cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seasonal Variations of Upper Ocean Transport from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean via Indonesian Straits

Abstract Seasonal variations of upper-ocean mass transport between the Pacific and Indian Oceans via the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) are examined using numerical experiments with a 1½-layer, reduced-gravity model forced with specific climatological winds. The model ITF transport, computed as a sum of through-strait transport, has an annual range of more than 8 Sv (an annual harmonic of amplitude 4.2 Sv and a smaller, semiannual harmonic amplitude of 0.5 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1), with peak transport from mid-April through July and minimum transport in November and December. Limited long-term observations make it difficult to validate these results, but they are consistent with current theory. Experiments with time-varying winds in specific regions show that most of the annual throughflow signal is due to equatorial winds (from 10°S to 10°N); ITF transport anomalies generated by off-equatorial winds account for less than 1 Sv and are mostly out of phase with the baseline throughflow signal. For the particular ...
ON THE DECLINE OF CLASS ANALYSIS IN SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES

ABSTRACT The decline of class analysis has been pervasive across the intellectual landscape in recent years. But South Asian studies stands out in the severity with which it has been hit by this phenomenon. It also is the field where the influence of post-structuralism has been most pronounced in the wake of Marxism's decline. This essay offers an explanation for both the decline of class analysis and the ascendance of post-structuralism in South Asian studies as practiced in the United States. I suggest that the decline of class theorizing was a predictable and natural result of the decline of working-class politics in the United States. But the severity of its decline in South Asian studies in particular was a symptom of its never having made much of a dent on the field in the first place. This left unchallenged the traditional, Indological approach, which was heavily oriented toward culturalism. This in turn made the field a hospitable ground for the entrance of post-structuralism, which, like mainstre...
Technology-Supported Assessment Systems: A Comparison of Accredited and Unaccredited Programs

The debate surrounding teacher quality often fails to differentiate effectively between teacher-preparation providers. This failure also extends to distinguishing between teachers prepared in traditional campus-based accredited programs from those prepared in unaccredited campus-based programs. This paper compares assessment infrastructure and expenditure levels of accredited and unaccredited schools, colleges, and departments of education (SCDEs). The College of Education Assessment Infrastructure Survey was administered to 1,011 campusbased programs in 2007 and 2009. Six hundred seven responses—341 (33.7%) from 2009 and 266 (26.3%) from 2007—were analyzed. Results support the notion that accredited SCDEs are significantly more likely than their unaccredited counterparts (a) to implement electronic assessment systems, and (b) to invest at higher levels in assessment infrastructure. Implications include the role of accreditation reporting and other requirements on SCDE assessment policy and allocation of resources to support the growing need for enhanced capacity.
New Insights in the Modification of the Work Function of Cathode Materials due to Thin Surface Coatings using Ab-initio Modelling

The changes in the work function upon adsorption of coating layers on materials utilized in both field and thermionic emission applications have been investigated computationally within the framework of Density Functional Theory (DFT) [1] as implemented by the Vienna Ab-initio Simulation Package (VASP) [2]. This approach provides valuable information for understanding the origin of the improvement in the emitted current density by monitoring changes in the electronic structure of a material system upon adsorption of surface species. The presence of surface coatings induces changes in the charge density in the surface and sub-surface regions of the substrate, significantly influencing the value of the work function. The origin of the enhanced emission properties of Cesium-Iodide (Csl) coated Carbon-based field emission cathodes [3] as well as Barium-Oxide (Ba-O) Tungsten thermionic cathode systems has been investigated. The former is a promising cathode material system capable of operating under low global electric fields, demonstrating operation lifetimes in excess of one million pulses, and characterized by good shot-to-shot-reproducibility, low levels of outgassing, and no evident plasma formation upon appropriate conditioning.
Objectifiability and Calling Rights Into Play: An Empirical Study

This paper is an investigation of the relation between the difficulty actors have in demonstrating the "objectivity" of the wrongness of a putative offense and the inhibition that actors experience in attempting to make a moral reproach; that is, according to the theory tested, an individual needs to be able to make patent to himself and others that a concrete action of another is the sort of thing that "everyone would see as wrong" as a prerequisite to reproaching another. The notion of "objectivity" is a central element in a theory in which making a moral reproach is related to moral drift-the erosion of group norms. This theory, more fully reported elsewhere, is briefly sketched out. A laboratory experiment was carried out in which the "objectivity" of an offense was varied, and the rate of subjects' intervention against the offender was counted. The results support the analysis. Further analysis of the interventions as to whether they were or were not "moral reproaches" indicated that whether asubject...
Comparison of aeromedical crew performance by patient severity and outcome

