cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Agglomeration and the choice between acquisitions and alliances: An information economics perspective

Research summary: This research extends agglomeration theory by joining it with information economics research to better understand the determinants of firms' organizational governance choices. We argue that co-location in a common geographic cluster fosters lower levels of information asymmetry between exchange partners and thus leads firms to employ acquisitions rather than alliances for their external corporate development activities. We further extend agglomeration theory by arguing that the impact of sharing a cluster location on acquisitions versus alliances strengthens with the level and dissimilarity of the exchange partners' knowledge-based resources as well as with the intra-cluster geographic proximity of the partners. Evidence from a sample of over 1,100 alliance and acquisition transactions in the U.S. semiconductor industry provides support for our hypotheses. Managerial summary: This paper investigates the role of geographical clustering for firms' external corporate development activities in acquisitions and alliances. We explain how better information is likely to be available among firms co-located in the same cluster. This suggests that managers should have less need to use alliances over acquisitions as a means of reducing the risk of adverse selection (e.g., overpaying for acquisitions). Our investigation of over 1,100 transactions in the U.S. semiconductor industry shows that common cluster co-location increases the probability of acquisition relative to alliance. Our arguments and evidence also indicate that the information-related benefits of cluster co-location are even more impactful when the parties have more divergent technology bases, possess larger stocks of knowledge-based resources, or are located in closer geographic proximity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Time of thyroidectomy variably affects seasonality in female American tree sparrows (Spizella arborea).

Female American tree sparrows (Spizella arborea) were injected with Na131I before, at, or after the onset of photostimulation in order to study the effect of time of thyroidectomy on three components of seasonality: thyroid-dependent photoperiodic ovarian growth, photorefractoriness, and postnuptial (prebasic) molt. Thyroidectomy before or at the onset of photostimulation abolished all components of seasonality; birds exhibited only minor thyroid-independent photoperiodic ovarian growth. Thyroidectomy on day 7 of photostimulation blocked the transition from photosensitivity to photorefractoriness; although birds showed thyroid-dependent photoperiodic ovarian growth, they neither exhibited ovarian regression nor initiated postnuptial molt. Thyroidectomy on day 14, 21, or 28 of photostimulation had no remarkable effect on any component of seasonality. We conclude that separate mechanisms control photoperiodic ovarian growth and photorefractoriness/molt and that, early during photostimulation, the thyroid has a codependent role in programming female tree sparrows for vernal as well as autumnal seasonal events.
Sensitivity of High-Resolution Simulations of Hurricane Bob (1991) to Planetary Boundary Layer Parameterizations

The MM5 mesoscale model is used to simulate Hurricane Bob (1991) using grids nested to high resolution (4 km). Tests are conducted to determine the sensitivity of the simulation to the available planetary boundary layer parameterizations, including the bulk-aerodynamic, Blackadar, Medium-RanGe Forecast (MRF) model, and Burk-Thompson boundary-layer schemes. Significant sensitivity is seen, with minimum central pressures varying by up to 17 mb. The Burk-Thompson and bulk-aerodynamic boundary-layer schemes produced the strongest storms while the MRF scheme produced the weakest storm. Precipitation structure of the simulated hurricanes also varied substantially with the boundary layer parameterizations. Diagnostics of boundary-layer variables indicated that the intensity of the simulated hurricanes generally increased as the ratio of the surface exchange coefficients for heat and momentum, C(sub h)/C(sub M), although the manner in which the vertical mixing takes place was also important. Findings specific to the boundary-layer schemes include: 1) the MRF scheme produces mixing that is too deep and causes drying of the lower boundary layer in the inner-core region of the hurricane; 2) the bulk-aerodynamic scheme produces mixing that is probably too shallow, but results in a strong hurricane because of a large value of C(sub h)/C(sub M) (approximately 1.3); 3) the MRF and Blackadar schemes are weak partly because of smaller surface moisture fluxes that result in a reduced value of C(sub h)/C(sub M) (approximately 0.7); 4) the Burk-Thompson scheme produces a strong storm with C(sub h)/C(sub M) approximately 1; and 5) the formulation of the wind-speed dependence of the surface roughness parameter, z(sub 0), is important for getting appropriate values of the surface exchange coefficients in hurricanes based upon current estimates of these parameters.
The influence of BMI on the association between serum lycopene and the metabolic syndrome

