cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
When Advocacy for Domestic Violence Victims Backfires

This article argues that although victim advocacy in domestic violence has brought significant improvement in victim services, there are instances in which advocacy backfires: The very interventions designed to help and empower victims contain the seeds of disempowerment. After discussing types and sources of victim disempowerment from their own research and that of others, the authors draw attention to some macro issues related to domestic violence victim advocacy.
Packet fair queueing scheduling based on multirate multipath-transparent CDMA for wireless networks

The traditional layered approach to wireless networks (network, data link, and physical layer) suboptimally utilizes the limited available capacity. We propose a quality of service wireless framework based on the joint design of a packet fair queuing scheduler, demand assignment medium access control (MAC) protocol, and multirate multipath-transparent CDMA-based physical layer. The unique code assignment procedure allows a direct mapping of the packet fair schedule to the physical layer transmission/reception, and supports transmission (service) rates of arbitrarily fine resolution. Judiciously designed user codes combat the harsh time-varying fading environment, and parsimonious code description minimizes overhead in the MAC. Simulations illustrate the merits of our designs.
Bedload-sediment transport through the Connecticut River estuary

The Connecticut River is the third-largest river on the east coast of the United States, and its estuary is microtidal and sand dominated. Discharge of the river annually varies from tens to thousands of m 3 /s, and circulation in the estuary spans the full range of estuarine mixing modes. During half of the year, the estuary is partially mixed with mutually evasive tidal currents established between the flood-dominated channel and ebbdominated shoal margins. The distribution, orientation, and tidal modification of large bedforms in the estuary demonstrate that there are major pathways of bedload-sediment transport through the estuary to Long Island Sound. Calculations of shear stress on the bed, based on current-velocity measurements at 47 stations through full tidal cycles during low-discharge conditions, indicate that most of the estuary is essentially ebb dominated with respect to bedload-sediment transport. Observations of bedform occurrence and orientation during high discharges indicate that bedload transport is ebb oriented throughout the entire estuary. Analysis of dredging records and historic charts of the estuary since 1915 show little net change in bathymetry and suggest that the bed of the estuary may be in equilibrium with its sediment supply. The combined evidence argues that the Connecticut River estuary is not a site of significant bedload storage, and that it is a conduit of sand into Long Island Sound.
Analysis of Protein Localization and Secretory Pathway Function Using the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The isolation and characterization of mutants has been crucial in understanding a number of processes in the field of cell biology. In this exercise, students examine the effects of mutations in the secretory pathway on protein localization. Yeast strains deficient for synthesis of histidinol dehydrogenase are transformed with a plasmid encoding a chimeric protein. The chimera contains a signal sequence fused to histidinol dehydrogenase. A strain with a defect in the translocation of secretory proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) accumulates sufficient histidinol dehydrogenase in the cytoplasm to grow on media lacking histidine. In contrast, yeast proficient for secretion, or yeast with secretion defects later in the pathway, are unable to grow on media lacking histidine. Student analysis of the experimental yeast transformants and appropriate controls allows investigation into the effects of conditional defects in the secretory pathway on both cell viability and protein localization. The exercise is usually performed in a manner that allows students to execute a number of techniques common in molecular biology laboratories, including plasmid minipreps, restriction digestions, and Southern blots. Student understanding and enjoyment of the exercise was assessed by laboratory reports, oral and written examinations, and questionnaires. After completion of these experiments, students can describe the utility of protein fusions, the roles of mutant analysis in cell biology, and the steps taken by proteins transiting the secretory pathway.
Multiple mating of Glossina morsitans Westw. and its potential effect on the sterile male technique.

Virgin females of Glossina morsitans Westw. derived from pupae collected on the field were exposed in the laboratory to virgin sterile males and later to virgin normal males; the resulting productivity was an indication of multiple mating by females. Females inseminated once with sterile sperm and then held for 0, 24 or 96 hr. before being allowed to mate with fertile males produced about equal numbers of progeny 29–56 days later; however, subequal numbers of progeny were produced the first 28 days after the initial mating because of the relationship between the time of the second insemination and ovulation. Females given the opportunity to mate repeatedly for 96 hours with their first mates also mated again with new groups of males, but the incidence of this second mating was lower. Thus, multiple mating of females in the laboratory is established, but its frequency in nature is unkown.When groups of males were exposed to successive new groups of virgin females, the minimum mean number of females inseminated per male renged from 4.9 to 5.6. However, the later inseminations were progressively less effective, and once the complement of sperm of an individual male was depleted, fertility was not recovered. The multiple mating of male and female G. morsitans is not expected to affect the use of sterile males for population control.
Some identities for fundamental solutions and their applications to weakly-singular boundary element formulations

