cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parental preferences toward genomic sequencing for non-medically actionable conditions in children: A discrete-choice experiment

Application of whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing is likely to increase in clinical practice, public health contexts, and research. We investigated how parental preference for acquiring information from genome-scale testing is influenced by the characteristics of non-medically actionable genetic disorders in children, as well as whether the preferences differed by gender and between African-American and white respondents. We conducted a Web-based discrete-choice experiment with 1,289 parents of young children. Participants completed “choice tasks” based on pairs of profiles describing sequencing results for hypothetical genetic disorders, selected the profile in each pair that they believed represented the information that would be more important to know, and answered questions that measured their level of distress. Knowing the likelihood that the disorder would develop given a true-positive test result was most important to parents. Parents showed greater interest in learning sequencing results for disease profiles with more severe manifestations. This was associated with greater distress. Differences by gender and race reflected small differences in magnitude, but not direction. Parents preferred to learn results about genetic disorders with more severe manifestations, even when this knowledge was associated with increased distress. These results may help clinicians support parental decision making by revealing which types of sequencing results parents are interested in learning.
Microfluidic Near-Field Beam-Splitting Frequency Selective Surface for Fabry-Perot Cavity Antenna System

A microfluidic Fabry-Perot Cavity (FPC) antenna system is presented with split beam in the near-field. For this purpose, fluidic housing, which is made of polydimethylsilone (PDMS), is used and integrated into the FPC system. The FPC system consists of a slot antenna and frequency selective surface (FSS). Two FSS designs with rectangular apertures are considered: augmented and microfluidic FSS arrays. Each is designed, modeled, and tested for comparison in the FPC system.
Antibiotic stewardship in the newborn surgical patient: A quality improvement project in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Background There is significant diversity in the utilization of antibiotics for neonates undergoing surgical procedures. Our institution standardized antibiotic administration for surgical neonates, in which no empiric antibiotics were given to infants with surgical conditions postnatally, and antibiotics are given no more than 72 hours perioperatively. Methods We compared the time periods before and after implementation of antibiotic protocol in an institution review board–approved, retrospective review of neonates with congenital surgical conditions who underwent surgical correction within 30 days after birth. Surgical site infection at 30 days was the primary outcome, and development of hospital-acquired infections or multidrug-resistant organism were secondary outcomes. Results One hundred forty-eight infants underwent surgical procedures pre-protocol, and 127 underwent procedures post-protocol implementation. Surgical site infection rates were similar pre- and post-protocol, 14% and 9% respectively, (P = .21.) The incidence of hospital-acquired infections (13.7% vs 8.7%, P = .205) and multidrug-resistant organism (4.7% vs 1.6%, P = .143) was similar between the 2 periods. Conclusion Elimination of empiric postnatal antibiotics did not statistically change rates of surgical site infection, hospital-acquired infections, or multidrug-resistant organisms. Limiting the duration of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis to no more than 72 hours after surgery did not increase the rate of surgical site infection, hospital-acquired infections, or multidrug-resistant organism. Median antibiotic days were decreased with antibiotic standardization for surgical neonates.
Gas flow through cement-casing microannuli under varying stress conditions

Abstract The cement-casing interface, or microannulus, has been identified as a common pathway within wellbores for leakage of fluids yet little is known about its size or character. We conducted laboratory measurements of gas flow through microannuli under varying confining, casing and pore pressures to provide insight into how microannuli respond to a range of stress conditions. Wellbore specimens consisting of a cement sheath cast on steel casing were produced with microannuli between the steel casing and the cement. Gas flow through these specimens was measured under varying confining, casing and pore pressures. After accounting for non-linear flow, we interpreted the measured gas flow as providing the effective wellbore permeability from which the hydraulic aperture of the microannulus was calculated using the cubic law. Results are presented as hydraulic aperture as a function of confining, casing and pore pressure for wellbore specimens with different microannuli. We found that microannuli are fracture-like in how they deform in response to stress changes. Even when loaded to large external pressures, microannuli remain open and capable of conveying significant flow. The microannuli response was less sensitive to casing pressure changes compared to confining pressure. We also demonstrated that the hydraulic aperture of the microannulus is sensitive to temperature changes within the casing. We made measurements of the actual (mechanical) aperture around the entire circumference after injecting epoxy into a microannulus and sectioning the specimen. These results indicate that the microannulus is not a uniform annular gap but is highly variable around the circumference. In addition to testing specimens with discrete microannuli, we also found that specimens with corroded casing were many orders of magnitude more permeable than intact specimens presumably due to flow through the corrosion product.
An Exploration into the Brand Personality Traits of Social Media Sites