Abstract Study purpose: One of the continuing controversies in aeromedical transport involves crew composition. Since 1987, we have used both physician/nurse (P/N) and nurse/nurse (N/N) crews to staff two identically equipped helicopter ambulances. The purpose of this study was to compare the severity of illness or injury and outcomes of patients transported by P/N and N/N crews. Design: Retrospective cohort. Methods: Data were obtained from the air ambulance and medical records of all aeromedical transfers between September 1, 1987, and August 31, 1988. Patients less than 16 years old or transferred to other hospitals were excluded. Severity of illness or injury was measured by Revised Trauma Score, APACHE-II, and Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System; outcome measures were mortality, and ICU and hospital lengths of stay. Patients were categorized as cardiac, trauma, or other. Origin of transfer (scene, emergency department, or hospital) and transfer times were included in the analysis. Measurements and main results: Six hundred fifty-nine patients were studied—418 P/N and 241 N/N. No differences were found between P/N and N/N groups with regard to sex, Revised Trauma Score, APACHE-II, or Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System, although P/N patients were younger (45.7 versus 50.9 years, P =.001), included more cardiac (40% versus 36%) and trauma (38% versus 30%) patients ( P =.002), and were more likely to have been transferred from an ED (68% versus 51%) or scene (7% versus 2%)( P =.001). Mortality, ICU length of stay, and hospital length of stay of P/N and N/N patients were not different, nor was time spent at the scene or hospital. Subgroup analysis did not alter these results. Conclusion: No objective differences in outcome of patients were found between P/N and N/N teams. Although small differences were found in types of flights taken by P/N and N/N teams, there were no differences in objective measures of severity between the two teams. We find no objective evidence to prefer one crew composition over another.
Marketing of social services gains prominence in practice

The author reviews the growth and development of social marketing practice as a social work strategy and describes how the different categories of marketing correspond to administrative, planning, and community organization practice. She illustrates the similarity between the social planning process and the market planning process in an effort to demonstrate that social marketing is a useful addition to decision making and planning in social service agencies. Social marketing theory, diffusion theory, and exchange theory provide the theoretical frameworks for the argument developed. Drawing upon these theories, the paper draws attention to the fact that marketing is rapidly gaining acceptance as a viable strategy in macro practice designed to attract and retain consumers of services, develop resources, and inform service providers and practitioners of practice issues and innovations.
Infusing Learner-Centered Strategies into the Classroom

As an instructor, how do you engage the learners? This paper illustrates the value of using learner-centered teaching strategies to accomplish this goal in your classroom. Learner-centered teaching utilizes the instructor as a facilitator and creates an active learning environment in which the student takes responsibility of learning. Various techniques will be described as well as the practical application of leaner-centered teaching in the classroom.
Learning how people use multimedia socially

In the last decade, we've seen social media explode on the internet. Of course, some of the most popular sites hinge on multimedia. Think Flickr, Instagram, r/pics, Soundcloud. While researchers have shed considerable light on how text and networks work in these spaces, by comparison we know very little about how people use multimedia socially. In this talk, I will sketch some of the opportunities for research in this rich space (potentially by applying findings from computer vision and machine listening), and include some very preliminary findings from my own lab's work.
Are Firms Constrained By Their Bank? A Pilot Study

Financial intermediation theory assigns banks a unique role in the resolution of information asymmetry, while monetary theory assigns banks a unique role in money creation and the of monetary policy. The bank’s willingness to lend depends on perceptions of the project’s payoffs and the moral rectitude of the borrowers, while the bank’s ability to lend depends on the adequacy of the bank’s capital and the stance of monetary policy. Small firms are largely dependent on bank financing - information asymmetry, moral hazard and switching costs restrict access to alternate financing sources. If firms were constrained by their bank’s ability to lend, measures of bank capital would be significant determinants of the firm’s growth. By identifying specific bank-borrower relationships, we explore the hypothesis that a bank’s capital adequacy situation has the potential to influence lending decisions and hence affect the bank’s asset structure and the small firm’s ability to finance operations.
Effect of diet composition on weight gain, sperm transfer, and insemination in the cat flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

Abstract Weight gain by adult cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouche), was influenced primarily by the concentrations of protein and sodium chloride in the feeding solution. After 48 h of feeding, fleas fed whole blood weighed almost twice as much as fleas fed plasma or hemolyzed blood and 1.25 times as much as fleas fed 0.15 M sodium chloride. When fleas were fed sodium chloride solutions ranging from 0 to 0.5 M, weight gain was greatest on the 0.15- or 0.2-M solutions. Weight gain decreased significantly when fleas were fed plasma, hemolyzed blood or 0.3 or 0.5 M sodium chloride in place of whole blood, but improved when plasma was diluted 100% and when hemolyzed blood was diluted 10% with distilled water. Adenosine-5′-triphosphate did not appear to stimulate weight gain in cat fleas; weight gain was unchanged in fleas fed hemolyzed blood or 0.15 M sodium chloride to which 0.005 M ATP was added. Insemination did not occur in starved fleas or those fed protein-free diets. When fleas were starved or fed...
Contractile properties of feline genioglossus, sternohyoid, and sternothyroid muscles

Despite a wealth of information about the respiratory behavior of pharyngeal dilator muscles such as the genioglossus, sternohyoid, and sternothyroid muscles, little is known about their contractil...
Total Recall: flmake and the Quest for Reproducibility

