cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship between mosquito communities and land use: a study using 3S technology and redundancy analysis

Objective To establish the relationship between mosquito fauna as well as population densities and land use for providing reference for the early warning and surveillance of mosquitoes using 3S technology.MethodsFrom March to December in 2010-2011, a sampling was conducted on the mosquito communities in the construction land, rural land, wetland, forest land, and farmland in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China. The surface objects of construction land, farm land, green land, wetland, static water body, and livestock in the 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, and 400 m buffer areas of each study site were analyzed by 3S technology(Remote Sensing, Geography Information Systems, and Global Positioning Systems). The relationship between mosquito communities and land use was determined by redundancy analysis(RDA) using Canoco 4.53.ResultsThe Monte Carlo permutation test confirmed the statistical significance of the relationship between mosquitoes and environment variables determined by RDA(axisⅠ:F=42.198,P=0.002; total axis:F=17.616,P=0.002). The sum of all canonical eigenvalues was the highest(0.889) for the mosquito communities and the land use in the 250 m buffer area of study site. The forward selection analysis showed that mosquito communities were significantly correlated with the construction land, livestock, farm land, green land, and wetland(P0.01), but had no significant correlation with the static water body(P0.05). The RDA biplot showed that Culex pipiens pallenswas significantly positively correlated with the wetland,Cx. tritaeniorhynchus,Anopheles sinensis, and Armigeres subalbatuswere significantly positively correlated with the livestock(farm land),Ar. subalbatuswas significantly positively correlated with the farm land(livestock), andAedes albopictuswas significantly positively correlated with the construction land.ConclusionPredominant mosquito species have significant correlation with land use features, and 3S technology can be used for the early warning and surveillance of dominant mosquito species at the target areas. In Wuxi, the land use is significantly associated with specific mosquito communities, which should be taken into consideration in formulating strategies and practices for mosquito management.
LYSP100-associated nuclear domains (LANDs): description of a new class of subnuclear structures and their relationship to PML nuclear bodies.

The PML gene is fused to the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR alpha) gene in t(15;17) acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), creating a PML-RAR alpha fusion oncoprotein. The PML gene product has been localized to subnuclear dot-like structures variously termed PODs, ND10s, Kr bodies, or PML nuclear bodies (PML NBs). The present study describes the cloning of a lymphoid-restricted gene, LYSP100, that is homologous to another protein that localizes to PML NBs, SP100. In addition to SP100 homology regions, one LYSP100 cDNA isoform contains a bromodomain and a PHD/TTC domain, which are present in a variety of transcriptional regulatory proteins. By immunofluorescence, LYSP100 was localized to nuclear dots that were surprisingly largely nonoverlapping with PML NBs. However, a minority of LYSP100 nuclear dots exactly colocalized with PML and SP100. We term the LYSP100 structures “LANDs,” for LYSP100- associated nuclear domains. Although LYSP100 is expressed only in lymphoid cells, LANDs could be visualized in HeLa cells by transfection of a LYSP100 cDNA. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed LANDs to be globular, electron-dense structures morphologically distinct from the annular structures characteristic of PML NBs. LANDs were most often found in the nucleoplasm, but were also found at the nuclear membrane and in the cytoplasm, suggesting that these structures may traffic between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. By double-immunogold labeling of PML and LYSP100, some LANDs were shown to contain both PML and LYSP100. Thus, PML is localized to a second subnuclear domain that is morphologically and biochemically distinct from PML NBs.
Diagnosis and treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage

INTRODUCTION Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the main hypertensive mechanism occurring as the consequence of structural changes in the small perforating vessels of the cerebral hemispheres and brain stem. DEVELOPMENT These vascular lesions cause deeply situated hemorrhages in the cerebral hemispheres (basal grey nuclei and thalamus) and brain stem (pons); less common sites are in the subcortical white matter and cerebellum. There are many non-hypertensive causes of ICH including: amyloid cerebral angiopathy, vascular malformations, intracranial tumours, the use of anticoagulant and fibrinolytic agents, sympthomimetic drugs and vasculitis. These conditions usually cause hemorrhages situated in the subcortical white matter (lobar), some predominantly in the elderly (amyloid cerebral angiopathy) and others mainly in the young (vascular malformations and consumption of sympathomimetic drugs). Radiological diagnosis of ICH is easily made on computerized tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) gives additional data such as the stage of evolution of the hemorrhage and its possible causes (vascular malformations, underlying tumours). The therapeutic managements of ICH includes: immediate emergency treatment (the need for endotracheal intubation, control of the blood pressure) and the management of the conditions causing ICH (coagulation disorders, detection of toxic substances such as cocaine and other sympathomimetic agents); treatment of intracranial hypertension (hyperventilation, osmotic diuretics, barbiturate coma); the decision to proceed to surgery (reserved for patients with cerebellar bleeding accompanied by supratentorial hydrocephalus, lobar hemorrhage of intermediate size together with progressive neurological deterioration and signs of a space occupying lesion on CT, and ventriculostomy for thalamic or caudate nucleus bleeding with hydrocephalus.
Elevated blood pressure: Our family's fault? The genetics of essential hypertension.