Overweight and obese individuals have an increased risk of developing the metabolic syndrome because of subsequent chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which the antioxidant nutrient lycopene can reduce. However, studies indicate that different BMI statuses can alter the positive effects of lycopene. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how BMI influences the association between serum lycopene and the metabolic syndrome. The tertile rank method was used to divide 13 196 participants, aged 20 years and older, into three groups according to serum concentrations of lycopene. The associations between serum lycopene and the metabolic syndrome were analysed separately for normal-weight, overweight and obese participants. Overall, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in the first tertile group (OR 38·6 %; 95 % CI 36·9, 40·3) compared with the second tertile group (OR 29·3 %; 95 % CI 27·5, 31·1) and the third tertile group (OR 26·6 %; 95 % CI 24·9, 28·3). However, the associations between lycopene and the metabolic syndrome were only significant for normal-weight and overweight participants (P 0·05), even after adjusting for possible confounding variables. In conclusion, BMI appears to strongly influence the association between serum lycopene and the metabolic syndrome.
Identifying Potential Causes of Opioid Toxicity Necessitating a Rapid Response Team Visit

Background:Opioids are labeled as high-risk medications because of their propensity to cause significant harm or toxicity to patients if used inappropriately. Many incidents of opioid toxicity are the result of preventable causes.Objective:To identify and report the frequency and potential causes of opioid toxicity in the acute care setting.Methods:This single-center chart review evaluated patients receiving naloxone for presumed opioid toxicity from January 2008 through July 2010. Patients were identified for this study using rapid response team charted visits. Charts were then reviewed for opioid medications administered, possible causes of opioid toxicity, signs and symptoms of opioid toxicity, patient location by hospital floor, and prescribing physician service.Results:One hundred twenty-nine incidents of opioid toxicity met inclusion criteria and were placed in 1 or more of the applicable categories for possible causes: administration of multiple opioids (43.4%), medication errors (31.6%), and the a...
Quantification of bulk solution limits for liquid and interfacial transport in nanoconfinements.

Liquid imbibition, the capillary-pressure-driven flow of a liquid into a gas, provides a mechanism for studying the effects of solid–liquid and solid–liquid–gas interfaces on nanoscale transport. Deviations from the classic Washburn equation for imbibition are generally observed for nanoscale imbibition, but the identification of the origin of these irregularities in terms of transport variables varies greatly among investigators. We present an experimental method and corresponding image and data analysis scheme that enable the determination of independent effective values of nanoscale capillary pressure, liquid viscosity, and interfacial gas partitioning coefficients, all critical transport variables, from imbibition within nanochannels. Experiments documented herein are performed within two-dimensional siliceous nanochannels of varying size and as small as 30 nm × 60 nm in cross section. The wetting fluid used is the organic solvent isopropanol and the nonwetting fluid is air, but investigations are not...
The Effection of Computer in the Timing of Sports Meeting

This article has made some technological improvement on the previous finishing line timing and has made achievements through three years of experiment on university sports meeting.The principle of the research is to acquire the video of athletes in the sports through the picture recognition technology,inducement and process of picture,preservation of records to form the finishing line timing system.Then through the coordination of computer to achieve all the results of the system.The result of the experiment:improve the levels of judges and ensure the correctness of the record and standardization of management.
Secondary regulatory volume increase conferred on Xenopus oocytes by expression of AE2 anion exchanger

Xenopus oocytes lack volume regulation and Cl/anion-exchange (AE) activity but express endogenous Na+/H+ exchange (NHE). We postulated that expression in oocytes of heterologous anion exchangers might allow regulatory volume increase (RVI) via functional coupling with endogenous NHE. Expression of neither erythroid nor kidney isoforms of AE1 conferred any form of RVI. In contrast, although AE2 expression did not confer primary RVI, it did confer on oocytes secondary RVI, with a requirement for hypotonic swelling before hypertonic shrinkage. This secondary RVI required extracellular Cl- and Na+, was blocked by 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid and amiloride, was bumetanide insensitive, and was blocked by prevention of intracellular alkalinization, all properties consistent with functional coupling of AE2-mediated Cl-/HCO3- exchange and endogenous NHE. RVI was unaffected by CO2-HCO3- or by partial oocyte Cl- depletion and was unrelated to the rate of oocyte shrinkage. Prior hypotonic swelling did not significantly alter subsequent hypertonic stimulation of AE2-mediated 36Cl influx or efflux. We conclude that heterologous AE2 expression suffices to confer volume regulation on Xenopus oocytes that lack intrinsic volume-regulatory mechanisms.
Coordinate loss of glucocorticoid responsiveness by intestinal enzymes during postnatal development.