FLASH is a high-performance computing (HPC) multi-physics code which is used to perform astrophysical and high-energy density physics simula- tions. To run a FLASH simulation, the user must go through three basic steps: setup, build, and execution. Canonically, each of these tasks are independently handled by the user. However, with the recent advent of flmake - a Python workflow management utility for FLASH - such tasks may now be performed in a fully reproducible way. To achieve such reproducibility a number of developments and abstractions were needed, some only enabled by Python. These methods are widely applicable outside of FLASH. The process of writing flmake opens many questions to what precisely is meant by reproducibility in computational science. While posed here, many of these questions remain unanswered.
Pediatric liver transplantation: a North American perspective

Liver transplantation (LT) is an important component in the therapeutic armamentarium of managing end-stage liver disease. In North American children, biliary atresia remains the most common indication for LT compared to hepatitis C in adults, while hepatoblastoma is the most common liver tumor requiring LT, versus Hepatocellular carcinoma in adults. Rejection, lymphoproliferative disease, renal insufficiency, metabolic syndrome, recurrent disease, 'de novo' autoimmune hepatitis and malignancy require careful surveillance and prompt action in adults and children after LT. In children, specific attention to EBV viremia, growth, development, adherence and transition to the adult services is also required. Antibody mediated rejection and screening for donor specific antibodies is becoming important in managing liver graft dysfunction. Biomarkers to identify and predict tolerance are being developed. Machine perfusion and stem cells (iPS) to synthesize organs are generating interest and are a focus for research.
An observation on the stability of compatibility of kalii dehydrographolidi succinas injection with other eleven drugs in transfusion

Objective:To investigated the stability of compatibility of kalii dehydrographolidi succinas injection with other 11 drugs.Methods: Under(20±3) ℃ and(38±1) ℃,the solutions of kalii dehydrographolidi succinas injection mixed with other eleven drugs were observed within 6 hrs,in their aspect,pH value,particulate counter for injection,UV absorbency and displace of peak.Results: The aspect,pH value,particulate counter and UV absorbency of the compound medicines of kalii dehydrographolidi succinas injection matched with vitamin B_6,vitamin C and clindamycin hydrochloride had change,but while matched with hydrocortisone sodium succinate,dexamethasone,ribavirin,medronidazole,penicillin sodium,cefoperazone sodium,cefuroxime sodium,cefotaxime sodium there were no significant change.Conclusions: Kalii dehydrographolidi succinas injection could not be combined with vitamin B_6,vitamin C and clindamycin hydrochloride,but could be combined with other eight drugs.
Investigation of Hypoglycemic Agents Used in Our Hospital

OBJECTIVE:To gain an idea of hypoglycemic agents used in our hospital.METHODS:In a retrospective study,5 643 prescriptions written out in our hospital in 2 week period in June,2002 were sampled,in which,the data was analysed concerning rate of use,combined use and rationality of use of hypoglycemic agents.RESULTS:Hypoglycemic agents were written out in 125 prescriptions,which accounted for 2.2% of all prescriptions investigated.The data reflected the incidence of diabetes in OPD of our hospital.Most drugs used were first-generation and second-generation sulfaurea drugs?biguanides?Novonorm?Avandia and insulin,of which,insulin accounted for 12% in 125 prescriptions.The DUI of Minidiab was1 and other agents1.CONCLUSION:The use of hypoglycemic agents is rational on the whole,but the use of insulin seems to be on the low side.The use of oral hypoglycemic agents is related to the characteristics of these agents.
Periodic zone-MPC with asymmetric costs for outpatient-ready safety of an artificial pancreas to treat type 1 diabetes

A novel Model Predictive Control (MPC) law for an Artificial Pancreas (AP) to automatically deliver insulin to people with type 1 diabetes is proposed. The MPC law is an enhancement of the authors' zone-MPC approach that has successfully been trialled in-clinic, and targets the safe outpatient deployment of an AP. The MPC law controls blood-glucose levels to a diurnally time-dependent zone, and enforces diurnal, hard input constraints. The main algorithmic novelty is the use of asymmetric input costs in the MPC problem's objective function. This improves safety by facilitating the independent design of the controller's responses to hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. The proposed controller performs predictive pump-suspension in the face of impending hypoglycemia, and subsequent predictive pump-resumption, based only on clinical needs and feedback. The proposed MPC strategy's benefits are demonstrated by in-silico studies as well as highlights from a US Food and Drug Administration approved clinical trial in which 32 subjects each completed two 25 h closed-loop sessions employing the proposed MPC law.
The Polymorphic Aggregative Phenotype of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O111 Depends on RpoS and Curli

