cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leaning for the Tape: Evidence of Gaming Behavior in Equity Mutual Funds

We present evidence that fund managers inf late quarter-end portfolio prices with last-minute purchases of stocks already held. The magnitude of price inf lation ranges from 0.5 percent per year for large-cap funds to well over 2 percent for small-cap funds. We find that the cross section of inf lation matches the cross section of incentives from the f low0performance relation, that a surge of trading in the quarter’s last minutes coincides with a surge in equity prices, and that the inf lation is greatest for the stocks held by funds with the most incentive to inf late, controlling for the stocks’ size and performance. QUARTER-END AND ESPECIALLY YEAR-END equity mutual fund prices are abnormally high. We present strong evidence that some mutual fund managers mark up their holdings at quarter end through aggressive trading of stocks they already hold. Funds with the greatest ability and most incentive to improve their performance exhibit the largest turn-of-quarter effect. Intradaily data show a surge of transactions and transaction prices in the quarter’s last few minutes, and fund-holdings data show a larger effect in the funds with the most incentive to mark up. Considering that open-end equity funds intermediate $3.46 trillion ~year-end 1999!, 1 this turn-of-quarter inf lation of their prices is a significant opportunity for potential sellers, and a significant hazard for everybody else. In general, open-end domestic equity mutual funds calculate their net asset values per share ~NAVs! from the closing transaction prices of their holdings.
Delayed gastric emptying after pancreaticoduodenectomy

Abstract Background Delayed gastric emptying (DGE) remains an unsolved complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) with conflicting reports of its cause. We aimed to compare the effect of surgical techniques involving the stomach in PD in lowering the risk of postoperative DGE. Methods Online search and review of key bibliographies in PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar was performed. Studies comparing PD surgical techniques were identified. Primary outcome was postoperative DGE. Methodological quality was assessed using Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology and Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials. Calculated pooled relative risk and odds ratios (ORs) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used in the meta-analyses. Results Overall, 376 studies were reviewed, of which 22 studies were selected including a total of 5172 patients. The incidence of DGE was lower in antecolic compared with retrocolic gastrojejunostomy (risk ratio [RR], 0.260; CI, 0.157–0.431; P n = 1067 patients) and in subtotal stomach preserving PD compared with pylorus preserving PD (RR, 0.527; CI, 0.363–0.763; P n = 663 patients). There was no significant difference between classic PD versus pylorus preserving PD (OR, 0.64; CI, 0.40–1.00; P = 0.05; n = 1209 patients), pancreaticogastrostomy versus pancreaticojejunostomy (RR, 1.02; CI, 0.62–1.68; P = 0.94; n = 961 patients), Roux-en-Y versus Billroth II gastrojejunostomy (RR, 0.946; CI, 0.788–1.136; P = 0.5513; n = 470 patients), or minimally invasive PD versus open PD (OR, 0.99; CI, 0.62–1.56; P = 0.96; n = 802). Conclusions In PD, surgical techniques using antecolic reconstruction route and subtotal stomach preserving PD seem to be associated with a lower risk of DGE. Further randomized controlled trials are necessary to evaluate these results taking other causes into consideration.
Abstract 3630: Function-Blocking Extracellular Matrix Metalloproteinase Inducer (EMMPRIN) Antibody Injection is Neuroprotective after Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Introduction: Extracellular metalloproteinase inducer, EMMPRIN, is a cell surface glycoprotein found on endothelial cells and astrocytes and has a key role in the expression of MMPs. It was reported that EMMPRIN expression is upregulated in a mouse model of permanent cerebral ischemia and that EMMPRIN co-localized with MMP-9 in infarcted tissue. There is evidence to support that elevation of MMP activity contributes to injury after stroke and that inhibition of MMPs can reduce infarct volume in rats. In this study we hypothesized that inhibition of EMMPRIN with a function-blocking antibody would reduce infarct volume and improve stroke outcome in mice subjected to a MCAO stroke through reduction in MMP activation. Methods: Transient 90-minute middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was performed on male wild-type mice treated with vehicle, rat IgG2a (eBioscience), or with function blocking anti-EMMPRIN antibody (eBioscience) injected via tail vein. A single injection was given at stroke onset. Mice were sacrificed at 48 hours post reperfusion. Brains were harvested for TTC staining (n=4/group; significance p Results: Mice treated with the function blocking EMMPRIN antibody had smaller infarct volumes when compared with vehicle treated animals. This reduction in damaged tissue was consistent in the cortex, striatum and total hemisphere of each group. Drug treated mice had improved behavior scores when compared to vehicle treated mice at both the 48hr and 72hrs time points. Furthermore, vehicle treated mice had higher mortality rates (20% at 48hrs and 66% at 72hrs) than drug mice (0% at 48hrs and 14% at 72hrs) at both time points. Discussion: Animals treated with a function-blocking antibody to EMMPRIN presented with less infarct volume and better behavior scores than similar animals treated with vehicle. Thus, EMMPRIN inhibition is neuroprotective. Considering monoclonal antibody therapy has been successful in the treatment of other diseases, this data suggests that inhibition of EMMPRIN via administration of an antibody could have therapeutic potential for stroke patients.
DECENTRALIZED CONTROL AT A FREEWAY ENTRANCE RAMP

