cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Congestion Control for Small Buffer High Speed Networks

There is growing interest in designing high speed routers with small buffers that store only tens of packets. Recent studies suggest that TCP NewReno, with the addition of a pacing mechanism, can interact with such routers without sacrificing link utilization. Unfortunately, as we show in this paper, as workload requirements grow and connection bandwidths increase, the interaction between the congestion control protocol and small buffer routers produce link utilizations that tend to zero. This is a simple consequence of the inverse square root dependence of TCP throughput on loss probability. In this paper we present a new congestion controller that avoids this problem by allowing a TCP connection to achieve arbitrarily large bandwidths without demanding the loss probability go to zero. We show that this controller produces stable behavior and, through simulation, we show its performance to be superior to TCP NewReno in a variety of environments. Lastly, because of its advantages in high bandwidth environments, we compare our controller's performance to some of the recently proposed high performance versions of TCP including HSTCP, STCP, and FAST. Simulations illustrate the superior performance of the proposed controller in a small buffer environment.
Mitotic topologies and mechanics of Neoproterozoic algae and animal embryos

Cell division is a key biological process in growth, morphogenesis, and reproduction. Despite our improved understanding of the genetics and dynamics of cell division in all major groups of living organisms, paleontological evidence for cell division is largely restricted to silicified (and some carbonaceous) algae and vascular plants where three-dimensional observation is possible. Animal cell division has been documented in the fossil record to a lesser extent; however, such knowledge is highly desirable in the recently revitalized field of evolutionary developmental biology. Two fundamentally different mitotic cell division topologies are preserved in late Neoproterozoic Doushantuo phosphorites (ca. 550–600 million years old) in South China. Doushantuo algal cells (∼20 μm in diameter) are successively cleaved by mitotic division planes that are offset but not deformed by subsequent cytokinesis. Mitotic division planes in successively cleaving Doushantuo animal embryos (several hundred microns in diameter) are also offset. However, in sharp contrast to Doushantuo algae, Doushantuo animal blastomeres repeatedly shift to mechanically stable configurations by disturbing preexisting division planes. This divergence reflects the underlying cytological and developmental differences between algae and animals. Specifically, the presence/absence of rigid cell walls and different cytokinetic mechanisms, coupled with mechanics at mitotic offsets, contribute to the diverging mitotic topologies in Doushantuo algae and animal embryos. These findings not only confirm previous interpretation of Doushantuo fossils but also provide direct paleontological evidence of cell movement in the development of these early animal fossils.
The Power Game between Division Managers and CEOs in Internal Capital Market

Scharfstein and Stein (2000) propose a two-tiered agency model where division managers rent-seek to maximize their own utilities; the CEO being an agent of shareholders may use preferential capital allocation to retain division managers. We build our study on this two-tiered agency model and show empirically that: factors that improve division managers’ bargaining power (such as segment profitability or segment requires specific human capital) or increase productivity imbalance (such as variation in segment productivities) among segments tend to aggravate distortion in internal capital allocation; while factors that contribute to stronger CEO power (such as high CEO ownership), easy segment evaluation (such as segment asset tangibility) tend to improve the efficiency in internal capital market. We also find that segment financial opacity and equity-based CEO compensation distort capital reallocation decisions when there are changes in segment investment opportunities. Overall, our results indicate that the relative bargaining positions of conglomerate CEOs and segment managers play an important role in determining the efficiency of internal capital market.
Digital Audio Watermarking Technique Exploiting the Properties of the Psychoacoustic Model 2 of the MPEG Standard

In this paper, we propose a watermarking technique for digital audio data operates in the frequency domain. Time–frequency mapping is often done using the Modified Discrete Cosine Transform (MDCT) [1]. It is based on the design of the psychoacoustic model 2 (MPH2) of the MPEG standard [2] layer 3 but specific to audio watermarking. To ensure more inaudibility, the insertion of the mark bits will be in the least significant bit (LSB). In this technique, we duplicate the bits of the mark in order to have a maximum capacity of insertion and robustness of growing against different types of attacks. In order to increase the detection rates, we used Hamming [3] code as error correction code. We studied the robustness of this technique against compression/decompression MP3 attack and we evaluated the inaudibility by calculating the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and the objective difference grade (ODG) notes given by PEAQ. To highlight our results, we compared the proposed technique with three other existing techniques.
Real-Time Data Collection and Online Service Transactions: Matching Methodology and Marketplace

Many online service transactions, such as purchasing airline or concert tickets, are multi-stage experiences involving a series of webpages. This serial service presentation suggests that post-hoc survey measures of service experience and quality will obscure transitory thoughts and affect that are centered around individual segments of the service transaction. By using realtime data collection methods such as eyetrackers, mouseloggers, and digital voice recorders, affective and cognitive responses to individual segments of the service process can be captured, and the effects of manipulations more directly measured. In one example, real-time data in an online study showed strong differences between web novices and experts in their affective and cognitive reactions to varying marketing efforts within a service transaction; these differences were obfuscated in post-stimulus survey measures. Real-time measures were especially well-suited to exploring reactions to changes in segment order and questions of segment bundling versus contiguity.
NPY increases food intake in white-crowned sparrows: effect in short and long photoperiods

