cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examination and evaluation on malaria elimination in Baise City

OBJECTIVE To analyze the assessment results and summary the work experience of malaria elimination in Baise City. METHODS According to The malaria elimination evaluation schemes of Guangxi (2014 edition), the examination and evaluation of malaria elimination were carried out and all the results were analyzed in 12 counties (county-level city or district) of Baise City from 2014 to 2015. RESULTS Since 2009, there were no local malaria cases and imported secondary cases in Baise City for the 6 consecutive years, and the detailed data were collected and the self-assessment reports of malaria elimination were written in all the counties. There was no omission or delay of malaria case reports in the 12 counties. The highest score of the examination and evaluation was 96.58 points, the lowest was 90.76 points, and the average was 93.77 points. The biggest impact on the evaluation scores was "on-site examination". CONCLUSIONS All the 12 counties (county-level city or district) of Baise City have passed the municipal examination and evaluation of malaria elimination, and the key of next work is malaria monitoring, timely finding and treating the imported malaria patients, and to guarantee no imported secondary cases.
Transfer of 13 species of the genus Burkholderia to the genus Caballeronia and reclassification of Burkholderia jirisanensis as Paraburkholderia jirisanensis comb. nov.

A recent study of a group of Burkholderia glathei -like bacteria resulted in the description of 13 novel species of the genus Burkholderia . However, our analysis of phylogenetic positions of these species and their molecular signatures (conserved protein sequence indels) showed that they belong to the genus Caballeronia , and we propose to transfer them to this genus. The reclassified species names are proposed as Caballeronia arationis comb. nov., Caballeronia arvi comb. nov., Caballeronia calidae comb. nov., Caballeronia catudaia comb. nov., Caballeronia concitans comb. nov., Caballeronia fortuita comb. nov., Caballeronia glebae comb. nov., Caballeronia hypogeia comb. nov., Caballeronia pedi comb. nov., Caballeronia peredens comb. nov., Caballeronia ptereochthonis comb. nov., Caballeronia temeraria comb. nov. and Caballeronia turbans comb. nov. It is also proposed to reclassify Burkholderia jirisanensis as Paraburkholderia jirisanensis comb. nov. Based on the results of the polyphasic study, B. jirisanensis had been described as a member of the A-group of the genus Burkholderia and the most closely related to Burkholderia rhizosphaerae , Burkholderia humisilvae and Burkholderia solisilvae currently classified as belonging to the genus Paraburkholderia .
Evolving Norms of Corporate Social Responsibility: Lessons from the European Union Experience with Non-Financial Reporting

This article examines an important development in the field of corporate social responsibility, namely the adoption of a 2014 European Union Directive (“2014 EU Directive”) mandating non-financial reporting by certain large companies. Such disclosure has traditionally been provided by businesses on a voluntary basis, but the 2014 EU Directive reflects an emerging global trends toward mandatory reporting. Such trend emerged in response to the perceived low quantity and poor quality of information disclosed voluntarily on social and environmental topics of importance to corporate stakeholders. The author analyzes the history and development of policy and legislation on this issue both at the European Union level and within two Member States that have been leaders in the area of corporate social responsibility reporting, namely France and Denmark. Such analysis draws on literature from the fields of both law and business and is conducted within the larger frame of the global growth of non-financial reporting and the role that such reporting plays as a mechanism to enhance socially responsible behavior by business. An important feature of the 2014 EU Directive is its regulatory approach, which has been called a “smart mix approach” because it introduces an element of government regulation while still allowing businesses to make significant choices about disclosure on a voluntary basis. The author concludes that the 2014 EU Directive may result in a greater quantity of disclosure, but it may not be as successful in achieving the goal of improved quality of such reporting due to fundamental weaknesses in the regulatory approach and content of the 2014 EU Directive, as well as to the lack of preconditions in Member States needed for improved corporate transparency on social and environmental issues. The lessons from the European Union experience detailed in this article may prove useful for countries like the United States, where the development of non-financial reporting has lagged behind other countries.
Anticardiolipin Antibodies and the Risk of Recurrent Thrombo-occlusive Events and Death

We tested the hypothesis that an anticardiolipin antibody (aCL) titer of >or=to10 IgG phospholipid (GPL) at the time of an index ischemic stroke is associated with an increased risk of subsequent thrombo-occlusive events or death. First-time ischemic stroke patients from the Antiphospholipid Antibodies and Stroke Study Group9s Prevalence Study were followed prospectively for a median time of 24 months for any thrombo-occlusive event or death. There was no significant difference for the endpoint of stroke, death, myocardial infarction, transient ischemic attack, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, or arterial embolus between the aCL positive and negative patients. Although a single aCL value of >or=to10 GPL at the time of an initial ischemic stroke is a significant independent risk factor for stroke, when adjusted for other stroke risk factors in our study population, aCL positivity did not confer a significantly increased risk for subsequent thrombo-occlusive events or death. NEUROLOGY 1997;48: 91-94
An Innovative Perioperative Pain Program for Chronic Opioid Users: An Academic Medical Center's Response to the Opioid Crisis.