Abstract Some integral identities for the fundamental solutions of potential and elastostatic problems are established in this paper. With these identities it is shown that the conventional boundary integral equation (BIE), which is generally expressed in terms of singular integrals in the sense of the Cauchy principal value (CPV), and the derivative BIE, which is similarly expressed in terms of hypersingular integrals in the sense of the Hadamard finite-part (HFP), can both be written as weakly-singular integral equations in a systematic approach. Discretization of the weakly-singular BIE leads to the weakly-singular boundary element formulation equivalent to the method of using the rigid body displacement to determine the diagonal submatrices, which involve the CPV terms and the geometric matrix C, in the conventional BEM. The discretization of the weakly-singular derivative BIE possesses a similar feature, i.e. no CPV and HFP are involved. All these suggest that the practice of calculating CPV or HFP (for boundary integrals) and the geometric matrix C, either analytically or numerically, is unnecessary in the BEM. The approach developed in this paper is applicable to other problems such as plate bending, acoustics and elastodynamics.
Thermoregulation: recent concepts and remaining questions.

Maintenance of body core temperature within narrow limits is a major homeostatic function critical for survival. Thermoregulation is a typical example of the integrative role of the hypothalamus in generating patterns of autonomic, endocrine, motor, and behavioral responses to adapt to environmental challenges. Experimental studies have provided new information on mechanisms of thermal sensation, hypothalamic integration, and central effect or pathways involved in thermoregulation.1–5 Disorders of thermoregulation are frequently puzzling to the neurologist. Whereas some of these disorders may be attributable to focal hypothalamic, brainstem or spinal lesions, or autonomic failure, in many cases no clear cause is found. Although there are still many questions that remain unanswered, recent insights into mechanisms of thermoregulation provide a framework to begin understanding these challenging clinical problems and suggest potential targets for dug therapy. Experimental evidence indicates that the medial preoptic/anterior hypothalamic area (POA), dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (DMH), periaqueductal gray matter of the midbrain (PAG) and the nucleus raphe pallidus (RPa) in the medulla have a critical role in thermoregulation1–8 (figure). Figure Central thermoregulatory pathways involved in responses triggered by warm-sensitive (WS) neurons of the medial preoptic/anterior hypothalamic region The WS neurons are activated by increased in core temperature and inhibited by inputs from cold receptors in the skin, possibly via temperature-insensitive preoptic hypothalamic neurons (not shown). The WS neurons trigger responses for heat loss (skin vasodilation and sweating) via still poorly defined pathways that may involve the caudal portion of the nucleus raphe pallidus (RPa). In contrast, WS neurons tonically inhibit cold-responsive neurons of the dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (DMH), periaqueductal gray (PAG), and RPa. The rostral PAG mediates some of the inhibitory effects of WS on the RPa, whereas the caudal PAG mediates excitatory effects of DMH neurons on these raphe neurons. Cold exposure results …
ICAM-1: Isoforms and Phenotypes

ICAM-1 plays an important role in leukocyte trafficking, immunological synapse formation, and numerous cellular immune responses. Although considered a single glycoprotein, there are multiple membrane-bound and soluble ICAM-1 isoforms that arise from alternative splicing and proteolytic cleavage during inflammatory responses. The function and expression of these isoforms on various cell types are poorly understood. In the generation of ICAM-1-deficient mice, two isoform-deficient ICAM-1 mutants were inadvertently produced as a result of alternative splicing. These mice, along with true ICAM-1-deficient mice and newly generated ICAM-1-transgenic mice, have provided the opportunity to begin examining the role of ICAM-1 isoforms (singly or in combination) in various disease settings. In this review, we highlight the sharply contrasting disease phenotypes using ICAM-1 isoform mutant mice. These studies demonstrate that ICAM-1 immunobiology is highly complex but that individual isoforms, aside from the full-length molecule, make significant contributions to disease development and pathogenesis.
Polymers containing polynuclear aromatics linked by one‐carbon bridges

The conversion of naphthalene, anthracene, and phenanthrene to polymeric material via Friedel-Crafts chemistry was investigated. Synthesis of the polymers was accomplished by: (1) self-condensation of the chloromethylated aromatic substrate in the presence of AlCl3 or SnCl4 or (2) treatment with chloromethyl ethyl ether (CMEE) and SnCl4, producing the chloromethylated substrate in situ, followed by self-condensation polymerization. Soluble or insoluble polymers were preferentially produced by varying the stoichiometry, time, or temperature of the reaction. The resulting polymers consisted of the polycyclic aromatic nuclei bridged by methylene groups. The regiochemistry of the polymer linkages was determined through the use of IR, 1H- and 13C-NMR. The polymers showed relatively high thermal and thermo-oxidative stabilities (380–495°C). © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Accounting for owner-occupied dwelling services: Aggregates and distributions

Research linking macro and micro statistics of dwelling services is in its infancy in the U.S. including work by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Census Bureau. Comparisons of aggregated estimates generated from micro-level data to estimates at the macro-level can inform both levels on the accuracy and precision of methods and data sources. In this study, the treatments of housing in the macro statistics of the National Accounts and in the micro statistics of household expenditure and income surveys are examined. Three approaches to value dwelling services using household survey data are compared: capitalization rate, hedonic, and rental equivalence. Estimates are produced using data from the U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey and American Housing Survey. Estimated aggregates of implicit net rental income from owner-occupied housing are compared to the aggregate value in the National Accounts. Possible sources of differences in the macro- and micro-based aggregates are discussed. The effects of adding net implicit rental income on income distributions are examined, particularly on inferences about the relative well-being by the age of householder. Overall, only marginal reductions in income equality result when net rental incomes are added to before tax money income; this only occurs when reported rental equivalence and return to home equity are used as methods of rent estimation.
Tissue-specific expression and developmental regulation of the human fgr proto-oncogene.

