cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MATS: a Bayesian framework for flexible detection of differential alternative splicing from RNA-Seq data

Ultra-deep RNA sequencing has become a powerful approach for genome-wide analysis of pre-mRNA alternative splicing. We develop MATS (multivariate analysis of transcript splicing), a bayesian statistical framework for flexible hypothesis testing of differential alternative splicing patterns on RNA-Seq data. MATS uses a multivariate uniform prior to model the between-sample correlation in exon splicing patterns, and a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method coupled with a simulation-based adaptive sampling procedure to calculate the P-value and false discovery rate (FDR) of differential alternative splicing. Importantly, the MATS approach is applicable to almost any type of null hypotheses of interest, providing the flexibility to identify differential alternative splicing events that match a given user-defined pattern. We evaluated the performance of MATS using simulated and real RNA-Seq data sets. In the RNA-Seq analysis of alternative splicing events regulated by the epithelial-specific splicing factor ESRP1, we obtained a high RT-PCR validation rate of 86% for differential exon skipping events with a MATS FDR of <10%. Additionally, over the full list of RT-PCR tested exons, the MATS FDR estimates matched well with the experimental validation rate. Our results demonstrate that MATS is an effective and flexible approach for detecting differential alternative splicing from RNA-Seq data.
Constraints and Preferences in Inductive Learning: An Experimental Study of Human and Machine Performance

The paper examines constraints and preferences employed by people in learning decision rules from preclassified examples. Results from four experiments with human subjects were analyzed and compared with artificial intelligence (AI) inductive learning programs. The results showed the people's rule inductions tended to emphasize category validity (probability of some property, given a category) more than cue validity (probability that an entity is a member of a category given that it has some property) to a greater extent than did the AI programs. Although the relative proportions of different rule types (e.g., conjunctive vs. disjunctive) changed across experiments, a single process model provided a good account of the data from each study. These observations are used to argue for describing constraints in terms of processes embodied in models rather than in terms of products or outputs. Thus AI induction programs become candidate psychological process models and results from inductive learning experiments can suggest new algorithms. More generally, the results show that human inductive generalizations tend toward greater specificity than would be expected if conceptual simplicity were the key constraint on inductions. This bias toward specificity may be due to the fact that this criterion both maximizes inferences that may be drawn from category membership and protects rule induction systems from developing over-generalizations.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF GREENHOUSE WHITEFLY, TRIALEURODES VAPORARIORUM (ALEYRODIDAE: HOMOPTERA), ON SHORT-TERM CROPS BY MANIPULATING BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS

Parasitized and unparasitized whitefly populations were sampled on a short-term crop (poinsettia) at 4–7 day intervals until crop harvest. Age-specific whitefly survivorship and parasite activity were evaluated in relation to various biotic and abiotic factors. Three critical factors influenced the outcome of the whitefly–Encarsia formosa interaction during short-term crop production. Commercially acceptable levels of control were achieved on poinsettia by (a) introducing parasites during the first 40 days of crop production, as pupae, when small scales were abundant, (b) introducing sufficient parasite pupae to develop a ratio of one adult parasite for every 30 large whitefly scales, and (c) maintaining an average temperature of 23.3 °C (74°F).
Too Much Privacy

Americans enjoy vastly more privacy today than their ancestors did. When people are able to live large portions of their lives outside the watchful eye of others, there are few traditional bases for trust. In the place of intrusive methods of ensuring conformity that relied on family members and neighbors to closely monitor and supervise one another, new and more effective methods have arisen and will continue to arise. The underlying theme in the expansion of personal privacy has been a “separation from family and neighbors.” Therefore, the consequence of increasing amounts of privacy is the development of sophisticated and reliable methods of detecting deviance and secrecy that do not depend on family members. What most perceive to be the gradual “loss of privacy” in this century is actually the development of such safeguards.
From Brown to Green? Late Industrialization, Social Conflict, and Adoption of Environmental Technologies in Thailand's Pulp Industry

Is one of the advantages of late industrialization the ability to incorporate advanced environmental technology in manufacturing? Under what conditions will this take place? This article examines the case of Thailand's pulp and paper industry, which became among the most technologically advanced in the world in the mid-1990s. It documents the social, political, economic, and environmental conditions of this technological greening, noting its accomplishments and limitations. It analyzes the structure of Thailand's pulp industry, examines an eco-catastrophe involving one firm, and addresses the influence of political turmoil, resource conflicts, and business dynamics on that process. Data were collected through site visits, interviews, correspondence, and archival research in Thailand, Singapore, Australia, and the United States, from 1993 to 1997.
Processing of Transparent Polycrystalline AlON:Ce3+ Scintillators

