cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the Effects of Student Response Systems on Student Learning and Attitudes over a Broad Range of Biology Courses

With the advent of wireless technology, new tools are available that are intended to enhance students' learning and attitudes. To assess the effectiveness of wireless student response systems in th...
Part‐time faculty development at Johnson County Community College

This chapter provides an overview of the elements of the comprehensive program to support part-time faculty at Johnson Community College in Kansas. It also suggests ways to implement such a program.
Teaching computer ethics using the World Wide Web

Teaching computer ethics is challenging in any setting. An online, asynchronous course on computer ethics has unique strengths and weaknesses compared to a face-to-face classroom course. This paper describes several ways to exploit the strengths of asynchronous pedagogy when teaching computer ethics, and suggests ways to deemphasize the weaknesses. Anecdotes are given from the authors experience in teaching computer ethics online to computer science majors.
Structure and research activities of pediatric infection control programs in the United States and Canada.

Abstract Although this survey was not intended to evaluate all aspects of pediatric infection control programs, we hoped to learn about such programs as reflected by the placement and classification of the practitioner and the infection control program in the hospital administrative hierarchy, by salary, and by research priorities and activities. Perhaps our informal survey may prompt pediatric institutions to evaluate the goals of their infection control programs and to explore possibilities for growth and development of the program as well as the practitioner
Modeling Average Maintenance Behavior of Fleet of Airplanes using Fleet-MCS

In aircrafts, fuselage inspections are performed regularly to remove large damages that threaten the safety of the structure. Recently, structural health monitoring techniques have been developed that uses sensors and actuators to detect damages on structures paving way for progressive inspection. The average maintenance hangar trips per airplane and the average number of panels replaced on it have a direct bearing on the cost of progressive inspection. The lifecycle of an airplane was modeled as blocks of damage propagation interspersed with inspection. The Paris model with random parameters is used to model damage growth, and detection probability during inspections is modeled by Palmberg expression. Conventionally. Monte Carlo Simulations delineate the process. In this paper, a fleet-MCS procedure is presented that predict the average behavior of a fleet of airplanes using simple analytical expressions. Fleet-MCS procedures reduce the high computational cost of Monte Carlo simulations in predicting the average fleet behavior while maintaining similar level of accuracy. Monte Carlo simulations involve random sampling and would require multiple simulations to predict the fleet average. Fleet-MCS procedure predicts the fleet average with a single run of the simulation reducing the computational burden. The fleet average from the regular MCS and the fleetMCS has been compared in this paper and has been found to be in accordance with reasonable accuracy.
Volterra-type nonlinear image restoration of medical imagery using principal dynamic modes

This paper introduces a new methodology of medical image restoration using the nonlinear Volterra system identification method, which rests on the theory of functional expansions of nonlinear dynamic operators. The task is achieved by identifying inverse linear and nonlinear transformations or kernels from a training medical image data set. The kernels are further represented by their principal dynamic modes (PDMs) and following static nonlinearities. We validate the methods through computer simulation studies where the restoration operators identified from a training MR image set are applied to test MR image sets.
Austrodiplostomum ostrowskiae n. sp. (Digenea: Diplostomidae: Diplostominae) from the Double-crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus (Phalacrocoracidae) from the Galveston, Texas Area of the Gulf of Mexico, U.S.A.

Approximately 1,350 specimens of an undescribed species of Austrodiplostomum (Diplostomidae: Diplostominae) were collected from 10 double-crested cormorants, Phalacrocorax auritus (Phalacrocoracidae), from the Galveston, Texas, U.S.A., area. Austrodiplostomum compactum is synonymized with Austrodiplostomum mordax, the type species in the genus, leaving A. mordax as the only species remaining. Austrodiplostomum ostrowskiae n. sp. can be distinguished from A. mordax by having a small but distinct hindbody, shorter ceca, a uterus and vitelline fields that extend into the tribocytic organ, smaller eggs, and an anterior testis that is about the same width as the posterior testis in A. ostrowskiae n. sp. Five specimens of the neotropical cormorant, Phalacrocorax brasilianus, were also examined from the Galveston, Texas, U.S.A., area during the study, but this host species was not found to be infected with a species of Austrodiplostomum.
Cyclic Voltammetry Study of Ice Formation in the PEFC Catalyst Layer during Cold Start