Jejunal sucrase is known to display glucocorticoid responsiveness from birth through day 17 but not beyond that age. The aim of the current study was to determine whether this abrupt loss of respon...
Influence of age on passive stiffness and size, quality, and strength characteristics

Introduction We examined the effects of aging on passive stiffness, size, quality, and strength characteristics of the posterior hip and thigh muscles. Methods Fifteen young (25 ± 3 years) and 15 old (72 ± 5 years) men participated in this study. Echo intensity (EI) and cross-sectional area (CSA) were determined from ultrasound scans of the hamstrings. Straight-leg raises were used to assess passive stiffness, which was calculated from the slopes of the initial (phase 1) and final (phase 2) portions of the angle–torque curve. Peak torque (PT) and rate of torque development (RTD) were assessed through maximal voluntary contractions. Results Phase 2 slope and EI were higher (P ≤ 0.024), and CSA, PT, and RTD were lower (P ≤ 0.011) in the old compared with the young men; however, no difference (P = 0.145) was observed for phase 1 slope. Conclusions Decreases in muscle quality, as indicated by increases in EI, may contribute to the greater passive stiffness observed in older adults. Muscle Nerve 55: 305–315, 2017
Solidarity, Rapport, and Co-membership: Employers’ Hiring Practices

The small parking lot of Hope Christian Church was littered with cigarette butts, crushed Styrofoam coffee cups, and abandoned tickets from that morning’s worker raffle. Men who had signed up for the chance to work at the Day Labor Center (DLC) that day were clustered in small groups around the property. Some found protection from the sun under the sparse leaves of the palo verde trees. Others leaned into the lingering coolness of the church’s brick walls, squinting out at the cloudless sky that promised the biting heat of an early summer day in the Sonora desert. The arrival of a pickup truck hauling a trailer laden with a lawnmower, pruning shears, rakes, a five-gallon water jug, and other accoutrements of the landscaping trade jolted everyone out of the lazy boredom of waiting. Fernando, a day laborer who had signed up as a volunteer for the day, directed the pickup into the parking lot by waving an orange construction flag as workers and volunteers quickly mobilized.
Measurements of the Phase Difference between Two Fields: Is There a Universal Phase Operator?

The problem of identifying the appropriate dynamical variable to represent the phase of a quantum field continues to occupy research workers. Our operational approach, based on what is usually measured, leads to the conclusion that there is not one universal phase operator, but that different measurement schemes correspond to different operators.1,2 This approach has resulted in very good agreement between theory and experiment in all cases so far.3,4 As a further argument in favor of a non-unique phase, we now point out that, according to our formalism, direct measurement of the phase difference between two weak fields (mean photon number ≪ 1) should result in a different answer than does indirect measurement of each weak field against a strong local oscillator. This prediction is readily testable by experiment.
Intelligent medical image grouping through interactive learning

Image grouping in knowledge-rich domains is challenging, since domain knowledge and human expertise are key to transform image pixels into meaningful content. Manually marking and annotating images is not only labor-intensive but also ineffective. Furthermore, most traditional machine learning approaches cannot bridge this gap for the absence of experts’ input. We thus present an interactive machine learning paradigm that allows experts to become an integral part of the learning process. This paradigm is designed for automatically computing and quantifying interpretable grouping of dermatological images. In this way, the computational evolution of an image grouping model, its visualization, and expert interactions form a loop to improve image grouping. In our paradigm, dermatologists encode their domain knowledge about the medical images by grouping a small subset of images via a carefully designed interface. Our learning algorithm automatically incorporates these manually specified connections as constraints for reorganizing the whole image dataset. Performance evaluation shows that this paradigm effectively improves image grouping based on expert knowledge.
A converse to low-rank matrix completion

In many practical applications, one is given a subset Ω of the entries in a d × N data matrix X, and aims to infer all the missing entries. Existing theory in low-rank matrix completion (LRMC) provides conditions on X (e.g., bounded coherence or genericity) and Ω (e.g., uniform random sampling or deterministic combinatorial conditions) to guarantee that if X is rank-r, then X is the only rank-r matrix that agrees with the observed entries, and hence X can be uniquely recovered by some method (e.g., nuclear norm or alternating minimization). In many situations, though, one does not know beforehand the rank of X, and depending on X and Ω, there may be rank-r matrices that agree with the observed entries, even if X is not rank-r. Hence one can be deceived into thinking that X is rank-r when it really is not. In this paper we give conditions on X (genericity) and a deterministic condition on Ω to guarantee that if there is a rank-r matrix that agrees with the observed entries, then X is indeed rank-r. While our condition on Ω is combinatorial, we provide a deterministic efficient algorithm to verify whether the condition is satisfied. Furthermore, this condition is satisfied with high probability under uniform random sampling schemes with only O(max{r, log d}) samples per column. This strengthens existing results in LRMC, allowing to drop the assumption that X is known a priori to be low-rank.
Rodent Prolactin Family and Pregnancy

