cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assurance Cases for Reliability: Reducing Risks to Strengthen ROI for SCADA Systems

Supervisory, Control, and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems are crucial to many critical infrastructures, typically those that operate in real-time environments. In the past, these systems were based on proprietary protocols and were isolated from other networks. However, as the trend towards standard IT practices has grown, there have been serious concerns regarding the security, reliability and availability of these systems, since they are increasingly connected to an enterprise network. There are many positive business benefits to be gained from this trend; however, this connectivity has increased the risks of exploitation of security vulnerabilities in these non-proprietary systems. These vulnerabilities, if exploited, can result in serious consequences such as degraded performance, loss and/or compromise of critical information, or in the worst case scenario, making these critical systems completely unavailable.
Peer tutoring improves student performance in an advanced physiology course.

Effectiveness of a peer tutoring system developed for an advanced physiology course was assessed in terms of academic performance and perceived value. Forty-five students took the course without th...
Saccades exhibit abrupt transition between reactive and predictive; predictive saccade sequences have long-term correlations.

To compensate for neural delays, organisms require predictive motor control. We investigated the transition between reaction and prediction in saccades (rapid eye movements) to periodically paced t...
Return Autocorrelations around Nontrading Days

We document a pattern in the serial dependence of security returns around nontrading days. The correlation of returns the second day after a weekend or holiday with returns the first day after is unusually low, and in many return series is negative, implying a reversal of price movements. We also document unusually large positive return autocorrelations the last day before and the first day after weekends and holidays. The pattern has existed in equity returns for over 100 years, and also exists in several futures markets, implying that the pattern is robust to alternative market microstructures. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
The 65th Symposium of the Society for General Physiologists: Energizing research in mitochondrial physiology and medicine

The annual Society of General Physiologists (SGP) symposium has a six-decade legacy as the premier and innovative international meeting for physiologists, cell biologists, and biophysicists. During September 7–11th, 2011, more than 130 scientists participated in the 65th SGP symposium entitled “Mitochondrial Physiology and Medicine” at Woods Hole, MA. In a survey distributed at the end of the conference, participants ranked the overall science and quality of discussions very highly (average of 9.5 out of 10), with multiple respondents noting the highly collegial atmosphere, emphasis on unpublished research, and opportunity for younger scientists to interact with leaders in the field.
COMPOSITE LIP FLAPS AND GRAFTS IN SECONDARY CLEFT DEFORMITIES.

Summary Common faults with the lip-switch flap are that it occasionally is made too wide, too long, or inserted off-centre. Unilateral insertion in post-operative bilateral lip clefts is rarely if ever indicated and in unilateral clefts requires extensive camouflaging. Thus it is suggested that the lip-switch flap be inserted in the centre of the tight post-operative unilateral cleft lip, ignoring the previous unilateral scar. Then if the flap is fashioned narrow and incorporates the midline groove often present in the lower lip, its midline position will simulate an ideal, slender, dimpled philtrum. The pedicle of these flaps can be quite diminutive. In fact, the smaller full-thickness composite lip wedges can be free-grafted using the same donor area and position of insertion as in the flap.
Maternal nutrient restriction and the fetal left ventricle: Decreased angiotensin receptor expression

Background: Adequate maternal nutrition during gestation is requisite for fetal nutrition and development. While a large group of epidemiological studies indicate poor fetal nutrition increases heart disease risk and mortality in later life, little work has focused on the effects of impaired maternal nutrition on fetal heart development. We have previously shown that 50% global nutrient restriction from 28–78 days of gestation (early to mid-pregnancy; term = 147 days) in sheep at midgestation retards fetal growth while protecting growth of heart and results in hypertensive male offspring at nine months of age. In the present study, we evaluate LV gene transcription using RNA protection assay and real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and protein expression using western blot, of VEGF and AT1 and AT2 receptors for AngII at mid-gestation in fetuses from pregnant ewes fed either 100% (C) or 50% (NR) diet during early to mid-gestation. Results: No difference between the NR (n = 6) and C (n = 6) groups was found in gene transcription of the AngII receptors. Immunoreactive AT1 (1918.4 +/- 154.2 vs. 3881.2 +/- 494.9; P < 0.01) and AT2 (1729.9 +/- 293.6 vs. 3043.3 +/- 373.2; P < 0.02) was decreased in the LV of NR fetuses compared to C fetuses. The LV of fetuses exposed to NR had greater transcription of mRNA for VEGF (5.42 ± 0.85 vs. 3.05 ± 0.19; P < 0.03) than respective C LV, while no change was observed in immunoreactive VEGF. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that VEGF, AT1 and AT2 message and protein are not tightly coupled, pointing to post-transcriptional control points in the mid gestation NR fetus. The present data also suggest that the role of VEGF and the renin-angiotensin system receptors during conditions inducing protected cardiac growth is distinct from the role these proteins may play in normal fetal cardiac growth. The present findings may help explain epidemiological studies that indicate fetuses with low birth weight carry an increased risk of mortality from coronary and cardiovascular disease, particularly if these individuals have reduced cardiovascular reserve due to an epigenetic decrease in vascularization.
Studies with hydroxyurea. II. Prolonged exposure of Escherichia coli to hydroxyurea.