Increased utilization of prescription opioids for pain management has led to a nationwide public health crisis with alarming rates of addiction and opioid-related deaths. In the surgical setting, o...
CAR T Cells and Other Cellular Therapies for Multiple Myeloma: 2018 Update

Cellular therapies are a rapidly evolving approach to myeloma treatment, which bring a unique mechanism of action with the potential to overcome drug resistance and induce long-term remissions. Two primary approaches are being studied: non–gene-modified strategies, which rely on the endogenous anti-myeloma T-cell repertoire, and gene-modified strategies, which introduce a new T-cell receptor (TCR) or a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) to confer novel antigen specificity. CAR T cells show the greatest activity to date. Multiple antigen targets, including B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), CD19, CD38, CD138, and SLAMF7, are being explored for myeloma, and BCMA has emerged as the most promising. Preliminary data from four phase I studies of BCMA CAR T cells, each using a different CAR construct, that involved 90 evaluable patients with relapsed/refractory disease have been reported. These data show response rates of 60% to 100%, including minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative complete remissions, at effectiv...
Scattering Induced Attenuation of Ultrasonic Backscattering

Scattering induced ultrasonic attenuation offers a simple way to characterize material inhomogeneities. This method has a wide range of applications from tissue characterization [1,2] to ultrasonic NDE, such as grain size measurement in polycrystalline materials [3,4], structural diagnostics in ceramics [5,6], porosity assessment in cast metals [7,8] and composites [9], etc. The scattering induced attenuation of a through transmitted coherent ultrasonic wave can be readily related to certain characteristics of the average inhomogeneity via its total scattering cross-section. In many cases however, ultrasonic attenuation measurement is not feasible except from the backscattered signal. For want of better approximation, the scattering induced attenuation is presumed to have the same relation to the average inhomogeneity as if it were measured by the simpler transmission technique. It was recently reported [10] that this approximation breaks down in porosity assessment, and it probably does not work in many other NDE applications either.
Examining the Antecedents of Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 IT Control Weaknesses: An Empirical Study.

The current research draws on the agency theory, the IT governance literature, and the executive compensation literature to present a theory of the antecedents of IT control weaknesses as reported under Sections 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act. More specifically, this paper examines the association between two categories of governance mechanisms (IT governance mechanisms and IT executive incentive alignment mechanisms) and the disclosure of IT control weaknesses. As for the IT governance mechanisms, the study findings indicate that a lower likelihood of disclosing IT-related control weaknesses is associated with having IT executives with higher levels of structural and expert power and having audit committee and corporate governance committee members with IT expertise. As for the incentive alignment mechanisms, the results indicate that the lower the pay disparity between IT executives and business executives in the top management team, the lower the likelihood of disclosing IT controls weaknesses.
Dimensional structure of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms after cardiac arrest

Abstract Background Considerable evidence suggests that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a heterogeneous construct despite often being treated as a homogeneous diagnostic entity. PTSD in response to cardiac arrest is common and may differ from PTSD following other medical traumas. Most patients are amnesic from the cardiac event, and it is unclear if and how certain PTSD symptoms may manifest. Methods We examined the latent structure of PTSD symptoms in 104 consecutive cardiac arrest survivors who were admitted to Columbia University Medical Center. PTSD symptoms were assessed via the PTSD Checklist-Specific at hospital discharge. We performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to compare 4-factor dysphoria, 4-factor numbing, and 5-factor dysphoric arousal models of PTSD with our data. Results The CFA showed that each of the models had good fit. We chose the 4-factor numbing model (χ2 (113) = 151.59, p Limitations Certain factors were defined by only two items. Additionally, PTSD was assessed at discharge (median = 21 days); those assessed before 30 days could be displaying symptoms of acute stress disorder. Conclusions Our findings suggest that PTSD symptoms after cardiac arrest are best represented by a 4-factor numbing model of PTSD. PTSD assessment and intervention efforts for cardiac arrest survivors should consider the underlying dimensions of PTSD.
The effect of surface vacancies on the interactions of Cl with a α-Fe2O3 (0001) surface and the role of Cl in depassivation

Abstract This study provides molecular insights into the initial stages of Cl-induced depassivation of iron passive film by studying the interactions of Cl with pristine and vacancy surfaces of α-Fe2O3 (0001). Subsurface Cl is found to be less stable than adsorbed Cl which contradicts the ion exchange model that postulates Cl ingress into the passive film. Comparison of vacancy formation energy shows that Cl can enhance the surface Fe vacancy formation, which is consistent with the point defect model. Additionally, the energy difference of vacancies in different oxide layers supports the diffusion direction proposed by the point defect model.
Local Helioseismology of Sunspots: Current Status and Perspectives