Based on a time-variant nonlinear discrete model of freeway,the decentralized controllers at an en-trance ramp are designed by using the feedback controllers parametrization method.These controllers areof time-variant and nonlinear.Simulation experiments on Shen-Da Freeway prove the effectiveness ofdecentralized controllers.
Follow-up results of transcatheter occlusion of atrial septal defects with buttoned device.

BACKGROUND Feasibility, effectiveness and safety of transcatheter occlusion of secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) with buttoned device have been demonstrated. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the follow-up results of the ASD with buttoned device method to assess its long term efficacy and safety. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patient age at device implantation ranged from seven months to 51 years and weight ranged from 3.6 to 105 kg. Successful implantation of the device was accomplished in 20 of 22 consecutive patients (91%) seen during a 33-month period ending August 1992. Patients were divided into three groups based on the type of shunt across the ASD: group I (n = 14)--left-to-right shunt; group II (n = 5)--presumed paradoxical embolism; and group III (n = 1)--right-to-left shunt. These 20 patients were followed for 29 +/- 11 months, range 16 to 52 months. Follow-up included clinical evaluation, chest x-ray and echo-Doppler studies, and was performed two weeks, and three, six and 12 months after occlusion and yearly thereafter. Most patients received 5 to 10 mg/kg/day acetylsalicylic acid for 12 weeks following the device implantation. RESULTS In 14 left-to-right shunt ASD closures, the right ventricular size diminished from 2.3 +/- 0.6 to 1.7 +/- 0.3 cm immediately after closure (P < 0.01) and remained decreased (1.6 +/- 0.46 cm) at last follow-up. Paradoxical/flat septal motion was present in 11 of 14 patients (79%) before closure while such an abnormal septal motion was not present in any at follow-up. Small to trivial left-to-right shunts across the implanted device were seen in six of 14 patients (43%) immediately after closure while trivial shunts were present in three of 14 (21%) at follow-up. Small shunts became trivial and trivial shunts disappeared. None of the patients had any clinical signs of ASD and none required surgical intervention during the follow-up period. None of the five patients with cerebrovascular accident (CVA)/paradoxical embolism had recurrence of CVA. Repeat transesophageal contrast echocardiographic study with Valsalva revealed minimal right-to-left shunt in two of five patients (40%) initially, which disappeared at follow-up. The single patient with CVA secondary to atrial right-to-left shunt following previous tetralogy repair had a transient ischemic episode four months after closure and underwent surgery at the discretion of the primary cardiologist. There were no wire fractures on follow-up x-rays. None developed endocarditis. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that effective ASD occlusion can be accomplished in left-to-right shunt and paradoxical embolism patients. Modification of the device to position the square-shaped patch on the right atrial side may be necessary to prevent CVA in patients with right-to-left shunts.
Identifying overweight high school students: prevalence of overweight in an ethnically diverse adolescent population in two Connecticut high schools.

Background: The Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, 1988-1994 (NHANES III) found that 11.5% of adolescents aged 12-17 years were overweight, and NHANES 1999-2000 found that 15.5% of adolescents aged 12-19 years were overweight. Methods: Body Mass Indices and percentiles were obtained using medical records from 790 white, black, Hispanic, and Asian 11th-grade students. Results: Contrasted with NHANES 1999-2000, this study found a higher prevalence of overweight among white males, a lower prevalence among blacks (both sexes), a lower prevalence among Hispanics than NHANES 1999-2000 found among Mexican Americans (both sexes), and a lower prevalence among all adolescents sampled. It found overweight in females highest in blacks and at risk of overweight highest among blacks and Hispanics (both sexes). Conclusions: Public attention should be focused on the high prevalence of overweight and at risk of overweight,particularly among minority high school students. Overweight and at risk of overweight students can be relatively easily identified by utilizing available medical records. Treatment and prevention efforts can then be initiated.
Immunotherapy for allergic diseases.

SUMMARY The efficacy of immunotherapy is related to the dose administered, and the immune response is specific for the allergen injected. The larger dose will provide the higher level of IgG blocking antibody and will provide the most symptomatic relief of symptoms. Increased frequency of injections seems to stimulate production of blocking antibody. Much work is currently under way to provide modified forms of immunotherapy designed to elicit the immune response without the allergic or adverse reactions of the allergen. Polymerized antigens, allergoids and glutaraldehyde-treated tyrosine-absorbed allergens are examples of such modifications.11 It is quite possible that within a short time extracts will be available commercially such that a patient will be adequately immunized with only a very few injections. Hymenoptera venom immunotherapy offers virtually complete protection for those patients who in the past were at great risk from stings. Proper history, skin testing, extract prescribing, and extract administration all are vital points in the successful immunotherapy of a patient.
Initial Validation of the Pleasure and Health Behavior Inventory - A Measure of Motivation to Engage in Health-damaging Behavior to Overcome Deficient Pleasure.