Rosenkranz, Herbert S. (Columbia University, New York, N.Y.), and Howard S. Carr. Studies with hydroxyurea. II. Prolonged exposure of Escherichia coli to hydroxyurea. J. Bacteriol. 92:178-185. 1966.-Concurrent with an inhibition of the synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid, hydroxyurea devitalized Escherichia coli when exposure to the drug was prolonged to more than 3 hr. Active protein synthesis, but not ribonucleic acid (RNA) production, was a prerequisite for this lethal action. These findings are contrasted to thymineless death, which requires RNA synthesis.
Automatic aircraft recognition: toward using human similarity measure in a recognition system

The problem of screening images of the skies to determine whether they contain aircraft or not is both of theoretical and practical interest. After the most prominent visual signal in the infrared image of the sky is extracted, the question is whether the signal is a correct match of an aircraft. Common approaches calculate the degree of similarity of the shape of the signal with a model aircraft using a similarity measure such as Euclidean distance, and make a decision based on whether the degree of similarity exceeds a (pre-specified) threshold. Our approach avoids metric similarity measures and the use of thresholds as it attempts to employ similarity measures used by humans. In the absence of sufficient real data, the approach allows to specifically generate an arbitrarily large number of training exemplars projecting near classification boundary. Once trained on such a training set, the performance of the neural network was comparable to that of a human expert, and far better than a network trained only on the available real data. Furthermore, the results were considerably better than those obtained using a Euclidean discriminator.
Numerical simulations of nonlinear axisymmetric flows with a free surface

A numerical method is developed for nonlinear three-dimensional but axisymmetric free-surface problems using a mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian scheme under the assumption of potential flow. Taking advantage of axisymmetry, Rankine ring sources are used in a Green's theorem boundary-integral formulation to solve the field equation; and the free surface is then updated in time following Lagrangian points. A special treatment of the free surface and body intersection points is generalized to this case which avoids the difficulties associated with the singularity there. To allow for long-time simulations, the nonlinear computational domain is matched to a transient linear wavefield outside. When the matching boundary is placed at a suitable distance (depending on wave amplitude), numerical simulations can, in principle, be continued indefinitely in time. Based on a simple stability argument, a regriding algorithm similar to that of Fink & Soh (1974) for vortex sheets is generalized to free-surface flows, which removes the instabilities experienced by earlier investigators and eliminates the need for artificial smoothing. The resulting scheme is very robust and stable.For illustration, three computational examples are presented: (i) the growth and collapse of a vapour cavity near the free surface; (ii) the heaving of a floating vertical cylinder starting from rest; and (iii) the heaving of an inverted vertical cone. For the cavity problem, there is excellent agreement with available experiments. For the wave-body interaction calculations, we are able to obtain and analyse steady-state (limit-cycle) results for the force and flow field in the vicinity of the body.
Ethical issues of resuscitation: an American perspective

Challenging issues confront emergency physicians routinely when performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Ethical issues surrounding resuscitation may include issues of futility, withholding or withdrawing interventions, advance directives, family presence, practising procedures on the newly dead, palliative care, and communication. Principles of bioethics can be valuable in assessing and debating ethical dilemmas. In many cases where curative care is not possible or is not desired, the goal of medical care at the end of life is to provide comfort to the patient and family, rather than initiating technological interventions that are unlikely to benefit the patient.
Business and Environmental Ethics

A6stract: This paper explores some interconnections between the business and environmental ethics movements. The first section argues that business has obligations to protect the environment over and above what is required by environmental law and that it should cooperate and interact with government in establishing environmental regulation. Business must develop and demonstrate environmental moral leadership. The second section exposes the danger of using the rationale of "good ethics is good business't as a basis for such business moral leadership in both the business and environmental ethics movements. The third section cautions against the moral shallowness inherent in the position or in the promotional strategy of ecological homocentrism which claims that society, including business, ought to protect the environment solely because of harm done to human beings and human interests. This paper urges business and environmental ethicists to promote broader and deeper moral perspectives than ones based on mere self-interest or human interest. Otherwise both movements will come up ethically short.
Autoregulation Is Essential for Precise Temporal and Steady-State Regulation by the Bordetella BvgAS Phosphorelay

