cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact beyond the impact factor

The journal impact factor is an annually cal- culated number for each scientific journal, based on the average number of times its articles published in the two preceding years have been cited. It was originally devised as a tool for librarians and publishers to provide informa- tion about the citation performance of a journal as a whole, but over the last few decades it has increasingly been used to assess the quality of specific articles and the research performance of individual investigators, institutions, and countries. In addition to this clear abuse of the journal impact factor, several conceptual and technical issues limit its usability as a measure of journal reputation, especially when journals are compared across different fields. An author's decision regarding the suitability of a scholarly journal for publication should, therefore, be based on the impact that this journal makes in the field of research, rather than on the journal impact factor.
Risk: Reality Versus Perception

Public perception of food safety and the risks involved with eating are of major concern. Even good science does little to reduce these perceptions of risk. The public does not understand dose response and looks at risk from a different point of view than scientists. Surveys of consumer attitudes do not always accurately reflect what actions consumers prefer.
Relative Humidity in the Troposphere with AIRS

AbstractNew global satellite data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) are applied to study the tropospheric relative humidity (RH) distribution and its influence on outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) for January and July in 2003, 2007, and 2011. RH has the largest maxima over 90% in the equatorial tropopause layer in January. Maxima in July do not arise above 60%. Seasonal variations of about 20% in zonally averaged RH are observed in the equatorial region of the low troposphere, in the equatorial tropopause layer, and in the polar regions. The seasonal variability in the recent decade has increased by about 5% relative to that in 1973–88, indicating a positive trend. The observed RH profiles indicate a moist bias in the tropical and subtropical regions typically produced by the general circulation models. The new data and method of evaluating the statistical significance of bimodality confirm bimodal probability distributions of RH at large tropospheric scales, notably in the ascending branch of ...
Mass-customized Target Market Sizing: Extending the Sizing Paradigm for Improved Apparel Fit

We use a conceptual framework of sizing and fit issues to describe an extended paradigm for sizing and fit, which we call mass-customized target market sizing: that is, a sizing system based on and...
Effect of unsampled populations on the estimation of population sizes and migration rates between sampled populations

Current estimators of gene flow come in two methods; those that estimate parameters assuming that the populations investigated are a small random sample of a large number of populations and those that assume that all populations were sampled. Maximum likelihood or Bayesian approaches that estimate the migration rates and population sizes directly using coalescent theory can easily accommodate datasets that contain a population that has no data, a so-called ‘ghost’ population. This manipulation allows us to explore the effects of missing populations on the estimation of population sizes and migration rates between two specific populations. The biases of the inferred population parameters depend on the magnitude of the migration rate from the unknown populations. The effects on the population sizes are larger than the effects on the migration rates. The more immigrants from the unknown populations that are arriving in the sample populations the larger the estimated population sizes. Taking into account a ghost population improves or at least does not harm the estimation of population sizes. Estimates of the scaled migration rate M (migration rate per generation divided by the mutation rate per generation) are fairly robust as long as migration rates from the unknown populations are not huge. The inclusion of a ghost population does not improve the estimation of the migration rate M; when the migration rates are estimated as the number of immigrants Nm then a ghost population improves the estimates because of its effect on population size estimation. It seems that for ‘real world’ analyses one should carefully choose which populations to sample, but there is no need to sample every population in the neighbourhood of a population of interest.
Emerging drugs for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, when potentially curative surgical or local ablative therapies are not feasible. There is no effective chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent advances in cancer biology suggest that a limited number of signalling pathways may be responsible for uncontrolled cell proliferation, the major cellular alteration responsible for the cancer phenotype. Novel anticancer agents target these critical pathways, including the receptor tyrosine kinase pathways, the Wnt/beta-catenin signalling pathway, the ubiquitin/proteasome degradation pathway, the DNA methylation and histone deacetylation pathways, the PI3 kinase/AKT/mTOR pathway, angiogenic pathways, telomerase and the cell cycle. These agents hold promise for improving the outcome of patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Because of the high prevalence of liver cirrhosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, to achieve long-term survival of the majority of patients, targeted anticancer therapies will need to be coupled with strategies aimed at reversing the progression of chronic liver disease.
Bringing the laboratory and clinic to the community: mobile technologies for health promotion and disease prevention.

