cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Dual‐Source Indicator of Consumer Confidence

The objective of this paper is to improve the U.S. leading confidence indicator by combining its amended version with the Conference Board's equally well known Consumer Expectation Index. The resulting dual-source indicator provides a factorial structure in which survey items are nested. The results presented here show that this structure is not well fit by a generalized linear model. Hence a nonlinear model is invoked which provides differential logistic slopes for the survey items. This latter model is based on the work of McCullagh (1980). The effects estimated in this nonlinear structure provide the United States with a potential leading indicator that is richer and more informative than its current Index of Consumer Expectations. The suggested indicator prevents the mixed signals and inconsistencies that can occur when separately reporting results from our two most prominent sources of consumer perception.
Automatic quantification of microtubule dynamics

The dynamics of the microtubule assembly are very significant both for cell function and structure. Abnormal function of the assembly is involved in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Currently, microtubule dynamics are typically analyzed manually, which is time consuming and limiting. We present an algorithm that quantifies the microtubule dynamics automatically. The quantification becomes simpler, easier, and more extensive. We examine the sensitivity of the algorithm using phantom as well as real data.
Reconstructing patriarchy after the Great War: women, gender, and postwar reconciliation between nations

Erika Kuhlman uses the Great War and its immediate aftermath to write a transnational account of American and German peacemaking and reconciliation efforts. The need to conclude wartime hostilities...
The Failure of Martin Heidegger

Martin Heidegger, teacher and one-time rector of the University of Freiburg in Breisgau, is without question one of the most mysterious and puzzling personalities, as well as one of the most enigmatical philosophical thinkers of our age. A spectator who watches him come from his Black Forest hideout to enter the Freiburg university lecture hall sees him not only garbed in a costume which is itself peculiar, but enveloped in an air of remoteness and even of mystery, which seems to mark him off sharply from the lives and fortunes of ordinary men. And, during the brief period when he ventured to leave the world of speculative thought, to express himself on political matters, the effort can hardly be said to have been crowned with success, since the purport of his remarks was that Adolf Hitler was a man of genius, and a worthy member of the tradition that began with Socrates, and Plato. His later retraction has been accepted by many, but others who watched him at that period have found his words and actions hard to forget or forgive. Nor are the puzzles he presents limited to the field of politics. His philosophy itself is so difficult that those who call themselves his followers are at odds with one another as to just what it means, and his own frequently expressed judgment is that from the start he has been completely misinterpreted. The point on which all seem to agree is that what he is now saying contradicts what he said earlier.
Optimization of a compact conical horn antenna system for high power microwaves in the 4 to 6 GHz range

High power microwave radiation in the 4-6 GHz range is currently being studied in compact structures. A conical horn antenna is being developed that radiates high power microwaves in the 4 to 6 GHz range into high gain and highly directive radiation patterns from the TE11 mode in the feeding circular waveguide. Utilizing finite element modeling techniques, the behavior of these high power electromagnetic waves can be accurately described inside the waveguide as well as in the near and far field regions. These techniques in turn improve the quality of high power experiments performed on the compact structure. Presented are the modeling results of high power electromagnetic parameters in the compact structure, in the near, and in the far field regions.
A Century of Continuity and (Little) Change in the Undergraduate Political Science Curriculum

Although in recent years there has emerged a renewed interest in teaching and learning issues in the APSA, relatively little attention has been paid to the structure of the undergraduate political science curriculum. In this article we conduct a broad survey of articles that appeared in the APSR from 1906 to 1990 and find that (1) in the past the association paid much attention to the undergraduate political science curriculum; (2) over time attention shifted from a conception of the major as promoting substantive knowledge to a conception that emphasized skills; and (3) current concerns regarding skills, sequencing, and capstone experiences were all discussed several decades before the appearance of the “Wahlke Report” in 1991. We offer an explanation for the ebb and flow of the attention curricular issues received historically in the APSA, and suggest what the future may hold for current efforts to reexamine the structure of the undergraduate political science curriculum.
Conformational Flexibility of Nucleic Acids

In consideration of the importance of conformational flexibility to the functioning of nucleic acids, NMR studies have been carried out to elucidate aspects of dynamics with molecular Mechanics calculations providing supplementary insight. Analysis of 31P and 13C NMR relaxation data in terms of plausible motions in a DNA helix indicate that winding and unwinding, base tilting and base pair propelling are not viable, but sugar repuckering and other limited bond rotations on the nanosecond time scale will account for the data. Molecular mechanics calculations imply that the internal motions are highly localized, not concerted along the length of the DNA helix. 2H and 15N NMR experiments on labeled nucleic acids reveal that the base moieties also eperienci some motions, limited relative to those of the backbone. 31P and 1H NMR studies comparing a closed duplex DNA, pIns36, with linear DNA reveal that segmental motion (apparently bending) occurs two orders of magnitude faster in the cdDNA. The imino proton resonances indicate that there are dynamically-averaged structural differences between linear DNA and supercoiled pIns36 in the A-T base pairs but not the G-C base pairs.
Development of a regenerative reformer for tar-free syngas production in a steam gasification process