AIM: To provide an updated review on current genetic aspects possibly affecting essential hypertension (EH), and to further elucidate their role in EH. METHODS: We searched for genetic and epigenetic factors in major studies associated with EH between Jan 2008-Oct 2013 using PubMed. We limited our search to reviews that discussed mostly human studies, and were accessible through the university online resource. We found 11 genome wide association studies (GWAS), as well as five methylation and three miRNA studies that fit our search criteria. A distinction was not made between genes with protective effects or negative effects, as this article is only meant to be a summary of genes associated with any aspect of EH. RESULTS: We found 130 genes from the studies that met our inclusion/exclusion criteria. Of note, genes with multiple study references include: STK39, CYP17A1, MTHFR-NPPA, MTHFR-NPPB, ATP2B1, CSK, ZNF652, UMOD, CACNB2, PLEKHA7, SH2B3, TBX3-TBX5, ULK4, CSK-ULK3, CYP1A2, NT5C2, CYP171A, PLCD3, SH2B3, ATXN2, CACNB2, PLEKHA7, SH2B3, TBX3-TBX5, ULK4, and HFE. The following genes overlapped between the genetic studies and epigenetic studies: WNK4 and BDKRB2. Several of the identified genes were found to have functions associated with EH. Many epigenetic factors were also correlated with EH. Of the epigenetic factors, there were no articles discussing siRNA and its effects on EH that met the search criteria, thus the topic was not included in this review. Among the miRNA targets found to be associated with EH, many of the genes involved were also identified in the GWAS studies. CONCLUSION: Genetic hypertension risk algorithms could be developed in the future but may be of limited benefit due to the multi-factorial nature of EH. With emerging technologies, like next-generation sequencing, more direct causal relationships between genetic and epigenetic factors affecting EH will likely be discovered creating a tremendous potential for personalized medicine using pharmacogenomics.
New ballistic products and technologies

Publisher Summary Today's armor systems involve a combination of materials typically including a ceramic or metallic frontal layer followed by multi-layered, fiber reinforced laminates or fabric structures. This chapter describes each of these material subsets. Manufacturing processes would influence not only the final cost, but also the final performance of the system. The interface (bondline) between these two primary layers has an effect, not only on the initial projectile impact performance, but quite a pronounced influence on damage mitigation and tile retention, which similarly influence the subsequent hit performance. The system architecture is important not only from a ballistic efficiency viewpoint, but also for how to attach, repair, and upgrade it onto the armored platform. System architecture includes such variables as thickness ratios, lateral dimensions and confinement, cover layers, reinforcement arrangement, dimensional tolerances, adhesion and surface treatments, sequencing or layering properties, and others. Material availability would be important when large military procurements are needed, especially in the short term. So what is best is not always the lightest or highest protection level. What is procured is always some compromise between all of these aspects, and more.
Post-Modern Politics

Post-modernism is to art what post-structuralism is to philosophy and social theory. The two came into being at about the same time, with post-modernism emerging in the late 1960s, as structuralism was moulting into post-structuralism. It is the name for a movement in advanced capitalist culture, particularly in the arts that emphasizes irony, pastiche, allegory, and the fake, readymade, and constructed character of art. Cynical regarding the progressivist dreams of modernism, which hoped to shape the cultural world in the image of technology, industry and science, post-modernism is resolutely ironic regarding the enabling myths of art, culture, society, and philosophy. In philosophy, it disposes of the master narratives of marxism and modernism alike, and in art, the emphasis shifts from expression or content to form or style. The metaphoric substitution of a meaning for signs gives way to the sheer contiguity, random and unpredictable, of forms.
Defect Theory for Prime Ideals and Dress"s Induction Theorem

It is due to Thevenaz that a large part of Puig"s theory of pointed groups carries over to the context of Green functors for finite groups, where here maximal ideals play the role of points in the G-algebra situation. The objective of this paper is to generalize the results further to a situation where one replaces maximal ideals by prime ideals. Moreover, we show that also Puig"s version of Sylow"s first theorem for local pointed groups can be extended to this situation, and we demonstrate that Dress"s induction theorem is a consequence of this result.
Development path of a Ka-Band Extended Interaction Klystron for space-borne interferometer

An Extended Interaction Klystron (EIK) design has been developed to the support extreme signal stability requirements of space-borne interferometric applications. This is an unprecedented set of requirements for an EIK. In conjunction with the Canadian Space Agency (ASC/CSA)and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Communications and Power Industries, Canada (CPI) advanced this development through testing of a heritage design EIK, testing a dedicated Demonstration Model EIK and an Engineering Model EIK. Each step of testing provided guidance in the development of the EIK Design, finally providing confidence in the EIK's ability to support the needs of the interferometric radar.
Quantitative Measurement of Communication Ability in Children with Angelman Syndrome.

