cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integrated Avionics System (IAS): Integrating 3D Technology on a Spacecraft Panel

As spacecraft designs converge toward miniaturization, and with the volumetric and mass challenges placed on avionics, programs will continue to advance the “state of the art” in spacecraft system development with new challenges to reduce power, mass and volume. Traditionally, the trend is to focus on high-density component packaging technologies. Industry has made significant progress in these technologies, and other related internal and external interconnection schemes. Although new technologies have improved packaging densities, a system packaging architecture is required that not only reduces spacecraft volume and mass budgets, but increase integration efficiencies, provide modularity and flexibility to accommodate multiple missions while maintaining a low recurring cost. With these challenges in mind, a novel system packaging approach incorporates solutions that provide broader environmental applications, more flexible system interconnectivity, scalability, and simplified assembly test and integration schemes. The Integrated Avionics System (IAS) provides for a low-mass, modular distributed or centralized packaging architecture which combines ridged-flex technologies, high-density COTS hardware and a new 3-D mechanical packaging approach, Horizontal Mounted Cube (HMC). This paper will describe the fundamental elements of the IAS, HMC hardware design, system integration and environmental test results.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Isolation of a Type 10 Paracolon Bacillus from an Adult Turkey

Abstract On May 10, 1945, a turkey hen serologically positive in a field test to a commercial pullorum stained-antigen was sent to our diagnostic laboratory for further study. The bird was housed in an individual all-wire cage and subjected to further rapid whole blood, and tube agglutination tests for pullorum disease. The bird was positive to these pullorum tests. The shell and content of eggs laid by this bird and its tissues were cultured by the technic reported by Gauger and Greaves (1945). AUTOPSY AND BACTERIOLOGICAL FINDINGS The shells and content of 26 eggs were negative for Salmonella or Salmonella-like organisms. At autopsy August 20, 1945, the birds were in a full molt and out of production. No specific lesions were noted. Several ova were in the process of being reabsorbed. A Salmonella-like organism was isolated from the ovary, reabsorbing ova, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, heart, lungs, liver and gall-bladder. Cultures from . . .
Identification and functional characterization of the iron-dependent regulator (IdeR) of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis.

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), the causative agent of Johne's disease in cattle and sheep, has unique iron requirements in that it is mycobactin-dependent for cultivation in vitro. The iron-dependent regulator (IdeR) is a well-characterized global regulator responsible for maintaining iron homeostasis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). We identified an orthologous segment in the MAP genome, MAP2827, with >93 % amino acid identity to MTB IdeR. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNase protection assays confirmed that MAP2827 binds the 19 bp consensus motif (iron box) on the MAP genome. Sequencing of MAP2827 from multiple isolates revealed a non-synonymous change (R91G) exclusive to sheep strains. Reporter gene assays and quantitative real-time RT-PCR assays in two diverse MAP strains and in an ideR deletion mutant of M. smegmatis (mc2155) suggested that both sheep MAP IdeR (sIdeR) and cattle MAP IdeR (cIdeR) repress mbtB transcription at high iron concentrations and relieve repression at low iron concentrations. On the other hand, bfrA (an iron storage gene) was upregulated by cIdeR when presented with MTB or the cattle MAP bfrA promoter, and was downregulated by sIdeR in the presence of MTB, or sheep or cattle MAP bfrA promoters, at high iron concentrations. The differential iron regulatory mechanisms between IdeR-regulated genes across strains may contribute to the differential growth or pathogenic characteristics of sheep and cattle MAP strains. Taken together, our study provides a possible reason for mycobactin dependency and suggests strong implications in the differential iron acquisition and storage mechanisms in MAP.
Mechanism of Decomposition of the Cubic Solid Solutions in the System ZrO2—MgO

The phase diagram for the system ZrO2-MgO was reinvestigated by using coprecipitated gels. The thermal stability of the defective cubic solid solutions was investigated by a study of kinetics. The decomposition curves were sigmoidal, indicating that the formation of the tetragonal solid solutions proceeded by a process of nucleation and growth. Decomposition comprised: (1) formation of the nuclei of the tetragonal solid solution on the grain surface, (2) growth of the nuclei leading to the formation of an interface, and (3) the irregular growth of that interface into the interior of the grain. During the decomposition magnesium ions diffused out of the regions of the growth of the tetragonal phase and partly precipitated as magnesium oxide at the grain boundaries. The decomposition rate increased with the degree of ordering or clustering of defects and impurities and with the number of the anion defects; it showed a maximum at about 1200°C.
Lethal giant larvae proteins interact with the exocyst complex and are involved in polarized exocytosis