A new polycrystalline ceramic scintillator is reported for potential use in radiation detection and medical imaging applications. The goal was to develop cerium-activated aluminum oxynitride (AlON:Ce3+) ceramics, which can be produced using ceramic processes in comparison to the high-cost, low-yield single-crystal growth technique. A phase pure AlON:Ce3+ powder with cubic symmetry was successfully synthesized at high temperature under a reducing atmosphere to convert Ce4+ to Ce3+ in the solid solution. We explored two different activator concentrations (0.5 and 1.0 mol%). Fully dense and transparent AlON:Ce3+ ceramics were produced by a liquid-phase-assisted pressureless sintering. The crystal field splitting around the Ce3+ activator in the AlON was comparable to the splitting induced by Br₋ and the Cl₋ ligands, which produced an emission spectrum perfectly matching the maximum quantum efficiency range of the photomultiplier tube for radiation detection. Both optical excitation and radiation ionizations in AlON:Ce3+ were demonstrated. Lastly, challenges and mechanisms related to the radioluminescence efficiency are discussed.
ON THE RELATION BETWEEN BIRTH WEIGHT AND LITTER SIZE, IN MICE

For mice, as for various other mammals, the relation between number N of young in a litter and the weight W of the litter can be expressed as W = aN(K). For adequately homogeneous data K has the nonspecific value 0.83. With data not homogeneous with respect to certain conditions the equation may still be descriptive, but with K higher than 0.83. Two kinds of mice obeying this formulation, with the same K, are an albino strain (AA) and a flex-tail foetal anemic (aa). Their ideal weights of a litter of 1 (W(1), free from effects of intrauterine competition) are quite different. Their F(1) offspring (from AA mothers) give W(1) precisely intermediate. To test the partition theory for the basis of the parabolic equation, backcross and F(2) litters were obtained in which for a span of litter sizes there occurred various proportions of anemic to non-anemic young. For equal numbers of each in the same litters the relation of weight of aa to weight of Aa young is again described by W(a) = aW(A) (K), and as before K = 0.83. Examination of the weights of anemic and of non-anemic young, for various proportions of the two in litters of different total numbers, shows that the partition theory can account for a number of the curious relations, including the fact that aa young and Aa young if in mixed litters increase in weight more for an increment of 1 in the litter than if in unmixed litters of the same N. This mechanical result of partitioning can be regarded as a kind of model for heterosis resulting from developmental disharmony.
Strategy Formulation in Declining Industries

Because the environments of declining industries differ, many different strategies could be appropriate for coping with declining demand. Demand and customer traits, product traits, supplier behavior, competitor traits, and exit barriers must be taken into account by a firm in a declining industry. Strategy alternatives include early exit, milking the company's investment, shrinking selectively, holding the present position, and increasing investments. Some possible strategies must be adopted early if they are to succeed.
A public health approach to global management of hypertension.

Non-communicable diseases are responsible for two-thirds of deaths worldwide, with 80% occurring in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).1 Cardiovascular disease causes more deaths than any other non-communicable disease, and hypertension is the leading remediable risk factor for cardiovascular disease.2 Hypertension kills an estimated 9·4 million people annually worldwide—about as many as all infectious diseases combined.3
Race, law & history: the Supreme Court from “Dred Scott” to “Grutter v. Bollinger”

The 1⁄2rst I draw from the contrasting contentions of counsel in a redistricting case argued in the Supreme Court in 1976.1 The case addressed the validity of a 1974 New York statute that redrew state senate and assembly districts in Brooklyn with a view to enlarging the number of districts with “substantial nonwhite majorities.” The attorney general of the United States, exercising a supervisory authority vested in him by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, had assented to the statute. In the Supreme Court, Nathan Lewin, the very able attorney for the white petitioners challenging the statute, argued that drawing district lines with race in mind was unconstitutional. In response to a question from the bench, Lewin acknowledged that drawing district lines with an eye to voters’ political af1⁄2liations was permissible. But race was different, Lewin argued: “We think politics is part of the political process. Race is not part of the political process. Race is an impermissible standard.”2 The very able lawyer representing the United States, Solicitor General Robert Bork, responded: “I was astounded when Mr. Lewin said that race is not a part of our political process. Race has been the political issue in this nation since it was founded.”3 My second point of departure relates to W. E. H. Lecky, the Dublin-born scholar whose works ornamented British historiography in the second half of
The Frequency of 1,4-Benzoquinone-Lysine Adducts in Cytochrome c Correlate with Defects in Apoptosome Activation