Background Angelman syndrome is a rare disorder in which most individuals do not develop speech. Testing of communication ability using traditional neuropsychological measures reveals a performance level at or near the floor of the instrument resulting in an inability to detect change when experimental therapeutics are applied. Methods Nine individuals, with molecularly confirmed AS, ranging in age from 34 to 126 months, and a single healthy control child (age 16 months) were audio and video-recorded while interacting with a licensed speech-language pathologist in an attempt to elicit vocalization and non-verbal communication. Thirty-minute audio recordings were transcribed and categorized per the Stark Assessment of Early Vocal Development-Revised and a phonetic inventory was created. Using video recordings, gestures were classified by function, either behavioral regulation or social interaction and further categorized as deictic or representational (i.e., behavioral regulation) and joint attention or shared engagement (i.e., social interaction). Results The range of vocalizations produced by the children with AS was characteristic of children between 0–6 months and none of the children with AS used advanced forms of vocalizations. The mean frequency of reflexive vocalizations, control of phonation and expansion far exceeded the number of uses of canonical syllables, consistant with the characteristics of children around 12 months of age. Most vocalizations were either laughter or isolated vowels, only three children with AS produced consonant-vowel combinations. Children with AS tended to use central and low vowels with few producing high vowels, suggesting the presence of childhood apraxia of speech. Conclusion Our results show the utilization of video-recorded behavioral observations provides a feasible and reliable alternative for quantification of communication ability in this patient population and may be employed during future clinical studies of potential therapeutics.
Cycle-averaged models of cardiovascular dynamics

Abstract Time-varying ventricular elastance models have been used extensively in the past to simulate the pulsatile nature of cardiovascular waveforms. Frequently, however, one is interested in dynamics that occur over longer timescales in which case a detailed simulation of each cardiac contraction becomes computationally burdensome. In this paper, we apply circuit-averaging techniques to a simplified lumped-parameter model of the cardiovascular system. The resultant cycle-averaged model is linear and time invariant, and greatly reduces the computational burden. It is also amenable to systemic order reduction methods that lead to further efficiencies. Despite its simplicity, the averaged model captures the dynamics relevant to the representation of a range of cardiovascular reflex mechanisms.
Abstract 17277: Myocardial Rescue by Mesenchymal Stem Cell via Tunneling Nanotube Formation

Objectives: Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) shows promising therapeutic potentials for heart diseases in numerous animal studies and clinical trials. The cardiogenic transdifferentiation and paracrine factors delivery of MSCs are generally accepted mechanisms for myocardial rescue. Recent studies suggest that the rescue may also be achieved by direct delivery of subcellular organelles such as mitochondria. Tunneling nanotube (TNT) formation between MSCs and various damaged cell types has been observed both in vitro and in vivo for assisting organelle transfer. Based on our recent observation in a cell patterning-based in vitro assay, it is found that mitochondria are transferred from MSCs to neonatal cardiomyocytes (NCMs) through TNTs to enhance myocyte survival. Adequate investigation of hetero-paired TNTs is hampered by their random formation in standard cell culture and the difficulty of capturing them in vivo. Accordingly, a PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) biochip-based coculture model was microfabricated to enable more consistent examination of TNT formation and mitochondrial transfer. Methods: Rat MSC (GFP tagged in green) and 3-day NCMs (w or w/0 treatment of 1 μg/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) were introduced into a two-channel microfluidics-based biochip (Figure 1A) microfabricated with PDMS, and TNTs were guided to form in microchannels between the two cell types. The numbers of TNT formed between MSC and LPS treated or untreated NCM were counted per biochip after 24 hours coculturing. Then the sample was stained with annexin V to evaluate the cardiac stress of NCMs. Results and Discussion: It was observed that mitochondria were transferred unidirectionally from MSCs to NCMs via TNT (Figure 1B), irrespective of the TNT’s direction of formation. NCMs in stressed conditions triggered more TNT formation in red of annexin V staining with MSCs than the control (Figure 1C). It suggests that a rescue effect may be produced by TNT-mediated mitochondrial transfer.
Validity of the instrument transfer function for fringe projection metrology