Health-related information collected in psychological laboratories may not be representative of people's everyday health. For at least 70 years, there has been a call for methods that sample experiences from everyday environments and circumstances. New technologies, including cell phones, sensors, and monitors, now make it possible to collect information outside of the laboratory in environments representative of everyday life. We review the role of mobile technologies in the assessment of health-related behaviors, physiological responses, and self-reports. Ecological momentary assessment offers a wide range of new opportunities for ambulatory assessment and evaluation. The value of mobile technologies for interventions to improve health is less well established. Among 21 randomized clinical trials evaluating interventions that used mobile technologies, more than half failed to document significant improvements on health outcomes or health risk factors. Theoretical and practical issues for future research...
Constancy of Distribution of Serogroups of Invasive Pneumococcal Isolates Among Children: Experience during 4 Decades

Serogroups of pneumococci that caused bacteremia or meningitis in children were examined from 1981 through 1998 at Boston City Hospital/Boston Medical Center. There were 410 episodes of pneumococcal bacteremia (13--36 cases per year), of which 14 occurred in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)--infected children and 9 occurred in children with sickle-cell disease. The 7 most common serogroups were 14 (30.7% of isolates), 19 (11.7%), 6 (11%), 18 (10.7%), 9 (7.6%), 23 (7.3%), and 4 (5.6%). The rate of episodes due to serogroups 4, 6, 9, 14, 18, 19, and 23 ranged from 80% to 91.9% during the study period. The rate of episodes due to serogroups 4, 6, 14, 18, 19, and 23 was 84.6% among patients with HIV infection, 100% among patients with sickle-cell disease, and 94.1% among the 18 patients for whom cultures of CSF specimens revealed pneumococcal meningitis. The results demonstrate that type 14 was the dominant pneumococcal serogroup responsible for invasive disease throughout the 18-year study period and that serogroup distribution overall remained constant. A comparison of these findings with historical pediatric data from our institution showed serogroup stability dating back to 1957.
Application of computational intelligence in optimal expansion of distribution systems

With increasing penetration of renewable and distributed resources in todaypsilas generation portfolios, it is necessary to develop strategies for rational expansion of distribution systems to accommodate the new resources. This paper presents examples of two different methods, based on computational intelligence, to the problem of optimal expansion of distribution systems. The two methods are shown to be applicable to two different scenarios, with different criteria for expansion. Each application is illustrated by means of an example.
Advanced glycation endproduct induces ROS accumulation, apoptosis, MAP kinase activation and nuclear O-GlcNAcylation in human cardiac myocytes.

Abstract Accumulation of advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. However, the precise role and mechanism behind AGE-associated diabetic heart injury are not fully clear. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of AGE on accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation and nuclear O -GlcNAcylation in fetal human cardiac myocytes. Myocytes were maintained for 24–72 h in a defined culture medium containing high glucose, the AGE carbon precursor methylglyoxal (MG), and MG-AGE derived from MG and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Generation of ROS was detected by 5-(6)-chloromethyl-2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. Apoptosis was evaluated by caspase-3 activity and quantitative DNA fragmentation. Both high glucose (25.5 mM) and MG (200 μM) significantly enhanced ROS and AGE formation with greater effects elicited by MG. Both high glucose and MG-AGE significantly facilitated apoptosis with a more predominant effect from MG-AGE. In addition, phosphorylation of MAPK cascade [extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 (ERK1/2) and p38] and nuclear O -GlcNAcylation were enhanced in MG-AGE-treated myocytes, similar to those elicited by high glucose. MG-AGE-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 was nullified by neutralizing AGE with specific anti-AGE antibody but not nonspecific antiserum. Collectively, these results indicated that AGE or its precursor MG may trigger ROS generation, apoptosis, MAPK activation and nuclear O -GlcNAcylation in human cardiac myocytes, in a manner reminiscent of high extracellular glucose.
Effects of Aerobic Fitness on Aging-Related Changes of Interhemispheric Inhibition and Motor Performance

Physical fitness has been long associated with maintenance and improvement of motor performance as we age. In particular, measures of psychomotor speed and motor dexterity tend to be higher in physically fit aging adults as compared to their sedentary counterparts. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), we explored the patterns of neural activity that may, in part, account for differences between individuals of varying physical fitness levels. In this study, we enrolled both sedentary and physically fit middle age (40-60) and younger (18-30) adults and measured upper extremity motor performance during behavioral testing. In a follow-up session, we employed TMS and fMRI to assess levels of interhemispheric communication during unimanual tasks. Results show that increased physical fitness is associated with better upper extremity motor performance on distal dexterity assessments and increased levels of interhemispheric inhibition in middle age adults. Further, the functional correlates of changes of ipsilateral activity appears to be restricted to the aging process as younger adults of varying fitness levels do not differ in hemispheric patterns of activity or motor performance. We conclude that sedentary aging confers a loss of interhemispheric inhibition that is deleterious to some aspects of motor function, as early as midlife, but these changes can be mediated by chronic engagement in aerobic exercise.
Low-Ses Children's Success and Failure at Early Literacy Learning in Skills-Based Classrooms

