cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Lived Experience of Taking a Risk

The purpose of this study was to answer the research question: What is the structure of the lived experience of taking a risk? The participants were 9 persons from the general population. The Parse research method, a phenomenological-hermeneutic method, was used to discover the structure of taking a risk. Through the process of extraction-synthesis three core concepts were identified: venturing forth amid potential peril, apprehension with elation, novel engagements. Thus, for these 9 individuals the lived experience of taking a risk is venturing forth amid potential peril, as apprehension with elation surfaces in novel engagements. Taking a risk will be discussed in relation to the principles and concepts of the theory of humanbecoming and in relation to how it can inform nursing practice and future research. This study was also the means for introducing the Parse research method to 10 research assistants interested in learning more about the theory of humanbecoming and the Parse research methodology.
Discussing the First Amendment

Since the First Amendment's inception, Americans have agreed that free expression is foundational to our democratic way of life.' Though we agree on this much, we have rarely agreed on much else regarding the appropriate parameters of free expression. Is the First Amendment absolute or does it allow some regulation of speech? Should the First Amendment protect offensive speech, pornography, flag-burning? Why do we protect speech to promote the search for truth, to promote self-governance, or to protect individual autonomy?2 History is rife with disagreements regarding these issues to which there are no definitive answers. Certainly, the text of the First Amendment does not help;3 nor do the contemporaneous but conflicting historical documents. In light of the First Amendment's textual generality, the Supreme Court has had to make up free speech doctrine as it goes along, using whatever tools it can find. The result is a complex set of legal rules regulating speech and expressive conduct that evolved over the last century, which has endured its fair share of criticism. Increasingly, scholars claim that the Court's free speech decisions are theoretically incoherent4 or untrue to the First Amendment's original
Cyclic Heat Flow Meter Apparatus to Measure Thermal Contact Resistance, Conductivity and Diffusivity

A cyclic heat meter apparatus has been developed for measuring thermal diffusivities or thermal conductivity and diffusivity of flat slab specimens. The specimens may be moist or dry. The assumption that a moist soil may be considered a normal heat conducting solid has been validated for a moist clay. The reproducibility of the apparatus is about 3 per cent. The measurement of contact resistance is possible but results are not presented.
The Normative Significance of Forgiveness

ABSTRACTP.F. Strawson claimed that forgiveness is such an essential part of our moral practices that we could not extricate it from our form of life even if we so desired. But what is it about forgiveness that would make it such a central feature of our moral experience? In this paper, I suggest that the answer has to do with what I will call the normative significance of forgiveness. Forgiveness is normatively significant in the sense that, in its paradigmatic instances, forgiving alters the operative norms bearing on the interaction between the victim and the wrongdoer in certain characteristic ways. My project here is, first, to clarify the ways that paradigmatic cases of forgiveness alter the norms of interaction between victim and wrongdoer and to argue that it is in this respect that forgiveness is a normatively significant feature of our moral responsibility practices. Second, I show that most extant theories of forgiveness fail to explain the characteristic ways in which forgiving alters norms. Th...
Numerical Studies of Turbulent Separation in Forward Facing Step Flows Using k-e , SST, S-A and LES

Computational studies of transient quasi-three-dimensional supersonic flows over a forward facing step are carried using the   k , SST and SA turbulence models. Numerical computations are carried out for five different Reynolds numbers, Re= 3.84x10 4 -10 6 . The numerical studies concern the influence of Reynolds number and step aspect ratio on the flow dynamics. The results show that the both parameters influence the flow field in a particular manner. With the increase of Reynolds number the flow separation occurs closer to the backstep. Flow reattachment is observed downstream the channel.
Population Genetics and Gene Variation in the Predator, Coleomegilla maculata (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

An electrophoretic study of 23 allozyme loci in 15 populations of the predaceous ladybird beetle Coleomegilla maculata (De Geer) revealed extensive genetic polymorphism occurring as low-frequency allelic variation averaging four alleles per locus. Although all loci except GOT-2 demonstrated variation, only 69% of the loci were polymorphic when the rare allele occurred at >5% frequency. The average observed population heterozygosity index demonstrates a north-south cline with higher allelic variation associated with both lower latitudes and corn-sorghum crop types. Nei's genetic distance values suggests high genetic identity among all populations, with some clustering based on geographic locale. We conclude this ladybird beetle is genetically very variable, and that some of this variation is maintained by selection.
A low-end quantile estimator from a right-skewed distribution

ABSTRACTIn many statistical applications estimation of population quantiles is desired. In this study, a log–flip–robust (LFR) approach is proposed to estimate, specifically, lower-end quantiles (those below the median) from a continuous, positive, right-skewed distribution. Characteristics of common right-skewed distributions suggest that a logarithm transformation (L) followed by flipping the lower half of the sample (F) allows for the estimation of the lower-end quantile using robust methods (R) based on symmetric populations. Simulations show that this approach is superior in many cases to current methods, while not suffering from the sample size restrictions of other approaches.
Robust H_∞ Control for Discrete-Time Switched Singular Systems with Norm-Bounded Uncertainties and Time-Delay