OBJECTIVES To validate the Pleasure and Health Behavior Inventory (PHBI) - a novel 7-item self-report measure of motivation to engage in addictive, health-damaging behaviors (ie, substance use, gambling, casual sex, overeating) to overcome deficient pleasure. METHODS In a cross-sectional analysis of daily cigarette smokers (N = 206), we examined the PHBI's internal consistency, factor structure, and convergent validity with smoking-related characteristics, alcohol and drug use, BMI and other factors. RESULTS The PHBI had adequate internal consistency and a largely unifactorial structure. The PHBI composite, which amalgamates motivation to engage in several types of unhealthy behaviors for pleasure, positively correlated with unhealthy behaviors. Individual PHBI items were associated with corresponding behavior-specific outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The PHBI may be useful for understanding the psychological underpinnings of health-damaging behavior.
Formal Specifications for Real-Time Fault-Tolerant Systems

The objective of our current work is to develop formal methods to specify real-time, concurrent, fault-tolerant systems in a multilevel fashion. This is a continuation of the work described in [1] where we developed a layered architecture and a csp-like language to formalize and describe fault-tolerant mechanisms.
Early emerging system for reasoning about the social nature of food.

Selecting appropriate foods is a complex and evolutionarily ancient problem, yet past studies have revealed little evidence of adaptations present in infancy that support sophisticated reasoning about perceptual properties of food. We propose that humans have an early-emerging system for reasoning about the social nature of food selection. Specifically, infants’ reasoning about food choice is tied to their thinking about agents’ intentions and social relationships. Whereas infants do not expect people to like the same objects, infants view food preferences as meaningfully shared across individuals. Infants’ reasoning about food preferences is fundamentally social: They generalize food preferences across individuals who affiliate, or who speak a common language, but not across individuals who socially disengage or who speak different languages. Importantly, infants’ reasoning about food preferences is flexibly calibrated to their own experiences: Tests of bilingual babies reveal that an infant’s sociolinguistic background influences whether she will constrain her generalization of food preferences to people who speak the same language. Additionally, infants’ systems for reasoning about food is differentially responsive to positive and negative information. Infants generalize information about food disgust across all people, regardless of those people’s social identities. Thus, whereas food preferences are seen as embedded within social groups, disgust is interpreted as socially universal, which could help infants avoid potentially dangerous foods. These studies reveal an early-emerging system for thinking about food that incorporates social reasoning about agents and their relationships, and allows infants to make abstract, flexible, adaptive inferences to interpret others’ food choices.
Recent results from Compton spectrometer experiments

During the previous three years, a Compton spectrometer has successfully measured the x-ray spectra of both continuous and flash radiographic sources. In this method, a collimated beam of x-rays incident on a convertor foil ejects Compton electrons. A collimator in the entrance to the spectrometer selects the forward-scattered electrons, which enter the magnetic field region of the spectrometer. The position of the electrons at the magnet’s focal plane is proportional to the square root of their momentum, allowing the x-ray spectrum to be reconstructed. The spectrometer is a neodymium-iron magnet which measures spectra in the <1 MeV to 20 MeV energy range. The energy resolution of the spectrometer was experimentally tested with the 44 MeV Short-Pulse Electron LINAC at the Idaho Accelerator Center. The measured values are mostly consistent with the design specification and historical values of the greater of 1% or 0.1 MeV. Experimental results from this study are presented in these proceedings.
An overview on wireline communication systems for high-speed broadband communication

This paper presents a retrospective on the silicon design innovations that have given rise to the high-speed networks that are now commonplace in most of the world. Design techniques that extend the speed capabilities of standard CMOS while maintaining the precision required for optical networks are described. Future trends and challenges in the design of highspeed broadband circuits are also presented.
Barriers to sharing water quality data: experiences from the Shale Network

The Shale Network is a group of stakeholders collating, publishing, and conducting research on water quality data collected in the northeastern United States experiencing natural gas extraction from shale using hydraulic fracturing. In developing the Shale Network, we have experienced reluctance to share data from all participating sectors. This paper explores this reluctance, identifying barriers to greater collaboration among multiple stakeholders in natural resource management projects. Findings are derived from participant observation of the Shale Network team, surveys conducted during Shale Network workshops, interviews with water quality stakeholders, and participant observation of water quality monitoring training sessions. The barriers identified include perceptions about data problems and quality, technical capacity, regulatory and legal limitations, competition for resources, and resource allocation decisions. This paper identifies strategies the Shale Network has used to overcome data-sharing b...
A theory of supplier network-based innovation value

