cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of GABAergic Homeostatic Plasticity

Homeostatic plasticity ensures that appropriate levels of activity are maintained through compensatory adjustments in synaptic strength and cellular excitability. For instance, excitatory glutamatergic synapses are strengthened following activity blockade and weakened following increases in spiking activity. This form of plasticity has been described in a wide array of networks at several different stages of development, but most work and reviews have focussed on the excitatory inputs of excitatory neurons. Here we review homeostatic plasticity of GABAergic neurons and their synaptic connections. We propose a simplistic model for homeostatic plasticity of GABAergic components of the circuitry (GABAergic synapses onto excitatory neurons, excitatory connections onto GABAergic neurons, cellular excitability of GABAergic neurons): following chronic activity blockade there is a weakening of GABAergic inhibition, and following chronic increases in network activity there is a strengthening of GABAergic inhibition. Previous work on GABAergic homeostatic plasticity supports certain aspects of the model, but it is clear that the model cannot fully account for some results which do not appear to fit any simplistic rule. We consider potential reasons for these discrepancies.
Parasitoid bacterial symbionts as markers of within‐host competitive outcomes: superparasitoid advantage and sex ratio bias

1. Bacterial symbionts have the potential to alter insect fitness, which could influence insect competitive ability. To investigate this possibility, within-host competitions were staged between individuals of the parasitoid, Encarsia inaron Walker, that were differentially infected with the bacterial symbionts Cardinium and Wolbachia. 2. When parasitoids of different infection status parasitised the same whitefly host, there was no evidence that symbiont infection influenced the outcome of competition. 3. Using symbionts as markers, a significant advantage for the second (superparasitising) wasp was detected when eggs were deposited within 4 h of one another, probably as a result of ovicidal behaviour by the superparasitoid, but not when eggs were deposited 1 day apart. Additionally, the emerged sex ratio of superparasitoid offspring was male biased when eggs were deposited 4 h after the initial eggs, but had an even sex ratio when deposited 1 day later. 4. The present study demonstrates the potential utility of symbiont infection as a marking system for investigating within-host competition among parasitoids.
ON THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF PERCEPTUAL AND SEMANTIC CATEGORIES

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the internal structure of perceptual and semantic categories. The semantic categories of natural languages are made to appear quite similar to such artificial concepts when they are treated as bundles of discrete features that clearly differentiate the category from all others and that determine the selection restrictions of category labels used in sentences. The concept of internal structure has implications for several areas of research, among them child development. Studies of the development of word meaning have tended to focus on the child's understanding of criterial attributes and hierarchies of super ordination; such studies have found consistent evidence that children do not categorize or define words by the same principles of abstraction used by adults. Internal structure also has implications for cross-cultural research. It has been argued that psychological categories have internal structure, that is, instances of categories differ in the degree to which they are like the focal examples of the category; that the nature of the structure of the perceptual categories of color and form is determined by perceptually salient natural prototypes; and that non-perceptual semantic categories also have internal structure that affects the way they are processed.
Stability of Steep Slopes in Cemented Sands

The analysis of steep slope and cliff stability in variably cemented sands poses a significant practical challenge as routine analyses tend to underestimate the actually observed stability of existing slopes. The presented research evaluates how the degree of cementation controls the evolution of steep sand slopes and shows that the detailed slope geometry is important in determining the characteristics of the failure mode, which in turn, guide the selection of an appropriate stability analysis method. Detailed slope-profile cross sections derived from terrestrial lidar surveying of otherwise inaccessible cemented sand cliffs are used to investigate failure modes in weakly cemented unconfined compressive strength UCS30 kPa and moderately cemented 30UCS400 kPa sands and their role in the evolution of the geometry of the slopes. The results show that high-resolution slope topography, such as can be obtained with terrestrial lidar, is essential for identifying altogether different failure modes in weakly cemented shear-mode and moderately cemented tensile-mode sand slopes. Analyses show that the standard Culmann method for steep slopes is inappropriate for modeling the stability of cemented sand slopes since it tends to overpredict expected crest retreat and underestimate failure plane angle. Instead, a simplified analysis using infinite slope assumptions, but applied to a slope with finite dimensions subject to changing geometric conditions, such as toe erosion and slope steepening, is suggested for analysis of weakly cemented sand slopes. For moderately cemented sand slopes, a limit equilibrium analysis directly comparing the cliff tensile stress and cemented sand tensile strength is shown to reasonably predict failure conditions and timing as a result of either slope steepening or tensile strength loss, presumably from wetting in most cases. DOI: 10.1061/ASCEGT.1943-5606.0000396 CE Database subject headings: Slope stability; Sand, soil type; Limit equilibrium; Tensile strength; Failure modes. Author keywords: Slope stability; Cemented sand; Limiting equilibrium; Tensile strength; Lidar; Cliffs; Failure mode.
Effectiveness of Gloves and Infection Control in Dentistry: Student and Provider Perspectives