The tumor suppressor lethal giant larvae (Lgl) plays a critical role in epithelial cell polarization. However, the molecular mechanism by which Lgl carries out its functions is unclear. In this study, we report that the yeast Lgl proteins Sro7p and Sro77p directly interact with Exo84p, which is a component of the exocyst complex that is essential for targeting vesicles to specific sites of the plasma membrane for exocytosis, and that this interaction is important for post-Golgi secretion. Genetic analyses demonstrate a molecular pathway from Rab and Rho GTPases through the exocyst and Lgl to SNAREs, which mediate membrane fusion. We also found that overexpression of Lgl and t-SNARE proteins not only improves exocytosis but also rescues polarity defects in exocyst mutants. We propose that, although Lgl is broadly distributed in the cells, its localized interaction with the exocyst and kinetic activation are important for the establishment and reenforcement of cell polarity.
Low-Power Circuit Design

Low-voltage (LV), low-power (LP) circuit design requires special attention on device behavior, and the best circuit topology needs to be chosen to meet the design challenges. With the scaling of MOS devices, supply voltage is reduced with each technological leap, but the threshold voltage and the drain-to-source saturation voltage are not scaling at the same rate because of the subthreshold current consideration in mixed-signal environment. Therefore, conventional circuit design topologies are not best suited for deep submicron (DSM) CMOS design. This chapter is a brief overview of the scaling concept of MOS devices and low-power circuit design topologies using deep submicron CMOS process.
Tour de Force: Irina and Dmitrii Guzevich’s Analytical Bibliography of Tsar Peter’s Grand Embassy to Europe

Review of: Guzevich, D. IU, and I. D. Guzevich. Pervoe evropeĭskoe puteshestvie tsaria Petra: analiticheskaia bibliografiia za tri stoletiia, 1697-2006 [Tsar Peter’s First European Trip: An Analytical Bibliography Covering Three Centuries, 1697-2006]. Emmanuel Waegemans, ed. Sankt-Peterburg: Dmitriĭ Bulanin, 2008. 907 p. ISBN: 5860075820.
Illegality in East Jerusalem: Between House Demolitions and Resistance

Eighty-five percent of the Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem are deemed illegal under Israeli planning laws for being built without adequate building permits. This implies that since 1967, approximately 20,000 buildings were built by Palestinians in East Jerusalem without acquiring sufficient building permits. Between 1987 and 2004, Israel demolished 400 (2.4 percent) of these houses. Through a detailed analysis of some 30 in-depth interviews conducted with Israeli bureaucrats and with Palestinian residents in Jerusalem, this article explores the institution of illegality within the Israeli planning discourse. In particular, the article examines how techniques of illegality based on planning laws and policy are utilized to dominate the Palestinian population of East Jerusalem. Although the demolition of houses is the most spectacular spatial mechanism of illegality exercised by Israel in East Jerusalem, the focus of the first part of the article is on the more mundane techniques of illegality, such as mapping and tracing, criminality, and arbitrariness. The second part of the article introduces the notion of resistance and explores the illegal building carried out by East Jerusalemite Palestinians as an act of spatial protest. In examining tactics of "everyday" resistance, the article suggests that the study of illegality in the East Jerusalem context allows a nuanced understanding of the relations between bureaucrats and subjects, thereby offering a deeper comprehension of the character of power itself.
A probabilistic approach to the dynamic analysis of ducts subjected to multibase harmonic and random excitation

The dynamic behavior of the discharge duct of the high-pressure oxidizer turbopump of a cryogenic rocket motor is investigated analytically. The probabilistic analysis program NESSUS (Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress; Cruse et al., 1988) is used to treat the uncertainties due to random and harmonic excitation (e.g., pump noise, pump-induced harmonics, and combustion noise), variations in engine inlet pressure, and changes in system damping. The load modeling procedure, the variation in power-spectral density in different zones of the engine structure, and the dynamic structural-analysis technique are described, and the numerical results of the NESSUS analysis are presented in extensive tables and graphs and discussed in detail.
Electrophoretic Anesthesia of Skin and its Application to Intradermal Testing in Hay-fever

Although the use of an electric field to force drugs into the skin has been known for many decades, surprisingly few experiments have been performed with local anesthetics. That the unbroken skin can be anesthetized by the electrophoresis of drugs into the skin has been known for many years, but this method has not been developed in the light of the modern theory of electrolytes.It is of interest both theoretically in connection with electrokinetic properties of the skin, and practically in hay fever, to determine if the anesthetization of a small area is without essential influence on the development of moderately or markedly positive skin reactions.By the use of an electrode especially designed to anesthetize a large number of small areas of the skin simultaneously, it has been possible to make intradermal tests with ragweed, timothy, dust, and other inhalants without any discomfort to the patient. Anesthesia lasting sufficiently long to perform skin tests can be obtained after 10 to 15 minutes electrop...
Facile and Regioselective C–H Bond Activation of Aromatic Substrates by an Fe(II) Complex Involving a Spin-Forbidden Pathway

