cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aligning Best Practices to Develop Targeted Critical Thinking Skills and Habits.

This project evaluated the effectiveness of a course design within an upper-level biology course that incorporated what prior scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research has suggested to be best practices for developing critical thinking skills while also managing the grading load on the instructor. These efforts centered on the development of a clearly articulated subset of skills identified by the Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT) as well as incorporated learning experiences designed to instill what we refer to as a “habit of critical investigation.” In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a single semester of an aligned course utilizing active learning and multiple opportunities for practice and feedback would: (a) increase the extent to which students agreed with the importance of questioning the credibility of claims across the semester, (b) increase the frequency at which students reported personally questioning the credibility of claims across the semester, (c) increase the number of students reporting investigation techniques consistent with critical investigation across the semester and (d) result in significantly greater student performance on the CAT questions that assessed the sub-skills practiced in the course when compared to the performance of a representative group of senior students at our institution. We observed substantial and significant gains in both the frequency at which students reported questioning claims and the degree to which their reported investigative actions were consistent with critical investigation. Furthermore, on the critical thinking sub-skills most aligned with what was practiced in the course, the experimental group significantly outperformed the comparison group.
Introduction to the Special Issue: 2016 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium

The 2016 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium was held in Tours, France, from September 18–21, 2016. Tours is in the heart of the French Chateau country and the Vinci Convention Center, a short walk from the Loire, provided an expansive venue for this conference. Sponsored by the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society, this symposium brings together technologists from academia, government labs, and industry to openly share their progress through posters, presentations, exhibits, short courses, and informal gatherings. The symposium strives for truly global representation and active involvement of students, early-career, and established practitioners.
Undetected Severe Fetal Myelosuppression following Administration of High-Dose Cytarabine for Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Is More Frequent Surveillance Necessary?

Background. Cytarabine use during pregnancy carries a 5–7% risk of neonatal cytopenia. We report two cases of fetal myelosuppression following high-dose cytarabine administration for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Case 1. A 36-year-old G9P6 diagnosed with AML at 21 weeks was monitored for fetal anemia weekly and growth monthly. At 33 weeks (after 2 cycles), BPP was 2/10 and MCA PSV was elevated at 1.51 MoM. Urgent cesarean section was performed. The infant had an initial pH of 6.78 and pancytopenia (hematocrit 13.3%, platelets 3 K/UL, and white blood cell count 2.0 K/UL). Initially transfusion dependent, the neonate had count recovery by 3 weeks. Case 2. A 30-year-old G4P3 with AML at 26 weeks was monitored for fetal anemia twice weekly and growth monthly. At 34 weeks (after cycle 1), she was admitted with neutropenic fever. The fetal MCA PSV was borderline at 1.48 MoM. It improved to 1.38 MoM at 35 weeks but the fetal tracing worsened. At delivery the fetus was found to have a hematocrit of 30%, but with normal platelet and WBC. The fetus did not require any transfusions. Conclusion. Cytarabine use during pregnancy may cause neonatal myelosuppression. We recommend monitoring for fetal anemia with MCA Dopplers twice weekly.
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Research: An Historical Typology and Directions for Future Research:

Small business literature for the past ten years was examined and each piece categorized according to five dimensions. The results indicate some interesting trends and provide the basis for formula...
Density of the cototal enumeration degrees

Abstract We prove that the cototal enumeration degrees are exactly the enumeration degrees of sets with good approximations, as introduced by Lachlan and Shore [17] . Good approximations have been used as a tool to prove density results in the enumerations degrees, and indeed, we prove that the cototal enumerations degrees are dense.
Introduction: Why We Do What We Do

The foundation of this text is not the experiences of military surgeons but rather the bravery of those service members who ventured “outside the wire” into harm’s way. We, the medical professionals who have seen dismounted complex blast injuries, recognize that behind every innovation and treatment strategy are warriors who sacrificed so much. Gunnery Sergeant John Hayes’ story is startling but not very different from the thousands of warriors with similar injuries. This chapter should be seen as a culmination of the efforts and a tribute to our service members like Gunnery Sergeant John Hayes.
Pascal’s Wager

This part of the book is mainly devoted to discussing the positive arguments we may develop in favor of Theism by making use of what we have learnt from our study of modern science. Perhaps the best known instance in which a result of modern science was employed to support Theism, is Pascal’s argument for Theism in which he makes use of what, nowadays, is called decision theory, a theory which he himself invented. I shall begin this part of our book by briefly reviewing Pascal’s fairly well-known argument as it will lead to the appreciation of a number of instructive points. Pascal devised his argument not to show that Theism is true but rather that, irrespective of whether it is true or not, a rational person should treat it as true, and most important, he should try to behave in every way as if he knew it to be true.
Bayesian Sensory Information Processing