The Bordetella BvgAS virulence control system is prototypical of phosphorelays that use a polydomain sensor and a response regulator to control gene expression in response to environmental cues. BvgAS controls the expression of at least three distinct phenotypic phases (Bvg−, Bvgi, and Bvg+) by differentially regulating the expression of at least four classes of genes. Among the loci regulated by BvgAS is bvgAS itself. We investigated the role of autoregulation in the ability of BvgAS to control multiple gene expression patterns in a temporal and steady-state manner by constructing Bordetella bronchiseptica strains in which the bvgAS promoter was replaced with constitutively active promoters. Our results show that positive autoregulation of bvgAS transcription is required for the temporal expression of multiple phenotypic phases that occurs in response to a shift from Bvg−-phase conditions to Bvg+-phase conditions. Autoregulation was also shown to contribute to steady-state regulation; it influences the sensitivity of the system in response to subtle differences in signal intensity. In addition, considered in relation to BvgA and BvgS activities demonstrated in vitro, our results provide insight into how BvgA and BvgS function mechanistically.
Volume composition using eye tracking data

This paper presents a method to automate rendering parameter selection, simplifying tedious user interaction and improving the usability of visualization systems. Our approach acquires regions-of-interest for a dataset with an eye tracker and simple user interaction. Based on this importance information, we then automatically compute reasonable rendering parameters using a set of heuristic rules adapted from visualization experience and psychophysics experiments. While the parameter selections for a specific visualization task are subjective, our approach provides good starting results that can be refined by the user. Our system improves the interactivity of a visualization system by significantly reducing the necessary parameter selection and providing good initial rendering parameters for newly acquired datasets of similar types.
Multidisciplinary Teams: A Necessity for Research in Precision Agriculture Systems

Precision agriculture may offer great promise for the future, but extensive research is required if that promise is to be realized. The research will not be easy, for few, if any, individuals have suffi ciently broad training in the many disci- plines (e.g., economics, engineering, crop and soil sciences, pest management) required to design the experiments, interpret the data, and ultimately provide answers for the practical, economically oriented farm management ques- tions being asked. We are convinced that many experiments would benefi t, as ours did, from collaborative research conducted by multidisci- plinary teams. From our effort, we learned much about the nature of precision agriculture, but we also learned about the nature of research and the value of expertise outside of our own areas. In the case of the former, we learned that pre- cision agriculture is highly dependent on, and perhaps even defi ned by, engineering technol- ogy, but the profi table use of the technology depends on a thorough understanding of the physical and biological factors of the fi eld and crop. It appears that much of the technology is only profi table when a producer possess very detailed fi eld characteristic information. Unfor- tunately, the level of information required may be impossible to obtain for many of the pro- posed uses of precision agriculture technology. In the latter case, we gained an appreciation of the skills and expertise of those from other dis- ciplines. We believe that multidisciplinary teams are a necessity for this work, and we recommend that the existing research community recognize this need and provide rewards for participation in interdisciplinary research.
The Relation of Religious Preference and Practice to Depressive Symptoms among 1,855 Older Adults

Religious devotion is a complex phenomenon but a potentially important source of support and meaning in the lives of older adults. Nonetheless, attendance at religious services and religious preference (affiliation) have received relatively little prominence in epidemiological studies of late life mental illness despite their relative ease of measurement. We examined differences in the prevalence and course of depressive symptoms and associated characteristics among 1,855 older community residents who expressed a Jewish, Catholic, or other religious preference. At baseline, Jewish religious preference was associated with a twofold elevation in the prevalence of depressive symptoms compared to Catholics. Lack of attendance at religious services was associated with greater prevalence of depression among all groups, significantly so among Catholics. The relationship of depression with Jewish religious preference and with failure to attend services could not be accounted for by measures of age, gender, health, disability, or social support. Twenty-four months following baseline, Jewish religious preference was associated with the emergence of depressive symptoms and remained significant when the effects of age, gender, health, disability, and social support were controlled. Failure to attend services was associated with both the emergence and persistence of depression but did not remain significant once the effects of other characteristics were controlled. For both religious and health care institutions, these findings have implications for the prevention, recognition, and treatment of late life mental illness.
Fatigue Behaviour of Additively Manufactured Ti-6Al-4V