Mechanisms of the formation and stability of sunspots are among the longest-standing and intriguing puzzles of solar physics and astrophysics. Sunspots are controlled by subsurface dynamics, hidden from direct observations. Recently, substantial progress in our understanding of the physics of the turbulent magnetized plasma in strong-field regions has been made by using numerical simulations and local helioseismology. Both the simulations and helioseismic measurements are extremely challenging, but it is becoming clear that the key to understanding the enigma of sunspots is a synergy between models and observations. Recent observations and radiative MHD numerical models have provided a convincing explanation for the Evershed flows in sunspot penumbrae. Also, they lead to the understanding of sunspots as self-organized magnetic structures in the turbulent plasma of the upper convection zone, which are maintained by a large-scale dynamics. Local helioseismic diagnostics of sunspots still have many uncertainties, some of which are discussed in this review. However, there have been significant achievements in resolving these uncertainties, verifying the basic results by new high-resolution observations, testing the helioseismic techniques by numerical simulations, and comparing results obtained by different methods. For instance, a recent analysis of helioseismology data from the Hinode space mission has successfully resolved several uncertainties and concerns (such as the inclined-field and phase-speed filtering effects) that might affect the inferences of the subsurface wave-speed structure of sunspots and the flow pattern. It is becoming clear that for the understanding of the phenomenon of sunspots it is important to further improve the helioseismology methods and investigate the whole life cycle of active regions, from magnetic flux emergence to dissipation. The Solar Dynamics Observatory mission has started to provide data for such investigations.
NDVI Versus CNN Features in Deep Learning for Land Cover Clasification of Aerial Images

Agriculture plays a strategic role in the economic development of a country. Appropriate classification of land cover images is vital for planning the right agricultural practices and maintaining sustainable environment. This paper provides methods and analysis for land cover classification of remote sensing images. Satellite images form the input while mapping of every image to a distinct class is obtained as output. The objective is to compare the hand-crafted features based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and feature learning from Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). The rationale of this work is to take advantage of techniques that are illumination invariant. NDVI versus CNN features have been compared on a linear Support Vector Machine (SVM). However, no comparative study has been carried out related to DVI based features and CNN based features on a deep learning classifier. This paper compares the performance of different classifiers and evaluates them based on test accuracy.
The untapped power of generic algorithms

Generic Programming is one of the most exciting programming paradigms to emerge since object orientation. It allows programmers to combine the utility of dynamic data structures and associated operations as they exist in languages like Lisp, Python, and PHP, with the static type safety of modern object-oriented languages. The generic algorithms found in C++'s Standard Template Library give programmers an elegant tool to craft high-level, high-performance, declarative code. The advantage is enhanced code readability, faster time to project completion, and fewer opportunities to introduce bugs.
Pediatric obesity-related asthma: A prototype of pediatric severe non-T2 asthma.

Childhood obesity contributes to many diseases, including asthma. There is literature to suggest that asthma developing as a consequence of obesity has a nonallergic or non-T2 phenotype. In this review, obesity-related asthma is utilized as a prototype of non-T2 asthma in children to discuss several nonallergic mechanisms that underlie childhood asthma. Obesity-related asthma is associated with systemic T helper (Th)1 polarization occurring with monocyte activation. These immune responses are mediated by insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity, that are themselves associated with pulmonary function deficits in obese asthmatics. As in other multifactorial diseases, there is both a genetic and an environmental contribution to pediatric obesity-related asthma. In addition to genetic susceptibility, differential DNA methylation is associated with non-T2 immune responses in pediatric obesity-related asthma. Initial investigations into the biology of non-T2 immune responses have identified the upregulation of genes in the CDC42 pathway. CDC42 is a RhoGTPase that plays a key role in Th cell physiology, including preferential naive Th cell differentiation to Th1 cells, and cytokine production and exocytosis. Although these novel pathways are promising findings to direct targeted therapy development for obesity-related asthma to address the disease burden, there is evidence to suggest that dietary interventions, including diet modification, rather than caloric restriction alone, decrease disease burden. Adoption of a diet rich in micronutrients, including carotenoids and 25-OH cholecalciferol, a vitamin D metabolite, may be beneficial since these are positively correlated with pulmonary function indices, while being protective against metabolic abnormalities associated with the obese asthma phenotype.
Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures: Features and Applications

Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures (ATSPMs) are a driving force to furnish traffic signal controllers with high-solution information logging abilities and use this data to produce performance measures. These measures enable traffic engineers to improve activities just as to keep up and work their frameworks in a protected and effective way. Despite the fact that these measures have changed the manner in which that administrators deal with their frameworks, a few weaknesses of the instrument are an absence of information quality control and the degree of assets required to appropriately utilize the apparatus for framework-wide administration. In this paper we will determine the level of In-Service Performance Evaluation (ISPE), which can be performed while using the existing database of roadside features, such as highway and traffic data files with maintenance records, roadside feature inventory data, and crash data with respect to existing roadside hardware categories.
Polymeric microsphere injection in large pore-size porous media