This study examined low-SES, urban children's ways of interpreting traditional skills-based literacy instruction in kindergarten and first grade. Thirty-five randomly selected children from three inner-city schools were tested for entering and end-of-first-grade knowledge of six domains of written language. Their scores on two standardized achievement tests were also collected. Twelve children were randomly selected from this sample for close observation over 2 years in their classrooms. Qualitative and quantitative analyses revealed four patterns of success/ nonsuccess in literacy development within the classroom context: (a) the Independent Explorer children who began kindergarten with the big picture of written language and successfully interpreted the skills-based instruction while engaging in numerous self-directed explorations of print, (b) the Curriculum Dependent children who did not have a big picture of written language from the start and exhibited major mismatches between their understandings and those required by the curriculum, (c) the Passive Nonweavers who failed to actively construct relationships between the many skill activities required of them, and (d) the Deferring Learners who moved from a knowledgeable active stance to a passive one after confronting mismatches between their knowledge of print and the curriculum.
Aircraft Lateral Parameter Estimation from Flight Data with Unsteady Aerodynamic Modeling

An unsteady aerodynamic model for aircraft lateral motion was considered in the development of a parameter extraction algorithm in the frequency domain. This algorithm was applied to flight test data. The data were transformed into the frequency domain by the use of fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms. The results indicate that modeling of unsteady aerodynamics results in significant differences in the parameters Ct , Cn , and Cib in various flights. Also investigated was the sensitivity of the extracted parameters to the control input with the inclusion of unsteady aerodynamic modeling.
The latest Paleocene crisis in the deep sea: Ostracode succession at Maud Rise, Southern Ocean

During the late Paleocene thermal maximum (ca. 55.50 Ma) mid-bathyal ostracodes at Maud Rise in the Southern Ocean (Ocean Drilling Program Site 689) underwent a sudden, dramatic turnover synchronous with a global extinction in deep-sea benthic foraminifers and with large-scale, short-lived negative excursions in the stable isotope record of foraminiferal calcite. A previously stable and long-lived ostracode assemblage, dominated by heavily calcified, chiefly epifaunal taxa, was replaced within ;10 k.y. by a taxonomically novel association of small, thin-walled opportunistic and generalist forms that persisted for ;25‐40 k.y. Thereafter, ostracode faunas recovered and common bathyal formsreturned,althoughspeciesweresmallerand/orless-heavilycalcifiedthanbeforethe turnover. The complex fabric of change in ostracode shell morphology and assemblage composition and structure reflects both long-term and sudden perturbations in seawater chemistry at this site. Ostracode data are in agreement with the hypothesis that the latest Paleoceneextinctionsinthedeepseawerecausedbyachangeinthedominantsourcearea of intermediate water mass from high altitudes to the subtropics. These data also suggest that warm saline waters persisted at Maud Rise for the next 100 k.y.
Electron Microscopy of Etched Plagiodase Feldspar

Single crystals of plagiodase feldspar were selectively etched by immersion in aqueous solutions of Na2CO3 and K2CO3 for 48 hr and in 48% HF for 1 to 3 sec. The etched surfaces are replicated using a two-stage Formvar-carbon replica shadowed with palladium. These replicas reveal that etching varies in different twin lamellas and that etch pits align along twin boundaries.
Measuring Stereotypes of Female Politicians

One explanation for the dearth of women in elected office is that voters stereotype candidates based on their gender. Research in this vein often assumes that female candidates will be stereotyped similarly to women (e.g., as compassionate) and measures stereotypes as such. We question this assumption, proposing instead that female politicians constitute a subtype—a new stereotypical category with its own qualities—of the broader group of women. We compare the content of female politician stereotypes to other relevant comparison groups including politicians, male politicians, and female professionals. Using a classic methodology to determine stereotype content (Katz & Braly, 1933), we find that female politicians do not share the qualities that are ascribed to women (e.g., warm, empathetic). Our results show that female politicians seem to be “losing” on male stereotypical qualities while also not having any advantage on qualities typical of women. The content of female politician stereotypes is nebulous and lacks clarity in comparison to all other groups examined. We discuss implications for the future measurement of politician stereotypes.
Habitat heterogeneity, disturbance, and productivity work in concert to regulate biodiversity in deep submarine canyons