Electrophile-mediated post-translational modifications (PTMs) are known to cause tissue toxicities and disease progression. These effects are mediated via site-specific modifications and structural disruptions associated with such modifications. 1,4-Benzoquinone (BQ) and its quinone-thioether metabolites are electrophiles that elicit their toxicity via protein arylation and the generation of reactive oxygen species. Site-specific BQ-lysine adducts are found on residues in cytochrome c that are necessary for protein-protein interactions, and these adducts contribute to interferences in its ability to facilitate apoptosome formation. To further characterize the structural and functional impact of these BQ-mediated PTMs, the original mixture of BQ-adducted cytochrome c was fractionated by liquid isoelectric focusing to provide various fractions of BQ-adducted cytochrome c species devoid of the native protein. The fractionation process separates samples based on their isoelectric point (pI), and because BQ adducts form predominantly on lysine residues, increased numbers of BQ adducts on cytochrome c correlate with a lower protein pI. Each fraction was analyzed for structural changes, and each was also assayed for the ability to support apoptosome-mediated activation of caspase-3. Circular dichroism revealed that several of the BQ-adducted cytochrome c species maintained a slightly more rigid structure in comparison to native cytochrome c. BQ-adducted cytochrome c also failed to activate caspase-3, with increasing numbers of BQ-lysine adducts corresponding to a greater inability to activate the apoptosome. In summary, the specific site of the BQ-lysine adducts, and the nature of the adduct, are important determinants of the subsequent structural changes to cytochrome c. In particular, adducts at sites necessary for protein-protein interactions interfere with the proapoptotic function of cytochrome c.
Ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of a modified linseed oil with varying levels of crosslinking

A commercial norbornyl-functionalized linseed oil, blended with a bicyclic norbornene-based crosslinking agent (at loadings ranging from 0 to 50 wt %) undergoes ring-opening metathesis polymerization with the 1st generation Grubbs' catalyst to form a biorenewable polymer network. Comonomers are characterized, the thermal and mechanical properties of the cured systems are investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis, and thermal decomposition is evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis. The resin is shown to consist of a modified linseed oil and small oligomers of cyclopentadiene. Broad tan δ peaks suggest inhomogeneous phase morphologies, which result in complex crosslinking behaviors. The thermal stability of the polymers increases with increasing crosslinker content.
Language and Discourse Are Powerful Signals of Student Emotions during Tutoring

We explored the possibility of predicting student emotions (boredom, flow/engagement, confusion, and frustration) by analyzing the text of student and tutor dialogues during interactions with an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) with conversational dialogues. After completing a learning session with the tutor, student emotions were judged by the students themselves (self-judgments), untrained peers, and trained judges. Transcripts from the tutorial dialogues were analyzed with four methods that included 1) identifying direct expressions of affect, 2) aligning the semantic content of student responses to affective terms, 3) identifying psychological and linguistic terms that are predictive of affect, and 4) assessing cohesion relationships that might reveal student affect. Models constructed by regressing the proportional occurrence of each emotion on textual features derived from these methods yielded large effects (R2 = 38%) for the psychological, linguistic, and cohesion-based methods, but not the direct expression and semantic alignment methods. We discuss the theoretical, methodological, and applied implications of our findings toward text-based emotion detection during tutoring.
Highlights from the latest articles in nanomedicine.

Nanomedicine (2014) 9(7), 945–947 ISSN 1743-5889 Sticky nanoparticles Evaluation of: Rose S, Prevoteau A, Elziere P, Hourdet D, Marcellan A, Leibler L. Nanoparticle solutions as adhesives for gels and biological tissues. Nature 505(7483), 382–385 (2014). Polymeric adhesives have been used for gluing two nonpolymeric substances. However, adhering two polymer gels typically requires environmental changes, UV, an electric field or a chemical reaction in situ, which may be impractical for particular biotechnology applications. Traditional methods commonly cause self-adhesiveness, which diminishes the materials’ maneuverability and its scope of utility. The authors in Rose et al. discuss the use of nanoparticles as an adhesive for non-self-adhesive gels at room temperature by simply spreading the solution and pressing the two gels together briefly. As the materials are pulled apart, some polymer strands undergo nanoparticle desorption, while other strands adsorb to the nanoparticles, allowing energy to dissipate during deformation while the gel junction remains intact. In this study, two gels were formed with similar properties including crosslinking and swelling. One of the gels was made of poly(dimethylacrylamide) and adsorbed to silica nanoparticles, whereas the other gel made from polyacrylamide did not adsorb to these nanoparticles. The nanoparticles enabled the poly(dimethylacrylamide) gels to hold together with strong adhesion, whereas polyacrylamide gels would not adhere. The authors found the strength of adhesion increased as particle size and polymer strand length increased, and as the crosslinking density and material rigidity decreased. In addition, the authors found that the adhesion forces were still strong when the gels were placed in new environments, such as when dehydrated gels became hydrated. Poly(dimethylacrylamide) gels containing up to approximately 98% v/v% water were able to adhere successfully. The authors demonstrated that the particles were retained on the surface of poly(dimethylacrylamide) gels after multiple washings and soaking in water for several days. In addition, in postjunction failure, the gels have self-repair capabilities following a brief application of force without having to reapply additional nanoparticles. In one example, this nanoparticle adhesive technology was able to bond liver tissue together following nano particle application and 30 s of finger pressure. This nano technology holds interesting promise for wet adhesion applications in medicine.
Fibrinogen-Neutrophil Interactions in Response to fMLP and Porphyromonas gingivalis Fimbrial Peptides

Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g) is the primary bacterial agent in many forms of chronic periodontitis. Since polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are first-line responders to P.g.- induced inflammation, and fibrinogen is important for in vivo PMN in this disease, we have studied the effect of N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) (an inflammatory stimulus), P.g. fimbriae and fimbrial peptides (based on FimA, the main structural protein of P.g. fimbriae) on PMN-fibrinogen interactions. Freshly isolated human PMNs were allowed to react with FITC-Fibrinogen and various fimbrial peptides (denoted as FimA followed by amino acid number within whole FimA protein), and FITC-Fibrinogen binding was measured using flow cytometry. Freshly isolated neutrophils were also challenged with Fibrinogen and/or fimbrial peptides to measure IL-8 secretion using ELISA. Our studies show that fibrinogen binding to PMNs is enhanced (p < 0.01) in response to fMLP as well as fimbrial peptides (FimA 61-80) containing the motif LTTE (p < 0.01) in a dose dependent manner but not in response to peptides without that motif. We also observed that fMLP and FimA 61-80 have an additive effect on fibrinogen binding to PMNs (p < 0.05), and fMLP and FimA 171-185 significantly inhibit fMLP-induced fibrinogen binding (p < 0.01). To determine of the role of inflammatory cytokines, we examined IL-8 release from PMNs in response to combinations of P. gingivalis fimbriae, fMLP and fibrinogen. In all cases, IL-8 release increased in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). fMLP-fibrinogen effect on IL-8 release from PMNs was synergistic while fimbriae-fibrinogen effect was additive. In summary, PMN priming by fimbrial peptides facilitates fibrinogen-PMN interaction and may increase inflammation.
Obtaining single path phase delays from GPS double differences

We describe a method for obtaining single- path phase delays from GPS double differences. The resulting "zero differences" (ZDs) can be used for remote sensing of atmospheric water vapor. The method is demonstrated by simulating and observing atmo- spheric delay gradients, and by comparing ZDs with pointed radiometer observations of integrated water vapor along GPS ray paths. In-situ GPS antenna phase center and multipath effects are mapped in ZD residuals for a specific site and network. We conclude that ZDs derived from GPS network data show promise for real time sensing of water vapor for use in meteorological modeling and forecasting.
Monte Carlo sampling methods for approximating interactive POMDPs

Partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs) provide a principled framework for sequential planning in uncertain single agent settings. An extension of POMDPs to multiagent settings, called interactive POMDPs (I-POMDPs), replaces POMDP belief spaces with interactive hierarchical belief systems which represent an agent's belief about the physical world, about beliefs of other agents, and about their beliefs about others' beliefs. This modification makes the difficulties of obtaining solutions due to complexity of the belief and policy spaces even more acute. We describe a general method for obtaining approximate solutions of I-POMDPs based on particle filtering (PF). We introduce the interactive PF, which descends the levels of the interactive belief hierarchies and samples and propagates beliefs at each level. The interactive PF is able to mitigate the belief space complexity, but it does not address the policy space complexity. To mitigate the policy space complexity - sometimes also called the curse of history - we utilize a complementary method based on sampling likely observations while building the look ahead reachability tree. While this approach does not completely address the curse of history, it beats back the curse's impact substantially. We provide experimental results and chart future work.
Emergence of Resistance to Fluconazole as a Cause of Failure during Treatment of Histoplasmosis in Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease Syndrome

In sequential clinical trials of treatment for histoplasmosis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, therapy with fluconazole failed in a higher proportion of patients than did therapy with itraconazole. To determine the cause for failure with fluconazole, antifungal susceptibility testing that used modified National Committee on Clinical Laboratory Standards procedures was performed on all baseline and failure isolates. Failure occurred more frequently in patients with baseline isolates with fluconazole minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) > or =5 microg/mL versus lower MICs; 29% versus 3%, respectively. There was at least a 4-fold increase in fluconazole MIC in the isolates from 10 (59%) of 17 patients for whom paired pretreatment and failure or relapse isolates were available. Cross-resistance to itraconazole was not seen. In conclusion, fluconazole is less active than itraconazole for Histoplasma capsulatum and induces resistance during therapy, which accounted for treatment failure in some patients.
Evolutionary dynamics in structured populations

Evolutionary dynamics shape the living world around us. At the centre of every evolutionary process is a population of reproducing individuals. The structure of that population affects evolutionary dynamics. The individuals can be molecules, cells, viruses, multicellular organisms or humans. Whenever the fitness of individuals depends on the relative abundance of phenotypes in the population, we are in the realm of evolutionary game theory. Evolutionary game theory is a general approach that can describe the competition of species in an ecosystem, the interaction between hosts and parasites, between viruses and cells, and also the spread of ideas and behaviours in the human population. In this perspective, we review the recent advances in evolutionary game dynamics with a particular emphasis on stochastic approaches in finite sized and structured populations. We give simple, fundamental laws that determine how natural selection chooses between competing strategies. We study the well-mixed population, evolutionary graph theory, games in phenotype space and evolutionary set theory. We apply these results to the evolution of cooperation. The mechanism that leads to the evolution of cooperation in these settings could be called ‘spatial selection’: cooperators prevail against defectors by clustering in physical or other spaces.
Historical Trends in Wireline Communications: 60? Improvement in Speed in 20 Years

