cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnetocaloric Improvements in Doped Heusler Alloys

Magnetocaloric materials have gained significant interest as an environment friendly and efficient refrigeration technology. We have been working on Heusler alloys, primarily the Ni-Mn-Ga system for improved magnetocaloric effect (MCE). We have observed significant MCE increase in stress assisted thermally cycled samples and demonstrated that one primary mechanism is texture change. More recently, we have observed volumetric decrease as well as anisotropy changes due to stressed cycling. The influence of these parameters on magnetic anisotropy and MCE are discussed. We have also utilized isoelectronic Al substitution at the Ga lattice sites for optimizing atomic distances and exchange interactions in an effort to bring about magnetostructural transformation closer to room temperature (RT) while retaining high MCE. The results show that Al substitutions can bring about large decreases (50 – 70K) in both the Curie (TC) and martensite start (Ms) temperatures, and permit fine tuning the magnetostructural transformation temperature.
Integration of Parks and Trails as Alternative Transportation and Preventive Health Factors

Background Evidence from the research clearly shows that proximity, access, and increased quantity of trails and greenway corridors can help improve community and individual health. In practice, there are new applications of methods from studies designed to develop composite indicators for measuring the potential of parks to increase physical activity (PA). Local parks and recreation (P&R) agencies can play a key role in improving health, as they often own and manage most of the alternative transportation corridors, parks, and public recreation facilities in any given community. Methods The research has merged findings for active energy expenditures (AEE) associated with park activity zones with component-based geo-spatial instruments developed in practice for assessing Levels of Service for public P&R systems. The composite indicators incorporate the evidence-based potential for energy expenditure of a given component, together with other attributes and characteristics of the site into a single index value. The indicators were compared with findings from random community surveying on related factors, looking for statistical correlations and significance. Qualitative methods were also used to inform conclusions. Results Results are presented from both qualitative (focus groups, surveys, stakeholder interviews) and quantitative (GIS, AEE layers, random mail surveys) assessment of three various community beta sites for applying the research in practice, especially related to addressing public agency preventive community health impacts (with a focus on the role of transportation and proximity). Results indicate that subjective variables, such as awareness, greenspace quality, design, and aesthetics, may play a stronger role than objective ones, such as quantity of and distance, in predicting behavioral outcomes associated with greenspace, trails usage, and potential implications for health. Conclusions In implementation, the priorities are determined through strong stakeholder and community member engagement, using qualitative and quantitative engagement and assessment methods such as focus groups, GIS, Photovoice, UMapping, and other techniques. Parks and recreation agencies are key to local efforts for providing access and improving health in communities. A final framework is suggested which utilizes systems thinking to identify priorities, goals, feasible methods for implementation, and evaluation. The methods and results are useful now for community health and transportation planning, and can be extended to measure other health indicators besides PA as the knowledge and evidence base expands.
Studies on the Folded Chromosome of E. coli

There are a few obvious questions about the compact tridimensional structure of the DNA inside the bacterial cell. The first question is: How does the E. coli chromosome, which is one millimeter long, fold up inside the nuclear body of only one micron diameter? A second, related question is: How do the two daughter chromosomes separate from each other at the end of the replication cycle; how do they segregate into two daughter cells? We thought that the structure of the chromosome must be quite organized (not random), particularly after we were aware of one peculiar type of chromosome segregation which we could induce after producing numerous chromosome initiations in E. coli (multifork replication). It is possible to trigger the initiation of chromosome replication in E. coli by blocking DNA synthesis. If the block in DNA synthesis is short enough, after releasing the block the replicating fork will continue and a new fork will start at the chromosome origin. We found a few years ago (Worcel, 1970) that we could block and release using the temperature sensitive strain (DNA B) of E. coli which stopped DNA synthesis upon a shift to non-permissive temperature. Coming back to the permissive temperature we found that a new chromosome initiation was induced. We could repeat that process, shifting from 30 to 42 degrees and each time a new fork was initiated. We were able to induce 5 to 10 replication forks per chromosome and the cell didn’t seem to be incumbered by them. Upon return to the permissive temperature, the daughter chromosomes were eventually disentangled and became part of viable daughter cells.
“Delete Your Account”: The 2016 Presidential Race on Twitter

While there has been a growth in the number of published studies about how candidates for the U.S. House and Senate use Twitter, candidates for president have been largely ignored. In this article,...
Durability of US Naval Composites and Sandwich Structures: Science Framework Considering Multiscale Response in Harsh Sea Environment