Habitat heterogeneity is a major structuring agent of ecological assemblages promoting beta diversity and ultimately contributing to overall higher global diversity. The exact processes by which heterogeneity increases diversity are scale dependent and encompass variation in other well-known processes, e.g., productivity, disturbance, and temperature. Thus, habitat heterogeneity likely triggers multiple and cascading diversity effects through ecological assemblages. Submarine canyons, a pervasive feature of the world's oceans, likely increase habitat heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales similar to their terrestrial analogues. However, our understanding of how processes regulating diversity, and the potential for cascading effects within these important topographic features, remains incomplete. Utilizing remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) for coring and video transects, we quantified faunal turnover in the deep-sea benthos at a rarely examined scale (1 m-1 km). Macrofaunal community structure, megafaunal density, carbon flux, and sediment characteristics were analyzed for the soft-bottom benthos at the base of cliff faces in Monterey Canyon (northeast Pacific Ocean) at three depths. We documented a remarkable degree of faunal turnover and changes in overall community structure at scales < 100 m, and often < 10 m, related to geographic features of a canyon complex. Ultimately, our findings indicated that multiple linked processes related to habitat heterogeneity, ecosystem engineering, and bottom-up dynamics are important to deep-sea biodiversity.
Turnover Intentions and Work Motivations of Millennial Employees in Federal Service

In the face of looming retirements in the federal service, retaining and motivating the next generation of workers has emerged as a critical concern for human resource professionals in federal agen...
Convergence? Globalization and State Policies in the Production of Postcolonial Citizen and Ethnic Migration

This chapter examines the forces that have produced post-1985/1990 postcolonial Dutch Antillean citizen and Nikkeijin ethnic migrations to the Netherlands and Japan and analyses several bodies of international labour migration thought including push—pull models, dual labour market, world-systems, and globalization. Globalization and state policies best explain the convergence in the use of formal citizenship and shared ethnicity in these unintended and intended legal migrations. Other theories are quite convincing in their emphasis on the labour market and wage differentials, the temporary status of immigrants, and core periphery relations. However, they fail to adequately take into account the role of the state in producing migrations and the ways in which shared citizenship and ethnicity with the host country facilitates these phenomena.
The chronology of a microgravity spaoeflight experiment: IDGE

The evolution of the Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE), which was performed aboard the space shuttle Columbia, provides an example of how a space flight experiment is proposed, developed, built, and operated. To illustrate this example, this article traces the key developments of the IDGE from the initial concept to the actual space flight mission.
Improvement of Dielectric Performance of a Prototype AlN High Temperature Chip-level Package

Aluminum nitride (AlN) has been proposed as a packaging substrate material for reliable high temperature electronics operating in a wide temperature range. However, it was discovered in a recent study that the dielectric properties of some commercial polycrystalline AlN materials change quite significantly with temperature at high temperatures. These material properties resulted in undesired large and temperature-dependent parasitic parameters for a prototype chip-level package based on an AlN substrate with the yttrium oxide dopant. This paper reports a method using a coating layer of a commercial thick-film glass on the AlN substrate surface to significantly reduce both the parasitic capacitances and parasitic conductances between neighboring inputs/outputs (I/Os) of a prototype AlN chip-level package. The parasitic parameters of 8-I/Os low power chip-level packages with the insulating glass coating were characterized at frequencies from 120 Hz to 1 MHz between room temperature and 500°C. These results ...
Shared address translation revisited

Modern operating systems avoid duplication of code and data when they are mapped by multiple processes by sharing physical memory through mechanisms like copy-on-write. Nonetheless, a separate copy of the virtual address translation structures, such as page tables, are still maintained for each process, even if they are identical. This duplication can lead to inefficiencies in the address translation process and interference within the memory hierarchy. In this paper, we show that on Android platforms, sharing address translation structures, specifically, page tables and TLB entries, for shared libraries can improve performance. For example, at a low level, sharing address translation structures reduces the cost of fork by more than half by reducing page table construction overheads. At a higher level, application launch and IPC are faster due to page fault elimination coupled with better cache and TLB performance when context switching.
Differences in Psychosocial Predictors of Obesity Among LGBT Subgroups

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to examine the overall presence of and differences in rates of overweight/obesity among a large, nationally diverse sample of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT)-identified individuals (i.e., cisgender lesbians, cisgender gay men, cisgender bisexual women, cisgender bisexual men, transgender women, and transgender men) and to identify specific psychosocial predictors of obesity within each of the six LGBT subgroups. Methods: A total of 2702 LGBT-identified participants participated in the online study. Participants completed a series of demographic questions (including weight and height) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21. Results: The percentage of participants who were overweight/obese did not differ significantly across LGBT subgroups, with 61.1% of the total sample being overweight/obese. However, the percentage of participants who self-reported body mass indexes in the obese range differed significantly across the six LGBT subgroup...
Explanatory Scope Informs Causal Strength Inferences

People judge the strength of cause-and-effect relationships as a matter of routine, and often do so in the absence of evidence about the covariation between cause and effect. In the present study, we examine the possibility that explanatory power is used in making these judgments. To intervene on explanatory power without changing the target causal relation, we manipulated explanatory scope—the number of effects predicted by an explanation—in two different ways, finding downstream consequences of these manipulations on causal strength judgments (Experiment 1). Directly measuring perceived explanatory power for the same items also revealed item-by-item correlations between causal strength and explanatory power (Experiment 2). These results suggest that explanatory power may be a useful heuristic for estimating causal strength in the absence of statistical evidence.
Medication management in the home.