Abstract To understand how a supplier helps a buying company create value through innovations, studies have focused on a supplier's internal resources or its relationship with a buying company. Building upon this body of literature, we develop a theory of supplier network-based innovation value in this conceptual paper. This theory explains how a supplier's upstream and downstream value network can be a source of competitive advantage for a buying company. Specifically, it proposes that the levels and types of supplier innovation value is contingent on the configuration of a dual-ego value network, characterized by the locus and degree of buyer-supplier structural equivalence. This theory also explains how a supplier's ties with a buying firm's competitors can pose both opportunity and risk to buying company innovation. This theory contributes to the literature by showing when “seemingly undesirable” suppliers, due to a lack of technical capability or strong relationship with a buying company, might still be valuable to a buying company's innovation.
Body Ownership in Virtual Reality

The sense of proximity to a virtual context requires a diverse set of cues that gives a participant a sense of presence in a virtual space. The goal of our research is to provide a sense of body ownership of a virtual entity represented by a humanoid avatar or other virtual manifestation of a surrogate in virtual reality environment for sharing not only a space but also an experience. In essence, we seek a sense of Presence that transports the operator to the space inhabited by the virtual avatar in a virtual space. To arouse this sense of presence in a virtual space, we are testing a hypothesis that seeing one's own body from a first person point-of-view in the remote context is a critical element of "being there." To achieve this we introduce a method to enhance the sensation of presence for the operator who inhabits a virtual avatar by increasing the sense of body ownership.
Balanced Response of an Axisymmetric Tropical Cyclone to Periodic Diurnal Heating

AbstractA modified version of the Sawyer–Eliassen equation is applied to determine the impact of periodic diurnal heating on a balanced vortex. The TC diurnal cycle is a coherent signal that arises in the cirrus canopy. However, despite thorough documentation in the literature, the dynamical mechanism remains unknown. Recent work demonstrates that periodic radiative heating in the TC outflow layer is linked with an anomalous upper-level circulation; this heating is also associated with a cycle of latent heating in the lower troposphere that corresponds to a cycle in storm intensity. Using a method that is analogous to the Sawyer–Eliassen equation, but for solutions having the same time scale as time-periodic forcing, these distributions are analyzed to determine the effect of periodic diurnal heating on an axisymmetric vortex.Results for periodic heating in the lower troposphere show an overturning circulation that resembles the Sawyer–Eliassen solution. The model simulates positive perturbations in the a...
Clinical Assessment of Disease Risk Factors Using SNP Data and Bayesian Methods

Recent groundbreaking technological and scientific achievements impelled the field of personalized medicine (PM), which promises to start a new era in clinical disease treatment. However, the degree of success of PM strongly depends on the establishment of a vast resource library containing the connections between many common complex diseases and specific genetic signatures. Particularly, these connections can be discovered performing whole-genome association studies, which attempt to link diseases to their genetic origins. Such large-scale surveys, combined with modern advanced statistical methods, have already identified many disease-related genetic variants. In this review, we describe in detail novel statistical methods based on Bayesian data analysis ideas—Bayesian modeling, Bayesian variable partitioning, and Bayesian graphs and networks—which are promising to help shine light on complex biological processes involved in disease formation and development. Particularly, we outline how to use Bayesian approaches in the context of clinical applications to perform epistasis analysis while accounting for the block-type genome structure.
Introduction: Politics in 140 Characters or Less

These chapters are based on research presented at the third American Elections conference held at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics on the campus of Saint Anselm College. They come from scholars of political science, communications, public policy, and political psychology. They deploy a diverse set of methods to examine various facets of Twitter’s role in the last election and shed light on the ways in which Twitter will continue to affect the course of modern American politics, 140 characters at a time.
What Happens When Investigating A Crime Takes Up Too Much Time? An Examination of How Optimal Law Enforcement Theory Impacts Sentencing

Previous research finds that variations in sentencing outcomes still exist among similarly situated individuals, especially among drug offenders. While courtroom actors are often the focus of sentencing disparities, law enforcement officers are rarely studied. This is problematic because criminological research has yet to explore whether law enforcement could influence sentencing decisions. The current study aims to discover the influence of a previously ignored legal variable, investigation workload, on sentence length and directly examine an untested criminal justice theory, Optimal Law Enforcement Theory. This study will explore these overlooked concepts with a rare dataset that contains information on individuals convicted of prescription drug trafficking in Florida from 2011-2013. We find that investigation workload does influence sentencing, with offenders convicted from a high police workload being significantly more likely to experience longer sentences than offenders convicted from a low investigation workload. Limitations and policy implications are also discussed.
Numerical Integration and Sparse Blocked Equation Solution Techniques for Large Scale Boundary Element Analysis

