cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Process Simulations Supporting a Techno-Economic Framework to Optimize Biorefinery Supply Chains

Abstract With recent innovations in the field of renewable energy, several promising biorefining techniques have been discovered. While many of these innovations have demonstrated promising outcomes in a small scale, laboratory settings, validation of these for their practical viability must be substantiated. While several contributions exist that captures the economic performance and inherent uncertainties of biorefinery supply chains, further emphasis must be directed towards coupling the models with basic sciences. One of the major voids in this existing body of knowledge is the ability to embody experimental outcomes while identifying the optimum supply chain logistics. This contribution illustrates a novel methodology for capturing the experimental details and coupling it with a techno-economic framework. In order to develop the process simulations, various tools from the Aspen Engineering Suite (Aspen Tech®) are explored extensively and tailored in a unique manner to share critical data for further analyses. This attribute of the proposed approach enables successful linking of the basic sciences with the broader biomass supply chain, guiding the decision making process. The resulting comprehensive framework will provide insight in channelling resources appropriately and acting as a decision support tool for investors, policy makers and related stakeholders.
A Study of Self-Hypnosis, with Implications for Other Self-Control Procedures

Self-hypnosis and the effects of prior hypnotic experience on self-hypnosis were investigated with hypnotically naive college students. Adaptations of conventional hypnotic scales were used to provide for group testing and to assess self-hypnotic performance. The question investigated was whether experience with conventional heterohypnosis would inhibit later self-hypnosis rather than enhance it, as is customarily believed. In testing this proposition, three groups of about 30 subjects each (final N = 88) were tested in four hypnotic sessions. One group had two initial heterohypnosis scales of a conventional type, one had similar scales phrased completely in the first person, and one had two initial experiences with untrained self-hypnosis. All three groups then had one session of self-hypnosis and one of conventional heterohypnosis.
Linking Diverse Resources to Action Control

Abstract The capacity for controlling one's behaviors operates as if relying on a limited resource. After initial self-control exertions, subsequent self-control suffers. The current chapter stresses that this capacity for control represents only one resource on which people draw to achieve desired outcomes. A person may draw on other personal resources—bodily resources, social resources, or money—to achieve the same ends. Crucially, the various resources people draw on are, to a degree, substitutable. Furthermore, given this substitutability, we argue that the availability of nonmental resources may influence a person's willingness to engage in mentally effortful action control. If other resources are abundant, then a person may be more willing to expend mental resources. If other resources are scarce, then a person may be less willing to expend mental resources. In this chapter, we review the evidence consistent with this line of thought and explore implications of this theory for action control.
Ultra low dark-count-rate up-conversion single photon detector

We have demonstrated an ultra low noise up-conversion single photon detector using a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide. The dark count rate of this detector is lower than 100 counts/second at 10% detection efficiency.
Identifying Regional Cardiac Abnormalities from Myocardial Strains Using Spatio-temporal Tensor Analysis

Myocardial deformation is a critical indicator of many cardiac diseases and dysfunctions. The goal of this paper is to use myocardial deformation patterns to identify and localize regional abnormal cardiac function in human subjects. We have developed a novel tensor-based classification framework that better conserves the spatio-temporal structure of the myocardial deformation pattern than conventional vector-based algorithms. In addition, the tensor-based projection function keeps more of the information of the original feature space, so that abnormal tensors in the subspace can be back-projected to reveal the regional cardiac abnormality in a more physically meaningful way. We have tested our novel method on 41 human image sequences, and achieved a classification rate of 87.80%. The recovered regional abnormalities from our algorithm agree well with the patient's pathology and doctor's diagnosis and provide a promising avenue for regional cardiac function analysis.
Where Emergency Management and Disaster Behavioral Health Meet: Through an Emergency Management Lens

Abstract Recent developments in Emergency Management include recognizing the importance of engaging the whole community in all phases of emergency management and the significant impact of language as an identifier on an individual’s perception of his or her role and ability to act and react. This chapter explores the history of the Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System, the Threat, Hazard Identification, and Risk Assessment process, the efforts to engage the Whole Community, and the impact of Positioning Theory on disaster survivors. From a Disaster Behavioral Health perspective, the capabilities of its practitioners are often underutilized and not clearly understood by emergency management. Besides not having a clear place in the Incident Command Structure used by emergency managers, there are several misconceptions about disaster behavioral health predominant in the emergency response field. The author lists five myths, dispels these myths, and provides future recommendations for the integration and collaboration of the two professions.
Prognostic value of loss of heterozygosity and sub-cellular localization of SMAD4 varies with tumor stage in colorectal cancer.