The objectives of this study were to explore dental and dental hygiene students', graduate students', and dental professionals' preferences for certain types of gloves and the reasons for these preferences (Aim 1), as well as determining their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior concerning the use of dental gloves as a means of barrier protection (Aim 2). Data were collected from 198 dental and forty-six dental hygiene students, thirty-five graduate students, and seventy-nine dental professionals (twenty-eight dentists and fifty-one dental hygienists in private practice). The subjects responded to a self-administered anonymous survey. Professionals (dentists: 96.4 percent and dental hygienists: 92.2 percent) were found to be more likely to have a preference for certain types of gloves than students (dental students: 79.2 percent and dental hygiene students: 76 percent) and graduate students (77.1 percent; p=.033). "Comfort" was most frequently reported as a reason for glove preference. Large percentages of respondents wrongly believed that gloves provide full protection (students: 50.8 percent; graduate students: 25.7 percent; professionals: 30.4 percent), thought that gloves provide protection as long as there is no visible tear (students: 39.7 percent; graduate students: 28.6 percent; professionals: 18.2 percent), and reported that they would not change gloves during an uninterrupted three-hour long procedure (students: 32.2 percent; graduate students: 23.5 percent; professionals: 22.7 percent). These findings should alert dental educators about the importance of educating their students as well as practicing professionals clearly and comprehensively about infection control and the science and rationale supporting recommended guidelines.
Turbulent Axisymmetric Near-Wake at Mach Four with Base Injection

Introduction F the early experiments by Cortright and Schroeder, and the theoretical and experimental investigation by Korst, Page, and Childs, it was apparent that the base drag of supersonic vehicles could be controlled effectively by the injection of small quantities of gas into the turbulent nearwake. Experimental investigations of the effect of mass injection into the turbulent near-wake of axisymmetric bodies with blunt bases have been reported in Refs. 1 and 3-7. Most of these previous investigations have been hampered either by model support effects (cf. Refs. 1,4), or by inconsistent zero mass injection data (cf. Refs. 5-7). As a consequence of this apparent lack of detailed data, particularly at Mach numbers higher than two, a systematic investigation of base pressure variation caused by mass injection into a turbulent supersonic axisymmetric near-wake was conducted. The major results of this study are summarized in this Note.
Deep Convective System Evolution over Africa and the Tropical Atlantic

In the tropical African and neighboring Atlantic region there is a strong contrast in the properties of deep convection between land and ocean. Here, satellite radar observations are used to produce a composite picture of the life cycle of convection in these two regions. Estimates of the broadband thermal flux from the geostationary Meteosat-8 satellite are used to identify and track organized convective systems over their life cycle. The evolution of the system size and vertical extent are used to define five life cycle stages (warm and cold developing, mature, cold and warm dissipating), providing the basis for the composite analysis of the system evolution. The tracked systems are matched to overpasses of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite, and a composite picture of the evolution of various radar and lightning characteristics is built up. The results suggest a fundamental difference in the convective life cycle between land and ocean. African storms evolve from convectively active systems with frequent lightning in their developing stages to more stratiform conditions as they dissipate. Over the Atlantic, the convective fraction remains essentially constant into the dissipating stages, and lightning occurrence peaks late in the life cycle. This behavior is consistent with differences in convective sustainability in land and ocean regions as proposed in previous studies. The area expansion rate during the developing stages of convection is used to provide an estimate of the intensity of convection. Reasonable correlations are found between this index and the convective system lifetime, size, and depth.
Fibrin and fibrinolysis in infection and host defense

Bacterial pathogens have frequently evolved and maintained the capacity to engage and/or activate hemostatic system components of their vertebrate hosts. Recent studies of mice with selected alterations in host plasminogen and other hemostatic factors have begun to reveal a seminal role of bacterial plasminogen activators and fibrin clearance in microbial pathogenesis. Bacterial pathogens appear to exploit host plasmin-mediated proteolysis to both support microbial dissemination and evade innate immune surveillance systems. The contribution of bacterial plasminogen activation to the evasion of the inflammatory response is particularly conspicuous with the plague agent, Yersinia pestis. Infection of control mice with wild-type Y. pestis leads to the formation of widespread foci containing massive numbers of free bacteria with little inflammatory cell infiltrate, whereas the loss of either the bacterial plasminogen activator, Pla, or the elimination of host plasminogen results in the accumulation of robust inflammatory cell infiltrates at sites of infection and greatly improved survival. Interestingly, fibrin(ogen) deficiency undermines the local inflammatory response observed with Pla-deficient Y. pestis and effectively eliminates the survival benefits posed by the elimination of either host plasminogen or bacterial Pla. These studies, and complementary studies with other human pathogens, illustrate that plasminogen and fibrinogen are extremely effective modifiers of the inflammatory response in vivo and critical determinants of bacterial virulence and host defense. Detailed studies of the inflammatory response in mice with genetically-imposed modifications in coagulation and fibrinolytic factors underscore the regulatory crosstalk between the hemostatic and immune systems.
Health-Care Policy 2011: Implications for Pharmacists