Rodents have exploited the ancestral PRL gene to evolve a large number of closely related genes encoding PRL-like proteins. These PRL-related genes are all expressed at the implantation site, either in the trophoblasts of the placenta or in the decidual cells of the uterus. Some of these hormones have bioactivities indistinguishable from PRL, whereas most others have distinct molecular and cellular targets, and as a consequence distinct activities. This chapter will review what is currently known about this family of hormones.
Validation of the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire classification coding system using accelerometry in multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE There have been recent efforts toward creating a health contribution score (HCS) from the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) that reflects public-health guidelines for levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The HCS yields categories of insufficiently active (less substantial or low benefits), moderately active (some benefits), and active (substantial benefits). The present study examined the validity of the GLTEQ HCS and its categories as reflecting levels of MVPA in multiple sclerosis (MS). METHOD The sample included 684 persons with MS. Participants wore an accelerometer on an elastic belt around the waist above the nondominant hip during the waking hours of the day over a 7-day period and completed the GLTEQ. RESULTS The data analyses supported a large correlation between the GLTEQ HCS and accelerometer-measured MVPA, r = .46, p < .0001, but small correlations with accelerometer-measured light physical activity (LPA), r = .16, p < .001 and sedentary time, r = -.13, p = .001. There further was a large difference in accelerometer-measured MVPA between categories of physical activity levels (i.e., insufficiently active vs. active) based on the GLTEQ HCS (d = 0.89), but small differences in LPA (d = 0.39) and sedentary time (d = -0.31). Those results were unchanged in additional data analyses accounting for LPA and sedentary behavior. CONCLUSIONS The GLTEQ HCS and categories primarily reflect MVPA rather than LPA and sedentary behavior in persons with MS. (PsycINFO Database Record
A Survey on Spatiotemporal and Semantic Data Mining

The wide proliferation of GPS-enabled mobile devices and the rapid development of sensing technology have nurtured explosive growth of semantics- enriched spatiotemporal (SeST) data. Compared to traditional spatiotemporal data like GPS traces and RFID data, SeST data is multidimensional in nature as each SeST object involves location, time, and text. On one hand, mining spatiotemporal knowledge from SeST data brings new opportunities to improving applications like location recommendation, event detection, and urban planning. On the other hand, SeST data also introduces new challenges that have led to the developments of various techniques tailored for mining SeST information. In this survey, we summarize state-of-the-art studies on knowledge discovery from SeST data. Specifically, we first identify the key challenges and data representations for mining SeST data. Then we introduce major mining tasks and how SeST information is leveraged in existing studies. Finally, we provide an overall picture of this research area and an outlook on several future directions of it. We anticipate this survey to provide readers with an overall picture of the state-of-the-art research in this area and to help them generate high-quality work.
Motion compensation for MRI-compatible patient-mounted needle guide device: estimation of targeting accuracy in MRI-guided kidney cryoablations

Patient-mounted needle guide devices for percutaneous ablation are vulnerable to patient motion. The objective of this study is to develop and evaluate a software system for an MRI-compatible patient-mounted needle guide device that can adaptively compensate for displacement of the device due to patient motion using a novel image-based automatic device-to-image registration technique. We have developed a software system for an MRI-compatible patient-mounted needle guide device for percutaneous ablation. It features fully-automated image-based device-to-image registration to track the device position, and a device controller to adjust the needle trajectory to compensate for the displacement of the device. We performed: (a) a phantom study using a clinical MR scanner to evaluate registration performance; (b) simulations using intraoperative time-series MR data acquired in 20 clinical cases of MRI-guided renal cryoablations to assess its impact on motion compensation; and (c) a pilot clinical study in three patients to test its feasibility during the clinical procedure. FRE, TRE, and success rate of device-to-image registration were 2.71 ± 2.29 mm, 1.74 ± 1.13 mm, and 98.3% for the phantom images. The simulation study showed that the motion compensation reduced the targeting error for needle placement from 8.2 mm to 5.4 mm (p < 0.0005) in patients under general anesthesia (GA), and from 14.4 mm to 10.0 mm (p < 1.0 × 10(−5)) in patients under monitored anesthesia care (MAC). The pilot study showed that the software registered the device successfully in a clinical setting. Our simulation study demonstrated that the software system could significantly improve targeting accuracy in patients treated under both MAC and GA. Intraprocedural image-based device-to-image registration was feasible.
Transposing G to C♯: Expressivity of generalized algebraic data types in an object-oriented language

Abstract Generalized algebraic datatypes (GADTs) are a hot topic in the functional programming community. Previously we showed that object-oriented languages such as C ♯ and Java can express GADT declarations using Generics, but only some GADT programs. The addition of equational constraints on type parameters recovers expressivity. We now study this expressivity gap in more depth by extending an earlier translation from System F to C ♯ to handle GADTs. Our efforts reveal some surprising limitations of Generics and provide further justification for equational constraints.
Operative Techniques for Melanoma

This chapter will focus on the various operative techniques for biopsy and excision of cutaneous melanoma as well as the assessment and dissection of regional lymph node basins. The technique of performing a shave, punch, and incisional biopsy is reviewed, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. This is followed by a discussion about standard recommendations regarding margins for wide excision and how to approach a wide excision of a melanoma in difficult areas like the nail beds, digits, and the heel. Common reconstructive techniques for tissue defects such as local tissue advancement and rhomboid flaps, as well as VY flaps, are described. Finally, complete lymph node dissection techniques are described in detail for the axillary, inguinal, and cervical lymph node basins.
Anakinra(IL-1 blockade) Use in Children with Suspected FIRES: A Single Institution Experience (P4.346)