// Xu Jia 1 , Chandrakumar Shanmugam 1, 6 , Ravi K. Paluri 2 , Nirag C. Jhala 1, 7 , Michael P. Behring 3 , Venkat R. Katkoori 1, 8 , Shajan P. Sugandha 2 , Sejong Bae 2, 5 , Temesgen Samuel 4 , Upender Manne 1, 5 1 Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA 2 Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA 3 Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA 4 College of Veterinary Medicine, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL, USA 5 Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA 6 Current address: Department of Pathology, ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Sanathnagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India 7 Current address: Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA 8 Current address: Department of Surgery, Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, Lansing, MI, USA Correspondence to: Upender Manne, email: upendermanne@uabmc.edu Keywords: colorectal cancer, tumor stage, 18q21 LOH, nuclear/cytoplasmic SMAD4, survival Received: August 31, 2016 Accepted: January 24, 2017 Published: February 21, 2017 ABSTRACT Background: Although loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at chromosome location 18q21 and decreased expression of SMAD4 in invasive colorectal cancers (CRCs) correlate with poor patient survival, the prognostic value of LOH at 18q21 and sub-cellular localization of SMAD4 have not been evaluated in relation to tumor stage. Methods: Genomic DNA samples from 209 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sporadic CRC tissues and their matching controls were analyzed for 18q21 LOH, and corresponding tissue sections were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for expression of SMAD4 and assessed for its sub-cellular localization (nuclear vs. cytoplasmic). In addition, 53 frozen CRCs and their matching control tissues were analyzed for their mutational status and mRNA expression of SMAD4. The phenotypic expression pattern and LOH status were evaluated for correlation with patient survival by the use of Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models. Results: LOH of 18q21 was detected in 61% of the informative cases. In 8% of the cases, missense point mutations were detected in Smad4. In CRCs, relative to controls, there was increased SMAD4 staining in the cytoplasm (74%) and decreased staining in the nuclei (37%). LOH of 18q21 and high cytoplasmic localization of SMAD4 were associated with shortened overall survival of Stage II patients, whereas low nuclear expression of SMAD4 was associated with worse survival, but only for patients with Stage III CRCs. Conclusions: LOH of 18q21 and high cytoplasmic localization of SMAD4 in Stage II CRCs and low nuclear SMAD4 in Stage III CRCs are predictors of shortened patient survival.
The Affective Performance of State Love

Sue-Ellen Case analyses federally and state-sanctioned same-sex marriage laws as an emerging rite of lesbian rights. In the neoliberal US context, the performance of sexual and emotional commitment in the offices of registrars and of joy on the sidewalks compose the rite of civil sex. Such performances do not proceed from LGBT subcultural practices or from the history of lesbian feminist critique. While the performance of sanctioned marriage signals the granting of equal rights of citizenship to lesbian and gay people, it also incorporates a sexual minority—a perversity—into the heteronormative social and economic order. Case argues that affective performances of same-sex desire and love have been assimilated into a neoliberal agenda, namely a state formation of feeling and the religious sanctification of sex.
Chemical Basis for Deuterium Labeling of Fat and NADPH

Much understanding of metabolism is based on monitoring chemical reactions in cells with isotope tracers. For this purpose, 13C is well suited due to its stable incorporation into biomolecules and minimal kinetic isotope effect. For redox reactions, deuterium tracing can provide additional information. To date, studies examining NADPH production with deuterated carbon sources have failed to account for roughly half of NADPH’s redox active hydrogen. We show the missing hydrogen is the result of enzyme-catalyzed H-D exchange between water and NADPH. Though isolated NADPH does not undergo H-D exchange with water, such exchange is catalyzed by Flavin enzymes and occurs rapidly in cells. Correction for H-D exchange is required for accurate assessment of biological sources of NADPH’s high energy electrons. Deuterated water (D2O) is frequently used to monitor fat synthesis in vivo, but the chemical pathway of the deuterons into fat remains unclear. We show D2O labels fatty acids primarily via NADPH. Knowledge of...
Differentiation Agents and Epigenomic Therapies

The role of epigenetics in the development and treatment of cancer continues to gain interest. Although the field of epigenetics as a therapeutic target is in its infancy, discoveries and new agents targeting epigenetics are being translated into the clinic at remarkable speed. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs), one class of agents targeting epigenetic changes, are in phase I trials and are moving to phase II trials for several types of cancer, including prostate cancer. DNA methyl transferase inhibitors, such as 5-azacytidine, have undergone limited testing in prostate cancer. In this chapter, a summary of epigenetic targets and novel agents in general and as it relates to prostate cancer is provided.
Place attachment and attendees’ experiences of homecoming event

This study explores the complex of attendees’ experiences in the context of homecoming events that overlap sport activities, event, and tourism elements during a weekend. Focusing on alumni attende...
Research Methods in Studies with the P2 Basic Protein