Communication over wires began decades before over the air?in fact, in binary form. The device named ?the telegraph? by Claude Chappe was commercialized in the 1830s and served our civilization for more than one and a half centuries. Introduced by Alexander Graham Bell in the 1870s, the telephone is the first analog wireline communication system and also a long-lasting invention.
What is prenatal screening and why to do it

Patients and providers are faced with a wide array of choices to screen for structural abnormalities, aneuploidy, and genetic diseases in the prenatal period. It is important to consider the features of the diseases being screened for, the characteristics of the screening tests used, and the population being screened when evaluating prenatal screening techniques.
Scalable and robust stream processing

Distributed Data Stream Management Systems (DSMS) are increasingly used for the processing of high-rate data streams in real-time. An effective query optimization mechanism is a critical component that allows DSMS to deal with extreme data rates and large numbers of long-running concurrent queries. This dissertation investigates how to utilize semantic query analysis to perform query optimizations that enable scalable and robust data stream processing. We address three technical challenges faced by streaming system: (1) monitoring and correlating large number of diverse data streams with significant variations in data rates; (2) the ability to remain stable and produce correct answers even under overload conditions, and (3) supporting efficient distributed query processing to easily scale with increases in the number of processing nodes and stream data rates. First, we propose a heartbeat mechanism to prevent the DSMS from blocking when some of the monitored streams temporarily stall or slow down. By generating special punctuation messages at low-level query nodes and propagating them throughout the entire query execution plan, our heartbeat mechanism effectively unblocks all stalled query nodes. The second contribution of this dissertation addresses the problem of DSMS robustness when a load on a system increases by orders of magnitude. We introduce a query-aware sampling mechanism for guaranteeing the system’s stability and the correctness of its query output under overload conditions. The mechanism is generic and supports arbitrary complex query sets. Finally, we address the problem of scalable distributed evaluation of streaming queries. The key contribution of the dissertation is a query-aware partitioning mechanism that allows us to scale the performance of the streaming queries in a close to linear fashion. We propose a query analysis framework for determining the optimal partitioning and a partition-aware distributed query optimizer that takes advantage of existing partitions. In summary, the contributions made by this dissertation in the area of streaming query optimization enable Data Stream Management Systems to scale to extreme data rates, gracefully handle overload conditions and support a large number of diverse input streams, enabling industrial-scale applications of DSMS technology.
The Concepts of Community and Community Organization: A Review

■ The historical development of the concepts of community and community organization are examined in the light of their treatment in the literature. For the concept of community, five approaches are seen and discussed: (I) regulatory, (2) integrative and structural-functional, (3) ecological, (4) monographical, and (5) political stratificational. The working definition of community offered is "the aggregate of all the institutional means available to some given groups in interaction toward the accomplishment of an aggregate of all the institutional ends." For the concept of community organization, where theorists and activists are attempting to conceptualize this multiformed area, it is shown that its present state is rapidly changing. ■
When Citizens and Officeholders Meet Part 2: A Typology of Face-to-Face Public Meetings

This essay is the second in a two-part series that introduces a framework for differentiating among various face-to-face public meetings. The first piece identified key elements of public meetings pertaining to participants' roles, expectations of communicative influence and content, and prominent discursive genres. This second essay utilizes those elements to build a typology of seven general kinds of public meetings. These meeting types range from conventional forms-- with relatively simple goals of information expression-- to innovative models that enable collaborative problem solving between lay citizens and public officials. Each of the seven types are compared with one another and illustrated with examples. Using this framework, public participation theorists and practitioners can more readily understand the circumstances, purposes, and likely outcomes of any given public meeting.
Kinetics Study of the Reaction of OH Radicals with C5–C8 Cycloalkanes at 240–340 K using the Relative Rate/Discharge Flow/Mass Spectrometry Technique

Rate constants of reactions of hydroxyl radical with cyclopentane (k1), cyclohexane (k2), cycloheptane (k3), and cyclooctane (k4) have been acquired at 240–340 K and a total pressure of about 1 Tor...
The Academic Librarian as Teacher

The role of the academic librarian has changed from traditionally static to one in which change is constant. Within these changes, instruction has become an essential aspect of this role. Teaching has become an important part of what librarians do. Library science programs today prepare librarians to teach at varying levels, from no preparation at all to the provision of practical experience along with pedagogical course work. In light of this current reality, academic librarians must find ways to gain teaching competence through on-the-job experience, as well as continuing education. They are forced to define their position in relation to faculty instructors within the academic institution and embrace the role of teaching librarian.
Parameter Estimation of Three-Phase Transformer Models for Low-Frequency Transient Studies From Terminal Measurements