The introductory chapter addressed the need for the application of constraints, both natural and artificial, to aid in the performance of sensory information processing tasks. We saw that a major problem concerning the use of constraints lies in determining how the constraints are to be embedded in the algorithm(s) that carry out the information processing tasks.
Association between cancer types, cancer treatments, and venous thromboembolism in medical oncology patients

Nearly 20% of all venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurs in cancer patients, and as many as 78% of cancer patients who develop a thrombotic event do so as outpatients. The risk of VTE in cancer patients is influenced by the type of cancer, its stage and histology, the presence of thrombophilia, and the many therapeutic interventions they receive (eg, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, supportive care). The greatest VTE risk appears to occur early after cancer diagnosis and in patients with late- or metastatic-stage malignancy. VTE most often occurs in cancers of the pancreas, ovary, kidney, lung, stomach, and brain, as well as in hematologic malignancies such as lymphoma and myeloma. The clinical consequences of thrombosis in cancer patients are typically more severe and more costly than events in patients without cancer. Patient-, cancer-, and treatment-related factors should be considered when assessing individual patients for their risk of VTE. Primary pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis should be given to all hospitalized medical and surgical oncology patients at risk, and this therapy should be considered for high-risk ambulatory outpatients (eg, myeloma patients receiving highly thrombogenic chemotherapeutic regimens, very-high-risk solid tumor patients with Khorana scores ≥3) who have no contraindications to anticoagulants.
Pleistocene mountain glaciation in Montana, USA

Publisher Summary Montana is unique in hosting multiple Pleistocene examples of all glacier types including continental ice sheets, large mountain ice caps, small mountain ice caps and transection glaciers. The chapter reviews that uncounted valley, cirque, and niche glaciers also existed in more than 60 distinct mountain ranges. The distribution of these glaciers, with equilibrium-line altitudes rising from north-west to south-east, is consistent with control by moist air masses entering the north-western comer of the state. Prevailing winter westerly winds immediately south of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet at the glacial maximum are indicated. Mapped extents of Pleistocene glaciers in the mountains of western Montana were achieved from topographic map and aerial photographic interpretation, with limited field verification. Nowhere in Montana are the ages of glacial episodes well-constrained. Most Last-glacial moraines are correlated with the Pinedale glaciation elsewhere in the Rocky Mountains, rather than dated directly. Radiocarbon dates in the Yellowstone region and south of Glacier National Park and occurrences of Glacier Peak volcanic ash in the Flathead region show massive retreat or disintegration of the major ice caps prior to the Younger Dryas Chronozone. It is assumed that similar ages apply to the many mountain glaciers as well.
Voiceprint-Based Access Control for Wireless Insulin Pump Systems

Insulin pumps have been widely used by patients with diabetes. Insulin pump systems adopt wireless channel with few cryptographic mechanisms, which makes them vulnerable to many attacks. In this paper, we focus on the wireless channel between Carelink USB and insulin pump on which the attackers can launch message eavesdropping and/or therapy manipulation attacks, which may put the patient in a life-threatening situation. Some prior solutions such as certificate-based or token-based schemes need either complicated key management or additional devices. We propose a novel voiceprint-based access control scheme comprising anti-replay speaker verification and voiceprint-based key agreement to secure the channel between the Carelink USB and insulin pump. Our scheme does not need permanent key sharing or additional devices. The anti-replay speaker verification adopts cascaded fusion of speaker verification and anti-replay countermeasure to ensure the insulin pump can be accessed by Carelink USB only after the legitimate user passes the identity verification. The evaluation on ASVspoof 2017 datasets shows that our scheme achieves a 4.02% Equal Error Rate (EER) with the existence of replay impostors. Besides, our scheme uses energy-difference-based voiceprint extraction and secure multi-party computing to generate a common cryptography (temporary) key between the Carelink USB and insulin pump, which can be used to encrypt the subsequent communication, and protect the insulin pump from eavesdropping and therapy manipulation attacks. By appropriately setting the similarity threshold of voiceprints, our key agreement scheme allows the insulin pump to establish a secure channel only with the device in its close proximity.
Proceedings of the 2015 ACM SIGMETRICS International Conference on Measurement and Modeling of Computer Systems