Escherichia coli O111 is an emerging non-O157:H7 serotype of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). We previously reported that outbreak and environmental, but not sporadic-case, strains of STEC O111 share a distinct aggregation phenotype (M. E. Diodati, A. H. Bates, M. B. Cooley, S. Walker, R. E. Mandrell, and M. T. Brandl, Foodborne Pathog Dis 12:235-243, 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/fpd.2014.1887). We show here the natural occurrence of nonaggregative variants in single STEC O111 strains. These variants do not produce curli fimbriae and lack RpoS function but synthesize cellulose. The deletion of csgBAC or rpoS in an aggregative outbreak strain abolished aggregate formation, which was rescued when curli biogenesis or RpoS function, respectively, was restored. Complementation of a nonaggregative variant with RpoS also conferred curli production and aggregation. These observations were supported by Western blotting with an anti-CsgA antibody. Immunomicroscopy revealed that curli were undetectable on the cells of the nonaggregative variant and the RpoS mutant but were present in large quantities in the intercellular matrix of the assemblages formed by aggregative strains. Sequence analysis of rpoS in the aggregative strain and its variant showed a single substitution of threonine for asparagine at amino acid 124. Our results indicate that the multicellular behavior of STEC O111 is RpoS dependent via positive regulation of curli production. Aggregation may confer a fitness advantage in O111 outbreak strains under stressful conditions in hydrodynamic environments along the food production chain and in the host, while the occurrence of nonaggregative variants may allow the cell population to adapt to conditions benefiting a planktonic lifestyle.
Anti-Corruption Education as a form of Early Prevention of Conflict with the Law for Women and Children: Making the United Nations Law Work 2016–2030

Imprisonment, seizure and confiscation of assets, even the death penalty are invoked as measures to counter corruption. For obvious reasons they are only applicable to adult offenders. The most recent comparative review of the impact of imprisonment on crime rates questions its effectiveness. Even more questionable is the impact of imprisonment and death penalty on corruption, which at best is unknown. Raising the stake in criminal sentencing by handing down these sanctions does not seem to be a decision that ultimately matters in countering crime, let alone corruption. Rampant as corruption is, its countering requires more incisive and tailored measures. This chapter looks from three perspectives (Western, Eastern and United Nations) into some of these measures and reviews respective recent developments reported by the State Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption. In conclusion, the author argues that the United Nations anti-corruption education for women and children is a promising path to follow. Two educational issues may decide about the character and effectiveness of that anti-corruption strategy: the prevalence of patriarchal or contractual features in any legal culture, and its accommodation of the sustainable development ideology, if both engage personal responsibility. At the end of the story all corruption acts are choices which do rest on it and on ethics. Accordingly, blending these three perspectives, the implementation of the United Nations goal of “peaceful and inclusive societies” envisioned for 2016–2030 in which countering bribery and corruption is included, will depend on how well in contractual and sustainable development terms the present and succeeding generation will personally muster anti-corruption ethical education for women and children.
Scoping review of interventions for children who require augmentative and alternative communication is limited by focus on randomized controlled trials

This review provides a summary and appraisal commentary on the treatment review by Costantino, M., & Bonati, M. (2014). A scoping review of interventions to supplement spoken communication for children with limited speech or language skills. PLoS ONE, 9, 1–15.Source of funding and declaration of interests: Christine Holyfield was supported by funding from the Penn State AAC Leadership Project, a doctoral training grant funded by U.S. Department of Education [grant #H325D110008]. The original authors report no conflicts of interest.
Evaluation of pavement response and performance under different scales of APT facilities

This paper focuses on comparative evaluation of pavement responses and performance under accelerated loading facility (ALF), Model Mobile Load Simulator 3(MMLS 3) and Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA) tests, in terms of rut depth, strain response, seismic stiffness and contact stress. Test slabs extracted from the ALF test lanes were trafficked with the MMLS3 under comparable environmental conditions at a laboratory in Virginia Tech. Some small specimens were cut from the slab for APA tests at VTRC. It is found that the monitored parameters yielded by the MMLS 3 test were comparable to the related full-scale ALF test results in terms of intrinsic material characteristics and pavement performance. It is concluded that MMLS 3 is an effective, economic and reliable trafficking tool to characterise rutting and fatigue performance of pavement materials with due regard to the relative structures. The APA test is not suitable to assess the fatigue resistance of pavement material, but is an efficient and effective ...
Virtual Reality: Its Transformative Potential

This chapter explores the role(s) that virtual reality can play in using new information technologies to transform the classroom. In some ways, virtual reality represents the frontier of Internet-infused learning because of its potential to open up new spaces of learning even while maintaining the traditional classroom as the outer shell of the educational process. Students can sit at their desk in a four-walled environment while exploring new and different worlds with limitless possibilities. But virtual reality in education is also fraught with pitfalls and dangers for almost identical reasons, as students can experience autonomy and freedom in ways that are completely new to how we conceptualise learning environments. In this chapter, we describe the use of virtual reality in a college-level class. The teaching team used the desktop virtual reality platform “Second Life” as a central part of the curriculum over the course of a fourteen-week semester. Every week the class would receive a lecture on the class topic and then sit in the classroom and enter the world created through Second Life dubbed “Wisdom Shores” and engage in activity related to the topic. A critical issue was understanding the space (Second Life)–place (classroom) dialectic and how it plays out in the learning process.
Application of convolutional neural networks on Intel® Xeon® processor with integrated FPGA