A cyclic voltammetry technique has been developed to investigate the effect of ice formation in the cathode catalyst layer CL on electrochemically active Pt area during and post-subzero startup of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell PEFC. It was found that the Pt area decreases after each cold start and the Pt area loss increases with the product water generated during cold start. We hypothesize that the Pt area loss is caused by ice precipitated between Pt particles and ionomers during cold start. After startup from a subzero temperature and warmup to 25°C with all ice in the CL melted, the cell remains subject to Pt area loss, but this loss at 25°C is substantially reduced. We also find that subsequent cell operation at 70°C and 1 A/cm 2 for 2 h is very effective for recovering the active Pt area and cell performance. Both permanent loss in the active Pt area and cell performance degradation due to structural alteration of the cathode CL by the presence of ice increase gradually with the cold-start cycle number and become more severe for cold start from �30°C than from �10 and �20°C. In addition, startup from a subzero temperature appears to have no influence on the electrochemically active Pt area of the anode CL. It is suggested that the ice amount present in the CL holds a key to determine the temporary Pt area loss due to ice formation as well as permanent performance degradation resulting from cold-start cycling.
Minimum energy decentralized estimation in a wireless sensor network with correlated sensor noises

Consider the problem of estimating an unknown parameter by a sensor network with a fusion center (FC). Sensor observations are corrupted by additive noises with an arbitrary spatial correlation. Due to bandwidth and energy limitation, each sensor is only able to transmit a finite number of bits to the FC, while the latter must combine the received bits to estimate the unknown parameter. We require the decentralized estimator to have a mean-squared error (MSE) that is within a constant factor to that of the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE). We minimize the total sensor transmitted energy by selecting sensor quantization levels using the knowledge of noise covariance matrix while meeting the target MSE requirement. Computer simulations show that our designs can achieve energy savings up to 70% when compared to the uniform quantization strategy whereby each sensor generates the same number of bits, irrespective of the quality of its observation and the condition of its channel to the FC.
On Measures and Models for the Effectiveness of Vaccines and Vaccination Programmes

Smith, Rodrigues and Fine have discussed and linked different measures, models, and study designs for the assessment of vaccines. The present paper responds to a number of issues implicitly raised by these authors. In particular, it is argued that measures and models need to be considered independently, with choice of measure depending on evaluation objectives, and choice of model depending on consideration of both mechanism of administration and mechanism of action. Models in which a particular measure remains constant tend to be unrealistic for evaluating field effectiveness. Some technical issues arising in the design and analysis of case-control studies of vaccines are also addressed.
Performance of distributed estimation over multiple access fading channels with partial feedback

We consider a wireless sensor network for distributed estimation over Rayleigh fading channels. The sensors transmit their observations over fading channels to a fusion center, where a source parameter is estimated. Since the sensor transmissions add incoherently over a multiple access channel, we consider partial channel knowledge at the sensors to improve performance. We calculate the variance of the estimate when the channel phase is quantized uniformly and fed back to the sensors. We show that as few as 3 bits of feedback is sufficient for a loss in performance of about 5%. We also show that the performance is robust in the presence of feedback errors.
Against Gridlock: The Viability of Interest-Based Legislative Negotiation

Early evaluations of the Obama administration have often focused on the administration’s legislative negotiation strategies. But these discussions have largely neglected the distinction between two basic types of negotiation recognized in the professional negotiation literature: positional (or hard-bargaining) negotiation, and interest-based (or principled) negotiation. The former attempts to secure the maximum share of a fixed amount of value by adopting an extreme position, knowing that it will not be accepted, and then using a combination of guile, bluffing, and brinksmanship to cede as little as possible before reaching a deal. The latter, which President Obama has practiced since at least his time in the Illinois Senate, attempts to create value by focusing on the underlying interests of the parties rather than their arbitrary starting positions, approaching negotiation as a shared problem rather than a personalized battle, and insisting upon adherence to objective, principled criteria as the basis for agreement. In an attempt to introduce the concept of interest-based negotiation into discussions of the federal legislative process, this essay draws attention to some of the possible advantages of an interest-based approach to legislative negotiation—while also recognizing potential weaknesses, especially if the other side exploits the principled bargainer through the use of positional tactics. The essay closes by suggesting that a presidential administration’s most powerful tool in legislative negotiation may remain its ability to drive down opponents’ “best alternative to negotiated agreement” (BATNA) by fostering public support for administration policies.
Things Still To Be Done on the Still‐Face Effect

Adamson and Frick (2003/this issue) have written a fine and challenging review of the research on the still-face. Of special value is their placement of the face-to-face still-face (FFSF) paradigm in a historical framework, which permits us to see how much about the still-face effect and infant functioning we have learned in the past 30 years. Their review led me to think about several issues. First was the issue of whether or not to standardize the FFSF paradigm. Second, Adamson and Frick argue the still-face put the “infant's reaction in a new interpretive frame,” but it is a reaction that still challenges our “understanding of young infants' social, emotional, and cognitive capacities.” Thus, I would like to discuss explanations of the still-face effect. Last, I discuss some suggestions for further research. For an elaborated version of this article, additional archival material is located at http:www.infancyarchives.com.
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: Abstracts of Papers Presented at the Autumn Meeting, November 9-11, 1953Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