Abstract High water-cut has become a worldwide challenge for oil production. It requires extensive efforts to process and dispose. This entails expanding water handling facilities and incurring high power consumption costs. Polymeric microsphere injection is a cost-effective way to deal with excessive water production from subterranean formations. This study reports a laboratory investigation on polymeric microsphere injection in a large volume to identify its in-depth fluid diversion capacity in a porous media with large pore/particle size ratio. The performance of polymeric microsphere injection was evaluated using etched glass micromodels based on the pore network of a natural carbonate rock, which were treated as water-wet or oil-wet micromodels. Waterflooding was conducted to displace oil at reservoir temperature of 95 °C, followed by one pore volume of polymeric microsphere injection. Three polymeric microsphere samples with median particle size of 0.05, 0.3, and 20 μm were used to investigate the impact of particle size of the polymeric microspheres on incremental oil production capacity. Although the polymeric microspheres were much smaller than the pores, additional oil production was observed. The incremental oil production increased with increasing polymeric microsphere concentration and particle size. As a comparison, polymeric microsphere solutions were injected into oil-wet and water-wet micromodels after waterflooding. It was observed that the oil production in oil-wet micromodel was much higher than that in water-wet micromodel. The wettability of micromodels affected the distribution patterns of the remaining oil after waterflooding and further dominated the performance of the microsphere injection. The study supports the applicability of microsphere injection in oil-wet heterogeneous carbonates.
Mariàngela Vilallonga, Margarida Casacuberta & Anna Perera Roura (ed.): «La Construcció Literària del Territori: Costa Brava i Empordà», Girona, Institut de Llengua i Cultura Catalanes, 2018, 327 p.

EnglishBook review: Mariangela Vilallonga, Margarida Casacuberta & Anna Perera Roura (ed.): La Construccio Literaria del Territori: Costa Brava i Emporda, Girona, Institut de Llengua i Cultura Catalanes, 2018, 327 p., ISBN: 978-84-9984-436-7. catalaRessenya sobre el llibre de Mariangela Vilallonga, Margarida Casacuberta & Anna Perera Roura (ed.): La Construccio Literaria del Territori: Costa Brava i Emporda, Girona, Institut de Llengua i Cultura Catalanes, 2018, 327 p., ISBN: 978-84-9984-436-7.
Explaining the demand and supply model with the cost-benefit rule

Abstract This paper provides a simple and intuitive explanation of the demand and supply model based on the cost-benefit rule. This rule states that an action (e.g. to buy or to sell) should be undertaken only if its benefits are greater than its costs. The approach is not novel, but standard introductory textbooks only use it to explain few isolated aspects of the demand and supply model. In this paper the demand and the supply are both fully derived by simply sorting and counting the transactions that pass the cost-benefit rule for buyers and sellers. The emphasis on this rule has two main advantages. First, it makes the model more relatable, as it is more easily applied to everyday concepts and decisions students are familiar with. Second, it provides new students of economics with a clear explanation of how, in general, the discipline of economics approaches the analysis of decisions and behavior.
Robotic-Assisted Resection of Ovarian Remnant Causing Pelvic Pain

Study Objective To demonstrate the safe and effective excision of an ovarian remnant in the face of extensive pelvic adhesion. Design Surgical video presentation. Setting Academic tertiary care center. Patients or Participants This is a 46 year old patient G7P5025 patient with a history of chronic pelvic pain. Her past surgical history is significant for a total abdominal hysterectomy followed by a right salpingo-oophorectomy 8 years later for an ovarian cyst. Her right salpingo-oophorectomy surgery was complicated by an enterotomy with injury to the sigmoid colon due extensive pelvic adhesive disease. Interventions Preoperative pelvic ultrasound and MRI revealed a large left sided cystic pelvic mass as well as aright adnexal mass suspicious for an ovarian remnant. Intraoperatively, extensive pelvic adhesions were noted as well as the large cytic pelvic mass and an ovarian remnant attached to the right pelvic side wall. A left oophorectomy was performed and the right ovarian remnant was excised after extensive ureterolysis. Measurements and Main Results After the above interventions normal anatomy was restored to the pelvis. Pathologic evaluation confirmed right ovarian cortical tissue. At her 6 months follow up visit the patient had significant resolution of her pelvic pain. Conclusion Surgical removal of an ovarian remnant can be quite challenging and has risks of injury to the ureters, bladder and bowel. With good surgical technique using the laparoscopic/robotic platform, safe and effective excision of ovarian remnant can be achieved; affording a favorable outcome for patients.
Fruit and Vegetable Intake Assessed by Repeat 24 h Recalls, but Not by A Dietary Screener, Is Associated with Skin Carotenoid Measurements in Children