Abstract Fatigue behaviour of Ti-6Al-4 V specimens additively-manufactured via Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) is investigated in this study. Additive manufacturing provides the opportunity to fabricate complex geometries layer-by-layer from 3D computer aided drawings. As the mechanical behaviour of metallic materials depends on their microstructure, which is affected by the time-temperature history, additive-manufactured components are expected to have different properties than those of their wrought counterparts. Ti-6Al-4 V rods were fabricated by LENS using two different sets of process parameters and machined into ‘dog-bone’ fatigue specimens with dimensions in conformance to ASTM standards. The fatigue behaviour and microstructural features of the LENS Ti-6Al-4 V samples were characterized and compared with wrought Ti-6Al-4 V. Fractography of the fractured specimen surfaces was performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to determine the failure mechanism and realize the effects of porosity on fatigue resistance and data scatter of LENS Ti-6Al-4 V. The fatigue lives of the LENS Ti-6Al-4 V materials were found to be lower than those of the wrought Ti-6Al-4 V, and driven by the porosity and microstructure of the samples.
Seeing Loving in Gay Marriages Parallels of Asian American History and the Same-Sex Marriage Debates

In April 2004, a crowd of over 7,000 largely Christian Asian Americans, rallied in San Francisco against same-sex marriage. Less than a year later, several gay rights, including the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance, sponsored a marriage float in the S.F. Chinese New Year's Parade. In addition to the more public demonstrations, individual lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Asian Americans such as Mary Li have sued states to marry their partners. Indeed, Asian American presence and visibility in the same-sex marriage debate is crucial because of the community's long experience with governmental restrictions on sexuality and family, specifically through anti-miscegenation laws.
Nonlawyer Practice Before Federal Administrative Agencies Should Be Encouraged

The unauthorized practice of law has been of great concern to lawyers since the inception of lawyer licensing. One particular area of major controversy involves the appearance of nonlawyers before administrative agencies. This long-standing interest in nonlawyer practice before federal administrative agencies has been the subject of numerous studies and articles. Interest in this subject particularly was marked from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Although nonlawyers had been practicing before federal agencies for many years, the proliferation of administrative bodies and the resulting increase in clients occasioned even greater controversy about the propriety of appearances by nonlawyers in federal proceedings. Many agencies either explicitly permitted practice by nonlawyers or silently acquiesced. Despite intense opposition by many lawyers, appearances by nonlawyers continued. Any discussion of expanding practice by nonlawyers before federal agencies must proceed in the context of these broader and historical dimensions. Although many agencies now authorize representation by persons other than lawyers, widespread representation by nonlawyers nevertheless seems unlikely. The desirability of expanding nonlawyer representation will be analyzed here by examining the need for public protection and the need for the skills of a lawyer in administrative agency proceedings. As this article discusses, the market should work fairly well in protecting clients from incompetent representatives, thereby substantially undermining the rationale for governmental intervention. In addition, many federal agency proceedings are not as complex as judicial ones, and nonlegal issues are both more prevalent and more important in the agency proceedings.
The Art of Mathematical Biology: a Foreword for the Launch of BIOMATH

We cannot debate that the advances made over the past 30 years in molecular biology, biochemistry and cell biology have dramatically changed biology and the biomedical sciences. Academic institutions and funding agencies increasingly recognize the interdisciplinary nature of biology and medicine, including the important role mathematical, statistical and computational modeling play in the analysis and interpretation of data and information. By and large, biologists and biomedical scientists appear to have more appreciation for mathematical biology research because they are increasingly attracted to discover new biological principles and mechanisms in collaboration with mathematicians. . . .
In the Shadows of Nationalisms: Social Inclusion and Public Recognition of Roma and Egyptian Identities in Macedonia

This article questions the role of public administration in facilitating the process of social inclusion of the culturally marginalized Other. It argues that government organizations could facilitate social inclusion of marginalized voices by providing symbolic public recognition of cultural differences. Government's role in the politics of social inclusion and public recognition is examined in the case of two highly marginalized cultural groups, Roma and Egyptians, in one deeply divided multicultural society, Macedonia. The paper focuses on four main issues relevant to public recognition of these groups: public recognition of their cultural identity, recognition of symbols of cultural identity, public use of languages, and enhancement of cultural autonomy. Based on the case study, the article concludes that symbolic public recognition may assist in social inclusion of minority cultures, but in Macedonia this process of social inclusion was grounded in the shadows of nationalist struggles for power and in...
Bayesian approach to non-inferiority trials for normal means:

Regulatory framework recommends that novel statistical methodology for analyzing trial results parallels the frequentist strategy, e.g. the new method must protect type-I error and arrive at a similar conclusion. Keeping these in mind, we construct a Bayesian approach for non-inferiority trials with normal response. A non-informative prior is assumed for the mean response of the experimental treatment and Jeffrey's prior for its corresponding variance when it is unknown. The posteriors of the mean response and variance of the treatment in historical trials are then assumed as priors for its corresponding parameters in the current trial, where that treatment serves as the active control. From these priors, a Bayesian decision criterion is derived to determine whether the experimental treatment is non-inferior to the active control. This criterion is evaluated and compared with the frequentist method using simulation studies. Results show that both Bayesian and frequentist approaches perform alike, but the Bayesian approach has a higher power when the variances are unknown. Both methods also arrive at the same conclusion of non-inferiority when applied on two real datasets. A major advantage of the proposed Bayesian approach lies in its ability to provide posterior probabilities for varying effect sizes of the experimental treatment over the active control.
1750 Implementing Developmental Screening Recommendations in a Family Medicine Residency Training Program: Barriers, Solutions and Recommendations for Practice