The problem of robust H ∞ control for a class of discrete-time singular systems w ith norm-bounded uncertainties and delay-dependent w as investigated. Firstly,based on linear matrix inequality( LMI),combined w ith complete theory,by means of the multiple Lyapunov function method,under the appropriate sw itching rules,a sufficient condition w as proposed for the problem to be solvable w ith all admissible uncertainties state delay; then,based on this condition,a delaydependent sufficient condition w as proposed by designing the corresponding sub-controllers,such that the closed-loop system w as guaranteed robust stable and had H ∞ performance. Numerical examples show that the method is effective.
Low-noise high-gain tunneling staircase photodetector

Avalanche photodiodes (APD) are important components in short-wave and mid-wave infrared detection systems (imaging, laser radar, communications, etc.) because their internal gain can improve receiver sensitivity and enable the detection of weak photon fluxes. However, gain originates from impact ionization, a stochastic process that results in excess noise and limits the gain-bandwidth product. The staircase APD was proposed [1, 2] as the solid-state analog of the photomultiplier tube where impact ionization events occur proximate to the sharp bandgap discontinuity of each step, as shown in Fig. 1. As a result, the gain process is more deterministic, with concomitant reduction in gain fluctuations and, thus, lower excess noise. An additional advantage of the staircase structure is that the kinetic energy change required to initiate impact ionization events is supplied by band engineering and a modest applied field, rather than large bias, which is typically 10's of Volts for conventional APDs. Unfortunately, initial studies of staircase APDs used the Al x Gai_ x As material system, which has inadequate band offsets and the projected noise characteristics were never achieved [3], We recently demonstrated the first staircase APDs, where a single step exhibits a constant gain of ∼2x over a range of bias, temperature, and excitation wavelength [4, 5], enabled by the digital alloy growth of high-quality AlInAsSb, lattice-matched to GaSb across the full range of direct bandgap compositions [6, 7].
Ifi Amadiume. Male Daughters, Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in an African Society

Ifi Amadiume’s 1987 ethnography of Nnobi, an Igbo community in south-eastern Nigeria, tracks the decline of precolonial women’s power through the colonial and postcolonial periods. The reprint is p...
Glass interposer integrated dual-band millimeter wave TGV antenna for inter-/intra chip and board communications

A dual-band and dual-mode millimeter wave through glass via (TGV) antenna integrated in a glass interposer layer has been designed for wireless inter-/intra chip and board communications. A disc loaded TGV antenna is configured as a directional patch mode for out-of-plane communications at 62 GHz (WiGig), where the disc is a main radiating element, while the antenna operates as an omni-directional monopole mode for in-plane communications at 77 GHz (W-band), where the vertical via is a main radiating element. As the glass interposer layer serves as an antenna hosting material as well as an electromagnetic wave channel medium for wireless communications, low dielectric loss glass substrates with a loss tangent of 0.0036 are adopted.
13 Transformation Monoids

In this chapter we shall use the representation theory of finite monoids to study finite monoids acting on finite sets. Such actions play an important role in automata theory and we provide here some applications in this direction. In particular, we study connections with the popular Cerný conjecture [C64]; see [Vol08] for a survey. This chapter is primarily based upon the paper [Ste10b].
Abstract 5293: Redox imaging biomarkers for breast cancer diagnosis/prognosis: a pilot study

Metastasis accounts for 90% of cancer death and there are no reliable clinical biomarkers predicting metastatic risk. Our studies using preclinical models have shown that tumors with higher propensity for metastasis have distinct metabolic profiles. We aim to evaluate the prognostic value of several optical metabolic imaging biomarkers as previously demonstrated by our group to have diagnostic/prognostic potential in mouse tumor models. As a pilot study, we have successfully employed the 3D cryogenic NADH/oxidized flavoproteins (Fp) fluorescence imager (the Chance redox scanner) to imaging the breast tissue core biopsies of 16 breast cancer patients. We found that the redox indices (including Fp, NADH, Fp/(NADH+Fp), NADH/Fp, and their standard deviations) could readily differentiate cancer from non-cancer and the cancerous tissues were more oxidized and more heterogeneous. To test the prognostic power of this technique, we acquired the frozen breast tumor tissue collected at the time of the patient9s primary breast cancer surgery (n = 29) selected from a fully annotated breast tumor tissue bank. The clinical breast cancer subtypes in our cohort (65% ER+/PR+ (luminal A), 20% TNBC, 15% Her2+ (including both luminal B and Her2+)) follow the expected distribution. Of the 29 patients, six of them have developed metastatic disease (MET) while the remaining patients have no evidence of disease (NED) at the time of study. Three to four tissue sections (spacing 100-200 μm) of each specimen were scanned with the Chance redox scanner. Comparison of redox indices between MET and NED, calculated by averaging indices globally, demonstrated no significant differences. However, as the redox state was heterogeneous within the tumor tissue, we developed heterogeneity-associated mitochondrial redox indices (HAMRI) based on the observed intra-specimen redox heterogeneity. By fitting the histogram of the Fp redox ratio, Fp/(NADH+Fp) for each of the image sections with 2-4 Gaussian functions, whereby each Gaussian curve represented a subpopulation of image pixels with a unique averaged redox ratio, we identified the most reduced (the smallest Fp redox ratio - br) and the most oxidized (the largest Fp redox ratio - bo) redox ratios for each patient (br Citation Format: He N. Xu, Julia Tchou, Min Feng, Huaqing Zhao, Nannan Sun, Sophia Zhang, Lily Moon, Lin Z. Li. Redox imaging biomarkers for breast cancer diagnosis/prognosis: a pilot study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 5293. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5293
The de novo autism spectrum disorder RELN R2290C mutation reduces Reelin secretion and increases protein disulfide isomerase expression

