cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Review on Ultrasonic Welding Capability: Breakaway from Traditional Plastic

The joint technology using ultrasonic welding is used to bond plastic material. Currently there are many researches to study the feasibility of using ultrasonic bonding to joint other materials. This paper reviewed the study on using ultrasonic bonding to joint multi metal, surface mount component, and textile material. The process configurations of each material are discussed and the results for each study are also presented. The multi metal materials bonding result shows that these materials bonded well to each other. The ultrasonic bonding strength for SMT components was as good as reflow oven and it was cosmetically accepted. The configuration of textile materials is investigated using vibrating ultrasonic horn and stationary anvil using high mechanical vibration and the result show it can be integrated ultrasonically. With advancement of computer control in ultrasonic welding, this technology can be used for any material in future to achieve world class manufacturing.
Goal-Driven Autonomy with Semantically-Annotated Hierarchical Cases

We present LUiGi-H a goal-driven autonomy (GDA) agent. Like other GDA agents it introspectively reasons about its own expectations to formulate new goals. Unlike other GDA agents, LUiGi-H uses cases consisting of hierarchical plans and semantic annotations of the expectations of those plans. Expectations indicate conditions that must be true when parts of the plan are executed. Using an ontology, semantic annotations are defined via inferred facts enabling LUiGi-H to reason with GDA elements at different levels of abstraction. We compared LUiGi-H against an ablated version, LUiGi, that uses non-hierarchal cases. Both agents have access to the same base-level (i.e. non-hierarchical plans), while only LUiGi-H makes use of hierarchical plans. In our experiments, LUiGi-H outperforms LUiGi.
“Quaint creatures”: public discourse and the role of B-girls in the heritage of Bourbon Street

ABSTRACTB-drinking is soliciting a patron to purchase the B-girl a drink for which she receives a commission; this strategy has long been an integral and accepted part of French Quarter culture. Invisible in the academic literature, B-girls are an important part of heritage tourism in New Orleans. In a tourism city famous for alcohol, sex, and vice, B-drinkers are an important service labor force that drives the strip clubs at the center of the touristscape. Since the middle of the twenty-first century, B-drinking has played a crucial role in the sexual economy of tourism on Bourbon Street. B-girldom provides a case study in how the intersection of tourism and sex work is deeply embedded in regional history. The discursive B-girl as constructed in newspapers, media, and the legislature reflects local shifts in attitudes towards B-drinking from 1941 to 2012. B-girls, constructed as flirtatious tricksters or dangerous murderers, are icons of the French Quarter and an embedded fixture in this heritage touris...
Effects of Customer and Innovation Asset Configuration Strategies on Firm Performance

Abstract Both customer and innovation assets are important to firm performance. Prior research has mostly examined these assets at the firm level and has not distinguished between the effects of asset depth relative to competitors and asset breadth across different segments. Using configuration theory and the resource-based view of the firm, the authors propose that how these assets interact to influence performance depends on both depth and breadth because these features reflect whether the assets are likely to create and/or appropriate value when deployed. Empirical results from two studies—one using secondary data and another using primary data from a survey of senior managers— indicate that performance is highest when firms employ configurations using deep customer and broad innovation assets or deep innovation and broad customer assets. In contrast, firm performance variability decreases in the presence of deep–deep and broad–broad asset configurations. The effect of configuration strategies on firm ...
Abstract CN04-01: Poking cancer cells with BH3 profiling to personalize cancer therapy.

Nearly all attempts to understand and predict response of patient cancer cells to therapeutics rely on measurements of static properties at a single time point such as protein abundance, gene expression profiling, or genetic code. While these approaches have doubtless yielded useful information to guide therapy, it is often the case that observing how a system responds to systematic perturbation can be a more powerful guide to understanding and predicting behavior. Using BH3 profiling, we systematically perturb the mitochondria of cancer cells with BH3 peptides and can make predictions about response to therapy based on the response observed. So far, we have successfully applied BH3 profiling to understanding and predicting clinical response to conventional chemotherapy, targeted pathway inhibitors and direct inhibitors of anti-apoptotic proteins like BCL-2. Since BH3 profiling can provide results within a single day, it is applicable to studying primary cancer cells from patient biopsies without the need for prolonged ex vivo culture. BH3 profiling has the potential to provide a predictive biomarker for any cancer therapeutic that kills cancer cells via the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):CN04-01. Citation Format: Joan Montero, Triona Ni Chonghaile, Kris Sarosiek, Jeremy A. Ryan, Hogdal Leah, Anthony G. Letai. Poking cancer cells with BH3 profiling to personalize cancer therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr CN04-01.
Very Thick Coherently Strained GexSi1−x Layers Grown in a Narrow Temperature Window

Strain relaxation of GexSi1−x layers is studied as a function of growth temperature. Extremely thick coherently strained layers whose thicknesses exceed more than fifty times of the critical thicknesses predicted by Matthews and Blakeslee's model were successfully grown by MBE. There exits a narrow temperature window from 310 °C to 350 °C for growing this kind of high quality thick strained layers. Below this temperature window, the layers are poor in quality as indicated from RHEED patterns. Above this window, the strain of the layers relaxes very fast accompanied with a high density of misfit dislocations as the growth temperature increases. Moreover, for samples grown in this temperature window, the strain relaxation shows a dependence of the residual gas pressure, which has never been reported before.
IRON-SENSITIVE CARDIAC MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FOR IMPROVED PREDICTION OF MALIGNANT VENTRICULAR ARRHYTHMIAS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