Abstract A novel reformer using highly efficient heat regeneration for tar-free syngas production is developed and its performance demonstrated in a pilot-scale plant using steam gasification. Basic design parameters of the regenerative tar reformer, namely residence time and amount of oxidant are determined based on numerical results. It has been predicted that good performance could be achieved at an operation temperature about 1573 K, the residence time exceeding 4 s and an oxidant addition of 12% of the syngas flow rate. The regenerative tar reformer so designed shows stable operation. Over 99% of light and heavy tars are reformed to gas in the case of 11.3% oxygen addition to syngas. Further it is seen that a reduction of oxygen consumption more than 30% compared to a conventional oxidation reformer can be achieved. The formation of a high temperature zone and good mixing of syngas and oxygen has a strong influence on the tar reforming efficiency.
The Stereoregular Polymerization of Isoprene with Lithium and Organo-Lithium Compounds

Abstract It has been shown that lithium metal and organolithium compounds, when used as catalysts for the polymerization of isoprene, yield a polymer containing 93–95% cis-1,4 configuration and 5–7% 3,4-addition product. The catalytic mechanism in the case of lithium and its compounds, irrespective of their solubility, appears to be homogeneous. It is suggested that the formation of a stereoregular polymer from isoprene and lithium is the result of the C—Li bond forming a coordination complex with the monomer in the cis configuration followed by rearrangement of this coordination complex to form a six-membered, cyclic, activated complex. The stability of the complex is a result of the ability of the lithium atom to undergo partial hybridization and thus assume a valency greater than one. Lewis bases, such as ethers, change the stereospecific aspects of the lithium-catalyzed polymerization of isoprene by the formation of a stable complex between the base and the carbon-bound lithium. This complex between t...
Responses to Rubin and Feeley

I have read the Rubin-Feeley article, Federalism And Interpretation, with pleasure and profit. I love their robust conclusion with its thumping disdain for federalism, that pitiful enterprise, an "incomplete state," prone to self-destruction?unless it can somehow transform itself into a unitary regime, like the good, old USA. So, while I strongly disagree with certain crucial points in their analysis, I wish to emphasize that the merits of the essay justify and encourage more of their kind of thinking about federalism. The title of the book on which the article is based, Federalism: Political Identity and Tragic Compromise, summarizes their argument. Certain features of a federal system, they contend, gravely weaken, and may well destroy it. They feel that we students of federalism are not taking our subject seriously enough to see this inherent frailty. We do not get to the heart of the matter. Our thoughts lack "real federal theory/' a failing they propose to remedy. My criticism may be set right by the longer text of the book. Be that as it may, the intellectual stimulus which I have experienced by attempting this critique testifies at any rate in my opinion to the merit of their work. They propose to raise the level of our understanding of federalism by examining this type of structure from the viewpoint of two familiar perspectives of social science, positivism and interpretivism. I heartily approve of this procedure. It is an ingenious analytic device, illuminating facts and posing important questions. The two methods of inquiry reveal different aspects of human activity. The positivist conducts his inquiry by external observation in the manner of physics, chemistry, biology, and other natural sciences. "Positivist social science," write Rubin and Feeley, "...begins from the base-level assumption that human beings... have an identifiable internal structure that governs their response to identifiable external forces. Both the internal structure of human beings and the forces that act upon them can be discerned by an external observer, that is, through the techniques of empirical observation." In contrast, "interpretive social science begins from the base-level assumption that human action is primarily determined by an internal process that exists within the mind of each person and is not fully accessible to external
Internal Photoemission Measurements for the Determination of Schottky Barrier Height on a-Si,Ge:H,F Alloys

We report measurements of internal photoemission from Ni, Au, and Pd contacts into a-Si,Ge:H,F alloys. The alloys were prepared by d.c. glow discharge decomposition of either SiF4 or SiH4 and GeF4, and H2. The sharp exponential drop in subgap absorption in these alloys, measured by the Constant Photocurrent Method (CPM), allows the determination of barrier heights using internal photoemission thresholds. The barrier heights of Ni, Au and Pd contacts are presented as a function of alloy composition. We find Ni has the lowest barrier heights while Au shows the highest barrier heights over the entire range of Eopt. We also find that for the Ni and Au contacts, ΦB varies as 1/2 the optical gap. In the case of Pd, ΦB shows a dependence of 1/3 the optical gap. We observed an increase in ΦB for Pd contacts when etched with a diluted HF solution prior to metallization. A similar increase in ΦB was not observed for the Au and Ni contacts.
Acral bullae in an infant