Welcome to SIGMETRICS 2015. SIGMETRICS is the flagship conference of the ACM special interest group for the computer systems performance evaluation community. This year marks the forty-second anniversary since SIGMETRICS (under its prior name, SIGME) held the First National SIGME Symposium on Measurement and Evaluation in 1973. The past four decades have seen enormous changes in the field of computer science, but the importance of measurement, modeling, and performance evaluation remains as critical as ever. This year's conference includes papers on topics that have been a mainstay since the founding of our SIG, including queuing, scheduling, resource allocation, and performance measurement. Application areas that have emerged in recent years, such as data center and cloud, big data, solidstate storage, machine learning, crowdsourcing, energy optimization, continue to be represented in our program. We received 239 submissions to this year's conference, of which 32 appear in the program as full papers, which is a highly competitive acceptance ratio below 14%. An additional 24 submissions appear in the abbreviated form of poster presentations and extended abstracts. As in some prior years, we performed reviews in three rounds. In the first round, each paper was assigned to three reviewers. In the second round, papers were up for discussion among the reviewers, especially those with highly divergent review opinions. In some cases, additional reviews were necessary to ensure that every paper would receive at least three reviews. Based on this and immediately prior to the TPC meeting, papers were bucketed into "accept", "reject", and "discuss at TPC meeting" buckets. Finally, in the TPC meeting at MIT (Cambridge, MA), we entertained comments and objections on papers in the "accept" and "reject" buckets and discuss all papers in the "discuss at TPC meeting" bucket. It was no mean feat to winnow a set of nearly two hundred and fifty submissions down to a set of appropriate size for a three-day conference. We offer tremendous thanks to the 57 members of the program committee who collectively performed this daunting task. We are grateful for the support of the SIGMETRICS board during the lengthy process of selecting this year's conference program.
DESTINI: A deep-learning approach to contact-driven protein structure prediction.

The amino acid sequence of a protein encodes the blueprint of its native structure. To predict the corresponding structural fold from the protein’s sequence is one of most challenging problems in computational biology. In this work, we introduce DESTINI (deep structural inference for proteins), a novel computational approach that combines a deep-learning algorithm for protein residue/residue contact prediction with template-based structural modelling. For the first time, the significantly improved predictive ability is demonstrated in the large-scale tertiary structure prediction of over 1,200 single-domain proteins. DESTINI successfully predicts the tertiary structure of four times the number of “hard” targets (those with poor quality templates) that were previously intractable, viz, a “glass-ceiling” for previous template-based approaches, and also improves model quality for “easy” targets (those with good quality templates). The significantly better performance by DESTINI is largely due to the incorporation of better contact prediction into template modelling. To understand why deep-learning accomplishes more accurate contact prediction, systematic clustering reveals that deep-learning predicts coherent, native-like contact patterns compared to co-evolutionary analysis. Taken together, this work presents a promising strategy towards solving the protein structure prediction problem.
Synthesis of highly substituted 1,3-dienes and 1,3,5-trienes by the palladium-catalyzed coupling of vinylic halides, internal alkynes, and organoboranes.

Highly substituted 1,3-dienes and trienes have been prepared in good to excellent yields by the palladium-catalyzed coupling of vinylic halides, internal alkynes, and organoboranes.
Changes in health insurance coverage and health care access as teens with disabilities transition to adulthood.

Abstract Background Pre-ACA, less than 6% of children with disabilities were uninsured, compared with more than 42% of young adults with disabilities ages 19–25. Individuals with disabilities face greater barriers to health care access upon transition into adulthood. Objectives We examined whether the ACA dependent coverage provision and Medicaid expansion improved the transition from pediatric to adult healthcare systems by reducing the gap in insurance coverage and access to care between teens and young adults with disabilities. Methods Using cross-sectional data from the 2006–2009 and 2011–2015 National Health Interview Survey (n = 10,136), we estimate the change in insurance coverage and access to care from pre-to post-ACA time periods for teens (ages 13–18) and young adults (ages 19–25) with disabilities in a difference-in-differences model. We completed the same analyses for these groups in Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states. Results Both teens and young adults with disabilities made significant gains in insurance coverage (4.55 and 8.96% point gains respectively, p Conclusions Medicaid expansion had a greater impact on both insurance coverage and on access to care than did the dependent coverage provision. The benefits of these changes flowed primarily to young adults with disabilities, reducing the gaps in insurance coverage between teens and young adults, and expanding access to care for both groups, providing a more seamless transition from pediatric to adult health care systems, post-ACA.
Review of Pediatric Care Online

Pediatric Care Online, provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is a point-of-care resource aimed at practicing pediatricians, nurses, and medical students. The website is an extensive resou...
Identification of C2CD4A as a human diabetes susceptibility gene with a role in β cell insulin secretion.