Purification of proteins from PNS myelin began in the early 1970s. Isolation procedures were developed to obtain the basic proteins (Uyemura et al., 1970; London, 1971; Brostoff et al., 1972), and an early study (Brostoff et al., 1972) suggested that one of them was able to induce experimental allergic neuritis (EAN).
New Differential Geometric Methods in Nonholonomic Path Finding

We outline three approaches for nonholonomic path finding —nilpotent approximation, highly oscillatory inputs and path deformation— that are based on the use of the techniques of modern geometric optimal control theory, as well as a more classical one —optimal control— where differential geometric methods are also beginning to play a significant role.
Non-Destructive Tests Used to Insure the Integrity of Semiconductor Devices with Emphasis on Passive Acoustic Techniques

This paper reviews a number of important non-destructive tests used frequently in the semiconductor industry to test the mechanical integrity of semiconductor devices. Many of these tests are not rigorously quantitative, but rather, involve an element of human judgement or some empirical comparison for interpretation. As such, the usage of some of the tests is controversial even though they are specified in important military and other microelectronic standards. The scientist or engineer just entering the microelectronics field should look upon this as an opportunity to develop better tests rather than be discouraged by the lack of rigor.
Socioeconomic determinants of the level of mechanization of nurseries and greenhouses in the southern United States

As horticulture production increases over time, growers are expected to improve efficiency, adopt appropriate technologies, improve working conditions and workers’ safety, and enhance markets. Mechanization decisions are made to maximize production under a least-cost combination of inputs including mechanization. The objective of this paper is to determine the socioeconomic factors influencing the level of mechanization among nurseries and greenhouses. The results will provide more profound insights into the empirical relationships between the level of mechanization and the economic and technical characteristics of nurseries or greenhouses. Results will also describe the influences of owners or operators’ characteristics on mechanizations decisions. The level of mechanization shows the extent by which nurseries or greenhouses have currently mechanized each of the significant workers’ tasks involved in the production of horticulture products. A regression equation was estimated using the socioeconomic database collected from a survey of 215 randomly selected wholesale nurseries and greenhouses in eight Southern states. The regression results explained 69% of the variation in the level of mechanization among participating nurseries or greenhouses. Younger owners or operators tend to approve of higher mechanization in horticulture operations. Significant differences in the levels of mechanization were observed among owners or operators with different levels of formal educational attainment. Workers’ tasks in greenhouse-only operations tend to be more mechanized than nursery-only operations. Workers’ tasks in operations with higher annual gross sales were more mechanized than smaller operations. The shortage of permanent or part-time workers would encourage owners or operators to shift to more mechanized horticulture production activities. Corporate-run horticulture organizations provided more mechanization options for their workers than the other business operations.
Public attitudes toward urban water sustainability transitions: a multi-city survey in the western United States

This article presents an integrated theoretical model, drawing from sustainability transition research and attitude theory, to explain public perceptions of urban water sustainability transitions and public support for transformational water-management strategies. We test the model with empirical data from a random-sample residential survey in three cities in the western United States dependent on Colorado River water: Phoenix, Arizona, Denver, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada. As one of the most heavily managed and over-allocated transboundary river systems in the world, sustainable water management of the Colorado River is critical to the future of the region. Cities face increasing pressure on water resources as population, development, and uncertainty about the future increase. While a growing number of scholars focus on sustainability transitions, a few studies focus explicitly on the role of the public as fundamental actors. This is despite the acknowledgement that public support may constrain or enable transitions and that major societal changes will affect the public in numerous and critical ways. We hypothesize that environmental orientation, procedural knowledge, perceived personal responsibility, trust in government, and socio-economic resources predict public perceptions of the need for transitions and public support for transformational water-management strategies. We use ANOVA to identify differences between cities, and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to evaluate the conceptual model. Results provide partial support for the hypothesized model and the findings replicate across cities. The findings suggest several policy implications for basin-wide and city-scale water management in the Colorado River basin.
Global Report on Conflict, Governance and State Fragility 2007

The resignation of the last president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, in December 1991 launched an era of dramatic change in world politics. The fifteen years since the end of the Cold War have seen a major increase in globalization, as technical “revolutions” in information and communications systems have made world politics far more transparent and increased the effects of changes in any one region on other parts of the world. They have also exposed a nascent global system peppered with fragile, failing, and failed states, and in which large areas have been ravaged by years of violence, contestation, and uneven development.
Experimental Evaluation of a Single Stage Superfluid Stirling Refrigerator Using a Large Plastic Recuperator