The Boundary Element Method (BEM) has steadily developed a niche for itself as a viable approach to the solution of problems in computational mechanics. Starting with the successful modeling of bulky objects in structural and thermal analysis, accomplishments of boundary element researchers in the simulation of physical behavior in linear acoustics, elastodynamics and electromagnetics, and fluid dynamics are well documented. Recently, nonlinear response predictions in the areas of metal plasticity and creep, large strains and deflections, contact and friction, and solidification have been demonstrated. Coupling of this method with the more mature Finite Element Method (FEM) has also been shown to be an important option for problems with a certain duality in character. The advantage that the BEM in obviating the requirement for the discretization of the entire domain of certain models and also for the subsequent calculation of fundamental solution variables at all discretization points in these domains is compelling, as is the fact that the BEM can naturally handle boundary conditions at infinite boundaries in an exact fashion. The utilization of the BEM on extremely large problems has been inhibited, however, by the lack of effective implementations of the formulations. Major strides in the performance of the computational tasks that consume the most computer resources in BEM can be made, and are required before the positive attributes of the BEM can be exploited in the analysis of very large problems. Considered together, numerical integration and equation solving can amount to 90% of the computer resources expended in a Boundary Element Analysis (BEA).
Sister Chromatid Exchange Frequency and Cell Cycle Kinetics in Cancer Patients Treated with Cytostatic Drugs

The ability of various cytostatic drugs to induce sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and to alter the progression of cells through mitosis was analyzed in lymphocytes cultured from cancer patients following various in vivo chemotherapy treatments. Control individuals exhibited 4.87 ± 0.08 SCEs per metaphase. Patients being treated with cyclophosphamide (CP), mitomycin C (MMC), and/or cisplatinum (CPT) in combination with other drugs exhibited 3-to 5-fold greater levels of SCEs. Other cytostatic drugs: the plant alkaloids; vincristine (VCR); and homoharringtonine (HHT); the antibiotic, adriamycin (ADM); the folic acid antagonist, methotrexate (MTX); and the nucleotide analogue, dihydroazacytidine (HAC) did not appear to induce SCE levels significantly above controls. Most of the cytostatic drugs used in cancer patients appeared to delay the progression of cells through mitosis. All the drug protocols which included a known DNA-damaging agent induced SCE. There was no relationship between SCE and cell cycle kinetics. Thus, SCE appears to be a sensitive assay for monitoring the in vivo exposure of individuals to genotoxic agents.
Abstract B04: Activating K-RasA146T mutations induce Mapk-dependent hyperproliferation in the intestinal epithelium

Ras is the most commonly mutated oncogene in human cancer, and is highly mutated in pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancer. The most commonly reported canonical activating point mutations occur in codons 12, 13, and 61. Colorectal cancer, in particular, harbors a number of noncanonical K-Ras mutations, including mutations at codon 146, which occur in ~4% of patients. To understand the biologic effects of K-Ras A146T expression in the intestinal epithelium and other tissues, we engineered a conditional Cre recombinase-dependent mutant allele ( K-Ras LSL-A146T ), expressed from the endogenous KRas locus. We crossed K-Ras LSL-A146T mice to Fabpl-Cre mice, which express Cre recombinase in the colonic and distal small intestinal epithelium, and compared the phenotype of Fabpl-Cre; K-Ras LSL-A146T/+ mice to that of Fabpl-Cre; K-Ras LSL-G12D/+ mice. Compared to K-Ras G12D , expression of K-Ras A146T results in a mild hyperplastic and hyperproliferative phenotype, while expression of K-Ras G12D causes drastic hyperplasia and hyperproliferation. Additionally, we found that K-Ras A146T expression activates Mapk signaling and that K-Ras A146T -induced hyperproliferation is Mapk-dependent. Interestingly, unlike Fabpl-Cre; K-Ras LSL-G12D mice, which lack Paneth cells in the small intestine, Fabpl-Cre; K-Ras LSL-A146T/+ mice have intact Paneth cells. Finally, we found that although K-Ras G12D expression in the pancreas causes neoplastic transformation, K-Ras A146T expression has no detectable effect on pancreatic homeostasis, even after one year. Together, our results suggest that compared to the canonical K-Ras G12D mutation, activating K-Ras A146T mutations have a similar but milder effect on colonic homeostasis. Additionally, consistent with human data, we found that K-Ras A146T mutations have tissue-specific effects on neoplastic transformation. Citation Format: Emily Poulin, Jessica Gierut, Kevin Haigis. Activating K-Ras A146T mutations induce Mapk-dependent hyperproliferation in the intestinal epithelium [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Advances in Modeling Cancer in Mice: Technology, Biology, and Beyond; 2017 Sep 24-27; Orlando, Florida. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B04.
Impact of Learner-Centered Affective Dynamics on Metacognitive Judgements and Performance in Advanced Learning Technologies