Deformation behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites involves mechanisms at multiple length scales with a strong dependency on the carbon fiber type and quality, fiber sizing, choice of polymer matrix, form of reinforcement, and manufacturing process. Naval structures typically employ sandwich materials including low-density foam core materials. Given the large amount of variables associated with materials and processing methods, a systematic science based framework is needed for predictive capabilities to model static, fatigue, and fracture behavior and its dependency on seawater and temperature. Using materials of high interest to US Navy, such a framework is proposed considering T700 carbon fibers specifically sized for vinylester resin system having brominated additives for improved fire performance. Textile composites manufactured utilizing VARTM process with suitable post-cure were utilized throughout the experimental campaign. The sandwich lay-up for this study consists of a closed cell polymeric (PVC) foam core placed between thin carbon fiber-reinforced vinylester facings. A fundamental study to evaluate the environmental degradation associated with long-term exposure on mechanical properties of carbon fiber-(Toray T700 3K tow-based stitched fabric) reinforced vinylester (CF/VE) facings at different orientations and various specimen sizes was implemented. The tension–tension fatigue effects, which simulate the splash load in marine environment, are shown to be more notable in composite facings with orientation of lay-ups that are resin dominated (for example, [±45]2S). The seawater absorption in the carbon fiber/vinylester composite leads to several deleterious effects resulting in new failure modes and deterioration in long-term durability.
Small molecule activation of nitriles coordinated to the [Re6Se8]2+ core: formation of oxazine, oxazoline and carboxamide complexes.

Novel oxazine, oxazoline and carboxamide cluster complexes were prepared when different nucleophilic oxygen species reacted with nitriles coordinated to the Lewis acidic [Re6Se8]2+ cluster core. Reaction of ICH2CH2O− (generated in situ) with [Re6Se8(PEt3)5(NCR)]A2 (1A2 (R = Me) and 2A2 (R = Ph) where A = BF4−), leads to the formation of [Re6Se8(PEt3)5(2-methyloxazoline)]2+ (32+) and [Re6Se8(PEt3)5(2-phenyloxazoline)]2+ (42+). Similarly, reaction of BrCH2CH2CH2O− with the same nitrile complexes, 1A2 and 2A2 (where A = BF4− or SbF6−) leads to the corresponding oxazine complexes, [Re6Se8(PEt3)5(2-methyloxazine)]2+ (52+) and [Re6Se8(PEt3)5(2-phenyloxazine)]2+ (62+). In addition, reaction of 2(BF4)2 with KOH leads to the formation of the carboxamide complex, [Re6Se8(PEt3)5(phenylcarboxamide)](BF4) (7(BF4)). The neutral oxazine and oxazoline ligands can be removed using either heat or UV irradiation; UV irradiation was found to be more efficient at ligand removal as indicated by the shorter reaction times. The relative coordination strength of the neutral N-donor ligands was determined by these reaction times. X-ray structure determinations of 5(BF4)2 and 7(BF4) are also reported.
Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Bazedoxifene in Hepatically Impaired and Healthy Postmenopausal Women.

Bazedoxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator with proestrogenic effects on bone and lipid metabolism and antiestrogenic effects on the breast and endometrium, is a treatment option for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It is extensively metabolized by the liver; therefore, a decrease in liver function was expected to decrease bazedoxifene clearance. This single-dose, open-label, inpatient/outpatient, nonrandomized study assessed the pharmacokinetics of bazedoxifene 20 mg in 18 postmenopausal women with hepatic impairment and 18 matched healthy postmenopausal women. Bazedoxifene elimination was slower, and exposure was higher, in hepatically impaired subjects compared with healthy subjects. In subjects with severe (Child-Pugh C) liver impairment, bazedoxifene mean half-life was 50% longer than that of healthy subjects. Area under the concentration-time curve geometric mean ratios (90%CI) for Child-Pugh A, B, and C liver impairment vs healthy subjects were 243% (156-379), 209% (135-326), and 368% (236-572), respectively. Although there were no severe adverse events in this study, bazedoxifene use in patients with hepatic impairment is not recommended.
Synthesis and characterization of pentafluorosulfanyl-functionalized fullerenes

Abstract Fullerene C60 was reacted with SF5CF2CF2I and SF5CF2I in the presence of Cu powder at 140–180 °C resulting in the successful production of the first pentafluorosulfanyl-functionalized fullerenes. In contrast to perfluoroalkyl iodides, which typically form (poly)perfluoroalkylfullerenes upon heating, the SF5CF2CF2I reagent produced three types of products, cycloadducts C60(c-C2F4)n, pentafluorosulfanyl products C60(CF2CF2SF5)m, and the mixed derivatives C60(C2F4)n(CF2CF2SF5)m. The optimization of the reaction conditions resulted in improved selectivity for the bis-adduct 1,7-C60(CF2CF2SF5)2, which was isolated and spectroscopically characterized. In the case of reactions between C60 and SF5CF2I, the unexpected formation of a mixture of derivatives with the general formula C60(CF3)n(CF2SF5)m was observed.
Simple stable homogeneous groups

We generalize tools and results from first order stable theories to groups inside a simple stable strongly homogeneous model.
Jews Who Count: Putting Pew in Historical Perspective