A previously healthy 3-month-old male presented to the hospital with an acute onset of vesicles coalescing into tense bullae on the hands and feet. On admission, vesicles, erosions and tense bullae were noted on the palms and soles (figure 1). Complete blood count showed mildly elevated white blood cells with peripheral eosinophilia. A punch biopsy revealed a subepidermal …
Treatment of Idiopathic Normogonadotropic Oligoasthenospermia with Synthetic Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone

An assessment of the effectiveness of synthetic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) in the treatment of idiopathic normogonadotropic oligoasthenospermia was made in 21 subjects selected on the basis of at least three previous sperm counts; a history of long-standing infertility; normal urinary gonadotropin excretion; normal serum levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone; and lack of any evidence of other clinical, endocrine, vascular, infectious, and/or urologic involvement. On testicular biopsy, 14 patients showed hypospermatogenesis or arrest up to the spermatid stage (group 1), while the remaining 7 had more severe spermatogenetic disorders (group 2). Libido and/or potency were previously unaltered in all subjects. Five patients in group 1 and five patients in group 2 received intramuscular injection of 100 to 500 mug of LH-RH daily for no less than 60 days (long-term treatment); the remainder received the drug for 30-day periods, with 30-day intervals (short-term treatment). Qualitative and quantitative assessment of the results during and after treatment showed frank improvement in spermatozoal concentration, vitality, and motility in group 1 patients, particularly in those undergoing long-term treatment (three of five patients under these conditions were able to impregnate their wives). The long-term regimen also resulted in predomantly qualitative improvements in group 2 (one of five patients impregnated his wife). The short-term regimen was less effective. Improvements under either regimen usually occurred at the end of, or after, treatment. Six of seven patients in group 1 who were followed for a long period retained values above preliminary values for 90 to 150 days after the drug was discontinued. Increased libido and potency were spontaneously reported by 15 patients, 20 to 30 days after the start of administration of synthetic LH-RH.
Advances in the Research of Vitamin D Receptor Gene and Bone Metabolism-related Diseases

Vitamin D receptor plays an important role in the maintenance of normal bone architecture. Influence of the Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms on bone metabolism has been thoroughly investigated over the past years, which helps to elucidate the genetic factors leading to an increased risk of skeletal diseases such as osteoporosis, rickets, and so on. Further study in this field will help us to better understand the mechanisms of the bone diseases at the gene level.
In 2010 Xuchang city of heavy metals in polluted food detection and analysis

Objective:To understand the situation of lead,cadmium,mercury pollution in food in Xuchang city in 2010.Methods: 210 food samples in 7 kinds were bought from supermarkets in 5 counties and 1 district for determination of lead,cadmium and mercury levels by atomic absorption method.Results: Heavy metal pollution was found to various degrees in some food.The over-limit rate of lead was 5.7%,mainly in vegetables,grain products and edible fungus.The over-limit rate of cadmium was 8.5%,mainly in edible fungus and less in pork liver.Mercury was found high level in fish and edible fungus.Conclusion: In Xuchang city,heavy metal pollution showed different degrees in some food,environmental pollution was the main cause of excess heavy metal levels in food.
Adaptive Equilibrium Regulation: A Balancing Act in Two Timescales.

An equilibrium involves a balancing of forces. Just as one maintains upright posture in standing or walking, many self-regulatory and interpersonal behaviors can be framed as a balancing act between an ever changing environment and within-person processes. The emerging balance between person and environment, the equilibria, are dynamic and adaptive in response to development and learning. A distinction is made between equilibrium achieved solely due to a short timescale balancing of forces and a longer timescale preferred equilibrium which we define as a state towards which the system slowly adapts. Together, these are developed into a framework that this article calls Adaptive Equilibrium Regulation (AER), which separates a regulatory process into two timescales: a faster regulation that automatically balances forces and a slower timescale adaptation process that reconfigures the fast regulation so as to move the system towards its preferred equilibrium when an environmental force persists over the longer timescale. This way of thinking leads to novel models for the interplay between multiple timescales of behavior, learning, and development.
Extracellular Polyphosphate Inhibits Proliferation in an Autocrine Negative Feedback Loop in Dictyostelium discoideum