This paper introduces a three-phase reversible transformer model for the study of low-frequency transients. The model topology is obtained from the direct application of the principle of duality by drawing basic circuit elements on top of the transformer frame. The model parameters are obtained from terminal and physical size measurements as well as the characteristics of the iron core. The implementation of the model is based on standard drag-and-drop circuit elements available in electric circuit simulation programs. The model is validated with inrush current and normal open circuit laboratory measurements. The main advantage of this model is that the parameters remain the same for the simulation of different operating conditions from all terminals. This is true for transients involving deep saturation, normal loading operation, or open circuit.
Determining Empirical Donning and Doffing Times for Complex Combinations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is specialized clothing or equipment worn to minimize exposure to a variety of hazards. As an example, wearing multiple layers of work gloves is common in several industries such as food processing and healthcare. Despite the widespread use of gloves, there are no known published studies that have developed donning and doffing times for layers of protective work gloves. Each glove layer has a time associated with donning and doffing depending not only on the glove but also on the other layers being worn. We use Time Study to empirically develop standards for donning and doffing times of multiple layers of work gloves in four different combinations.
Dynamics of glycerine and water transport across human skin from binary mixtures.

Objective Skin transport properties of glycerine and water from binary mixtures contacting human skin were determined to better understand the mechanism of skin moisturization by aqueous glycerine formulations. Methods Steady-state permeation for 3H2O and 14C-glycerine across split-thickness human skin in vitro and desorption dynamics of the same permeants in isolated human stratum corneum (HSC) were experimentally determined under near equilibrium conditions. These data were compared to a priori values developed in the context of a thermodynamic model for binary mixtures of glycerine and water and a previously determined water sorption isotherm for HSC. This allowed the estimation of diffusion and partition coefficients for each permeant in the HSC, as well as HSC thickness, as a function of composition of the contacting solution. These data may be used to estimate water retention and associated HSC swelling related to the absorption and slow release of glycerine from the skin. Results It took 6+ days for glycerine to completely desorb from HSC immersed in glycerine/water binary solutions. Desorption of both 3H2O and 14C-glycerine from HSC was slower in pure water than from binary mixtures, a result that is largely explained by the greater swelling of HSC in water. Parametric relationships were developed for water and glycerine intradiffusivities in HSC as functions of HSC water content, and a mutual diffusion coefficient was estimated by analogy with glycerine/water binary solutions. The intradiffusivity of 14C-glycerine in HSC as inferred from sorption/desorption experiments was shown to be approximately 10-fold less than that inferred from permeation experiments, whereas the corresponding values for 3H2O were comparable. Conclusion These studies confirm that glycerine enters HSC in substantial quantities and has a long residence time therein. The coupling between bulk water and glycerine transport projected from binary solution data suggests the net effect of glycerine is to slow water loss from the skin. The data support the concept of glycerine as a humectant with an excellent balance of skin penetration and retention characteristics; however, they do not rule out the possibility of an additional biological effect on skin barrier homoeostasis.
Breaching the Great Firewall: China’s Internet Censorship and the Quest for Freedom of Expression in a Connected World

In the final days of 2005, Microsoft Corporation made international headlines when it removed the site of a Beijing researcher from its blog hosting service. Soon, other instances of U.S. companies assisting in China’s internet censorship emerged. These revelations generated outrage among commentators and legislators and led to calls for action. This Note examines the methods of internet censorship employed by China and other nations, and explores the assistance that U.S. companies have provided to these nations. It analyzes the liability issues facing these companies in light of existing case law and statutory solutions proposed in the U.S. Congress. It then proposes a novel combination of existing legislative proposals, recommendations from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and international cooperation as the best way to address the problem of internet censorship.
Link between environmental factors, personality factors, and addiction

Scientists have determined that certain personality traits such as novelty-seeking behavior and low harm-avoidance increase the risk of alcohol and drug abuse. On the other hand a person with a good social network has a much lower risk of alcohol dependence. It has been speculated that environmental factors are more important in making an individual susceptible to alcohol and drug abuse. Childhood neglect or abuse is a major risk factor for drug and alcohol abuse. Peer pressure experienced by teenagers contributes significantly to their first underage experiments with alcohol. The attitude of adult parents and relatives towards alcohol plays an important role in determining risk of underage drinking behavior.
Spike Based Information Processing in Spiking Neural Networks

Spiking neural networks are seen as the third generation of neural networks and the closest emulators of their biological counter parts. These networks use spikes as means of transmitting information between neurons. We study the merits and capacity of information transfer using spikes across different encoding and decoding schemes and show that spatio-temporal encoding scheme provides a very high efficiency in information transfer. We then explore learning rules based on neural dynamics that enable learning of spatio-temporal spike patterns. We explore various learning rules that can be used to learn spatio-temporal spike patterns.
Carrier-Mediated Diffusion Across Thin Membranes