Background and Aims The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children, as part of well child care, have validated developmental screening in the medical home. Testing increases the early identification of children with developmental delay and improves outcome. However, USA data show that many primary care practices do not provide this screening. Our goal was to understand these barriers in our own practice, to overcome them, and to achieve 100% developmental screening rates. Methods Our QI workgroup used electronic surveys and focus group discussion to solicit parent expectations, to understand provider barriers, and to explore work flow issues. Using this information to drive PDSA cycles and LEAN initiatives in our practice, we instituted educational training, workflow adjustments, screening tool modification, computerized tracking, and the redesign of select well child visits to focus on development screening. Results The use of a validated screening tool by non-pediatric providers in our practice was 0% at the initiation of intervention. The major barriers to screening were lack of provider time, lack of comfort in developmental/behavioral pediatrics, lack of familiarity with a screening tool, and perceived lack of need for formalized testing. Following implementation of changes, including the modification of specific well visits to focus on developmental screening, 100% of eligible children had validated developmental screening performed over the last two months. Conclusion Educational intervention, work flow modification, and the refocus of select well visits can significantly improve developmental screening rates in practice.
Real-Time in Situ Monitoring of Defect Evolution at Widegap II-VI/GaAs Heterointerfaces during Epitaxial Growth

We report the real-time in situ observation of heterointerface dislocation formation during the growth of lattice-mismatched widegap II-VI/GaAs heterostructures. Such observations were made by employing a near-normal incidence HeNe laser probe during epitaxial growth which generated both a laser reflection interferometry (LRI) signal as well as an elastically scattered laser light (ELLS) signal. We believe that the scattered light signal is generated at the II-VI/GaAs heterointerface based on the observation of a π phase difference between the LRI and the ELLS signals which were monitored simultaneously. We suggest, therefore, that the observed ELLS signal is a consequence of dislocation formation at the heterointerface which occurs due to plastic deformation in lattice-mismatched systems.
Health impact in New York City during the Northeastern blackout of 2003.

Objective.This study assessed the health effects of the 2003 Northeastern blackout, the largest one in history, on mortality and hospital admissions due to respiratory, cardiovascular, and renal diseases in New York City (NYC), and compared the disease patterns and sociodemographic profiles of cases during the blackout with those on control days.Method.We investigated the effects of the blackout on health using incidence rate ratios to compare the disease on blackout days (August 14 and 15, 2003) with those on normal and comparably hot days (controls). Normal days were defined as summer days (June-August) between the 25th and 75th percentiles of maximum temperature during 1991–2004. Comparably hot days were days with maximum temperatures in the same range as that of the blackout days. We evaluated the interactive effects of demographics and the blackout using a case-only design.Results.We found that mortality and respiratory hospital admissions in NYC increased significantly (two- to eightfold) during the...
Initial Experience With High-Risk Patients Excluded From Clinical Trials Safety of Short-Term Anticoagulation After Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device

Background— The implantation of left atrial appendage closure device (WATCHMAN, Boston Scientific, Natick, MA) is an alternative option to oral anticoagulation (OAC) for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. Patients require short-term OAC after implantation to avoid device thrombosis. The 2 clinical trials that assessed this device excluded patients thought not to be candidates for OAC. As such, little is known about the safety of this strategy in patients with previous major bleeding events. Methods and Results— All 20 consecutive patients with history of spontaneous major bleeding while on OAC who had subsequently undergone WATCHMAN device implantation at our institution were included. A newly conceived multidisciplinary Atrial Fibrillation Stroke Prevention Center evaluated patients for candidacy for device implantation and subsequent antithrombotic therapy. The primary outcome was spontaneous major bleeding while receiving short-term postprocedural OAC. Median CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores were 5 (quartiles 5–6) and 5 (quartiles 4–5), respectively. Previous major bleeding events were major gastrointestinal bleeding, intracranial bleeding, spontaneous hemopericardium with cardiac tamponade, and hemarthrosis in 11, 7, 1, and 1 patients, respectively. None of the patients had spontaneous major bleeding during the course of OAC after device implantation. In 1 patient, OAC was discontinued after 40 days because of mechanical fall with head trauma resulting in subdural hematoma with no associated neurological deficits; this was managed conservatively. Conclusions— With careful multidisciplinary evaluation, a short course of OAC after WATCHMAN device implantation in patients with previous spontaneous major bleeding events is associated with low risk of recurrent spontaneous major bleeding.
Obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract by the mitral valve due to a muscle band