To determine if altered sensitivity to neuropeptide Y (NPY) underlies premigratory fattening, white-crowned sparrows held on short day length (9:15-h light-dark) received injections into the third ventricle (ivt) of saline or several doses of NPY. An inverted-U function occurred with food intake increasing 30 and 60 min after doses of 1.0 and 2.0 micrograms NPY. When photostimulated (20:4-h light-dark), birds increased daily caloric intake and gained weight rapidly. Birds maintained on long day lengths significantly increased food intake after 0.25 and 0.5 micrograms of NPY and did not respond to higher doses. The effective dose range for NPY to increase food intake moved to the left, suggesting an increase in sensitivity to the peptide on long day lengths. In summary, white-crowned sparrows consume more food when administered NPY ivt and have increased sensitivity when photostimulated and gaining weight. Hence NPY may be a natural stimulator of food intake in this species.
Orientalism in the Machine

When the poet Rainer Maria Rilke was a student his physics teacher built a phonograph. To the young lyricist the unfamiliar sounds represented ‘a new, still infinitely tender piece of reality’. Today the visual displays and layered interfaces of battle spaces, video games and computer simulations represent a similarly new, yet far from tender, fragment of the real. Used to project meaning onto foreign bodies and territories, this crowded medium is an essential link in a global kill chain. While these technical renditions and framings of the oriental other are innovative they recapitulate an old motif of Orientalism. As Edward Said wrote, ‘to divide, deploy, schematize, tabulate, index, and record everything in sight (and out of sight)’ were ‘features of Orientalist projection’. In this desire to store, retain, and sort Orientalism ‘embodies a systematic discipline of accumulation’. Such accumulation entails expertise. At present, the nature of that expertise is one of technical and methodical data- management that subsumes knowledge about culture, history, and politics. Compared to earlier modalities, today the number — as code, data, and statistics — authorizes orientalist images projected on screens. Current Orientalism is more concerned with arithmetizing and measuring the individual other than discovering any linguistic or civilizational essence. This technical expertise is about making the invisible — culture, danger, and political stability — visible, and thereby constitutes a particular type of military visuality.
Ultrafast charge transfer in nickel phthalocyanine probed by femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy.

The recently developed technique of femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy, and its variant, femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy (FRIKES), offer access to ultrafast excited-state dynamics via structurally specific vibrational spectra. We have used FRIKES to study the photoexcitation dynamics of nickel(II) phthalocyanine with eight butoxy substituents, NiPc(OBu)8. NiPc(OBu)8 is reported to have a relatively long-lived ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (LMCT) state, an essential characteristic for efficient electron transfer in photocatalysis. Following photoexcitation, vibrational transitions in the FRIKES spectra, assignable to phthalocyanine ring modes, evolve on the femtosecond to picosecond time scales. Correlation of ring core size with the frequency of the ν10 (asymmetric C–N stretching) mode confirms the identity of the LMCT state, which has a ∼500 ps lifetime, as well as that of a precursor d-d excited state. An even earlier (∼0.2 ps) transient is observed and tentatively assigned t...
Simulation-Based Analysis of the Near Field in a Supersonic Jet Controlled by Plasma Actuators

Simulations have been performed on a Mach 1.3 jet subjected to excitation by a set of eight Localized Arc Filament Plasma Actuators (LAFPAs) mounted on the periphery of the nozzle exit. Several different modes are considered, including axisymmetric (m=0), helical (m =0 , m =1 , m =2 and m =3 ) and mixed (m = ±1 and m = ±2). The effect of different excitation frequencies is explored, as characterized by the Strouhal number, St, based on the jet velocity and nozzle exit diameter. In the first part of this paper, the generation, evolution and breakdown of coherent structures, which are most prominent at the lower Strouhal number, are reviewed. Hairpin vortices are observed to be key building blocks in the evolution process, and are observed in instantaneous as well as phase-averaged realizations. The phase-averaged structure shows a variety of features, including rolls and ribs (m =0 ), single-helix (m =1 ), double-helix (m =2 ), and interacting vortex loops (m = ±1 and m = ±2). In the second part of the paper, the near field is analyzed under the influence of m =0 and m =1 excitation at St =0 .3, 1.0 and 2.0. The analysis, which includes azimuthal mode decomposition of the pressure field, shows that at higher frequencies, the large structure formation is inhibited and peak SPL amplitudes diminish, in a manner that is generally consistent with experimental results.
PTEN loss and chromosome 8 alterations in Gleason grade 3 prostate cancer cores predicts the presence of un-sampled grade 4 tumor: implications for Active Surveillance