When fringe projection profilometry is used for measuring texture on rough surfaces, the measurement resolution is subject to the spatial frequency response of the instrument. The instrument transfer function (ITF) is a good metric to quantify this property. A valid ITF analysis requires the system to be linear. In this paper, we investigate the validity of using ITF to characterize the spatial resolution of a fringe projection system. Approximate linearity is shown through a mathematical analysis and simulation. We also demonstrate a practical method for measuring ITF using a stepped surface. The measured ITF is compared with an ITF prediction, which is simulated with a theoretical model.
The Entry and Exit Flow into a Slit

The stress-distribution at the entry and exit of a cylindrical capillary is as yet not completely known, even if technologically important phenomena, such as the so-called “melt-fracture” occur in or near them. Here the results of both a theoretical and experimental investigation (using birefringence) are described, resulting in some quantitative relations for a slit and Newtonian liquids, as a first approximation to capillary flow.
Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Ownership Parcels and Forest Cover in three Counties of Northern Lower Michigan USA, CA. 1970 to 1990

This chapter explores the relationship between land ownership subdivision and forest fragmentation to better understand the ways humans and forests have interacted in a temperate forest region in the North Central USA. Geographic information technologies were used to assess the dynamics of landscape configuration of private land ownerships and forest habitats in three forested counties over a 20-year period. Spatial and temporal patterns of land parcel subdivision were analyzed using digitized plat maps, while patterns of forest cover and forest cover change were assessed using digital remotely sensed data. Changes in land parcel subdivision and forest cover were observed in an area surrounding a small and growing central place, and their coincident patterns were used to evaluate the degree to which these phenomena are linked. The results show no direct connection between fragmentation of ownerships and that of forests. This finding highlights the complex interactions that govern landscape change, and indicate a need for new models that incorporate growing “footloose” populations, that is populations whose livelihoods are not directly tied to the land on which they reside.
Cloud fraction at the ARM SGP site. Instrument and sampling considerations from 14 years of ARSCL

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site has a rich history of actively sensed cloud observations. Fourteen years (1997–2010) of observations from the Millimeter Cloud Radar (MMCR), Micropulse Lidar (MPL), and Belfort/Vaisala Ceilometers are used to understand how instrument selection and sampling impacts estimates of Cloud Fraction (CF) at this location. Although all instruments should be used in combination for the best estimates of CF, instrument downtime limits available samples and increases observational errors, demanding that users make sacrifices when calculating CF at longer intervals relevant to climate studies. Selection of MMCR or MMCR + MPL cloud masks changes very little in the overall understanding of total CF. Addition of the MPL increases the 14-year average CF by 9 %, mainly through an increase in optically thin high clouds year-round, and mid-level clouds during the summer months. Splitting the period into two equal 7-year periods reveals negligible change in MMCR + MPL CF. For the MMCR, however, CF deceases by 6.1 %. This sudden change in CF occurs around the time the radar was upgraded, suggesting that this decrease is tied to hardware sensitivity or scanning strategy changes. Users must be cognizant of this and other issues when calculating CF from the variety of observations available at the ARM SGP site.
Oxidation, inflammation, and aortic valve calcification peroxide paves an osteogenic path.

Arterial calcification increasingly afflicts our aging populace ([1][1]). Approximately 2% of individuals over age 65 years will require aortic valve replacement (AVR) for calcific aortic stenosis ([1][1]). On the basis of recent epidemiologic studies ([2][2]), the increasing prevalence of metabolic
Blissful Devolution: Our Rolling Judgment Day

Let me sketch out here my vision of the cloistered cornucopia of AD 2100: Management of Planet Earth is entirely rationalized. Nature still nurtures. Artificial intelligence is history. The Machine has met its Master. The rich are enraptured. The poor are happy. The ducks of demography are all in a row. Never more is heard the discouraging word. Welcome to my sanguine vision of our future totalitarian utopia .
The Role of the Physiatrist in the Acute Hospital

The practice of physiatry in an acute hospital setting is evolving into a new system of care. Responding to unpredictable and unregulated health care reforms, the physiatrist’s traditional role as clinician, administrator, educator, and researcher is going through a metamorphosis. There is a sense of urgency in dealing with the three Ms: Medicare, Medicaid, and managed care. To survive and continue to thrive, physiatrists are shifting their paradigms of practice.
Dynamic Diffusion Maps-based Path Planning for Real-time Collision Avoidance of Mobile Robots

Given a route to a destination, a mobile robot still needs to locally plan a path to avoid collisions in continuously changing environment, e.g., a hall with pedestrians and moving obstacles. In this paper, diffusion maps are applied to find a local path for reaching a goal and avoiding collisions simultaneously. The proposed path planning algorithm plans a local path by utilizing a receding horizon approach, and therefore the algorithm repeats planning at every sample time. With this approach, mobile robots do not have to carry a prior map all the time because updated environment information is used for planning at every sample time. Extensive simulation is performed in different scenarios and demonstrates a good performance in collision avoidance.
A Risk Informed Task Planning Framework for Humanoid Robots in Hazardous Environments

