cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Progressive learning and its application to robot impedance learning

An approach to learning control using an excitation scheduling technique is developed and applied to an impedance learning problem for fast robotic assembly. Traditional adaptive and learning controls incur instability depending on the reference inputs provided to the system. This technique avoids instability by progressively increasing the level of system excitation. Called progressive learning, it uses scheduled excitation inputs that allow the system to learn quasistatic parameters associated with slow input commands first, followed by the learning of dynamic parameters excited by fast input commands. As learning progresses, the system is exposed to a broader range of input excitation, which nonetheless does not incur instability and unwanted erratic responses. In robotic assembly, learning starts with a slow, quasistatic motion and goes to a fast, dynamic motion. During this process, the stiffness terms involved in the impedance controller are learned first, then the damping terms and finally by the inertial terms. The impedance learning problem is formulated as a model-based, gradient following reinforcement learning. The method allows the suppression of excessive parameter changes and thereby stabilizes learning. By gradually increasing the motion speed command, the internal model as well as the control parameters can be learned effectively within a focused, local area in the large parameter space, which is then gradually expanded as speed increases. Several strategies for motion speed scheduling are also addressed.
Professor Chamberlin's Theory of Limited Competition

His review of Cournot and Edgeworth does not get down to bedrock, 318.— Difficulties in his treatment of foresight (1) under conditions of decreasing variable costs, 319; the argument expressed in terms of the symbols of Cournot, 323; (2) under unequal conditions of increasing cost, 325; diagrammatic presentation, 333; nine points of conflict with his conclusions, 335.
Nonlinear Behavior of Trabecular Bone at Small Strains

Study of the behavior of trabecular bone at strains below 0.40 percent is of clinical and biomechanical importance. The goal of this work was to characterize, with respect to anatomic site, loading mode, and apparent density, the subtle concave downward stress-strain nonlinearity, that has been observed recently for trabecular bone at these strains. Using protocols designed to minimize end-artifacts, 155 cylindrical cores from human vertebrae, proximal tibiae, proximal femora, and bovine proximal tibiae were mechanically tested to yield at 0.50 percent strain per second in tension or compression. The nonlinearity was quantified by the reduction in tangent modulus at 0.20 percent and 0.40 percent strain as compared to the initial modulus. For the pooled data, the mean +/- SD percentage reduction in tangent modulus at 0.20 percent strain was 9.07+/- 3.24 percent in compression and 13.8 +/- 4.79 percent in tension. At 0.40 percent strain, these values were 23.5 +/- 5.71 and 35.7+/- 7.10 percent, respectively. The magnitude of the nonlineari't depended on both anatomic site (p < 0.001) and loading mode (p < 0.001), and in tension was positively correlated with density. Calculated values of elastic modulus and yield properties depended on the strain range chosen to define modulus via a linear curve fit (p < 0.005). Mean percent differences in 0.20 percent offset yield strains were as large as 10.65 percent for some human sites. These results establish that trabecular bone exhibits nonlinearity at low strains, and that this behavior can confound intersite comparisons of mechanical properties. A nonlinear characterization of the small strain behavior of trabecular bone was introduced to characterize the initial stress-strain behavior more thoroughly.
Open Cyber-Architecture for electrical energy markets

Automated control and management of large-scale physical systems is a challenging problem in a wide variety of applications including: power grids, transportation networks, and telecommunication networks. Such systems require (i) data collection, (ii) secure data transfer to processing centers, (iii) data processing, and (iv) timely decision making and control actions. These tasks are complicated by the vast amount of data, the distributed sources of data, and the need for efficient data communication. In addition, large physical systems are often subdivided into separately owned subsystems. This multi-owner structure imposes physical, economic, market, and political constraints on the data transfer. These divisions make systems vulnerable to potential coordinated attacks. Defending against such attacks requires the infrastructures to be more automated and self-healing. Motivated by the challenge of a more efficient, secure and robust power grid, which is less vulnerable to blackouts due to cascaded events, this paper discusses some of the fundamental problems in designing future cyber-physical systems.
Combating Impunity in Haiti: Why the ICC Should Prosecute Sexual Abuse by UN Peacekeepers

The sexual abuse of children in Haiti has been reported on by various international media outlets, of particular note is the systematic rape of young girls by Sri Lankan Peacekeepers and the abuse of a teenage boy by five peacekeepers from Uruguay. Despite the efforts of the United Nations (hereinafter UN) to train peacekeepers and implementing a ‘zero-tolerance’ for sexual violence committed by peacekeepers they have not succeeded in preventing these human rights violations. Furthermore, according to the Status-of-Forces Agreements, States have the duty of prosecuting their citizens for offenses committed while serving with the UN peacekeeping missions; however, the accused offenders often go without punishment or diminished sentences and the penalties vary between the States. Child victims continue to endure the effects of the abuse and lack the closure of justice being served because their abusers are not held accountable for their depraved acts. Consequently, the international community and the United Nations must prove their commitment to protecting children through the establishment of a limited tribunal held by the International Criminal Court (hereinafter ICC). This paper argues that sexual abuse of children committed by UN peacekeepers in Haiti during the Stabilization of Mission to Haiti (hereinafter MINUSTAH) should be submitted to the ICC for prosecution because protecting children from sexual violence is not only a legal obligation but also a moral obligation that all members of the human race have.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: Neuroendocrine, Behavioral and Cognitive Implications