Men who enter active surveillance because their biopsy exhibits only Gleason grade 3 (G3) frequently have higher grade tumor missed by biopsy. Thus, biomarkers are needed that, when measured on G3 tissue, can predict the presence of higher grade tumor in the whole prostate. We evaluated whether PTEN loss, chromosome 8q gain (MYC) and/or 8p loss (LPL) measured only on G3 cores is associated with un-sampled G4 tumor. A tissue microarray was constructed of prostatectomy tissue from patients whose prostates exhibited only Gleason score 3+3, only 3+4 or only 4+3 tumor (n=50 per group). Cores sampled only from areas of G3 were evaluated for PTEN loss by immunohistochemistry, and PTEN deletion, LPL/8p loss and MYC/8q gain by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Biomarker results were compared between Gleason score 6 vs 7 tumors using conditional logistic regression. PTEN protein loss, odds ratio=4.99, P=0.033; MYC/8q gain, odds ratio=5.36, P=0.010; and LPL/8p loss, odds ratio=3.96, P=0.003 were significantly more common in G3 cores derived from Gleason 7 vs Gleason 6 tumors. PTEN gene deletion was not statistically significant. Associations were stronger comparing Gleason 4+3 vs 6 than for Gleason 3+4 vs 6. MYC/8q gain, LPL/8p loss and PTEN protein loss measured in G3 tissue microarray cores strongly differentiate whether the core comes from a Gleason 6 or Gleason 7 tumor. If validated to predict upgrading from G3 biopsy to prostatectomy these biomarkers could reduce the likelihood of enrolling high-risk men and facilitate safe patient selection for active surveillance.
Analysis on Epidemic Situation of Measles and Effectiveness of Its Control and Elimination Strategy in Yubei District of Chongqing

Objective To investigate the epidemic history of measles from 1951 to 2010,the epidemic characteristics of measles in recent years and the current situation of population immunization level in Yubei District of Chongqing,to analyze the causes of measles epidemic in recent years,and to provide evidence for making measles eradication strategy in the region.Methods Descriptively analysis was used to review the data on measles epidemic situation reports in a 60-year period,the vaccination coverage rates in a 38-year period,and the results of recent population-based serological survey in Yubei District of Chongqing.Results After the immunization with live measles vaccines for 38 years,the vaccination coverage rates were increased to 85%~98% from 0.The percentage of measles-IgG-positive reached 92.94% in the population aged below 60 years.The incidence rate of measles was decreased to 0.58/100,000 in 2010 from 593.23/100,000 during the period without immune vaccination(from 1951 to 1972).In recent 8-year span,the measles patients aged ≤ 8 months and 15 years accounted for half of all cases,and the patients aged between 8 months and 3 years accounted for one-third of all cases.Conclusions It is imperative to adjust the measles control strategies,conduct supplementary immunization activities in the population aged between 15 and 29 years,and improve the accurate diagnosis rate of measles.
The Alaska earthquake of July 10, 1958: Introduction

This is a general introduction to the four following articles by several authors who cooperated in making studies of various aspects of this major shock.
Evidence against participation of cytochrome b5 in the hepatic microsomal mixed-function oxidase reaction.

The addition of increasing concentrations of a detergent (Triton X-100)-solubilized cytochrome b5 from liver microsomes to liver microsomes of untreated or phenobarbital-treated animals produced correspondingly greater inhibition of aminopyrine dealkylation. Even addition of NADH to the NADPH-supported reaction did not prevent this inhibition, although the added cytochrome b5 functioned as an endogenous hemoprotein; i.e., it was reduced by NADH and stimulated the reduction of exogenous cytochrome c. These observations suggest that cytochrome b5 does not function in hepatic microsomal mixedfunction oxidase reactions.
Review: The New Rijksmuseum, by Oeke Hoogendijk

Oeke Hoogendijk, writer and director The New Rijksmuseum First Run Features, New York, 2014, 131 min. In the documentary film The New Rijksmuseum , director Oeke Hoogendijk chronicles the simultaneously precise, meticulous, radical, and frustrating decade-long renovation of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum (2003–13), a significant piece of architecture that forms a centerpiece to the city and houses a treasure trove of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, including masterpieces by Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals, and Jan Steen. First Run Features, which produced the film, describes Hoogendijk's work as capturing the story from a “fly-on-the-wall perspective,” a point of view that provides an innovative way to objectively document a controversial renovation and to convey the frustration involved in the sumptuous but fragmentary story the film delivers.1 As the camera follows the architects, museum director Ronald de Leeuw, art restorers, curators, artworks, and members of the feisty Dutch Cyclists’ Union (DCU), these performers in the renovation process tell a story about the ways in which this building's transformation engages social and material culture. Rather than presenting an overview of the Rijksmuseum's architecture, its institutional history, or the artworks’ role in the design, Hoogendijk depicts events as they unfold across the duration of the renovation, inviting viewers to connect various scenes to create a larger narrative structure concerning the museum's transformation. Much like the compound eye of a fly, in which thousands of visual receptors carry information to the brain via the optic nerve, the film's uniform representation of diverse subject matter presents a kaleidoscope of sequences that provide impeccably detailed information but eschew telling a more comprehensive …
Wilms Tumor (Nephroblastoma)