Pew’s survey of Jewish Americans unleashed a flood of commentary from social scientists and journalists, rabbis and communal leaders. Most of them have taken a stand on the Jews who count, that is, the ones who matter. These American Jews, unsurprisingly, identify as Jews by religion. Jews who do not count, although they are counted in the survey, are Jews with “no religion.” What are we to make of these categories and implicit valuation of Jews who count vs. Jews who do not count? Reading the survey as an historian brings a different perspective, allowing for comparisons across long time periods and attention to both continuities and changes.
The Social Context of Responses to Injustice: Considering the Indirect and Direct Effects of Group-Level Factors

Whether individuals evaluate a distribution of outcomes to be unfair and how they respond to it depends upon the social context and their perceptions of why the objective injustice occurred. Here we examine a general feature of the situation that highlights what is often overlooked in distributive justice research: the impact of the group. We conceptualize such impact in terms of the group value model of procedural justice (Lind and Tyler, 1988) and in terms of collective sources of legitimacy (Walker and Zelditch, 1993). The former highlights how the extent to which one feels valued by the group may enhance perceptions of distributive justice (net of actual outcomes) and thus ameliorate the impetus to respond to objective injustice. The latter considers how the dynamics of group influence may reduce the propensity to respond behaviorally to perceived injustice. Our analysis shows how procedural justice and legitimacy (in the forms of authorization and endorsement) may affect attributions in a work setting, and, in turn, influence individuals' justice perceptions and reactions. By combining these elements, we chart for the first time the relative impact of two factors representing elements of the group on an individual's evaluation of and response to distributive injustice.
A novel imaging spectrometer form for the solar reflective spectral range for size, weight, and power limited applications

The intense development in imaging spectrometers and related technology has yielded systems that are highly performing. Current grating-based designs utilize focal plane arrays with aberrations controlled to a fraction of a detector element and low F-numbers for high etendue to maximize the signal to noise performance. Tailored grating facets using two or more blaze angles optimize the optical efficiency across the full 400-2500 nm solar reflective spectral range. Two commonly used forms, the Offner-Chrisp and Dyson designs, are adaptations of microlithographic projectors with a concave or convex mirror replaced by a shaped grating; maintain a high degree of spatial-spectral uniformity. These gratings are relatively difficult to manufacture using either e-beam lithography or diamond machining. The challenge for optical designers is to create optical forms with reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements while maintaining high performance. We have focused our work in this area and are developing a breadboard prototype imaging spectrometer that covers the full VNIR/SWIR spectral range at 10 nm spectral sampling, has a large swath of 1500 spatial samples, and is compact. The current prototype is for an F/3.3 system that is 7 cm long with an 8 cm diameter with aberration control better than 0.1 pixel assuming an 18 μm pixel pitch. The form utilizes a catadioptric lens and a flat dual-blaze immersion grating. The flat grating simplifies manufacturing and we are currently exploring the manufacture of the grating through grayscale optical lithography where the entire pattern can be exposed at once without stitching errors.
On the Prediction of Pantographing that Occurs between Reinforcement Cords Embedded within Uncured Rubber Layers during Molding of Tires

Abstract Molding is a key stage in the manufacturing process of a rubber tire. An unvulcanized tire consists of several layers of rubber compounds, some of which are reinforced with sets of fabric ...
Increased amygdala-visual cortex connectivity in youth with persecutory ideation.

Background Subclinical delusional ideas, including persecutory beliefs, in otherwise healthy individuals are heritable symptoms associated with increased risk for psychotic illness, possibly representing an expression of one end of a continuum of psychosis severity. The identification of variation in brain function associated with these symptoms may provide insights about the neurobiology of delusions in clinical psychosis. Methods A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan was collected from 131 young adults with a wide range of severity of subclinical delusional beliefs, including persecutory ideas. Because of evidence for a key role of the amygdala in fear and paranoia, resting-state functional connectivity of the amygdala was measured. Results Connectivity between the amygdala and early visual cortical areas, including striate cortex (V1), was found to be significantly greater in participants with high (n = 43) v. low (n = 44) numbers of delusional beliefs, particularly in those who showed persistence of those beliefs. Similarly, across the full sample, the number of and distress associated with delusional beliefs were positively correlated with the strength of amygdala-visual cortex connectivity. Moreover, further analyses revealed that these effects were driven by those who endorsed persecutory beliefs. Conclusions These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that aberrant assignments of threat to sensory stimuli may lead to the downstream development of delusional ideas. Taken together with prior findings of disrupted sensory-limbic coupling in psychosis, these results suggest that altered amygdala-visual cortex connectivity could represent a marker of psychosis-related pathophysiology across a continuum of symptom severity.
Correlating thermoelectric (Bi,Sb)2Te3 film electric transport properties with microstructure