Medication management in home care patients differs from medication management in other settings. Medication choice among home care patients may be improved by a comprehensive geriatric assessment in the patient’s home. Technological advances have improved the choices of drugs, routes of drug administration, and monitoring devices available at home. Other special aspects of medication management in the home include long-term ambulatory monitoring of complex drug regimens, the initiation of high-risk medication therapies, compliance aids for functionally impaired patients, and methods for an interdisciplinary team approach to health care.
Surgical-orthodontic management of persistent closed lock of the TM joints

Surgical management of internal derangement in the temporomandibular joint traditionally involves disk repair or removal. Disks are often replaced with various types of autogenous, allogenic or alloplastic materials. The failure rates for such replacements are estimated at 10% to 20%. Current thinking suggests that permanent alloplastic interpositional grafts should be avoided. The following report describes the orthodontic/orthognathic surgical management of a patient with bilateral Silastic fossa implants.
Allais’s Paradox

Introspection about certain hypothetical decision situations suggests that the sure-thing principle and, with it, the theory of utility are normatively unsatisfactory. Consider an example based on two decision situations each involving two gambles.
Of Jihads, Jihadists, and Jihadisms

Youseff H. Aboul-Enein. Militant Islamist Ideology: Understanding the Global Threat. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2013. 272 pp., $19.95 paperback. ISBN: 978-1591140702.Jeevan Deol and Zahe...
A sparse approach to fault severity classification for gearbox monitoring

Fault detection and severity classification are critical to gearbox structural health monitoring. A common approach to fault severity classification is to identify the patterns associated with features extracted from raw sensor data that vary with fault deterioration. Since however features only represent partial information contained in the raw data, they may indicate different interactions as faults deteriorate. Consequently, data fusion using inappropriate features may lead to decreased classification accuracy. To address this problem, a signal-level classifier based on raw sensor data through sparse representation is presented in this paper. A library containing covariance matrices calculated from the raw data corresponding to different faults or levels of fault severity is first constructed. Classification of new observations is then performed through a sparse representation of the library. A sparse mapping vector, as the result of sparse representation, reveals the classification result. Experimental study performed on a gearbox test rig with multiple vibration sensors installed is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed sparse classifier. Results confirmed good performance of the developed data fusion method for gearbox fault severity classification.
Incorporating body-type (apple vs. pear) in STOP-BANG questionnaire improves its validity to detect OSA.

Abstract Study objective The aim of this study is to evaluate whether adding the item of "apple body type" to the STOP-BANG questionnaire enhances diagnostic performance of the questionnaire for detecting obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Sleep center setting. Patients Two hundred and eight subjects who were referred for an evaluation of possible OSA at Tulane Comprehensive Sleep Center. The exclusion criteria were age Interventions STOP-BANG items and body type data were collected on the initial clinic visit. An overnight PSG was performed on every participant. Measurements Descriptive analyses of the demographic data and PSG variables were performed. The predictive parameter s of STOP and STOP-BANG without and with body type score (STOP-Apple and STOPBANG-Apple) were compared. Main results The STOP questionnaire's sensitivity/specificity/positive likelihood ratio (+LR) (cut-off=2) was 96%/11%/1.1, respectively whereas the STOP-Apple questionnaire (cut-off=3) was 88%/39%/1.5. The STOP-BANG's sensitivity/specificity/+LR (cut-off=3) was 96%/19%/1.2, respectively whereas the STOP-BANG-Apple questionnaire (cut-off=4) was 90%/39%/1.5. The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve of STOP-Apple was comparable to the STOP-BANG ( P =0.25). The addition of the apple body type item to the STOP-BANG questionnaire in participants with a score≥3 led to increased specificity (67.4%), increased the odds ratio of having OSA of 2.5 (95% CI, 1.2–5.3) and odds ratio of having moderate-severe OSA of 4.7 (95% CI, 2.5–8.7). Conclusion In the sleep center setting, adding the body type item to the STOP-BANG questionnaire improves not only clinical prediction for PSG confirmed OSA but also predicts moderate to severe of OSA.
Interactive POMDPs with finite-state models of other agents