The brand personality framework has emerged as a strong predictor of consumers’ feelings toward a brand. Despite its widespread use in other product categories, to date no research has examined the brand personality characteristics of major social media platforms. Major social networking sites (SNSs) are powerful brands and, like other brands, they are at the mercy of consumer perception. With the role SNSs play in marketing communication continuing to grow, an understanding of consumer perception of these platforms may suggest certain platforms have more desirable associations than others. This analysis examines the five brand personality traits of sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness for six prominent social media platforms. Results of this analysis suggest that the social media platform with the most defined personality is Pinterest, which scored highest for sophistication and sincerity while being the least rugged. Using hierarchical regression analysis, we also determined how the Big Five human personality characteristics, combined with brand personality characteristics, influence the use of specific social media platforms.
The Importance of Race in Home Mortgage Loan Approvals

The purpose of this research note is to document the importance of empirical specification in the analysis of the influence of race on home mortgage lending decisions. Using a variety of testing procedures and detailed lending decision data for a large midwestern lending institution, the authors show that dramatically different results may be obtained from slight changes in empirical specification. The case study presented here can serve as a prototype for the large number of such case studies needed to obtain convincing evidence on the question of where and how discrimination may, or may not, emerge as a marketwide phenomenon.
Nationwide overview of survival and management of appendiceal tumors in children.

Abstract Introduction There remains a paucity of literature on survival related to pediatric appendiceal tumors. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, surgical management, and survival outcomes of appendiceal tumors in pediatric patients. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry was analyzed for pediatric appendiceal tumors from 1973 to 2011. Parameters analyzed were: tumor type, surgical management (appendectomy vs. extensive resection), tumor size, and lymph node sampling. Chi-square analysis for categorical and Student's t test for continuous data were used. Results Overall, 209 patients had an appendiceal tumor, including carcinoid (72%), appendiceal adenocarcinoma (16%), and lymphoma (12%). Patients undergoing appendectomy vs. extensive resection had similar 15-year survival rates (98% vs. 97%; p=0.875). Appendectomy vs. extensive resection conferred no 15-year survival advantage when patients were stratified by tumor type, including adenocarcinoma (87% vs. 89%; p=0.791), carcinoid (100% vs. 100%; p=0.863), and lymphoma (94% vs. 100%; p=0.639). There was no significant difference in 15-year survival between tumor size groups ≥2 and Conclusion Appendectomy may be adequate for pediatric appendiceal tumors. Extensive resection may be of limited utility for optimizing patient survival, placing patient at greater operative risk. Type of Study Retrospective Prognostic Study. Level of Evidence III
Children's Experience of Symptoms: Narratives through Words and Images.

Children who live with a complex chronic or life-threatening illness face extraordinary challenges. Whether they are receiving disease-oriented treatment (aimed at potential cure or prolongation of life) or palliative treatment—or both concurrently—our challenge is to enhance their comfort and minimize their distress. Symptom management is thus a critical component of pediatric palliative care. Symptoms may be either physical or psychological in nature (or a confluence of both) and their effective management has a direct impact on the child’s quality of life. This article provides an integrative overview of children’s experience of selected physical and psychological symptoms, as expressed through their words and images. Understanding their perspectives is an essential component in the design and provision of optimal symptom management. Included, as well, are examples from siblings—a reminder of the profound impact of illness on these children who also “live” the experience, albeit in a different way. The symptoms that are described are pain, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, weakness, seizures, hair loss, depression, and anxiety. Although psychological symptoms are often inextricable from the physical, they may also present independently as part of the overall illness experience.
A performance critical analysis of the Lukan Parable of the Banquet (Luke 14:15–24):

Most public communication in the ancient world was oral. Given that the first-century world of the Bible can be labeled as a period where people preferred the spoken word over the written word, and...
Abuse of dextromethorphan-based cough syrup as a substitute for licit and illicit drugs: a theoretical framework

Drug abuse has been a national social problem in the United States for decades and is often complicated by the emergence of new types of abused drugs or new forms of abuse. The forms of abuse, particularly by young persons, include the search for substitutes for better-known substances. It is unclear, however, what factors determine the choice of drug or substance for experimentation, considering the wide range of choices. This paper attempts to delineate the factors which make Dextromethorphan-based cough syrup an attractive choice.
Integrated Wide-Band CMOS Spectrometer Systems for Spaceborne Telescopic Sensing