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a group of disorders that disrupt the balance of adrenal cortical steroid hormone biosynthesis. Production of different classes of hormones is perturbed depending on the particular enzymatic defect. The most common form of CAH is steroid 21-hydroxylase deficiency, a recessively inherited trait that impedes the stepwise conversion of cholesterol to cortisol, the main human glucocorticoid, and in most cases, to aldosterone, the main mineralocorticoid. Absence of negative cortisol feedback to the hypothalamus and pituitary glands leads to over-secretion of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). These altered servo-control mechanisms drive excess secretion of adrenal sex hormones that do not require 21-hydroxylation. These are primarily androgen precursors and progestins, but secondarily estrogens, as well. The most visible effect is virilization of genetic females beginning prenatally in the first trimester, leading to genital ambiguity at birth. Thus, this form of CAH and other congenital virilizing disorders represent a human model for prenatal sex hormone effects not only on the reproductive organs but also on the brain. This chapter addresses what is known about behavior in CAH females in terms of gender identity, gender behavior, sexual orientation, career choices, and parenting. Discrete brain structural and cognitive changes are also described. Finally, the effects of prenatal glucocorticoid exposure will be summarized. In brief, affected girls generally have a core female gender identity but show more male-typical play and tomboyishness compared with sibs (Berenbaum et al. 2000; Meyer-Bahlburg et al. 2004a, b). Most patients display heterosexual orientation, but same sex attraction and sexual activity are reported more often than in the general population (Frisen et al. 2009; Meyer-Bahlburg et al. 2008). Career choice is skewed toward male-dominant occupations in severely affected women. Thus, in contrast to animal models of prenatal androgen exposure, human behavior is not dictated solely by hormones.
A Distributed Algorithm for Approximate Mobile Sensor Coverage

We consider the problem of covering a domain by mobile sensors and the design of an efficient schedule that reduces unnecessary sensor overlap and energy consumption. The problem is motivated by emerging participatory sensing applications as well as other coverage problems involving mobile nodes. The problem of minimizing the total energy consumption while maintaining the same level of coverage guarantee is NP-hard. We develop distributed algorithms achievinga constant approximation factorwhen sensors have unit disk sensing ranges, and a (1 + ") approximation factor when the sensors also have constant bounded density. For all these algorithms the communication cost is asymptotically bounded by the cost of simply maintaining the direct neighborhood of each sensor. The constant approximation distributed algorithm can be generalized for the k-coverage problem, when each point of interest has to be covered by at least k sensors.
Reversing: Undoing Bad Laws and Bad Judicial Decisions

The growth of laws and judicial decisions of questionable economic benefit, and the current debt crisis, pose the question of how bad choices can be reversed. That problem is prominently on display in southern Europe, and indeed throughout much of the first world. Parliamentary systems seem better able to undo bad laws than the U.S. presidential system, with its separation of powers, which does not augur well for America. Bad judicial decisions might be even harder to reverse, because of the conservatism of judges who follow precedent. However, judicial elections in the states appear to offer a solution to the problem. The objections which have been raised against such elections seem less than compelling.
Eco-Orientation: An Extension of Market Orientation in an Environmental Context

Jaworski and Kohli’s (1993) framework and research outlining antecedents and consequences of an organization’s market orientation found that market oriented firms are more profitable. In this research we investigate similar antecedents to a firm’s orientation toward environmental issues and threats (i.e., its eco-orientation) and the firm’s subsequent business performance. Importantly, the findings suggest that firms responsive to eco-oriented issues perform better in the market place. Results provide important implications for corporate culture, public policy, and organizational theory.
Inspiration for China from EU's Policies on VAT on E-Commerce

E-commerce has promoted the development of global economy and trade,and at the same time,it has huge impacts on current VAT.EU's policies on VAT on e-commerce may have certain inspiration for China.The writer proposes that the state should establish a new VAT system adaptable to the need of the development of e-commerce by improving current tax system,introducing system for registration and record of taxation on e-commerce,enlarging the taxation scope of VAT,promoting the computerization of collection and management of VAT,and bettering the total quality of tax staff,and other measures.
Abstract PR002: Durable complete response in a patient with metastatic melanoma following adoptive transfer of autologous T cells recognizing 10 mutated tumor antigens