Fine mapping and validation of genes causing β cell failure from susceptibility loci identified in type 2 diabetes genome-wide association studies (GWAS) poses a significant challenge. The VPS13C-C2CD4A-C2CD4B locus on chromosome 15 confers diabetes susceptibility in every ethnic group studied to date. However, the causative gene is unknown. FoxO1 is involved in the pathogenesis of β cell dysfunction, but its link to human diabetes GWAS has not been explored. Here we generated a genome-wide map of FoxO1 superenhancers in chemically identified β cells using 2-photon live-cell imaging to monitor FoxO1 localization. When parsed against human superenhancers and GWAS-derived diabetes susceptibility alleles, this map revealed a conserved superenhancer in C2CD4A, a gene encoding a β cell/stomach-enriched nuclear protein of unknown function. Genetic ablation of C2cd4a in β cells of mice phenocopied the metabolic abnormalities of human carriers of C2CD4A-linked polymorphisms, resulting in impaired insulin secretion during glucose tolerance tests as well as hyperglycemic clamps. C2CD4A regulates glycolytic genes, and notably represses key β cell “disallowed” genes, such as lactate dehydrogenase A. We propose that C2CD4A is a transcriptional coregulator of the glycolytic pathway whose dysfunction accounts for the diabetes susceptibility associated with the chromosome 15 GWAS locus.
A large-scale study of the reliabilities of checklist scores and ratings of interpersonal and communication skills evaluated on a standardized-patient examination.

Checklists and rating scales are both used for assessing examinees in standardized-patient (SP) examinations. A common presumption, is that checklists are more objective than and hence superior to rating scales with respect to psychometric properties such as reliability. Recently, this presumption has been questioned and studies have been cited which support the clain that “objectified methods do not inherently provide more reliable scores.” The purpose of this study was to further explore this issue, using a specially designed checklist/rating scale form for assessing interpersonal and communication skills. Methods. A 26-item checklist/rating scale form was developed, which consisted of five sections of 3 to 7 checklist items each, with a space provided at the end of each section for the SP to make a single global rating of the items in that section. Analyses were performed on data for 1,048 fourth-year medical students in the eight schools in the New York City Consortium, tested on the 7-case SP examination administered at The Morchand Center of Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Results/Conclusion. The intercase reliabilities for the checklist scores and ratings, respectively, were: 0.33 and 0.39 for eliciting information, 0.33 and 0.39 for non-verbal behavior, 0.55 and 0.52 for patient education, 0.48 and 0.45 for professional manner, and 0.49 and 0.52 for patient satisfaction. The correlations between the checklist scores and ratings for the five sections were 0.66, 0.60, 0.80, 0.69, and 0.75, respectively. The pattern of these results provides further support for the claim that “objectified” measures, like checklists, “do not inherently provide more reliable scores.”
Optimizing Location Quality in Privacy Preserving Crowdsensing

Crowdsensing enables a wide range of data collection, where the data are usually tagged with private locations。 Protecting users' location privacy has been a central issue. The study of various location perturbation techniques for protecting users' location privacy has received widespread attention. Despite the huge promise and considerable attention, the location perturbation operation causes inevitable location errors, which can diminish the location quality of the crowdsensing results. Provable good algorithms that consider location quality in privacy preserving crowdsensing from optimization perspectives are still lacking in the literature. In this paper, we investigate the problem of location quality optimization in privacy preserving crowdsensing, which is to minimize the location quality desegregation, while protecting all users' location privacy. We present an optimal algorithm OLQDM for this problem. Extensive simulations demonstrate that OLQDM significantly outperforms an existing algorithm in terms of the location quality and SSE.
Differing views regarding diet and physical activity: adolescents versus parents’ perspectives

Today, approximately one in five United States adolescents age 12 to 19 years is obese and just over a third are either overweight or obese. This study examines how parents and peers influence diet and physical activity behaviors of older adolescents (14–18 years) with overweight or obesity to inform weight management interventions. Adolescent participants included 14 to 18-year-olds with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than the 85th percentile for their age and sex who were receiving care in a large healthcare system in Northern California. Adolescents and their parents participated in separate focus groups and interviews (if not able to attend focus groups) that were held at the same time in the same location. We used qualitative thematic analysis to identify common themes discussed in the adolescent and parent focus groups as well as paired analysis of adolescent-parent dyads. Participants included 26 adolescents and 27 parents. Adolescent participants were 14 to 18 years old. Half were female and the participants were almost evenly distributed across year in school. The majority self-identified as White (56%) and Asian (36%).Three themes were identified which included 1) parents overestimated how supportive they were compared to adolescents’ perception 2) parents and adolescents had different views regarding parental influence on adolescent diet and physical activity behaviors 3) parents and adolescents held similar views on peers’ influential role on lifestyle behaviors. Parents’ and adolescents’ differing views suggest that alignment of parent and adolescent expectations and behaviors for supporting effective weight management could be incorporated into interventions.
Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging of Adsorbed Pulmonary Surfactant Films.