For spaceborne instrumentation, the prohibitive cost of a flight traditionally favors programmable solutions such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). As scientific goals become more ambitious, the FPGA-based solutions are showing limitations, especially with restricted launch vehicle capacity and available solar power. In this paper, modern integrated circuit technology is adopted to realize two fully integrated spectrometer SoCs to support spaceborne telescopic sensing. The system specifications are derived from the scientific principles of radio-frequency spectroscopy while each component strives for a simple and reliable implementation. Realized in 65-nm CMOS technology, Design A operates at 2.6 GHz with a three-bit ADC, a 2048-point FFT with 8192-point polyphase filter bank, and a billion-count accumulator. Design B more than doubles the bandwidth, reaches 6 GS/s by interleaving the ADC. The FFT size is also quadrupled to 8192. Both designs include integrated phase locked loops and tunable clock distribution networks. Design A consumes a peak power of 650 mW and Design B consumes 1.5 W. They represent the highest level of integration among similar endeavors and achieve orders of magnitude of improvement over traditional solutions in terms of size, weight, and power consumption. Both designs are actively involved in NASA’s spectroscopy missions.
Robotic PCI: Evolving from novel toward non‐inferior

Robotic-assisted PCI appears to be safe and feasible in both simple and complex lesions. In this small cohort study, analysis of manual versus robotic PCI suggests comparable clinical outcomes. Further adequately powered, randomized, multicenter studies are needed to definitively evaluate outcomes in manual versus robotic-assisted PCI.
Incidence, Clinical Features, and Outcomes of Langerhans Cell Sarcoma in the United States.

Abstract Background Limited knowledge exists on the incidence, treatment patterns, and long-term outcomes of Langerhans cell sarcoma (LCS) in the United States. Patients and Methods We performed a retrospective study of LCS patients diagnosed between 2001 and 2014 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) and National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) databases. Incidence was calculated from SEER, and treatment patterns and outcomes were calculated from NCDB. Results A total of 25 and 52 cases of LCS were reported to SEER and NCDB, respectively. The overall incidence of the disease was 0.2 per 10,000,000 and did not differ by race (P = .56) or sex (P = .33). The median age at diagnosis was 62 (range, 19-90) years. Of the 52 patients from NCDB, 20 (39%) received chemotherapy as first-line therapy, 24 (46%) received surgery, and 15 (29%) received radiotherapy. The 1-year overall survival (OS) rate was 62%, and the median OS was 19 months. After censoring the patients with bone marrow and reticuloendothelial system involvement, no significant difference in OS was noted between the patients who were managed with or without surgery (P = .75). Postsurgical radiation or chemotherapy were not associated with improvement in median OS (P = .25). Patients who were managed with radiotherapy had a better OS compared to those who received no radiotherapy (P = .03). Conclusion This dual-national registry study shows that LCS is extremely rare and has a poor prognosis. Radiotherapy may offer a survival advantage to patients with locoregional disease without bone marrow and reticuloendothelial system involvement.
Cochlear amplifier inspired two-channel active artificial hair cells

Abstract The mammalian auditory system exhibits rich characteristics that has inspired research for decades. Some of these key characteristics include frequency selectivity of the basilar membrane (BM), nonlinear amplification of low-level stimuli, and compressive nonlinearity that enables the ear to sense over a large range of sound pressure levels (0–120 dB in humans). Cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) play a vital role in the nonlinear amplification and compression of input signals and this behavior is referred to as the cochlear amplifier. Damage to OHCs due to aging, diseases, and environmental conditions often results in a sensorineural hearing loss. As a result, there is a need to develop better hearing prosthesis that transduce sound-induced vibrations to electrical signals by mimicking OHCs. In the present work, active artificial hair cells (AHCs) made of piezoelectric cantilever beams are developed to mimic the nonlinear behavior of the OHCs. In literature, AHC based prosthesis operate over a spectrum by developing an array of AHCs with different fundamental frequencies. The present work extends the frequency bandwidth of each AHC to sense over multiple resonant frequencies, unlike conventional single-channel AHCs. Therefore, a single active multi-frequency resonant AHC is presented to minimize the need for more artificial hair cells to cover the desired bandwidth of interest in an array format. Herein, the response of a 26 mm AHC to a base excitation is controlled by applying a phenomenological feedback control law that tunes the system close to a Hopf bifurcation near the first and second natural frequencies. The experimental results show a power relation of about one-third, between the output and input of the AHC. This is very similar to the compressive nonlinearity seen in the mammalian cochlea. The present effort is a continuation of the authors’ previous studies in bio-inspired nonlinear control of AHCs, which can lead to an implantable cochlear device, acoustic, or flow sensor in future.
\(H_\infty \) Optimal Synthesis for Continuous-Time Systems

The \(H_\infty \) norm has proved itself to be a useful criterion for control system design. This chapter presents a constructive determination of a set of stabilizing PI and PID controllers, for a given plant, achieving an \(H_\infty \) norm bound of \(\gamma \) on the error transfer function. The results in this chapter utilize the computation of the complete stabilizing set \(\mathcal {S}\). We point out connections between the \(H_\infty \) design and gain and phase margin designs. We show that the design criterion is expressed as the intersection of the stabilizing set and the outside of a family of ellipses in control parameter space.
Amino Acids License Kinase mTORC1 Activity and Treg Cell Function via Small G Proteins Rag and Rheb.