Wilms tumors occur more commonly in the presence of any of a number of congenital anomalies. The underlying environmental causes are unknown. These rare malignancies, mostly occurring in childhood, are about as common in Los Angeles County as elsewhere and occur with equal frequency in both sexes and among the members of all social classes, although they occur less often among Asian-Americans. Its incidence in Los Angeles County has been relatively constant over time. With the exception of some racial difference, this malignancy has occurred with roughly equal frequency among all the children of Los Angeles County. That pattern is consistent with causation by genetic or other factors that act during development. No systematic pattern of geographical occurrence is apparent, and therefore no local source of causation is proposed.
A Review of PROC IRT in SAS

This article reviews PROC IRT, which was added to Statistical Analysis Software in 2014. We provide an introductory overview of a free version of SAS, describe what PROC IRT offers for item response theory (IRT) analysis and how one can use PROC IRT, and discuss how other SAS macros and procedures may compensate the IRT functionalities of PROC IRT.
Adolescents' internalizing symptoms as predictors of the content of their Facebook communication and responses received from peers.

This research examined how adolescents' internalizing symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness, relate to the content of their Facebook communication and the responses they receive from peers on Facebook. Participants (n = 125, 56 female, age 18) reported on their internalizing symptoms in the summer following 12th grade, and downloaded an application to their Facebook account that stored the content of all of their Facebook communication to secure, online archive. Two months of participants' status updates and comments and peers' comments were coded for content. Relations between internalizing symptoms and Facebook communication differed for girls and boys. For girls, internalizing symptoms predicted several types of Facebook content: negative affect, somatic complaints and eliciting support. In contrast, internalizing symptoms were not related to boys' Facebook posts. Relations between internalizing symptoms and peers' responses on Facebook also differed by gender. For girls, internalizing symptoms positively predicted receiving more peer comments expressing negative affect, and peer responses offering support. For boys, internalizing symptoms did not predict any of the measured peer responses. These findings suggest that girls prone to internalizing symptoms use Facebook in ways that appear similar to co-rumination, by expressing problems to friends and receive possibly reinforcing feedback in return.
The Status of Budget Forecasting

This article examines the breadth of the current forecast literature as it relates to public budget making. It serves to provide summary information to decision-makers who otherwise do not have the resources to learn more than a small amount focused on much more narrowly defined areas of forecasting (such as the politics of forecast bias). Next, it serves those who perform forecasting related to budgeting by reviewing the current methods and practices commonly used in this domain. It also provides a ground level for future public budget forecasting research. Finally, this article identifies several areas in which the public forecasting literature needs additional development. Several of these areas, such as the effectiveness of nonregression-based forecasting techniques, are quite important to the majority of governments in the United States and other subnational jurisdictions, where budget offices are limited and resource investments in technology are scarce.
Revegetation of Medusahead-Invaded Rangelands in the Channeled Scablands of Eastern Washington

Vegetation on the Channeled Scablands of eastern Washington has been altered to a community dominated by medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae [L.] Nevski). Medusahead is used by livestock but becomes unpalatable as the plant matures and seed heads develop, thus decreasing carrying capacity. The objective of this study was to determine if improved cool-season grasses could establish and persist on medusahead-infested rangelands in the region. A split-plot randomized complete block design consisting of four blocks was established at three different locations. Plots were treated with herbicides to remove all vegetation and seeded in 2010. Seeded species included introduced cool-season grass cultivars: Hycrest II crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L.] Gaertn.), Vavilov II Siberian wheatgrass (Agropyron fragile [Roth] P. Candargy), Bozoisky II Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys juncea [Fisch.] Nevski), and a native cool-season grass mix composed of Sherman big bluegrass (Poa secunda J. Presl), Secar Snake River wheatgrass (Elymus wawawaiensis J. Carlson & Barkworth), Bannock Thickspike wheatgrass (Elymus lanceolatus [Scribn. & J. G. Sm.] Gould), and Recovery Western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii [Rydb.] A Love). Sherman big bluegrass was the only native species that established, and frequency was 65% at the end of the study. Hycrest II frequency was 48% at the end of the study. Vavilov II frequency was 50% at the end of the study. Sherman big bluegrass matured early in the season and had greater biomass production than Hycrest II and Vavilov II in May. The later-maturing Hycrest II and Vavilov II were similar in biomass production to Sherman big bluegrass in July. Bozoisky II had poor stand establishment and did not persist. Hycrest II, Vavilov II, and Sherman big bluegrass are forages that can be used for revegetation on the Channeled Scablands of eastern Washington.
N-Acetyl Cysteine Reduces von Willebrand Factor Multimer Size In Vitro and In Vivo.