Despite the recent identification of over 40 missense heterozygous Reelin gene (RELN) mutations in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), none of these has been functionally characterized. Reelin is an integral signaling ligand for proper brain development and post-natal synapse function - properties likely disrupted in ASD patients. We find that the R2290C mutation, which arose de novo in an affected ASD proband, and other analogous mutations in arginine-amino acid-arginine domains reduce protein secretion. Closer analysis of RELN R2290C heterozygous neurospheres reveals up-regulation of Protein Disulfide Isomerase A1, best known as an endoplasmic reticulum-chaperone protein, which has been linked to neuronal pathology. This effect is recapitulated in a heterozygous RELN mouse mutant that is characterized by defective Reelin secretion. These findings suggest that both a deficiency in Reelin signaling and pathologic impairment of Reelin secretion may contribute to ASD risk.
A Portfolio-Balancing Approach to Natural Capital and Liabilities: Managing Livestock and Wildlife Diseases with Cross-Species Transmission

Researchers often refer to stocks of desirable natural resources as natural capital and stocks of undesirable species as natural liabilities. The logical extension is that when these natural resources interact, then the ecosystem is a collection or portfolio of natural capital and liabilities. However, natural capital and liabilities held in an ecosystem portfolio are more complex to manage than financial asset portfolios. The key problem in a financial asset portfolio is adjusting the rates of return on assets for risk and correlation of risk. In contrast, the returns on natural assets and liabilities require many other adjustments arising from stock-related returns and depreciation that endogenously depend on both stocks and controls, including interactions among these variables. This means ecosystem portfolio analysis extends beyond the consideration of uncertainty and involves understanding complex economic–ecological tradeoffs, even in a deterministic setting. We use capital theory in the context of a deterministic bioeconomic model of valuable wildlife, livestock, and a pathogen that can be passed between them to develop a portfolio balancing approach to understanding the tradeoffs associated with ecosystem management. This specific ecosystem is highly relevant to conservation, health, and livestock agriculture. Within the context of this example, we also explore issues of mitigation and adaptation to disease risks, and the management implications of cross-species transmission. A final contribution is to examine how exports and infection risks influence the ecological thresholds that epidemiologists often focus on to guide disease management.
Molybdenum-phosphate retention and transport in soils

Abstract Transport and retention experiments were carried out to quantify the mobility and sorption of molybdenum (Mo) and phosphate (P) in two different soils. Batch experiment was used to determine sorption isotherms over a wide range of concentrations for Mo and P. For both soils, sorption isotherms were nonlinear with higher affinity of P than Mo. Sorption of Mo was significantly reduced as the amount added P in solution increased. This was observed for both soils and is indicative of competitive sorption for available site. Miscible-displacement experiments were carried out using soil column where a pulse of Mo solution was introduced in each soil. Breakthrough curves (BTCs) indicated extensive sorption of Mo where as much as 50% of that applied was retained by a predominant kaolinatic soil. Subsequently, a pulse of mixed solution (of Mo and P) was introduced in each column. Results of BTCs for Mo indicated enhanced mobility of Mo in the presence of P for both soils. A five step sequential extraction procedure provided evidence that majority of applied Mo was strongly and/or irreversibly retained. A competitive transport model (CMRTM) based on the Sheindorf-Rebhun-Sheintuch (SRS) equation was capable of describing BTCs of Mo and to a lesser extent for P. Future research should focus on improvement of models that accounts for chemical mechanisms of competitive sorption.
Pediatric Hospital Acquired Venous Thromboembolism