The Fe(II) complex Cp*Fe(CO)(NCMe)Ph (Cp* = η5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) is shown to mediate facile and highly regioselective C–H activation of aromatic substrates including benzene, furan, thiophene, thiazole, and 2-methylfuran. Experimental and computational evidence suggest a mechanism for C–H activation that involves NCMe dissociation, multiple spin intersystem crossings, C–H bond coordination, and C–H bond cleavage by a σ-bond metathesis reaction.
Research Progress of Oxidative Desulfurization Technologies of Oil Products

With the increasingly stringent environmental regulations,the quality requirement of oil becomes increasingly high.Deep desulfurization of oil products has become an important subject worldwide.In this paper,the oxidative desulfurization methods including the hydrogen peroxide oxidation,ozone oxidation,oxygen oxidation,ultrasonic oxidation,photocatalytic oxidation,plasma liquid-phase oxidation,biological oxidation and electrochemical oxidation were summarized.Progress and perspective of oxidative desulfurization methods were also put forward.
Communicating total rewards to the generations

This is the first time in American history that four distinct generations have been in the workforce at the same time. Because employers have finite resources with which to compete for talent, they must understand the generations, what matters most to them and what they can do to motivate different generations of workers. Perhaps surprisingly, the author argues that the generations share in most valuing "soft cost" rewards over "hard dollar cost" items. This article advises employers on how to make their company a great place to work for all generations.
Commentary: Online News and the Demise of Political Disagreement

(2013). Commentary: Online News and the Demise of Political Disagreement. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 36, Communication Yearbook 36, pp. 45-53.
Abstract 2238: Understanding immune phenotypes and their spatial relationships to breast adenocarcinoma in FFPE tissues

The relationship between elements of the immune system and breast tumors in situ requires an approach that leverages multiplexed immunohistochemistry (mIHC) with multispectral imaging to facilitate precise image analyses. To achieve this, we developed a novel 7-color mIHC assay, based on tyramide signal amplification, that allowed us to reliably interrogate CD3, CD4, CD8, FoxP3, CD68, and cytokeratin, in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of human breast cancer. Imaging was performed using the multispectral Mantra system and inForm image analysis software. Using this specific mIHC panel and the cell segmenting and phenotyping tools in inForm, we were able to reliably identify cytotoxic T cells (CD3+ CD8+), helper T cells (CD3+ CD4+), regulatory T cells (CD3+ CD4+ FoxP3+), tumor associated macrophages (CD68+) and breast tumor cells (CK+). With cell phenotypes within the tumor microenvironment determined based on specific colocalized staining combinations, we then employed spatial point pattern analyses to examine spatial relationships between specific phenotypes. With this analysis, we were able to describe distances between cytotoxic T cells and regulatory T cells, cytotoxic T cells and tumor associated macrophages, as well as cytotoxic T cells and breast tumor cells. With this combined mIHC, multispectral imaging and advanced image analysis, we demonstrate a novel method that allows for unique tumor microenvironment assessments within in breast cancer. Through the preservation of tumor architecture available in archival FFPE tissues, these methods can advance our understanding of unique tumor microenvironment interactions, and could provide the ability to stratify responses to immunotherapies. Citation Format: Yi Zheng, Pallavi Thuse, Linying Liu, Edward C. Stack, Michael Campisano, Kent Johnson, Darryn Unfricht, Nara Narayanan, Clifford Hoyt, Milind Rajopadhye. Understanding immune phenotypes and their spatial relationships to breast adenocarcinoma in FFPE tissues. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2238.
Squares: Supporting Interactive Performance Analysis for Multiclass Classifiers

Performance analysis is critical in applied machine learning because it influences the models practitioners produce. Current performance analysis tools suffer from issues including obscuring important characteristics of model behavior and dissociating performance from data. In this work, we present Squares, a performance visualization for multiclass classification problems. Squares supports estimating common performance metrics while displaying instance-level distribution information necessary for helping practitioners prioritize efforts and access data. Our controlled study shows that practitioners can assess performance significantly faster and more accurately with Squares than a confusion matrix, a common performance analysis tool in machine learning.
Inflammatory pain by carrageenan recruits low-frequency local field potential changes in the anterior cingulate cortex