von Willebrand factor (VWF) shares a similar domain structure with many polymeric mucins, including the presence of D domains and a C-terminal cysteine knot, which allows these molecules to form polymeric structures that can reach immense sizes. Precipitation of polymeric lung mucins complicates the clinical course of cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive lung disease, and in both cases the viscosity of the inspissated mucus can be reduced by treatment with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), which presumably reduces the size of the mucin polymers by reducing sensitive disulfide bonds. Because of the similarity of VWF and mucin multimers, we examined whether NAC could also reduce VWF multimer size both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro , we incubated NAC at different concentrations and for different times with ultra-large VWF multimers (ULVWF) isolated from endothelial cell supernatant and examined the effect on multimer size using agarose gel electrophoresis. NAC reduced ULVWF size in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, with the peak effect reached at 5 min and at concentration of 0.5 mM. We then examined the effect of NAC on ULVWF/platelet “strings” formed on the surface of histamine-activated endothelial cells by perfusing the strings with NAC solutions. At 1 mM, NAC eliminated almost all of the adherent strings within 5 minutes. We next examined the effect of NAC in vivo by following VWF multimer size with time in C57B/6 injected with NAC either intraperitoneally or intravenously. NAC, at a single dose of 500 mg/kg, induced a sustained reduction in VWF multimer size in the treated mice within 4 hours after injection. The effects lasted up to 8 hours. These results suggest that NAC may be a rapid, safe, and effective treatment for patients suspected of suffering from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a disorder characterized by a failure to process ULVWF.
Using Cooperatively Folded Peptides To Measure Interaction Energies and Conformational Propensities

ConspectusThe rates and equilibria of the folding of biopolymers are determined by the conformational preferences of the subunits that make up the sequence of the biopolymer and by the interactions that are formed in the folded state in aqueous solution. Because of the centrality of these processes to life, quantifying conformational propensities and interaction strengths is vitally important to understanding biology. In this Account, we describe our use of peptide model systems that fold cooperatively yet are small enough to be chemically synthesized to measure such quantities.The necessary measurements are made by perturbing an interaction or conformation of interest by mutation and measuring the difference between the folding free energies of the wild type (in which the interaction or conformation is undisturbed) and the mutant model peptides (in which the interaction has been eliminated or the conformational propensities modified). With the proper controls and provided that the peptide model system in...
The untranslatable Disciplina clericalis: Three translations

The Disciplina clericalis of Petrus Alfonsi was an unusual text in its own time and place. Petrus compiled and translated it from Arabic courtly sources from al-Andalus and seems to have composed it in or translated it into Latin shortly after his conversion from Judaism to Christianity in the early twelfth century and his subsequent migration to Norman England. In this essay, I consider Disciplina clericalis in three acts of translation: a Latin to Anglo-Norman verse translation from the turn of the thirteenth century, a Modern English translation from the second half of the twentieth century, and the compilation of the Latin work itself in the early twelfth century. I consider these literary acts within the framework of translation theory, drawing especially on Emily Apter’s concept of ‘untranslatability’ and Lawrence Venuti’s concepts of ‘domesticating’ and ‘foreignizing’ translation strategies. I will argue that we have simplified Petrus’s complex compilation and translation in layers of reading, misreading, and translation and that reading Disciplina clericalis well means reading through the accreted domesticating of medieval and modern reception.
Travel Distance as a Barrier to Receipt of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy After Radical Prostatectomy.

Objectives Following radical prostatectomy (RP), adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) decreases biochemical recurrence and potentially improves metastasis-free and overall survival for patients with high-risk pathologic features. Since adjuvant RT typically occurs daily over several weeks, the logistical challenges of extensive traveling may be a significant barrier to its use. We examined the association between distance to treatment facility and use of adjuvant RT. Materials and methods We identified 97,568 patients in the National Cancer Database diagnosed from 2004 through 2011 with cT1-4N0-xM0-x prostate cancer and found to have high-risk pathologic features (pT3-4 stage and/or positive surgical margins) at RP. Multivariable logistic regression adjusting for sociodemographic and clinicopathologic factors was used to examine the association between travel distance and receipt of adjuvant RT, defined as radiotherapy initiated within 12 months after RP. Results Overall, 10.6% (10,346) of the study cohort received adjuvant RT. On multivariable analysis, increasing travel distance was significantly associated with decreased use of adjuvant RT, with adjusted odds ratios of 1.0 (reference), 0.67, 0.46, 0.39, and 0.32 (all P 100.0 miles away, respectively. Conclusions Increasing travel distance was strongly associated with decreased use of adjuvant RT in this national cohort of postprostatectomy patients with high-risk pathologic features. These results strongly suggest that the logistical challenges of extensive travel are a significant barrier to the use of adjuvant RT. Efforts aimed at improving access to radiotherapy and reducing treatment time are urgently needed.
The quiescent progenitors of four Type II-P/L supernovae