Accurate measurement of fruit and vegetable (FV) intake is important for nutrition surveillance and evaluation of dietary interventions. We compared two tools for reporting FV intake to objective measurement of skin carotenoids among children. FV cups/day was assessed by repeated 24 h dietary recalls (24H FV) and the National Cancer Institute's All-Day Fruit and Vegetable Screener (NCI FV). Skin carotenoids were measured by repeated resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) of the palm. FV cups were regressed on RRS scores in unadjusted, field-based, and research-setting models with covariates feasible in each scenario. Data were baseline values from children aged 2-12 years in low-income households enrolled in a healthy eating randomized trial in four U.S. states (n = 177). Twenty-four-hour FV cups were associated with skin carotenoids in all models (p < 0.001) but NCI FV cups were not. Predicted RRS scores for discrete 24H FV cups provide a guide to interpretation of RRS in children (2 cups FV intake ~36,000 RRS units), with the research-setting scenario generally providing the narrowest prediction range (+/-1924). When self-reported data are required, 24 h recalls are more accurate than NCI FV screener data; and, when limited time, resources, or literacy must be considered, RRS scores can be quickly obtained and easily interpreted.
A novel calibration for L-shell x-ray fluorescence measurements of bone lead concentration using the strontium Kβ/Kα ratio

Objective: Lead (Pb) is a well-known toxic element.In vivobone Pb concentration measurement is a long-term exposure metric complementary to blood Pb concentration measurement which is a metric of recent exposure.In vivohuman tibia bone Pb measurements using Pb K-shell or L-shell x-ray fluorescence (KXRF or LXRF) emissions were developed in the 1980s. KXRF bone Pb measurements using Cd-109 gamma-rays and coherent-to-fluorescence ratio to account for differences between phantom and in vivo measurements, was employed in human studies. Bone Pb LXRF method employed x-ray tubes. However, calibration procedures using ultrasound measurements of the soft tissue thickness (STT) proved inaccurate.Approach: In this study, bone and soft tissue (ST) phantoms simulatedin vivobone Pb measurements. Seven plaster-of-Paris cylindrical bone phantoms containing 1.01 mg/g of strontium (Sr) were doped with Pb in 0, 8, 16, 29, 44, 59, and 74 μg/g concentrations. Polyoxymethylene (POM), resin, and wax were each used to fabricate four ST phantoms in the approximate 1 to 4 mm thickness range. Pb LXRF measurements were performed using a previously developed optimal grazing incidence position method.Main results: Linear attenuation coefficients measurements of ST materials indicated that POM and resin mimicked well attenuation of Pb x-rays in skin and adipose tissue, respectively. POM and resin data indicated a bone Pb detection limit of 20 μg/g for a 2 mm STT. Derived relationships between the Pb concentration, Pb LXRF and Sr Kβ/Kα ratio data did not require STT knowledge. Applied to POM and resin data, the new calibration method yielded unbiased results.Significance:In vivobone Pb measurements in children were suggested following considerations of radiation dose, STT, detectability and distribution of Pb and Sr in bone. This research meets with the concerns regarding the negative effects of low levels of Pb exposure on neurodevelopment of children.
Asprosin neutralizing antibodies as a treatment for metabolic syndrome.

Background: Recently, we discovered a new glucogenic and centrally-acting orexigenic hormone - asprosin. Asprosin is elevated in metabolic syndrome (MS) patients, and its genetic loss results in reduced appetite, leanness and blood glucose burden, leading to protection from MS.Methods: We generated three independent monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that recognize unique asprosin epitopes and investigated their preclinical efficacy and tolerability in the treatment of MS.Results: Anti-asprosin mAbs from three distinct species lowered appetite and body weight, and reduced blood glucose in a dose-dependent and epitope-agnostic fashion in three independent MS mouse models, with an IC50 of ~1.5 mg/kg. The mAbs displayed a half-life of over 3 days in vivo, with equilibrium dissociation-constants in picomolar to low nanomolar range.Conclusions: We demonstrate that anti-asprosin mAbs are dual-effect pharmacologic therapy that targets two key pillars of MS - over-nutrition and hyperglycemia. This evidence paves the way for further development towards an investigational new drug application and subsequent human trials for treatment of MS, a defining physical ailment of our time.Funding: DK118290 and DK125403 (R01; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases), DK102529 (K08; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases), Caroline Wiess Law Scholarship (Baylor College of Medicine, Harrington Investigatorship (Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals, Cleveland); Chao Physician Scientists Award (Baylor College of Medicine); RP150551 and RP190561 (Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas; CPRIT).
Theoretical study on amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in a V-pumped thin-disk alkali laser