Polyphosphate is a polymer of phosphate residues linked by high energy phosphoanhydride bonds. Despite being highly conserved throughout nature, its function is poorly understood. Here we show that Dictyostelium cells accumulate extracellular polyphosphate, and this acts to inhibit proliferation at high cell densities. In shaking culture, extracellular polyphosphate concentrations increase as cell density increases, and if the concentration of polyphosphate observed at the stationary phase is added to cells at mid-log, proliferation is halted. Adding an exopolyphosphatase to cell cultures or stationary phase conditioned medium decreases polyphosphate levels and abrogates the anti-proliferative effect. The cells show saturable binding of polyphosphate, suggesting the presence of a cell surface polyphosphate receptor. Extracellular polyphosphate accumulation is potentiated by decreased nutrient levels, potentially as a means to anticipate starvation. Loss of the Dictyostelium polyphosphate kinase DdPpk1 causes intracellular polyphosphate levels to become undetectable and negatively affects fitness, cytokinesis, and germination. However, cells lacking DdPpk1 accumulate ∼50% normal levels of extracellular polyphosphate, suggesting an additional means of synthesis. We found that cells lacking inositol hexakisphosphate kinase, which is responsible for the synthesis of the inositol pyrophosphates IP7 and IP8, reach abnormally high cell densities and show decreased extracellular polyphosphate levels. Two different enzymes thus appear to mediate the synthesis of Dictyostelium extracellular polyphosphate, which is used as a signal in an autocrine negative feedback loop to regulate cell proliferation.
Nuclear Rocket Engine Cycles

Nuclear rockets operate using one of the several types of thermodynamic cycles which vary in complexity and efficiency. For nuclear thermal rockets, these thermodynamic cycles are “open,” in that during operation, the working fluid is discharged through the nozzle to produce thrust after circulating only once through the engine system. These engines typically use a turbopump to highly pressurize the propellant prior to being introduced into the reactor where the propellant is heated to high temperatures before being discharged to the nozzle. The pump is normally driven by an integrated turbine system which is powered by propellant that has been warmed somewhat using waste heat from the reactor. Nuclear systems, which are designed to produce electricity for some type of electric or ion rockets, generally incorporate “closed” thermodynamic cycles in which the working fluid always remains within the system and is circulated continuously during operation. Nuclear electric systems require, in addition to the turbopump assembly, radiators to reject the waste heat that results from the thermal-to-electric conversion process.
Liberal Tolerance Among Honors College Students: A Regional Comparison

Attitudes of liberal tolerance among honors college students and regular students attending a Northern and Southern university were surveyed to test an attraction- accentuation model of higher education. At both institutions honors college students were more tolerant of communists, atheists and homosexuals than were other students. But progressive accentuation of tolerant attitudes by cohort comparisons only occurred in the honors college of the Southern university, which emphasized a sequentially structured humanistic curriculum in a residential college environment that promoted close social ties.
Coupled and simplified models of the symmetrical and asymmetrical triple-star nine-phase interior permanent magnet machines

In this paper triple-star nine phase symmetrical and asymmetrical wound IPM machines are modeled by means of the full order coupled models which are required to predict all the possible influences of the harmonics generated due to winding distributions and the saliency of the rotor structure. A simplified model which predicts the average components behavior is also determined. Comparative computer simulations of these two models are provided verified with experimental results.
Impact of CXCR4/CXCL12 Blockade on Normal Plasma Cells In Vivo

Plasma cells (PCs) are a major source of alloantibody in transplant patients and are resistant to current therapy. Because receptor-ligand interactions in stromal microenvironments play important roles in the localization, development, and survival of normal PCs, we hypothesized that interfering with CXCR4/CXCL12 interactions with plerixafor might cause PC depletion and enhance the efficacy of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib. PCs in mouse spleen, bone marrow, and peripheral blood demonstrated CXCR4 expression. We then treated with plerixafor in doses ranging from 240 μg/kg in a single dose to a 1-mg/kg daily dose for 10 days. CXCR4/CXCL12 blockade with plerixafor resulted in increased mobilization of PCs into the peripheral blood. Splenectomy completely abrogated this effect, suggesting that all plerixafor-mobilized cells were from the spleen. The total number of PCs in the spleen and marrow remained constant despite treatment with plerixafor. Bortezomib caused a reduction in PCs, but adding plerixafor did not increase killing. We conclude that CXCR4/CXCL12 interactions are important for the retention of a subpopulation of PCs in the spleen, but this interaction has minimal effect on PCs in the marrow. The lack of enhancement of bortezomib-mediated depletion suggests that factors other than CXCR4/CXCL12 interactions are responsible for drug resistance.
Rethinking the experiment: necessary (R)evolution

The current assumptions of knowledge acquisition brought about the crisis in the reproducibility of experiments. A complementary perspective should account for the specific causality characteristic of life by integrating past, present, and future. A “second Cartesian revolution,” informed by and in awareness of anticipatory processes, should result in scientific methods that transcend the theology of determinism and reductionism. In our days, science, itself an expression of anticipatory activity, makes possible alternative understandings of reality and its dynamics. For this purpose, the study advances G-complexity for defining and comparing decidable and undecidable knowledge. AI and related computational expressions of knowledge could benefit from the awareness of what distinguishes the dynamics of life from any other expressions of change.
Whole recombinant yeast-based immunotherapy targeting self or mutated self tumor antigens for the treatment of solid tumors.