This paper presents a generalized method to evaluate risks associated with humanoid robots executing manipulation tasks. Risks are defined as the product of probability, the likelihood of an event occurring, and severity, the resulting magnitude of harm should it occur. Rather than try to reduce the probability of failure events to zero, the objective of this work is to allow an experienced operator/supervisor to define if some failures are worse than others. In doing so, this allows the operator to judge whether high risk motions are necessary for the task at hand. Utilizing NASA's humanoid robot Valkyrie, our framework is demonstrated in both simulation and on the physical robot, with a pick and place task. We show that our method is capable of predicting failures for given motions based on their calculated risk.
The Time Is Now for Mandatory Liver-Focused Clinical Experiences in Medical School

The national burden of chronic liver disease is steadily increasing and is only expected to worsen with the ongoing obesity and opioid epidemics fueling growth in the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and a resurgence of new hepatitis C infections. Our letter highlights the disparity between the rising prevalence of chronic liver disease and the proportion of medical students who receive exposure to patients with liver disease as part of their medical education. A more comprehensive survey of clerkship directors is needed to further corroborate this data, which may lead to reforms in medical school curricula to better address the expanding burden of chronic liver disease.
Supporting Survivors: The Roles of Rape Myths and Feminism in University Resident Assistants’ Response to Sexual Assault Disclosure Scenarios

Sexual assault is a widespread and deleterious issue on U.S. college campuses. Resident assistants (RAs) in university housing are in a unique position to support students who experience sexual assault. RAs’ typical job roles, U.S. federal laws (e.g., Title IX), and institutional policies require them to respond to disclosures in particular ways, for instance, by providing emotional support and referring survivors to resources. These responses to disclosures can affect survivors’ well-being—positively and negatively—but help providers do not always respond consistently. The current study examined how feminist beliefs and rape myth acceptance (RMA) predicted RAs’ provision of material support (i.e., referring survivors to the campus sexual assault center) and emotional support (e.g., empathizing, consoling) in response to sexual assault disclosure scenarios. Data were collected from 300 undergraduate RAs at a large U.S. university. Results indicated that RAs with stronger feminist beliefs were significantly more likely to provide material support. Conversely, RAs with higher RMA were less likely to provide material and emotional support. An interaction between gender and RMA illustrated that men with higher RMA were least likely to provide material support. These findings demonstrate the need for improved training for RAs, as well as other first responders, around rape myths and responses to sexual assault.
Estimating potential air quality impact of airports on children attending the surrounding schools

Abstract To estimate the pollution impact of seven sample airports in California on the surrounding schools, routine high-quality observations of 1-min average wind direction and speed at the airports were used to calculate the time each school within a 10-km radius was downwind of each airport. We demonstrate 0.87 correlation between pollution levels and downwind time at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Depending on the airport size, between 10 and 15 years of data was collected and downwind times calculated for the school hours throughout the school-months of August to June. By comparing this data with the 2015–2016 student enrollment size and demographics of the neighboring schools, we have demonstrated that an estimated 65,409 (8.7%) students spend 1–6 h per day at school throughout the academic year with exposure to airport-related air pollution. However, a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students (10.6%) experience aforementioned levels of exposure. The level of exposure does not appear to be affected by the proposed 1-h delay in the school starting time that is intended to reduce student fatigue.
Assessment and treatment of high-risk challenging behavior of adolescents with autism in an aquatic setting

Aquatic-based activities produce positive skill and health benefits for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); however, aquatic contexts, such as the pool, introduce the risk of injury and drowning. This risk is heightened when individuals with ASD engage in challenging behavior in the pool context. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of differential reinforcement without extinction for 2 participants diagnosed with ASD who engaged in challenging behavior when asked to transition from the pool. The treatment successfully decreased participants' transition latencies and challenging behavior during transitions from the pool for up to 2 months following treatment. Lifeguard staff rated the procedures as highly acceptable and helpful, and noted high degrees of satisfaction with improvements for each participant's behavior.
Trainable Robotic Arm for Disability Assistance

The field of personal robotic aids is expanding and, as a result, the ways in which to control these futuristic assistants is becoming greatly important. This paper aims to develop a trainable robotic arm that can be used to help the physically impaired. To ensure a user friendly environment, the operation of the robotic arm was organized to employ a minimal amount of steps. As part of developing this prototype, two main parameters were tested. The first was the time it takes for the robotic arm to replicate its trained task and the second was accuracy with which tasks were performed. Through the analysis of these results, it was concluded that the presented robotic arm has the potential to improve the quality of life for people with physical disabilities.
Adolescent Sex and Psyche in Brazil: Surveillance, Critique and Global Mental Health