Summary Regulatory T (Treg) cells are critical mediators of immune tolerance whose activity depends upon T cell receptor (TCR) and mTORC1 kinase signaling, but the mechanisms that dictate functional activation of these pathways are incompletely understood. Here, we showed that amino acids license Treg cell function by priming and sustaining TCR-induced mTORC1 activity. mTORC1 activation was induced by amino acids, especially arginine and leucine, accompanied by the dynamic lysosomal localization of the mTOR and Tsc complexes. Rag and Rheb GTPases were central regulators of amino acid-dependent mTORC1 activation in effector Treg (eTreg) cells. Mice bearing RagA-RagB- or Rheb1-Rheb2-deficient Treg cells developed a fatal autoimmune disease and had reduced eTreg cell accumulation and function. RagA-RagB regulated mitochondrial and lysosomal fitness, while Rheb1-Rheb2 enforced eTreg cell suppressive gene signature. Together, these findings reveal a crucial requirement of amino acid signaling for licensing and sustaining mTORC1 activation and functional programming of Treg cells.
Detection of parasite-derived transrenal DNA for the diagnosis of chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Abstract Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a potentially life-threatening infection endemic to Latin America that has emerged as a global public health issue due to globalization and emigration patterns. Diagnosis of T. cruzi infection is complex, especially for the chronic phase of the disease that is characterized by a low to moderate burden of the difficult to detect, tissue-dwelling, intracellular form of the parasite. Diagnosis relies on a multistep indirect serological detection approach that requires positive results in at least two independent anti-T. cruzi antibody tests. With no gold standard diagnostic method for chronic T. cruzi, new approaches are needed that can more directly test for the presence of the parasite. Here, we report on of the potential utility of a noninvasive diagnostic approach that specifically detects T. cruzi-derived cell-free repeat DNA in the urine of patients who are both serologically positive and negative.
The MBSAQIP is going viral! 194 hits and still going strong.

Abstract Background The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) first released its Participant Use Data File in 2015. Since then, surgeons have eagerly evaluated data now available on >750,000 patients, and a yearly increase in the number of publications using the Participant Use File was anticipated. Objective To evaluate the impact of the MBSAQIP in surgical literature. Setting University surgical department, United States. Methods A literature search was performed to identify articles published using the MBSAQIP database up to March 2019. PubMed, Clinical Key (both indexed for MEDLINE), and Cochrane databases were queried using the keywords “MBSAQIP” and “Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.” Abstracts presented at ObesityWeek, SAGES, and the Clinical Congress of the ACS in 2016 to 2019 were also examined. Duplicates, letters to the editor, commentaries, statements, and position pieces were excluded. Articles describing projects that used MBSAQIP data to study Results As of March 2019, there were 114 results in PubMed, 216 results in Clinical Key, and 0 in Cochrane using the search terms. Additionally, 184 abstracts were included from the journal supplements from ObesityWeek, SAGES, and the Clinical Congress of the ACS. After elimination of duplicates, there were 327 total results. After exclusions, 55 published manuscripts and 126 abstracts remained. Conclusion The MBSAQIP is a resounding success. A substantial body of research has already been produced from it and is growing with time. Gaps in current knowledge are being targeted through analyses of this single, large-scale database. The MBSAQIP will remain a valuable leading resource in metabolic and bariatric surgery.
The Past Hypothesis and the Nature of Physical Laws

If the Past Hypothesis underlies the arrows of time, what is the status of the Past Hypothesis? In this paper, I examine the role of the Past Hypothesis in the Boltzmannian account and defend the view that the Past Hypothesis is a candidate fundamental law of nature. Such a view is known to be compatible with Humeanism about laws, but as I argue it is also supported by a minimal non-Humean "governing" view. Some worries arise from the non-dynamical and time-dependent character of the Past Hypothesis as a boundary condition, the intrinsic vagueness in its specification, and the nature of the initial probability distribution. I show that these worries do not have much force, and in any case they become less relevant in a new quantum framework for analyzing time's arrows--the Wentaculus. Hence, both Humeans and minimalist non-Humeans should embrace the view that the Past Hypothesis is a candidate fundamental law of nature and welcome its ramifications for other parts of philosophy of science.
Break-Up Anxiety in Conflict Narratives Told by Emerging Adult Couples