Pediatric hospital acquired venous thromboembolism (HA-VTE) is an increasing problem with an estimated increase from 5.3 events per 10,000 pediatric hospital admissions in the early 1990s to a current estimate of 30-58 events per 10,000 pediatric hospital admissions. Pediatric HA-VTE is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The etiology is multifactorial but central venous catheters remain the predominant risk factor. Additional HA-VTE risk factors include both acquired (recent surgery, immobility, inflammation and critical illness) and inherited risk factors. Questions remain regarding the most effective method to assess for HA-VTE risk in hospitalized pediatric patients and what preventative strategies should be implemented. While several risk assessment models have been published in pediatric patients, these studies have limited power due to small sample size and require prospective validation. Potential thromboprophylactic measures include mechanical and pharmacologic methods both of which have associated harms, the most significant of which is bleeding from anticoagulation. Standard anticoagulation options in pediatric patients currently include unfractionated heparin, low molecular weight heparin or warfarin all of which pose a monitoring burden. Ongoing pediatric studies with direct oral anticoagulants could potentially revolutionize the prevention and treatment of pediatric thrombosis with the possibility of a convenient route of administration and no requirement for monitoring. Further studies assessing clinical outcomes of VTE prevention strategies are critical to evaluate the effectiveness and harm of prophylactic interventions in children. Despite HA-VTE prevention efforts, thrombotic events can still occur and it is important that clinicians have a high clinical suspicion to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment to prevent further associated harms.
The intersection of green chemistry and Steelcase’s path to circular economy

ABSTRACTNearly every industry faces the same question, whether they realize it yet or not: how do we reinvent our businesses to ensure resilience and prosperity today and into the future? The current linear economy is fraught with waste, inefficiencies, and toxic chemicals that cost businesses, consumers, and society. Since its inception more than 100 years ago, Steelcase has been on a path toward circularity. It began with operational excellence and product innovation. For the last decade, the company has been focusing on transformation through circular business models. This work involves product-service business models, new ways to engage with our customers, and a new lens to think about products. Green chemistry is a foundational component to delivering on this strategy and one we will explore in this article.
Medicaid Expansion and Infant Mortality in the United States

Objectives. To explore the effect of Medicaid expansion on US infant mortality rate.Methods. We examined data from 2010 to 2016 and 2014 to 2016 to compare infant mortality rates in states and Washington, DC, that accepted the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion (Medicaid expansion states) and states that did not (non–Medicaid expansion states), stratifying data by race/ethnicity.Results. Mean infant mortality rate in non–Medicaid expansion states rose (6.4 to 6.5) from 2014 to 2016 but declined in Medicaid expansion states (5.9 to 5.6). Mean difference in infant mortality rate in Medicaid expansion versus non–Medicaid expansion states increased from 0.573 (P = .08) in 2014 to 0.838 in 2016 (P = .006) because of smaller declines in non–Medicaid expansion (11.0%) than in Medicaid expansion (15.2%) states. The 14.5% infant mortality rate decline from 11.7 to 10.0 in African American infants in Medicaid expansion states was more than twice that in non–Medicaid expansion states (6.6%: 12.2 to 11.4; P = .01...
Impact of an Activity-Based Program on Health, Quality of Life, and Occupational Performance of Women Diagnosed With Cancer.

OBJECTIVE We evaluated the impact of a 1-wk activity program on the health, quality of life (QOL), and occupational performance of community-living women diagnosed with cancer. METHOD A one-group pretest-posttest repeated-measures design was used. Participants completed a functional health measure (36-Item Short Form Health Survey [SF-36]), a QOL measure (World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief version [WHOQOL-BREF]), and an occupational performance and satisfaction measure (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure [COPM]) before and 6 wk after program completion. The COPM was also administered on Day 5. RESULTS Paired t tests for the SF-36 and WHOQOL-BREF showed no significant differences, except for the WHOQOL-BREF's Social Relationships subscale (p < .008). Repeated-measures analyses of variance showed a significant difference in COPM performance and satisfaction scores (p < .001). CONCLUSION The activity program effectively improved occupational performance and satisfaction and social relationships of community-living women diagnosed with cancer.
[18F]-Florbetapir PET: Towards Predicting Dementia in Adults with Down Syndrome