The material covered in this lecture has been presented to The Symposium on Molecular Mechanisms of Antibiotic Action on Protein Biosynthesis and Membranes, Granada, Spain, June, 1971. It will appear in the Proceedings of that Symposium; and therefore we present here merely an abstract of this material for the sake of completeness of the record of this Symposium. Further details will be found in the article “Molecular Basis for the Action of Macrocyclic Antibiotics on Membranes”, by G. Eisenman, G. Szabo, S.G.A. McLaughlin and S.M. Ciani, in Symposium on Molecular Mechanisms of Antibiotic Action on Protein Biosynthesis and Membranes, D. Vasquez, ed., Elsevier, In Press, 1972.
Warpage Modeling and Characterization of the Viscoelastic Relaxation for Cured Molding Process in Fan-Out Packages

The viscoelastic behavior of the molding compound in fine pitch encapsulated electronic packages has a significant impact on component warpage and SMT assembly reliability. This is particularly true for the thin or ultra-thin (such as fan-out) packages used in mobile handsets and tablets, where process-induced warpage behavior is exacerbated by a larger molding volume and higher density of Cu trace layout. To ensure good assembly process yield and long term reliability, warpage relaxation during wafer molding process should be specially addressed and optimized with the effects of cure-dependent and time-domain viscoelastic relaxation from the molding material. In this paper, warpage evolution over the entire compression molding curing process, including compression molding cure (CMC) and the subsequent post molding cure (PMC), are characterized. An integrated process modeling approach using finite element (FE) method incorporated with the cure-dependent viscoelastic constitutive models of the molding material is successfully developed. The curing kinetics and viscoelastic behavior in the time domain of the molding material are characterized with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Not only are the predicted warpage results based on the integrated process modeling approach in agreement with the in-line warpage measurement data, but this paper also finds that curing process conditions such as cure time, cure temperature, and curing stages can be used to tailor the warpage behaviors. The optimized curing conditions effectively improve the in-line warpage to enhance process yield and throughput.
Hybrid InGaAs/SiGe CMOS circuits with 2D and 3D monolithic integration

Advanced CMOS nodes target high-performance at lower supply voltage. High-mobility III-V channel materials have the potential to meet this target. Although III-V materials such as InGaAs are beneficial for nFET channels, SiGe (or Ge) provides better hole mobility and is more suited for pFET channels. Therefore, a InGaAs/SiGe hybrid CMOS technology is being pursued for scaled nodes. There are significant challenges to cointegrate these two materials in a scalable process. In this regard, here, we present some of our recent work in InGaAs/SiGe CMOS integration through a novel direct epitaxy process for co-planar 2D integration. We also present our efforts in 3D monolithic integration of InGaAs-on-SiGe for CMOS and beyond.
The total capture rate of negative muons in4He

Wo have measured the total capture rate of negative muons in4He by exposing the 20 cm liquid helium bubble chamber, operated in a 5 kG magnetic field, to a stopping muon beam. The measured capture rate is (364±46) s−1.
Impact of concurrent versus adjuvant chemotherapy on the severity and duration of lymphopenia in glioma patients treated with radiation therapy

Prolonged severe lymphopenia has been shown to persist beyond a year in glioma patients after radiation therapy (RT) with concurrent and adjuvant chemotherapy. This study examines the differential impact of concurrent versus adjuvant chemotherapy on lymphopenia after RT. WHO grade II-III glioma patients who received RT with concurrent and/or adjuvant chemotherapy from 2007 to 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Concurrent chemotherapy was temozolomide (TMZ), and adjuvant chemotherapy was either TMZ or procarbazine/lomustine/vincristine (PCV). Absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) was analyzed at baseline, 1.5, 3, 6, and 12 months after the start of RT. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify the clinical variables in predicting acute or late lymphopenia. There were 151 patients with evaluable ALC: 91 received concurrent and adjuvant TMZ (CRT + ADJ), 32 received only concurrent TMZ (CRT), and 28 received only adjuvant TMZ or PCV (ADJ). There were 9 (10%) versus 6 (19%) versus 0 (0%) cases of grade 3 lymphopenia (ALC < 500/mm3) at 6 weeks and 4 (6%) versus 0 (0%) versus 3 (17%) cases at 12 months in CRT + ADJ, CRT and ADJ groups, respectively. On multivariable analyses, concurrent chemotherapy (odds ratio [OR] 72.3, p < 0.001), female sex (OR 10.8, p < 0.001), and older age (OR 1.06, p = 0.002) were the most significant predictors for any grade ≥ 1 lymphopenia (ALC < 1000/mm3) at 1.5 months. Older age (OR 1.08, p = 0.02) and duration of adjuvant chemotherapy (OR 1.19, p = 0.003) were significantly associated with grade ≥ 1 lymphopenia at 12 months. Thus, concurrent chemotherapy appears as the dominant contributor to the severity of acute lymphopenia after RT in WHO grade II-III glioma patients, and duration of adjuvant chemotherapy appears as the key factor to prolonged lymphopenia.
Evaluation of the use of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) in healthy volunteers and patients with schizophrenia.