We present Large Binocular Telescope difference imaging data for the final years of four Type II-P/L supernovae progenitors. For all four, we find no significant evidence for stochastic or steady variability in the U, B, V, or R-bands. Our limits constrain variability to no more than roughly 5-10% of the expected R-band luminosities of the progenitors. These limits are comparable to the observed variability of red supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds. Based on these four events, the probability of a Type II-P/L progenitor having an extended outburst after Oxygen ignition is <37% at 90% confidence. Our observations cannot exclude short outbursts in which the progenitor returns to within ~10% of its quiescent flux on the time scale of months with no dust formation.
Challenges in the first all-sky optical SETI

The Harvard/Planetary Society all-sky optical SETI marked a significant increase in search capability and instrument complexity. It is the first all-sky optical search, the first optical search with multiple sky pixels (there are 512 in the all-sky search, compared with one in all targeted searches), and the first use of a full-custom chip designed exclusively for optical SETI. The arrays of photomultiplier tubes, printed circuit boards, microcontrollers, programmable logic, and custom chips in the all-sky instrument are capable of a computational throughput (a data rate of 3.5 Tb/s) that is comparable to current, sophisticated radio searches. This talk will focus on technical solutions to the challenges of building an all-sky optical search instrument. Topics covered will include: instrument design choices (electrical, optical, and mechanical); experiences in full-custom chip design; software for real-time diagnostics and instrument control for remote and/or automated observations; and design for reliability of arrayed electronics.
NeoN: Neuromorphic control for autonomous robotic navigation

In this paper we describe the use of a new neuromorphic computing framework to implement the navigation system for a roaming, obstacle avoidance robot. Using a Dynamic Adaptive Neural Network Array (DANNA) structure, our TENNLab (Laboratory of Tennesseans Exploring Neural Networks) hardware/software co-design framework and evolutionary optimization (EO) as the training algorithm, we create, train, implement, and test a spiking neural network autonomous robot control system using an array of neuromorphic computing elements built on an FPGA. The simplicity and flexibility of the DANNA neuromorphic computing elements allow for sufficient scale and connectivity on a Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGA to support sensory input and motor control for a mobile robot to navigate a dynamically changing environment. We further describe how more complex capabilities can be added using the same platform, e.g. object identification and tracking.
IMPACT OF PULMONARY HYPERTENSION ON SURVIVAL FOLLOWING DEVICE CLOSURE OF ATRIAL SEPTAL DEFECT IS LIMITED BY AGE

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common in patients with secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) and may adversely impact long-term outcome following device closure. How this relationship is affected by age at time of closure is unknown. A prospectively collected database of ASD closures between 2000 and
Anxiety Disorders in Tourette’s Syndrome

Despite advances in the understanding of genetics, epidemiology, and clinical phenomenology, the nature of anxiety in Tourette’s syndrome is not clearly understood. Anxiety as a symptom must be differentiated from anxiety disorder.
Aspirin does not inhibit adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet alpha-granule release

The involvement of metabolites of arachidonic acid in platelet-dense granule secretion and secondary platelet-platelet interactions is well characterized. However, their role in heterotypic interactions dependent on alpha-granule secretion is less well understood. Using platelet-surface expression of P-selectin as a marker of alpha-granule secretion, we have shown that: (1) aspirin treatment of platelets at doses that block dense granule secretion does not inhibit alpha-granule secretion to adenosine diphosphate (ADP); (2) synergism between epinephrine and ADP in the induction of P-selectin expression is similarly unaffected by aspirin; and (3) the ability of P-selectin to mediate adhesion of activated platelets to monocytes and polymorphonuclear lymphocytes in whole blood is also unchanged by aspirin treatment. To further explore the mechanisms responsible for platelet alpha-granule secretion, we have shown that inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange by either acidification of the extracellular medium or amiloride treatment blocked ADP-induced P-selectin expression. In contrast, incubation with the platelet lipoxygenase inhibitor 5,8,11-eicosatrynoic acid, by itself and with aspirin, did not decrease ADP-induced P-selectin expression. We conclude that platelet alpha-granule secretion in response to ADP is dependent on intact Na+/H+ exchange but is independent of the lipoxygenase- and cyclooxygenase-dependent metabolites of arachidonic acid.
Interpersonal Chemistry in Friendships and Romantic Relationships