In the abstract of the paper, "The Direct Observation of Hapten-Antibody Equilibria" presented before the National Academy of Sciences, which was published in the Nov. 13th issue of SCIENCE, p. 570, there isan error due to a miscalculation. A value of 5.5 kcal isgiven for the free energy of formation (per mole) of ahapten-antibody bond. This value should be 7.6 kcal.
Integrated knowledge of agreement in early and late English–Spanish bilinguals

Research suggests that late bilinguals may have persistent difficulties with the automatic access and use of some second language structures because of a lack of underlying integrated knowledge of those structures. In contrast, early bilinguals show advantages in aspects of language use that require this type of automatic knowledge. This study investigated whether early and late English–Spanish bilinguals evidence integrated knowledge of agreement in Spanish by examining their sensitivity to agreement errors while reading for comprehension. The results of a pilot and two experiments indicate that both early and late bilinguals do possess integrated knowledge of subject–verb number agreement and noun–adjective gender agreement in Spanish, although sensitivity to agreement errors interacts with properties of the experimental stimuli.
Acute aerobic exercise and affect: current status, problems and prospects regarding dose-response.

One of the assumptions underlying recent physical activity recommendations is that lower doses of activity (i.e. intensity and duration) are more enjoyable for the average person, thus leading to higher involvement and adherence rates. However, the veracity of this hypothesis can be questioned, since little is actually known regarding the association between activity doses and affective responses. The few preliminary attempts at the conceptual delineation of the dose-response relationship, all centred around an ‘inverted-U’notion, are reviewed and criticised as lacking empirical foundation. Available meta-analyses, as well as the empirical literature on the role of exercise intensity and duration, are examined. Increased intensity appears to be associated with reduced positivity of affect during and immediately following an exercise bout. Intensity effects appear to be attenuated during recovery. Fitness and training status appear to become significant mediators of the exercise-affect relationship only at high intensities. With intensity being kept constant, different exercise bout durations have not been shown to have a differential impact on pre- to post-exercise affective changes. Recommendations for future research include: (i) a shift from categorical to dimensional conceptualisations and operationalisations of affect; (ii) the examination of psychological theories on the association between activation and affect (e.g. extraversion-introversion, sensation seeking, type A behaviour pattern and related self-evaluative tendencies, reversal theory, optimal stimulation theory, multidimensional activation theory and self-efficacy); (iii) the systematic and theory-based examination of in-task and post-exercise affective responses; (iv) the incorporation of the parameter of fitness and/or activity status in research designs; and (v) the re-evaluation of methods for selecting exercise intensity levels.
Full-coverage multichannel wavelength-monitoring circuit for WDM system

We have designed and fabricated a multichannel wavelength-monitoring circuit using a specially designed center-offset phased-array waveguide grating. The monitoring circuit can cover the whole wavelength range of 8 nm in the WDM system without any blind range.
The dynamic beta effect in CESR

The change in beta due to the beam-beam interaction-the 'dynamic beta effect'-has been observed in the Cornell Storage Ring CESR by comparing the observed luminosity with the observed vertical beam heights. Under current colliding beam conditions, the resulting changes in horizontal beta around the ring have exceeded /spl Delta//spl beta//sub x///spl beta//sub x/=0.5 and the horizontal tune shift parameter /spl xi//sub x/ has exceeded 0.05.
Development of a multi-objective optimization tool for selecting thermal insulation materials in sustainable designs

Abstract A multi-objective fire safety and sustainability screening tool for specifying insulation materials has been developed. This paper discusses a methodology for balancing competing requirements by evaluating the thermal resistance, fire performance, sustainability, cost, acoustic damping, and durability objectives of various insulating materials through implementation of a weighted mean. Each variable is normalized and then weighted according to the emphasis placed on each objective, using experimental data for the relevant material property. Two control scenarios and four weighting scenarios are presented. The first control scenario excludes both the fire performance and sustainability objectives in the material evaluations. The second control scenario introduces sustainability as an objective, but still excludes fire performance. The four weighting scenarios each emphasize a different area of consideration: cost, thermal resistance, sustainability, or fire performance. Materials considered are cellulose, fiberglass, rockwool, polyurethane, and polystyrene. Results of this analysis rank the materials in order of desirability and provide a method to reorder this ranking based on the priority assigned to each objective. For the four weighting scenarios presented, rockwool was consistently ranked as the best performer, while extruded polystyrene was typically the weakest. However, in the first control scenario, closed-cell polyurethane performed best and cellulose performed worst.
The Mediterranean Migration: A Clash of Titans' Obligations?