Intel®'s Xeon® processor with integrated FPGA is a new research platform that provides all the capabilities of a Broadwell Xeon Processor with the added functionality of an Arria 10 FPGA in the same package. In this paper, we present an implementation on this platform to showcase the abilities and effectiveness of utilizing both hardware architectures to accelerate a convolutional based neural network (CNN). We choose a network topology that uses binary weights and low precision activation data to take advantage of the available customizable fabric provided by the FPGA. Further, compared to standard multiply accumulate CNN's, binary weighted networks (BWN) reduce the amount of computation by eliminating the need for multiplication resulting in little to no classification accuracy degradation. Coupling Intel's Open Programmable Acceleration Engine (OPAE) with Caffe provides a robust framework that was used as the foundation for our application. Due to the convolution primitives taking the most computation in our network, we offload the feature and weight data to a customized binary convolution accelerator loaded in the FPGA. Employing the low latency Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) that bridges the Broadwell Xeon processor and Arria 10 FPGA, we can carry out fine-grained offloads while avoiding bandwidth bottlenecks. An initial proof of concept design showcasing this new platform that utilizes only a portion of the FPGA core logic exemplifies that by using both the Xeon processor and FPGA together we can improve the throughput by 2× on some layers and by 1.3× overall.
Private cloud deployment with docker and kubernetes

Automated software development has been a goal of applications developers. Several new technologies are now available to realize that goal. As revealed in a recent study by LinkedIn, Site reliability engineers (SRE) are among the highest paid occupations at $140,000 [11]. They are experts at maintaining infrastructure and web development, as well as pivotal individuals who manage DevOps Engineers.
Are Millennials Coming to Town? Residential Location Choice of Young Adults:

How widespread is the downtown resurgence among the current generation of young adults 25 to 34 years old, often referred to as the Millennials? Answering the question, this article provides a deta...
The medical director in the multi-level long-term care facility

This article describes the medical director's role in a multi-level long-term care facility, the continuing care retirement facility (CCRC). The history of CCRCs, different types, services available, and demographics of residents are discussed. Special attention is given to the role that the medical director plays in providing primary care services for the highest functioning of residents at a CCRC.
Epstein-Barr virus transformed B lymphocytes produce interleukin-5

Interleukin-5 (IL-5) has previously been isolated only as a product of T lymphocytes. We have found that Epstein-Barr virus transformed B lymphocytes produce large amounts of IL-5 activity in culture supernatants, inducing proliferation of murine BCL1 cells, and supporting the selective growth of eosinophil colonies in semi-solid culture. Production of IL-5 messenger RNA by transformed B-cell lines was verified by Northern analysis using a 3.2-kilobase cloned DNA fragment containing the full-length human IL-5 gene, and immunoreactive IL-5 was detected in B-cell culture supernatants. These findings suggest a possible expanded role for the B cell in the induction of eosinophilia, and should serve as a focus for additional investigation into possible roles for IL-5 in human B-cell proliferation and differentiation.
Grill-Cleaning Wire Brush Bristle Ingestion: Case Series and Review of the Literature.

Objectives The authors report a small case series of an unusual ingested foreign body, wire brush bristles, whose small size can present a challenge for endoscopic removal. The authors describe transnasal endoscopic removal and provide a literature review. Methods From 2011 to 2017, 8 patients presented to an academic tertiary medical center with ingestion of wire brush bristles. The patients' medical records were reviewed and are described in this report, along with a literature review. Results In 4 patients, the bristles were in the lingual tonsils. In 1 patient, a bristle was within the pharyngoepiglottic fold and lingual tonsils. Three patients underwent office removal with a fiber-optic laryngoscope under local anesthesia. Two patients underwent direct laryngoscopy with bristle removal. In 1 patient the wire bristle transected the esophagus, requiring an open procedure. One patient presented with a complicated deep-space neck infection. Conclusions Wire brush bristles easily become displaced and subsequently become lodged in the upper aerodigestive tract. Localization of a bristle can be difficult on examination and laryngoscopy. Radiography can be performed, but computed tomographic examination with contrast is superior for precise localization for preparation for an operative approach. Depending on the precise location of the bristle, endoscopic removal using a fiber-optic channeled scope may be a safe and effective solution. Level of evidence Case Series, IV.
Applying Formal Methods to Specify Security Requirements in Multi-Agent Systems