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been extensively cited as a key area for processing pain affect. While local field potential (LFP) studies in other fields have yielded a great deal of information about neural oscillations, there is a poverty in the pain literature about the neural LFP profile related to pain, particularly in freely moving animals. In this study, we revealed the LFP profile in the ACC in freely moving rats during carrageenan inflammation. Mechanical allodynia was recorded before and after unilateral injection of carrageenan/saline in the left hindpaw. LFP activity in the ACC was recorded at baseline, after injection, and after injection with mechanical stimulation to the paw using a von Frey filament. This study uniquely reveals that carrageenan injection significantly recruited ACC LFP activity in delta, theta, and alpha bands (0-13Hz). Application of von Frey mechanical stimulation to the carrageenan-injected paw resulted in a significant increase in delta, theta, and alpha bands over and above what was recruited by carrageenan alone and further expanded the LFP range to additionally include beta activity (13-30Hz). Taken together, these data reveal significant changes in the lowest-frequency activities in the LFP range during painful inflammation, which merit attention. LFP is a powerful window to reveal wide-range, integrated synaptic processing by low-frequency cellular events during behavior. Information about LFP during pain broadens the scope of our understanding of pain mechanisms, our greatest resource for designing management approaches.
Does the theory of planned behavior predict dietary sodium intake in patients with heart failure

Sodium intake in heart failure (HF) is a crucial but poorly understood phenomenon. Theoretical models promote understanding and provide a context for rational appraisal of complex situations. The purpose of this study was to determine which factors were associated with sodium intake in HF patients using theory of planned behavior (TPB). In this study, patients' ( N = 244) attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (tenets of the TPB) were assessed using the Dietary Sodium Restriction Questionnaire. Sodium intake was estimated objectively by 24-hr urinary sodium excretion (UNa). The average UNa was 3,811 mg. Subjective norms, gender, and New York Heart Association functional class were associated with sodium intake ( p < .001). Thus, it is important for health care providers to clearly express their approval of following low-sodium diet to their HF patients, and include significant others in interventions to help patients develop/maintain a positive subjective norm to decrease sodium intake and reduce HF exacerbations.
Earnings Predictability and Bias in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts

This paper examines cross-sectional differences in the optimistic behavior of financial analysts. Specifically, we investigate whether the predic- tive accuracy of past information (e.g., time-series of earnings, past returns, etc.) is associated with the magnitude of the bias in analysts' earnings fore- casts. We posit that there is higher demand for non-public information for firms whose earnings are difficult to accurately predict than for firms whose earnings can be accurately forecasted using public information. Assuming that opti- mism facilitates access to management's non-public information, we hypoth- esize that analysts will issue more optimistic forecasts for low predictability firms than for high predictability firms. Our results support this hypothesis.
How different is a 3D‐printed replica from a conspecific in the eyes of a zebrafish?

Robotics is emerging as a promising tool for aiding research on animal behavior. The possibility of generating customizable, controllable, and standardized robotic stimuli has been demonstrated through a number of behavioral assays, involving vertebrates and invertebrates. However, the specific appraisal of the nature of robotic stimuli is currently lacking. Here, we attempt to evaluate this aspect in zebrafish, through a within-subject design in which experimental subjects are faced with three experimental conditions. In the first test, we investigated sociability by measuring zebrafish response to a conspecific separated by a one-way glass. In the second test, we studied zebrafish behavior in response to a 3D-printed zebrafish replica actuated along realistic trajectories through a novel four-degree-of-freedom robotic platform. Last, we investigated fear responses in a shelter-seeking test. In agreement with our expectations, zebrafish exhibited an equivalent preference for live and robotic stimuli, and the degree of preference for the robotic replica correlated negatively with the individual propensity to seek shelter. The equivalent preference for the replica and conspecific suggests that the appraisal of the target stimuli is analogous. The preliminary evidence of a correlation between behavioral responses across tests points to the readability of robotics-based approaches to investigate interindividual differences.
The Central Star: Instability and Recovery

Many clues to η Carinae’s structure and physics can be found in its observed behavioral timescales, ranging from a few days to a few centuries. Here these are reviewed in three categories: the 5.5-year spectroscopic cycle with its spectroscopic events, the Great Eruption of 1830–1860, and the subsequent unsteady recovery. Unfortunately, the underlying thread shared by these stories is a scarcity of theoretical effort. Eta Car may or may not be an exception to general rules; but either way, as the most observable very massive star, it reveals major gaps in existing theory. Recent observers have found many unexpected, highly suggestive discoveries in this topic, including phenomena that cannot be observed in any other known object. A variety of specific unsolved theoretical problems are noted here.
Expanded roles of registered nurses in primary care delivery of the future