Nearly 670,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean to reach European shores in the first ten months of 2015. The influx has been characterized as the greatest migration crisis since World War II. The associated death toll is equally alarming. In April alone, over 800 migrants died in the largest maritime refugee disaster on record, provoking calls for an immediate response. Following an emergency summit, EU leaders reacted by launching new criminal anti-smuggling measures and an intensive maritime surveillance program in the Mediterranean, among other measures. The response has been criticized for its emphasis on militarized border control strategies at the expense of humanitarian protection measures in relation to maritime rescue and asylum screening. Certainly, such an enforcement-oriented approach to border controls is not new, but it is legally problematic. This article examines the latest European response to the Mediterranean migration crisis from an international legal standpoint. It considers aspects of the proposal with regard to the roles and conduct of individual member states, as well as those of the EU border control agency Frontex. The article examines recent jurisprudential developments, both within and beyond the European sphere, to highlight new and emerging legal limitations on state actors at sea.
Judgment Performance in Business Planning

This paper investigates factors that influence the effectiveness of entrepreneurial managers’ decisions to prepare business plans, operationalized as adequacy of financing obtained, including confidence in the managers’ financial knowledge and characteristics of the business. Data is obtained from a survey administered to clients of a small business development center to access various aspects of financing options. Regression analysis is used to develop a descriptive model that indicates the adequacy of capital resources acquired from business financing is related to the interaction of entrepreneurial manager’s decision to prepare a business plan with his/her financial self-efficacy. These findings have implications for research related to the preparation of business plans and organizational performance. Mixed results in prior studies may be attributed to failure to control for context and person factors that may influence both performance and the decision to prepare a business plan.
Advanced Microwave Technology

The importance of developing systems that are safe and reliable as well as high performance is discussed and emphasized. The nature of current safety standards for interference and personnel safety are described. Several systems from industries such as food and rubber are described with a focus on safety and reliability issues.
Does Cognitive Strategy Training on Word Problems Compensate for Working Memory Capacity in Children with Math Difficulties

Does cognitive strategy training on word problems compensate for working memory capacity in children with math difficulties?
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF PEAK-REGULATION CONFIGURATION AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF IGCC MULTIPLE CO-GENERATION UNITS

Directing against problems of high capital investment and poor economic efficiency in developing the integral gasification combined cycle(IGCC) at present,the IGCC has been combined with multiple co-genneration to produce electricity for peak-regulation in the power grid,making effort to achieve peak-regulation power price,enhancing the overall economic efficiency of IGCC.Taking one IGCC multiple co-generation unit under Guohua Group as example,it is believed from analysis of feasible configuration scheme and economic efficiency that the utilization of IGCC units to carry out peak-regulation under certain load condition and try to win certain peak-regulation power price,is a way out for solving the problem of too high cost in developing IGCC.
Using sea urchin gametes for the study of mitosis.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the methods found useful for the study of cell division in early cleavage stage sea urchin zygotes. Successful and reliable fertilization of sea urchin eggs is simple if a few precautions are kept in mind. First, use only clean glassware that has not been exposed to fixatives or metal ions. If the glassware is washed in a central facility, be certain that there is no residual detergent present. There have been good results with the use of “conditioned” glassware that is dedicated to use with live cells. At the end of the day rinse the glassware with distilled water and store it filled with distilled water. The glassware should be thoroughly washed if it is exposed to drugs. To conduct routine fertilizations prepare a sperm solution adding just enough sperm to the test tube to make the water barely opalescent. If the sperms are too concentrated, there is the risk of polyspermy. A dilute solution of eggs is prepared and a small amount of sperm solution is added. There is no precise ratio that needs to be attained, but the water around the eggs should appear clear to the eye.
Functional Improvement and Symptom Management in Multiple Sclerosis: Clinical Efficacy of Current Therapies