This paper describes the low and high temperature experimental performance of the second single stage superfluid Stirling refrigerator (SSR) to use a plastic recuperator. This SSR has a total internal volume of 96.6 cm3 and uses a Kapton recuperator which has 12.10 cm3 devoted to recuperative heat transfer. Operating from a high temperature of 1.0 K and with 1.5% and 3.0% 3He–4He mixtures, this SSR achieves a low temperature of 291 mK and delivers net cooling powers of 3705 μW at 750 mK, 977 μW at 500 mK, and 409 μW at 400 mK. Cooling power versus cold piston temperature for various frequencies of operation and for two piston stroke configurations are also provided. These results are non-dimensionalized and compared to the Schmidt model of a regenerative Stirling refrigerator and the adiabatic model of a recuperative Stirling refrigerator. The SSR was also operated from high temperatures between 1.0 K and 2.0 K. This SSR achieves low temperatures of 412 mK, 620 mK, 1.069 K, and 1.459 K operating from high temperatures of 1.2 K, 1.4 K, 1.6 K, and 1.8 K respectively. This high temperature performance is compared to the theoretical performance of the SSR using a phonon–roton gas model.
Protests, Media Coverage, and a Hierarchy of Social Struggle:

News coverage is fundamental to a protest’s viability, but research suggests media negatively portray protests and protesters that challenge the status quo (a pattern known as the protest paradigm)...
Decoding team and individual impact in science and invention

Scientists and inventors increasingly work in teams, raising fundamental questions about the nature of team production and making individual assessment increasingly difficult. Here we present a method for describing individual and team citation impact that both is computationally feasible and can be applied in standard, wide-scale databases. We track individuals across collaboration networks to define an individual citation index and examine outcomes when each individual works alone or in teams. Studying 24 million research articles and 3.9 million US patents, we find a substantial impact advantage of teamwork over solo work. However, this advantage declines as differences between the team members’ individual citation indices grow. Team impact is predicted more by the lower-citation rather than the higher-citation team members, typically centering near the harmonic average of the individual citation indices. Consistent with this finding, teams tend to assemble among individuals with similar citation impact in all fields of science and patenting. In assessing individuals, our index, which accounts for each coauthor, is shown to have substantial advantages over existing measures. First, it more accurately predicts out-of-sample paper and patent outcomes. Second, it more accurately characterizes which scholars are elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Overall, the methodology uncovers universal regularities that inform team organization while also providing a tool for individual evaluation in the team production era.
Considering poverty in the therapeutic process: experienced therapists’ adaptations

Despite high rates of mental health difficulties, low-income individuals are less likely to access mental health services and show fewer improvements when they do compared to middle-income clients ...
Leukoaraiosis and acute ischemic stroke: 90-day clinical outcome following endovascular recanalization, with proposed “L-ASPECTS”

Background To assess if leukoaraiosis severity is associated with outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) following endovascular thrombectomy, and to propose a leukoaraiosis-related modification to the ASPECTS score. Methods A retrospective review was completed of AIS patients that underwent mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion. The primary outcome measure was 90-day mRS. A proposed Leukoaraiosis-ASPECTS (“L-ASPECTS”) was calculated by subtracting from the traditional ASPECT based on leukoaraiosis severity (1 point subtracted if mild, 2 if moderate, 3 if severe). L-ASEPCTS score performance was validated using a consecutive cohort of 75 AIS LVO patients. Results 174 patients were included in this retrospective analysis: average age: 68.0±9.1. 28 (16.1%) had no leukoaraiosis, 66 (37.9%) had mild, 62 (35.6%) had moderate, and 18 (10.3%) had severe. Leukoaraiosis severity was associated with worse 90-day mRS among all patients (P=0.0005). Both L-ASPECTS and ASPECTS were associated with poor outcomes, but the area under the curve (AUC) was higher with L-ASPECTS (P Conclusions Leukoaraiosis severity on pre-mechanical thrombectomy NCCT is associated with worse 90-day outcome in patients with AIS following endovascular recanalization, and is an independent risk factor for worse outcomes. A proposed L-ASPECTS score had stronger association with outcome than the traditional ASPECTS score.
Spatial Outcomes of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in Southern West Virginia.