Abstract Pulmonary surfactant (PS) is a lipid-protein complex that adsorbs to the air-water surface of the lung as a thin film. Previous studies have suggested that the adsorbed PS film is composed of an interfacial monolayer, plus a functionally attached vesicular complex, called the surface-associated surfactant reservoir. However, direct visualization of the lateral structure and morphology of adsorbed PS films using atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been proven to be technically challenging. To date, all AFM studies of the PS film have relied on the model of Langmuir monolayers. Here, we showed the first, to our knowledge, AFM imaging of adsorbed PS films under physiologically relevant conditions using a novel, to our knowledge, experimental methodology called constrained drop surfactometry. In conjunction with a series of methodological innovations, including subphase replacement, in situ Langmuir-Blodgett transfer, and real-time surface tension control using closed-loop axisymmetric drop shape analysis, constrained drop surfactometry allowed the study of lateral structure and topography of animal-derived natural PS films at physiologically relevant low surface tensions. Our data suggested that a nucleation-growth model is responsible for the adsorption-induced squeeze-out of the PS film, which likely results in an interfacial monolayer enriched in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine with the attached multilayered surface-associated surfactant reservoir. These findings were further supported by frequency-dependent measurements of surface dilational rheology. Our study provides novel, to our knowledge, biophysical insights into the understanding of the mechanisms by which the PS film attains low surface tensions and stabilizes the alveolar surface.
A Self-efficacious TESOL Professional in the Arabian Gulf: Evidence from the Literature

This article reflects on the notion of self-effectiveness as a substantial aspect of language teachers in ESL/EFL contexts. It introduces and defines the construct of teacher self-effectiveness, which can be derived from four different sources; a) enactive experience, b) vicarious experiences, c) social persuasion, and d) physiological states. The present study takes into consideration various skills, knowledge, and exposure that ESL/EFL teachers need in order to apply communicative language teaching (CLT) techniques and improve learners’ linguistic competence. The review of literature brings into light a broad range of factors that might influence self-effectiveness beliefs of the teachers in a school context, and consequently their teaching outcomes. These factors include supportive organizational culture, collegial interactions,participation in continuous professional learning activities, high-level of English language proficiency, years of teaching experiences, and reflective pedagogical practices. It is also shown how self-efficacious teachers can impact EFL/ESL learners’ motivation and their academic achievement.
Convergence Rate Control of Multiagent Systems

Increasing the complexity of engineering tasks requires the spatial and temporal properties of agent teams to change in real-time. However, the single-layer structure of existing distributed control algorithms does not provide the necessary flexibility to control such properties through local interactions. Motivated by this standpoint, the contribution of this paper is to make the first attempt in addressing how to develop a distributed approach for controlling the convergence rate (i.e., the temporal property) of multiagent systems. Specifically, we propose a distributed control architecture predicated on a multiplex information network having two layers for controlling the convergence rate of agent teams through local interactions, where a leader-follower algorithm is considered in the first layer (main layer) and a convergence rate distribution algorithm is considered in the second layer. The key feature of the proposed architecture is that the convergence rate commands on the second layer, which are available to the leader or leaders in the multiagent system, directly drive the convergence rate of the main layer. Both constant and time-varying convergence rate commands are considered and system-theoretic stability properties for both cases are established. Finally, illustrative numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed architecture.
Design of an Interactive Virtual Reality System, InViRS, for Joint Attention Practice in Autistic Children

Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit atypical gaze behaviors related to joint attention, a fundamental social-communication skill. Specifically, children with ASD show differences in the skills of gaze sharing and gaze following. In this work we present a novel virtual reality (VR)-based system, called InViRS, in which children with ASD play games allowing them to practice gaze sharing and gaze following. InViRS has three main design contributions: (i) a closed-loop joint attention paradigm with real-time tracking of the participant’s eye gaze and game performance measures, (ii) an assistive feedback mechanism that provides guidance and hints in real time, and (iii) a controller that adaptively changes the avatar’s gaze prompts according to the performance measures. Results from a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of InViRS with 9 autistic1 children and 9 typically developing (TD) children offered preliminary support for the feasibility of successful gameplay as well as positive impacts on the targeted skills of gaze sharing and gaze following.
Hyperthermophile-Metal Interactions in Hydrothermal Environments

This chapter explores the metal chemistry of different types of marine hydrothermal environments, the metal requirements of hyperthermophiles, the nature and constraints of their interactions with metals, and the biogeochemical implications of hyperthermophile-metal interactions. Metalloenzymes form a major part of metalloproteomes and reflect the bioavailability of metals within a given environment that are (or were at some point during their evolution) the most accessible. Dissimilatory iron reduction has been studied extensively in just four groups of hyperthermophilic archaea and one hyperthermophilic bacterium. The reduction potential and pH of an environment also appear to affect the growth rates of hyperthermophiles on iron. It is clear that there is extensive interaction between metals and hyperthermophilic microbes from hydrothermal environments, and yet the study of the nature of these interactions is in its infancy. Dissimilatory metal reduction may be limited by the organism’s ability to transfer electrons from its cytoplasm to the typically insoluble metal acceptor. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the respiratory mechanisms and how they lead to energy conservation, especially because the physiological mechanisms for metal reduction in hyperthermophiles differ from those found in mesophilic bacteria based on the lack of polyheme c-type cytochromes, a periplasm, and an outer cell wall membrane. Further study of hyperthermophilemetal interactions in hydrothermal environments will create a new understanding of the basic principles that govern a broad array of metabolic processes and a significant portion of the Earth’s biosphere.
Systems engineering for the 21st century-education panel at SMC '95