Durable complete response rates of 20% have been observed in clinical trials of patients with metastatic melanoma employing adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of patient derived tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Here we provide a detailed analysis of the response of TIL administered to a patient with metastatic melanoma who exhibited a complete response ongoing greater than 3 years. Using whole-exome and RNA-Seq sequencing and bioinformatic analysis of the patient9s matched tumor and normal gDNA we identified over 4,000 non-synonymous somatic mutation variants. We screened 745 somatically mutated genes using tandem minigene constructs expressing transcripts expressed in autologous tumor cells whose expression levels were greater than 0.1% of the levels of beta actin. These tandem minigenes were then transfected into autologous B cells and then analyzed for their ability to stimulate the administered T cells. Our results indicated that the autologous TIL distinctly recognized 10 somatically mutated gene products, each of which was recognized in the context of three different HLA class I restriction elements expressed by the patient9s tumor. Detailed T cell clonal analysis revealed that 9 of the top 20 most prevalent clones present in the infused TIL, comprised over ¼ of total infused cells and recognized mutated antigens. These results further supported our efforts to identify and enrich mutation-reactive T cells for the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer. Citation Format: Todd D. Prickett, Jessica Crystal, Jared Gartner, Xin Yao, Anna Pasetto, Alena Gros, Yong-Chen Lu, Yong F. Li, Mona El-Gamil, Steven A. Rosenberg, Paul Robbins. Durable complete response in a patient with metastatic melanoma following adoptive transfer of autologous T cells recognizing 10 mutated tumor antigens. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PR002.
Acute effect of cyclosporin on inner medullary blood flow in normal and postischemic rat kidney

Acute cyclosporin A (CysA) nephrotoxicity has been attributed to intrarenal vasoconstriction. It has been previously demonstrated that CysA decreases whole kidney and cortical blood flow. The effect of CysA on medullary blood flow has not been adequately studied, despite the high susceptibility of structures in the renal medulla to ischemia and the common use of CysA after the kidney is subjected to transient ischemia. To determine its effects on medullary blood flow in the normal and postischemic kidney, CysA was administered acutely in anesthetized Munich-Wistar rats at doses ranging from 4 to 20 mg/kg. Total renal blood flow (TRBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were determined in normal kidneys (group 1) by standard clearance techniques before and after infusion of CysA. In animals subjected to 40-min unilateral renal ischemia (group 2) TRBF was measured with an electromagnetic flowmeter. Vasa recta blood flow was determined in both groups by fluorescence videomicroscopy. In group 1, infusion with 20 mg/kg CysA, but not with 4 or 8 mg/kg, increased renal vascular resistance (RVR) and decreased TRBF. GFR was not affected and filtration fraction increased. Vasa recta blood flow was not significantly altered. In group 2, 20 mg/kg CysA increased RVR and decreased TRBF. Vasa recta blood flow decreased significantly in the descending but not in the ascending vasa recta. These results suggest that, in the normal kidney, vasa recta blood flow in the renal medulla is not affected by acute administration of CysA, whereas in the postischemic kidney, CysA decreases blood flow preferentially in the descending vasa recta, in proportion to the decline in TRBF.
Traversing the Undergraduate Curriculum in Computer Science: Where Do Students Stumble?

This chapter contains sections titled: Background, Achievement and Persistence, Methods, Results, Discussion: Why Do Successful Students Leave Computer Science?, Conclusion and Future Directions, Acknowledgments, Appendix 12.1: Topics Used to Classify Test Questions, Notes
HRD Curriculum Meets Global Human Capital Challenge

The ProblemHuman resource development (HRD) academic programs have grown and evolved over the last 25 plus years in a dynamic, global economy; yet, many HRD academic programs still grapple to defin...
Facets of Impulsivity and Compulsivity in Women with Anorexia Nervosa

This study sought to investigate independent associations of impulsivity and compulsivity with eating disorder (ED) symptoms. Women (N = 81) with full or subthreshold Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV anorexia nervosa (AN) completed a semi-structured interview and self-report questionnaires. Multiple regression analyses were conducted using ED symptoms as dependent variables and facets of impulsivity and compulsivity as predictor variables (controlling for body mass index and AN diagnostic subtype). For impulsivity facets, lack of perseverance was uniquely associated with eating concern, shape concern and restraint, whereas negative urgency was uniquely associated with eating concern and frequency of loss of control eating; neither sensation seeking nor lack of premeditation was uniquely associated with any ED variables. Compulsivity was uniquely associated with restraint, eating concern and weight concern. Results support independent associations of impulsivity and compulsivity with ED symptoms in adults with AN, suggesting potential utility in addressing both impulsive and compulsive processes in treatment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
A monolithic low-power highly linear pH measurement circuit with wide input detection range and easy calibration