The room temperature electronic transport properties of 1 μm thick Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 (BST) films correlate with overall microstructural quality. Films with homogeneous composition are deposited onto fused silica substrates, capped with SiN to prevent both oxidation and Te loss, and postannealed to temperatures ranging from 200 to 450 °C. BST grain sizes and (00l) orientations improve dramatically with annealing to 375 °C, with smaller increases to 450 °C. Tiny few-nanometer-sized voids in the as-deposited film grain boundaries coalesce into larger void sizes up to 300 nm with annealing to 350 °C; the smallest voids continue coalescing with annealing to 450 °C. These voids are decorated with few-nanometer-sized Sb clusters that increase in number with increasing annealing temperatures, reducing the Sb content of the remaining BST film matrix. Resistivity decreases linearly with increasing temperature over the entire range studied, consistent with improving crystalline quality. The Seebeck coefficient also improves with crystalline quality to 350 °C, above which void coalescence and reduced Sb content from the BST matrix correlate with a decrease in the Seebeck coefficient. Nevertheless, a plateau exists for an optimal power factor between 350 and 450 °C, implying thermal stability to higher temperatures than previously reported.The room temperature electronic transport properties of 1 μm thick Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 (BST) films correlate with overall microstructural quality. Films with homogeneous composition are deposited onto fused silica substrates, capped with SiN to prevent both oxidation and Te loss, and postannealed to temperatures ranging from 200 to 450 °C. BST grain sizes and (00l) orientations improve dramatically with annealing to 375 °C, with smaller increases to 450 °C. Tiny few-nanometer-sized voids in the as-deposited film grain boundaries coalesce into larger void sizes up to 300 nm with annealing to 350 °C; the smallest voids continue coalescing with annealing to 450 °C. These voids are decorated with few-nanometer-sized Sb clusters that increase in number with increasing annealing temperatures, reducing the Sb content of the remaining BST film matrix. Resistivity decreases linearly with increasing temperature over the entire range studied, consistent with improving crystalline quality. The Seebeck coefficient also impr...
Evaluating the predictive power of an SPF for two-lane rural roads with random parameters on out-of-sample observations

Negative binomial (NB) regression is among the most common statistical modeling methods used to model crash frequencies due to its simple functional form and ability to handle over-dispersion commonly found in crash data. However, a drawback of this approach is that regression parameters are assumed to be the same across observations, which could contribute to biased parameter estimates. To alleviate this concern, the random parameters negative binomial (RPNB) model was recently proposed, which allows regression parameters to differ across observations following some known distribution. The resulting coefficients should be less biased, and thus the RPNB approach is believed to provide a more accurate relationship between independent variables and expected crash frequency. However, the prediction accuracy of the RPNB model relative to the standard NB model has not been thoroughly evaluated, particularly with respect to out-of-sample observations for which unique random parameters cannot be estimated. In this paper, the predictive power of the RPNB and NB models are examined using two-lane rural highway data from three engineering Districts in Pennsylvania. Multiple evaluation metrics are applied-root-mean-square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE), coefficients from calibration functions and cumulative residual (CURE) plots-to assess each model type. The results show that the RPNB model outperforms the NB model when applied to within sample observations (i.e., those used to estimate the model) by making use of the observation-specific coefficients. However, the predictive power of the RPNB model appears to be similar to or slightly less precise than the traditional NB model when applied to out-of-sample observations. Since the RPNB model is estimated using a simulation-based approach, sensitivity tests were also performed to see how the parameter estimates change with the number of Halton draws used to perform the simulation. For the sample sizes used in this paper, the estimates were fairly insensitive when more than 50 Halton draws were used. The findings suggest that the RPNB model is more reliable when applied to the same set of sites that were used to estimate the model but might not be as robust as the traditional NB model when applied to other sites.
Streptococcus Oralis meningitis from right sphenoid Meningoencephalocele and cerebrospinal fluid leak.

Streptococcus oralis belongs to the Streptococcus mitis group and is part of the normal flora of the nasal and oropharynx (Koneman et al., The Gram-positive cocci part II: streptococci, enterococci and the ‘Streptococcus-like’ bacteria. Color atlas and textbook of diagnostic microbiology, 1997). Streptococcus oralis is implicated in meningitis in patients with decreased immune function or from surgical manipulation of the central nervous system. We report a unique case of meningitis by Streptococcus oralis in a 58-year-old patient with cerebral spinal fluid leak due to right sphenoid meningoencephalocele. A 58-year-old female presented in the emergency department due to altered mental status, fevers, and nuchal rigidity. Blood cultures were positive for Streptococcus oralis. Magnetic resonance stereotactic imaging of head with intravenous gadolinium showed debris in lateral ventricle occipital horn and dural thickening/enhancement consistent with meningitis. There was also a right sphenoidal roof defect, and meningoencephalocele with cerebrospinal fluid leak as a result. The patient was treated with ceftriaxone and had endoscopic endonasal repair of defect. She had complete neurologic recovery 3 months later. Cerebrospinal fluid leak puts patients at increased risk for meningitis. Our case is unique in highlighting Streptococcus oralis as the organism implicated in meningitis due to cerebrospinal fluid leak.
A Phase 2 Trial of Alternative Volumes of Oropharyngeal Irradiation for De-intensification (AVOID): Omission of the Resected Primary Tumor Bed After Transoral Robotic Surgery for Human Papilloma Virus-Related Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx.