Objective:The enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 set the stage for a new era. The 2010 Congressional election results and recent court rulings challenging the constitutionality of various provisions of the Act suggest that implementation will be anything but straightforward. The proposed changes in health insurance, along with modifications in current reimbursement models, will alter the health-care environment. It is important for pharmacists to be aware of these opportunities and the resultant changes in public expectations. It is with these considerations in mind that The Annals announces the creation of a Health Care Policy expert panel to initiate commentary and discussion regarding health-care policy issues of relevance to the pharmacy community.
Structure optimization in logic schematic generation

An approach is presented for generating structurally near-optimal logic schematic diagrams from net lists. Unlike previous methods, preprocessing is performed to globally reduce the structural complexity of the anticipated schematic topology before the extraction of structural clusters. Since the optimized circuit topology may still be nonplanar, a novel weighted crossover resolution method is applied to temporarily remove costly local nets to extract important structural clusters and aligned nets in the planarized topology. A grid is assigned so that placement and global routing of the logic schematics can be generated with the desired topology that includes well-formed structural clusters. >
Reevaluating the Effect of Tax and Expenditure Limitations An Instrumental Variable Approach

This article evaluates the effect of tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) on municipal general own-source revenue in the United States. Using an instrumental variable approach, this study addresses the endogeneity problem of TELs that has been largely overlooked in previous research. Data are collected on 724 US cities with populations of at least 25,000 from 1970 to 2006. Results indicate that when the endogeneity of TELs is taken into account, TELs lead to considerable reductions in property taxes but substantial increases in sales taxes, income taxes, and user charges per capita. The increases in the latter forms of revenue not only offset the loss in property taxes but also generate a supplemental revenue effect, resulting in a net gain of total municipal general own-source revenue per capita. The study provides important policy implications and suggests that TELs may have unintended consequences and lead to bigger government.
Observations of Photosphere and Chromosphere

Solar physics has seen a decade of exciting science and discoveries, which were driven by new instruments for ground- and space-based observations. Multi-wavelength observations involving many observatories now routinely cover the whole solar atmosphere from photosphere, to chromosphere, transition region, corona, and heliosphere and have become an integral part in any type of space weather forecasting. The solar photosphere and chromosphere has historically been the domain of ground-based observatories and this review will be based on observations and research projects that have been carried out at the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) to illustrate current trends and prospects for ground-based experimental solar physics.
No Justice, No Peace: Conflict, Socio-Economic Rights, and the New Constitution in Nepal

This article examines the place of economic, social, and cultural rights in Nepal’s ongoing constitution-drafting process, and analyses the way that ESC rights have (and have not) been protected in its earlier constitutions. Further, the article considers the role that ESC rights and their protection in the new constitution play as part of a comprehensive approach to transitional justice and a lasting peace in Nepal.
A Systematic Review of the Empirical Support for Check-in Check-Out.

Tier 2 interventions play an important role within the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports framework, bridging the gap between schoolwide Tier 1 interventions and individualized Tier 3 supports. Check-in Check-out (CICO) is a promising Tier 2 intervention for addressing mild problem behavior and potentially preventing the need for more intensive supports. In this systematic review, we synthesize the characteristics, methodological quality, and outcomes of 15 single-subject studies and one group design study examining CICO. The results suggest that CICO can be considered an evidence-based practice for students with problem behavior maintained by adult attention. Versions of CICO that were modified to address other functions (e.g., obtain peer attention, escape from tasks) demonstrated strong effects, but there were not a sufficient number of studies for modified CICO to qualify as an evidence-based practice. We discuss the implications of this review for practitioners as well as future research ...
Effects of a Bilingual Education Program on Language and Academic Achievement