In this paper, a novel topology for a monolithic low-power, highly miniaturized electrochemical pH sensor readout circuit with wide measurement range of pH values is presented. The readout circuit converts the output voltage of a pH sensor, which corresponds to the pH value of a solution under measurement, to a square-wave signal with its frequency being proportional to the pH sensor output voltage. A simple calibration method is employed in the design which makes the output frequency stay constant over process, supply voltage and temperature variations. The prototype system is designed and fabricated using a standard 0.13-µm CMOS process and the measurement results show that the sensor has good linearity to cover the entire pH value range from 0–14. The proposed sensor consumes 12.8 µW of power with 1.25 V supply voltage for a typical pH value of 7 while occupying a die area of 0.017 mm2. These features make the readout circuit with the pH sensor a promising solution for continuous monitoring of pH values in a wide range of applications such as real-time monitoring of physiological parameters and environmental monitoring.
Inhibition of cholinergic potentiation of insulin secretion from pancreatic islets by chronic elevation of glucose and fatty acids: Protection by casein kinase 2 inhibitor.

Abstract Objectives Chronic hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia are characteristic features of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) that are thought to cause or contribute to β-cell dysfunction by “glucolipotoxicity.” Previously we have shown that acute treatment of pancreatic islets with fatty acids (FA) decreases acetylcholine-potentiated insulin secretion. This acetylcholine response is mediated by M3 muscarinic receptors, which play a key role in regulating β-cell function. Here we examine whether chronic FA exposure also inhibits acetylcholine-potentiated insulin secretion using mouse and human islets. Methods Islets were cultured for 3 or 4 days at different glucose concentration with 0.5 mM palmitic acid (PA) or a 2:1 mixture of PA and oleic acid (OA) at 1% albumin (PA/BSA molar ratio 3.3). Afterwards, the response to glucose and acetylcholine were studied in perifusion experiments. Results FA-induced impairment of insulin secretion and Ca 2+ signaling depended strongly on the glucose concentrations of the culture medium. PA and OA in combination reduced acetylcholine potentiation of insulin secretion more than PA alone, both in mouse and human islets, with no evidence of a protective role of OA. In contrast, lipotoxicity was not observed with islets cultured for 3 days in medium containing less than 1 mM glucose and a mixture of glutamine and leucine (7 mM each). High glucose and FAs reduced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca 2+ storage capacity; however, preserving ER Ca 2+ by blocking the IP3 receptor with xestospongin C did not protect islets from glucolipotoxic effects on insulin secretion. In contrast, an inhibitor of casein kinase 2 (CK2) protected the glucose dependent acetylcholine potentiation of insulin secretion in mouse and human islets against glucolipotoxicity. Conclusions These results show that chronic FA treatment decreases acetylcholine potentiation of insulin secretion and that this effect is strictly glucose dependent and might involve CK2 phosphorylation of β-cell M3 muscarinic receptors.
The potential of using LiDAR and color-infrared aerial imagery for palustrine wetland typology and change

Wetlands are dynamic landscapes and their spatial extent and types can change over time. Mapping wetland locations, types, and monitoring wetland typological changes have important ecological signi...
Euthanasia of Cattle: Practical Considerations and Application.

Acceptable methods for the euthanasia of cattle include overdose of an anesthetic, gunshot and captive bolt. The use of anesthetics for euthanasia is costly and complicates carcass disposal. These issues can be avoided by use of a physical method such as gunshot or captive bolt; however, each requires that certain conditions be met to assure an immediate loss of consciousness and death. For example, the caliber of firearm and type of bullet are important considerations when gunshot is used. When captive bolt is used, a penetrating captive bolt loaded with the appropriate powder charge and accompanied by a follow up (adjunctive) step to assure death are required. The success of physical methods also requires careful selection of the anatomic site for entry of a “free bullet” or “bolt” in the case of penetrating captive bolt. Disease eradication plans for animal health emergencies necessitate methods of euthanasia that will facilitate rapid and efficient depopulation of animals while preserving their welfare to the greatest extent possible. A portable pneumatic captive bolt device has been developed and validated as effective for use in mass depopulation scenarios. Finally, while most tend to focus on the technical aspects of euthanasia, it is extremely important that no one forget the human cost for those who may be required to perform the task of euthanasia on a regular basis. Symptoms including depression, grief, sleeplessness and destructive behaviors including alcoholism and drug abuse are not uncommon for those who participate in the euthanasia of animals.
Disease Heritability Studies Harness the Healthcare System to Achieve Massive Scale.