Abstract Objective The Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) is a semi-quantitative assessment used to evaluate ataxia. The goal of these studies was to assess and evaluate the utility of this instrument in a Healthy Volunteer (HV) group and subjects with Schizophrenia (SCZ). Methods Two studies were completed to collect SARA data, in a HV group and in a stable SCZ group. 177 HVs (18–65 years) and 16 SCZs (18–58 years) provided written consent and were assessed using the SARA. Of 177 HV subjects, 88 had 2 SARA assessments (within 2 days of initial visit) while all 16 SCZ had 3 SARA assessments (within 14 days of initial visit). Results For the HV group, the mean score ± Std for the SARA on visit-1 was 0.39 ± 0.72, and 0.34 ± 0.64 for visit-2. The Pearson correlation coefficient between visit-1 and visit-2 was 0.7486 and an ICC of 0.743. For the SCZ group, the mean score for the SARA was 0.63 ± 0.65 on visit-1, 0.84 ± 1.19 on visit-2, and 0.84 ± 0.94 on visit-3. The Pearson correlation coefficient between visit-1 and visit-2 was 0.6545, between visit-1 and visit-3 was 0.6635 and between visit-2 and visit-3 was 0.7613 and an ICC of 0.650. There was no significant difference in baseline SARA scores between the HV and SCZ group p = .063. A statistically significant positive association between age and total SARA scores was observed in HV (r = 0.345) and SCZ (r = 0.676). Conclusions A strong association was observed in both the HV and SCZ groups in the reassessment of signs of ataxia using the SARA scale. Both groups demonstrated minimal signs of ataxia, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups in their visit-1 scores.
Durable targeting of B-lymphocytes in living mice

Transfer to and enduring expression of genes in B cells has proved a vexing challenge. We report here a novel method for the specific and durable targeting of B lymphocytes in living mice. The method involves generation of lentiviruses pseudotyped with an anti-CD19 antibody. CD19 targeting viruses injected in the spleen of living mice efficiently transduced B cells and plasma cells detected by flow cytometry analysis of GFP expression. Expression of the reporter gene could be detected in the intact animal by external imaging for more than a year and was enhanced by booster immunization. Our method thus enables the specific delivery, expression and localization by external imaging of exogenous genes to the B cells and plasma cells of living individuals.
The ‘Jewish zealots of tobacco land’: the circuit riding rabbi project’s impact on small town Jews in North Carolina, 1950–1980

ABSTRACTRural North Carolina synagogues in mid-century America faced unique challenges. The North Carolina Association of Jewish Men’s Circuit Riding Rabbi Project, following the success of the cir...
A survey of wearable sensor networks in health and entertainment

The world of wearable sensor networks is constantly improving as the potential benefits these systems offer become more apparent Today there are several wearable sensor networks being developed for health and wellness purposes as well as entertainment purposes This paper will take a closer look at the different available sensors that are being used to collect data as well as the systems that use them Sensors for fall protection for the elderly long term health monitoring human gait analysis interactive media and gaming and animation are studied with respect to the state of the art in wearable sensor technologies This research hopes to further advance the technology for the wearable sensor networks and wearable health monitoring systems in these fields
Performance Analysis of Divide-and-Conquer strategies for Large scale Simulations in R

As the volume of data and technical complexity of large-scale analysis increases, many domain experts desire powerful computational and familiar analysis interface to fully participate in the analysis workflow by just focusing on individual datasets, leaving the large-scale computation to the system. Towards this goal, we investigate and benchmark a family of Divide-and-Conquer strategies that can help domain experts perform large-scale simulations by scaling up their analysis code written in R, the most popular data science and interactive analysis language. We implement the Divide-and-Conquer strategies that use R as the analysis (and computing) language, allowing advanced users to provide custom R scripts and variables to be fully embedded into the large-scale analysis workflow in R. The whole process will divide large-scale simulations tasks and conquer tasks with Slurm array jobs and R. Simulations and final aggregations are scheduled as array jobs in parallel means to accelerate the knowledge discovery process. The objective is to provide a new analytics workflow for performing similar large-scale analysis loops where expert users only need to focus on the Divide-and-Conquer tasks with the domain knowledge.
Cryptographic Authentication from the Iris

Biometrics exhibit noise between repeated readings. Due to the noise, devices store a plaintext template of the biometric. This stored template is an appetizing target for an attacker.
“In Real Life, You Have to Speak Up”: Civic Implications of No-Excuses Classroom Management Practices:

Conceptualizing educational inequality as equivalent to the “achievement gap” has fueled the expansion of no-excuses charters, which purport to raise test scores and thereby equalize opportunities ...
Gamma-Ray Bursts

We summarize the observed features of γ-ray bursts, with particular emphasis on the cyclotron lines seen in their spectra. We then discuss the theory of cyclotron resonant scattering, and compare the theoretical and observed line spectra. Finally, we mention some implications.