Objective: NA Background: Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES) presents with status epilepticus refractory to anesthetics in healthy school-aged children. FIRES remains a diagnosis of exclusion without a definitive biomarker or clear pathophysiology. An immune-mediated etiology is suspected given the temporal relationship to febrile infection. Permanent epilepsy and poor neurocognitive outcomes occur with conventional anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), immunotherapies, and ketogenic diet (KGD). A 2016 case report described a favorable outcome with the IL-1 antagonist Anakinra. We describe treatment with Anakinra in all suspected FIRES cases since 2016. Design/Methods: NA Results: Five children were treated with Anakinra due to refractory status epilepticus (RSE) beginning shortly after a febrile illness. Median age was 7 years (range 4–15; 4 boys, 1 girl). No infectious, metabolic, genetic, or autoimmune etiologies were identified. RSE has resolved in 4 patients. Median PICU LOS was 31.5 days (range 24–54). All received corticosteroids, IVIG, and 3 underwent plasmapheresis. AED number prior to Anakinra ranged from 2–6 and all required anesthetics for seizure control. Anakinra was initiated on day 12–32 of illness (median 16); dose ranged from 3–7mg/kg/day. Seizure count in the week prior to Anakinra ranged from 8–170; after Anakinra, seizure count at 1 week ranged from 0–12 and 0–7 at 4 weeks. Inpatient Rehabilitation ranged from 16–37 days and discharge Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category scores ranged from 2–4. One child remains in the PICU on day 141 of illness due to refractory seizures despite multiple treatments, including KGD and rituximab (used only in this case). Adverse events included DRESS in 2 patients and non-life threatening infections in each child. Two had increased seizures after Anakinra dose was reduced or held. Conclusions: Anakinra was well tolerated and seizure burden and neurocognitive outcomes at discharge appear favorable compared to published cohorts. An international effort to collect multi-center data on Anakinra usage in FIRES is underway. Study Supported by: NA Disclosure: Dr. Shukla has nothing to disclose. Dr. Risen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lee has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lai has nothing to disclose. Dr. Riviello has nothing to disclose. Dr. Muscal has nothing to disclose.
Potential for Manganese(II) Oxidation and Manganese(IV) Reduction to Co-Occur in the Suboxic Zone of the Black Sea

The potential for microbial manganese(II) binding and oxidation, and manganese(IV) dissolution, in the chemocline of the Black Sea was determined during leg 3 of the US-Turkey Black Sea Expedition in June 1988. A strong potential for both microbial Mn(II) oxidation and microbial Mn(IV) reduction was measured by radioactive incubation experiments and enrichment culture techniques, throughout the suboxic zone. Rates of 54Mn(II) precipitation and 54MnO2 dissolution were measured in a sample collected from just above the top of the sulfide gradient at 160m at a nearshore station, under conditions mimicking those found in situ, and in the presence and absence of oxygen. Mn(II) oxidation was very rapid, even at low oxygen concentrations (5% air), indicating that Mn(II) oxidizing bacteria respond to extremely low oxygen levels. The rate of Mn(IV) dissolution was only partially inhibited in samples either prefiltered to remove the bacteria or exposed to oxygen, suggesting Mn(IV) reduction is mediated by both dissolved chemical constituents and microbial activity. The inhibition of Mn(IV) reduction by oxygen could largely be accounted for by the activities of Mn(II) oxidizing bacteria. These experiments demonstrate that both Mn(II) oxidation and Mn(IV) reduction can occur simultaneously in the presence of oxygen.
The Control of Renin Release in the Non-Filtering Kidney

During the past three years, studies have been conducted on renin release in a non-filtering kidney model in the dog (1–3). The model was developed in order to eliminate the macula densa as an intrarenal receptor. The need for such a model has become increasingly evident in recent years with the failure of experimentation to resolve the major existing problems on the control of renin secretion (4). Most experimental maneuvers which increase renin secretion can conceivably influence both intrarenal receptors, namely, the so-called baroreceptor in the juxtaglomerular cells and the macula densa. Thus, with the non-filtering kidney the functional macula densa was eliminated and dogs prepared in this manner were subjected to hemorrhage or to suprarenal aortic constriction in an attempt to stimulate renal release.
Pediatric Ocular Trauma

• Most traumatic corneal abrasions should not be patched. Topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are helpful in reducing the associated pain.
Studies in polytene chromosomes of sciarids. I. The salivary chromosomes of Sciara (Lycoriella) pauciseta (II), Felt.