Abstract In the paper, a mathematical model was systematically constructed to evaluate the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) effects and temperature distribution of a vapor cell of the V-pumped thin-disk alkali lasers. There have been few literatures on studying ASE in a diode-pumped alkali laser (DPAL) although such a phenomenon is normally serious especially in a thin-disk configuration. By reducing the number of the outputted conditions and adopting a parallel computation algorithm, the computation speed has been demonstrated to be greatly improved by comparing to the method we ever used before. The results show that the ASE effects in a thin-disk DPAL cannot be ignored especially when the size of a pump beam becomes big. It has also been proved that ASE in a thin-disk DPAL tightly relates to the pump power, thickness and temperature of a thin-disk cell, and reflectivity of the output coupler (OC). The calculation approaches in this paper are thought to be valuable in the design of a high-powered DPAL and can also be applied to the other kinds of high-powered lasers.
PowerNet: Multi-agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for Scalable Powergrid Control

This paper develops an efficient multi-agent deep reinforcement learning algorithm for cooperative controls in powergrids. Specifically, we consider the decentralized inverter-based secondary voltage control problem in distributed generators (DGs), which is first formulated as a cooperative multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) problem. We then propose a novel on-policy MARL algorithm, PowerNet, in which each agent (DG) learns a control policy based on (sub-)global reward but local states and encoded communication messages from its neighbors. Motivated by the fact that a local control from one agent has limited impact on agents distant from it, we exploit a novel spatial discount factor to reduce the effect from remote agents, to expedite the training process and improve scalability. Furthermore, a differentiable, learning-based communication protocol is employed to foster the collaborations among neighboring agents. In addition, to mitigate the effects of system uncertainty and random noise introduced during on-policy learning, we utilize an action smoothing factor to stabilize the policy execution. To facilitate training and evaluation, we develop PGSim, an efficient, high-fidelity powergrid simulation platform. Experimental results in two microgrid setups show that the developed PowerNet outperforms the conventional model-based controls, as well as several state-of-the-art MARL algorithms. The decentralized learning scheme and high sample efficiency also make it viable to large-scale power grids.
50 Years of Arecibo Lunar radar mapping

William E. Gordon conceived the giant radar/radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico (Figure 1) in 1958 as a backscatter radar system to measure the density and temperature of the ionosphere at altitudes of up to a few thousand kilometers [1, 2]. The backscattered ionospheric echo was calculated to be weak, requiring a large antenna with a diameter of 1000 ft (305 m) to measure it. From the beginning, Gordon (as noted in his in his 1958 URSI abstract on incoherent scattering [3]) realized that a radar system with an antenna that large could conduct radar studies of the moon and planets. With the recent celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Arecibo radio/radar telescope, it is appropriate to describe how radar mapping of the moon has evolved over the years: from the early monostatic 70-cm observations in the 1960s through the 1980s, to the 13-cm and 70-cm wavelength bi static observation using the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank telescope in the 1990s to today, and then to the 13-cm wavelength bi static observations conducted using the mini-RF radar instrument flown on the NASA/US Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft in the last few years.
PESTICIDES ALTER AMINO ACIDS IN CHANNA PUNCTATUS

Present histochemical observations made on amino acids in stomach ana intestine of Channa punctatus after the treatment of endosulfan and diazinon pesticides. The observation reveals an overall depletion in the activities of arginine and tryptophane, it means that these pesticides interact with cellular proteins.
Adversarial Attacks in Cooperative AI.

Single-agent reinforcement learning algorithms in a multi-agent environment are inadequate for fostering cooperation. If intelligent agents are to interact and work together to solve complex problems, methods that counter non-cooperative behavior are needed to facilitate the training of multiple agents. This is the goal of cooperative AI. Recent work in adversarial machine learning, however, shows that models (e.g., image classifiers) can be easily deceived into making incorrect decisions. In addition, some past research in cooperative AI has relied on new notions of representations, like public beliefs, to accelerate the learning of optimally cooperative behavior. Hence, cooperative AI might introduce new weaknesses not investigated in previous machine learning research. In this paper, our contributions include: (1) arguing that three algorithms inspired by human-like social intelligence introduce new vulnerabilities, unique to cooperative AI, that adversaries can exploit, and (2) an experiment showing that simple, adversarial perturbations on the agents' beliefs can negatively impact performance. This evidence points to the possibility that formal representations of social behavior are vulnerable to adversarial attacks.
Epistemology and practice : Durkheim's The elementary forms of religious life

In this original and controversial book Professor Rawls argues that Durkheim's The Elementary Forms of Religious Life is the crowning achievement of his sociological endeavour and that since its publication in English in 1915 it has been consistently misunderstood. Rather than a work on primitive religion or the sociology of knowledge, Rawls asserts that it is an attempt by Durkheim to establish a unique epistemological basis for the study of sociology and moral relations. By privileging social practice over beliefs and ideas, it avoids the dilemmas inherent in philosophical approaches to knowledge and morality that are based on individualism and the tendency to privilege beliefs and ideas over practices, both tendencies that dominate western thought. Based on detailed textual analysis of the primary text, this book will be an important and original contribution to contemporary debates on social theory and philosophy.
Socratic and Platonic Political Philosophy: Practicing a Politics of Reading