Seeking to understand how emerging adult couples frame unmet needs viewed as a threat to their relationship, we examined narratives in which both partners (12 couples) or only one partner (37 couples) expressed break-up anxiety (BUA). The unmet need of Autonomy was more common in partners with BUA whereas Affiliation was more common in those without it. Overlap in narrating the same unmet needs related to BUA was common when both partners expressed BUA, modest when only the female and low when only the male partner expressed BUA. Female partners were more likely to mention BUA and intimacy problems related to BUA than male partners. Couple interventions that target how to disclose and process BUA may help partners develop more effective intimacy skills and, when need be, skills to end relationships in more adaptive ways.
Improving students' testing practices

Software testing prevents and detects the introduction of faults and bugs during the process of evolving and delivering reliable software. As an important software development activity, testing has been intensively studied to measure test code quality and effectiveness, and assist professional developers and testers with automated test generation tools. In recent years, testing has been attracting educators' attention and has been integrated into some Computer Science education programs. Understanding challenges and problems faced by students can help inform educators the topics that require extra attention and practice when presenting testing concepts and techniques. In my research, I study how students implement and modify source code given unit tests, and how they perceive and perform unit testing. I propose to quantitatively measure the quality of student-written test code, and qualitatively identify the common mistakes and bad smells observed in student-written test code. We compare the performance of students and professionals, who vary in prior testing experience, to investigate the factors that lead to high-quality test code. The ultimate goal of my research is to address the challenges students encountered during test code composition and improve their testing skills with supportive tools or guidance.
Integrating Science Gateways with Secure Cloud Computing Resources: An Examination of Two Deployment Patterns and Their Requirements

This paper examines scenarios in which science gateways can facilitate access to cloud computing resources to support scientific research using regulated or protected data stored on clouds. Specifically, we discuss the use of science gateways to access Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), a US regulatory standard that covers a broad range of US federal government-owned or regulated data, and that also provides a useful proxy for other types of sensitive data, such as private sector intellectual property. We focus on the impact of CUI requirements on science gateway platforms that can be used to create and manage science gateway instances. Gateway platforms are centrally operated by gateway platform providers who create and control gateway instances on behalf of gateway providers. Broadly, platforms operate following either a multi-tenant or else a multi-instance pattern. Multi-tenanted science gateway platforms are designed to support multiple science gateways simultaneously, with each gateway as a tenant to a single operational instance of the platform middleware. Multi-instance platforms, on the other hand, provide and manage an entire instance of the science gateway software for each gateway. This paper reviews these two scenarios from the perspective of the Science Gateways Platform as a service (SciGaP), a multitenanted gateway platform based on the open-source Apache Airavata software. We examine requirements for providing multitenanted platforms for CUI gateways and also the requirements for providing the same software as a multi-instance platform. In both cases, we assume the use of CUI-compatible resources from commercial cloud providers. Both approaches are technically feasible but have trade-offs that must be considered.
The Diversity of Plant Sex Chromosomes Highlighted through Advances in Genome Sequencing

For centuries, scientists have been intrigued by the origin of dioecy in plants, characterizing sex-specific development, uncovering cytological differences between the sexes, and developing theoretical models. Through the invention and continued improvements in genomic technologies, we have truly begun to unlock the genetic basis of dioecy in many species. Here we broadly review the advances in research on dioecy and sex chromosomes. We start by first discussing the early works that built the foundation for current studies and the advances in genome sequencing that have facilitated more-recent findings. We next discuss the analyses of sex chromosomes and sex-determination genes uncovered by genome sequencing. We synthesize these results to find some patterns are emerging, such as the role of duplications, the involvement of hormones in sex-determination, and support for the two-locus model for the origin of dioecy. Though across systems, there are also many novel insights into how sex chromosomes evolve, including different sex-determining genes and routes to suppressed recombination. We propose the future of research in plant sex chromosomes should involve interdisciplinary approaches, combining cutting-edge technologies with the classics to unravel the patterns that can be found across the hundreds of independent origins.
Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of mIHC images via antigen mapping

Highly multiplexed immunohistochemistry (mIHC) enables the staining and quantification of dozens of antigens in a tissue section with single-cell resolution. However, annotating cell populations that differ little in the profiled antigens or for which the antibody panel does not include specific markers is challenging. To overcome this obstacle, we have developed an approach for enriching mIHC images with single-cell RNA sequencing data, building upon recent experimental procedures for augmenting single-cell transcriptomes with concurrent antigen measurements. Spatially-resolved Transcriptomics via Epitope Anchoring (STvEA) performs transcriptome-guided annotation of highly multiplexed cytometry datasets. It increases the level of detail in histological analyses by enabling the systematic annotation of nuanced cell populations, spatial patterns of transcription, and interactions between cell types. We demonstrate the utility of STvEA by uncovering the architecture of poorly characterized cell types in the murine spleen using published cytometry and mIHC data of this organ.
A Decade Review of Research on College Student Financial Behavior and Well-Being