Abstract Background Primary care in the United States is changing: practice size is increasing, there is a growing shortage of primary care practitioners, and there is a heightened prevalence of chronic disease. Given these trends, it is likely that registered nurses will become important members of the primary care team. Purpose This paper explores the challenges and opportunities in primary care delivery in the 21st century and examines the likelihood of expanded roles for RNs to improve quality and add capacity to the primary care workforce. Methods We searched the peer-reviewed and gray literature for publications on primary care, primary care workforce projections, the future of nursing, and team-based care. Discussion The number of primary care physicians is expected to decrease in relation to the US population while the number of nurse practitioners is increasing, with the result that more and more patients will see nurse practitioners as their primary care practitioner. However, the primary care practitioner (physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) to population ratio is dropping. As a result, other professionals will be needed to deliver primary care. As the nation’s largest health profession, registered nurses (RNs) are in sufficient supply and have been shown to improve the care of patients with chronic conditions. It is likely that primary care practices of the future will include an enhanced role for RNs, particularly in chronic disease management. Conclusion For RNs to assume an expanded role in primary care, several barriers need to be overcome: (1) the widespread introduction of payment reform that reimburses RNs to independently provide care for patients, and (2) nursing education reform that includes primary care nursing skills (3) scope of practice clarification for non-advance practice RNs working under standardized procedures.
Parenteral irons versus transfused red blood cells for treatment of anemia during canine experimental bacterial pneumonia.

BACKGROUND No studies have been performed comparing intravenous (IV) iron with transfused red blood cells (RBCs) for treating anemia during infection. In a previous report, transfused older RBCs increased free iron release and mortality in infected animals when compared to fresher cells. We hypothesized that treating anemia during infection with transfused fresh RBCs, with minimal free iron release, would prove superior to IV iron therapy. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Purpose-bred beagles (n = 42) with experimental Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia rendered anemic were randomized to be transfused RBCs stored for 7 days or one of two IV iron preparations (7 mg/kg), iron sucrose, a widely used preparation, or ferumoxytol, a newer formulation that blunts circulating iron levels. RESULTS Both irons increased the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient at 24 to 48 hours (p = 0.02-0.001), worsened shock at 16 hours (p = 0.02-0.003, respectively), and reduced survival (transfusion 56%; iron sucrose 8%, p = 0.01; ferumoxytol 9%, p = 0.04). Compared to fresh RBC transfusion, plasma iron measured by non-transferrin-bound iron levels increased with iron sucrose at 7, 10, 13, 16, 24, and 48 hours (p = 0.04 to p < 0.0001) and ferumoxytol at 7, 24, and 48 hours (p = 0.04 to p = 0.004). No significant differences in cardiac filling pressures or performance, hemoglobin (Hb), or cell-free Hb were observed. CONCLUSIONS During canine experimental bacterial pneumonia, treatment of mild anemia with IV iron significantly increased free iron levels, shock, lung injury, and mortality compared to transfusion of fresh RBCs. This was true for iron preparations that do or do not blunt circulating free iron level elevations. These findings suggest that treatment of anemia with IV iron during infection should be undertaken with caution.
A Practical Approach to the Diagnosis and Management of Hair Loss in Children and Adolescents.

Hair loss or alopecia is a common and distressing clinical complaint in the primary care setting, and can arise from heterogeneous etiologies. In the pediatric population, hair loss often presents with patterns that are different from that of their adult counterparts. Given the psychosocial complications that may arise from pediatric alopecia, prompt diagnosis and management is particularly important. Common causes of alopecia in children and adolescents include alopecia areata, tinea capitis, androgenetic alopecia, traction alopecia, trichotillomania, hair cycle disturbances, and congenital alopecia conditions. Diagnostic tools for hair loss in children include a detailed history, physical examination with a focused evaluation of the child’s hair and scalp, fungal screens, hair pull and tug test, and if possible, light microscopy and/or trichoscopy. Management of alopecia requires a holistic approach including psychosocial support because treatments are only available for some hair loss conditions, and even the available treatments are not always effective. This review outlines the clinical presentations, presents a diagnostic algorithm, and discusses management of these various hair loss disorders.
Voxelwise lung pattern transition scores on HRCT images and their association with symptoms in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Objectives: To investigate regional transitions of interstitial lung disease patterns on HRCT and their association with symptom scores in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). This work uses mapping of voxels between baseline and follow-up scans to assess highly localized transitions in lung patterns. Methods: Anonymized HRCT images were obtained from 25 IPF subjects who had a baseline and follow-up surveillance HRCT scan at 6 months. A transitional interstitial lung disease (TILD) matrix of pattern transitions was computed for each paired of subject scans using the following steps: (1) lobar segmentation and classification of each voxel as one of 4 lung patterns (fibrotic, honeycomb, ground glass, or normal); (2) registration (mapping) of corresponding voxels between the paired scans; (3) for each mapped pair of voxels recording a count in the appropriate cell of the 4x4 TILD matrix; (4) summarizing the pattern transitions as percentages of total voxels (TILD scores). Associations between TILD scores and symptom scores, as well as comparisons between worse and non-worse groups, were performed. Results: TILD scores indicating worsening from ground glass to fibrotic patterns were associated with increasing the shortness of breath (rho=0.48; p=0.016). Significant differences in TILD scores were found between worse and non-worse groups in the shortness of breath (p=0.014). When symptoms were not worse the TILD scores were minimal in the right and left upper lobes. Conclusions: Using voxel-by-voxel TILD scores on paired HRCT scans 6 months apart, there were obvious transitions to worsening lung patterns when symptoms got worse.
Contextual Factors in the Career Development of Prospective First-Generation College Students: An Application of Social Cognitive Career Theory