This paper details a rare cause of subaortic obstruction—a muscle band tethering the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve to the ventricular septum. Excision of this band released the leaflet and cured the obstruction. The patient also had a discrete subaortic membranous obstruction, the membrane being excised.
Daylighting, Space, and Architecture: A Literature Review

Daylighting dynamism and constant change can characterize buildings and spaces with a living quality that cannot be achieved with any other design element. However, daylighting can create unwanted lighting conditions in the visual field causing discomfort and glare. This may affect the performance of building occupants such as workers or students. Consequently, designing for daylighting needs a good understanding of daylighting. Designers can rely on information from simulation software to re-imagine the space, especially to examine possible unexpected visual discomfort conditions.This paper aims to represent different visual comfort evaluation methods that can help decision-makers make better informed decisions. Different definitions and structures associated with daylight and glare are examined. It also presents a review of the literature of previous research conducted on daylighting, visual comfort analysis and glare studies.
An Evolutionary Algorithm for Assigning Students to Courses.

In this paper we describe an evolutionary algorithm for assigning students to courses in a situation where each student specifies a set of courses in order of preference, each course has a limited enrollment, and the object is to maximize the overall student satisfaction by assigning each student to a course as high on his or her preference list as possible. Results of using the algorithm on historical data are compared to the success of a human in making the assignments. This work was done as part of a summer undergraduate research project while the second author was still a student. We also report preliminary results for using this problem as the basis for an assignment in a course in Artificial Intelligence.
The potential for sexual transmission to compromise control of Ebola virus outbreaks

Recent evidence suggests that sexual contact may give rise to transmission of Ebola virus long after infection has been cleared from blood. We develop a simple mathematical model that incorporates contact transmission and sexual transmission parametrized from data relating to the 2013–2015 West African Ebola epidemic. The model explores scenarios where contact transmission is reduced following infection events, capturing behaviour change, and quantifies how these actions reducing transmission may be compromised by sexual transmission in terms of increasing likelihood, size and duration of outbreaks. We characterize the extent to which sexual transmission operates in terms of the probability of initial infection resolving to sexual infectiousness and the sexual transmission rate, and relate these parameters to the overall case burden. We find that sexual transmission can have large effects on epidemic dynamics (increasing attack ratios from 25% in scenarios without sexual transmission but with contact-transmission-reducing behaviour, up to 80% in equivalent scenarios with sexual transmission).
Gletscher: Die Tätigkeit des Eises

Vom Weltraum aus betrachtet ist die Erde mit ihren ausgedehnten blauen Ozeanen, den wirbelnden weisen Wolken und den weisen Eismassen und Schneefeldern durch die Farben des Wassers gekennzeichnet. Das System Erde transportiert in standig sich verandernder Form Wasser uber die Oberflache unseres Planeten. Zu den wichtigsten Wasserspeichern dieses Systems gehort die aus Eis bestehende Komponente, die Kryosphare, die bei Klimaschwankungen am deutlichsten ab- und zunimmt.
The Benefits of Social Technology Use Among Older Adults Are Mediated by Reduced Loneliness

Abstract Technology has the ability to enhance and enrich the lives of older adults by facilitating better interpersonal relationships. However, few studies have directly examined associations between technology use for social reasons and physical and psychological health among older adults. The current study examines the benefits of technology use in 591 older adults from the 2012 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (Mage = 68.18, SD = 10.75; 55.5% female). Social technology use was assessed through five technology-based behaviors (i.e., using e-mail, social networking sites, online video/phone calls, online chatting/instant messaging, using a smartphone). Attitudes toward the usability and benefits of technology use were also assessed. Older adults had generally positive attitudes toward technology. Higher social technology use was associated with better self-rated health, fewer chronic illnesses, higher subjective well-being, and fewer depressive symptoms. Furthermore, each of the links between soc...
Trigeminal Ganglioneuroma: A Rare Case of Trigeminal Neuralgia Caused by Cerebellopontine Angle Tumor.