We consider an autonomous agent facing a stochastic, partially observable, multiagent environment. In order to compute an optimal plan, the agent must accurately predict the actions of the other agents, since they influence the state of the environment and ultimately the agent's utility. To do so, we propose a special case of interactive partially observable Markov decision process, in which the agent does not explicitly model the other agents' beliefs and preferences, and instead represents them as stochastic processes implemented by probabilistic deterministic finite state controllers (PDFCs). The agent maintains a probability distribution over the PDFC models of the other agents, and updates this belief using Bayesian inference. Since the number of nodes of these PDFCs is unknown and unbounded, the agent places a Bayesian nonparametric prior distribution over the infinitely dimensional set of PDFCs. This allows the size of the learned models to adapt to the complexity of the observed behavior. Deriving the posterior distribution is in this case too complex to be amenable to analytical computation; therefore, we provide a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm that approximates the posterior beliefs over the other agents' PDFCs, given a sequence of (possibly imperfect) observations about their behavior. Experimental results show that the learned models converge behaviorally to the true ones. We consider two settings, one in which the agent first learns, then interacts with other agents, and one in which learning and planning are interleaved. We show that the agent's performance increases as a result of learning in both situations. Moreover, we analyze the dynamics that ensue when two agents are simultaneously learning about each other while interacting, showing in an example environment that coordination emerges naturally from our approach. Furthermore, we demonstrate how an agent can exploit the learned models to perform indirect inference over the state of the environment via the modeled agent's actions.
Emergence of a hierarchical brain during infancy reflected by stepwise functional connectivity

The hierarchical nature of the brain's functional organization has long been recognized, but when and how this architecture emerges during development remains largely unknown. Here the development of the brain's hierarchical organization was characterized using a modified stepwise functional connectivity approach based on resting-state fMRI in a fully longitudinal sample of infants (N = 28, with scans after birth, and at 1 and 2 years) and adults. Results obtained by placing seeds in early sensory cortices revealed novel hierarchical patterns of adult brain organization ultimately converging in limbic, paralimbic, basal ganglia, and frontoparietal brain regions. These findings are remarkably consistent with predictive coding accounts of neural processing that place these regions at the top of predictive coding hierarchies. Infants gradually developed toward this architecture in a region- and step-dependent manner, and displayed many of the same regions as adults in top hierarchical positions, starting from 1 year of age. The findings further revealed patterns of inter-sensory connectivity likely reflecting the emergence and development of multisensory processing strategies during infancy, the strengths of which were correlated with early cognitive development scores. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2666-2682, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In situ thermal oxidation kinetics in few layer MoS 2

It is important to understand the thermal and chemical stability of mono- and few-layer MoS2 for their use in applications. Oxidative environments are of particular interest due to the potential for use of MoS2 in electronics, sensing and energy storage. Here we present an in situ study of the oxidation kinetics of few-layer MoS2 over a wide range of temperatures. In situ monitoring of the MoS2 Raman spectra during oxidation revealed a decrease in the intensity of peaks following sigmoidal decay kinetics, which was initiated at temperatures as low as 300 °C. Ex situ resonance Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron and atomic force microscopy analysis indicated breaking up and thinning of the MoS2 films down to p-doped mono- and bi-layer regions. From analysis of the temperature-dependent decay rates and resonance Raman spectroscopy, we correlate oxidation rates to structural defects in the MoS2 films, and find a reaction energy of 0.54 ± 0.14 eV for the oxidation process.
Prospective Architectures for Onboard vs Cloud-Based Decision Making for Unmanned Aerial Systems

This paper investigates propsective architectures for decisionmaking in unmanned aerial systems. When these unmanned vehicles operate in urban environments, there are several sources of uncertainty that affect their behavior, and decisionmaking algorithms need to be robust to account for these different sources of uncertainty. It is important to account for several risk-factors that affect the flight of these unmanned systems, and facilitate decision-making by taking into consideration these various risk-factors. In addition, there are several technical challenges related to autonomous flight of unmanned aerial systems; these challenges include sensing, obstacle detection, path planning and navigation, trajectory generation and selection, etc. Many of these activities require significant computational power and in many situations, all of these activities need to be performed in real-time. In order to efficiently integrate these activities, it is important to develop a systematic architecture that can facilitate realtime decision-making. Four prospective architectures are discussed in this paper; on one end of the spectrum, the first architecture considers all activities/computations being performed onboard the vehicle whereas on the other end of the spectrum, the fourth and final architecture considers all activities/computations being performed in the cloud, using a new service known as “Prognostics as a Service” that is being developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The four different architectures are compared, their advantages and disadvantages are explained and conclusions are presented.
The MAPK-Signaling Pathway in Colorectal Cancer: Dysregulated Genes and Their Association With MicroRNAs