Heritability studies are essential for defining genetic influences on disease risk and trait variability. Polubriaginof et al. show how massive amounts of data contained in electronic health records can be used for heritability studies on hundreds of phenotypes. Mining emergency contact information with comparison to existing gold standards showcases the broad utility of the approach.
The Frequency of Callosal Syndromes in Neurological Practice

It is the common belief of neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuropsychologists that callosal lesions and callosal syndromes are extremely rare. Lecturing on this topic, I have on several occasions asked my audience how many had ever seen a patient with a callosal lesion. Even in a very large group rarely more than half a dozen raise their hands. The question as to how many have seen more than five cases with callosal lesions usually gets no response at all, although on very rare occasions a person may respond. At this point I go on to say that these responses are surprising, since I have probably seen at least 3000 patients with callosal lesions. Although not all of these had recognizable callosal syndromes, at least 400 patients have shown callosal syndromes. While I have perhaps seen more patients with callosal syndromes than most neurologists, these figures should not be regarded as unusual, since both callosal lesions and callosal syndromes are everyday features of neurological practice.
Treating Co-Occurring Disorders in Jails: Outcome Findings From a Second Chance Act Offender Reentry Program:

Widespread implementation of offender reentry programming has increased justice program evaluations but few have featured research designs sufficiently rigorous to optimally inform policy. Program evaluations typically neglect program fidelity concerns to focus on outcome analysis that seldom feature optimal spuriousness reduction. The current study, the second component of a mixed-method design evidencing fidelity, presents the methods and outcome findings for the Delaware County Transition (DCT) Program, an Ohio jail-based crimesolutions.gov endorsed treatment intervention for dually diagnosed offenders. Review of the reentry and dual-diagnosis literature provides a background for description of the DCT program and methods employed to observe programming effects. Findings indicated DCT participation was associated with overall recidivism reductions and time to recidivism and orient discussion around related rehabilitative modalities.
Abstract TMP61: Enrolling Stroke Patients in Prehospital Research During Late Night and Early Morning Times

Background: Enrolling stroke patients into clinical research studies often necessitates having investigators available to field calls (from paramedics, potential subjects and ED personnel) as well ...
Modeling and Counteracting Exposure Bias in Recommender Systems.

What we discover and see online, and consequently our opinions and decisions, are becoming increasingly affected by automated machine learned predictions. Similarly, the predictive accuracy of learning machines heavily depends on the feedback data that we provide them. This mutual influence can lead to closed-loop interactions that may cause unknown biases which can be exacerbated after several iterations of machine learning predictions and user feedback. Machine-caused biases risk leading to undesirable social effects ranging from polarization to unfairness and filter bubbles. In this paper, we study the bias inherent in widely used recommendation strategies such as matrix factorization. Then we model the exposure that is borne from the interaction between the user and the recommender system and propose new debiasing strategies for these systems. Finally, we try to mitigate the recommendation system bias by engineering solutions for several state of the art recommender system models. Our results show that recommender systems are biased and depend on the prior exposure of the user. We also show that the studied bias iteratively decreases diversity in the output recommendations. Our debiasing method demonstrates the need for alternative recommendation strategies that take into account the exposure process in order to reduce bias. Our research findings show the importance of understanding the nature of and dealing with bias in machine learning models such as recommender systems that interact directly with humans, and are thus causing an increasing influence on human discovery and decision making
In-situ Ambient Vibration Study of a 900-kw Wind Turbine

ABSTRACTDynamic measurements are undertaken on a utility scale wind turbine (900 kW rated power, 55 m hub height, and a 53.6 m rotor diameter) located at Oak Creek Energy Systems near Mojave, Calif...
Surfing Sustainability: Understanding Sustainability in Safety

One type of sustainability, sustainability under safe and economically sound conditions, is metaphorically called surfing sustainability due to the fact that it focuses on technical initiatives associated with the young, cool, and active members of society. This is the sustainability of the west that is largely embraced by the wealthy, educated, and elite. It includes things like electric cars, organic food, and recycling. It does not include things like access to clean drinking water, lack of war, and hunger. This type of western sustainability tries, usually unsuccessfully, to limit the massive impact of western overconsumption on the rest of the world. However, western sustainability efforts have resulted in important contributions to technological innovation in sustainability. Four main examples of this type of sustainability are presented: food, plastic microbeads, golf courses, and electric cars. In addition, political movements associated with the Green Party and the Green New Deal are discussed.
Using hydroacoustics to relate fluctuations in fish abundance to river restoration efforts and environmental conditions in the Penobscot River, Maine

Quantifying change after large habitat restoration efforts is critical to assessing the effort's success. After river restoration activities, fish abundance is expected to increase and also fluctuates naturally by season and with environmental conditions. A side‐looking hydroacoustic system was used to estimate fish abundance in the Penobscot River, ME, from 2010 to 2016 during predam (2010–2013) and postdam (2014–2016) removal years during nonice periods. Automated data processing enabled continuous abundance estimates from fish tracks. A threefold increase in mean fish abundance was recorded after dam removal. A fourfold increase in median fish abundance occurred in the fall relative to spring and summer of the same year, regardless of dam presence. Interannual fish abundance in every season monitored increased at least twofold after dam removal. We related variability in fish abundance to tide, discharge, temperature, diurnal cycle, daylength, moon phase, and restoration activities (focusing on dam presence). Daylength corresponding to the fall and summer was the most important indicator for higher fish abundance. Fish abundance was generally greatest in the fall during outgoing tides at night, with lesser peaks occurring during the month of June at night. Before dam removal, fish abundance peaked when water temperature was less than 9.25°C, at night, during outgoing tides. After dam removal, fish abundance peaked when daylength was less than 11.3 hr, at night, during outgoing tides, when water temperature was above 4.56°C and no full moon was present. Peak fish abundance occurred during only 0.02–2.3% of the total time sampled. The threefold increase in fish abundance recorded after dam removal was observed despite yearly stocking efforts of adult alewife increasing 24% in postdam removal years. Finally, parallel studies of fish presence in the Penobscot River were used to compare the utility of this method as an indicator of fish abundance in response to dam removal.
A Qualitative Study to Explore Perception of Impacts of Preemption of Tobacco Regulation on Counties in Appalachian Tennessee