Interpersonal chemistry refers to a perceived instant connection that exists when meeting a person for the first time. In this study, we inductively explored the characteristics of friendship and romantic chemistry for men and women. A social constructionist lens guided our data collection and interpretation. The sample consisted of 362 ethnically diverse individuals (men = 162, women = 200) who completed an online survey. Using textual coding methods, we identified the core themes for interpersonal chemistry as: Reciprocal candor, mutual enjoyment, attraction, similarities, personableness, love, instant connection, and indescribable factors. The similarities theme was more characteristic of friendship than romantic chemistry and the attraction and love themes were more salient to romantic chemistry. We analyzed the data separately for men and women and found that women’s responses centered more on love as characteristic of friendship chemistry and similarities as a component of romantic chemistry.
Global Ab Initio Simulations: Study of A Liquid As An Example

By now it is a rather accepted viewpoint that science can be divided into “laboratory-experimental” and “theoretical-computational.” Possibly, however, it is not sufficiently realized that computational science has made “enormous” progress in the last few years because of the availability of very fast, high performance computers, generally referred to as supercomputers. In referring to the “tremendous progress,” we do not wish to put our emphasis on the size and the magnitude of the computations, but rather on the viewpoint. Indeed, now we can think in terms of “global simulations,” namely simulations of a full problem, no longer limited to a specific subspecialized field. Let us clarify with an example related to chemistry and physics; when we consider the motions of an ensemble of molecules of water, we can either think in terms of the motions of the atoms within a single molecule or the motion of one molecule of water within the solvation cavity of other molecules of water (namely within the solvation cell), or we can think in terms of the collective motions where many solvation cells are interacting one with another. We can even go one step further and think in terms of very large systems where traditionally one would use fluid dynamics rather than a discrete representation like quantum or statistical mechanics. In other words, because of supercomputers we are able to analyze an ensemble of molecules of water from quantum, to statistical, to fluid dynamics. In this paper we shall demonstrate the feasibility of our global approach by presenting a detailed discussion on simulations of liquid water. This is likely the first application of the global viewpoint but surely more and more will follow.
Structure of Breathing and Phonatory Mechanisms

In order to sustain life the adult human must breathe in and out of his lungs about 10,000 liters of air a day. The pump which accomplishes this never has a chance to rest, and during exercise that figure must be increased many fold. The work of breathing accounts for some 2% (at a minimum) of the total energy consumed by the body. In view of these facts it is of interest that there are two circumstances which involve a deliberate increase in the work involved in lung ventilation, one is the choice of nasal breathing over breathing through the mouth, and the other is phonation. The choice of nasal breathing is related to the capacity of the nose to condition inspired air, an important physiological defense of the lungs (see Chap. 4). But we frequently elect to speak or sing purely for pleasure with no direct physiological gain. It is my objective in this monograph to examine the use of breathing for the purposes of phonation and to relate our knowledge of breathing mechanics to the most effective and euphonious production of speech and song.
Minimally Invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion

The sacroiliac joint is often an overlooked cause for low back pain. It is estimated that around 15–20 % of low back pain is caused by sacroiliac joint dysfunction [3, 22, 23]. This number may be even higher in patients with a history of lumbosacral fusion surgery, a history of posterior iliac crest bone graft harvesting, or in patients with sustained low back pain after spine surgery (“failed back syndrome”) [6, 11, 15, 19, 24].
Rapid and complete removal of guayule (Parthenium argentatum) leaves by cryodefoliation, and freeze and thaw induction of rubber particle coagulation

Abstract Production of natural rubber (NR), a vital natural resource for modern economies, currently is completely dependent upon tropical cultivation of the Para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis, Mull. Arg). One promising source of alternative rubber is guayule (Parthenium argentatum, Gray), which is currently being developed as an alternative source of NR. Guayule rubber accumulates as rubber particles in bark parenchyma and can be extracted in the form of latex by homogenizing the bark and then separating the latex from the non-latex components by centrifugation. Latex separation and purification processes are significantly hindered by fine solids from the co-homogenized leaves. Therefore, complete removal of leaves before homogenization is highly desired. However, guayule leaves do not naturally abscise and chemical defoliants cannot be utilized since these dehydrate the shrub and coagulate the latex, and physical leaf removal processes are tedious or inefficient. We demonstrate that liquid nitrogen can be used to embrittle the leaves without freezing the bark parenchyma, completely removing the leaves with a single physical blow, and then the defoliated branches can be homogenized with no loss of latex-containing bark and no leaf contamination. Under longer freezing times, rubber coagulation occurred in partially frozen tissue and during slow thawing. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the rubber coagulation, which occurs when guayule branches are frozen through and thawed before homogenization, can be avoided by rapid homogenization of the flash frozen branches in ambient temperature aqueous extraction buffer.
DynaFlow: An Efficient Website Fingerprinting Defense Based on Dynamically-Adjusting Flows

Website fingerprinting attacks enable a local adversary to determine which website a Tor user visits. In recent years, several researchers have proposed defenses to counter these attacks. However, these defenses have shortcomings: many do not provide formal guarantees of security, incur high latency and bandwidth overheads, and require a frequently-updated database of website traffic patterns. In this work, we introduce a new countermeasure, DynaFlow, based on dynamically-adjusting flows to protect against website fingerprinting. DynaFlow provides a similar level of security as current state-of-the-art while being over 40% more efficient. At the same time, DynaFlow does not require a pre-established database and extends protection to dynamically-generated websites.
Representing States in a Biology Textbook.