Affect and metacognition play a central role in learning. We examine the relationships between students’ affective state dynamics, metacognitive judgments, and performance during learning with MetaTutorIVH, an advanced learning technology for human biology education. Student emotions were tracked using facial expression recognition embedded within MetaTutorIVH and transitions between emotions theorized to be important to learning (e.g., confusion, frustration, and joy) are analyzed with respect to likelihood of occurrence. Transitions from confusion to frustration were observed at a significantly high likelihood, although no differences in performance were observed in the presence of these affective states and transitions. Results suggest that the occurrence of emotions have a significant impact on students’ retrospective confidence judgments, which they made after submitting their answers to multiple-choice questions. Specifically, the presence of confusion and joy during learning had a positive impact on student confidence in their performance while the presence of frustration and transition from confusion to frustration had a negative impact on confidence, even after accounting for individual differences in multiple-choice confidence.
Studying Participatory Budgeting: Democratic Innovation or Budgeting Tool?

Participatory budgeting (PB) is increasingly being used by local governments. The first American PB process was in Chicago in 2009 and built upon processes developed in Brazil. The adoption of PB p...
Functional Analytic Properties of Multi-Layer Potentials and Boundary Value Problems

This chapter has a twofold goal. In a first stage, we shall study the Fredholm properties of multi-layer potentials introduced in earlier chapters, while in a second stage we shall proceed to use these results as a tool for establishing the well-posedness of boundary value problems associated with higher-order operators.
Ethnic Conflict from an Interdisciplinary Perspective: Lessons Learned, Policy Implications, and Recommendations for Conflict Amelioration and Peace Building

This concluding chapter will capture the important lessons from the preceding 20 case studies. We will focus on the nature and characteristics of ethnic conflicts, and on both successful and unsuccessful attempts at conflict resolution. We will consider both common and unique features of such conflicts. We will end on a hopeful note by recommending broad approaches and specific strategies that have the potential to lead not only to conflict amelioration and prevention, but also to sustainable peace.
Electrochemical Analysis of Actinides and Rare Earth Constituents in Liquid Cadmium Cathode Product from Spent Fuel Electrorefining

The results of a recently reported series of bench-scale actinide recovery experiments with liquid cadmium cathodes (LCCs) are subjected to a more detailed analysis in this paper. It is suggested that separation efficiency (SE), not separation factor (SF), should be used to assess the effectiveness of an LCC to separate actinides from rare earth (RE) elements. The common definition of SF for any pair of actinide and RE elements in the molten salt/liquid Cd system is the ratio of their distribution coefficients, which are measured under equilibrium conditions. The definition of SE is broader than that of SF. For any pair of actinide and RE elements in the molten salt/liquid Cd system, SE is the ratio of their distribution coefficients, such as SE Pu-U = D Pu /D U , where D Pu and D u are measured at either equilibrium or nonequilibrium conditions. The relationship of SE with SF is linear and can be expressed as SE Pu-U = D Pu /D U and D Pu = SF Pu-U D U + b. When D Pu and D u are measured under equilibrium conditions, SE is equal to SF. The physical or chemical meaning of the intercept b is not clear. From a mathematical point of view, the absolute values of b reveal the differences between the measured D Pu /D U or SE and SF. The negative values of b indicate that the SE measurement results are smaller than the associated SF. The values of b may be used to evaluate the SE of LCC on electrochemically recovered actinides from fission product elements. An electrochemical model was developed to investigate the mechanism of RE contamination of the actinides collected by the LCC. It was confirmed that REs were electrochemically transported into the Cd phase. A more negative LCC voltage has a stronger impact on the quantities of REs transported into the Cd than those of the actinides.
Generating diverse solutions in SAT

This paper considers the DiversekSet problem in SAT, that is, the problem of efficiently generating a number of diverse solutions (satisfying assignments) given a propositional formula. We provide an extensive analysis of existing algorithms for this problem in a newly developed framework and propose new algorithms. While existing algorithms adapt modern SAT solvers to solve DiversekSet by changing their polarity selection heuristic, our new algorithms adapt the variable ordering strategy as well. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms improve the diversification quality of the solutions on large industrial instances of DiversekSet arising in SAT-based semiformal verification of hardware.
Aspects of an AB Initio Approach to Electron Scattering by Small Molecules