Bottom-up processes, starting at the local government level, are valuable for more-stringent tobacco control measures. The existence of industry-backed state-level tobacco control preemption in states has impeded policy progress within the state and localities/communities. A national public health goal under Healthy People 2020 is to eliminate state-level preemption across the United States. This study explored individual-level perceptions of the impact of state-level preemption in Appalachian Tennessee-a high-smoking, low-income region. During 2015-2016, a community-engagement project to develop a Population Health Improvement Plan (PHIP) involving over 200 stakeholders and 90 organizations was conducted in Appalachian Tennessee to identify policies/programs to address tobacco use. Using a multifaceted framework approach that focused on prevention, protection, and cessation, interviews and meeting discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Content analysis using NVivo 11 was conducted to generate themes. Although the central focus of the PHIP was not preemption, the issue emerged naturally in the discussions as a major concern among participants. Cultural and normative factors in Appalachian Tennessee were identified as key rationales for participants' aversion to state preemption. Thus, repealing preemption would facilitate culturally tailored and region-specific policies/programs to the high tobacco use among Appalachian Tennessee communities where statewide/nationwide policies/programs have not had the intended impacts.
How Valid is the PASS Theory and CAS

In this article I provide data that the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) has considerable validity, which is contrary to suggestions made by Kranzler and Keith. I take a broad data-driven approach...
Cost Saving of Short Hospitalization Nonoperative Management for Acute Uncomplicated Appendicitis.

Abstract Background Nonoperative management (NOM) of uncomplicated appendicitis has gained recognition as an alternative to surgery. In the largest published randomized trial (Appendicitis Acuta), patients received a 3-d hospital stay for intravenous antibiotics; however, cost implications for health care systems remain unknown. We hypothesized short stay protocols would be cost saving compared with a long stay protocol. Materials and methods We constructed a Markov model comparing the cost of three protocols for NOM of acute uncomplicated appendicitis: (1) long stay (3-d hospitalization), (2) short stay (1-d hospitalization), and (3) emergency department (ED) discharge. The long stay protocol was modeled on data from the APPAC trial. Model variables were abstracted from national database and literature review. One-way and two-way sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the impact of uncertainty on the model. Results The long stay treatment protocol had a total 5-y projected cost of $10,735 per patient. The short stay treatment protocol costs $8026 per patient, and the ED discharge protocol costs $6,825, which was $2709 and $3910 less than the long stay protocol, respectively. One-way sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the relative risk of treatment failure with the short stay protocol needed to exceed 6.3 (absolute risk increase of 31%) and with the ED discharge protocol needed to exceed 8.75 (absolute risk increase of 45%) in order for the long stay protocol to become cost saving. Conclusions Short duration hospitalization protocols to treat appendicitis nonoperatively with antibiotics are cost saving under almost all model scenarios. Future consideration of patient preferences and health-related quality of life will need to be made to determine if short stay treatment protocols are cost-effective.
Management of Peyronie’s Disease During Placement of Penile Prosthesis

Up to 20–30% of patients with Peyronie’s disease (PD) suffer from some degree of erectile dysfunction (ED). When medical management fails, the surgical approach towards those with PD and ED relies on the penile prosthesis. Graft material has advanced in recent years, and hemostatic patch material has emerged as a promising, easy to use, and cost-effective approach. Intracorporal techniques that obviate the need for neurovascular bundle mobilization have recently been described, and can be considered a frontier for further investigation. A thorough literature review was performed using the PubMed online database with query: “Penile Prosthesis” and “Peyronie’s disease” with “Plaque excision,” “Plaque incision,” “Tunica albuginea plication,” “Modeling,” and “Excision and grafting.” While the three-piece inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) is commonly used, malleable implants may also achieve success where three-pieces are unavailable or not appropriate for use. When implant alone does not correct the deformity, manual modeling is a mainstay in treating residual curvature. Tunica plication, incision, and excision/graft techniques are required in patients with more severe/complicated plaques.
Parental Death and Cognitive Impairment: An Examination by Gender and Race-ethnicity.