To date, the link between post-infarction iron depositions and malignant ventricular arrhythmias (mVA) in patients with chronic myocardial infarction (CMI) is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the incremental prognostic value of hypointesive cores (HIC) within CMI using iron-sensitive
Low-Oxygen Atmosphere for Postharvest Insect Control in Bulk-Stored Raisins

Stored raisins were successfully treated for control of Cadra figulilella (Gregson), Plodia interpunctella (Hubner), Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen), Carpophilus hemipterus (L.), Oryzaephilus mercator (Fauvel), O. surinamensis (L.), and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) with a low-oxygen atmosphere. The atmosphere, consisting of ≤0.5% oxygen, 10 to 14% carbon dioxide, and a balance mainly of nitrogen, was produced by an exothermic generator that uses natural gas or propane fuel to “burn” oxygen out of the air. This atmosphere was introduced into commercial stacks (bulk storages) of raisins in a continuous-flow, single-pass operation; the atmosphere exiting the stack was not recirculated. Time for purging the raisin stacks to <0.5% O. was ≤48 h, and insect control was obtained in 5 days at 27°C and 14 days at 16°C.
Automobiles by the Pound

Although you may never purchase an automobile on a per pound basis, you will be intrigued with the relationship between weight and price described in this article.
Hybrid Gels Designed for Mullite Nucleation and Crystallization Control

The controlled nucleation of phase transformations by seeding is an established technique for influencing transformation kinetics and sintered microstructures in ceramics. Previous studies have focused on seeding with ultrafine, solid particles having the requisite crystal characteristics for either homo- or heteroepitactic nucleation of the desired phase. Size separation of particulate seed crystals is not an efficient process and thus more recent efforts have concentrated on chemical approaches to nucleating solid phase transformations. Hybrid gels, in which two or more gels are combined to capitalize on the benefits of each, have been reported for the homoepitactic nucleation of mullite. In principle, the molecularly-mixed gel crystallizes to mullite at ∼1000°C and, in turn, acts to nucleate the colloidal gel component's transformation to mullite at higher temperatures. However, the transformation sequence and kinetics are profoundly affected by the interfacial reaction between the two gels comprising the hybrid. This paper discusses how the physical distribution and chemistry of the gel components can be manipulated for the control of mullite nucleation, crystallization and microstructure development.
Let SDN Be Your Eyes: Secure Forensics in Data Center Networks

Discovering the causes of incorrect behavior in large networks is often difficult. This difficulty is compounded when some machines in the network are compromised, since these compromised machines may use deception or tamper with data to frustrate forensic analysis. Recently proposed forensic tools enable administrators to learn the causes of some system states in a partially compromised network, but these tools are inherently unable to (1) observe covert communication between compromised nodes or (2) detect attempts to exfiltrate sensitive data. In this paper, we observe that the emergence of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) offers interesting new op- portunities for network forensics. We sketch the design of an SDN-based forensic system that can be used to investigate a wide variety of faults in data center networks, including previously unobservable attacks such as data exfiltration and collusion between compromised nodes. Our key insight is that the network itself can be used as a point of observation, which gives us a holistic view of network activity. We show that a collection of lightweight middleboxes would be sufficient to support this functionality, and we discuss several additional challenges and opportunities for SDN-based forensic tools.
Marketing Researcher Ethical Sensitivity: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Exploratory Investigation:

Theoretical models of marketing ethics propose that people first must perceive the presence of an ethical issue before the process of ethical decision making can begin. Through the concept of ethic...
Third Party Endorsement Via Evaluative Certification As a Method For Increasing Mail Survey Response Rates: A Field Experiment

This paper investigates the use of third party endorsement via evaluative certification as a technique for improving mail survey response rates. The study was carried out using a field test, testing only two conditions: endorsed and non-endorsed. The result of the study suggests that evaluative certification does not enhance mail survey response rates.
An Analysis of Media-Reported Venomous Snakebites in the United States, 2011-2013.

Background Venomous snakebite is a widespread natural hazard in the United States. A common perception exists that the majority of these snakebites are "illegitimate," resulting from deliberate interaction with snakes (such as attempting to move or kill the animal), but there is little quantitative information available regarding the conditions under which bites occur. Methods To better understand the circumstances under which victims are bitten, we compiled a dataset of media-reported snakebites in the United States between 2011 and 2013. A total of 332 reported snakebites were recorded. Of these, 307 were from snakes encountered under natural circumstances and 25 were under captive-care conditions. Results Most reported victims were adult males. Although some bites occurred during intentional handling of snakes and such activity may relate to bite severity, the majority of victims reported being unaware of the snake before they were bitten. Accidentally stepping on or placing the hands near an unseen snake were the activities most frequently associated with bites under natural conditions. Conclusions Although bias in snakebite reporting patterns by the media is likely, across the United States "legitimate" bites from unseen snakes appear to be the norm.
β-Receptor agonist activity of phenylephrine in the human forearm