Abstract In this study, we show that c-fgr proto-oncogene expression is limited to normal peripheral blood granulocytes, monocytes, and alveolar macrophages, all of which contain 50 to 100 copies of c-fgr mRNA per cell. The c-fgr RNA molecules in these cells consisted of partially spliced transcripts containing intron 7 and completely spliced molecules capable of encoding the predicted p55 c-fgr protein. The splicing of intron 7 appeared to occur after the splicing of most of the other introns; partially spliced molecules containing intron 7 did not appear to be transported into the cytoplasm. Very low levels of fgr transcripts were also present in U937 promonocytic cells and increased in abundance with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced differentiation. The level of fgr transcripts began to increase 2 to 4 h after TPA addition, peaked at 8 h, and subsequently declined. Since we found that the half-life of fgr mRNA was longer than 8 h, these changes are best explained by transient transcriptional activation of fgr during TPA-induced differentiation, although nuclear runoff experiments were not sensitive enough to detect this event. Cycloheximide also caused accumulation of c-fgr transcripts in U937 cells; no superinduction was observed when TPA and cycloheximide were added at the same time. Induction by either agent was blocked with actinomycin D. These results demonstrate that the c-fgr gene is expressed in a tissue- and development-specific fashion and suggest that constitutive expression of c-fgr in U937 cells is regulated by a labile transcriptional repressor.
Relationships between fire danger and the daily number and daily growth of active incidents burning in the northern Rocky Mountains, USA

Daily National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) indices are typically associated with the number and final size of newly discovered fires, or averaged over time and associated with the likelihood and total burned area of large fires. Herein we used a decade (2003–12) of NFDRS indices and US Forest Service (USFS) fire reports to examine daily relationships between fire danger and the number and growth rate of wildfires burning within a single predictive service area (PSA) in the Northern Rockies, USA. Results demonstrate that daily associations can be used to: (1) extend the utility of the NFDRS beyond the discovery date of new fires; (2) examine and justify the temporal window within which daily fire danger indices are averaged and related to total burned area; (3) quantify the probability of managing an active incident as a function of fire danger; and (4) quantify the magnitude and variability of daily fire growth as a function of fire danger. The methods herein can be extended to other areas with a daily history of weather and fire records, and can be used to better inform fire management decisions or to compare regional responses of daily fire activity to changes in fire danger.
Analysis of a Class E rectifier with a series capacitor

The analysis, design procedure, and experimental results are presented for a Class E rectifier. The circuit consists of a diode, a series capacitor, and a second-order lowpass filter. The diode ON duty cycle and the ripple voltage are decoupled, i.e. the two parameters are determined by different circuit elements. The diode turns on at low mod dv/dt mod and turns off at zero dv/dt and low mod di/dt mod , reducing both switching losses and noise. The circuit has a step-down AC-DC voltage transfer function and therefore is especially suitable for applications in low-output-voltage power supplies. The experimental and calculated results were in good agreement.
Requirements and recommendations for an enhanced meeting viewing experience

We have found that viewing recorded meetings using traditional meeting viewers whose interfaces consist of an automatic speaker and a fixed context view does not provide sufficient information and control to the users. In particular, a survey of users who watch meeting recordings on a regular basis revealed that it is also useful to provide (1) speaker-related information, including who the speaker is talking to, looking at, and being interrupted by, and (2) more control of the interface, including changing the relative sizes of the speaker and context views and navigating within the context view. We present a 3D interface prototype designed specifically to meet these requirements when viewing recorded meetings. We describe in detail the results of a user study comparing the effectiveness of the new and traditional style interfaces with respect to these requirements. Based on this study, we present a set of guidelines for future interfaces.
Optimal least squares FIR multiband filter design

The paper presents three approaches to multiband FIR filter design. One is analytical, using spline transition band functions, but allows no error weighting. The second allows error weighting but requires solving simultaneous equations which may be ill conditioned. The third looks at the signal characteristics and poses a peak constrained least squares approximation with no zero weighted transition band as best suiting practical design specifications. >
Models of Core and Periphery Dynamics

The essay reviews developments of the Core-Periphery paradigm. Two variants of the paradigm are isolated: the neoclassical model and neo-Marxian model. Both variants define core-periphery relations...
Instability of a Shelfbreak Front

Abstract In an attempt to understand whether local instabilities can account for the observed frontal variability in the Middle Atlantic Bight, a linear stability analysis was conducted for a wide range of background density and velocity fields. Three-dimensional perturbations superposed on a continuously stratified shelfbreak front were investigated using the hydrostatic primitive equations. Model results indicate that the shelfbreak frontal jet is unstable over the wide parameter range dictated by the observed velocity and density structure. Model growth rates, on the order of one day, and wavelengths of ∼10–50 km compare favorably to observations, suggesting that local baroclinic/barotropic instabilities are a likely source for the strong temporal and spatial variability of the shelfbreak front in the Middle Atlantic Bight.
T1 mapping in cardiac amyloidosis: can we get there from here?