Cytological maps of the four polytene elements of Sciara pauciseta II, at two different stages of DNA puff development, have been prepared. A detailed description of major chromosomal landmarks, such as constrictions, RNA puffs (bulbs) and DNA puffs, is presented. On the X-chromosome, the nucleolar organizer is localized in the median heterochromatic region which probably corresponds to a light staining secondary constriction in the germ line chromosome. On chromosome II a rearrangement regularly found in our stock of flies, is briefly noted. On the basis of size, DNA puffs are classified into two broad groups, major and minor puffs. On the maps, sites of both major and minor DNA puffs are pointed out. When comparisons are made between S. pauciseta II, S. pauciseta I and S. coprophila, the total number of DNA puffs is found to be very close to 20 in all three species. The number of major DNA puffs is likewise comparable and close to nine. Similarities between a pair of large DNA puffs in the two S. pauciseta species are pointed out. This report represents an initial step in an effort to trace homologies between major DNA puffs in a number of Sciara species. Studies on evolutionary aspects of DNA amplification at puffs may then become amenable to investigation.
Chinese teachers’ perceptions of early childhood school readiness:

Children’s school readiness, especially in the early school years, is a significant indicator for school success as it establishes a positive school trajectory. However, less is known about the gen...
The Economics of Critical Infrastructure Controls Systems’ Cyber Security

This paper studies some of the economic concepts constraining the acceleration of the necessary cybersecurity improvements for critical infrastructure industrial control systems. Industrial control systems are used in several critical infrastructure sectors to include energy, transportation, manufacturing, and water utilities. Critical infrastructures support public health and life safety, economic vitality, national defense, and overarching societal well-being. Significant damage or disruptions to a critical infrastructure could result in potentially catastrophic and cascading consequences.Outcomes of this study are the identification of the economic constraints on improving cybersecurity for a state’s critical infrastructure control systems. This paper recommends that accelerating cyber-security improvements will require addressing economic constraints that will require policy/regulatory and bid specification changes as well as initiating cyber cooperative efforts between the state’s smaller critical infrastructure companies.
Identifying features of Android apps from execution traces

Understanding a program and the features it provides is essential for a number of software engineering tasks, including refactoring, debugging, and debloating. Unfortunately, program understanding and feature identification are also extremely challenging and time consuming activities. To support developers when they perform these activities, we propose FeatureFinder, an approach that aims to identify and understand the features of a program by analyzing its executions. Specifically, we defined our approach for Android apps, given their widespread use. Given an app, FeatureFinder generates traces that capture different properties of the app executions through instrumentation. It then leverages the user events in the trace to split the trace into segments, and clusters these segments based on their characteristics, using a classifier. Each identified cluster indicates a feature exercised in the execution. Finally, FeatureFinder suitably labels each identified cluster, so as to provide a human-readable description of the corresponding feature. We performed a case study in which we used FeatureFinder to identify features in two executions of the K-9 Mail app. In the study, FeatureFinder was able to correctly identify 6 of the 11 manually identified features, which we believe is an encouraging result and motivates further research.
Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me (Worms):

In a series of vignettes, I write my interactions with high school students within and against a public, alternative school. Drawing simultaneously from conceptual spaces of metaphor, critical stud...
Going Once, Going Twice: Using Willingness-to-Accept Auctions to Promote Smoking Cessation.