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 45, 2004 2467 We have developed an immunotherapy platform based on using whole recombinant yeast as vectors. In brief, Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast are genetically engineered to express one or several heterologous tumor antigens. Dendritic cells (DCs) possess multiple pattern recognition and Toll-like receptors for binding and phagocytosing yeast. We have previously shown that immature DCs that have phagocytosed recombinant yeast become activated via an innate response and efficiently present the engineered antigens via both MHC class I and class II thereby stimulating potent T cell-mediated immunity (see Nature Med 5:625 ). The present studies examined the efficacy of the yeast-based immunotherapeutic approach to destroy tumor cells bearing mutated or over-expressed, non-mutated antigens. For mutated tumor antigens, recombinant yeast were engineered to express mutant forms of K-Ras, similar to those mutations that are found in multiple types of human cancers. Specifically, Ras61-VAX yeast encode K-Ras mutated at amino acid 61 (Gln61Arg) while RasV-VAX yeast encode K-Ras mutated at amino acid 12 (Gly12Val). To test the immunotherapeutic efficacy of Ras61-VAX, a urethane-induced mouse lung tumor model was employed. Tumor burden was significantly reduced in mice treated with heat-killed Ras61-VAX, as compared to that in mice treated with YVAX (yeast without Ras) or PBS. To test the immunotherapeutic efficacy of RasV-VAX, a mouse tumor challenge model employing CMT lung adenocarcinoma cells that uniformly express the (Gly12Val) K-Ras mutation was used. CMT tumors failed to grow in mice immunized with RasV-VAX, whereas mice treated with Ras61-VAX succumbed to tumor growth, revealing the specificity of protection induced by this approach. For over-expressed, non-mutated tumor antigens, EGFR-VAX yeast were engineered to express full-length human EGFR (lacking the transmembrane domain) as a soluble, non-glycosylated protein. Rats vaccinated with EGFR-VAX, as opposed to PBS, YVAX or RasV-VAX, were protected against intracranial challenge with syngeneic 9L glioma cells stably transfected with human EGFR. Rats challenged with 9L gliomas lacking hEGFR expression were not protected by immunization with EGFR-VAX. Immunogenicity of the vaccines described above was also demonstrated by in vitro assays measuring antigen-specific T cell proliferation and cytokine production. To the best of our knowledge, these results using yeast-based immunotherapeutic products expressing mutant or self proteins provide the first successful example of the utility of specific immunotherapeutic intervention in these models. We are currently preparing the first of these immunotherapy products for testing in humans with solid tumors.
Effects of the Backbone and Chemical Linker on the Molecular Conductance of Nucleic Acid Duplexes

Scanning tunneling microscope break junction measurements are used to examine how the molecular conductance of nucleic acids depends on the composition of their backbone and the linker group to the electrodes. Molecular conductances of 10 base pair long homoduplexes of DNA, aeg-PNA, γ-PNA, and a heteroduplex of DNA/aeg-PNA with identical nucleobase sequence were measured. The molecular conductance was found to vary by 12 to 13 times with the change in backbone. Computational studies show that the molecular conductance differences between nucleic acids of different backbones correlate with differences in backbone structural flexibility. The molecular conductance was also measured for duplexes connected to the electrode through two different linkers, one directly to the backbone and one directly to the nucleobase stack. While the linker causes an order-of-magnitude increase in the overall conductance for a particular duplex, the differences in the electrical conductance with backbone composition are preserv...
Thyroid hormone and brain function: III. Influence of triiodothyronine on evoked potentials of the cortex and reticular formation and upon the interrelationship of caudate and reticular activity of the cat

Abstract Triiodothyronine was administered intravenously to 22 cats. Observations were made on its effects on the reticular and cortical evoked response to sciatic nerve stimulation, as well as changes in the “balance” between the spindle response to low frequency caudate stimulation and the “inhibiting” effect of high frequency reticular stimulation on the “caudate spindle”. It was concluded that triiodothyronine has an early and consistent effect on the variables measured, and that in some instances these findings correlate well with EEG and clinical observations made in patients with thyrotoxicosis.
Gender-Based Violence and Armed Conflict: A Community-Informed Socioecological Conceptual Model From Northeastern Uganda

The high prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) in armed conflict has been documented in various national contexts, but less is known about the complex pathways that constitute the relation between the two. Employing a community-based collaborative approach, we constructed a community-informed socioecological conceptual model from a feminist perspective, detailing how armed conflict relates to GBV in a conflict-affected rural community in Northeastern Uganda. The research questions were as follows: (1) How does the community conceptualize GBV? and (2) How does armed conflict relate to GBV? Nine focus group discussions divided by gender, age, and profession and six key informant interviews were conducted. Participants' ages ranged from 9 to 80 years (n =34 girls/women, n = 43 boys/men). Grounded theory was used in analysis. Participants conceptualized eight forms of and 22 interactive variables that contributed to GBV. Armed conflict affected physical violence/quarreling, sexual violence, early marriage, and land grabbing via a direct pathway and four indirect pathways initiated through looting of resources, militarization of the community, death of a parent(s) or husband, and sexual violence. The findings suggest that community, organizational, and policy-level interventions, which include attention to intersecting vulnerabilities for exposure to GBV in conflict-affected settings, should be prioritized. While tertiary psychological interventions with women and girls affected by GBV in these areas should not be eliminated, we suggest that policy makers and members of community and organizational efforts make systemic and structural changes. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index.
New Therapeutic Target in Heart Failure: Achieving and Maintaining Normokalemia.