Disease-modifying treatments (DMTs), which are the foundation of multiple sclerosis (MS) care, reduce clinical exacerbations (relapses) and slow disease progression; however, improving quality of life (QOL) is an unmet need for many individuals with MS. DMTs, including interferon-beta, glatiramer acetate, natalizumab, mitoxantrone, and fingolimod, reduce the rate and severity of relapses, the accumulation of brain and spinal cord lesions as shown on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and disability progression. Many studies link diminished QOL with specific MS symptoms (fatigue, impaired mobility, spasticity, etc). Even in patients already receiving DMTs, symptoms and QOL may improve with additional agents that treat specific symptoms, thereby improving patient function and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). Patients have reported that mobility impairment is one of the worst aspects of MS. Almost half of patients treated with DMTs reported no improvement in mobility. However, blocking the voltage-dependent potassium channels on the surface of demyelinated nerve fibers may improve signal conduction. Dalfampridine, a potassium channel blocker, received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for all forms of MS specifically to improve walking, which was demonstrated by increased walking speed. By improving walking in some patients with MS, the effects of dalfampridine may complement those of DMTs and address the stated priorities of many patients.
Hepatitis C infection and the risk of bacteremia in hemodialysis patients with tunneled vascular access catheters.

Background: The major complication of tunneled vascular catheters in dialysis patients is infection. In preliminary work, an association was noted between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and bacteremia in these patients. On this basis, we theorized that HCV infection may be associated with bacteremia in dialysis patients with tunneled catheters. Methods: We conducted a two-phase clinical study to defme the association between HCV infection and bacteremia in hemodialysis patients with catheters. Phase 1 was a cross-sectional study designed to assess the association between HCV serologic status and bacteremia. Phase 2 was a prospective study that examined the relationship between HCV viral load and bacteremia. Results: In Phase 1, HCV (+) patients had a significantly greater prevalence of bacteremia than HCV (-) patients (61 vs 7.7% respectively, P < 0.05). In Phase 2, the presence of detectable virus was associated with a numerical trend toward an increase in the incidence of bacteremia (40 vs 0% for patients with and without detectable virus, respectively, P = 0.09). Conclusion: These studies suggest that HCV infection may be associated with the development of bacteremia in hemodialysis patients with tunneled catheters.
Enriched categories and many-valued preorders

A question from programming arises: if bitstring x compares with bitstring y to some degree α, and if bitstring y satisfies predicate a to some degree β, then how should the possibility be mathematically modeled that bitstring x satisfies predicate a to at least some degree related to both α and β? Mathematically modeling this question is surprisingly intricate when the underlying conjunctions, e.g., of predicates, are non-commutative. Potential applications of this question occur in data-mining, a field in which pattern-matching is important and commonly used. This paper uses ideas from enriched categories over monoidal categories to address such issues and enable pattern-matching techniques to extend to many-valued contexts equipped with non-commutative conjunctions: first, we consider the notion of a set enriched by a po-monoid L, which turns out to be a set equipped with an L-valued preorder; second, we extend the notion of enriched functors to formulate the appropriate definition of "variable-basis morphisms" between preordered sets over different lattice-theoretic bases; third, we construct the notion of topological systems enriched with many-valued preorders and use their extent spaces to motivate and formulate enriched (or preordered) topological spaces-the compatibility or enrichment axioms for such systems and spaces model the programming question stated above using non-commutative tensor products. En route are determined a number of related notions and results: many-valued antisymmetry characterizes the L-T0 separation axiom; many-valued preorders are categorically topological, and many-valued partial orders are monotopological; enriched topological spaces form a topological category; a large inventory of example classes is provided, including programming examples and an extensive discussion of examples based on the L-spectra of complete po-groupoids; and each of these related developments is provided a suitable lattice-theoretic and categorical foundation.
97 – Measuring the Performance of Surgical Research1

The creation of new knowledge through basic research or clinical trials is one of the social missions of academic medical centers. Indeed, research has been responsible for many of the improvements in the care of the surgical patient that have occurred over the years. In the past, departments of surgery were able to use overages from clinical revenues to support research, but this approach is no longer a viable strategy. Mounting pressures to reduce costs together with major reductions in reimbursement have made cross-subsidization of the research program more and more difficult. These challenges have placed the research enterprise in most departments of surgery in jeopardy—achieving the goals of research are inherently more difficult because of these new constraints. In order to meet these challenges and preserve research in academic departments of surgery, several aspects of the research enterprise will have to change. The department will have to develop expertise in strategic research management.
Energy harvesting broadcast channel with inefficient energy storage

This paper considers the broadcast channel with an energy harvesting transmitter equipped with an inefficient energy storage device. For this setting, the optimal offline power policy that maximizes the average weighted sum rate of the system is derived. It is observed that this policy has a double threshold structure, with piecewise constant thresholds determined by the energy harvesting process. The convexity of the capacity region for the energy harvesting broadcast channel for a finite deadline is established, showing that the weighted maximum sum-rate traces the boundary of the region. Next, the optimal online policy is found using dynamic programming, and it is observed that the solution has a double threshold structure as well with state dependent thresholds. Lastly, a double threshold policy is proposed with fixed thresholds that performs near optimal with reduced complexity.
Design considerations for series resonant converters with constant current input