Sociocultural influences may affect the academic and vocational development of first-generation college students; however, research in this area remains limited. The purpose of this study was to ex...
Modified Fuchs-Nordheim model for use in reactor pulse measurements

Abstract Experimental reactor physics is constantly advancing new methods to determine parameters of interest in reactor systems. The development of analytical and semi-analytical solutions to characterize complex systems relies on the ability to isolate specific phenomena that may be represented by governing equations. Two values in particular, the delayed neutron fraction, β , and the prompt neutron lifetime, l , are directly related to the performance of a pulse-type reactor during a reactor transient. A great deal of research has been performed to determine these quantities with limited success, especially at high power conditions. The Fuchs-Nordheim model is capable of qualitatively predicting reactor power during the transient, but assumptions limit its ability to determine reactor kinetics parameters during the transient. A modification to the FN model is presented and compared with the FN model along with experimental data from the Oregon State University TRIGA reactor to independently measure of the β/l ratio of the OSTR experimentally with quantifiable uncertainty.
A randomized control trial to determine the effectiveness and physiological effects of spinal manipulation and spinal mobilization compared to each other and a sham condition in patients with chronic low back pain: Study protocol for The RELIEF Study.

Abstract Background Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common reasons for seeking medical care. Manipulative therapies are a common treatment for LBP. Few studies have compared the effectiveness of different types of manipulative therapies. Moreover, the physiologic mechanisms underlying these treatments are not fully understood. Herein, we present the study protocol for The R esearching the E ffectiveness of L umbar I nterventions for E nhancing F unction Study (The RELIEF Study). Methods and study design The RELIEF Study is a Phase II RCT with a nested mechanistic design. It is a single-blinded, sham-controlled study to test the mechanisms and effectiveness of two manual therapy techniques applied to individuals (n = 162; 18–45 years of age) with chronic LBP. The clinical outcome data from the mechanistic component will be pooled across experiments to permit an exploratory Phase II RCT investigating the effectiveness. Participants will be randomized into one of three separate experiments that constitute the mechanistic component to determine the muscular, spinal, and cortical effects of manual therapies. Within each of these experimental groups study participants will be randomly assigned to one of the three treatment arms: 1) spinal manipulation, 2) spinal mobilization, or 3) sham laser therapy. Treatments will be delivered twice per week for 3-weeks. Discussion This data from this will shed light on the mechanisms underlying popular treatments for LBP. Additionally, the coupling of this basic science work in the context of a clinical trial will also permit examination of the clinical efficacy of two different types of manipulative therapies.
Thermal Imaging System Types

The classified nature of most advanced thermal imaging development has prevented much discussion of device characteristics in the open scientific literature. The few examples are the thermographs described in references 1 through 7, the commercial FLIR’s in references 8 and 9, and the military FLIR’s in references 10 through 12. From the viewpoint of complexity, the single element system considered briefly in Chapter One is the simplest conceivable system. However, fundamental limits or the detector state of the art may not allow such a system to have a sufficient thermal sensitivity, so that the per frame, per resolution element signal to noise ratio must be improved by adding detectors.
Adolescent Drug Use Development

Drug use, both licit and illicit, has become increasingly normative among adolescents over the past two to three decades, with increases in both quantity and variability in substances (Johnston, O’Malley, & Bachman, 1998). With the advent of the 1960s and ‘70s, the use and abuse of substances such as marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamines have supplemented the traditional licit substances of alcohol and tobacco, although the latter two continue to have the highest prevalence rates. In the 1960s, much of this drug use occurred among adults or on college campuses, with some dispersion to high schools. Today, drug use in high schools can be considered endemic and cause for concern because many teens become young adults with a history of drug-use experiences. Although trends over the past 20 years have varied, current use is relatively high (for complete data, see Johnston et al., 1998). For example, during the 1990s, the 30-day prevalence of any illicit drug increased from approximately 6% to nearly 15% among eighth graders. Among seniors, the same prevalence rates increased from approximately 16% to 26%. Examining the most recent evidence for alcohol, the most prevalent substance, by eighth grade, about 25% have had a drink in the last 30 days. By 12th grade, the prevalence was doubled, and more than half also reported being drunk. Although, a downturn in prevalence rates occurred during the early 1980s, the trend for the ‘80s has been increasing, with some leveling off in the past couple of years. Thus, these data highlight the normative existence of drug use among adolescents and also indicate the need to carefully assess its possible effects over the short and long run.
The Cartagena Manifesto