The accurate identification of cardiac involvement in systemic light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is a critical aspect of clinical care. Mortality from cardiovascular causes is the most common cause of death in patients with AL amyloidosis, and those with cardiac involvement, seen in approximately 50% of
Resonance and/as Responsibility (How are We to Hear this Sounding?)

This paper has been explicitly composed for oral presentation: written by ear to be (read as) heard. It stages an experiment/experience ( experience ) with sound—and in the written text with the “sight” of sound—in order to solicit and engage the becoming sens (e) of sound in the space between resonance and response-ability it seeks to explicate and explore. The presentation begins with the sound of the first few bars of a popular song (whose identity I am withholding in this submission in order to preserve the integrity of the experience upon which its success depends), which is eventually heard in its entirety and which constitutes the point of departure, reference, and return—of resonance and response-ability—for the composition as a whole.
Bladder Neck Urothelial Carcinoma: A Urinary Bladder Subsite Carcinoma With Distinct Clinicopathology

To evaluate the clinicopathology of carcinomas originating in the urinary bladder neck, 316 cystectomies for urinary bladder carcinoma performed between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2013, were analyzed. Clinicopathological parameters were compared between bladder neck carcinomas (BNCs) and non-BNCs. Among the 316 cystectomies were 19 BNCs and 297 non-BNCs. BNCs accounted for 19/316 (6%) of all the cases, with a male-to-female ratio 18:1. Bladder neck location was significantly associated with advanced tumor stage. Ninety percent and 58% BNCs presented at stage ≥T2 and ≥T3, respectively, versus 62% and 38% non-BNCs at ≥T2 and ≥T3, respectively. Significantly higher percentage of lymphovascular invasion and lymph node metastasis were also seen in BNCs (68% and 47%, respectively) than in non-BNCs (29% and 17%, respectively). In conclusion, BNCs present with a significantly higher frequency of muscle invasion and advanced tumor stage, lymphovascular invasion, as well as local and distant metastasis at diagnosis compared with the non-BNCs group. Recognition of these unique clinicopathologic features with early detection and possibly more aggressive management of BNC can potentially have a significant impact on the patient's outcome.
Comparison of fission product release predictions using PARFUME with results from the AGR-1 safety tests

Abstract Safety tests were conducted on fuel compacts from AGR-1, the first irradiation experiment of the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification program, at temperatures ranging from 1600 to 1800 °C to determine fission product release at temperatures that bound reactor accident conditions. The PARFUME (PARticle FUel ModEl) code was used to predict the release of fission products silver, cesium, strontium, and krypton from fuel compacts containing tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particles during 15 of these safety tests. Comparisons between PARFUME predictions and post-irradiation examination results of the safety tests were conducted on two types of AGR-1 compacts: compacts containing only intact particles and compacts containing one or more particles whose SiC layers failed during safety testing. In both cases, PARFUME globally over-predicted the experimental release fractions by several orders of magnitude: more than three (intact) and two (failed SiC) orders of magnitude for silver, more than three and up to two orders of magnitude for strontium, and up to two and more than one orders of magnitude for krypton. The release of cesium from intact particles was also largely over-predicted (by up to five orders of magnitude) but its release from particles with failed SiC was only over-predicted by a factor of about 3. These over-predictions can be largely attributed to an over-estimation of the diffusivities used in the modeling of fission product transport in TRISO-coated particles. The integral release nature of the data makes it difficult to estimate the individual over-estimations in the kernel or each coating layer. Nevertheless, a tentative assessment of correction factors to these diffusivities was performed to enable a better match between the modeling predictions and the safety testing results. The method could only be successfully applied to silver and cesium. In the case of strontium, correction factors could not be assessed because potential release during the safety tests could not be distinguished from matrix content released during irradiation. In the case of krypton, all the coating layers are partly retentive and the available data did not allow the level of retention in individual layers to be determined, hence preventing derivation of any correction factors.
Reply to A. Indini et al