Background Intracranial ganglioneuromas are very rare benign tumors of neural crest origin and generally arise from the peripheral nervous system or adrenal glands. Very few cases of intracranial ganglioneuroma arising from the trigeminal nerve have been reported in the literature, all in East Asia. Case Description A 52-year-old male presented to his primary care physician for evaluation of right facial and periorbital pain for over 18 months. He also reported a two-week history of diplopia with right lateral gaze, which resolved spontaneously. An MRI brain with and without contrast revealed a 3.0 × 2.6 × 2.4 cm enhancing extra-axial mass involving right Meckel's cave with a posterior 1.0 × 1.4 cm lobular component protruding into the prepontine cistern. The patient underwent a right middle fossa craniotomy for a subtemporal surgical resection of the tumor. Histologic section of the tumor demonstrated mature ganglion cells with surrounding satellite cells in a schwannian rich stroma, consistent with mature type ganglioneuroma. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the sixth case of trigeminal ganglioneuroma; however, it is the first case reported in the United States.
Competing Concepts of the Cosmos in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

The recovery and revival of ancient philosophy in the Renaissance gave rise to both an acceptance and rejection of the authority of ancient thought, responses that sparked the famous “Quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns.” The Philosophy of the seventh century has often been viewed as a gradual change from the religious, mystical worldview to a modern world characterized by rationalism and empiricism. The driving force ushering forward this transformation usually has been identified with the scientific revolution. This essay will attempt to demonstrate the degree to which the hermetic, organic and mechanical traditions interpenetrated each other during the intellectual transformation of the seventeenth century, a trend which carried forward into the eighteenth century. The works of Francis Bacon, Descartes, Anne Conway and Fontenelle will constitute the framework by which to analyze the issues surrounding those who supported ancient wisdom over the “new philosophy,” as well as the contrary. Their respective works will be discussed within the context of the influence of writings of the Paracelsians and the Kabbalah.
The tension in pre-service teachers’ explorations of tablet technology for literacy purposes: positive beliefs and practical shortcomings

AbstractThis mixed-method study sought to examine the experiences of a group of 21 pre-service teachers in a collegiate literacy education class which required a semester-long exploration of the potential of tablets to enhance the reading skills of youngsters. The quantitative portions of the study identified the participants’ daily use habits of electronic devices as well as their views on what is known as the new literacies. In the qualitative portions of the study, interviews and journal entries of the pre-service teachers were gathered relative to their experiences in devising literacy learning experiences using tablets. While these prospective teachers were avid users of electronic devises and confident in their abilities to use technology, they found considerable difficulty in preparing literacy-enhancing instruction which used tablet devices, which clearly points to the need for attention in teacher training programs to the use of tablet technology infused throughout teacher education courses.
Progress in transfer of wafer level packaging to panel format

Next generation technologies require new solutions for the packaging industry as Fan-Out Wafer Level Packaging (FO-WLP) moves to the Panel Format. Redistribution layers (RDL) for next generation need fine line features of sub 5 pm lines and spaces without significant yield loss, and tall copper pillar (>100 pm) plating is requested without increasing the plating time. This simple and straight forward requirement is the providing challenges to the equipment & chemical suppliers in Fan-Out plating technology.
Transformative Service Practice in Higher Education: A Cautionary Note

Communicating the value associated with an undergraduate degree is one of the most vexing problems facing universities’ administrators. Universities are at an important crossroads, one that arguably confronts the soul of the academy. One fork in the road is to “stay the course” of traditional liberal education seeking well-roundedness and lifelong learning. The other fork is to acquiesce to growing marketization pressures that emphasize practitioner-related knowledge and skills in support of employment opportunities and efficacy. The current study uses the lens of service dominant logic (SDL) to view this dilemma, because SDL is the emerging general marketing logic based on a standard of achieved value and a stakeholder orientation (which may or may not be perceived equally across stakeholder groups). This exploratory descriptive study evaluates the preferences for perceived value based on marketization versus liberal education approaches using both descriptive and predictive techniques. The results suggest that the marketization versus liberal education choice may prove in the end to be a false choice! This suggests the possibility that the current controversy between advocates of marketization versus marketing may both be placated (to a degree) by creative solutions that merge liberal education with marketization pedagogical goals and measures of success. We believe that our findings provide useful insights for better higher education at this controversial time, particularly vis-a-vis student satisfaction. We also hope our study spurs further examination of the issues related to the marketization and marketing perspectives in higher education.
Performing Interventions: The Politics and Theatre of China’s AIDS Crisis in the Early Twenty-First Century

Theatrical productions attest to a radical shift in Chinese governmental policy and public awareness of the AIDS epidemic at the dawn of the twenty-first century; state-subsidised theatre worked directly with the government to contain the transmission of HIV. Produced by two of the country’s most elite cultural institutions, the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center and the Beijing People’s Art Theatre respectively, The Dying Kiss (Shengsi Zhiwen) in 2003 and Student Zhao Ping (Zhao Ping Tongxue) in 2005 represented a sea change in the political response to the epidemic while documenting public perceptions towards people living with HIV and AIDS in China. Marking policy change, they reflect experiences that capture a society transitioning from denial to confrontation at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
The relationship between spatial working memory precision and attention and inhibitory control in young children