In the Gorgias, Socrates claims to practice the true art of politics, but the peculiar politics he practices involves cultivating in each individual he encounters an erotic desire to live a life animated by the ideals of justice, beauty and the good. Socratic and Platonic Political Philosophy demonstrates that what Socrates sought to do with those he encountered, Platonic writing attempts to do with readers. Christopher P. Long's attentive readings of the Protagoras, Gorgias, Phaedo, Apology, and Phaedrus invite us to cultivate the habits of thinking and responding that mark the practices of both Socratic and Platonic politics. Platonic political writing is here experienced in a new way as the contours of a politics of reading emerges in which the community of readers is called to consider how a commitment to speaking the truth and acting toward justice can enrich our lives together.
Surface Properties of Catalysts. Iron and Its Oxides; Surface Chemistry, Photochemistry And Catalysis

The results of selected surface science studies of catalytic processes are described. Our conclusions, drawn from many such studies, are that reactions which occur over metal based catalysts can be divided into three classes: 1) those occurring on the bare metal surface, 2) those occurring on active overlayers bound to the metal, and 3) those occurring on coadsorbate modified metal surfaces. Case histories are given describing catalytic processes fitting each category. The surface properties of iron and its oxides are then described. We review the photochemical studies using iron oxides that are aimed at the photocatalytic dissociation of water.
Association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and recurrent wheezing in infancy: evidence from a meta-analysis.

Background: Quantification of the association between the maternal smoking during pregnancy and recurrent wheezing in infancy is still conflicting. Thus, we performed a comprehensive meta-analysis to test the hypothesis that maternal smoking during pregnancy may increase the risk of recurrent wheezing in infancy. Methods: Pertinent studies were identified by a search in PubMed and Web of Knowledge up to October 2014. Random-effect model (REM) or fixed effects model (FEM) was used to combine study-specific results. Publication bias was estimated using Egger’s regression asymmetry test. Results: Seven articles (3 cohort study and 4 cross-sectional studies) involving 8579 recurrent wheezing infant cases about maternal smoking during pregnancy and recurrent wheezing risk were used in this meta-analysis. The combined relative risks (RRs) of recurrent wheezing infants associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy was 1.491 (95% CIs = 1.329-1.672) overall. Significant associations were found both in Europe [RRs = 1.471, 95% CIs = 1.287-1.681] and other populations [RRs = 1.720, 95% CIs = 1.119-2.644] and cross-sectional studies [RRs = 1.474, 95% CIs = 1.306-1.663]. No publication bias was found. Conclusions: Our analysis indicated that maternal smoking during pregnancy could increase the risk of recurrent wheezing in infancy.
Expression of the Arginine Regulon of Escherichia coli W: Evidence for a Second Regulatory Gene

Effect of the M (modifier) gene of Escherichia coli W on the expression of wild-type structural genes of four arginine biosynthetic enzymes was studied by examining enzyme activity in cell-free extracts of cultures grown in minimal medium and medium containing arginine. The mutant M gene was originally identified as causing arginine-induced synthesis of acetylornithine delta-transaminase in a strain deficient for the enzyme. The strains used in this study received the mutant M gene by recombination. Noncoordinate repression has been demonstrated for two more enzymes of the arginine regulon of E. coli W and the M(-) gene increases the degree of noncoordinate repression for the regulon. Mutation of the M gene results in altered regulation of acetylornithine delta-transaminase, ornithine transcarbamylase, and acetylornithinase. In addition, a decreased growth rate is observed. It is proposed that the M gene is a regulatory gene. A model is presented to explain the data which involves changes in operator-repressor affinity for the structural genes and possibly for the gene controlling arginyl transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase.
A hierarchical routing with load balanced scheduling in the integrated multi-hop cellular data network

The integrated multi-hop cellular data network (IMCDN) is a hybrid wireless network architecture to overlay a special self-organized multi-hop network on an existing cellular network. The self-organized network is a multiple-layer access network that uses hierarchical-routing for data transmissions from and to mobiles. This architecture seeks to reduce the network congestion and to improve the performance of wireless data services via load balancing among layers. In this paper, we present an optimum hierarchical routing strategy with low complexity which employs a sophisticated layer-scheduling algorithm based on the load-balancing objective. The simulation results show that the developed layer scheduling algorithm achieves indeed the perfect load balancing for networks with various traffic properties.
Vibration Control for Slewing Flexible Structures

In this paper we develop several different controllers for slewing flexible structures with results evaluated on a flexible planar truss testbed. The objective of these control schemes is rapid large angle maneuvering (slewing) of the truss with effective suppression of residual vibrations, particularly at the endpoints. Results of three control schemes are presented, two linear schemes based on input shaping and one non-linear scheme. The second of the linear controllers is a novel approach to incorporate a discrete-time input shaper into the feedback loop. The nonlinear scheme consists of an implementation of sliding mode control.
Subpopulations of myeloid-derived suppressor cells impair T cell responses through independent nitric oxide-related pathways

The accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) in tumor-bearing hosts is a hallmark of malignancy-associated inflammation and a major mediator for the induction of T cell suppression in cancer. MDSC can be divided phenotypically into granulocytic (G-MDSC) and monocytic (Mo-MDSC) subgroups. Several mechanisms mediate the induction of T cell anergy by MDSC; however, the specific role of these pathways in the inhibitory activity of MDSC subpopulations remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to determine the effector mechanisms by which subsets of tumor-infiltrating MDSC block T cell function. We found that G-MDSC had a higher ability to impair proliferation and expression of effector molecules in activated T cells, as compared to Mo-MDSC. Interestingly, both MDSC subgroups inhibited T cells through nitric oxide (NO)-related pathways, but expressed different effector inhibitory mechanisms. Specifically, G-MDSC impaired T cells through the production of peroxynitrites (PNT), while Mo-MDSC suppressed by the release of NO. The production of PNT in G-MDSC depended on the expression of gp91phox and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), while inducible NO synthase (iNOS) mediated the generation of NO in Mo-MDSC. Deletion of eNOS and gp91phox or scavenging of PNT blocked the suppressive function of G-MDSC and induced anti-tumoral effects, without altering Mo-MDSC inhibitory activity. Furthermore, NO-scavenging or iNOS knockdown prevented Mo-MDSC function, but did not affect PNT production or suppression by G-MDSC. These results suggest that MDSC subpopulations utilize independent effector mechanisms to regulate T cell function. Inhibition of these pathways is expected to specifically block MDSC subsets and overcome immune suppression in cancer.
Cultural Bias in Psychological Testing

Cultural bias has no a priori definition. Instead, its presence is inferred from differential performance of socioracial (e.g., Blacks, Whites), ethnic (e.g., Latinos/Latinas, Anglos), or national groups (e.g., U.S. Americans, Japanese) on measures of psychological constructs such as cognitive abilities, knowledge or skills (CAKS), or symptoms of psychopathology (e.g., depression). Historically, the term grew out of efforts to explain between-group score differences on CAKS tests primarily of African American and Latino/Latina American test takers relative to their White American counterparts and concerns that test scores should not be interpreted in the same manner across these groups. Although the concept of cultural bias in testing and assessment also pertains to score differences and potential misdiagnoses with respect to a broader range of psychological concepts, particularly in applied psychology and other social and behavioral sciences, this aspect of cultural bias has received less attention in the relevant literature (Tyson, 2004). Therefore, cultural bias as it pertains to CAKS testing is the primary focus herein. Keywords: cultural bias; cultural equivalence; test validity; psychological testing
The Continuum Radio Spectra of Supernova Remnants

There are several things we can learn about supernova remnants (SNR) by studying their continuum radio spectra. The first is that nearly all have power-law spectra showing that they must certainly emit by the synchrotron process. Second, turnovers in the low frequency spectra of several SNR can probably be related to absorption by the surrounding interstellar medium perhaps giving information on the interaction of the supernova and its remnant with its surroundings. A third characteristic which can be investigated is changes in the spectrum caused by effects intrinsic to the SNR themselves. We describe below the various observational effects and some of the implications which can be obtained from them.
Simulation of airborne microbial droplet transport

The framework for a simulation model which describes the dispersion of individual droplets of water containing viable microbes is presented. The model accounts for physical, chemical, biological, and measured meteorological parameters of each droplet at each of many short time steps. Repeating the modeling process for many droplets will simulate a cloud of droplets. The model is compared with the Tulelake, Calif., release in 1988 and found to show very similar patterns of deposition within 30 m (the maximum observation distance of the source. A hypothesis for the survival sequence in the microbe-containing droplets is discussed.
Does locality fail at intermediate length scales

If quantum gravity implies a fundamental spatiotemporal discreteness, and if its ``laws of motion'' are compatible with the Lorentz transformations, then physics cannot remain local. One might expect this nonlocality to be confined to the fundamental discreteness scale, but I will present evidence that it survives at much lower energies, yielding for example a nonlocal equation of motion for a scalar field propagating on an underlying causal set.
The state of opportunities: clarifying the transitions between opportunity types

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how discovery and creation opportunities transition from one to the other and thereby clarify the relationship between opportunity types. This theoretical work will offer insight for studying opportunities and clarify the different practical implications of different opportunity types. Design/methodology/approach – To further the understanding of opportunity types, the paper employs Dubin’s (1978) theory building methodology focussing specifically on the concepts of system states. Approaching opportunity types as system states clarifies the relationship between discovery and creation opportunities. Findings – This research argues that opportunities transition from creation opportunities to discovery opportunities. Furthermore, understanding the opportunity state can clarify the practical implications for entrepreneurs. In particular, entrepreneurs in discovery states employ different processes regarding human resources, strategy, financing, planning, lead...