling system, which is easily transportable, simple to operate and designed to be low-cost and therefore can easily be deployed at multiple remote locations. The REA measurements were carried out during daytime between 06:00 and 18:30 (Local Time) with a flux averaging period of 30 min. A detailed description of the REA sampling setup, operational procedure and validation by comparison with full eddy covariance (EC) BVOC flux measurements is provided. BVOC flux measurements from established long-term carbon and water flux tower sites in nine forest ecosystems are compared including Manitou Forest Observatory in Colorado, USA (pine woodland forest), Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux site in Colorado, USA (subalpine forest), Deer Canyon Preserve in New Mexico, USA (pinyon-juniper forest), Lei bamboo forest site near Taihuyuan, China, Qianyanzhou ChinaFLUX site in China (pine forest), Baskett Wildfire Refuge MOFlux site in Missouri, USA (deciduous oak forest), University of Michigan Biological Station PROPHET site in Michigan, USA (mixed deciduous forest), Changbai Mountain Forest Research Station in China (mixed deciduous forest) and the Guyaflux site (GF-Guy) in French Guiana (tropical rainforest). BVOC flux measurements using our REA setup confirm dominance of 2,3,2- methylbutenol (2,3,2-MBO) at the Manitou Forest Observatory and Niwot Ridge sites in Colorado. Monoterpene fluxes measured by REA showed good agreement (within ±10%) with monoterpene fluxes measured by PTR-MS at the Manitou Forest Observatory. The MOFlux site in Missouri was dominated by isoprene emissions (average flux of ~ 9.5 mg m−2 h−1) whereas the Deer Canyon site was dominated by α-pinene emissions (average flux ~ 0.73 mg m−2 h−1). Mixed deciduous forest sites at the PROPHET Station in Michigan and Changbai Mountain Forest Research Station in China primarily emitted isoprene along with some α-pinene, β-pinene and d-Limonene. Isoprene and α-pinene were the dominant BVOCs emitted from the subtropical Lei bamboo plantation at the Taihuyuan site in China while the pine forest site at Qianyanzhou in China were dominated by α-pinene emissions along with significant isoprene. BVOC measurements across different seasons (during 2009–2011) at a tropical forest site in French Guiana (Guyaflux site) revealed the dominance of isoprene emissions during all seasons. Irrespective of the type of the forest ecosystem, α-pinene was among the dominant monoterpenes emitted from all nine forests.

The first cases of Coronavirus of 2019 (COVID‐19) were reported in Wuhan, China in December 20191. The literature demonstrates geographical variation with regards to estimates of infection incidence, suggesting that COVID‐19 has been underdiagnosed in certain regions2,3. The rate of asymptomatic infection has been estimated to be as high as 30.8%, which may help explain variation in incidence, particularly in regions with differing screening practices 3. Transmission of COVID‐19 by asymptomatic carriers has been reported in multiple family units, indicating that this mode of infection is important in understanding disease epidemiology and population risk4,5.

Rhabdomyolysis is associated with methamphetamine, amphetamine, and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MA) use. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency, severity, and risk factors of rhabdomyolysis associated with MA use.

A highly portable calibration source of nitric oxide (NO) based on the photolysis of nitrous oxide (N2O) supplied by 8 or 16 g disposable cartridges is demonstrated to serve as an accurate and reliable transfer standard for the calibration of NO monitors in the field. The instrument provides output mixing ratios in the range 0–1000 ppb with a precision and accuracy better than the greater of 3 ppb or 3 % of the target NO mixing ratio over a wide range of environmental conditions of ambient temperature (8.5–35.0 ∘C), pressure (745–1015 mbar corresponding to 2.7–0.0 km of elevation), and relative humidity (0 %–100 % RH). The combination of the NO calibration source with a previously described ozone calibration source based on the photolysis of oxygen in air provides a new instrument capable of outputting calibrated mixing ratios of NO, ozone (O3), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), where the NO2 is produced by the stoichiometric gas-phase reaction of NO with O3. The portable NO2/NO/O3 calibration source requires no external gas cylinders and can be used for calibrations of NO, NO2, and O3 instruments for mixing ratios up to 1000, 500, and 1000 ppb, respectively. This portable calibrator may serve as a convenient transfer standard for field calibrations of ozone and NOx air pollution monitors.