The Bilingual Education Act (Title VII) of 1968 provided funds for bilingual inscruction. Since then, the effectiveness of these programs has continuously been debated ( 2 ) . The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a bilingual education program by examining changes in students' academic achievement and acquisition of language skills in English and Spanish. Teachers administered the California Achievement Test ( 1 ) and the Language Assessment Scales Test ( 3 ) to 241 students in a bilingual education program in Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4. Both tests were administered at the beginning of the school year and again seven months later. The norm-referenced model used in this study assesses differences in the "actual" posttest performance of the smdents with "expected" posctest performance, that is, in an academic period of seven months, students would be expected to "gain" .7 grade-equivalents. Their actual gain is compared to this expected gain. Scores on the achievement test were converted to grade-equivalents. Students in all four grades gained more than the expected .7 grade-equivalents in the seven months of instmction. The mean gains for srudents in Grades 1, 2, 5, and 4 were 1.3, 1.0, .9, and 1.1, respectively (ns = 98, 50, 42, 51, respectively). Combining all scores, smdents in the program gained 1.13 grade-equivalents, .43 (4.3 mo.) more than the expected .7 for the group. Gains in proficiency in both English and Spanish were also measured. The average gains in proficiency were 16, 11.5, 12, 8, and 2, in the Spanish Language, and 2, 6, 10, 18, and 8 in English language for grades Kindergarten through 4th, respectively. Students at each grade surpassed the expected performance. The mean gain for all students was approximately four months more than the expected in over-all academic achievement. Bilingual educators have wondered whether teaching the students in Spnish is detrimental to their learning English. Present results suggest that, while students are being taught primarily in Spanish, their English skills also increase. The idea of language interference in teaching two languages was not supported. These results indicate that the group participating in this bilingual program made more than adequate progress academically.
Scientific Communication about Biological Influences on Homosexuality and the Politics of Gay Rights

In recent decades, Americans’ thinking regarding the causes of human behavior has changed considerably. In particular, there has been a swing toward attributing a variety of behaviors to biological...
The Effects on China of the Internationalization Strategy of Multinational Corporation Research and Development and Its Corresponding Policies

In order to adapt to the economic internationalization and increasingly furious international competition,multinational corporation RD has a tendency of internationalization.Meanwhile,in RD area,Multinational Corporation invests in China with a strong intent.It brings positive and negative effects on China,which we shall have a deep idea about.We shall take countermeasures initiatively to improve the scientific innovation and research and development of China and the competitiveness of the enterprise technology.
Lovastatin inhibits phenylephrine-induced ERK activation and growth of cardiac.

The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) exert numerous cellular effects through the inhibition of cholesterol synthesis. The objectives of these experiments were to determine the following: (1) whether lovastatin (LOV) inhibits phenylephrine (PE)-induced growth of neonatal rat cardiac myocytes without inducing cytotoxicity and (2) whether growth-inhibiting effects of LOV are associated with reduced PE activation of extracellular signal regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK 1/2). After 48 h of exposure, LOV alone (0.1–10 μM) inhibited 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction without significant changes in propidium iodide staining, and 100 μM mevalonic acid prevented the effect of LOV on MTT reduction. PE (50 or 100-μM for 48 h) induced significant increases in protein-to-DNA ratios. PE (100 μM for 5 min) significantly increased the phosphorylated forms of ERK 1 and ERK 2 and activity of ERK. After 24 h pretreatment or 48 h cotreatment, LOV (10 μM) significantly inhibited PE-induced growth. In addition, LOV pretreatment significantly inhibited the stimulatory effect of PE on ERK 2 phosphorylation and ERK activity. These results demonstrate that LOV, at concentrations that do not alter membrane integrity, inhibits PE-induced growth of cardiac myocytes, potentially through reduced activation of ERK 1/2.
Calcium-Channel Blockers for Prophylaxis of Radiocontrast-Associated Nephrotoxicity:

Because of both an absence of sufficient data and the concern for increased toxicity in certain patient populations, the use of CCBs to reduce radiocontrast-associated nephrotoxicity is not recommended. Additional prospective, randomized trials are needed.
Transfer Learning Techniques

Machine learning and data mining techniques have been used in numerous real-world applications. An assumption of traditional machine learning methodologies is the training data and testing data are taken from the same domain, such that the input feature space and data distribution characteristics are the same. However, in some real-world machine learning scenarios, this assumption does not hold. There are cases where training data is expensive or difficult to collect. Therefore, there is a need to create high-performance learners trained with more easily obtained data from different domains. This methodology is referred to as transfer learning. This survey paper formally defines transfer learning, presents information on current solutions, and reviews applications applied to transfer learning. Lastly, there is information listed on software downloads for various transfer learning solutions and a discussion of possible future research work. The transfer learning solutions surveyed are independent of data size and can be applied to big data environments.
Correction to Queue-proportional rate allocation with per-link information in multihop wireless networks

There is a gap in the proofs of both Propositions 3 and 4 in the correspondence "Queue-Proportional Rate Allocation with Per-Link Information in Multihop Wireless Networks," previously published in the Queueing Systems (see Li and Srikant 2016). We filled this gap in the proofs for the multihop networks (see Li and Srikant in Queueing Syst 84:203---210, 2016), where each route at most has two links. In this note, we completely fill the gap in the proofs in our original paper (see Li and Srikant in Queueing Syst 83:329---359, 2016).
Pulsed irradiation for high-throughput curing applications