Article, see p 1320 Potassium is the dominant cation in all cells and intimately involved in generation of the cardiac action potential. Disturbances of potassium levels increase susceptibility to cardiac arrhythmia, drug toxicities, and sudden cardiac death. These abnormalities are of particular concern in the patient with heart failure (HF). The triad of diuretic use, renal abnormalities, and neurohormonal blocking agents, found in >33% of patients with HF,1,2 makes potassium monitoring a fact of life for both patients with HF and their providers. The impressive impact of aldosterone-blocking agents such as spironolactone and eplerenone in patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction, coupled with their predictable dose-dependent effect to increase serum potassium levels by impairing sodium reabsorption (and thus potassium excretion) in the collecting duct, has made potassium management more challenging and more important than ever in HF clinics. Additionally, in cases of severe congestive HF, when renal perfusion becomes reduced, proximal sodium reabsorption can become so avid that little sodium is present in the distal nephron, and thus renal potassium excretion is further impaired.3 The presence of comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, which occurs in ≈40% of those hospitalized with acute HF, further complicates this picture …
Understanding Science Teachers' Implementations of Integrated STEM Curricular Units through a Phenomenological Multiple Case Study.

Current reforms in K-12 STEM education call for integration between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Such integration of STEM disciplines at the K-12 level offers students an opportunity to experience learning in real-world, multidisciplinary contexts; however, there is little reported research about teachers’ experiences in engaging in integrated STEM instruction. The purpose of this phenomenological multiple case study is to understand nine science teachers’ first-time experiences in implementing integrated STEM curricular units in their middle school physical science classrooms. This study draws upon both classroom implementation data and teacher reflective interviews to illustrate different degrees of integrated STEM instruction and to understand teachers’ challenges and successes with these varying approaches. Our results indicate three distinct cases of integration within our sample that represent low, medium, and high degrees of STEM integration throughout curriculum implementations. Interviews with teachers from each case revealed three themes that varied across teachers’ experiences: the nature of integration, choosing between science and engineering, and student engagement and motivation. Teachers in all three cases were challenged to make explicit connections between science, engineering, and mathematics while simultaneously maintaining a motivating and engaging context for their students throughout their instruction. Further, it appears that the degree of STEM integration that occurs in instruction may be related to teachers’ ability to make explicit connections between the disciplines. The work presented here informs educational researchers, policy makers, and K-12 STEM educators that there are several challenges when it comes to implementing new STEM initiatives in K-12 education. Although this work is limited to middle school physical science teachers’ experiences with first-time STEM instruction, many of the identified themes are not content-specific; therefore, this work may shed light on general struggles that are common to educators who are integrating across content disciplines for the first time.
Tunable plasmonic subwavelength grating using electrically controlled conductive oxide

We design and experimentally demonstrate an electrically tunable plasmonic subwavelength grating at telecommunication wavelength based on a metallic subwavelength slit array coupled with a Si/SiO 2 /ITO semiconductor-oxide-metal (MOS) capacitor, achieving 32%:56% transmission-reflection modulation.
Electoral Politics in Africa since 1990: Continuity in Change

Democratic transitions in the early 1990s introduced a sea change in Sub-Saharan African politics. Between 1990 and 2015, several hundred competitive legislative and presidential elections were held in all but a handful of the region's countries. This book is the first comprehensive comparative analysis of the key issues, actors, and trends in these elections over the last quarter century. The book asks: what motivates African citizens to vote? What issues do candidates campaign on? How has the turn to regular elections promoted greater democracy? Has regular electoral competition made a difference for the welfare of citizens? The authors argue that regular elections have both caused significant changes in African politics and been influenced in turn by a rapidly changing continent - even if few of the political systems that now convene elections can be considered democratic, and even if many old features of African politics persist.
Approach to manufacturing resource description based on metadata in cloud manufacturing

Cloud manufacturing is a new model of service-oriented networked manufacturing. Encapsulating the physical manufacturing resources to virtual resources and completing the description of manufacturing resources are the keys and the basis to realise comprehensive sharing of resources, but there is no uniform method at present. Metadata is the basic tool to organise the data information, and is the data set which is used to describe the information resources online, to strengthen the search, development, organisation and utilisation of network resources. In combination with the special characteristics of manufacturing resources and the advantages of metadata, the paper offers the definition and category of manufacturing resources, proposes the method of manufacturing resources description based on metadata, XML mark-up language is used to define in detail. In the end, the effectiveness of this method is verified through cases.
Rescuing the Assertability of Measurement Reports