INTRODUCTION Incentive-based smoking cessation interventions increase quit rates. The optimal incentive, however, is unknown. We used a willingness-to-accept (WTA) auction where smokers submitted bids indicating the incentive they would need to receive for 1 week of smoking cessation. AIMS AND METHODS Smokers ready to quit (n = 35) participated in a WTA auction, naming the amount they needed to be paid to quit for 1 week. Auction winners received an incentive if they successfully quit. All smokers received nicotine replacement therapy and self-help cessation materials. Carbon monoxide concentrations were monitored remotely three times during the week and in person at the final session. RESULTS Participants who smoked their first cigarette within 5 min of waking demanded a significantly larger incentive in exchange for quitting than those who waited (p < .05). About 45% of auction winners quit smoking compared to 20% of nonwinners (p < .05). The cost per quit was $466 among auction winners compared to $894 among nonwinners. CONCLUSIONS WTA auctions may be an effective way to determine the amount smokers need to be paid to quit, which would allow researchers to estimate the most cost-effective payment to offer as part of incentive-based smoking cessation programs. Replication evaluating longer-term cessation outcomes with larger samples is warranted. IMPLICATIONS Incentive-based smoking cessation interventions increase quit rates. However, the optimal incentive is unknown. We found that a WTA auction is a feasible technique for estimating the amount smokers need to be paid to quit. Incentives are a surprisingly cost-effective way to facilitate smoking cessation because they are only paid to those who successfully quit. WTA auctions are a promising tool for determining the incentive that strikes the optimal balance between being large enough to motivate cessation, but small enough that it can be offered to the largest possible population of smokers for a given program budget.
Hacking Antitrust: Competition Policy and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a federal computer trespass statute that prohibits accessing a computer “without authorization or exceeding authorized access,” has often been criticized for clashing with online norms, overcriminalizing common behavior, and infringing freedom of expression interests. These controversies over the CFAA have raised difficult questions about how the statute is to be interpreted, with courts of appeals split on the proper construction and the Supreme Court set to consider the law this Term. This article considers the CFAA in a new light, namely its effects on competition. Rather than merely preventing injurious trespass upon computers, the CFAA has become a favorite legal tool for dominant firms in the computer services industry to suppress competition, expand their market control, and impose transaction costs that limit consumer choice. To explore how the CFAA implicates competition, two novel approaches are used. First, this article compares prior uses of the CFAA to competition issues identified in the computer industry and other fields. This comparison reveals that the CFAA has the ability to insulate from legal scrutiny activity that at a minimum raises serious questions about negative effects on competition. Second, the article draws upon the theory and law of intellectual property, in particular trade secrets and copyright. Because it protects information but lacks the competition-protective features of copyrights and trade secrets, the CFAA essentially creates an ad hoc intellectual property regime that enables the improper suppression of competition. Insofar as Congress presumably did not intend the CFAA to be an anticompetitive legal tool, the question is how to avoid this result. This article posits that the anticompetitive consequences of the CFAA can be avoided if the law is narrowly construed such that access “without authorization” does not include violations of restrictions on how accessed data is subsequently used. At least from a competition policy perspective, then, a narrow construction is favorable over the broad one.
Teledermatology Addressing Disparities in Health Care Access: a Review.

Dermatologists have been at the forefront of researching telemedicine to expand access to care. The current COVID-19 pandemic has prompted even greater expansion and implementation of teledermatology. This review discusses the research examining the potential impact of teledermatology addressing disparities in care. Teledermatology appears to increase access to dermatology given expanded means to deliver care. Specifically, recent studies have found increased access among Medicaid-insured, resource-poor urban and rural, and elderly populations. Teledermatology implementation also facilitates education among providers at different levels of training. Still, as some patients have inconsistent access to the required technology, increased reliance on telemedicine may also potentially increase disparities for some populations. Teledermatology may serve to reduce disparities in health care access in many underserved and marginalized communities. Future research should continue to study implementation, especially given the expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, teledermatology may play an important role in ensuring equitable care access for all.
Prediction on Bundesliga Games Based on Decision Tree Algorithm

The paper represents a perspective for a prediction of Bundesliga soccer games in a machine learning way. The research topic of this paper is focused on the feasibility of applying Decision Tree Algorithm including C4.5 Decision Tree, bagging ensemble meta-algorithm and Random Forest algorithm. The Decision Tree Algorithm provides a base for classification on data and begging would optimize the stability and accuracy. In addition, the Random Forest algorithm integrates multiple trees bagging aggregation. By fully exploiting the computation of the model on the given data and based on the performance, the Decision Tree is a promising tool that is adept in predictions of soccer games. This paper furnishes more applications of the Decision Tree Algorithm in real life.
Novice Instructional Designers’ Attitudes towards the Best Possible Self Activity and the Correlation with Personality and Subjective Well-Being

The effectiveness of positive psychology interventions relies heavily on participants’ buy-in and personality traits. The Best Possible Self (BPS) intervention asks participants to envision their ideal future, supposing that everything goes smoothly. The BPS shows salient effects in improving subjective well-being in laboratory settings. In this study, the BPS was integrated into a real-world graduate-level online course as a series of assignments. A convergent mixed method was used to explore the participants’ attitudes towards the BPS and the relationship between their personality and subjective well-being. A total of 86 students registered in both the summer and spring semesters of 2020 participated in this study. Pearson correlation results show significant correlations among attitudes, subjective well-being and gains and openness to experience. The results from open-ended questions confirmed participants’ positive attitudes towards the BPS. This study contributes to the practical application of BPS in real-world, online, higher education courses.
Effect of Category Aggregation on Map Comparison

This paper investigates the influence of category aggregation on measurement of land-use and land-cover change. To date, research concerning data aggregation has examined primarily the effects of modifying the unit of observation (i.e., the modifiable areal unit problem and the ecological inference problem); here, we examine the effects of changing the categorical definition, such as the conversion from many, detailed Anderson Level II classes to fewer, broader Anderson Level I classes. Cross-tabulation matrices are used to analyze the change between two times for aggregated and unaggregated versions of identical landscapes. A mathematical technique partitions the Total change as the sum of Net (i.e., quantity change) and Swap (i.e., location change). This paper shows that the Total and Net exhibited by maps between two points in time can be substantially reduced through land-use category aggregation, but cannot be increased. Swap, however, can be reduced or increased by the aggregation of categories. We derive five principles that dictate the effect of aggregation and illustrate the principles using both simplified examples and empirical data. The empirical data are from three Human Environment Regional Observatory sites. The principles are mathematical facts that apply to the analysis of any categorical variable.
The Rankin-Selberg method on congruence subgroups