Abstract A xenon flash lamp was used to create intense pulsed light (IPL) irradiation to cure acrylate coatings at very high rates and ambient temperature; we investigate whether the achievable conversion can be increased compared to conventional irradiation and as the dose rate is increased with IPL parameters – pulse intensity, pulse duration, and pulse repeat period – and with the photoinitiator (PI) concentration and the curing temperature. Conversion of acrylate double bonds was measured using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In all cases, cure conversion increases with the number of pulses until it plateaus at the maximum achievable value, when the reduced mobility of reactive species prevents further reaction. Changing the pulse intensity, the pulse duration, and the pulse period – and even changing the photoinitiator loading – do not appreciably affect the achievable conversion at ambient temperature. Increasing the temperature can result in somewhat higher achievable conversion, but with the loss of advantages of ambient temperature cure. Consistent with the expectation that the cure rate should depend strongly on intensity, a single measured pulse with high dose rate can achieve millisecond-timescale cure of acrylate coatings, providing adequate curing dose while avoiding damage to the substrate from excessive exposure. In multiple pulse patterns, the achievable cure can be attained more quickly with higher dose rate; as opposed to a single pulse irradiation, the introduction of dark periods can reduce the total irradiation dose needed to attain the achievable cure conversion.
The Effect of Embodied Interaction in Visual-Spatial Navigation

This article aims to assess the effect of embodied interaction on attention during the process of solving spatio-visual navigation problems. It presents a method that links operator's physical interaction, feedback, and attention. Attention is inferred through networks called Bayesian Attentional Networks (BANs). BANs are structures that describe cause-effect relationship between attention and physical action. Then, a utility function is used to determine the best combination of interaction modalities and feedback. Experiments involving five physical interaction modalities (vision-based gesture interaction, glove-based gesture interaction, speech, feet, and body stance) and two feedback modalities (visual and sound) are described. The main findings are: (i) physical expressions have an effect in the quality of the solutions to spatial navigation problems; (ii) the combination of feet gestures with visual feedback provides the best task performance.
Capital Theoretics, Business Cycles, and Feedback Policy: An Experiment in Macroeconomic Control

Do feedback controls have favorable countercyclical effects? Can they make matters worse? How responsive is the macro system to the control parameters? These questions, which delineate the present effort, are hardly new. They have been asked and reasked; they have been answered and reanswered. Along the way they have given rise to a host of precedents including the seminal pieces by Friedman (1948; 1959, pp. 89–99) and Phillips (1954; 1957); the challenging endeavors by Pack (1968), Fischer and Cooper (1973), Sargent and Wallace (1976), Phelps and Taylor (1977), Howitt (1981), and Gapinski (1982, pp. 228–237); and the strict optimal-control works by Chow (1975; 1981) and Garbade (1975; 1977). What is new here is not the questions but rather the context within which they are asked. It is capital theoretic.1
O’Donoghue Sports Injury Award 10 Year Outcomes and Risk Factors after ACL Reconstruction: A Multicenter Cohort Study:

Objectives:Identify the patient-reported outcomes (IKDC, KOOS, Marx activity scale) and patient-specific risk factors from a large prospective cohort at a minimum 10-year follow-up after ACL recons...
Stabilization of 3D underactuated biped robots: Using posture adjustment and gait libraries to reject velocity disturbances

This paper presents a systematic, two-stage optimization process for the design and stabilization of periodic walking gaits based on the full 3D dynamic model of a robot. After designing a nominal periodic walking motion, a parametric means of adjusting the robot's posture is introduced to achieve exponential orbital stability. The parameters are determined through a finite-horizon optimization problem that emphasizes gait robustness to perturbations. This gait design and stabilization process is used to generate a library of gaits over a grid of longitudinal and lateral velocities. The discrete set of gaits is then unified through bilinear interpolation to create a single continuously defined control policy. This policy extends the controller's region of attraction, allowing the robot to handle perturbations much larger than those presented during the initial optimization. The resulting controller allows the simulated robot to recover from velocity disturbances of up to 1.4 m/s longitudinally and 0.7 m/s laterally. Preliminary experimental results are shown on an underactuated Atriasseries robot.
Microangiopathies in pregnancy

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a potentially reversible, life-threatening medical emergency. We present a case of a 21-year-old female with evidence of haemolytic anaemia based on the presence of positive markers of haemolysis. Negative Coomb’s test, thrombocytopenia and placental infarcts raised suspicion for a thrombotic microangiopathy. She was diagnosed with TTP and managed with emergency plasma exchange. Her recovery was immediate. A presumptive diagnosis of TTP should be based on the presence of microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia with thrombocytopenia and plasma exchange should be initiated while complete work up is pending. Using the regular pentad solely for diagnosis of TTP will lead to underdiagnosis of many cases and should be avoided. Several microangiopathies can be seen during pregnancy including TTP/atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome, HELLP syndrome, pre-eclampsia, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. Distinction between each type will be the focus of our discussion as treatment decisions differ accordingly.
Postural hypotension, hyponatremia, and salt and water intake: case reports.