Purpose This trial tested the safety and efficacy of a novel, deintensified radiation therapy (RT) approach after initial surgical resection for patients with human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Methods and Materials This single-arm phase 2 prospective clinical trial enrolled 60 patients with stage pT1-pT2 N1-3 HPV-associated OPSCC treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and selective neck dissection at a single institution between May 2014 and September 2017. Patients had favorable features at the primary site (negative surgical margins ≥2 mm, no perineural invasion, and no lymphovascular invasion) but required adjuvant therapy based on lymph node involvement. Surgeries were all performed at a high-volume head and neck cancer center with expertise in TORS. Patients received postoperative RT to at-risk areas in the involved neck (60-66 Gy) and uninvolved neck (54 Gy). The resected primary site was treated as an active avoidance structure in the treatment planning of postoperative RT. Concurrent chemotherapy was administered for patients with extranodal extension. Results Median follow-up of the 60 patients enrolled was 2.4 years (range, 8.5-53.8 months). A single patient recurred at the primary site, for 2-year local control of 98.3%. One patient (1.7%) developed a regional neck recurrence, and 2 patients (3.3%) developed distant metastases. Measured 2-year local recurrence–free survival was 97.9% (95% confidence interval, 86.1%-99.7%). Overall survival was 100% at the time of analysis. The mean radiation dose to the primary site was 36.9 Gy (standard deviation, 10.3 Gy). Two patients (3.3%) experienced late soft tissue necrosis in the primary site surgical bed that resolved within 2 months. Feeding tube dependence rates were 0% during RT, 3.3% temporarily during follow-up, and 0% at last follow-up. Conclusions Deintensified postoperative RT that avoids the resected primary tumor site and targets only the at-risk neck after TORS for selected patients with HPV-associated OPSCC may be safe and is worthy of further study.
Securing Big Data in the Age of AI

Increasingly organizations are collecting ever larger amounts of data to build complex data analytics, machine learning and AI models. Furthermore, the data needed for building such models may be unstructured (e.g., text, image, and video). Hence such data may be stored in different data management systems ranging from relational databases to newer NoSQL databases tailored for storing unstructured data. Furthermore, data scientists are increasingly using programming languages such as Python, R etc. to process data using many existing libraries. In some cases, the developed code will be automatically executed by the NoSQL system on the stored data. These developments indicate the need for a data security and privacy solution that can uniformly protect data stored in many different data management systems and enforce security policies even if sensitive data is processed using a data scientist submitted complex program. In this paper, we introduce our vision for building such a solution for protecting big data. Specifically, our proposed system system allows organizations to 1) enforce policies that control access to sensitive data, 2) keep necessary audit logs automatically for data governance and regulatory compliance, 3) sanitize and redact sensitive data on-the-fly based on the data sensitivity and AI model needs, 4) detect potentially unauthorized or anomalous access to sensitive data, 5) automatically create attribute-based access control policies based on data sensitivity and data type.
A Construction Method of Power Grid Abnormal State KPI Based on AHP

Considering the requirement of displaying power grid abnormal state in power system operation cockpit (POC), this paper proposes a construction method of power grid abnormal state KPI base on AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process). In this method, the 7 indicators and their sub-indicators which affect the grid abnormal state are layered and quantified. Moreover, all of the indicators are calculated. Experiments show that according to quantified indicators and real-time health status, the results calculated can objectively reflect the abnormal state of the grid operation. Through these result data which are sent to POC in real-time, the dispatcher can know the latest situation of grid abnormal comprehensively and objectively.
Cyclic Strain Promotes H19 Expression and Vascular Tube Formation in iPSC-Derived Endothelial Cells.

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived endothelial cells (ECs) have the potential for therapeutic application in several cardiovascular diseases. Mechanical strain is known to regulate EC behavior and stem cell differentiation and may play a role in directing EC differentiation of iPSCs. H19, a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), is known to affect ECs in several mechanically relevant pathologies and may play a role in this process as well. Therefore, we investigated expression changes of H19 resulting from mechanical stimulation during EC differentiation, as well as functional effects on EC tube formation. iPSCs were subjected to 5% cyclic mechanical strain during EC differentiation. RT-PCR and flow cytometry were used to assess changes in mesoderm differentiation and gene expression in the final ECs as a result of strain. Functional outcomes of mechanically differentiated ECs were assessed with a tube formation assay and changes in H19. H19 was also overexpressed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to assess its role in non-H19-expressing ECs. Mechanical strain promoted mesoderm differentiation, marked by increased expression of brachyury 24 h after initiation of differentiation. Strain also increased expression of H19, CD31, VE-cadherin, and VEGFR2 in differentiated ECs. Strain-differentiated ECs formed tube networks with higher junction and endpoint density than statically-differentiated ECs. Overexpression of H19 in HUVECs resulted in similar patterns of tube formation. H19 expression is increased by mechanical strain and promotes tube branching in iPSC-derived ECs.
Transition metal dichalcogenides as ultrasensitive and high-resolution biosensing nodes