A modified Rankin-Selberg integral is defined for the automorphic functions not of rapid decay on the congruence subgroup of $SL(2,Z)$. Analytic continuation and functional equations are obtained for this Rankin-Selberg integral.
Development of a process zone in rubber-modified epoxy polymers

The effects of a process zone on toughness and on R-curve behavior were investigated for a model, rubber-modified epoxy polymer. The system studied was one in which the bridging mechanism of toughening does not operate. The characteristic features of R-curve behavior, a rise in toughness with crack extension until an approximate steady-state is reached, were observed using double-cantilever-beam tests. The evolution of the process zone was studied using transmission-optical microscopy. As the crack grew, the process zone appeared to fan out until it reached a steady-state thickness; it then remained a uniform size upon further crack advance. The features of the experimental R-curves were shown to be directly correlated to the evolution of the process zone. Furthermore, the effect of the portion of the process zone in the crack wake was examined by a series of experiments in which the wake was partially removed, and the R-curve re-established by subsequent loading. These experiments demonstrated that removal of the crack wake caused the crack-growth resistance to drop. The toughness then built back up to the steady-state value as the crack wake re-developed. This unambiguously demonstrated a contribution to toughening from the crack wake despite the absence of any observable bridging mechanism. These results support the accepted notion that an extrinsic toughening mechanism is responsible for the increased toughness observed upon adding rubber particles to an epoxy matrix
Campus Collaboration from a Martial Arts Perspective

Thinkers have been applying longstanding martial arts philosophies to a variety of professional genres for years, particularly in the business realm. Where these ideas find less traction, though, is in the field of education, specifically higher education, as some of the philosophies operate better in the boardroom than in academe. However, much of the experience associated with martial arts provides an alternate prism to view conflicts and difficulties within higher education and, specifically, for my purposes, in libraries. This discussion draws on my experience as a martial artist as well as my theoretical and experiential learning in higher education and academic libraries in order to expand the conversation on collaboration.
Walls—Construction Details

There are times in the course of the architectural development of a project, or during the construction of the project itself, when it is necessary to alter the contours of the existing grade. These changes may be temporary, or they may be permanent. Examples of such changes are as follows: 1 In the construction of highways, particularly at ramps, bridges, and crossovers 2 Where bulkheads are required for the control of water and land erosion in coastal areas 3 As part of the architectural treatment of the overall development of the site 4 Where temporary working space is required in which to construct the underground areas of a building or other structure 5 At the exterior walls of basements of buildings and at interior areas such as elevator pits, pipe tunnels and other mechanical spaces
30 Human Rights Treaties in and beyond the Senate: The Spirit of Senator Proxmire

In 1995, Louis Henkin wrote a famous piece in which he suggested that the process of human rights treaty ratification was haunted by “the ghost of Senator Bricker” – the isolationist Senator who in the 1950s had waged a fierce assault on the treaty power, especially with regard to human rights treaties. Since that time, Senator Bricker’s ghost has proved even more real. Professor Henkin’s concern was with how the United States ratified human rights treaties, and specifically with the packet of reservations, declarations, and understandings (RUDs) attached by the Senate in giving its advice and consent. Today, the question is not how but whether. It is now twenty years since the United States ratified a major human rights treaty.Yet one common theme that arches across U.S. foreign relations law is the power of the dialectic. Written in honor of Roger Clark, this essay suggests that as a counterweight we should consider the spirit of Senator Proxmire – the late internationalist who for many years led a lonely campaign to keep the Genocide Convention on the Senate’s agenda. The spirit of Senator Proxmire embodies two trends in relation to unratified human rights treaties. The first is simply that efforts towards Senate advice and consent for at least some of these treaties persist and persist. The second trend – less direct, but even more interesting – is that unratified human rights treaties are nonetheless influencing the shape of law in the United States. In essence, these uses of unratified human rights treaties are advancing Senator Proxmire’s goal of having the United States be responsive to human rights norms, although not doing so through his preferred means of treaty ratification. This essay describes these trends and closes by observing that isolationists and internationalists have both used half-measures in order to pursue their goals.
Studies on Antibiotics Active against Resistant Bacteria. Total Synthesis of MRSA-Active Tetarimycin A and Its Analogues

Making use of the Hauser-Kraus annulation as a key step, the first total synthesis of tetarimycin A has been accomplished in a highly convergent and operationally simple manner. Preliminary SAR not only validated that tetarimycin A exhibited potent activity against MRSA and VRE at a low MIC value but also identified that the hydroxyl group at C-10 was essential for antibacterial activities.