Security has become an important concern with the development of large scale distributed and heterogeneous multi-agent systems (MAS). One of the main problems in addressing security during the development of MAS is that security is often an afterthought. The cost involved to patch existing systems against vulnerabilities and attacks after deployment is high. If developers and designers can spend some quality time investigating security aspects before beginning to code then this cost can be reduced significantly. Also, using formal methods to specify the complex behavior of large scale software systems has resulted in reliable software systems. This research effort was focused on using formal methods early in the development life cycle to specify security requirements for MAS. New solutions are emerging to fix security related issues, but how much thought gets in during the early phases of development in terms of security needs to be answered. In this paper, analysis of security requirements for MAS, existing solutions to secure MAS, and the use of formal methods to specify security requirements has been studied. Descartes - Agent, a formal specification language for specifying agent systems has been taken into study to model the security requirements of MAS early on in the development process. Functional specifications of MAS are modelled along with the non-functional security requirements using the Descartes - Agent specification language. A case study example is used to illustrate the specification of security requirements in MAS using the Descartes - Agent.
David Oliver: NHS workforce policy is not joined-up government.

In 1997 the prime minister, Tony Blair, coined the phrase “joined-up government.”1 When policy problems didn’t fit neatly into departmental and ministerial boundaries the idea was to collaborate on and coordinate aligned approaches and messaging.2 Unfortunately, the recent response to the NHS workforce crisis is the antithesis of this, across departments and a confusing array of national NHS arm’s length bodies created by the 2012 Health and Social Care Act.3 Let me take you on a quick tour. NHS England’s new chair, David Prior, stated on arrival that the three biggest challenges facing the NHS over the next 10 years were “prevention,” “integration,” and “technology.”4 He has long experience in ministerial, regulatory, and NHS board roles. Yet, bizarrely, he didn’t mention the …
High-fat feeding reprograms maternal energy metabolism and induces long-term postpartum obesity in mice

Excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG) closely associates with postpartum obesity. However, the causal role of EGWG in postpartum obesity has not been experimentally verified. The objective of this study was to determine whether and how EGWG causes long-term postpartum obesity. C57BL/6 mice were fed with high-fat diet during gestation (HFFDG) or control chow, then their body composition and energy metabolism were monitored after delivery. We found that HFFDG significantly increased gestational weight gain. After delivery, adiposity of HFFDG-treated mice (Preg-HF) quickly recovered to the levels of controls. However, 3 months after parturition, Preg-HF mice started to gain significantly more body fat even with regular chow. The increase of body fat of Preg-HF mice was progressive with aging and by 9 months after delivery had increased 2-fold above the levels of controls. The expansion of white adipose tissue (WAT) of Preg-HF mice was manifested by hyperplasia in visceral fat and hypertrophy in subcutaneous fat. Preg-HF mice developed low energy expenditure and UCP1 expression in interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) in later life. Although blood estrogen concentrations were similar between Preg-HF and control mice, a significant decrease in estrogen receptor α (ERα) expression and hypermethylation of the ERα promoter was detected in the fat of Preg-HF mice 9 months after delivery. Interestingly, hypermethylation of ERα promoter and low ERα expression were only detected in adipocyte progenitor cells in both iBAT and WAT of Preg-HF mice at the end of gestation. These results demonstrate that HFFDG causes long-term postpartum obesity independent of early postpartum fat retention. This study also suggests that HFFDG adversely programs long-term postpartum energy metabolism by epigenetically reducing estrogen signaling in both BAT and WAT.
Small soft tissue masses indeterminate at imaging: histological diagnoses at a tertiary orthopedic oncology clinic

To review histologic diagnoses of soft-tissue masses (STMs) ≤ 2 cm with indeterminate imaging features encountered in musculoskeletal oncology clinic at a tertiary referral center. This was an IRB-approved retrospective review of patients with STMs ≤ 2 cm, referred to our tertiary care orthopedic oncology clinic over 4.75 consecutive years. Maximum diameter was based on imaging measurement by a fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologist. Simple lipomas, synovial cysts, metastases, and cases without histologic confirmation were excluded. Patient demographics, tumor imaging features (location, depth, size, and tumor:muscle enhancement and T2 signal ratios), and histology were recorded and compared. Mean maximum diameter for 42 trunk/extremity STMs was 1.5 cm (range, 0.7 to 2 cm). Mean age was 48 years (range, 18–83 years). Nine (21%) of the masses were malignant, while 33 (79%) were non-malignant. Thirty-nine (93%) of masses were superficial; 7/39 (18%) of these superficial tumors were malignant. Malignancy was not associated with underlying vessels, tendon, or fascia (p = 0.19). The non-malignant vs. malignant tumor:muscle enhancement ratio was 2.15 vs. 2.32 (p = 0.58) and enhancement coefficient of variation was 0.14 vs. 0.10 (p = 0.29). Most common malignant histologic subtypes were synovial sarcoma (n = 3), fibroblastic/myofibroblastic sarcoma (n = 2), leiomyosarcoma (n = 2), myxofibrosarcoma (n = 1), and angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma (n = 1). The majority (67%) of non-malignant lesions were: leiomyoma (n = 6), angiomyoma (n = 5), schwannoma (n = 4), benign fibrous histiocytoma (n = 4), and hemangioma (n = 3). At a tertiary musculoskeletal oncology referral clinic, primary STMs ≤ 2 cm with indeterminate imaging features should be managed cautiously despite their small size and/or superficial location.
Rapid Isolation of Dorsal Root Ganglion Macrophages