Introduction Dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDDs) are persistent organic pollutants widely distributed in the food chain. For over 50 years, the Monsanto plant in Nitro, West Virginia, created dioxin waste while producing herbicides, Agent Orange (during the Vietnam War), and different forms of rubber. Recent and past literature has established a link between the Monsanto plant and increased cancer cases within the region. Soft tissue sarcoma is one of the few specific cancers that has been linked to dioxin exposure. This pilot study examined whether sarcoma cases were clustered or randomly distributed within Kanawha County, West Virginia over the years 2000 to 2013. We hypothesize that sarcoma cancer cases will be spatially clustered. Methods This study assessed the spatial distribution of cancer patients with addresses within the Nitro, West Virginia, and study area. The Charleston Area Medical Center shared soft tissue sarcoma (n = 97) cases from 2000 to 2013. An unweighted K function with confidence intervals (99 Monte Carlo permutations) and 10 distance at 2800 meters each band analyzed the distribution of cases. Results The results suggest that sarcoma cases are slightly clustered within the study area. The region also has a high concentration of chemical and industrial sites. The eighth distance band exhibited the greatest difference (11384), between the expected versus the observed K function. Conclusion The unweighted K function shows non-random clustering. Future studies could investigate possible associations to industrial, chemical, or other possible point source contamination within the study area.
Genomic Approaches Reveal Pleiotropic Effects in Crossbred Beef Cattle

Carcass and meat quality are two important attributes for the beef industry because they drive profitability and consumer demand. These traits are of even greater importance in crossbred cattle used in subtropical and tropical regions for their superior adaptability because they tend to underperform compared to their purebred counterparts. Many of these traits are challenging and expensive to measure and unavailable until late in life or after the animal is harvested, hence unrealistic to improve through traditional phenotypic selection, but perfect candidates for genomic selection. Before genomic selection can be implemented in crossbred populations, it is important to explore if pleiotropic effects exist between carcass and meat quality traits. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify genomic regions with pleiotropic effects on carcass and meat quality traits in a multibreed Angus-Brahman population that included purebred and crossbred animals. Data included phenotypes for 10 carcass and meat quality traits from 2,384 steers, of which 1,038 were genotyped with the GGP Bovine F-250. Single-trait genome-wide association studies were first used to investigate the relevance of direct additive genetic effects on each carcass, sensory and visual meat quality traits. A second analysis for each trait included all other phenotypes as covariates to correct for direct causal effects from identified genomic regions with pure direct effects on the trait under analysis. Five genomic windows on chromosomes BTA5, BTA7, BTA18, and BTA29 explained more than 1% of additive genetic variance of two or more traits. Moreover, three suggestive pleiotropic regions were identified on BTA10 and BTA19. The 317 genes uncovered in pleiotropic regions included anchoring and cytoskeletal proteins, key players in cell growth, muscle development, lipid metabolism and fat deposition, and important factors in muscle proteolysis. A functional analysis of these genes revealed GO terms directly related to carcass quality, meat quality, and tenderness in beef cattle, including calcium-related processes, cell signaling, and modulation of cell-cell adhesion. These results contribute with novel information about the complex genetic architecture and pleiotropic effects of carcass and meat quality traits in crossbred beef cattle.
Here’s not looking at you, kid: A new defence of anti-natalism

Anti-natalism is the view that persons ought morally to refrain from procreation. We offer a new argument for a principled version of anti-natalism according to which it is always impermissible to ...
Interrater and Intrarater Reliability of the Beighton Score: A Systematic Review.

Background:The Beighton score is commonly used to assess the degree of hypermobility in patients with hypermobility spectrum disorder. Since proper diagnosis and treatment in this challenging patie...
The Steel and Aluminum Quota Agreements: A Question of Compatibility with WTO Disciplines and Their Impact on the World Trading System

In March 2018, the United States adopted measures to increase tariffs on a range of imported steel and aluminum products, justifying the tariffs with its national security concerns under GATT Article XXI. The United States also exempted certain exporting countries, such as South Korea, Brazil, and Argentina, from these tariffs in exchange for quota agreements limiting exports of the steel and aluminum products from these countries. These steel and aluminum quota agreements arguably violate the provisions of Article 11 of the WTO Agreement on Safeguards prohibiting such agreements (“gray-area measures”). This article reviews the compatibility of the steel and aluminum quota agreements with the Agreement on Safeguards and examines the impact of these agreements on the world trading system.
Getting Beyond Command-and-Control Regulation in Wireless Spectrum

The reasons for departing from a command-and-control regulatory model of wireless spectrum include increased flexibility, efficiency, and innovation.Properly framing the question is essential to understanding how to approach modifications to a command-and-control regulatory model: is it a question of on or off framed as levers, a question of degree framed as dials, or a question of where and when the regulation occurs framed as layers?Any progress in reforming our modern spectrum regime must evaluate issues like the degree of oversight, the role of technology in the process, how to encourage the trust of stakeholders and the public, what pace is appropriate for these reforms, and how to align incentives with goals.Because effective enforcement is essential to effective regulation, any progress in the regulatory model requires regulators to address challenges in enforcement including identifying sources of interference, resolving ambiguity of harm definitions, and addressing the proliferation of services across all bands.Potential solutions to these enforcement challenges include a system that clearly defines rights and obligations in spectrum, fast-track arbitration processes, methods for crowdsourcing interference resolution, and use of cognitive radios.
Integrating Sildenafil and Sex Therapy: Unconsummated Marriage Secondary to Erectile Dysfunction and Retarded Ejaculation