INTRODUCTION: Down syndrome (DS) is associated with elevated risk for Alzheimers disease (AD) and lifelong accumulation of beta amyloid (Aβ). The current work addresses two major gaps in our understanding of Alzheimers disease (AD) in Downs Syndrome (DS): (1) regional amyloid aggregation and reliability in predicting onset or progression of disease in sporadic AD, and (2) the contributions of regional amyloid burden to AD progression in DS. We hypothesized that the spatial distribution of Aβ plaque burden predicts transition to dementia in individuals with DS. METHODS: We acquired 18F-Florbetapir Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans on nineteen non-demented adult individuals with DS at baseline and monitored them clinically over a four year period, identifying five individuals who transitioned to dementia. We used machine learning classification to determine features on 18F-Florbetapir standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) maps that were most predictive of transition. RESULTS: Of the nineteen participants, fourteen remained non-demented (age 50.4±4.3 yrs.;10M/4F) and five transitioned to dementia (age 52.1±5.7;2M/3F) over the study period. Compared with non-transitioned participants, those who transitioned showed increased amyloid binding in the middle and superior orbital-frontal and superior temporal lobes (t(14)=3.8;p<0.001 unc.) with corresponding Cohens d effect sizes ranged from 1.4-3.2. Increased amyloid burden in subjects who transitioned temporally closer to the baseline PET scan were found in the middle and superior temporal lobes (t(3)=10.2; p<0.001 unc.). The coefficient of determination (r squared) measures ranged from 0.87-0.98 corresponding to a strong relationship between regional amyloid burden and the transition time to clinical dementia. Using regional amyloid burden to predict future transition using 10-fold cross-validated logistic regression classifiers resulted in inferior parietal lobe (area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.96±0.04), inferior and superior temporal lobes (AUC=0.92±0.11; 0.93±0.10), and lateral orbital-frontal lobes (AUC=0.92±0.11) as the most predictive signals. DISCUSSION: The spatial distribution of Aβ burden in individuals with DS, and in particular 18F-Florbetapir uptake in the orbitofrontal and inferior parietal cortices, may serve as biomarkers, predicting clinical transition to dementia in DS.
Shortwave quantum cascade laser frequency comb for multi-heterodyne spectroscopy

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are versatile light sources with tailorable emitting wavelengths covering the mid-infrared and terahertz spectral ranges. When the dispersion is minimized, frequency combs can be directly emitted from quantum cascade lasers via four-wave mixing. To date, most of the mid-infrared quantum cascade laser combs are operational in a narrow wavelength range wherein the QCL dispersion is minimal. In this work, we address the issue of very high dispersion for shortwave QCLs and demonstrate 1-W dispersion compensated shortwave QCL frequency combs at λ ∼ 5.0 μm, spanning a spectral range of 100 cm−1. The multi-heterodyne spectrum exhibits 95 equally spaced frequency comb lines, indicating that the shortwave QCL combs are ideal candidates for high-speed high-resolution spectroscopy.
Social Impact Bonds: New Product or New Package?

This paper considers a relatively new form of financing for social services, the “social impact bond (SIB).” Proponents of SIBs argue that they present a solution to several problems in funding social services, including performance incentives and risk allocation. Using a simple model, we first demonstrate that, despite their apparent novelty, SIBs in concept need not produce any difference in outcome from standard financing arrangements with private nonprofit firms. We then argue that SIBs will lead to greater program success if investors’ effort responds to incentives and can positively influence outcomes, either directly (e.g., effort exerted in production) or indirectly (e.g., effort devoted to screening), but are unlikely to do so otherwise. We conclude that, as in the more general theoretical literature, the value of this particular application in terms of funding innovation will be strongly context-dependent.
Sickle Hemoglobin Fiber Growth Rates Revealed by Optical Pattern Generation

Sickle hemoglobin (HbS), a mutant of normal adult hemoglobin (HbA), will polymerize at concentrations above a well-defined solubility. HbS polymerization occurs by a double nucleation mechanism. A fundamental element of the mechanism is the growth of individual fibers, whose diameter (21 nm) precludes direct optical visualization. We have developed a photolytic method to measure the HbS fiber growth speed in HbS carbon monoxide derivative (COHbS) solutions. The idea of this method is that a single fiber entering a region of concentrated deoxyHbS will generate large numbers of additional fibers by heterogeneous nucleation, allowing the presence of the first fiber to be inferred even if it is not directly observed optically. We implement this method by projecting an optical pattern consisting of three parts: a large incubation circle, a small detection area, and a thin channel connecting the two. The connecting channel is turned on for just a short time; only if fiber growth is fast enough will the detection circle polymerize. Our fiber growth rates obtained from pure HbS, HbS/HbA mixtures, and partial photolysis of HbS validate a simple growth rate equation including any non-polymerizing species in the activity coefficient calculation. For 25°C we have determined the monomer on-rate to be 82 ± 2 mM− 1s− 1. The monomer off-rate is 751 ± 79 molecules/sec in agreement with earlier DIC observations of 850 ± 170 molecules/sec. Combining the above, the method predicts a solubility of 16.0 ± 1.1 g/dl in good agreement with 17.2 g/dl measured from sedimentation methods.
Null Subjects and Syntactic Change in Middle French

The discussion in this chapter is based on a Middle French prose text from 1456 by Antoine de la Sale, Jehan de Saintre(Saintre or S). A summary of word orders is given below. Constructions that are attested but rare are in italics; the bolded constructions are new or have changed in status since the time of the Queste del Saint Graal examined in previous chapters.
THE ORIGINS OF PLASMA EPINEPHRINE, NOREPINEPHRINE AND DOPAMINE LEVELS IN STRESSED RATS