It has been twenty years since a group of about thirty scientists from both sides of the Atlantic met in Asilomar, California to discuss various theoretical and computational approaches that were being developed to study electron-molecule collisions. The monograph that resulted from that workshop provides an interesting look at a field that was then in its infancy, at least from the point of view of computations. It was, not surprisingly, at this time that the first generation of vector supercomputers were coming on line. Considerable progress has been made over the past twenty years in extending the scope of electron-molecule calculations to include polyatomic targets and processes such as electronic excitation. In 1978, theoretical calculations were largely confined to simple diatomics and, aside from a few perturbative Born or distorted wave calculations, there were no serious calculations of electronic excitation. Twenty years ago, a converged staticexchange calculation on a diatomic molecule was an undertaking that pushed the limits of available computing power. The field has progressed considerably since that time. Some of this development has involved the detailed study of processes at extremely low collision energies or at energies very close to vibrational and /or rotational thresholds. Another area that has seen considerable progress is the development of accurate model potentials to study processes such as vibrational and rotational excitation in electronically elastic scattering of electrons by polyatomic targets ; Prof. Gianturco has reviewed much of that progress. I would like to confine my remarks to ab initio methods for studying electron-molecule collisions. To avoid any semantic differences or misunderstanding, let me say that by ab initio , I am referring to methods that treat the electronic Schrodinger equation, not as that of one particle moving in a (non-spherical) potential field, but as a many-electron equation describing the motion of N+1 indistinguishable particles. This equation must be solved subject to asymptotic scattering boundary conditions. In considering the interactions between electrons, we may find it useful to think of a scattered electron subject to a static interaction, arising from the average Coulomb field of the other electrons, an exchange interaction, arising from the Pauli principle, and a polarization interaction, arising from the dynamic distortion of the target by the incident electron. This decomposition of the electron-molecule
Racial Disparities in Surgical Outcomes Among Males Following Major Urologic Cancer Surgery.

Introduction Disparities in healthcare outcomes between races have been extensively described; however, studies fail to characterize the contribution of differences in distribution of covariates between groups and the impact of discrimination. This study aims to characterize the degree to which clinicodemographic factors and unmeasured confounders are contributing to any observed disparities between non-Hispanic white and black males on surgical outcomes after major urologic cancer surgery. Methods Non-Hispanic white and black males undergoing radical cystectomy, nephrectomy, or prostatectomy for cancer in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2007 to 2016 were included in this analysis. The outcome of interest was Clavien III–V complications. Analysis was conducted in 2017 using the Peters–Belson method to compare the disparity in outcomes while adjusting for 13 important demographic and clinical characteristics. Results Of the 15,693 cases included with complete data, 13.0% (n=2,040) were black. There was a significantly increased rate of unadjusted Clavien III and V complications between white versus black males for radical cystectomy (21.9% vs 10.1%, p=0.005); nephrectomy (6.4% vs 3.9%, p=0.028); and radical prostatectomy (2.3% vs 1.6%, p=0.046). Adjusting for differences in age, BMI, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, functional status, smoking history, and comorbidities including diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, renal failure, bleeding disorder, steroid use, unintentional weight loss, and hypertension between the groups could not explain the disparity in complications after radical cystectomy; the unexplained discrepancy was an absolute excess of 11.8% (p=0.01) in black males. There was an unexplained excess of complications in black males undergoing radical prostatectomy and nephrectomy but neither reached statistical significance. Conclusions Black males undergoing radical cystectomy for cancer experienced higher complication rates than white males. Unexplained differences between the black and white males significantly contributed to the disparity in outcomes, which suggests that unmeasured factors, such as the quality of surgical or perioperative care, are playing a considerable role in the observed inequality. Supplement information This article is part of a supplement entitled African American Men's Health: Research, Practice, and Policy Implications, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
FISHing for β Cells.

β cell heterogeneity has emerged as an important contributor to islet function, with potential implications for diabetes. Using an optimized smFISH technique in intact islets, Farack et al. (2018) identify in the islet core an endocrine cell population of "extreme" β cells with distinct molecular properties.
Developing a Physical Activity Ontology to Support the Interoperability of Physical Activity Data

Background: Physical activity data provides important information on disease onset, progression, and treatment outcomes. Although analyzing physical activity data in conjunction with other clinical and microbiological data will lead to new insights crucial for improving human health, it has been hampered partly because of the large variations in the way the data are collected and presented. Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a Physical Activity Ontology (PACO) to support structuring and standardizing heterogeneous descriptions of physical activities. Methods: We prepared a corpus of 1140 unique sentences collected from various physical activity questionnaires and scales as well as existing standardized terminologies and ontologies. We extracted concepts relevant to physical activity from the corpus using a natural language processing toolkit called Multipurpose Text Processing Tool. The target concepts were formalized into an ontology using Protege (version 4). Evaluation of PACO was performed to ensure logical and structural consistency as well as adherence to the best practice principles of building an ontology. A use case application of PACO was demonstrated by structuring and standardizing 36 exercise habit statements and then automatically classifying them to a defined class of either sufficiently active or insufficiently active using FaCT++, an ontology reasoner available in Protege. Results: PACO was constructed using 268 unique concepts extracted from the questionnaires and assessment scales. PACO contains 225 classes including 9 defined classes, 20 object properties, 1 data property, and 23 instances (excluding 36 exercise statements). The maximum depth of classes is 4, and the maximum number of siblings is 38. The evaluations with ontology auditing tools confirmed that PACO is structurally and logically consistent and satisfies the majority of the best practice rules of ontology authoring. We showed in a small sample of 36 exercise habit statements that we could formally represent them using PACO concepts and object properties. The formal representation was used to infer a patient activity status category of sufficiently active or insufficiently active using the FaCT++ reasoner. Conclusions: As a first step toward standardizing and structuring heterogeneous descriptions of physical activities for integrative data analyses, PACO was constructed based on the concepts collected from physical activity questionnaires and assessment scales. PACO was evaluated to be structurally consistent and compliant to ontology authoring principles. PACO was also demonstrated to be potentially useful in standardizing heterogeneous physical activity descriptions and classifying them into clinically meaningful categories that reflect adequacy of exercise.
Genetic behavioral screen identifies an orphan anti-opioid system.