Abstract Spatial working memory (SWM) and executive functions, including attention, inhibition and working memory, are important for children’s well-being, educational attainment, and social relationships ( Bull & Scerif, 2001 ; Posner, 2012 ; Riggs, Jahromi, Razza, Dillworth-Bart, & Mueller, 2006 ). The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between attention and inhibition, and a SWM task in 4–8-year-old children. The SWM task measured children’s ability to remember the location of a target on a blank screen both with and without a distractor present during the delay. We conducted a secondary data analysis of this task from two previous studies ( Beattie, 2014 ; Schutte, Torquati, & Beattie, 2017 ). Multilevel models showed that for younger children, faster reaction time on an attention task was related to errors in the SWM task that were more similar to older children. In addition, children whose parents indicated they had higher inhibitory control inhibited distractors more than other children. Overall, the findings demonstrate that children with greater attention and inhibition abilities also had greater SWM abilities.
Public Policy Toward Entrepreneurship

There is widespread support for tax policies providing special treatment for small businesses. This paper reviews standard efficiency and equity criteria for such tax-subsidies, and finds they provide little support for such policies. The review highlights a central empirical void requiring further research: the "optimal" business failure rate. Entrepreneurs do struggle, and small businesses frequently merge and nearly as frequently fail. But we do not know enough to determine which firms to target for success or failure.
Extracellular calcium modulates generation of reactive oxygen species by the contracting diaphragm

Recent studies have indicated that free radicals may play an important role in the development of muscle dysfunction in many pathophysiological conditions. Because the degree of muscle dysfunction ...
End-to-End Software Diversification of Internet Services

Software diversification has been approached as a tool to provide security guarantees for programs that lack type safety (e.g., programs written in C). In this setting, diversification operates by changing the memory layout of program code or data and by changing the syntax of program code. These techniques succeed as a defense against an attacker’s use of type-safety vulnerabilities (e.g., buffer overflows) because they randomize the key elements necessary to a successful low-level intrusion (memory addresses and memory contents). This chapter proposes to extend software diversification from a point technique, applied to hand-picked aspects of a single program, to an comprehensive technique applied by default to all components of an application. Internet services is used as a focused example here.
Medication and Indication Linkage: A Practical Therapy for the Problem List?

BACKGROUND Establishing a relationship between medications and diagnoses within a functioning electronic medical record system (EMR) has many valuable applications,such as improving the quality and utility of the problem list to support better decisions. METHODS We evaluated over 1.6 million de-identified patient records from the Regenstrief Medical Record System (RMRS) with over 90 million diagnoses and 20 million medications. Using RxNorm, the VA National Drug File Reference Terminology, and SNOMED-CT (SCT)standard terminologies and mappings we evaluated the linkage for local concept terms for medications and problems (diagnoses & complaints). RESULTS We were able to map 24,398 candidates as medication and indication pairs. The overall sensitivity and specificity for term pairs was 67.5% and 86% respectively and 39.5% and 97.4 when adjusted for term pair occurrence within single patient records. CONCLUSIONS Medications can be mapped by machine to a disease/ disorder using established terminology standards.This mapping may inform many knowledge management and decision support features in an EMR.
Robust pole placement using firefly algorithm

In this paper, the new automatic tool that is based on the firefly algorithm whose purpose is optimization of pole location in the control of state feedback has been presented. The aim is satisfying specifications of performance like settling and rise time, steady state as well as overshoot error. Utilization of Firefly algorithm has demonstrated the benefits of controllers based on this kind of time domain over controllers based on the frequency domain like Proportional-Integral Derivative (PID). The presented method is more particular for the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems that have substantial state numbers. The simulation results indicated that the proposed method had superior performance in providing solution to the problems that involved stabilization of helicopter under the Rationalized Model of helicopter/ Moreover, it demonstrates the Firefly algorithm effectiveness with regards to, the state observer design and feedback controller and auto-tuning.
Applications of Supersonic Gas-Liquid Cleaning Systems for Removal of Surface Contaminants

Abstract A semi-aqueous supersonic gas-liquid (SS-GLC) cleaning technique has been developed for various precision cleaning applications and for medical applications. The technique is based on accelerating the cleaning liquid, suspended as droplets in a gas stream, to supersonic velocities through a converging-diverging nozzle. The gas-liquid mixture has the kinetic energy to very effectively remove surface contaminants. This method can also be used for cleanliness verification. SS-GLC uses very low volumes of aqueous liquids and is a viable alternative to solvent cleaning in many applications, as well as for wound debridement and transdermal drug delivery.