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways regulate many cellular functions including cell proliferation and apoptosis. We examined associations of differential gene and microRNA (miRNA) expression between carcinoma and paired normal mucosa for 241 genes in the KEGG-identified MAPK-signaling pathway among 217 colorectal cancer (CRC) cases. Gene expression data (RNA-Seq) and miRNA expression data (Agilent Human miRNA Microarray V19.0; Agilent Technologies Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA) were analyzed. We first identified genes most strongly associated with CRC using a fold change (FC) of >1.50 or <0.67) that were statistically significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. We then determined miRNAs associated with dysregulated genes and through miRNA:mRNA (messenger RNA) seed region matches discerned genes with a greater likelihood of having a direct biological association. Ninety-nine genes had a meaningful FC for all CRC, microsatellite unstable-specific tumors, or microsatellite stable-specific tumors. Thirteen dysregulated genes were associated with miRNAs, totaling 68 miRNA:mRNA associations. Thirteen of the miRNA:mRNA associations had seed region matches where the differential expression between the miRNA and mRNA was inversely related suggesting a direct association as a result of their binding. Several direct associations, upstream of ERK1/ERK2, JNK, and p38, were found for PDGFRA with 7 miRNAs; RASGRP3 and PRKCB with miR-203a; and TGFBR1 with miR-6071 and miR-2117. Other associations between miRNAs and mRNAs are most likely indirect, resulting from feedback and feed forward loops. Our results suggest that miRNAs may alter MAPK signaling through direct binding with key genes in this pathway. We encourage others to validate results in targeted CRC experiments that can help solidify important therapeutic targets.
Clinical Management of Low Vitamin D: A Scoping Review of Physicians’ Practices

The role of vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of non-skeletal health issues has received significant media and research attention in recent years. Costs associated with clinical management of low vitamin D (LVD) have increased exponentially. However, no clear evidence supports vitamin D screening to improve health outcomes. Authoritative bodies and professional societies do not recommend population-wide vitamin D screening in community-dwelling adults who are asymptomatic or at low risk of LVD. To assess patterns of physicians’ management of LVD in this conflicting environment, we conducted a scoping review of three electronic databases and the gray literature. Thirty-eight records met inclusion criteria and were summarized in an evidence table. Thirteen studies published between 2006 and 2015 across seven countries showed a consistent increase in vitamin D lab tests and related costs. Many vitamin D testing patterns reflected screening rather than targeted testing for individuals at high risk of vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. Interventions aimed at managing inappropriate clinical practices related to LVD were effective in the short term. Variability and controversy were pervasive in many aspects of vitamin D management, shining a light on physicians’ practices in the face of uncertainty. Future research is needed to inform better clinical guidelines and to assess implementation practices that encourage evidence-based management of LVD in adult populations.
Empire's leftovers: Eating to integrate in secular Paris

ABSTRACTFaced with heightened xenophobia and economic decline, middle class Senegalese in Paris provide a striking example of the ways immigrants reinforce transnational hierarchies as they cling to (post)colonial privilege. This article examines how Senegalese immigrants and their French-born children draw on eating practices to index religion as an axis of social differentiation, producing hierarchies of belonging in France. In the context of escalating anti-Islamic sentiment, even naturalized citizens feel pressure to permanently perform their integration according to the ever-shifting demands of French secularism, as “eating French” is increasingly defined in opposition to the practices of Muslim immigrants from France's former colonies. This article shows how French Republicanism contributes to a tiered form of citizenship through examination of the ways that educated migrants from Dakar and their children adopt the language of secularism to valorize their own eating practices relative to other trans...
Investigating the Development of Science-Literate Identities Through a Multicultural Perspective

The complexity of learning science rests in the fact that it not only possesses a unique lexicon and discourse but also that it ultimately entails a way of knowing. This article involves a case study that examines the academic engagement and perceptions of a group (N = 30) of high school students regarding their science literacy practices. These students were participating in an Engaging Latino Communities in Education (ENLACE) program whose purpose is to increase Latina/o high school graduation rates and assist them with college entrance requirements. The students were enrolled in different science classes to fulfill the science requirements for graduation. The primary research question—What kind of science classroom learning environment supports science-literate identities for ENLACE students?—was juxtaposed with a corollary question: What does multicultural education mean for the science classroom? We incorporate Banks's (2016) five dimensions of multicultural education as interpretative lenses. Overal...
Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma in Neurofibromatosis type 1: frequent surgeries and cardiovascular crises indicate the need for screening.

Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas (PCC/PGL) are rare endocrine tumors that are mostly benign, but often hormone producing, causing significant morbidity and mortality due to excess catecholamine secretion and cardiovascular crises. It is estimated that 30% of PCC/PGL are due to germline mutations, including Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). There is little published data describing the phenotype of NF1-associated PCC/PGL and there are no established recommendations for PCC/PGL screening in NF1. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 17 patients with NF1-associated PCC/PGL who received care at a large academic referral center between the years of 1992–2016. Average age of diagnosis was 42 years old. Both genders were equally affected. Average tumor size was 3.9 cm. Nine patients were hypertensive; one had orthostatic hypotension; three had tachycardia; the remaining two patients had normal BP and HR. Most tumors were benign, unilateral adrenal tumors that were hormonally active. Two had metastatic disease. Six patients experienced cardiovascular crises; three of which occurred during elective surgeries for neurofibroma removal, and a fourth occurred during labor and delivery. These data highlight the importance of screening for PCC/PGL in NF1, especially prior to surgical procedures and pregnancy, labor and delivery as these events can trigger a cardiovascular crisis. Screening is easily accomplished with plasma or urine free fractionated metanephrine levels.
Hazard Assessment of Maalaea Construction and Demolition Landfill Smoldering Fire, and Air Quality at a Nearby Community

This paper presents a chemical monitoring approach taken to assess the hazards and risks to a community posed by a fire in a nearby landfill. Air quality was assessed at the downwind limb of the landfill as well as at the nearest sensitive receptor: the closest community. The hazard assessment included chemical sampling and analysis followed by a toxicological risk-based evaluation of the levels of airborne gasses and aerosols detected. The risk assessment included likelihood of current and future exposures to airborne contaminants in the context of the landfill fire and the surrounding environment. This also included the most notable industrial, agricultural and natural sources of air pollutants in the air shed typically upstream of the community. Concentrations at the landfill were notable while those at the community a mile away were not deemed a health hazard at the time of sampling.
A Little Algebraic Surface Theory

Let us return to geometry armed with what we have learned so far. We have already looked at Riemann surfaces (which will be referred to as complex curves from now on) in some detail. So we consider the next step up. A nonsingular complex surface is a two-dimensional complex manifold. By an algebraic surface, we will mean a two-dimensional nonsingular projective variety. So in particular, they are Kahler manifolds. In this chapter, we will present a somewhat breezy account of surface theory, concentrating on topics that illustrate the general theorems from the previous chapters.
How do we Monitor the Monitors?Boards of Directors, Institutional Investors, and the Media

Researchers have noted the need for external corporate governance mechanisms as a potential solution to board monitoring deficiencies. This paper explores the role of the media and institutional in...
Obamacares: Candidate Traits, Descriptive Representation, and Black Political Participation

While a number of studies demonstrate that black candidates have the ability to increase black political participation, a growing literature is investigating why descriptive representation matters. This paper contributes to this discussion by exploring whether perceptions of candidate traits play a mediating role between the presence of an African American candidate on the ballot and increases in black political activity. I test this trait hypothesis using data from the 1992–2012 American National Election Study, a survey experiment, and statistical mediation analysis. The results indicate that perceptions of black candidates as being better leaders, more empathetic, knowledgeable, intelligent, honest, and moral explain a substantial amount of why descriptive representation increases black political participation across a range of different political activities. In the conclusion, I discuss the importance of the psychological link between blacks and their co-racial representatives in inspiring higher levels of political participation.
Selective CH bond functionalization with engineered heme proteins: new tools to generate complexity

CH functionalization is an attractive strategy to construct and diversify molecules. Heme proteins, predominantly cytochromes P450, are responsible for an array of CH oxidations in biology. Recent work has coupled concepts from synthetic chemistry, computation, and natural product biosynthesis to engineer heme protein systems to deliver products with tailored oxidation patterns. Heme protein catalysis has been shown to go well beyond these native reactions and now accesses new-to-nature CH transformations, including CN and CC bond forming processes. Emerging work with these systems moves us along the ambitious path of building complexity from the ubiquitous CH bond.
Understanding Momentum and Reversals

Stock momentum, long-term reversal, and other past return characteristics that predict future returns also predict future realized betas, suggesting these characteristics capture time-varying risk compensation. We formalize this argument with a conditional factor pricing model. Using instrumented principal components analysis, we estimate latent factors with time-varying factor loadings that depend on observable firm characteristics. We show that factor loadings vary significantly over time, even at short horizons over which the momentum phenomenon operates (one year), and this variation captures reliable conditional risk premia missed by other factor models commonly used in the literature. Our estimates of conditional risk exposure can explain a sizable fraction of momentum and long-term reversal returns and can be used to generate even stronger return predictions.