A biology textbook contains sentences such as “role of cytoskeleton is support and motility of a cell” and “NADH is an electron carrier that transfers electrons”. The first sentence explicitly uses the word role while in the second sentence the role of electron carrier is implicit. Role concepts have been defined in the context of upper ontologies for some time, but the word role has also been used in linguistics and description logics to denote related but different notions. In this paper, we consider the roles in a biology textbook, adapt a definition of roles based on upper ontologies, and relate it to the corresponding notions in linguistics and description logics. We consider our solutions to several conceptual modeling problems for roles as we have used them in representing the knowledge contained in a biology textbook. The primary contribution of this work is in applying the representation of roles to a complex and challenging domain, in giving definitions that can be applied by biologists, and in collecting several concrete examples that require such representation.
Parents as Mentors: Addressing Contemporary Childrearing through a Servant Leadership Philosophy and the Application of Mentorship Mottos:

The motivations of parents within an ominously competitive society can be mediated through a servant leadership philosophy in order to nourish a supportive ecosystem within the home and community c...
HITM-SIR: phase Ib trial of intraarterial chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy and selective internal radiation therapy for CEA+ liver metastases.

Effective chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for liver metastases (LM) will require innovative solutions to ensure efficient delivery and minimization of systemic toxicity. We previously demonstrated the safety of CAR-T hepatic artery infusions (HAI). We subsequently conducted the phase 1b HITM-SIR trial, in which six patients (pts) with CEA+ LM received anti-CEA CAR-T HAIs and selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT). The primary endpoint was safety with secondary assessments of biologic activity. Enrolled pts had a mean LM size of 6.4 cm, 4 pts had >10 LM, and pts received an average of two lines of prior systemic therapy. No grade 4 or 5 toxicities were observed, and there were no instances of severe cytokine-release syndrome (CRS) or neurotoxicity. The mean transduction efficiency was 60.4%. Following CAR-T HAI, reduced levels of GM-CSF-R, IDO, and PD-L1 were detected in LM, and serum CEA levels were stable or decreased in all subjects. Median survival time was 8 months (mean 11, range 4–31). Anti-CEA CAR-T HAI with subsequent SIRT was well tolerated, and biologic responses were demonstrated following failure of conventional therapy. HAI of CAR-T was once again confirmed not to be associated with severe CRS or neurotoxicity.
The Kerr–Mills Act and the Puzzles of Health-Care Reform

Objective This article explores the passage and implementation of the Kerr–Mills Act of 1960. The Kerr–Mills Act created the Medical Assistance for the Aged program that preceded the 1965 creation of Medicare and Medicaid. Method Using primary and secondary sources, I seek to explore how the legislation was passed and how it was implemented. Results Kerr–Mills was passed because of an alliance between policy entrepreneur Wilbur Cohen and conservative southern Democratic members of Congress, Wilbur Mills and Roger Kerr. Cohen helped to craft a modest bill that gained easy approval. Three years after the passage of the law less than 1 percent of older Americans were covered, not every state implemented the legislation, and there were large discrepancies in terms of services and access. However, individual states reported success in creating programs. The Medicaid program took the structure of Kerr–Mills but included dependent children as recipients and incentives for states to participate. Conclusion While criticized as an unsuccessful program, Kerr–Mills provided the template for what is today the largest health insurance program: Medicaid.
Abstract 346: Tuberin S1365 Phosphorylation Regulates Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1) Pathological Signaling While Sustaining Metabolic Sensor Function

Rationale: The Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) integrates signaling and sensory inputs to maintain cardiomyocyte homeostasis, and itself is negatively regulated by the signaling ...
Teaching Diagnostic Reasoning to Faculty Using an Assessment for Learning Tool: Training the Trainer

Introduction There is a need for a standardized approach to understand and assess clinical reasoning in medical learners. The Assessment of Reasoning Tool was developed based on prevalent theories ...
Reducing the Impact of Plug-in Electric Vehicles on Distribution Transformers

There is a growing interest in electric transportation and the number of plug-in electric vehicles (EV) is increasing. This will have adverse impact on the power network assets including the distribution transformers which are not primarily designed for excessive loading levels. In this paper, a simple reactive power compensation method to reduce the impact of EV charging on distribution transformers is proposed and analyzed. The method is based on providing a component of residential reactive power demand by operating EV chargers at non-unity power factors thus reducing overall transformer currents. Three scenarios for reactive power compensation are discussed. The feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated in a 53-node radial distribution system. The transformer overloading regions are divided into different severity zones. With the proposed method, the complete elimination of the most severe zone is achieved in almost all cases along with a significant reduction in other zones.