Applications such as under-sea power prefer dc current distribution in a series cable connection instead of dc voltage distribution due to the long distance and cable loss. Power converter modules employed in these scenarios have a constant current input. In this paper, steady state analysis and unique design considerations are presented for the series resonant converter topology with constant current input. Constraints on the resonant tank component selection and operating frequency are developed to achieve the desired load range for the given input current. Hardware results are provided based on an under-sea dc distribution scenario to verify the benefits of the analysis and design considerations for a 400 kHz, 500 W SRC with 1 A input current and 330 mA output current.
Revising deference: Intuitive beliefs about category structure constrain expert deference

Abstract Concepts are grounded in intuitive theories, yet intuitive theories are often sparse and incomplete. Deferring to experts can potentially fill those gaps. Sometimes experts convey new information, such as discovering a new planet (Experiment 1 and 3). Other times they revise past conclusions, such as concluding that Pluto is actually not a planet (Experiment 2 and 3). For non-experts to maintain scientific accuracy, they need to assimilate the expert judgments in either case. However, we find that people are less likely to defer after revision than novel discovery. In each case, their essentialist intuitions explain the pattern of results. The more participants construe categories in essentialist terms, the more they reject category revision; the opposite occurs for novel discoveries. Moreover, people only reject revision when it conflicts with essentialist intuitions (Experiment 4). Thus, the same intuitive theories that encourage deference also constrain it.
Cell Biology of Astrocyte-Synapse Interactions

Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cells in the mammalian brain, are critical regulators of brain development and physiology through dynamic and often bidirectional interactions with neuronal synapses. Despite the clear importance of astrocytes for the establishment and maintenance of proper synaptic connectivity, our understanding of their role in brain function is still in its infancy. We propose that this is at least in part due to large gaps in our knowledge of the cell biology of astrocytes and the mechanisms they use to interact with synapses. In this review, we summarize some of the seminal findings that yield important insight into the cellular and molecular basis of astrocyte-neuron communication, focusing on the role of astrocytes in the development and remodeling of synapses. Furthermore, we pose some pressing questions that need to be addressed to advance our mechanistic understanding of the role of astrocytes in regulating synaptic development.
Expanded criteria for debulking of liver metastasis also apply to pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Background Recently, there has been a move toward decreasing the threshold for liver debulking for metastatic carcinoid tumors from 90% to 70%. The debulking threshold and factors that predict outcomes of liver debulking operations specifically among pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors are not well defined. Methods Records of patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors undergoing liver debulking with a threshold of 70% from 2006 to 2016 were reviewed. Extrahepatic metastases and positive margins by enucleation were allowed. Liver progression-free survival and overall survival were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method for various factors and compared by log-rank. Factors also were correlated with liver progression-free survival and overall survival by multivariate regression analyses. Results Forty-two patients underwent 44 operations, of which 24 resulted in 100% debulking, 12 resulted in ≥90% debulking, and 8 resulted in ≥70% debulking. Median liver progression-free survival was 11 months. The 5-year overall survival rate was 81%. There were no significant differences in outcome based on percent debulked. Only liver metastasis ≥5 cm correlated with liver progression-free survival and overall survival. Conclusion Consideration should be given to expanding the criteria for liver debulking in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors to include a new threshold of >70% debulking, intermediate grade tumors, positive margins, and extrahepatic metastases; these criteria yield results indistinguishable from complete resection. Using these expanded criteria will increase the number of patients eligible for an operation and maintain high survival rates.
Design and Performance of a Linear Piezoelectric Wedgeworm Actuator

A new concept in linear piezoelectric actuators is developed for applications in adaptive, conformable structures for flow control. Motivated by a desire for high actuation force (>lkN) and simplified drive signals, the design takes advantage of self-locking wedges to lock the clamping elements. The concept relies heavily on knowledge and manipulation of the friction coefficients between several surfaces, so the choice of coatings and lubricants are a major part of the investigation. Since the wedges are self-locking in one direction, the actuation force is limited only by the size of the piezoceramic and the strength of the actuator structure. The device contains a single piezoceramic stack (8x8x42 mm, PZT 5H), so the drive signals and amplifiers are drastically simplified from previous designs. A prototype of the concept is developed and experimentally tested. At a drive frequency of 200 Hz, the free velocity is 8 mm/s with a travel of 25 mm. An actuation force of 250 N is achieved with the prototype. The wedge concept also reduces the amount of precision necessary in machining and assembling the device.
Estimating Semantic Networks of Groups and Individuals from Fluency Data