The last decade of research on college student financial wellness was driven by the onset of the “student loan debt crisis.” Prior to the focus on student loans, credit card use and marketing was the primary area of interest for those studying young adult finances on campuses. This paper consolidates the findings reported in twenty papers related to college student finances that were published in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues between 2010 and 2019. The work is organized into individual financial behaviors and its antecedents, followed by a summary of studies that study well-being indicators. The reviewed studies address financial behaviors as products of individual and personal characteristics, family relationships and formal socialization processes, and how these factors influence general well-being outcome. Though the approaches vary widely across published studies, each addressed at least one outcome within the socialization model. Credit card and student loan financial behaviors are common factors in determining well-being, their resulting impact on financial or general subjective well-being are mixed at best. The area of research is relatively new and directions for future research are outlined. Studies of emerging adults over time, replication of previous work, consistency in approach to measuring key constructs, and commitment to theoretically based approaches to research will all help to clarify our understanding of college students’ transition to financial independence.
Maneuvering target tracking with modified unbiased FIR filter

In the field of maneuvering target tracking,the performance of Kalman filter( KF) and its variants is dependeds on the accuracy of the assumed process noise statistics. If the assumed process noise is not accurate,the performance of the KF and its improved algorithms will be degraded significantly. In some cases,the filters might even cannot be converged. Unbiased finite impulse response( UFIR) filter does not need the prior knowledge of the process noise statistics during filtering. Hence,it can be utilized to overcome the problem of the inaccurate assumed process noise statistics to realize the maneuvering target tracking. Since the generalized noise power gain( GNPG) of the existing UFIR filter cannot be adapted to the measurements innovation,an improved UFIR filter was proposed. The proposed UFIR dynamically adjusts GNPG according to the ratio of measurements innovations between the adjacent time such that it can improve the detecting ability of the UFIR filter for target maneuver. The simulation results illustrate that if assumed process noise is accurate,the performance of the existing UFIR filter and the proposed FIR filter is similar to KF; but if assumed process noise is not accurate,the performance of the proposed UFIR shows better than the other ones.
Localization and Kinetics of the Transferrin-Dependent Iron Transport Machinery in the Mouse Placenta.

The placenta transports iron to the fetus to support growth and development. Mice are commonly used to study placental iron transport. The subcellular locations of transferrin receptor and ferroportin 1 in iron-transporting cells in the mouse placenta have not been directly assessed. Using immunogold electron microscopy, we determined that transferrin receptor is concentrated on the intracellular vesicles in syncytiotrophoblast I while ferroportin 1 is on the basal membrane of syncytiotrophoblast II. Fluorescent imaging of maternally injected transferrin iron in the placentas collected at 6 time points postinjection (n = 1-3 animals/time point) showed that transferrin iron was taken up and metabolized within syncytiotrophoblast I within 48 h after injection. These data indicate that the intracellular iron-trafficking mechanism is distinct in different placental cells.
Image2Lego: Customized LEGO Set Generation from Images

Although LEGO sets have entertained generations of children and adults, the challenge of designing customized builds matching the complexity of real-world or imagined scenes remains too great for the average enthusiast. In order to make this feat possible, we implement a system that generates a LEGO brick model from 2D images. We design a novel solution to this problem that uses an octree-structured autoencoder trained on 3D voxelized models to obtain a feasible latent representation for model reconstruction, and a separate network trained to predict this latent representation from 2D images. LEGO models are obtained by algorithmic conversion of the 3D voxelized model to bricks. We demonstrate first-of-its-kind conversion of photographs to 3D LEGO models. An octree architecture enables the flexibility to produce multiple resolutions to best fit a user's creative vision or design needs. In order to demonstrate the broad applicability of our system, we generate step-by-step building instructions and animations for LEGO models of objects and human faces. Finally, we test these automatically generated LEGO sets by constructing physical builds using real LEGO bricks.
Eye-gaze data to measure students’ attention to and comprehension of computational thinking concepts

Abstract There is no agreed-upon assessment to evaluate learning of computational thinking concepts (CTCs), and none of the previous ones analyzed students’ eye-gaze measures over CTCs. This study investigates use of eye-gaze data over various CTCs, and tests the validity of eye-gaze data as an effective assessment instrument to measure learning of CTCs. Students’ eye-gaze data (FD: Fixation Duration, SA: Saccade Amplitude, RF: Regression Frequency) over CTCs were collected and correlated over seven sessions. The eye-gaze data were also correlated with quiz scores to test its validity in evaluating learning of CTCs. There was a statistically significant correlation between RFs on conditionals CTC and sessions showing increased frequency of regression in attention to conditionals, and between FDs and quizzes indicating FDs’ validity in measuring the learning of CTCs. These results implicate that FDs are effective in assessing the learning of CTCs and students are revisiting conditionals more often as compared to other CTCs.
The Art of Domination: How Qing China Became a Regional Hegemon