Drawing on a historical ethnography conducted in Southern Brazil, this article explores how public health programs for adolescent reproductive and mental health have emerged in Brazil and begun to intersect with the growing field of “global mental health” (GMH). The story I recount begins not in the 2010s with the rapid rise of expert interest in adolescent health within GMH, but in the 1990s, the decade when young teens in Brazil were first coming into contact with practices and approaches in research, schools and clinics that have both underpinned and critiqued the production of an adolescent mental and reproductive health sub-field. In parsing what young women’s encounters with the then newly-emerging questionnaires, measurement tools, school-based programs and clinical practices came to mean to them, I use a genealogical approach to consider how histories of education reform, population control, psychoanalysis, social medicine, the transition to democracy, feminism and grass-roots politics all entered the fold, shaping the way adolescent sex-and-psyche materialized as a contested object of expertise. I end by exploring what this case can teach global mental health advocates and social theorists about practices of critique.
AdaTransform: Adaptive Data Transformation

Data augmentation is widely used to increase data variance in training deep neural networks. However, previous methods require either comprehensive domain knowledge or high computational cost. Can we learn data transformation automatically and efficiently with limited domain knowledge? Furthermore, can we leverage data transformation to improve not only network training but also network testing? In this work, we propose adaptive data transformation to achieve the two goals. The AdaTransform can increase data variance in training and decrease data variance in testing. Experiments on different tasks prove that it can improve generalization performance.
Assessing the cognitive and communicative properties of Facebook Reactions and Likes as lightweight feedback cues

The emergence of Facebook Reactions provides new opportunities to explore the nature of paralinguistic digital affordances (PDAs; lightweight one-click social media response cues). Guided by adaptive structuration theory and the concept of cognitive automaticity, a survey of 255 individuals aged 18–24 assessed the cognitive processes and communicative meanings associated with the provision of Facebook Reactions and Likes. Although Like and Reaction cues (excluding Angry) were all identified as more literal in meaning than not, specific results indicated: (a) Likes were perceived more faithfully than Reactions; (b) the Like and Love cues were labeled as the most faithful; and (c) Reactions were perceived as more deliberate and less automatic communicative behaviors than Likes. Collective results suggest social media platforms that offer multiple one-click response cues (e.g., Facebook) can afford different communicative opportunities than platforms with a single PDA response option, presenting challenges for future cross-platform research addressing lightweight response cues.
Has Technology Increased Agricultural Yield Risk? Evidence from the Crop Insurance Biotech Endorsement

The conventional wisdom that technological advances in seed breeding and genetic modification of corn traits have lowered yield risk has recently been challenged by research that argues that the converse is true. The implications of this research have been applied to models of climate change and have led to the conclusion that these advances have actually increased agronomic risk, such that climate change is asserted to raise important concerns regarding the stability and viability of agricultural output in the future. In a large body of empirical work, the argument is based upon assertions that corn yields have become more sensitive to weather stresses. This increased sensitivity has coincided with the introduction of a variety of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the 1990s and 2000s. We use corn yields and data from the US federal crop insurance program to evaluate these claims. An initial examination of yield responses to droughts in 1988 and 2012 suggests more robust yields in the latter period, in spite of very comparable weather stresses. We next consider side‐by‐side data collected under the Biotech Endorsement (BE) to the federal crop insurance program between 2008 and 2011. This endorsement provided substantial discounts for growers using certain GE hybrids, reflecting policymakers' beliefs that these hybrids had lower yield risk. We find that risk, as measured by the rate of indemnities paid per units insured, was significantly lower for crops insured under the BE. We also find that the difference in risk tends to be greater when growing conditions are less favorable.
Chapter 5 – Water Quality

Publisher Summary Water has always played a key role as a vehicle for the transmission of pathogens transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Several produce outbreaks have been known or suspected to have arisen from contamination in the field, suggesting contamination by irrigation or during handling. The microbial quality of irrigation water depends on the source of the water and contamination as it is transmitted through the distribution system. Contamination of produce may also occur through the use of contaminated water to apply pesticides, fertilizers, washing, hydrocooling, handwashing, and icing. It has been observed that use of contaminated hand wash water, resulting from multiple use by different individuals, can result in hand contamination by enteric bacteria. Furthermore, use of fecally contaminated water for application of pesticides or in wash water may lead to produce contamination. Although the percentage of pathogen transfer from contaminated water to produce by some types of irrigation methods (e.g., drip irrigation) may be low, risks can still be considered significant because of the low numbers of some enteric pathogens, such as viruses, necessary to cause infection. Meaningful standards for indicator bacteria that better assess the risk of produce contamination and risk of infection to the consumer need to be developed.
Cross-Level Mediation in School-Randomized Studies of Teacher Development: Experimental Design and Power