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of recent research activities aiming to implement two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) for biosensing applications. The first section will discuss the unique physical and chemical properties of TMDCs, which could be specifically exploited for realizing new biosensing capabilities. Such biosensing-enabling properties have resulted in a series of prototype biosensing devices based on different principles and schemes, including field effects, electrochemical effects, surface plasmon effects, optical response effects, and ultrathin thickness effects. The following sections will review these different types of biosensors based on TMDCs and provide a discussion on their technical advantages and disadvantages in comparison with their state-of-the-art counterparts. Finally, the personal vision and suggestion about using TMDCs as biosensing nodes are presented for the purpose of practical clinical and point-of-care applications.
SU-E-J-12: An Image-Guided Soft Robotic Patient Positioning System for Maskless Head-And-Neck Cancer Radiotherapy: A Proof-Of-Concept Study

Purpose: We propose a surface-image-guided soft robotic patient positioning system for maskless head-and-neck radiotherapy. The ultimate goal of this project is to utilize a soft robot to realize non-rigid patient positioning and real-time motion compensation. In this proof-of-concept study, we design a position-based visual servoing control system for an air-bladder-based soft robot and investigate its performance in controlling the flexion/extension cranial motion on a mannequin head phantom. Methods: The current system consists of Microsoft Kinect depth camera, an inflatable air bladder (IAB), pressured air source, pneumatic valve actuators, custom-built current regulators, and a National Instruments myRIO microcontroller. The performance of the designed system was evaluated on a mannequin head, with a ball joint fixed below its neck to simulate torso-induced head motion along flexion/extension direction. The IAB is placed beneath the mannequin head. The Kinect camera captures images of the mannequin head, extracts the face, and measures the position of the head relative to the camera. This distance is sent to the myRIO, which runs control algorithms and sends actuation commands to the valves, inflating and deflating the IAB to induce head motion. Results: For a step input, i.e. regulation of the head to a constant displacement, the maximum errormore » was a 6% overshoot, which the system then reduces to 0% steady-state error. In this initial investigation, the settling time to reach the regulated position was approximately 8 seconds, with 2 seconds of delay between the command start of motion due to capacitance of the pneumatics, for a total of 10 seconds to regulate the error. Conclusion: The surface image-guided soft robotic patient positioning system can achieve accurate mannequin head flexion/extension motion. Given this promising initial Result, the extension of the current one-dimensional soft robot control to multiple IABs for non-rigid positioning control will be pursued.« less
The Effects of Selective Survival on Black Adults’ Cognitive Development

Objectives The theory of selective survival suggests that possibly around 70-75 years of age, Blacks may display substantive changes in their pattern of cognitive decline. This study examined the age-graded pattern of cognitive decline within older Blacks by describing a trend that characterizes differences in the change of cognitive decline from ages 51.5 to 95.5, and hypothesized that this age-graded pattern is nonlinear. Method Utilizing 2 waves of longitudinal data from the Baltimore Study of Black Aging, this study used multilevel modeling to test whether the interaction between age and the 3-year study period (time between waves) had a positive effect on changes in inductive reasoning, declarative memory, working memory, and perceptual speed. Results A significant positive interaction between age and wave was found for inductive reasoning, demonstrating an age-grade pattern of change/decline in cognitive pattern for Blacks aged 51.5-95.4. Simple slope probing via the Johnson-Neyman Technique suggested that Black adults ~64 years and younger experienced significant decline in inductive reasoning across study time, whereas for those older than 63.71, the decline was nonsignificant. No significant age-wave interactions were found for declarative memory, working memory, or perceptual speed. Discussion Findings suggest a selective survival effect for inductive reasoning ability among Blacks. With decline evident so early, common cognitive intervention programs targeting adults 65+ may come too late for Blacks, signifying the importance and urgency for early health interventions and public policy designed to promote cognitive reserve.
Robust Maximum Entropy Behavior Cloning.