Steve, a married, 25-year-old, orthodox Jewish man was referred by his psychiatrist for sex therapy following 3 years of unconsummated marriage. The psychiatrist was treating Steve for depression, anxiety, and intrusive violent obsessive thoughts with psychoactive medications, including paroxetine (Paxil) and buspirone (BuSpar). The patient described erectile dysfunction (ED) and retarded ejaculation (RE). The couple's child (age 2) was conceived through artificial insemination with semen provided by the patient via masturbation. At the time of referral, Steve's spouse Susan (23 years old) was taking fertility drugs and artificial insemination was planned again. The couple was treated previously by a sex therapist, improving Susan's orgasmic capacity, but the marriage remained unconsummated. Unbeknownst to the previous therapist, the patient was secretly masturbating in an idiosyncratic and compulsive manner—a frequent cause of RE. Alteration of Steve's masturbation style and frequency was a necessary, bu...
Crowd-Sourcing Service Designs: Overview and Research Challenges

A service is supposed to embody the needs and interests of its providers as well as its consumers. However, service design has traditionally been the prerogative of service providers, often leading to services that provide unsatisfactory consumer experience. With increasing prevalence of open government initiatives and the advent of social computing in the enterprise, we posit that service design is set to become truly participatory, with the service provider tapping into the wisdom and creativity of the consumer “crowd”, and the design of a service resulting from their collective ideation, brainstorming and refinement. This paper seeks to identify the research challenges in crowdsourcing service designs by way of proposing a new high-level framework and describing its application to an elaborate example of driver’s license issuance service. The framework is a mix of the richness of crowd participation and the technical rigor afforded by formal analysis of service designs. The framework describes the components and how they come together, thereby leading us to the novel research challenges in realizing the components that should motivate further work on this topic.
On the computational architecture of the neocortex

This paper is a sequel to an earlier paper which proposed an active role for the thalamus, integrating multiple hypotheses formed in the cortex via the thalamo-cortical loop. In this paper, I put forward a hypothesis on the role of the reciprocal, topographic pathways between two cortical areas, one often a `higher' area dealing with more abstract information about the world, the other `lower', dealing with more concrete data. The higher area attempts to fit its abstractions to the data it receives from lower areas by sending back to them from its deep pyramidal cells a template reconstruction best fitting the lower level view. The lower area attempts to reconcile the reconstruction of its view that it receives from higher areas with what it knows, sending back from its superficial pyramidal cells the features in its data which are not predicted by the higher area. The whole calculation is done with all areas working simultaneously, but with order imposed by synchronous activity in the various top-down, bottom-up loops. Evidence for this theory is reviewed and experimental tests are proposed. A third part of this paper will deal with extensions of these ideas to the frontal lobe.
Two Methods of Estimating the Growth of Criminality in the United States

(1911). Two Methods of Estimating the Growth of Criminality in the United States. Publications of the American Statistical Association: Vol. 12, No. 96, pp. 807-817.
Fuzzy control of multi-rate traffic in multimedia cell-based networks

In this paper, an intelligent scheme for controlling the QoS in multimedia, multi?rate networks is presented. The scheme implements a dynamic control mechanism, based on buffers with vaguely defined thresholds represented with fuzzy sets. This approach guarantees the QoS of real?time traffic and delivers non?realtime traffic at acceptable performance levels. The fuzzy mechanism, based on the principles of fuzzy control, dynamically responds to the alternating traffic patterns at the access node using a set of fuzzy control rules. The fuzzy control rules are carefully formulated to reduce the starvation of non?realtime traffic which is usually assigned a low priority. We also show in this paper how the proposed schemes offer an improved performance over other access control mechanisms such as moving boundaries and other static priority strategies.
Judging by the Numbers: An Empirical Study of the Power of Story

This article focuses on the question of whether appellate judges are actually influenced by the stories of the litigants who appear before them. Part I will describe what I call the “DNA model of persuasion,” setting forth the hypothesis that logical argumentation, while a necessary part of persuasion, is not sufficient by itself and that using the form of a story to weave a pathos-based appeal into a brief will produce a more persuasive document. Part II of this article will describe a study that I devised and implemented to test whether appellate judges find story argumentation persuasive; Part III will present the results of the study. Part IV addresses possible objections to the validity of the test and the sample collected. Part V will begin an analysis of what the data might mean. Among other things, I conclude that stories are indeed persuasive to appellate judges and others, but also that recent law school graduates are not as impressed by stories as more experienced lawyers (and judges) are. Finally, I suggest that stories are helpful because, properly done, they evoke emotional responses within the reader that make the legal claim seem more “real,” and hence believable, to the reader.
A Laterally Interconnected Neural Architecture in MST Accounts for Psychophysical Discrimination of Complex Motion Patterns