Professional development for teachers is regarded as one of the principal pathways through which we can understand and cultivate effective teaching and improve student outcomes. A critical componen...
Resection of a Large Thoracic Schwannoma: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Spinal schwannomas most likely occur at the thoracic level and within the intradural extramedullary compartment. They are benign, typically slow-growing, peripheral nerve sheath tumors that produce symptoms by displacing or compressing the nerve roots and spinal cord. There is an association with patients that have neurofibromatosis type 2. Surgical pearls including the utilization of intraoperative ultrasound for localization, D wave monitoring, and microsurgical dissection are demonstrated. Pertinent high-yield radiographic and histological features of schwannomas are reviewed.1-4 We report the case of a 59-yr-old female who presented with progressively worsening gait instability that was associated with lower extremity numbness progressing to weakness. She had myelopathic findings on examination, which included brisk patellar reflexes and persistent clonus with sensory changes to the umbilicus and mild leg weakness. Full body examination revealed no stigmata of neurofibromatosis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the neuroaxis demonstrated a large, intradural extramedullary mass with peripheral enhancement that spanned the T9 to T11 vertebral levels with severe compression of the spinal cord. There were no intracranial, cervical, or lumbar findings. Surgical intervention was planned with the following objectives: decompression of the neural elements, curative resection, and diagnosis. Patient consent for the procedure was obtained. Institutional Review Board approval for solitary case reports are not needed at our institution.
Bidirectional Associative Memories: Unsupervised Hebbian Learning to Bidirectional Backpropagation

Bidirectional associative memories (BAMs) pass neural signals forward and backward through the same web of synapses. Earlier BAMs had no hidden neurons and did not use supervised learning. They tuned their synaptic weights with unsupervised Hebbian or competitive learning. Two-layer feedback BAMs always converge to fixed-point equilibria for threshold or threshold-like neurons. Every rectangular connection matrix is bidirectionally stable. These simpler BAMs extend to arbitrary hidden layers with supervised learning if the resulting bidirectional backpropagation algorithm uses the proper layer likelihood in the forward and backward directions. Bidirectional backpropagation lets users run deep classifiers and regressors in reverse as well as forward. Bidirectional training exploits pattern and synaptic information that forward-only running ignores.
A study in a tape casting based stereolithography apparatus: Role of layer thickness and casting shear rate

Abstract Stereolithography process is predominated by vat based printers, which require the use of low viscosity materials. In this study, a configuration derived from tape casting is used, which allows for printing viscous materials. The role of layer thickness and casting shear rate on the dimensional control, surface roughness, and microstructure texture of printed objects were investigated. This included an examination of the thixotropic and flow behaviors of a highly concentrated alumina suspension. The results showed that the adhesion between layers improved using a high energy dose with thicker layers, but the lateral resolution was reduced. The surface roughness improved using thinner layers with low energy dose at fixed cure depth to layer thickness ratio. The applied shear rates showed no effect on dimensional control.
Characterization of Dielectric and Piezoelectric Properties of Ferroelectric AlScN Thin Films

The present work explores the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of ferroelectric scandium-doped aluminum nitride (AlScN) thin films. Films in a range from 20 to 500 nm are fabricated with scandium (Sc) percentages of 28%, 31%, and 36%. The rocking curves, piezoelectric coefficient d 33 , butterfly curves, capacitance and loss tangent versus voltage are characterized for different thicknesses and Sc percentage combinations. Additionally, the capacitance variation for different scandium concentrations is modeled to showcase the possibility of using AlScN thin films as varactors in a impedance matching network capable of canceling out inductance variations of up to 10%. Thus, the present work furthers the characterization efforts for AlScN ferroelectric films and steps towards transitioning them towards multi-functional platforms in for RF networks.
A Reusable and Adaptable Software Architecture for Embedded Space Flight System: The Core Flight Software System (CFS)

The contents include the following: High availability. Hardware is in harsh environment. Flight processor (constraints) very widely due to power and weight constraints. Software must be remotely modifiable and still operate while changes are being made. Many custom one of kind interfaces for one of a kind missions. Sustaining engineering. Price of failure is high, tens to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Chemical fluxes from sediments in two Adirondack wetlands: effects of an acid-neutralization experiment.