Imitation learning (IL) algorithms use expert demonstrations to learn a specific task. Most of the existing approaches assume that all expert demonstrations are reliable and trustworthy, but what if there exist some adversarial demonstrations among the given data-set? This may result in poor decision-making performance. We propose a novel general frame-work to directly generate a policy from demonstrations that autonomously detect the adversarial demonstrations and exclude them from the data set. At the same time, it's sample, time-efficient, and does not require a simulator. To model such adversarial demonstration we propose a min-max problem that leverages the entropy of the model to assign weights for each demonstration. This allows us to learn the behavior using only the correct demonstrations or a mixture of correct demonstrations.
A Survey of Artificial Intelligence in Cybersecurity

During the last decades, not only the number of cyberattacks have increased significantly, they have also become more sophisticated. Hence designing a cyber-resilient approach is of paramount importance. Traditional security methods are not adequate to prevent data breaches in case of cyberattacks. Cybercriminals have learned how to use new techniques and robust tools to hack, attack, and breach data. Fortunately, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have been introduced into cyberspace to construct smart models for defending systems from attacks. Since AI technologies can rapidly evolve to address complex situations, they can be used as fundamental tools in the field of cybersecurity. Al-based techniques can provide efficient and powerful cyber defense tools to recognize malware attacks, network intrusions, phishing and spam emails, and data breaches, to name a few, and to alert security incidents when they occur. In this paper, we review the impact of AI in cybersecurity and summarize existing research in terms of benefits of AI in cybersecurity.
Alternative Facts in Musicology and Vechnaya Pamyat' in Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5

The assertions, refutations, and counter-refutations concerning two core pieces of Richard Taruskin’s studies on Russian music—Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5—provide a starting point for discussion about the possibilities, limits, and obligations of musicological interpretation. Moreover, an important aspect of the discussion is the phenomenon of “alternative facts,” both in publication and in pedagogy, and possibly in music itself. Taruskin argues against the logical fallacies of overly specific or overly simplistic interpretations, but hesitates to fully interpret certain music himself, thereby participating in the web of alternative facts. Taruskin refutes popular myths about biographical meanings in Tchaikovsky’s symphony, but in so doing, also seems to reject a tragic reading of any kind. He explains away various musical structures and extroversive references, but fails to explore why those elements are in fact present. As for Shostakovich’s symphony, Taruskin notes its saturation with musical topics, but ignores their allusive specificity, downplaying their significance altogether for what he calls their transferability. Yet Taruskin himself identifies an allusion to a specific Orthodox hymn, and therefrom draws specific conclusions. His evidence for calling the passage a “literal imitation” is actually flawed, but a truly literal quotation of this very hymn may be present throughout the entire symphony, and may act as a sort of species of alternative fact itself. In any case, something that specific, and its placement in the symphonic structure, deserve notice and demand specificity of interpretation.
Urban Water Resources—Some Planning Fundamentals

In view of the deteriorating quality of surface and subsurface waters in urban regions a review of planning fundamentals is in order. The management process involves the initiation of political leadership, establishment of a goals structure, identification of alternatives, courses of action, evaluation of alternatives, selection of a course of action, implementation of the selected alternatives, and measurement of the performance of the previous action. A goals structure is suggested that offers operational definitions for values, goals, objectives, standards, policies, plans, and programs. A process for measurement of program performance with respect to goal achievement is given. A systems definition of the urban water resource provides a basis for the identification of alternate courses of action. Displaying alternate decisions using a decision tree is illustrated. Monetary costs, potential impact, and implementability are suggested as a framework to compare alternatives.
Transtheoretical Ingredients in Therapeutic Change

As part of my interest in understanding more about how people change and the specific psychotherapeutic processes involved in such change, I have become increasingly involved in building bridges. Not, obviously, architecturally, but more in an ecumenical sense. The assumption that I have operated under in trying to find common themes associated with therapeutic change across the different orientations is as follows: To the extent that there exist commonalities across different approaches to therapy, then what we are likely to find in such commonalities are probably robust phenomena, in that they have managed to emerge despite the theoretical biases inherent in each specific orientation (Goldfried, 1980).
Transcription of the archaeal trkA homolog in Methanosarcina mazei S-6.

Transcription of the archaeal trkA gene homolog in Methanosarcina mazei S-6 was studied at the optimal growth temperature of 37 degrees C and after heat shock at 45 degrees C. Northern (RNA) blotting results (transcript size) and data from primer extension experiments to map the transcription initiation site indicate that trkA is cotranscribed with another gene. The latter, orf11, encodes a protein of 94 amino acids (10,611 Da) and is located upstream of trkA, with which it overlaps: the translation stop codon of orf11, TGA, shares the bases T and G with the translation start codon of trkA, ATG. These genes' transcription was decreased by heat shock to the point of making the transcript undetectable by Northern or dot blotting procedures. orf11 and trkA differ in codon usage patterns, and the proteins coded by them, i.e., Orf11 and TrkA, are dissimilar in amino acid sequence and composition.
Design and Real Fluid Modelling of Micro-Channel Recuperators for a Nominal 100 MW Class Recuperated Recompression Brayton Cycle Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