Forced immobilization (IMMOB) produces striking elevations in plasma levels of epinephrine (EPI), norepinephrine (NE), and dopamine (DA). Adrenalmedullectomy (ADMX) abolishes the increase in plasma EPI but reduces only the initial increments in NE and DA. Chronic treatment with guanethidine reduces by 2/3 - 3/4 the plasma NE and later DA responses to IMMOB, while combined ADMX and guanethidine abolishes the stress-induced increase in all the catecholamines (CA). Adrenalectomy (ADX) also abolished the increases in EPI but enhanced the elevation of NE. The enhanced increase in NE was reversed by treatment with hydrocortisone.
Four Reasons We May Not See Colluding Robots Anytime Soon

Many concerns have been raised in the antitrust community about algorithmic collusion. In this note, I summarize some additional reasons why algorithmic collusion, even if possible, could be limited in its scope.
Rise of Political Populism and the Trouble with the Legal Profession in China

This essay looks into recent efforts by the ruling party in China to tighten control of the judiciary, the lawyers and prosecutors under the slogan of "harmonious society" in the last couple of years. This reversed the direction of judicial reform under the leadership of Xiao Yang, during his tenure as President of the Supreme People's Court before 2008. The trouble with the legal profession in China, the essay asserts, is not only that it loses its professional autonomy thus its ability to act as a sociopolitical force that is independent from the ruling political party; but also, by virtue of the tightened control, law has become an unattractive channel for widespread social resistance. Political populism is an emerging conservatism that is going currency in China today.
Fatigue in patients on oral targeted or chemotherapy for cancer and associations with anxiety, depression, and quality of life.

ObjectivesOral treatment (targeted or chemotherapy) for cancer is being increasingly used. While fatigue is a known side effect of intravenous chemotherapy, the rate of fatigue and the impact of fatigue on other patient-reported outcomes are not well described.MethodAt Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, 180 adult patients prescribed oral targeted or chemotherapy for various malignancies enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of adherence and symptom management. Patients completed baseline self-reported measures of fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory; BFI), anxiety and depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS), and quality of life, including subscales for physical, social, emotional, and functional well-being ([QOL] Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy — General; FACT-G). We examined clinically relevant fatigue using a validated cut-off score for moderate-severe fatigue (BFI global fatigue ≥4) and tested the associations with anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and QOL with independent samples t-tests.ResultsAt baseline, 45 of 180 participants (25.0%) reported moderate-severe fatigue. Fatigued patients experienced more anxiety symptoms (mean diff. 3.73, P < 0.001), more depressive symptoms (mean diff. 4.14, P < 0.001), and worse QOL on the total FACT-G score (mean diff. −19.58, P < 0.001) and all subscales of the FACT-G compared to patients without moderate-severe fatigue.Significance of resultsOne in four patients on oral treatment for cancer experienced clinically relevant fatigue that is associated with greater anxiety and depressive symptoms and worse QOL.
Walking in the Shoes of Students: a Design-Based Reflective Analysis

In this paper, we report on an interactive design process that was conducted in parallel with teaching reflection to obtain insight into how we engage our students in the concept of empathy and user-centered design. College-level design students often struggle to conceptualize and understand the needs of an end user for their products. To understand how better to help them, we reflected on student projects and assessment tools, then we carried out a design assignment to develop a map of how we ourselves engaged in the process of eliciting and implementing end user requirements. Our analysis suggested that reflection on emerging product design expertise might help students understand how they can frame questions to obtain end user responses, and how they can use that information to keep the end user in mind as they move forward with their design process.
Membrane-proximal external region is a superior target for mediating effector activity of HIV-1 specific chimeric antigen receptor modified T cells.

The use of chimeric antigen receptor modified-T (CAR-T) cells in adoptive immunotherapy has been popularized through recent success in the field of cancer treatment research. CD4ζ CAR, which targets HIV-1-infected cells, has been developed and evaluated in patients. Though well-tolerated for over a decade, efficacy was disappointingly limited. This result encourages us to develop a novel CAR more effective than CD4ζ CAR. To quantitatively compare anti-HIV-1 activity of different CAR constructs in a highly sensitive and reproducible manner, we developed a multicolor flow cytometry method for assessing anti-HIV-1 effector T-cell activity. “Target” Jurkat cells inducibly expressing an HIV-1 HXBC2 envelope protein and “Non-target” control cells were genetically labeled with red and blue fluorescent protein, respectively, and co-incubated with human primary T cells transduced with anti-HIV-1 “Effector” CARs at various Effector vs Target cell ratios. Absolute cell numbers of each population were collected by MACSQuant Analyzer and used for calculation of relative cytotoxicity. We successfully ranked the cytotoxicity of three previously reported single chain-antibody CARs and six newly developed single-domain antibody CARs in comparison to CD4ζ CAR. Interestingly, three CARs—10E8, 2E7, and 2H10—which demonstrate high cytotoxic activity were all known to target the membrane-proximal external region. Use of this novel assay will simplify assessment of new CAR constructs and in turn accelerate the development of new effective CARs against HIV-1.
Does Active Leisure Improve Worker Well-Being? An Experimental Daily Diary Approach