Indini et al state that immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are associated with improved response to immunotherapy. Although some small early trials with ipilimumab suggested that patients with irAEs were more likely to respond, this observation has not been confirmed in later, larger series with ipilimumab or nivolumab. Therefore, the impact of this association is not clear. Regarding this, Indini et al ask whether patients who experience severe irAEs had a different prognosis. As we discuss in our article, the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grading system does not adequately identify clinically significant ipilimumab immune-related toxicities. As such, we defined severe irAEs on the basis of whether the treating physician believed the patient required systemic corticosteroids. In this case, our Figures 3B and 3D address their question and show that patients experiencing irAEs severe enough to require systemic corticosteroids had similar time-to-treatment failure and overall survival compared with patients who did not require corticosteroids. They ask about the dose and timing of the systemic corticosteroids our patients received to treat irAEs. In most cases, patients received 0.5 to 1 mg/kg/d of intravenous methylprednisolone or the equivalent dose of oral prednisone. The proportion of patients who received systemic corticosteroids after each dose of ipilimumab is shown in Figure 1. Finally, Indini et al inquire if patients achieved a response before starting corticosteroids. As we explain in our article, we did not assess patients for tumor response. Even so, the majority of irAEs occurred before week 12, when a formal response would have been assessed. We decided not to assess tumor responses on the basis of the low response rate to ipilimumab and the general understanding that clinical benefit to ipilimumab does not necessarily require a response as measured by RECIST. It is worth noting that neither theWHO criteria nor RECIST were meant to play a role in making decisions about individual patient care and, in fact, have not generally correlated well with overall survival. In the penultimate sentence of their letter, Indini et al suggest that immunotherapy “should be continued even if patients experience irAEs.” Although in selected cases, immunotherapy might be continued after resolution of low-grade or asymptomatic irAEs, in most cases, we would not give additional doses of ipilimumab to patients who had required systemic immunosuppression for irAEs.
Status of RITE's Airliner Cabin Environment Research (ACER) Program

An integrated research and development program is being pursued by academia and industry in the United States to quantify a number of important safety and health issues within airliner cabins. This paper will present an overview of recent results as well as the current status of the airliner cabin environment research activities underway by the FAA-funded National Air Transportation Center of Excellence for Research in the Intermodal Transport Environment (RITE). Research to be discussed includes cabin ozone levels, pesticide exposures, cabin pressure effects on health-compromised passengers and crew, cabin air quality sensing, infectious disease transmission as well as aircraft disinfection and decontamination processes including aircraft materials compatibility studies. The research results are expected to influence government rule-making actions in the future as well as provide the basis for design or operational changes by the private sector relevant to the aircraft cabin environment.
Modeling of the Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM) International Space Station experiment with COMSOL MultiPhysics

‡The purpose of FMVM was to measure the rate of coalescence of two highly viscous liquid drops and correlate the results with the liquid viscosity and surface tension. The experiment takes advantage of the low gravitational force free floating conditions in space allowing the unconstrained coalescence of two nearly spherical drops. The merging of the drops is accomplished by deploying them from a syringe and suspension on Nomex threads. An astronaut’s slow manipulation of one of the drops toward a stationary droplet till there is contact initiates the droplet coalescence. Coalescence and merging occurs due to shape relaxation and reduction of surface energy, being resisted by the viscous drag within the liquid. Experiments were conducted onboard the International Space Station in July of 2004 and subsequently in May of 2005. The coalescence was recorded on video and down-linked near real-time. When the coefficient of surface tension for the liquid is known, the increase in contact radius can be used to determine the coefficient of viscosity for that liquid. The viscosity is determined by fitting the time to achieve contact neck diameter equal to half of the initial droplet diameter. This time is compared with a relaxation time scaling coefficient to arrive at the liquid viscosity. Recent fluid dynamical numerical simulations with COMSOL MultiPhysics of the coalescence process will be presented. The results are important for a better understanding of the coalescence process. The experiment is also relevant to liquid phase sintering, free form in-situ fabrication, and as a potential new method for measuring the viscosity of viscous glass formers at low shear rates.
Inhibiting Lewis Tumor and Distribution of Lung Targeting Etoposide Chitosan-alginate Microsphere in Vivo in Mice

Objective To study the inhibiting Lewis tumor growth and distribution of etoposide Chitosan-alginate Microsphere in vivo in mice.Methods The anti-tumor effect of drug-containing microspheres was studied by comparing each group of mice transplanted Lewis lung cancer inhibition rate;The drug concent rations in various tissues were determined by high performance liquid chromatograph(HPLC).Results Etoposide microspheres inhibition rate was 63.62%,significantly higher than other groups.The ECAM was injected into mice and(52.64±1.79)% of the total dosage was detected in lung tissue after 15min from administration.Conclusion The ECAM showed obvious inhibition of transplanted Lewis lung cancer and remarkable targeting action to the lung.
Chromosome breakage in users of marihuana

Forty-nine users of marihuana (29 male and 20 female) and 20 control subjects (12 male and 8 female) were studied with peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures for the presence of chromosome breaks and abnormal forms. An average of 3.4 cells with breaks per 100 cells (range 0 to 8) were noted in the user group, and 1 to 2 cells with breaks per 100 cells (range 0 to 5) were noted in the control group. No significant differences were noted in chromosome breakage between "heavy" and "light" users, users of mixed drugs when compared to users of marihuana only, users of marihuana and caffeine when compared to marihuana users not using caffeine, and male and female users. There were increases in numbers of cells with abnormal chromosome configuration in users as compared to control subjects, but the numbers were too small to be significant. The possible significance of these data is discussed.
Safety-Critical Control for Dynamical Bipedal Walking with Precise Footstep Placement*