This paper examines a period of East Asian history when the region was dominated by a regional hegemon: the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), and discusses the implications for understanding China’s broad international behavior today. The central question is two-fold: How does a political actor become a hegemon in its region of the world? And once it becomes dominant, how does the hegemon maintain its supremacy in the international system and minimize resistance by lesser political actors? I argue that a political actor becomes a regional hegemon through expansion and accumulation of relative power and manages its dominance through establishing rules of the game for the system. The Manchus of the Qing dynasty expanded from a small area in present northeastern China to become the preponderant state in East Asia, its hegemony lasting more than 150 years. The Qing conquered Ming China, Mongolia, and Xinjiang, and incorporated Tibet into the empire. Qing rulers skillfully adopted a strategy of domination that combined both force and diplomacy and used its preponderant power to establish tributary rules of the game to govern interactions between political actors in the system. Through the use of military force and institutional innovation, the Manchus were able to achieve regional hegemony in East Asia and eliminate security challenges to its dominance. The present boundary of China is a legacy of Qing territorial reach. Like its imperial predecessor, China’s current rise cannot be divorced from a consideration of relative power. The international distribution of power holds the key to understanding Chinese foreign policy today.
Introduction to Second-Best Analysis

First-best analysis offers a complete, internally consistent normative theory of the public sector. First-best models ignore a number of important real-world phenomena that the policymaker cannot ignore. The strengths and weaknesses of first-best theory derive from a common source, that the only restrictions on a first-best policy environment are the two sets of restrictions inherent in any economic system: the underlying production relationships and market clearance for all goods and factors. Second-best analysis is a reaction to the heroic first- best assumptions. In an attempt to be more realistic, it posits at least one additional constraint on the policy environment. The constraint(s) can be on the underlying market environment, on the set of admissible government policy tools, or on the information available to the government. The entire thrust of second-best analysis is toward increased realism. Second-best theorizing swept into public sector economics to stay in the 1970s and has been at the forefront of the discipline ever since.
THE BURNSIDE PROBLEM FOR SEMIGROUPS OF MATRICES

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the Burnside problem for semigroups of matrices. Every finitely generated torsion semigroup of n × n matrices over a commutative ring is finite. It is possible to obtain all the finiteness results directly for semigroups without first having to reduce to the corresponding theorems for groups. A semigroup S is said to be locally finite if every finitely generated subsemigroup of S is finite. Every sufficiently long word in A+ contains certain regularities. These regularities show that every sufficiently long word has the same image in S as a shorter word. The chapter also describes Sirsov's theorem and sub-semigroups of PI-rings.
Vaginal hysterectomy: a modality for therapeutic abortion and sterilization.

Abstract Vaginal hysterectomy is an effective and safe procedure for the patient requiring therapeutic abortion and sterilization with or without the correction of benign gynecologic pathology. A series of 77 consecutive patients who have undergone this procedure from 1961 to 1970 at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital are reviewed. The technique of vaginal hysterectomy in the gravid patient is described. Complications are commonly associated with surgical procedures on the adnexae. Postoperative urinary infections have been significantly reduced by eliminating the use of retention catheters and vaginal packs.
The rockwell avionics group software engineering training program

In July of 1987, the Rockwell International Avionics Group initiated a Software Engineering Training Program to increase our personnel's knowledge of software engineering, particularly with respect to real-time, embedded systems development. The program's design and development took place from July 1987 through January 1988. The program has been offered to engineers and managers since March of 1988. During the March to September 1988 period there have been 530 participants. The program has been very successful so far and participation has been higher than anticipated. Plans are to continue the training program at a controlled pace, with periodic program evaluations used to continually steer the program in the right direction. This paper highlights some of the efforts and “lessons learned” in developing and administering the Software Engineering Training Program.
An Ethics of Hesitant Learning: The Caring Justice of Levinas and Derrida

INTRODUCTION Since the ground-breaking work by Carol Gilligan and Nel Noddings, caring has become a major issue in educational ethics. While the implications of caring have been extended to many areas, the relation of caring to rational justice has remained contentious. In this paper I want to return to this issue by exploring the similarities between caring and the ethical concerns of Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida. I will argue that a hesitant and aporetic “caring justice” — a term I borrow from Axel Honneth — preserves the empirical sense of asymmetrical responsibility which, I suggest, inspires caring. The moments in which such responsibility is exposed, moreover, punctuate all classroom communication but all-too-easily escape our notice. This paper aims to inspire a new awareness of this ethically rich drama that runs through education.
Synthetic ligands point to cell surface strategies