One popular and classic theory of how the mind encodes knowledge is an associative semantic network, where concepts and associations between concepts correspond to nodes and edges, respectively. A major issue in semantic network research is that there is no consensus among researchers as to the best method for estimating the network of an individual or group. We propose a novel method (U-INVITE) for estimating semantic networks from semantic fluency data (listing items from a category) based on a censored random walk model of memory retrieval. We compare this method to several other methods in the literature for estimating networks from semantic fluency data. In simulations, we find that U-INVITE can recover semantic networks with low error rates given only a moderate amount of data. U-INVITE is the only known method derived from a psychologically plausible process model of memory retrieval and one of two known methods that we found to be consistent estimators of this process: if semantic memory retrieval is consistent with this process, the procedure will eventually estimate the true network (given enough data). We conduct the first exploration of different methods for estimating psychologically valid semantic networks by comparing people’s similarity judgments of edges estimated by each network estimation method. To encourage best practices, we discuss the merits of each network estimation technique, provide a flow chart that assists with choosing an appropriate method, and supply code for others to employ these techniques on their own data.
In situ type I oligomeric collagen macroencapsulation promotes islet longevity and function in vitro and in vivo.

Widespread use of pancreatic islet transplantation for treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is currently limited by requirements for long-term immunosuppression, limited donor supply, and poor long-t...
The Moral Order and the Technical Order

This book is an attempt to look at economic development and development planning from an anthropological perspective. Because I am an anthropologist who works with development planners, it is also a work of self-examination, and inevitably bears the scars of autobiography. Therefore, I shall try to lay my cards on the table by giving a brief account of how I came to this self-examination and to think about development planning from an anthropologically illuminated point of view. But first, let me say what this book is not.
Lifelong Learning in China

Lifelong learning in China is explored in terms of China's developing modernization in the areas of agriculture, industry, military, and science and technology. Issues involving labor distribution allocation, skill and training, and potential problems are addressed. The role of adult learning in China is contrasted with Western ideas and traced through time to show how it has changed to accommodate the country's needs in terms of illiteracy and skill development and used to be inexplicably intertwined with the country's political agenda and educational policy.
The Exceptionalism Norm in Administrative Adjudication

The standard narrative envisions administrative law as a quasi-constitutional field with the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) as its superstatute backbone. In rulemaking and judicial review, this narrative is compelling and has facilitated judicial and scholarly rejection of agency claims to “exceptionalism,” i.e., exception from uniform, cross-cutting administrative law principles. This Article argues that there is a significant omission from the standard narrative: adjudication. Here, Congress, the courts, agencies, and scholars have embraced the use of unique institutional structures and procedural rules tailored to suit the needs of individual agencies and regulatory programs. As a consequence, most adjudication is conducted outside of the APA, which has little role in defining “adjudication” or specifying its minimum procedures. In adjudication, this Article argues, exceptionalism is the norm. On the level of theory, this undermines administrative law’s standard narrative. More practically, although exceptionalism may benefit individual programs, it threatens system-wide harms — to transparency, fairness, and quality procedural design — that escape program-specific evaluation.
Unexpected change in NOE with increasing temperature: Crosstalk between chemical exchange and cross relaxation in a NiN2S2 complex

Abstract Typically, with increasing sample temperature the rotational correlation time of the molecule decreases, leading to a decrease in the relative nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) enhancement. In characterizing the (O-ethyl-L-cysteinato)-Ni(II) in the solution state, the measured NOE enhancement increases with increasing sample temperature. This unexpected change is explained via crosstalk between nuclear spin cross relaxation and an additional chemical exchange phenomenon between the amino protons of the molecule. The case study using a relaxation matrix approach, with both cross relaxation and chemical exchange, could be essential to understanding a metal complex with a bidentate amino acid derived ligands.
Quantification of thioredoxin-1 by MALDI-TOF-MS using stable isotope labeled human thioredoxin-1.