There are growing interests to study the molecular and cellular interactions among immune cells and sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia after peripheral nerve injury. Peripheral monocytic cells, including macrophages, are known to respond to a tissue injury through phagocytosis, antigen presentation, and cytokine release. Emerging evidence has implicated the contribution of dorsal root ganglia macrophages to neuropathic pain development and axonal repair in the context of nerve injury. Rapidly phenotyping (or "rapid isolation of") the response of dorsal root ganglia macrophages in the context of nerve injury is desired to identify the unknown neuroimmune factors. Here we demonstrate how our lab rapidly and effectively isolates macrophages from the dorsal root ganglia using an enzyme-free mechanical dissociation protocol. The samples are kept on ice throughout to limit cellular stress. This protocol is far less time consuming compared to the standard enzymatic protocol and has been routinely used for our Fluorescence-activated Cell Sorting analysis.
Institutional challenges of poverty reduction and household coping mechanisms in eastern Hararghe, eastern Ethiopia.

This study examines the institutional challenges of poverty and its coping mechanism in eastern Ethiopia. A sample of 800 households was randomly selected and interviewed from three local administratives namely: Dirree-Xiyyaara, Biiftuu-Gadaa and Hawwi-Gelan. The descriptive statistics indicate that majority of the households reported that they: do not feel secured on the current land ownership status; perceive that their family members, relatives, and communities do not help to them to fight poverty; do not trust in the local or woreda authorities; perceive that their local authorities are not accountable; think that their local authorities are not transparent; perceive that their local authorities are not participatory; and know that their local authorities demand bribe to provide services to the community. Similarly, the econometric result of the probit regression illustrates that distance to the nearest market center, saving culture and saving amount, land ownership status and active participation in social networks significantly determine poverty status of the households in the study areas.
Performance of the right ventricular outflow tract/aortic diameter as a novel predictor of risk in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Right ventricular (RV) enlargement, determined via the ratio of the right to left ventricular diameters (RV/LV) by CT imaging is used to classify the severity of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and impacts treatment decisions. The RV/LV ratio may be an unreliable marker of RV dysfunction, due in part to the complex RV geometry. This study compared the RV/LV ratio to a novel metric, the ratio of the right ventricular to aortic outflow tract diameters (RVOT/Ao) in patients with acute PE treated with catheter-directed therapies (CDT). RVOT/Ao and RV/LV ratios were measured on CT images from 103 patients who received CDT for acute submassive or massive PE and were compared to RV dysfunction severity determined by transthoracic echocardiography. Ratios and biomarkers on admission were assessed for correlation with invasively-measured hemodynamics [right atrial (RA) pressure, mean pulmonary artery (PA) pressure, cardiac output (CO)]. RVOT/Ao but not RV/LV ratios were increased in patients with moderate or severe RV dysfunction compared to those without RV dysfunction (p 0.05), mean PA pressure (r = 0.167 vs 0.146, p > 0.05), or CO (r = 0.021 vs − 0.183, p > 0.05). proBNP correlated with mean PA pressure (r = 0.377, p < 0.05). The RVOT/Ao ratio may be better at assessing RV dysfunction than the RV/LV ratio in patients presenting with acute PE. Although currently accepted protocols rely on the RV/LV ratio in determining when CDT are of benefit, the RVOT/Ao ratio may be a more useful tool in identifying high risk patients.
Charting the evolution of the U.S. solar PV installation industry and its bonds with other skilled trades

Abstract The solar photovoltaic (PV) installation industry has foundations in other related skilled trades such as electrical contracting, construction, and roofing. We use a novel dataset to explore these inter-industry ties. We find evidence that many installers continue to offer other related services. We also find evidence that the PV installation industry is converging with other industries over time. Policymakers could support nascent PV industries through measures to leverage these inter-industry ties.
See What I See: Enabling User-Centric Robotic Assistance Using First-Person Demonstrations

We explore first-person demonstration as an intuitive way of producing task demonstrations to facilitate user-centric robotic assistance. First-person demonstration directly captures the human experience of task performance via head-mounted cameras and naturally includes productive viewpoints for task actions. We implemented a perception system that parses natural first-person demonstrations into task models consisting of sequential task procedures, spatial configurations, and unique task viewpoints. We also developed a robotic system capable of interacting autonomously with users as it follows previously acquired task demonstrations. To evaluate the effectiveness of our robotic assistance, we conducted a user study contextualized in an assembly scenario; we sought to determine how assistance based on a first-person demonstration (user-centric assistance) versus that informed only by the cover image of the official assembly instruction (standard assistance) may shape users’ behaviors and overall experience when working alongside a collaborative robot. Our results show that participants felt that their robot partner was more collaborative and considerate when it provided user-centric assistance than when it offered only standard assistance. Additionally, participants were more likely to exhibit unproductive behaviors, such as using their non-dominant hand, when performing the assembly task without user-centric assistance. CCS Concepts • Human-centered computing → Collaborative interaction; • Computer systems organization → Robotics; • Computing methodologies → Vision for robotics. ACM Reference Format: Yeping Wang, Gopika Ajaykumar, and Chien-Ming Huang. 2020. See What I See: Enabling User-Centric Robotic Assistance Using First-Person Demonstrations. In Proceedings of the 2020 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI ’20), March 23–26, 2020, Cambridge, United Kingdom.. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 10 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/ 3319502.3374820
Flows near isolated invariant sets in dimension 3