Rationale A current trend in monitoring chemical contaminants in animal products is to use high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). In this study, several HRMS data acquistion modes using Orbitrap MS for simultaneous full-scan MS in combination with MS2 analysis were evaulated for their effectiveness in detecting and identifying both targeted and non-targeted veterinary drug residues in aquacultured eel samples. Methods Sample preparation consisted of an acidic acetonitrile extraction with solid-phase extraction cleanup for analysis using LC/HRMS. Different data acquisition methods, including full-scan MS with non-targeted all ion fragmentation (AIF), multiplexed or variable data-independent analysis (mDIA or vDIA), targeted data-dependent MS2 (DDMS2), and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) acquisition, were explored. The methods were evaluated with fortified eel tissue and imported eel samples to determine how many analytes could be detected and identified. Results For non-targeted data acquisition, the number of analytes detected using DIA methods matched the results obtained by AIF, but the resulting product ion scans were more diagnostic because characteristic ions were predominant in the DIA MS2 spectra. In targeted analysis for a limited list of 68 compounds, full-scan MS followed by PRM was advantageous compared with DDMS2 because high-quality MS2 spectra were generated for almost all the analytes at target testing levels. Conclusions For residue screening, AIF has fast MS1 scan speed with adequate detection of product ions but may lead to false positive findings. DIA methods are better suited to monitor for both targeted and non-targeted compounds because they generate more characteristic MS2 spectra for retrospective library searching. For follow-up targeted analysis, PRM is prefered over DDMS2 when searching for a limited set of compounds.

Successful seedling establishment depends on the optimum depth of seed placement especially in drought-prone conditions, providing an opportunity to exploit subsoil water and increase winter survival in winter wheat. Coleoptile length is a key determinant for the appropriate depth at which seed can be sown. Thus, understanding the genetic basis of coleoptile length is necessary and important for wheat breeding. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using a diverse panel of 298 winter wheat genotypes to dissect the genetic architecture of coleoptile length. We identified nine genomic regions associated with the coleoptile length on seven different chromosomes. Of the nine genomic regions, five have been previously reported in various studies, including one mapped to previously known Rht-B1 region. Three novel quantitative trait loci (QTLs), QCL.sdsu-2AS, QCL.sdsu-4BL, and QCL.sdsu-5BL were identified in our study. QCL.sdsu-5BL has a large substitution effect which is comparable to Rht-B1's effect and could be used to compensate for the negative effect of Rht-B1 on coleoptile length. In total, the nine QTLs explained 59% of the total phenotypic variation. Cultivars ‘Agate’ and ‘MT06103’ have the longest coleoptile length and interestingly, have favorable alleles at nine and eight coleoptile loci, respectively. These lines could be a valuable germplasm for longer coleoptile breeding. Gene annotations in the candidate regions revealed several putative proteins of specific interest including cytochrome P450-like, expansins, and phytochrome A. The QTLs for coleoptile length linked to single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers reported in this study could be employed in marker-assisted breeding for longer coleoptile in wheat. Thus, our study provides valuable insights into the genetic and molecular regulation of the coleoptile length in winter wheat.

Academic incivility is defined as behavior incongruent with the welfare of the classroom community and may take a number of forms and levels of intensity. This study seeks to determine the relationship between the Dark Triad personalities (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) and perceptions of appropriateness and frequency of academic incivilities. A sample of 519 university students indicated the degree to which each of 20 uncivil academic behaviors was perceived appropriate and how often students perceived those behaviors in the classroom. Factor analysis of the academic incivilities produced six factors: Low Class Engagement, Poor Class Presence, Student Retaliation, Cheating, Class Disruption, and Attempted Domination. Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that Machiavellianism, and to a lesser extent, narcissism, predicted both perceptions that academic incivilities were appropriate and the frequency of observations of incivilities. Psychopathy had no relationship with either perceptions of appropriateness or frequency of observation.

Background: Triphenylmethane dyes and metabolites are known or suspected mutagens and are prohibited in animals intended for human consumption. Despite toxicity, triphenylmethane dyes are used illegally as inexpensive treatments for fungal and parasite infections in aquatic animals. Objective: AOAC INTERNTIONAL Official Method 2012.25 for the LC-MS/MS determination of malachite green, crystal violet, brilliant green, and metabolites leucomalachite green and leucocrystal violet in seafood products was previously validated for finfish (trout, salmon, catfish, and tilapia) and shrimp, but had not been fully validated for other types of aquacultured products such as eel, molluscan shellfish, or frog or for processed seafoods. Methods: Method 2012.25 was applied to a wide scope of raw and processed aquaculture products including Arctic char, barramundi, eel, frog legs, hybrid striped bass, pompano, scallops, seabream, smoked trout, dried shrimp, and highly processed canned eel and dace products. The canned products contained oil, salt, sugar, flavorings, spices, sauces, and/or preservatives. Results: Dyes and metabolites were recovered with >85% accuracy and precision generally

Understanding nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) measurement techniques is important as air-quality standards become more stringent, important sources change, and instrumentation develops. NOx observ...