Purpose: Postural hypotension (PH) and hyponatremia are common and often coexistent among patients with severe paralysis secondary to spinal cord injury. Volume depletion could account for these co...
GestureWiz: A Human-Powered Gesture Design Environment for User Interface Prototypes

Designers and researchers often rely on simple gesture recognizers like Wobbrock et al.'s $1 for rapid user interface prototypes. However, most existing recognizers are limited to a particular input modality and/or pre-trained set of gestures, and cannot be easily combined with other recognizers. In particular, creating prototypes that employ advanced touch and mid-air gestures still requires significant technical experience and programming skill. Inspired by $1's easy, cheap, and flexible design, we present the GestureWiz prototyping environment that provides designers with an integrated solution for gesture definition, conflict checking, and real-time recognition by employing human recognizers in a Wizard of Oz manner. We present a series of experiments with designers and crowds to show that GestureWiz can perform with reasonable accuracy and latency. We demonstrate advantages of GestureWiz when recreating gesture-based interfaces from the literature and conducting a study with 12 interaction designers that prototyped a multimodal interface with support for a wide range of novel gestures in about 45 minutes.
Respiratory and Cardiovascular Adaptations in Hemoglobin-Free Fish: Resolved and Unresolved Problems

Due to the low solubility which oxygen has in aqueous solutions, the presence of an oxygen-carrying pigment in the blood has been regarded as a necessity in all but the simplest types of animals. Yet, all species of the antarctic and subantarctic fish family Channichthyidae lack such a pigment. The family is comprised of 16 known species among 10 genera, with adult sizes ranging from about 20 to about 60 cm. The distribution is circumpolar, with some species extending north to such areas as Patagonia, the Falkland Islands, and the South Georgia, Bouvet and Kerguelen Islands.
Multi-objective bayesian optimization algorithm

Recently, signi cant development in the theory and design of competent genetic algorithms (GAs) has been achieved. By competent GA we mean genetic algorithms that can solve boundedly diAEcult problems quickly, accurately, and reliably. However, most of the existing competent GAs focus only on single-objective optimization although many real-world problems contain more than one objective. Independently of the development of competent genetic algorithms, a number of approaches to solve such multiobjective problems have been proposed. However, there has been little or no e ort to develop competent multiobjective operators that eAEciently identify, propagate, and combine important partial solutions of the problem at hand.
The Introduction of Missing Enzymes into Human Cells

The hazards and promises of new research have probably never been as carefully anticipated as those arising from studies of DNA recombinance. It is to the solid credit of the discoverers of gene splicing that they themselves have warned us of its possible risks, have convened meetings to discuss the social consequences of its applications, and have been instrumental in elaborating what they perceive to be appropriate guidelines for its safe exploitation. Yet even this responsible, cautious approach has not prevented the emergence of frequently harsh (and occasionally cogent) criticism both from within and without the scientific community. Having gone this far, the critics say, we should perhaps go no further into the business of mucking around with the genomes of man or microbes until we’ve thought a lot more about the whole problem.
Using Dungeons and Dragons to Integrate Curricula in an Elementary Classroom

This chapter outlines the creation and implementation of a third-grade student-initiated, teacher-directed game design project. The project was initially undertaken to address challenges faced within the classroom, including students’ lack of interest and confidence in math and the math program itself. The students decided that they would like to adapt Dungeons and Dragons for their classroom project, which presented a unique opportunity to integrate the content and skill objectives in math, social studies, and writing into the design and play of the game. Students decided which elements of the game to adapt, what steps to take to achieve these goals, and how to play their game. The teacher provided materials, asked questions, and assessed the students’ progress to ensure that these cross-curricula goals were achieved. While all of the students benefited from engaging with this project, significant positive outcomes were observed in many students who struggled in math, reading, writing, and social interaction.
THEORETICAL CALCULATIONS OF SINGLET–SINGLET AND SINGLET–TRIPLET RADIATIVE LIFETIMES IN AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS*

Abstract CNDO/2—CI calculations have been made for the molecules benzene, naphthalene, azulene, biphenylene, anthracene, and phenanthrene. Transition energies and oscillator strengths are given for several of the lowest energy singlets and triplets of the π,π* states and the three lowest σ,π excited states of the several molecules. The phosphorescence radiative lifetimes are given also.
Coping Behavior and Neurochemical Changes