OBJECTIVES We provide the first nationally representative longitudinal study of cognitive impairment in relation to parental death from childhood through early adulthood, midlife, and later adulthood, with attention to heterogeneity in the experience of parental death. METHOD We analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study (2000-2016). The sample included 13,392 respondents, contributing 72,860 person-periods. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS). Discrete-time hazard regression models were estimated to predict the odds of cognitive impairment. RESULTS Both exposure and timing of parental death were related to risk of cognitive impairment in late life and associations vary by gender. The detrimental effect of a father's death was comparable for daughters and sons although exposure to mother's death had stronger effects on daughter's than son's risk of cognitive impairment. Father's death at younger ages had the strongest effect on sons' late-life risk of cognitive impairment whereas mother's death in middle adulthood had the strongest effect on daughters' risk. We found no significant racial-ethnic variation in the association between parental death and cognitive impairment. DISCUSSION It is important to explore the gender-specific pathways through which parental death leads to increased risk of cognitive impairment so that effective interventions can be implemented to reduce risk.
Trapping nanoparticles with optical refrigeration

We develop a new type of optical tweezers that exploits thermophoresis and solid-state optical refrigeration to trap and manipulate nanoparticles at the laser-generated cold region. Localized optical refrigeration of a solid substrate creates a temperature gradient field to trap nanoparticles and molecules with common thermophobic nature at the laser beam center by thermophoresis. The trapping of objects at the low-temperature region can effectively avoid photothermal degradation. In addition, compared to conventional optical tweezers, our tweezers require a weakly focused laser beam with a lower optical intensity to trap fragile objects, which can reduce the photodamages.
Testing Inter-Chiplet Communication Interconnects in a Disaggregated SoC Design

The integration of High-bandwidth memory (HBM), is essentially one of the first proof points of in-package integration of heterogeneous silicon that gained steam using advanced packaging. Intel has demonstrated heterogenous integration through chiplet architecture and disaggregation in multiple products and different market segments. With the chiplet model gaining momentum as an alternative to developing monolithic SoC designs, which are becoming more complex and expensive at each node, Test is one of the major enablers of a wider adoption and development of chiplet ecosystem. Die-to-die (D2D) interconnect between chiplets raises complex test challenges, which are driving new standards and DfT approaches to advanced-package testing. This paper addresses these test challenges and emerging solutions for testing D2D interconnect in a disaggregated SoC design.
Institutional Barriers Contribute to Low College Completion Rates

Institutions contribute to low college graduation rates by creating barriers. These are six common ones: degree requirements poorly described, not offering needed courses, unnecessary registration holds, inappropriate placement of transfer credits, financial aid policies that do not benefit the most needy students and not recommending students complete 30 hours a year. All of these barriers can be removed at little or no cost to the institution.
THE ANALYSIS OF WAVE RECORDS

Data obtained from two surface profile wave gages and two pressure wave gages at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, are used to check the consistency of the analysis variables obtained from a given set of records by several commonly used analysis procedures All estimates of the characteristic height tested are found to be correlated better than 86 The estimates of characteristic period are not so satisfactory and in some cases are below 25 Consideration of several proposed definitions of the characteristic period indicates that they are based more on convenience in data processing than on application of the derived data Consideration of the use of wave data in engineering design shows that no one definition of the period can be satisfactory for all applications The best definition of the characteristic wave period for a given engineering problem can be specified only when the dynamic aspects of the problem have been identified.
Impact of virus surface characteristics on removal mechanisms within membrane bioreactors.

Abstract In this study we investigated the removal of viruses with similar size and shape but with different external surface capsid proteins by a bench-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR). The goal was to determine which virus removal mechanisms (retention by clean backwashed membrane, retention by cake layer, attachment to biomass, and inactivation) were most impacted by differences in the virus surface properties. Seven bench-scale MBR experiments were performed using mixed liquor wastewater sludge that was seeded with three lab-cultured bacteriophages with icosahedral capsids of ∼30 nm diameter (MS2, phiX174, and fr). The operating conditions were designed to simulate those at a reference, full-scale MBR facility. The virus removal mechanism most affected by virus type was attachment to biomass (removals of 0.2 log for MS2, 1.2 log for phiX174, and 3 log for fr). These differences in removal could not be explained by electrostatic interactions, as the three viruses had similar net negative charge when suspended in MBR permeate. Removals by the clean backwashed membrane (less than 1 log) and cake layer (∼0.6 log) were similar for the three viruses. A comparison between the clean membrane removals seen at the bench-scale using a virgin membrane (∼1 log), and the full-scale using 10-year old membranes (∼2–3 logs) suggests that irreversible fouling, accumulated on the membrane over years of operation that cannot be removed by cleaning, also contributes towards virus removal. This study enhances the current mechanistic understanding of virus removal in MBRs and will contribute to more reliable treatment for water reuse applications.
Abstract 12651: Atrium Fibrosis and Inflammation: Impaired Atrial Natriuretic Peptide System in Experimental Heart Failure