The complex patterns of visual motion formed across the retina during self-motion, often referred to as optic flow, provide a rich source of information describing our dynamic relationship within the environment. Psychophysical studies indicate the existence of specialized detectors for component motion patterns (radial, circular, planar) that are consistent with the visual motion properties of cells in the medial superior temporal area (MST) of nonhuman primates. Here we use computational modeling and psychophysics to investigate the structural and functional role of these specialized detectors in performing a graded motion pattern (GMP) discrimination task. In the psychophysical task perceptual discrimination varied significantly with the type of motion pattern presented, suggesting perceptual correlates to the preferred motion bias reported in MST. Simulated perceptual discrimination in a population of independent MST-like neural responses showed inconsistent psychophysical performance that varied as a function of the visual motion properties within the population code. Robust psychophysical performance was achieved by fully interconnecting neural populations such that they inhibited nonpreferred units. Taken together, these results suggest that robust processing of the complex motion patterns associated with self-motion and optic flow may be mediated by an inhibitory structure of neural interactions in MST.
Effect of the Normal Microbial Flora on the Resistance of the Small Intestine to Infection

Abstract Abrams, Gerald D. (The University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor), and Jane E. Bishop. Effect of the normal microbial flora on the resistance of the small intestine to infection. J. Bacteriol. 92:1604–1608. 1966.—Mucosal structure in the small intestine is known to be influenced by the normal microbial flora. This suggests that mucosal resistance to invasion by enteric pathogens might also be affected by the flora. To assess this possibility, germ-free and conventional mice were challenged with Salmonella typhimurium, and both the growth of organisms within the intestinal lumen and the translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes were studied quantitatively. There were significantly more organisms 24 hr after intragastric challenge in the mesenteric nodes of germ-free animals than in those of conventional ones. However, since intraluminal growth in the intestine was also greater in germ-free animals, no conclusion could be drawn about mucosal resistance per se. Results were similar when the challenge was intraduodenal. However, when intestinal emptying was prevented by ileal ligation before challenge, both intraluminal growth and translocation of S. typhimurium were equal in the two groups of mice. It is concluded from these data, as well as from preliminary dye studies of intestinal motility, that the normal flora does not influence mucosal resistance directly, but may alter enteric infection by affecting intestinal emptying.
The Contribution of Reservoirs to Global Land Surface Water Storage Variations

AbstractMan-made reservoirs play a key role in the terrestrial water system. They alter water fluxes at the land surface and impact surface water storage through water management regulations for diverse purposes such as irrigation, municipal water supply, hydropower generation, and flood control. Although most developed countries have established sophisticated observing systems for many variables in the land surface water cycle, long-term and consistent records of reservoir storage are much more limited and not always shared. Furthermore, most land surface hydrological models do not represent the effects of water management activities. Here, the contribution of reservoirs to seasonal water storage variations is investigated using a large-scale water management model to simulate the effects of reservoir management at basin and continental scales. The model was run from 1948 to 2010 at a spatial resolution of 0.25° latitude–longitude. A total of 166 of the largest reservoirs in the world with a total capaci...
Corporate Governance in the Post Sarbanes-Oxley Era: Auditor Experiences

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act significantly expanded the responsibilities of auditors, management, and corporate governance actors such as the audit committee and the board. This interview-based research extends an earlier study by Cohen, Krishnamoorthy, and Wright (2002) conducted in 1999-2000 by examining auditors’ experiences in working with corporate governance actors in the post Sarbanes-Oxley era. Thirty audit managers and partners from three of the Big 4 firms participated in the study. In line with regulatory reforms and a monitoring perspective, auditors indicate that the corporate governance environment has significantly improved in recent years with audit committees that are substantially more active and diligent and possessing greater expertise and power to fulfill their responsibilities. In turn, auditors report relying to a greater extent on corporate governance information in planning and performing the engagement. However, results also suggest that at least some changes in governance may have been more form than substance. For example, of some concern, many auditors indicate that management is still seen as a key driver in determining auditor appointments and terminations. Further, management continues to be seen as a major actor in the corporate governance mosaic. Similar to Gendron and Bedard (2006), our results indicate that in many instances audit committees play a passive role in helping to resolve contentious financial reporting issues with management, with respondents indicating that the auditor and management often try to resolve issues before they come to the attention of the audit committee. Further, the requirements for CEO and CFO certification are reported by auditors to have a positive effect on the integrity of financial reporting. Finally, when relevant, we examine the congruency of the experiences of auditors and audit committee members by comparing our findings to those of Beasley et al. (2009). Our results are largely congruent except auditors indicate management has a major influence over the hiring and termination decisions of the external auditors.
Developing Conceptual Definitions and Theoretical Models of Coping in Military Families During Deployment