For several years, we have been investigating the question of how psychological variables in stress situations affect physiological responses. This is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1 as the influence of (A) on (B). It is of particular relevance for mental/behavioral disorders if such investigations can be carried a step further, which is to determine whether the differential physiological changes (B) that arise because of psychological variables in stress situations (A) can in turn mediate subsequent behavioral changes (C). In this event, we shall be able to observe how significant psychological factors lead to behavioral change via physiological mediation that is known to us.
Salmonella enteritidis Contamination of Ice Cream Associated with a 1994 Multistate Outbreak

Nine ice cream sample containers, representing three production lots involved in a 1994 outbreak of salmonellosis, were obtained from the manufacturer's distribution warehouse and from consumers. Single 100-g samples from each container were tested initially, with analyses beginning seven weeks after the ice cream was produced. Quantitative salmonella analysis of these samples was performed 14 weeks after the production date using a three-replicate, three-dilution most probable number (MPN) procedure using 100-, 10-, and 1-g samples. The MPN/g estimates ranged from 0.004 to 0.46 Salmonella enteritidis per g with six of nine samples showing an MPN value of 0.093 S. enteritidis per g. The 95% confidence interval for S. enteritidis among these samples was < 0.001 to 2.4 cells/g. The 95% upper limit of S. enteritidis per g was 0.38 for five of six consumer samples. Based on this, the number of S. enteritidis cells per serving (65 g) was 25. Based on the consumption of a single sundae cone (73 g, prepackaged), which caused severe illness in an eight-year-old boy and moderate to mild illness in the adult parents, the infective dose would appear to be no more than 28 cells.
Proposed Reforms of the Economic System of Information and Decision in the USSR: Commentary and Advice (*)

This chapter takes up the range of proposed reforms of the economy receiving attention in the Soviet Union. The chapter is divided into three sections: the first a commentary on the reform discussion (with brief summaries of the leading written plans), the second an attempt to project the broad direction that any adopted program is likely to take with some indication of its possible weaknesses, and the third our suggestions at those points where in our view the program of reform will need strengthening or additional thinking to increase the likelihood that it will come near to achieving its goals.
Determination of haloacetic acids in water by ion chromatography--method development.

The microextraction/ion chromatographic (IC) method developed in this study involves extraction of 9 haloacetic acids (HAAs) from aqueous samples (acidified with sulfuric acid to a pH of < 0.5 and amended with copper sulfate pentahydrate and sodium sulfate) with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), back extraction into reagent water, and analysis by IC with conductivity detection. The separation column consists of an Ion Pac AG-11 (2 mm id x 50 mm length) guard column and an Ion Pac AS-11 (2 mm id x 250 mm length) analytical column, and the concentration column is a 4 mm id x 35 mm length Dionex TAC-LP column. Use of the 2 mm id Dionex AS-11 column improved detection limits especially for trichloracetic acid (TCAA), bromodichloroacetic acid (BDCAA), dibromochloroacetic acid (DBCAA), and tribromoacetic acid (TBAA). The peak interfering with BCAA elutes at the same retention time as nitrate; however, we have not confirmed the presence of nitrate. Stability studies indicate that HAAs are stable in water for at least 8 days when preserved with ammonium chloride at 100 mg/L and stored at 4 degrees C in the dark. At day 30, recoveries were still high (e.g., 92.1-106%) for dichloroacetic acid (DCAA), BCAA, dibromoacetic acid (DBAA), trichloroacetic acid (TCAA), BDCAA, and DBCAA. However, recoveries of monochloroacetic acid (MCAA), monobromoacetic acid (MBAA), and TBAA were only 54.6, 56.8, and 66.8%, respectively. Stability studies of HAAs in H2SO4-saturated MTBE indicate that all compounds except TBAA are stable for 48 h when stored at 4 degrees C in the dark. TBAA recoveries dropped to 47.1% after 6 h of storage and no TBAA was detected after 48 h of storage. The method described here is only preliminary and was tested in only one laboratory. Additional research is needed to improve method performance.
The Role of the Popular Movement Tradition in Shaping Civil Society Leadership Education in Sweden

This article explains the role of noncredit-based leadership education in, or aimed at, civil society in Sweden, and it discusses the extent to which this role has changed over the last 100 years. Working from previous research, it explores the idea that the specific features of Swedish civil society—including the prominent role of popular movement organizations, and the system of government support for such organizations—have shaped the organization of such education in Sweden, giving a central role to the broad concept of knowledge and education as folkbildning. Examples suggest that as academic education has become more common among leaders in civil society, leadership education conducted within civil society organizations has become increasingly normative and often tailor-made to suit the needs and ideology of specific organizations. This partially explains why university- and credit-based education of civil society leaders and managers has remained comparatively limited in Sweden, while noncredit-based education developed in civil society has become comparatively prevalent. It also explains why it is based on a different approach than university-based education. As a secondary aim, this article seeks to highlight areas of further research that will increase understanding of the role of noncredit-based leadership education in, or aimed at, civil society in Sweden and to discuss the extent this role has changed over time. Subscribe to JNEL
“Law for Whom?”: responding to sonic illegality in Brazil’s funk carioca