Abstract This paper presents a novel methodology to achieve dynamic walking for underactu-ated and hybrid dynamical bipedal robots subject to safety-critical position-based constraints. The proposed controller is based on the combination of control Barrier functions and control Lyapunov functions implemented as a state-based online quadratic program to achieve stability under input and state constraints, while simultaneously enforcing safety. The main contribution of this paper is the control design to enable stable dynamical bipedal walking subject to strict safety constraints that arise due to walking over a terrain with randomly generated discrete footholds and overhead obstacles. Evaluation of our proposed control design is presented on a model of RABBIT, a fve-link planar underacted bipedal robot with point feet.
Manifolds containing an ample \(\mathbb {P}^1\)-bundle

Sommese has conjectured a classification of smooth projective varieties X containing, as an ample divisor, a \(\mathbb {P}^d\)-bundle Y over a smooth variety Z. This conjecture is known if \(d>1\), if \(\dim (X)\le 4\), or if Z admits a finite morphism to an Abelian variety. We confirm the conjecture if the Picard rank \(\rho (Z)=1\), or if Z is not uniruled. In general we reduce the conjecture to a conjectural characterization of projective space: namely that if W is a smooth projective variety, \(\mathscr {E}\) is an ample vector bundle on W, and \(\text {Hom}(\mathscr {E}, T_W)\not =0\), then \(W\simeq \mathbb {P}^n\).
A Natural Interaction Interface for UAVs Using Intuitive Gesture Recognition

The popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is increasing as technological advancements boost their favorability for a broad range of applications. One application is science data collection. In fields like earth and atmospheric science, researchers are seeking to use UAVs to augment their current portfolio of platforms and increase their accessibility to geographic areas of interest. By increasing the number of data collection platforms, UAVs will significantly improve system robustness and allow for more sophisticated studies. Scientists would like the ability to deploy an available fleet of UAVs to traverse a desired flight path and collect sensor data without needing to understand the complex low-level controls required to describe and coordinate such a mission. A natural interaction interface for a Ground Control System (GCS) using gesture recognition is developed to allow non-expert users (e.g., scientists) to define a complex flight path for a UAV using intuitive hand gesture inputs from the constructed gesture library. The GCS calculates the combined trajectory on-line, verifies the trajectory with the user, and sends it to the UAV controller to be flown.
Comparative susceptibility and possible detoxification mechanisms for selected miticides in banks grass mite and two-spotted spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae).

The susceptibility and possible detoxification mechanisms of the Banks grass mite (BGM), Oligonychus pratensis (Banks), and the two-spotted spider mite (TSM), Tetranychus urticae Koch, to selected miticides were evaluated with and without synergists. BGM was 112-fold more susceptible to the organophosphate dimethoate, and 24-fold more susceptible to both the pyrethroids bifenthrin and λ-cyhalothrin than TSM. The synergist triphenyl phosphate (TPP) enhanced the toxicities of bifenthrin and λ-cyhalothrin against BGM by 3.0- and 4.2-fold, respectively, and enhanced the toxicities of bifenthrin, λ-cyhalothrin, and dimethoate against TSM by 6.2-, 1.9-, and 1.7-fold, respectively. The synergist diethyl maleate (DEM) enhanced the toxicities of bifenthrin and λ-cyhalothrin against BGM by 2.2- and 2.9- fold, respectively, and enhanced the toxicity of bifenthrin against TSM by 4.1-fold. On the other hand, the synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO) increased the toxicities of bifenthrin and λ-cyhalothrin by 6.0- and 2.6-fold, respectively, against BGM, and by 4.5- and 1.9-fold, respectively, against TSM. The significant synergism with these pyrethroids of all three tested synergists (except for DEM with λ-cyhalothrin against TSM) suggests that esterases, glutathione S-transferases, and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases all play important roles in their detoxification. However, the toxicity of dimethoate was not enhanced by these synergists in either mite species (except for TPP against TSM). Apparently, these metabolic enzymes play less of a role in detoxification of this organophosphate in these mites.
The community practice of teasing among Latino children

In recent years, much research and media attention has focused on negative aspects of teasing, involving primarily teasers bullying teasees (e.g., Irvin, Walker, Noell, Singer, Irvine, Marquez, & Britz, 1992; Walker, Irvin, Noell, & Singer, 1992; Ma, 2001). Consequently, much effort has been directed towards eradicating teasing in local schools and communities through, for example, the development of intervention programs that aim to reduce the incidents of teasing among youth. However, these negative perspectives on teasing may reflect dominant mainstream cultural interpretations and functions of teasing - without necessarily recognizing cultural variations in teasing practices. They may also relate to theoretical and empirical work that conceptualizes teasing and other metaphorical activity as text-based in nature. From such approaches, words and sentences are regarded as encapsulating definitive "meanings" that are understood by all and are transferable across contexts (Bialystok & Hakuta, 1994; Gibbs, 1994).
"Never in My Life Have I Learned to Teach to a Program and Not to the Kids Sitting in Front of Me:" Critical Pedagogy Meets Restrictive Educational Contexts