After the military defeat of the shortlived First Venezuelan Republic under Miranda, Bolivar fled to Curacao. From there he went to Cartagena in New Granada and entered the service of New Granada in its continuing struggle for independence.
Pupillary light reaction in preclinical Alzheimer's disease subjects compared with normal ageing controls.

Background/aims We wished to determine whether the pupillary light reaction can differentiate preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) subjects from normal ageing controls. We performed a prospective study evaluating the pupillary light reaction in a cohort of well-characterised subjects with preclinical AD versus normal ageing controls. Methods We recruited 57 subjects from our institution’s Memory and Aging Project, part of our Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. All subjects completed PET-PiB imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and at least 1 neuropsychiatric assessment after their baseline assessment. All participants were assigned a clinical dementia rating and underwent a complete neuro-ophthalmic examination. Participants were divided into a dementia biomarker+ (preclinical AD) and biomarker– (normal ageing) group based on preclinical risk for Alzheimer’s dementia. Pupillometry measurements were performed by using the NeurOptics PLR-200 Pupillometer. Results A total of 57 subjects were recruited with 24 dementia biomarker+ and 33 dementia biomarker- individuals. A variety of pupil flash response (PLR) parameters were assessed. Comparisons between groups were analysed using generalised estimating equations. None of the pupillary parameters showed a significant difference between groups. Conclusions We found no significant differences in PLR between preclinical AD subjects and normal ageing controls. This suggests that the disease effect on the PLR may be small and difficult to detect at the earliest stages of the disease. Future studies could include larger sample size and chromatic pupillometry.
Spatiotemporal control over the host–guest characteristics of a stimulus-triggerable trifunctional polymer assembly

The positional effect of stimuli-responsive units in tri-component copolymer vesicles is studied to explore variations in the host–guest properties of the assembly. We study this by placing pH-responsive diisopropylaminoethyl moieties in three distinct locations of a block copolymer assembly. In two of the three variations, these functionalities were randomly distributed in the hydrophobic or the hydrophilic domains of an amphiphilic diblock copolymer. In a third variation, this responsive functionality was incorporated as the middle block in a triblock copolymer. The results reveal that the solvent exposure of the responsive units holds the key for controlling the rate of molecular release from these polymer vesicles. The study also shows that equilibrium changes in the morphology of an assembly are not good indicators of the responsive host–guest properties of a polymer assembly.
Blockchain-Based Election Infrastructures

Students at the University of Wyoming designed two blockchain-based voting systems during a class offered only once at the University. The first system (re-use) branched Ethereum to leverage its security and privacy benefits. The second system (re-invent) created a new blockchain voting system which used two separate chains, one for validating voters and another for securing votes. This research looked at the benefits and flaws of current election systems as well as benefits and flaws of blockchain technology to improve upon the current election infrastructure. These systems aim to provide integrity, privacy and security to its users. Further, they strive to be fault-tolerant. Finally, these systems could be extended to mobile voting platforms and smart contracts. Based on current decentralized services, this research demonstrates a proof-of-concept that elections could benefit from blockchain-based systems. These types of systems would be ideal in smart cities to ensure the reliability of the voting procedure.
Security engineering with machine learning for adversarial resiliency in cyber physical systems

Recent technological advances provide the opportunities to bridge the physical world with cyber-space that leads to complex and multi-domain cyber physical systems (CPS) where physical systems are monitored and controlled using numerous smart sensors and cyber space to respond in real-time based on their operating environment. However, the rapid adoption of smart, adaptive and remotely accessible connected devices in CPS makes the cyberspace more complex and diverse as well as more vulnerable to multitude of cyber-attacks and adversaries. In this paper, we aim to design, develop and evaluate a distributed machine learning algorithm for adversarial resiliency where developed algorithm is expected to provide security in adversarial environment for critical mobile CPS.
Why we should universalize the insanity defense and replace punishment with therapy and education

Abstract The insanity defense, which exempts those judged to be insane from being punished for whatever illegal acts they have committed, exists in order to be the exception that proves the rule: namely, that illegal acts, except those committed by the insane, deserve punishment, since they are produced by a person who chose to do what he knew was wrong; and that the only questions we need to ask are moral and legal ones: “how evil was he, and how much punishment does he deserve?” This article will be devoted to showing why punishment, far from preventing violence, is the most powerful stimulant to violence that we have yet discovered; and that we need to replace it with empirically tested policies that do prevent violence. To speak of universalizing the insanity defense is simply another way to speak of abolishing punishment. The article will show why we should abandon the notion that prisons can be reformed, and instead replace them with safe, secure residential colleges and therapeutic communities. This would mean thinking of violence as a problem in public health and preventive medicine, about which we ask “what are the causes of violence, and how can we prevent it?”
The Multilingual Naming Test (MINT) as a Measure of Picture Naming Ability in Alzheimer's Disease.