It is wholly uncontroversial that measurements or, more properly, propositions that are measurement reports are often paradigmatically good cases of propositions that serve the function of evidence. In normal cases, it is also obvious that stating such a report is an utterly pedestrian case of successful assertion. So, for example, there is nothing controversial about the claims that (1) a proposition to the effect that a particular thermometer reads 104 °C when properly used to determine the temperature of a particular patient is evidence that the patient in question has a fever and (2) there is nothing wrong with asserting the proposition that a particular thermometer reads 104 °C for appropriate reasons of communication, etc. when the thermometer has been properly used to determine the temperature of a particular patient. Here, it will be shown that Timothy Williamson’s commitments to a number of principles about knowledge and assertion imply that a whole class of utterly ordinary statements like these that are used as evidence are not really evidence because they are not knowledge and so are (perversely) unassertable according to his principled commitments. This paper deals primarily with the second of these two problems, and an alternative account of the norms of assertion is introduced which allows for the assertability of such measurement reports.
Efficacy evaluation of horticultural oil based thermotherapy for pear psylla management

Abstract The goal of this study was to improve techniques for pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola (Foerster) control, one of the major pests in pear orchards worldwide and in the United States. Mortality of adult pear psylla was determined after its exposure to horticultural oil (HO) combined with high temperature (thermotherapy) treatments. A laboratory–scale application technology unit was developed to apply HO–based thermotherapy. Spray treatments included four variables namely heat–condition (i.e., heat and no–heat), HO concentration (i.e., 0.5 and 1.0%), nozzle types (i.e., N1: Conejet nozzle, N2: D2/DC13 disc–core nozzle) and application pressure (i.e., 344.7 [50] and 689.5 [100] kPa [psi]). Each treatment was replicated four times on pear psylla bioassays. Mortality was evaluated at 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after spray application. HO combined with thermotherapy achieved as high as 100% pear psylla mortality during early hours after spray application. The overall mean pear psylla mortality using HO under heat condition (63.7 ± 2.4% [mean ± std. error]) was significantly higher compared to no–heat condition (43.6 ± 1.8%). Higher HO concentration (i.e., 1.0%) under heat condition had significantly higher mortality (60.2 ± 2.3%) compared to similar applications at lower concentration (47.1 ± 2.0%). Pear psylla mortality was significantly affected by nozzle type under heat conditions, and nozzle N1 (with comparatively higher spray coverage on water sensitive papers) had significantly higher (74.4 ± 3.1%) pear psylla mortality compared to nozzle N2 (52.9 ± 3.3%). The interaction between thermotherapy and each of the HO concentrations and nozzles on psylla mortality was significant at α = 0.05. Overall, HO combined with thermotherapy caused a rapid kill of pear psylla. Future field studies are warranted to evaluate efficacy of HO–based thermotherapy at reduced HO concentrations and pertinent effects on smothering of eggs and pear psylla mortality.
WHAT MA LACH’S BONES TELL US: Performances of Relational Materiality In Response to Genocide

Drawing from Freya Mathews and Mario Blaser’s critiques of genocide, modernity, and coloniality, in addition to the unpublished writings of Raphael Lemkin on colonialism, this study interrogates three ontological tenets associated with genocidal coloniality: that some persons are things, that matter is inert, and that some humans are autonomous of an ecological matrix. The author examines these tenets through the lens of Guatemala’s recent counter-insurgency war (1960—1996), focusing on the genocide against Ixil Maya communities during the height of the war (approximately 1979-1985). The author draws from work on collective art-based projects in Nab’aa’, Guatemala to examine how embodied performances of the inextricable relational ties between human and other-than-human persons and entities in an agentive and person-filled material world posed insistent challenges to genocidal coloniality’s three tenets. Three moments of performance, ranging from the quotidian to the ceremonial to the experimental, are highlighted: performing name exchange with a wild edible plant important to survival during wartime famine; performing chaj (ceremony) to address collective trauma from the 1982 mass killing at Xoloche’; and, finally, performing experimental theater in collaboration with Mexican artist, Violeta Luna, and Ixil performance ensemble, Teatro Tichiil. The author reflects on two terms prevalent in Mayan languages—kamawil, or living object, and kab’awil, “double gaze” (Adrian Ines Chavez in Chacon)—to explore the potential of Mayan ontologies of materiality and personhood to counter the colonial project’s construal of (some) persons as bodies only, to be used and disposed of as objects, in a world of inert matter. The author concludes by noting that this centering of persons (human and other) as relational beings underscores the ontological workings of what Gerald Vizenor termed “survivance,” understanding it to be an active resistance to the three tenets of coloniality through the embodied and storied insistence on complex relational personhood and the continued enactment of “transmotion” as inextricable relationality within a living and agentive material world.
Marital strain trajectories over a quarter century and spouses’ loneliness: Couple-level and individual pathways:

Although research suggests that stressful marital experiences may lead to feelings of loneliness in later life, little is known about the influence of marital strain over an extended period of time on loneliness in later years. Thus, in the present study, drawing from family systems and cognitive theories along with common fate and actor-partner interdependence modeling approaches, we hypothesized a hybrid model comprised of two multilevel pathways explaining the persistent influence of marital strain on loneliness, including: (a) a couple-level pathway and (b) an individual pathway involving within-spouse and between-spouse effects. Specifically, we investigated the influences of individual- and couple-level trajectories of marital strain over a period of 25 years (from 1991 to 2015) on loneliness outcomes in later years with a sample of 257 couples in enduring, long-term (over 40 years) marriages. The results mostly supported both hypothesized pathways. Consistent with the pathway involving a couple-level process, couple-level trajectories of marital strain predicted couples' later-life loneliness as reflected by both spouses' reports of loneliness (shared perceptions). In addition, at the individual level, each spouses' unexplained variances (unique perception) in marital strain trajectories predicted his/her own later-life loneliness outcomes (within-spouse effect or actor effect). Findings are discussed as they relate to intervention and prevention programs focusing on the well-being of married couples in later life.
Security and Machine Learning in the Real World.

Machine learning (ML) models deployed in many safety- and business-critical systems are vulnerable to exploitation through adversarial examples. A large body of academic research has thoroughly explored the causes of these blind spots, developed sophisticated algorithms for finding them, and proposed a few promising defenses. A vast majority of these works, however, study standalone neural network models. In this work, we build on our experience evaluating the security of a machine learning software product deployed on a large scale to broaden the conversation to include a systems security view of these vulnerabilities. We describe novel challenges to implementing systems security best practices in software with ML components. In addition, we propose a list of short-term mitigation suggestions that practitioners deploying machine learning modules can use to secure their systems. Finally, we outline directions for new research into machine learning attacks and defenses that can serve to advance the state of ML systems security.
Secure Market Operation in Presence of Critical Model Parameters in State Estimation

This paper is concerned about the impact of network parameter errors on the reliable operation and management of electricity markets. Specifically, the paper investigates the so-called critical parameters in a network model whose errors cannot be detected or estimated due to the lack of local measurement redundancy. Due to this property of critical parameters, it will be impossible to detect, identify and correct errors in these parameters. Given the fact that electricity market applications are heavily model-dependent, the locational marginal prices (LMPs) can be shown to be seriously distorted in the presence of critical parameter errors. Furthermore, if such errors are maliciously injected by adversaries, they will go undetected. Meanwhile, prices and revenues associated with power transactions may be strategically manipulated. An approach for quantifying the impact of critical parameters on the management of electricity markets is proposed. Conditions related to network topology and measurement configuration leading to the appearance of critical parameters are classified, and meter placement strategies for avoiding critical parameters are presented as well. Simulation results obtained by using IEEE test systems are given to verify the proposed analysis and design methods.
Molecular correlates and therapeutic targets in T cell-inflamed versus non-T cell-inflamed tumors across cancer types

The T cell-inflamed tumor microenvironment, characterized by CD8 T cells and type I/II interferon transcripts, is an important cancer immunotherapy biomarker. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) may also dictate response, and some oncogenes (i.e., WNT/β-catenin) are known to mediate immunosuppression. We performed an integrated multi-omic analysis of human cancer including 11,607 tumors across multiple databases and patients treated with anti-PD1. After adjusting for TMB, we correlated the T cell-inflamed gene expression signature with somatic mutations, transcriptional programs, and relevant proteome for different immune phenotypes, by tumor type and across cancers. Strong correlations were noted between mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes and non-T cell-inflamed tumors with examples including IDH1 and GNAQ as well as less well-known genes including KDM6A, CD11c, and genes with unknown functions. Conversely, we observe genes associating with the T cell-inflamed phenotype including VHL and PBRM1. Analyzing gene expression patterns, we identify oncogenic mediators of immune exclusion across cancer types (HIF1A and MYC) as well as novel examples in specific tumors such as sonic hedgehog signaling, hormone signaling and transcription factors. Using network analysis, somatic and transcriptomic events were integrated. In contrast to previous reports of individual tumor types such as melanoma, integrative pan-cancer analysis demonstrates that most non-T cell-inflamed tumors are influenced by multiple signaling pathways and that increasing numbers of co-activated pathways leads to more highly non-T cell-inflamed tumors. Validating these analyses, we observe highly consistent inverse relationships between pathway protein levels and the T cell-inflamed gene expression across cancers. Finally, we integrate available databases for drugs that might overcome or augment the identified mechanisms. These results nominate molecular targets and drugs potentially available for further study and potential immediate translation into clinical trials for patients with cancer.