This paper presents the issues raised in the Panel Session on Systems Engineering Education that took place at the IEEE SMC '95, Vancouver, British Columbia. The panel discussed issues for the 21st. century education, addressing more specifically SE. The panellists were professors with a vision on the future of the field, from both the US and Europe. First this article gives the three questions addressing major SE Education issues with which the session started. Then the issues discussed are summarized: The need for SE, desirability of project courses, potential conflict between a theory-based and an applications-based curriculum, a complete change in the program versus traditional courses, the role of mathematics in SE curricula, and educational trajectories, traditional, mono-disciplinary or interdisciplinary. Some of the main points of interest in undergraduate SE education are given: capstone courses and/or project work as well as core course requirements. An answer to the question if systems education is related to research or it is just transfer of practice and experience, is attempted. The article ends with some conclusions on SE in the present dynamically-changing nature of the professional environment. The need of annual panel discussions to uncover and clarify the changes for an improved curriculum that better prepares graduates for their future professional life is stated.
Chemical Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Combustion

The combustion of fuel and air, which occurs in jet engines and in other devices, is one example of an important set of chemical reactions. To understand and to model this complex process, the basic laws of chemical equilibrium and chemical kinetics are applied. First, the Law of Mass Action is described for a system that is in chemical equilibrium, and then the Arrhenius law is applied to unsteady systems that are changing due to chemical kinetics. Some basic information is presented about the properties of premixed flames, non-premixed flames, and detonations. Keywords: chemical equilibrium; chemical kinetics; combustion; heat of combustion; premixed flames; detonation waves; non-premixed flames; combustion stability
Absent Qualia, Fading Qualia, Dancing Qualia

In this paper I use thought-experiments to argue that functional organization fully determines conscious experience. These thought-experiments involve the gradual replacement of neurons by silicon chips, and similar scenarios. I argue that if "absent qualia" or "inverted qualia", are possible, then phenomena I call "fading qualia" and "dancing qualia" will be possible; but I argue that it is very implausible that fading or dancing qualia are possible. The resulting position is a sort of nonreductive functionalism.
Policy options for meeting the Millennium Development Goals in Brazil : can micro-simulations help?

The authors investigate whether micro-simulation techniques can shed light on the types of policies that should be adopted by countries wishing to meet their Millennium Development Goals. They compare two families of micro-simulations. The first family of micro-simulations decomposes required poverty changes into a change in the mean and a reduction in inequality. Although it highlights the importance of inequality reduction, it appears to be too general to be of much use for policymaking. The second family of micro-simulations is based on a richer model of behavior in the labor markets. It points to the importance of combining different policy options, such as educational expansion and targeted conditional redistribution schemes, to ensure that the poorest people in society are successfully reached. But the absence of market equilibria in these statistical models, as well as the strong stability assumptions which are implicit in their use, argue for extreme caution in their interpretation.
Bioassay and Related Methods

After establishing the presence of pathogens or toxins in foods or food products, the next important concern is whether the organisms/toxins are biologically active. For this purpose, experimental animals are employed where feasible. When it is not feasible to use whole animals or animal systems, a variety of tissue culture systems have been developed that, by a variety of responses, provide information on the biological activity of pathogens or their toxic products. These bioassay and related tests are the methods of choice for some foodborne pathogens, and some of the principal ones are described in Table 12–1.
DSP: a technology, a product, a revolution

This paper gives a broad overview of the evolution of DSP chips. It started with the desire of humans to communicate with computers. It has revolutionized the way we work, live, learn and play. Technology was the first driver. It was replaced by the products we call DSPs as the drivers. We are seeing another transition to the expectations of the end user as the next driver of this amazing revolution.
Laboratory process specifications for assuring quality in the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program.