Military deployment is a stressful event that can create numerous challenges; yet many families are able to maintain resilience. This study examines how military spouses/partners cope, individually and within their families, during spousal deployment. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 female spouses/partners with male partners currently deployed. The results indicate that military partners enact various individual (e.g., distraction/escape, emotion coaching), social (e.g., support seeking, protective buffering), and communal (e.g., adjusting responsibilities, distracting/engaging children, enabling father-child involvement, privacy management) coping strategies. The study attempts to extend Afifi et al.’s theoretical model of coping through further developing conceptualizations of coping forms and functions.
Exposing Prejudice: Puerto Rican Experiences of Language, Race, and Class

Exposing Prejudice: Puerto Rican Experiences of Language, Race, and Class. Bonnie Urciuoli. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1996. 222 pp.
Novel super fast response vertical alignment-liquid crystal display with extremely wide temperature range

We have developed a novel super fast response (SFR) thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) with an extremely wide temperature range. Nematic liquid crystal molecules with positive dielectric anisotropy are vertically aligned initially. Any gray-to-gray response is forcibly controlled by applying an electric field. Response times of the SFR TFT-LCD are over several times shorter than those of conventional LCDs such as vertical alignment or in-plane switching LCDs.
The influence of health care preferences on insurance enrollment and medical expenditure behaviors

Individual attitudes and opinions may visibly impact upon an individual's decisions on how and when to use health care services and associated decisions with respect to medical expenditures. These health care preferences also serve as important inputs in helping to predict health insurance coverage take-up decisions. This paper considers the degree of concordance over time in health care attitudes regarding the need and value of health insurance coverage based on national data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. It demonstrates that individuals who consistently indicated they were healthy and did not need coverage were substantially less likely to have a medical expense in both years, relative to their counterparts who consistently disagreed with that classification. The paper also finds that adults under the age of 65 who consistently indicated that health insurance was not worth the cost were at nearly three times as likely to be continuously uninsured relative to those who consistently disagreed.
Hürthle Cell Carcinoma: A Critical Histopathologic Appraisal

PURPOSE: Controversy exists over the ability of morphology to predict the biologic behavior of Hurthle cell carcinoma. The aim of this study was to conduct a critical histopathologic review of Hurthle cell carcinoma and to correlate morphologic parameters with clinical outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with histologically confirmed Hurthle cell carcinoma treated between 1940 and 2000 form the basis of this study. Adenomas were excluded. Tumors of unknown malignant behavior ([UMB] n = 17) had solid growth pattern, incomplete capsular invasion (Ci), or both but no vascular invasion (Vi). Minimally invasive carcinomas ([MIC] n = 23) had one focus of intra- or extracapsular Vi, one focus of complete Ci, or both. Widely invasive carcinomas ([WIC] n = 33) demonstrated more than one focus of Vi, more than one focus of Ci, or both. The primary end points were relapse-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). Rates of recurrence/death were estimated by Kaplan-Meier method. The univariate influ...
A mathematical model for the impedance of the cavity-backed slot antenna

A mathematical model is derived that relates the impedance of a cavity-backed slot antenna to that of an identical slot which is free to radiate on both sides of a large ground plane. The model, which utilizes empirical constants from a previous experimental investigation, provides a continuously variable function of frequency and cavity depth for the impedance of a cavity-backed slot of fixed length and cavity cross section. This function is then compared with previously found experimental values and two theoretical solutions, one using a variational method and the other using the complex Poynting theorem.
Fear-potentiated startle elevates catecholamine levels in the dorsomedial hypothalamus of rats

The norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and serotonin (5-HT) systems are thought to be important in the development of anxiety and stress. The dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) of rats has been implicated in the regulation of physiological and behavioral responses associated with fear and anxiety. In order to elucidate the interactions between the monoamine systems and the DMH, we studied the effects of subjecting rats to the fear-potentiated startle test, a commonly used test of anxiety in rats, on the NE, DA, and 5-HT levels in the DMH. Rats in the potentiated startle test, but not those exposed to just foot shocks or acoustic startle, showed significantly higher levels of NE and DA in the DMH compared to cage controls. In contrast, foot shocks significantly elevated the 5-HT levels in the DMH.