Opioids target the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) to produce unrivaled pain management but their addictive properties can lead to severe abuse. We developed a whole animal behavioral platform for unbiased discovery of genes influencing opioid responsiveness. Using forward genetics in C. elegans, we identified a conserved orphan receptor, GPR139, with anti-opioid activity. GPR139 is coexpressed with MOR in opioid-sensitive brain circuits, binds to MOR and inhibits signaling to G proteins. Deletion of GPR139 in mice enhanced opioid-induced inhibition of neuronal firing to modulate morphine-induced analgesia, reward, and withdrawal. Thus, GPR139 could be a useful target for increasing opioid safety. These results also demonstrate the potential of C. elegans as a scalable platform for genetic discovery of GPCR signaling principles.
Sullivan’s contributions to model-based acoustic array processing for underwater and beyond

Edmund Sullivan’s long and fruitful research efforts have spanned a number of fields, both underwater and ashore. Most notable to this author is his achievement on model-based processing for underwater acoustic arrays, documented in a 2015 Springer monograph. Through his unremitting dedication and long-time service to the Acoustical Society of America, and most prominently, the Technical Committee on Signal Processing in Acoustics, Ed’s achievements have long garnered utmost respect and reputability. This paper reviews his recent effort on model-based Bayesian signal processing with a rigorous handling of the Kalman filter, and acoustic array processing within the Bayesian framework. This paper also reflects personal remembrance of the mutually beneficial collaboration with Ed Sullivan in acoustic landmine detection and Bayesian analysis.
Solution of a Differential Game Formulation of Military Air Operations by the Method of Characteristics

In this paper, we describe a zero-sum differential game formulation for the control of military air operations. The model consists of a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations for the dynamics of the operations and a suitably chosen quadratic payoff function. The control variables are the engagement intensities and velocities, and there are constraints on the controls. The method of characteristics (based on the Pontryagin maximum principle) is used to solve the associated Hamilton-Jacobi equation. In this nonlinear formulation, the Hamiltonian can be optimized explicity with respect to the controls. Numerical simulations study the enforcement of constraints (a) by means of penalties in the payoff function or (b) explicitly. The numerical results show robustness with respect to various parameters.
I want it my way: Using consumerism and neutralization theory to understand students’ cyberslacking behavior

Abstract In the age of instant connectivity, it is often difficult to detach students from the Internet and technology. This study examines the role of consumerism and neutralization on the cyberslacking behavior of students in a classroom environment. This study offers a unique and integrative understanding of the impact of consumerism on neutralization behavior to understand the intention of students to use the Internet and technology in class for non-class activities. An online survey of 303 university students from United States was conducted. The study finds a positive and a significant relationship of consumerism with all the five neutralization techniques used by students to engage in cyberslacking. Except for condemnation of the condemners, the rest of the neutralization techniques were found to have a positive and a significant impact on student’s intention to engage in cyberslacking behavior. This study would extend the existing literature by expanding the concepts and theory of consumerism and neutralization to cyberslacking behavior in the classroom. The findings demonstrated several theoretical and practical implications that are discussed in the article.
Chapter 9 – The Quantum Extension of the Drude-Zener Theory in Polar Semiconductors*

Publisher Summary The Drude model for the complex dielectric constant of a semiconductor can be used to extract the mobility and the free-carrier density from an analysis of the reflectivity and transmittance data in the far infrared. The dielectric constant ɛ is the square of the complex refractive index, which determines the optical properties of a given material. It is noted that the quantum theory of free-carrier absorption is treated by various investigators. The problem is of theoretical and practical interest, because it is related to the question of the limits of validity of the quasi-classical Boltzmann transport equation, which describes many transport phenomena in solids. Free-carrier absorption in semiconductors refers to the process of optical absorption in which the electron makes a transition from an initial state to a final state in the same band. The absorption or emission of a photon is then accompanied by scattering by optical or acoustical-mode phononsor by charged impurities. The scattering mechanism is necessary for the conservation of crystal momentum, because the interaction with the photon provides energy but negligible momentum transfer.
Judging Performance – General Mental Ability and the Convergence of Operational Performance Ratings

Abstract. This research examined whether general mental ability (GMA) predicts rater convergence with other performance measures in operational performance appraisals (PAs). GMA is consistently rel...