We have assessed the laboratory specifications necessary for ensuring that cholesterol testing processes satisfy the quality required by the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). A model for setting process specifications has been developed to relate the NCEP guidelines for medical interpretation of a cholesterol test to the pre-analytical and analytical variables that can affect a test result. Using this model, we derived specifications for the imprecision (coefficient of variation, CV, or standard deviation, s) and inaccuracy (bias) that are allowable under stable operation, as well as the quality-control procedures (control rules and number of control measurements) that are necessary to detect unstable operation. The NCEP goals of an allowable CV less than or equal to 3% and an allowable bias no greater than +/- 3% are inadequate for assuring the quality of an individual or single cholesterol test when monitoring performance with many of the statistical quality-control procedures currently used in the U.S. With quality-control procedures having two control measurements per run, a CV of 3% is allowable only when bias is zero; a CV less than or equal to 2% is necessary if bias is +/- 3%. With quality-control procedures having four control measurements per run, a CV of 3% is allowable when bias is +/- 1.5%; a CV less than or equal to 2.5% is required if bias is as large as +/- 3%. For two serial tests, the NCEP 3% goals are adequate for current quality-control procedures having four control measurements per run.
Photoluminescence Intermittency of InGaAs/GaAs Quantum Dots Confined in a Planar Microcavity

Photoluminescence intermittency, or “blinking”, was observed in semiconductor InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) inside a planar microcavity. Most of the blinking QDs were found around defect sites such as dislocation lines naturally formed in the GaAs barrier layers, and the carrier traps responsible for blinking had an excitation threshold of ∼1.53 eV. The blinking properties of epitaxial QDs and colloidal nanocrystal QDs were also compared by performing laser intensity dependent measurements and statistics of the “on” and “off” time distributions.
Kinetic and spectroscopic studies on the quercetin 2,3-dioxygenase from Bacillus subtilis

Quercetin 2,3-dioxygenase from Bacillus subtilis (QueD) converts the flavonol quercetin and molecular oxygen to 2-protocatechuoylphloroglucinolcarboxylic acid and carbon monoxide. QueD, the only known quercetin 2,3-dioxygenase from a prokaryotic organism, has been described as an Fe2+-dependent bicupin dioxygenase. Metal-substituted QueDs were generated by expressing the enzyme in Escherichia coli grown on minimal media in the presence of a number of divalent metals. The addition of Mn2+, Co2+, and Cu2+ generated active enzymes, but the addition of Zn2+, Fe2+, and Cd2+ did not increase quercetinase activity to any significant level over a control in which no divalent ions were added to the media. The Mn2+- and Co2+-containing QueDs were purified, characterized by metal analysis and EPR spectroscopy, and studied by steady-state kinetics. Mn2+ was found to be incorporated nearly stoichiometrically to the two cupin motifs. The hyperfine coupling constant of the g = 2 signal in the EPR spectra of the Mn2+-con...
Scalable complexity-distortion model for fast motion estimation

Recently established international video coding standard H.264/AVC and the upcoming standard on scalable video coding (SVC) bring part of the solution to high compression ratio requirement and heterogeneity requirement. However, these algorithms have unbearable complexities for real-time encoding. Therefore, there is an important challenge to reduce encoding complexity, preferably in a scalable manner. Motion estimation and motion compensation techniques provide significant coding gain but are the most time-intensive parts in an encoder system. They present tremendous research challenges to design a flexible, rate-distortion optimized, yet computationally efficient encoder, especially for various applications. In this paper, we present a scalable motion estimation framework for complexitydistortion consideration. We propose a new progressive initial search (PIS) method to generate an accurate initial search point, followed by a fast search method, which can greatly benefit from the tighter bounds of the PIS. Such approach offers not only significant speedup but also an optimal distortion performance for a given complexity constrain. We analyze the relationship between computational complexity and distortion (C-D) through probabilistic distance measure extending from the complexity and distortion theory. A configurable complexity quantization parameter (Q) is introduced. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scalable complexity-distortion framework enables video encoder to conveniently adjust its complexity while providing best possible services.
AGGLUTINATION OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS IN THE PRESENCE OF CHORIOALLANTOIC FLUID FROM HEN'S EGGS

Certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus will agglutinate when grown in the presence of normal or influenza virus-infected chorio-allantoic fluid. Fluids are rendered inactive after heating at 56° C. for one or two minutes. Surface tension and temperature are not important factors in the manifestation of the phenomenon so long as they are within the limits compatible with growth. The reaction is favored by an alkaline pH. Bacterial dissociation is not a feature of this phenomenon and the relationship of this reaction to bacteriophagy is probably not significant but is being investigated further. Similar reactions as described for the egg fluids uiay be seen when Berkefeld filtrates of influenza virus-infected and normal mouse lungs are used. A more detailed account of all the data will appear at a later date.
Considerations of a Dual-systems Model of Cognitive Development and Risky Driving.

The dual-systems model of adolescent risk-taking postulates that risk-taking during adolescence partially results from an imbalance in the development of the executive and the socio-emotional cognitive systems. While supported by behavioral and neuroanatomical data, translational research linking the model with real-world driving or laboratory driving simulation is sparse. This paper discusses the model as it relates to adolescent driving and reviews empirical studies that have applied it in a driving-specific context. While, the studies reviewed provided partial support, each lacked a critical component necessary to fully test the model. Thus, a strong test has yet to be implemented; however, the dual-systems model holds promise for advancing the understanding of teen driving risk and guiding applications for prevention and policy. Language: en
A new algorithm for computing the scattering coefficients of highly absorbing cylinders.