The need for critical pedagogy instruction in teacher education programs is unquestionable. However, what happens when teacher candidates do internalize and demonstrate a desire to enact socially just practices, and they are prevented from doing so because of their educational contexts? By using a single teacher candidate's narrative, this paper seeks to problematize the idea that effective critical pedagogy instruction is enough to change teachers' perceptions and practices. Because teacher candidates and novice candidates are positioned subversively, they are often unable to implement the critical pedagogy they may have come to value, which can lead to frustration, anger, loss of self-efficacy, and even a desire to leave the field. This article seeks to consider what steps teacher education programs can take to increase the teacher candidates' critical pedagogy sustainability within restrictive institutions and structures.
Continuous Authentication and Authorization for the Internet of Things

With the dawn of the Internet of Things, small but smart devices have become ubiquitous. Although these devices carry a lot of compute power and enable several interesting applications, they lack conventional interfaces such as keyboards, mice, and touchscreens. As a result, such devices can't authenticate and authorize users in familiar ways. Furthermore, unlike for conventional settings, a one-time authentication at the start of a session usually isn't appropriate for the IoT, because the application scenarios are dynamic and a user might not retain physical control or even awareness of IoT devices quite as readily as with traditional computers. Thus, users need to be continuously authenticated and authorized. Fortunately, the IoT offers interesting potential solutions for meeting these requirements. This article discusses some challenges and opportunities in developing continuous authentication and authorization approaches for the IoT while also presenting a case study of a Wi-Fi-based human authentication system called WiFiU.
Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease phosphoproteomics: A functional piece of the precision puzzle

Background Molecular signaling events associated with the necroinflammatory changes in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are not well understood. Aims To understand the molecular basis of NASH, we evaluated reversible phosphorylation events in hepatic tissue derived from Class III obese subjects by phosphoproteomic means with the aim of highlighting key regulatory pathways that distinguish NASH from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (also known as simple steatosis; SS). Materials & Methods Class III obese subjects undergoing bariatric surgery underwent liver biopsy (eight normal patients, eight with simple steatosis, and eight NASH patients). Our strategy was unbiased, comparing global differences in liver protein reversible phosphorylation events across the 24 subjects. Results Of the 3078 phosphorylation sites assigned (2465 phosphoserine, 445 phosphothreonine, 165 phosphotyrosine), 53 were altered by a factor of 2 among cohorts, and of those, 12 were significantly increased or decreased by ANOVA (P < 0.05). Discussion Statistical analyses of canonical signaling pathways identified carbohydrate metabolism and RNA post-transcriptional modification among the most over-represented networks. Conclusion Collectively, these results raise the possibility of abnormalities in carbohydrate metabolism as an important trigger for the development of NASH, in parallel with already established abnormalities in lipid metabolism.
Anticipation and Placebo Analgesia

The neural substrates of the anticipatory phase of an impending stimulus have been studied in the context of pain with neuromapping techniques, including both positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The neural response during the anticipatory phase is complex since it can be affected by many factors, including certainty and uncertainty, dispositional anxiety and pathology, which have been the topic of many past studies. Importantly, the anticipation of pain is affected by positive and negative expectancies , namely the placebo and nocebo phenomena which serve as great examples of how expectancies created during the anticipatory phase can modulate pain perception. Here we critically discuss the literature on the neural activity throughout the anticipatory phase preceding a noxious stimulus and during the delivery of a stimulus when placebo and nocebo effects modulate pain. Understanding the processes during the anticipatory phase and the placebo and nocebo effects can help increase knowledge of both acute and chronic pain mechanisms, identify biological predictors of variability in clinical pain phenotypes and ultimately contribute to new therapeutic approaches.
Projection-Resolved Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography of Macular Retinal Circulation in Glaucoma