Music and sound constitute an important site of politics in Brazil. Debates about laws regulating music and performance--particularly when related to historically marginalized genres--provoke debat...
3D-ESPNet with Pyramidal Refinement for Volumetric Brain Tumor Image Segmentation

Automatic quantitative analysis of structural magnetic resonance (MR) images of brain tumors is critical to the clinical care of glioma patients, and for the future of advanced MR imaging research. In particular, automatic brain tumor segmentation can provide volumes of interest (VOIs) to scale the analysis of advanced MR imaging modalities such as perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DTI), and MR spectroscopy (MRS), which is currently hindered by the prohibitive cost and time of manual segmentations. However, automatic brain tumor segmentation is complicated by the high heterogeneity and dimensionality of MR data, and the relatively small size of available datasets. This paper extends ESPNet, a fast and efficient network designed for vanilla 2D semantic segmentation, to challenging 3D data in the medical imaging domain [11]. Even without substantive pre- and post-processing, our model achieves respectable brain tumor segmentation results, while learning only 3.8 million parameters. 3D-ESPNet achieves dice scores of 0.850, 0.665, and 0.782 on whole tumor, enhancing tumor, and tumor core classes on the test set of the 2018 BraTS challenge [1, 2, 3, 4, 12]. Our source code is open-source and available at https://github.com/sacmehta/3D-ESPNet.
Let the day perish: The nexus of personification and mythology in Job 3:

While both Job 3 and Jeremiah 20 contain curses against the day of one’s birth, the language of Job’s curses resonates more forcefully than does Jeremiah’s. In this study, I argue that the feature ...
Prenatal Exposure to Chlorpyrifos and Parkinson’s risk: a prospective adolescent cohort evaluation (P2.070)

Objective: To test if an adolescent population with prenatal chlorpyrifos (CPF) exposure is more likely to manifest non-motor symptoms, which may precede Parkinson’s disease (PD). Background: Individuals exposed to CPF are at higher risk to develop PD. We measured CPF umbilical cord plasma levels in 350 newborns who are now 18–20 years old. Individuals in this cohort with high CPF levels had reduced birth weight, cognitive deficits, poor dexterity, and tremor. Dysautonomia, hyposmia, and REM Behavior Disorder (RBD) can precede the motor symptoms of PD by several years, and these signs have not been studied in this cohort. Design/Methods: In this study we will evaluate individuals with the composite autonomic symptom scale 31 (COMPASS-31), the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Testing (UPSIT), and the RBD Questionnaire. We dichotomized CPF exposure (upper quartile versus all others, limit of 6.17 g/pg) and will test the association between CPF levels, dysuautonomia, hyposmia, and RBD symptoms. Results: We will present data of up to sixty adolescents, aged 18–20 years old, from the previously mentioned scales, in addition to the MDS-UPDRS and Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale. We will correlate the dichotomous CPF levels with the RBDQ (score of >5 being “yes”, and “no” otherwise), UPSIT scores (stratified and categorized into five descriptors: “normal”, “mild microsmia”, moderate microsmia”, “severe microsmia”, and “anosmia”), and COMPASS-31 scores (categorized after distributional properties are determined, then separated into quartiles so that they can be categorically analyzed). These findings will be analyzed using SAS programming software. Conclusions: This study provides us with a unique opportunity to prospectively evaluate a cohort of individuals who were exposed to CPF, with the novel biomarker of CPF cord blood levels. Our ultimate goal is to determine early prodromal signs associated with PD, including motor and non-motor findings, which were not previously correlated with a prenatal exposure of chlorpyrifos. Disclosure: Dr. O9Shea has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rauh has nothing to disclose. Dr. Alcalay has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Denali, Prophase, Genzyme Sanofi.
Precarious Figures, Rigorous Styles

ABSTRACTAndrew Cole’s The Birth of Theory points to Plotinus’s dialectics of identity and difference as the foundation of Hegelianism and the source of modern critical theory. Of crucial importance...
Variables that Influence Retention in Registered Nurse-Bachelor of Science Students: A Multisite Longitudinal Study

Abstract Nurse educators strive to facilitate educational growth in associate degree nurses as the Institute of Medicine recommends that nurses achieve higher levels of education to ensure the delivery of safe, patient-centered care. This study examines what variables are supportive, or restrictive, of the retention of registered nurse-bachelor of science students in their programs. Analysis of the data finds that encouragement by friends is most supportive, whereas childcare arrangements and family responsibilities are most restrictive.