Objective:The present study investigated the ability of the Multilingual Naming Test (MINT), a picture naming test recently added to the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center’s (NACC) Uniform Data Set neuropsychological test battery, to detect naming impairment (i.e., dysnomia) across stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).Method:Data from the initial administration of the MINT were obtained on NACC participants who were cognitively normal (N = 3,981) or diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (N = 852) or dementia (N = 1,148) with presumed etiology of AD. Dementia severity was rated using the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale.Results:Cross-sectional multiple regression analyses revealed significant effects of diagnostic group, sex, education, age, and race on naming scores. Planned comparisons collapsing across age and education groups revealed significant group differences in naming scores across levels of dementia severity. ROC curve analyses showed good diagnostic accuracy of MINT scores for distinguishing cognitively normal controls from AD dementia, but not from MCI. Within the cognitively normal group, there was a robust interaction between age and education such that naming scores exhibited the most precipitous drop across age groups for the least educated participants. Additionally, education effects were stronger in African-Americans than in Whites (a race-by-education interaction), and race effects were stronger in older than in younger age groups (a race-by-age interaction).Conclusions:The MINT successfully detects naming deficits at different levels of cognitive impairment in patients with MCI or AD dementia, but comparison to age, sex, race, and education-corrected norms to determine impairment is essential.
Seq: a high-performance language for bioinformatics

The scope and scale of biological data are increasing at an exponential rate, as technologies like next-generation sequencing are becoming radically cheaper and more prevalent. Over the last two decades, the cost of sequencing a genome has dropped from $100 million to nearly $100—a factor of over 106—and the amount of data to be analyzed has increased proportionally. Yet, as Moore’s Law continues to slow, computational biologists can no longer rely on computing hardware to compensate for the ever-increasing size of biological datasets. In a field where many researchers are primarily focused on biological analysis over computational optimization, the unfortunate solution to this problem is often to simply buy larger and faster machines. Here, we introduce Seq, the first language tailored specifically to bioinformatics, which marries the ease and productivity of Python with C-like performance. Seq starts with a subset of Python—and is in many cases a drop-in replacement—yet also incorporates novel bioinformatics- and computational genomics-oriented data types, language constructs and optimizations. Seq enables users to write high-level, Pythonic code without having to worry about low-level or domain-specific optimizations, and allows for the seamless expression of the algorithms, idioms and patterns found in many genomics or bioinformatics applications. We evaluated Seq on several standard computational genomics tasks like reverse complementation, k-mer manipulation, sequence pattern matching and large genomic index queries. On equivalent CPython code, Seq attains a performance improvement of up to two orders of magnitude, and a 160× improvement once domain-specific language features and optimizations are used. With parallelism, we demonstrate up to a 650× improvement. Compared to optimized C++ code, which is already difficult for most biologists to produce, Seq frequently attains up to a 2× improvement, and with shorter, cleaner code. Thus, Seq opens the door to an age of democratization of highly-optimized bioinformatics software.
Which Styles of Teaching and Learning Are Effective for Students? – Students' Perspective

Across the nations, institutes of higher education face the problem of retaining and graduating students, predominantly in STEM fields. Computer Science in particular can be isolating for students, and it is argued that CS courses fail because they are boring and hard-to-understand. To address these issues, a number of teaching methods have been proposed and tested such as active learning, hybrid learning, and social learning. However, these approaches do not always consider students with varying cognitive skills. Applying one type of teaching method might not be appropriate for all. To address this issue, educators are trying to discover promising teaching techniques that could be beneficial for cognitively diverse students, with an aim to improve student-learning outcomes and to increase retention rates. In this study, a blended teaching method is introduced where various teaching methods are combined and tested to an undergraduate computer science course. The approaches considered are a) face-to-face lecture with slides, animation, videos and white board demonstrations, b) active learning with online quizzes, c) classroom activity mainly solving algorithmic problems, and d) a semester-long coding project. The results show that the mixture of various learning styles are effective, especially in-class activities along with face-to-face instructions. The subjective evaluation reveals that 26% students learned as expected, 31% students learned more than expected and 40% students mentioned they had learned a lot.