Engagement in leisure activities during non-work hours has been postulated to benefit worker well-being through need fulfillment and satisfaction during leisure experiences. This study explored whether an active leisure intervention among employees improves daily leisure domain-specific need fulfillment and enjoyment, which subsequently promotes workers’ global subjective well-being. This study used an experimental daily diary approach, which randomly assigned employed participants (N = 79) to engage in either an active leisure intervention for 1 week or receive no intervention. Using multilevel path analysis, we found that participants in the active leisure intervention group experienced higher levels of life satisfaction and general positive affect after 1 week compared to those in the no intervention group, after controlling pre-intervention experiences. The active leisure intervention was effective in increasing competence and autonomy during leisure, and competence mediated the effect of active leisure intervention on life satisfaction. Through the use of a novel combination of experimental and daily diary designs, these findings offer initial evidence that an active leisure intervention might be effective in a working population.
Racism and Sexism in Superhero Movies: Critical Race Media Literacy in the Korean High School Classroom

Past research on critical race media literacy (CRML) in multicultural education has primarily focused on identifying ways of fostering critical awareness of racism in the U.S. educational context. This study aims to present a situated account of a CRML pedagogy in the Korean high school classroom where students critique the racial and gender discrimination perpetuated in films. Using qualitative research data, such as teacher interviews and student presentation videos, the current study depicts ways in which Korean female high school students raise critical awareness of racism and sexism with the help of an English-speaking native teacher.
Tools to Improve Reproductive Performance of Dairy Cattle

This paper discusses the use of parameters of herd reproduction in the diagnosis of infertility problems, the efficiency of oestrus detection, and the use of prostaglandins in controlled breeding programmes.
Psychometric Properties of the Behavior Assessment System for Children Student Observation System (BASC-3 SOS) with Young Children in Special Education

Measuring classroom behavior among young children is important to guide assessment and intervention decisions, yet there is limited literature on appropriate direct observation tools for this purpose. This article describes the psychometric properties of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Student Observation System (BASC-3 SOS) with 135 children ages 20 to 67 months (M = 35 months, 64% Latinx, 78% with an established developmental disability) and their teachers (N = 36) as part of a larger randomized control trial of a teacher training intervention. Inter-rater reliability on individual BASC-3 SOS behaviors ranged from poor to good. Correlations between BASC-3 SOS scores across time indicated low to moderate developmental test–retest reliability. Significant correlations between BASC-3 SOS scores and teacher ratings provided evidence for convergent, divergent, and predictive validity. Differences between BASC-3 SOS scores for children with versus without disabilities supported the tool’s discriminant validity. There were no significant pre- to post-treatment changes in BASC-3 SOS scores. Overall, results provide mixed evidence for the psychometric properties of the BASC-3 SOS when used with young, diverse children with and without disabilities. Implications for clinical and research purposes are discussed.
Final, But Often Fallible: Recognizing Problems with ALJ Finality

This Article addresses how the legally final (i.e., immediately appealable) status of Administrative Law Judge decisions in many state systems of administrative governance with central panels (among them Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, and South Carolina) presents accountability problems. Especially given these problems, where reviewing courts defer to ALJ final orders on issues of law and policy, fundamental administrative law goals and values are undermined. Standards of review provide state courts with a way of restoring accountability. Specifically, when reviewing legally final ALJ orders, reviewing courts could restore accountability by heightening the deference they give to the agency's legal and policy positions - placing special weight on agency appellate briefs and giving little or no deference to the ALJ on these issues.
Automated Book Reader Design for Persons with Blindness

This research introduces a novel automated book reader as an assistive technology tool for persons with blindness in the reading of books and other bound volumes. This design responds to the main concerns of (a) providing a method of image acquisition that maintains the integrity of the source, (b) overcoming optical character recognition errors created by inherent imaging issues such as curvature effects and lens distortion, and (c) determining a suitable method for accurate recognition of characters that yields an interface with the ability to read from any open book with a high reading accuracy nearing 98%. The theoretical perspective of this research relates to the mathematical developments to resolve both the inherent distortions due to the properties of the camera lens and the anticipated distortions of the changing page curvature as one leafs through the book.
Guided waves in biased ferrite slabs

The properties of magnetostatic waves in a ferrite film when the wave vector makes an arbitrary angle with the externally applied magnetic field are presented. A rigorous frequency-dependent method is used to compute the total energy flux and the group velocity. The comparison of the result with the magnetostatic approximation clarifies the deficiency of using the static approximation. The unique feature of space-frequency selection of signals is also addressed. >
Nanoparticle‐Assembled Catalysts for Photochemical Water Splitting