395 Thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) is commonly overexpressed in cancer cells and has been applied as a target for anticancer therapy and a biomarker for prediction of cancer survival. However, quantitative methodology suitable for measurement of Trx-1 in clinical samples is not available. Therefore, in this study we developed a method to quantify the amount of Trx-1 using 13C, 15N-labeled recombinant human thioredoxin-1 as internal standard for Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI)- Time of Flight (TOF)- Mass spectrometry (MS). The stable isotope labeled Trx-1 was obtained from E.Coli following culture in medium containing 13C-glucose and 15N-ammonium chloride. The results from mass spectra showed all of the predicted fragments following digestion by trypsin for both the native and stable isotope labeled Trx-1. The method was validated by varying the amount of native and stable isotope labeled Trx-1, which showed that the height of peptide peaks changed accordingly. Moreover, the amount of Trx-1 analyzed by MALDI-TOF was consistent with that obtained from western blotting. Taken together, this method allows for high throughput quantitative analysis for clinical studies of the absolute amount and modification of Trx-1 in tumor cells as well as blood and tissues. Application of this method to tumor analysis could potentially enhance the specificity of cancer therapy by allowing use of Trx-1 targeted drugs for tumors with high Trx-1 expression.
A 1.02 μW Battery-Less, Continuous Sensing and Post-Processing SiP for Wearable Applications

Improving system lifetime and robustness is a key to advancing self-powered platforms for real world applications. A complete self-powered, battery-less, wearable platform requires a microwatt-power system-on-chip (SoC), operating reliably within this budget, capable of surviving long periods without charging, and recovering from power loss to its previous state. To meet these requirements, we designed a wireless sensing heterogeneous system-in-package (SiP) containing an ultra-low power (ULP) SoC, a non-volatile boot memory (NVM), and a 2.4 GHz frequency shift key (FSK) radio, all integrated with custom ULP interfaces. The SoC includes a fully integrated energy harvesting platform power manager (EH-PPM) to power the SiP and other commercial sensors. The EH-PPM is designed for small loads and powers the SoC and peripherals while drawing very low operating current. The SoC also includes a digital system data-flow for sensing applications, an analog front end for ECG signal acquisition, and a cold-boot management system (CBMS) for boot and recovery from the NVM. The CBMS enables integration of the SoC with the ULP NVM to create a wearable formfactor, self-powered system capable of recovery from power loss. The SoC also includes a radio interface tightly integrated with a compression accelerator to efficiently communicate with the FSK transmitter and reduce the FSK's transmission time. This tight integration between accelerators on the SoC and peripherals is another feature that reduces the system's power consumption by reducing the code size and number of memory accesses required to perform an operation. The SoC consumes 507 nW average power while running free-fall detection, 519 nW average power while measuring ambient temperature, and 1.02 μW during continuous ECG monitoring and post-processing.
UNIT 7.5 Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Analytical ultracentrifugation is one of the most powerful, though as yet underexploited, techniques available to molecular biology and biochemistry. This overview describes applications for analytical ultracentrifugation along with important considerations relating to experimental design.
Memories Between War and Peace

want to talk of peace and war, Of building paths between the two, First measuring the blood and gore That mark raw wounds and open sores And justifying a search for more, Rendering old hatreds fresh and new.
Multimedia Mapping on the Internet Using Commercial APIs

Multimedia mapping provides a unique approach to integrating geospatial information in digital map format and multimedia information (e.g., text, photographs, sound, and video). Multimedia mapping on the Internet is the direct result of advancement of Web mapping techniques, Internet technology, and Web standards (e.g., HTML, XML, Ajax). However, like traditional Internet GIS applications, multimedia mapping on the Internet is suffered from slow response time, limitation of data sizes, and the slow client/server communications. In addition, the development of multimedia mapping on the Internet requires a huge investment of computer hardware and software, and a steep learning curve for the application developer to become knowledgeable about all of the components involved. It is imperative that a better solution is needed to implement multimedia mapping projects on the Internet. This chapter discusses a new approach of multimedia mapping that utilizes commercial Application Programming Interface (APIs) such as Google Maps API, Yahoo! Flickr API, and YouTube API that can provide faster response time, greater user interaction, as well as higher quality multimedia presentation. A case study of an online visitor guide for the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is demonstrated.
Penetration of (14C)-Efinaconazole Topical Solution, 10%, Does Not Appear to be Influenced by Nail Polish

Onychomycosis is a common nail disorder with significant medical impacts and aesthetic consequences. Patients seek treatment for several reasons, including the unsightliness of the nail(s). Even with successful management, it takes months for the diseased nail to appear cosmetically normal. Patients commonly apply nail polish to mask the appearance of the dystrophic nail, though it is contraindicated with the currently available topical lacquers for onychomycosis. The authors’ nonclinical study using a cadaver nail model showed that penetration of efinaconazole topical solution, 10%, a new antifungal being developed for the treatment of mild-to-moderate toenail onychomycosis, was not influenced by application of nail polish. Polishes showed an increase in surface tackiness with repeated efinaconazole topical solution, 10% application. The medical and aesthetic significance of the authors’ findings have yet to be assessed clinically.