To compare methamphetamine users who develop heart failure to those who do not and determine predictors.Patients presenting over a two-year period testing positive for methamphetamine on their toxicology screen were included. Demographics, vital signs, echocardiography and labs were compared between patients with normal versus abnormal B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP).4407 were positive for methamphetamine, 714 were screened for heart failure, and 450 (63%) had abnormal BNP. The prevalence of abnormal BNP in methamphetamine-positive patients was 10.2% versus 6.7% for those who were negative or not tested. For methamphetamine-positive patients, there was a tendency for higher age and male gender with abnormal BNP. A higher proportion of Whites and former smokers had abnormal BNP and higher heart and respiratory rates. Echocardiography revealed disparate proportions for normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and severe dysfunction (LVEF30%), LV diastolic function, biventricular dimensions, and pulmonary arterial pressures between subgroups. For methamphetamine-positive patients with abnormal BNP, creatinine was significantly higher, but not Troponin I. Logistic regression analysis revealed predictors of abnormal BNP and LVEF30% in methamphetamine-positive patients, which included age, race, smoking history, elevated creatinine, and respiratory rate.Methamphetamine-positive patients have a significantly higher prevalence of heart failure than the general emergency department population who are methamphetamine-negative or not tested. The methamphetamine-positive subgroup who develop heart failure tend to be male, older, White, former smokers, and have higher creatinine, heart and respiratory rates. This subgroup also has greater biventricular dysfunction, dimensions, and higher pulmonary arterial pressures.

Isoprene fluxes vary seasonally with changes in environmental factors (e.g., solar radiation and temperature) and biological factors (e.g., leaf phenology). However, our understanding of the seasonal patterns of isoprene fluxes and the associated mechanistic controls is still limited, especially in Amazonian evergreen forests. In this paper, we aim to connect intensive, field-based measurements of canopy isoprene flux over a central Amazonian evergreen forest site with meteorological observations and with tower-mounted camera leaf phenology to improve our understanding of patterns and causes of isoprene flux seasonality. Our results demonstrate that the highest isoprene emissions are observed during the dry and dry-to-wet transition seasons, whereas the lowest emissions were found during the wet-to-dry transition season. Our results also indicate that light and temperature cannot totally explain isoprene flux seasonality. Instead, the camera-derived leaf area index (LAI) of recently mature leaf age class (e.g., leaf ages of 3–5 months) exhibits the highest correlation with observed isoprene flux seasonality (R2=0.59, p). Attempting to better represent leaf phenology in the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN 2.1), we improved the leaf age algorithm by utilizing results from the camera-derived leaf phenology that provided LAI categorized into three different leaf ages. The model results show that the observations of age-dependent isoprene emission capacity, in conjunction with camera-derived leaf age demography, significantly improved simulations in terms of seasonal variations in isoprene fluxes (R2=0.52, p). This study highlights the importance of accounting for differences in isoprene emission capacity across canopy leaf age classes and identifying forest adaptive mechanisms that underlie seasonal variation in isoprene emissions in Amazonia.

General Electric Company (GE) partnered with Norfolk Southern Railroad (NS) to create and implement an optimization algorithm-based software system that dispatches thousands of trains in real time, increases their average speed, and allows NS to realize annual savings in the hundreds of millions of dollars. NS handles a range of rail traffic that includes intermodal, automobile transport, manifest freight, and passenger, all with unique priorities and scheduling requirements. Previously, dispatching for each geographic area was managed manually from regional dispatch centers and did not encompass a view of the entire rail network. The algorithm that we developed incorporates data about the properties of the rail networks (e.g., track layout, speed restrictions, height and weight restrictions), data about the trains (e.g., schedules, operating costs, train characteristics), and additional activities associated with train dispatching, such as crew changes and inspections. In doing so, we created a novel system to manage all train dispatching, increased the average speed of trains by two miles per hour, and decreased operating costs, while significantly improving schedule adherence and crew expirations. Every mile-per-hour increase in average speed translates to $200 million savings in capital and operational expenses annually for NS. GE is currently implementing this system at two other railroads and is gaining additional important benefits from the project.