These issues can potentially be solved with nanostructured catalysts that contain separate components for light absorption, water oxidation and water reduction. By building these structures in modular fashion from separate, preformed nanoparticles, it should be possible to optimize the catalytic function by adjusting the discrete properties of the various components. The working cycle of a hypothetical three-component catalyst is illustrated in Figure 16.1a. As the first step, bandgap absorption of a photon produces an electron–hole pair in the semiconductor (step 1 in Figure 16.1a). The pair becomes separated at the nanointerface, with the electron being guided (step 2) along a path of decreasing energy to the metal particle, where it enters an energy level above the Fermi level and becomes available as a reducing agent for water (step 3). If this step is fast enough (<50 ps), it will prevent recombination of the electron–hole pair – a limiting factor for water-splitting photocatalysts. Subsequently, an electron from the valence band of the metal-oxide particle is injected into
A Computer Loopshaping Algorithm for Controllers for Minimum-Phase, Uncertain Systems Starting from QFT Type Bounds

An automated method for loopshaping a controller for linear, minimum-phase, uncertain systems in the frequency domain is presented. The method assumes the existence of lower bounds on the open loop transfer function as well as a stability robustness bound. For the example presented, the bounds on the open loop transfer function were generated using Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) techniques. The first part of the algorithm describes the search for points on the nominal open loop transfer function based on Bode's Theorems [2] and assumes that a rational transfer function can be made to pass through (or close to) the lower right corner of the stability robustness bound. After points for the nominal transfer function are found, points for the controller transfer function can be extracted from these. The second part of the algorithm, based again on Bode's Theorems, describes an iterative procedure to curve fit the controller data into a rational transfer function. Maintaining a low order for the compensator structure and assuring the rationality of the transfer function were the main concerns of the authors when developing the algorithm. Furthermore, because the decisions confronting the designer at any given time are of a very simple nature, the procedure can be extended into an automated computer algorithm. The computer package is developed in programming language "c" and its use is best illustrated with an example.
Transcriptional networks regulating neuronal identity in the developing spinal cord

The spinal cord is composed of anatomically distinct classes of neurons that perform sensory and motor functions. Because of its relative simplicity, the spinal cord has served as an important system for defining molecular mechanisms that contribute to the assembly of circuits in the central nervous system. At early embryonic stages, the neural tube contains multipotential cells whose identity becomes specified by cell-to-cell signaling. This review will focus on the progress made in understanding the transcriptional networks that become activated by these cell–cell interactions, with particular emphasis on the neurons that contribute to locomotor control. Remarkably, many of the transcription factors implicated in neuronal specification in the spinal cord are found to inhibit transcription, which has led to a 'derepression' model for cell fate specification in the developing spinal cord.
Linguistic Geometry Tools Generate Optimal Solutions

A formal theory introduced in this paper, the Linguistic Geometry, includes mathematical tools for knowledge representation and reasoning about multiagent discrete pursuit-evasion games. These class of games is an adequate mathematical model for the real world combat operations, particularly, for the aerospace and navy problem domains. Linguistic Geometry relies on the formalization of search heuristics, which allow one to decompose the game into a hierarchy of images (subsystems), and thus solve otherwise intractable problems by reducing the search dramatically. These hierarchical images extracted in the form of networks of paths from the expert vision of the problem are formalized as a hierarchy of formal languages. An example of the game is considered. While the solution of this problem was presented in other publications this is the first paper when we prove optimality of the solution. We conclude that for a certain class of search problems Linguistic Geometry tools, a set of heuristic algorithms, generate optimal solutions.
Fieldwork in Familiar Places: Morality, Culture, and Philosophy.

Fieldwork in Familiar Places: Morality, Culture, and Philosophy. Michele M. Moody-Adams. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997. 260 pp.
Three Successive Trends in Germany

Publisher Summary In 1984, Germany could be considered as a Member State of major importance for milk production, but handicapped by an unfavorable structural situation. In that year, it was allocated a reference quantity of 23.5 million tonnes, putting it in second place behind France. From an economic standpoint, the introduction of quotas was an advantage as it guaranteed a substantial production capacity and a danger in that it ran the risk of perpetuating an uncompetitive production system. This chapter emphasizes the dilemma that was reflected and expressed in three successive and very different approaches. There was a movement from a controlled management tilted in the favor of the family farm unit toward a more liberal situation encouraging the development of markets for the lease and sale of quotas independently of the farm areas, and culminating in a system of exclusive transfers through sales on the exchange market. The aim of the reform is to facilitate transactions while maintaining pressure on prices. The policy is designed to pave the way for the end of milk quotas by investing milk producers with the means of expanding their herds at the best price, thus, enabling them to become more competitive.