In this paper we investigate the behavior of flows on 3-manifolds near isolated invariant sets (see Definition 1). We show in particular that if the invariant set is a circle (perhaps a periodic orbit), then it is contained as a deformation retract in an isolating block (see Definition 2) which is a solid torus. Similarly we are able to treat flows near isolated invariant sets which are points or tori.
A Multi-step and Resilient Predictive Q-learning Algorithm for IoT with Human Operators in the Loop: A Case Study in Water Supply Networks

We consider the problem of recommending resilient and predictive actions for an IoT network in the presence of faulty components, considering the presence of human operators manipulating the information of the environment the agent sees for containment purposes. The IoT network is formulated as a directed graph with a known topology whose objective is to maintain a constant and resilient flow between a source and a destination node. The optimal route through this network is evaluated via a predictive and resilient Q-learning algorithm which takes into account historical data about irregular operation, due to faults, as well as the feedback from the human operators that are considered to have extra information about the status of the network concerning locations likely to be targeted by attacks. To showcase our method, we utilize anonymized data from Arlington County, Virginia, to compute predictive and resilient scheduling policies for a smart water supply system, while avoiding (i) all the locations indicated to be attacked according to human operators (ii) as many as possible neighborhoods detected to have leaks or other faults. This method incorporates both the adaptability of the human and the computation capability of the machine to achieve optimal implementation containment and recovery actions in water distribution.
Establishing models of corticosteroid patterns during the life history of killer whales (Orcinus orca) under human care.

Abstract The use of corticosteroids and their metabolites as a physiologic measure of stress in wildlife species is increasing in both in and ex situ populations. However, factors such as season, circadian rhythm, sex and age are also known to influence corticosteroid production in wildlife. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of these variables on serum cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone and their fecal metabolites in zoo-based killer whales (Orcinus orca). For evaluation of season, sex and age, we examined 30 animals (21 females, 9 males), and for circadian rhythm, we studied 18 animals (10 females, 8 males). Season did not influence corticosteroids (P ≥ 0.19). Circadian rhythm influenced all corticosteroids (P ≤ 0.012). Serum cortisol and corticosterone were highest in the morning and lower by mid-day and evening. Serum aldosterone was lowest during mid-day and highest in the evening. Excreted corticosteroid metabolites were higher in the morning and mid-day compared to evening (P ≤ 0.002). Serum cortisol was higher in males than females (P = 0.011). The inverse was observed for fecal corticosterone metabolites (P = 0.03). Serum corticosterone increased with age in all animals (P = 0.002), but serum cortisol increased with age in males only (P
The DMCA, Database Protection, and Right to Repair: The Long Tail of Public Interest Activism in the First Digital Copyright Decade

Abstract: The Digital Future Coalition (1996-2002) was an unprecedented public interest coalition on Internet and copyright policy with much farther-ranging effects than has been recognized previously. Uniting commercial and noncommercial stakeholders to push back against intellectual property maximalism on the nascent Internet, it altered both treaty and legislative language, entered a trope—“balance”—into national discourse on copyright policy, blocked U.S. copyright protection for databases, enhanced popular engagement with fair use, and set the stage for the “Right to Repair” movement. This historical research was accomplished primarily by interviewing representatives of the Digital Future Coalition (DFC) and opposing groups, as well as one ex-official, and by consulting a hitherto untapped, private archive of documents relevant to the prehistory and 1996-2002 history of the DFC.
Ocular Changes in the Mucopolysaccharidoses after Bone Marrow Transplantation: A Preliminary Report

Metabolic correction and physiologic response were evaluated after bone marrow transplantation in mucopolysaccharidosis. Eleven patients were prospectively evaluated to determine the effect of bone marrow transplantation on the progressive ocular manifestations of these disorders. Follow-up of 0.6 to 2.8 years after successful donor stem cell engraftment showed that some patients had slow clearing of the corneal clouding, reduction of intracytoplasmic inclusions in the conjunctiva, resolution of optic nerve edema, and stabilized or improved retinal function as determined by electroretinography. These preliminary results suggest that early bone marrow transplantation may alter some of the progressive ophthalmic characteristics of the mucopolysaccharidoses. Long-term follow-up is necessary to determine if these early alterations in the ocular features are predictive of a prolonged functional improvement in the visual status.