Abstract Many researchers have reported difficulties in computing scattering coefficients for highly absorbing materials. A new algorithm, which overcomes these difficulties and permits the determination of the scattering coefficients, is presented here. A new correlation for estimating the number of terms required for the series solutions of the scattering and extinction efficiencies to converge is also described.
Two Snapshots of Electron Transport across the Membrane INSIGHTS INTO THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF DsbD

In Escherichia coli, the periplasmic protein disulfide isomerase, DsbC, is maintained reduced by transfer of electrons from cytoplasmic thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) via the cytoplasmic membrane protein, DsbD. The transmembrane domain of DsbD (DsbDβ), which comprises eight transmembrane segments (TMs), contains two redox-active cysteines (Cys-163 and Cys-285), each of which is water-exposed to both sides of the membrane. Cys-163 in TM1 and Cys-285 in TM4 can interact with cytoplasmic Trx1 and a periplasmic Trx-like domain of DsbD, respectively. When Cys-163 and Cys-285 are disulfide-bonded, the C-terminal halves of TM1 and TM4 are water-exposed, whereas the N-terminal halves of these TMs are not. To assess possible conformational changes of DsbDβ when its two cysteines are reduced, we have determined the accessibility of portions of TM1 and TM4. We substituted cysteines for amino acids in these TM segments and determined alkylation accessibility. We find that the alkylation accessibility of single Cys replacements in TM1 and TM4 is the same in oxidized and reduced DsbDβ, indicating a relatively static conformation of DsbDβ between the two redox states. We also find that the accessibility of amino acids of TM2 and TM3 when Cys-163 and Cys-285 are oxidized or reduced shows no change. Together, these results support a relatively static structure of DsbDβ in the switch between the oxidized and the reduced state but raise the possibility of conformational changes when interacting with Trx proteins. In addition, we also find water-exposed residues in the cytoplasmic proximal portion of TM3, allowing a more detailed characterization of the cavity in DsbDβ.
Decreased Aggregation Phenomena in Polyfluorenes by Introducing Carbazole Copolymer Units

To decrease aggregation phenomena and improve the luminescence of the blue-light-emitting polymer polyfluorene, carbazole units were copolymerized to introduce disorder in the polymer backbone. A “kink” linkage was introduced into the polyfluorene chain by forming a 9:1 and 7:3 copolymer with the carbazole group at the 3,6 positions. The disordered polyfluorene was made though a Ni-catalyzed reaction, which resulted in high yield and high molecular weight polymers. The structure and physical properties were confirmed by NMR, SEC, UV absorption, photoluminescence, elemental analysis, and quantum yield measurements. The copolymers exhibited better spectral properties both in solution and in film compared to previously synthesized polyfluorene homopolymers. Annealing studies showed both improved thermal and UV stability of the copolymer over previously reported homopolymers. Cyclic voltammetry studies showed a slightly lower highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) than the homopolymer.
Minireview: posttranscriptional regulation of the insulin and insulin-like growth factor systems.

Insulin and IGFs share structural similarities and regulate metabolic processes including glucose homeostasis. Acute alterations in glucose levels trigger rapid changes in insulin concentration and insulin signaling. These processes are tightly regulated by posttranscriptional mechanisms that alter the stability and translation of mRNAs encoding insulin and the insulin receptor. Long-term glucose homeostasis is also modulated by IGFs and IGF receptors, whose expression is likewise subject to changes in the stability and translation of the encoding mRNAs. The control of mRNA half-life and translation is governed by RNA-binding proteins and microRNAs that interact with target transcripts at the 3′ and 5′ untranslated regions. In this review, we describe the RNA-binding proteins and microRNAs that target the mRNAs encoding insulin, IGFs, and their receptors. We discuss how these mRNA-binding factors help to elicit timely, versatile, and tissue-specific changes in insulin and IGF function, thereby effecting c...
Wintertime Arctic Sea Ice Extremes and the Simultaneous Atmospheric Circulation

Abstract Twenty-five years of Arctic sea ice data have been used in conjunction with data from the lower atmosphere (the surface and 700 mb) to establish some concurrent general circulation relationships. Five January climatologies for both maximum and minimum sea ice areas over the entire north polar cap were first determined. The differences between the two sets of mean atmospheric patterns were then found. The student's t-test was used to establish the statistical significance. The results indicate that the wintertime (January–February) atmospheric circulation in the Pacific tends to be weaker during heavy ice conditions while the differences in the Atlantic are not as significant. These results are compared with GCM (general circulation model) simulations with similar maximum ice conditions. Extremes in Arctic sea ice during January were also examined locally. Although extremes in sea ice between Greenland and northern Europe wore not found to be strongly associated with concurrent atmospheric changes...