The goal of this study is to design and assess the effectiveness of a micro-channel recuperator using supercritical carbon dioxide as a working fluid. A one-dimensional thermal analysis is performed for a micro-channel recuperator suitable for a Brayton cycle with a nominal 100 MW class turbomachine. The impact of supercritical carbon dioxide properties near the critical point on the thermal performance of the recuperator is studied in detail. The cycle parameters are first obtained from an overall cycle analysis. Two adjacent flow passages with square cross-section in counter-flow configuration are considered for this analysis along with appropriate symmetry. The high pressure of SCO2 is also addressed and the structural stresses on the micro-channel walls are analyzed. Only the axial temperature variations in the hot stream and the cold stream are considered in the one-dimensional analysis. Each channel is discretized in the axial direction. Axial conduction through the wall is included in the energy balance. Of particular interest in this analysis is the variation of transport properties of the CO2 working fluid as thermodynamic conditions approach the critical point. These property variations are provided to the computer code through the REFPROP database. Over the length of the heat exchanger local changes in Reynolds number, Nusselt number, and heat transfer coefficient are charted. From the results of the heat transfer calculations, the log mean temperature difference and heat exchange effectiveness of the heat exchanger is calculated. Using the code to produce multiple results, the optimum heat exchanger design is found. Recommendations on the manufacturing method of a micro-channel recuperator are made.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Industrial relations and technical change: the case of the self-acting mule

Technology and the capital-labour relation In Volume I of Capital, Marx portrays a capitalist labour process in which the capitalists essentially get their way. In introducing new divisions of labour and machinery and in intensifying work they meet with the resistance of workers (Marx, 1967, pp. 367, 427), but the power of capital triumphs by virtue of the very technologies at its disposal (Marx, 1967, p. 431ff.). The individual and collective actions of workers are apparently to no avail, as technological development reproduces the domination of capital over labour on an ever more oppressive scale. The classic example which Marx cites to demonstrate the use of technology by capital to dominate labour is the use of the self-acting mule in cotton spinning. In Marx's words :
Impact of long, high temperature anneals on residual stress in polysilicon

This work is intended to facilitate the development of surface micromachined polysilicon MEMS with post-processed on-chip circuitry. It evaluates the impact of a 1200/spl deg/C, 16 hour anneal upon the residual stress in CVD polysilicon under 6 different sets of processing conditions. It shows that (i) undoped polysilicon has a final stress of 10-20 MPa even though the films are vastly different as deposited; (ii) an RTA step at 1000/spl deg/C before the long anneal increases the final tension to /spl ap/300 MPa; and (iii) phosphorous doping introduces a compressive trend that is evident only after the long anneal. TEM and X-ray diffraction studies of the polysilicon are also presented, as is the effect of the long anneal on wet thermal and CVD oxides.
Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy

The basic concepts of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) are reviewed, with emphasis on instrumentation appropriate for spectroscopic applications. Applications of scanning tunneling spectroscopy to semiconductor and metal surfaces are discussed. Focus is then placed on the spectroscopy of single molecules adsorbed on surfaces. Examples of molecular images with sub-molecular resolution are provided. Both inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) and orbital mediated tunneling spectroscopy (OMTS) are discussed. Molecular electronic spectra (OMTS) are displayed and contrasted with results from techniques requiring large (>109) numbers of molecules. Correlation between the nanoscale method of OMTS, and the microscale methods of ultraviolet photoelectron spectra (UPS) and electrochemical oxidation and reduction potentials will be made. Mapping of electron transport paths through a molecule and mapping of chemical components on a surface are both addressed. Keywords: molecular properties; nanotechnology; electron transport; excited states; IETS; OMTS; tunneling; electronic spectroscopy; vibrational spectroscopy
Pulsed FM mode locking of a Nd:BEL laser.

A novel but simple and practical mode locker was built and demonstrated for a diode-pumped Nd:BEL laser. Fast electrical pulses from a comb generator drive a LiNbO3 crystal, which produces pulsed electro-optic phase modulation in the laser cavity. Stable mode-locked pulses of 7.5-ps duration were obtained at a repetition rate of 250 MHz.
The antral clear cell--a new cell type discovered in the pyloric-antral mucosa of the ferret.

The ultrastructure of the gastric, antral mucosa of fasted and fed ferrets was studied. The main cell type occupying the epithelial surface was the pylorus cell, a cell similar to the mucous cells in the fundus of the ferret, and in the antrum of other species. Typical argentaffin cells and, rarely, parietal cells were also observed. A granular, nonargentaffin cell was seen which had similar features to “endocrine” cells recently reported in the antrum by other investigators. A new cell type, the antral clear cell, was discovered, which occupied a basal location between pylorus cells at different depths of the pyloric crypt and gland. Resting on the basement membrane, the irregularly shaped cell was distinguished principally by an electron lucid cytoplasm and a paucity of intracellular organelles. The clear cell would appear to have an endocrine function, and may be a site of gastrin or gastric intrinsic factor formation.