Introduction: The cardiac atrium is an important endocrine organ which also releases natriuretic peptides (NPs). We reported that dysregulation of the proNP convertases, furin and corin, may disrupt NP progressing, causing atrial fibrosis in experimental heart failure (HF). Atrial fibrosis results in atrial arrhythmias and impairs the prognosis of human HF, therefore understanding mechanisms of atrial fibrosis may help in designing treatment strategies for HF. We sought to extend our studies into the entire NP system and global gene profiles including fibrotic and inflammatory pathways in experimental HF. Hypothesis: Components of the NP, pro-fibrotic and inflammatory system will be up-regulated in the atrium in HF. Methods: Experimental canine HF was induced by rapid right ventricular pacing at 240 bpm for 10 days. We examined hemodynamics, echo parameters, circulating neurohumoral factors, and global gene profiles using RT-PCR microarrays related to the NP system, fibrosis, growth factors, inflammation and cardiac hypertrophy in left atrium (LA) from normal and HF canines (n=4 of each). Results: Experimental HF was characterized by decreased % EF and LV radial strain, and increased circulating ANP, cGMP and aldosterone levels. HF LA weight significantly increased with fibrosis and interstitial edema compared to normals. Gene profile analyses showed increases in profibrotic cytokines and extracellular matrix related genes in LA. Increased ANP expression but also increased ANP degrading enzyme IDE and decreased proANP processing enzyme corin were also observed. Genes related to inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha, members of the IL-6 family, MCP-1, and cell adhesion molecules were up-regulated in LA compared to normals. Conclusions: Experimental HF was characterized by on-going atrial fibrosis with increased circulating ANP levels. Although ANP gene expression increased in failing LA, impaired proANP processing and accelerated ANP degradation may impair any anti-fibrotic ANP effects. Further, atrium may be a source of inflammatory cytokines and pro-fibrotic growth factors which may advance organ damage in HF. Our studies suggest NP treatment, perhaps in a form less susceptible to IDE degradation, may be a novel therapeutic for HF.
Treating Alcohol and Drug Problems in Psychotherapy Practice: Doing What Works, by Arnold M. Washton and Joan E. Zweben

Many individuals who seek treatment from mental health practitioners experience substance use disorders (SUDs) alone or in tandem with other mental health problems. SUDs have traditionally been see...
Computer analysis of spectra of enzyme-substrate and enzyme-inhibitor complexes involving aspartate aminotransferase.

Abstract Dicarboxylic acid inhibitors and the amino and keto acid substrates interact with aspartate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1) to form spectrally distinct enzyme-inhibitor and enzyme-substrate complexes. The spectra of solutions of the enzyme and varying concentrations of inhibitor or substrate are analyzed by computer methods to obtain the spectra of the enzyme-inhibitor and enzyme-substrate complexes. Programs have been written which permit the computation of the pKa values and the dissociation constants of the complexes with the use of the spectral data at many wave lengths. The complete spectra of the individual ionic species of the complexes are drawn. Comparison plots of the experimental spectral data and the calculated spectra can also be obtained. These computer methods are applied to four enzyme-inhibitor complexes and to complexes of the enzyme with its substrates and two pseudosubstrates. Spectra of apoaspartate aminotransferase containing bound pyridoxal phosphate analogues have also been analyzed.
Effect of Pre-Ozonation on Organics Removal by In-Line Direct Filtration

A pilot-scale study of the effects of pre-ozonation on the performance of in-line direct filtration was carried out. Performance measures included filtered water turbidity, unit filter run volumes, and organics in filtered waters: DOC, UV254, AOC and DBPs. Continuous operation of four dual media GAC/sand filters with and without pre-ozonation and chlorinated backwash and a dual media anthracite/sand filter were compared to full-scale performance. Pre-ozonation frequently results in longer filter runs, causes a twofold increase in raw water AOC and has little effect on raw water DOC. GAC/sand filters consistently reduced the AOC in the ozone train to levels below that of the full-scale plant and also provided 25 % lower DOC levels as compared to anthracite/sand filters. The effect of ozone and filtration on chlorinated DBPs followed overall DOC removal while DBPs created by ozonation followed AOC removal trends.
A simulation of global regimes of potential leaf net photosynthetic rates

Worldwide patterns of leaf net photosynthetic rates are produced by a parameterized model (PHOTO 1) in relation to plant climates. PHOTO 1 produces a continuum of photosynthetic plant leaf responses to climatic variables via its two submodels which characterize the phtosynthetic activity of generalized C4 and C3 plants. World maps depict seasonal net photosynthetic rates.
Mapping the structure of the southern Milky Way

Un programme d'identification, de classification et de determination des distances des supergeantes rouges faibles du Sud de la Voie Lactee est presente. Une cartographie de la structure des bras spiraux de notre Galaxie est elaboree a partir de la photometrie 8 couleurs des supergeantes rouges. La methode utilisee est comparee avec d'autres precedemment etablies