As a strategy of acid deposition mitigation, the application of neutralizing agents to hydrologic source areas has received substantial attention for the past decade. To compare mass balance-determined fluxes with field measurements at the sediment-water interface, we used benthic enclosures to determine chemical fluxes from the sediments of a reference beaver pond (no chemical treatment) and a beaver pond within the watershed of an acid-neutralization experiment (CaCO 3 treatment). Baseline O 2 -consumption rates, the effects of reacidification, and the effects of CaCO 3 and CaCl 2 additions were determined. Oxygen consumption rates in pond sediments were higher in the CaCO 3 -treated wetland, indicating stimulation of microbial activity and the subsequent enhancement of organic-matter decomposition. In the reference wetland, anoxia was followed by the sequential consumption of NO 3 - and SO 4 2- , basic cation (C 8 ) and Fe 2+ release, and the production of acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC), while the release of Ca 2+ from cation-exchange sites dominated ANC in the treated wetland. Reacidification of CaCO 3 -treated sediments caused an immediate increase in Al concentration in the water column, initially in the inorganic monomeric form (Al IM ), followed by increasing concentrations of the organic monomeric form (Al OM ). Hydrolysis of Al inputs from upland drainage, complexation of Al with dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and the formation of less toxic Al OM were all observed. Our evidence reveals that these sediments may act as sinks for inputs of strong acid anions (e.g., SO 4 2- and NO 3 - ) from atmospheric deposition, and as sinks and transformation zones for Al associated with acidic upland drainage.
An Application of Buyer Behavior Research: Marketing Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Research on industrial buying behavior and channel dynamics can be readily applied to the marketing of vocational rehabilitation services. The result of such an approach is a more efficient process for providing disabled persons with rehabilitative services which also meet the needs of employing organizations.
The phoenix recovery system: rebuilding from the ashes of an internet catastrophe

The Internet today is highly vulnerable to \emph{Internet catastrophes}: events in which an exceptionally successful Internet pathogen, like a worm or email virus, causes data loss on a significant percentage of the computers connected to the Internet. In this paper, we explore the feasibility of using data redundancy, a model of dependent host vulnerabilities, and distributed storage to ensure data survives such events. In particular, we motivate the design of a cooperative, peer-to-peer remote backup system called the \Phoenix\ recovery system, and we argue that \Phoenix\ is a compelling architecture for providing a convenient and effective approach for tolerating Internet catastrophes. Our key observation that makes \Phoenix\ both feasible and practical is that an Internet catastrophe, like any large-scale Internet attack, exploits shared vulnerabilities. Hence, the replication mechanism should take the dependencies of host failures---in this case, host diversity---into account. Using a simulation model we show that, by doing informed placement of replicas, \Phoenix\ provide highly reliable and available cooperative backup and recovery with low overhead: with as few as 2 replicas, the system can backup and recover at least the equivalent of 20\% of storage contributed by each host in the system.
Triaxial degenerate dwarfs and pulsing X-ray sources

It is shown that triaxial configurations for rotating degenerate dwarfs consisting entirely of fluid are not limited to forms analogous to the Jacobi ellipsoids. Arguments are presented which rule out only the specialized class of uniformly rotating analogs of the Jacobi ellipsoid for some degenerate dwarfs. Several ways of forming triaxial degenerate dwarfs are examined along with the characteristic lifetimes of such objects. Noting that some of the alternative forms may exist in mass-transfer binary systems, consideration is given to the secondaries in Her X-1 and Cen X-3. It is suggested that the secondary in Her X-1 must be close to an analog of a Dedekind ellipsoid, and plausible triaxial white-dwarf configurations are proposed for the secondary in Cen X-3.
An interpretable stroke prediction model using rules and Bayesian analysis

We aim to produce predictive models that are not only accurate, but are also interpretable to human experts. We introduce a generative model called the Bayesian List Machine for fitting decision lists, a type of interpretable classifier, to data. We use the model to predict stroke in atrial fibrillation patients, and produce predictive models that are simple enough to be understood by patients yet significantly outperform the medical scoring systems currently in use.
IL-21 promotes the production of anti-DNA IgG but is dispensable for kidney damage in lyn-/- mice.

The autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus is characterized by loss of tolerance to nuclear Ags and a heightened inflammatory environment, which together result in end organ damage. Lyn-deficient mice, a model of systemic lupus erythematosus, lack an inhibitor of B-cell and myeloid cell activation. This results in B-cell hyper-responsiveness, plasma cell accumulation, autoantibodies, and glomerulonephritis (GN). IL-21 is associated with autoimmunity in mice and humans and promotes B-cell differentiation and class switching. Here, we explore the role of IL-21 in the autoimmune phenotypes of lyn–/– mice. We find that IL-21 mRNA is reduced in the spleens of lyn–/–IL-6–/– and lyn–/–Btklo mice, neither of which produce pathogenic autoantibodies or develop significant GN. While IL-21 is dispensable for plasma cell accumulation and IgM autoantibodies in lyn–/– mice, it is required for anti-DNA IgG antibodies and some aspects of T-cell activation. Surprisingly, GN still develops in lyn–/–IL-21–/– mice. This likely results from the presence of IgG autoantibodies against a limited set of non-DNA Ags. These studies identify a specific role for IL-21 in the class switching of anti-DNA B cells and demonstrate that neither IL-21 nor anti-DNA IgG is required for kidney damage in lyn–/– mice.