Purpose To detect macular perfusion defects in glaucoma using projection-resolved optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography. Design Prospective observation study. Participants A total of 30 perimetric glaucoma and 30 age-matched normal participants were included. Methods One eye of each participant was imaged using 6×6–mm macular OCT angiography (OCTA) scan pattern by 70-kHz 840-nm spectral-domain OCT. Flow signal was calculated by the split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography algorithm. A projection-resolved OCTA (PR-OCTA) algorithm was used to remove flow projection artifacts. Four en face OCTA slabs were analyzed: the superficial vascular complex (SVC), intermediate capillary plexus (ICP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and all-plexus retina (SVC + ICP + DCP). The vessel density (VD), defined as the percentage area occupied by flow pixels, was calculated from en face OCTA. A novel algorithm was used to adjust the vessel density to compensate for local variations in OCT signal strength. Main Outcome Measures Macular retinal VD, ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness, and visual field (VF) sensitivity. Results Focal capillary dropout could be visualized in the SVC, but not the ICP and DVP, in glaucomatous eyes. In the glaucoma group, the SVC and all-plexus retinal VD (mean ± standard deviation: 47.2%±7.1% and 73.5%±6.6%) were lower than in the normal group (60.5%±4.0% and 83.2%±4.2%, both P t test). The ICP and DCP VD were not significantly lower in the glaucoma group. Among the overall macular VD parameters, the SVC VD had the best diagnostic accuracy as measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AROC). The accuracy was even better when the worse hemisphere (inferior or superior) was used, achieving an AROC of 0.983 and a sensitivity of 96.7% at a specificity of 95%. Among the glaucoma participants, the hemispheric SVC VD values were highly correlated with the corresponding GCC thickness and VF sensitivity ( P Conclusions On the basis of PR-OCTA, glaucoma preferentially affects perfusion in the SVC in the macula more than the deeper plexuses. Reflectance-compensated SVC VD measurement by PR-OCTA detected glaucoma with high accuracy and could be useful in the clinical evaluation of glaucoma.
Prognostic utility of differential tissue characterization of cardiac neoplasm and thrombus via late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance among patients with advanced systemic cancer.

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE-) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is well-validated for cardiac mass (CMASS) tissue characterization to differentiate neoplasm (CNEO) from thrombus (CTHR): Prognostic implications of CMASS subtypes among systemic cancer patients are unknown. CMASS + patients and controls (CMASS -) matched for cancer diagnosis and stage underwent a standardized CMR protocol, including LGE-CMR (IR-GRE) for tissue characterization and balanced steady state free precession cine-CMR (SSFP) for cardiac structure/function. CMASS subtypes (CNEO, CTHR) were respectively defined by presence or absence of enhancement on LGE-CMR; lesions were quantified for tissue properties (contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR); signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and size. Clinical follow-up was performed to evaluate prognosis in relation to CMASS etiology. The study population comprised 126 patients with systemic neoplasms referred for CMR, of whom 50% (n = 63) had CMASS + (CNEO = 32%, CTHR = 18%). Cancer etiology differed between CNEO (sarcoma = 20%, lung = 18%) and CTHR (lymphoma = 30%, GI = 26%); cardiac function (left ventricular ejection fraction: 63 ± 9 vs. 62 ± 10%; p = 0.51∣ right ventricular ejection fraction: 53 ± 9 vs. 54 ± 8%; p = 0.47) and geometric indices were similar (all p = NS). LGE-CMR tissue properties assessed by CNR (13.1 ± 13.0 vs. 1.6 ± 1.0; p < 0.001) and SNR (29.7 ± 20.4 vs. 15.0 ± 11.4, p = 0.003) were higher for CNEO, consistent with visually-assigned diagnostic categories. CTHR were more likely to localize to the right atrium (78% vs. 25%, p < 0.001); nearly all (17/18) were associated with central catheters. Lesion size (17.3 ± 23.8 vs. 2.0 ± 1.5 cm2; p < 0.001) was greater with CNEO vs. CTHR, as was systemic disease burden (cancer-involved organs: 3.6 ± 2.0 vs. 2.3 ± 2.1; p = 0.02). Mortality during a median follow-up of 2.5 years was markedly higher among patients with CNEO compared to those with CTHR (HR = 3.13 [CI 1.54–6.39], p = 0.002); prognosis was similar when patients were stratified by lesion size assessed via area (HR = 0.99 per cm2 [CI 0.98–1.01], p = 0.40) or maximal diameter (HR = 0.98 per cm [CI 0.91–1.06], p = 0.61). CTHR conferred similar mortality risk compared to cancer-matched controls without cardiac involvement (p = 0.64) whereas mortality associated with CNEO was slightly higher albeit non-significant (p = 0.12). Among a broad cancer cohort with cardiac masses, CNEO defined by LGE-CMR tissue characterization conferred markedly poorer prognosis than CTHR, whereas anatomic assessment via cine-CMR did not stratify mortality risk. Both CNEO and CTHR are associated with similar prognosis compared to CMASS - controls matched for cancer type and disease extent.
Swept frequency waveforms enhance target specificity of ultrasonic neuromodulation in mice in vivo

Focused ultrasound (FUS) has demonstrated its ability to modulate neuronal activity in both cortical and subcortical brain regions in a noninvasive and reversible manner in mice. However, mice have very small brains relative to the size of the FUS focus. Simulations of beam profiles in rat head models have demonstrated the formation of secondary pressure peaks due to reverberations. This may explain results showing motor responses following modulation of regions not directly responsible for motor movement. Although standing wave formation decreases with increasing frequency, the success rate of neuromodulation also decreases. Our group has previously reported that the use of chirp sequences for blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening can reduce standing wave formation and decrease the region of BBB opening. In this paper, we aim to determine whether a chirped FUS sequence increases the neuromodulation selectivity.