Protein shedding, the proteolytic release of a cell surface protein, can serve a regulatory role by liberating soluble molecules into circulation while decreasing their concentration on the cell surface1. We have created a new class of multivalent ligands, ‘neoglycopolymers’, which are designed to promote the proteolytic cleavage of a cell adhesion molecule involved in the inflammatory response, L-selectin2. These synthetic ligands induce the release of the extracellular portion of L-selectin by appropriating an endogenous protease; such activities suggest new strategies to generate anti-inflammatory agents and regulate the cell surface.
Botulinum toxin type A for facial rejuvenation. United States and United Kingdom perspectives.

background. Botulinum A toxin has been well documented as a successful treatment for hyperfunctional upper facial expression lines. Currently, there are two commercial sources for botulinum toxin—Botox® and Dysport®. Only Botox is currently available in the United States; however, both Botox® and Dysport® are available in a number of European and other countries. objectives. There are several differences between these two sources of botulinum toxin, including different potency of their dosage units. This article will review the uses of these two sources of botulinum toxin and discuss the dilution and dosing of botulinum toxin for facial expression lines. results. One unit of Botox® is approximately equivalent in potency to 4 U of Dysport®. conclusions. Both commercial types of botulinum toxin can be used interchangeably with appropriate dosage selection.
“She had eyes and chose me”: Ambivalence and Miscegenation in Phebe Gibbes’s Hartly House, Calcutta (1789)

In the context of the Anglo‐Indian setting of Hartly House, Calcutta at the beginning of the 50‐year period of Orientalism, this paper examines the novel’s pattern of political, sexual, racial, and epistemological ambivalences concentrated in the repeated references by its 16‐year‐old protagonist, Sophia, to becoming “orientalised,” Gibbes’s apparent coinage that takes on increasingly deeper implications regarding Sophia’s subjectivity and her conflicted love for the Bramin who teaches her Vedic philosophy. Distinguishing Sophia’s voice from Gibbes’s underlying craft, this article argues that the novel’s literariness, from Sophia’s ubiquitous quotations to the novel’s recurrent metatextual allusions to the sentimental genre, is a central means by which Gibbes conveys both Sophia’s and her own ambivalences. By identifying Gibbes’s early Romantic interest in associational psychology, the author studies the novel’s non sequiturs as evidence of the anxiety underlying Sophia’s incongruous observations and argu...
An Alternative Test for the Equality of Variances for Several Populations When the Underlying Distributions are Normal

Homogeneity of variance test has been studied by Bartlett (1937), Hartley (1950), Levene (1960), and Box (1953), among others. The tests developed by the above statisticians are either approximate tests or tests using numerical tabulation of the critical points, so the validity of the tests relies on sample sizes. We have developed a test, the so-called New-test, for the equality of variances whose Type I error is well controlled and whose power is competitive to the optimal alternative tests. Extensive empirical experiments are conducted to compare the performance of the New-test with three classical methods. An experiment with exponential data is also done by simulation. It seems that under exponential distribution situation, Type I error is not as controlled as in the case of normal distribution situation. With relatively higher power and precise control of Type I error, the New-test can be recommended for future use by the practitioners when the underlying data are from normal distribution.
Operativity and the superordinate categorization of artifacts.

Relations between typical and atypical exemplars of superordinate categories are low in figurative similarity, i.e., similarity based in appearance or in spatial/temporal context. Operativity, as an emergent competence to overcome figurative cues and establish nonfigurative relations, might be expected to contribute to superordinate categorization. The present study assessed the relative consistency of age-equivalent preoperational and concrete-operational groups of first graders across two categorization tasks employing color drawings of exemplars of superordinate artifact categories. Concrete-operational subjects categorized two exemplars together on a Sample-Match Task if they had previously included both exemplars under the same category on a Category-Membership Task. In addition to membership in the same category, preoperational subjects required that both exemplars be typical before categorizing them together on the Sample-Match Task. The cognitive levels did not differ in their category membership decisions. Results are discussed in terms of both utilization and acquisition of superordinate knowledge.
Demand response with photovoltaic energy source and Time-of-Use pricing

Several utilities are offering, or plan to offer, customers the choice between standard and “Time-of-Use” (ToU) rates for electricity. ToU rates for energy are based on a tiered pricing structure as opposed to standard flat rates. ToU rates are typically less than the standard rate during off-peak times and higher than the standard rate at peak times. This pricing structure can incentivize combining demand response (DR) with photovoltaic (PV) generation which can shift a customer's net demand from peak to off-peak times. This paper presents a demand response scheme designed for implementation with photovoltaic generation within a ToU pricing environment. The DR algorithm is designed to require minimal sensors, does not require forecasting, and is suitable for automation. Simulation results validating the DR algorithm and quantifying potential savings based on the level of DR are presented based on PV generation data and residential load consumption data in New York.