Phenylephrine is generally regarded as a "pure" alpha(1)-agonist. However, after treatment of the forearm with the alpha-adrenergic-blocking drug phentolamine, brachial artery infusion of phenylephrine can cause transient forearm vasodilation. To determine whether this response was beta-receptor mediated, phenylephrine, phentolamine, and propranolol were infused into the brachial arteries of six healthy volunteers. Forearm vascular conductance (FVC) was also calculated and expressed as arbitrary units (units). Infusion of phenylephrine by itself (0.5 microg. dl forearm volume(-1). min(-1)) caused a sustained decrease (P < 0.05) in FVC from 3.5 +/- 0.7 to 0.9 +/- 0.2 units (P < 0.05). Infusion of the alpha-blocker phentolamine increased (P < 0.05) baseline FVC to 5.7 +/- 1.3 units. Subsequent infusion of phenylephrine after alpha-blockade caused FVC to increase (P < 0.05) for ~1 min from 5.7 +/- 1.3 to a peak of 13.1 +/- 1.8 units. Propranolol had no effect on baseline flow, and subsequent phenylephrine infusion after alpha- and beta-blockade caused a small, but significant, sustained decrease in FVC from 5.1 +/- 1.0 to 3.6 +/- 0.8 units. There were no systemic effects from the infusions, and saline infusion at the same rate (1-2 ml/min) had no forearm vasoconstrictor or dilator effects. These data indicate that in humans phenylephrine can exert transient beta(2)-vasodilator activity when its predominant alpha-constrictor effects are blocked.
Abstract P195: Cardiovascular Practitioner's Perspectives on Guilt as a Motivational Tool

Objective: Encouraging lifestyle change is a key facet of cardiovascular care, but health professionals report frustration and frequently feel ineffective in efforts to engage patients in behavior modification. In this study, we sought to define cardiovascular practitioners' perspectives on using guilt as a motivational tool. Methods: We conducted and audio recorded semi-structured interviews with 24 cardiovascular practitioners. Subjects were given a definition of guilt, asked to comment on how often they encountered patients who felt guilty, describe how they responded to those patients, and describe how guilt as a motivational tool might or might not promote lifestyle changes. Interviews were transcribed and coded to identify major themes. Results: Most (n=23/24) practitioners reported encountering patients who felt guilty for not taking better care of themselves. There was no consistent response to guilt: 3 practitioners used fear, 6 induced further guilt, 8 provided education, 5 reassured, and 9 used a ‘starting over’ approach. Practitioners did not agree on whether guilt was an effective motivator; some believed it was (‘My thing is ‘do you want to see your kids grow up, do you want to walk your daughter down the aisle?’ that's guilt, that's healthy guilt and I do use it. And it hits them right in the best spot.'), others did not (“I do think it's harmful because it lowers the self-esteem.”). Several practitioners (n= 8) referenced their own personal experiences or background; only one subject referenced literature on behavior change. Conclusions: Most cardiovascular practitioners encountered guilt in patients over lifetyle. There was no standard approach to the use of guilt in motivation, suggesting the need for more research and training on how to address guilt in cardiovascular patients.
3.7 A 1920×1080 30fps 2.3TOPS/W stereo-depth processor for robust autonomous navigation

Precise depth estimation is a key kernel function to realizing autonomous navigation on micro-aerial vehicles (MAVs). The state-of-the-art semi-global matching (SGM) algorithm has become favored for its high accuracy. In particular, it effectively handles low texture regions due to its global optimization of the disparity between a left and right image over the entire frame. However, SGM involves massively parallel computation (∼2TOP/s) and extremely high bandwidth memory access (38.6Tb/s) for 30fps HD resolution. This leads to ∼20s runtime for an HD image pair on a 3GHz CPU [1] requiring ∼386MB memory and >35W power consumption. Together, these factors place it well outside the realm of MAVs. Prior ASIC implementations have used either simpler local methods [2] or aggressively truncated global algorithms [3] that produce a depth map with significantly inferior quality or limited disparity range (32 or 64 pixels) and therefore fail to support standard automotive scene benchmarks [2–5]. In addition, due to the high memory requirement of SGM, prior methods [3–4] have used external DRAM to store intermediate computation, significantly reducing performance and efficiency.
Automated algorithm for counting microbleeds in patients with familial cerebral cavernous malformations

Familial cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) patients present with multiple lesions that can grow both in number and size over time and are reliably detected on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI). Manual counting of lesions is arduous and subject to high variability. We aimed to develop an automated algorithm for counting CCM microbleeds (lesions <5 mm in diameter) on SWI images. Fifty-seven familial CCM type-1 patients were included in this institutional review board-approved study. Baseline SWI (n = 57) and follow-up SWI (n = 17) were performed on a 3T Siemens MR scanner with lesions counted manually by the study neuroradiologist. We modified an algorithm for detecting radiation-induced microbleeds on SWI images in brain tumor patients, using a training set of 22 manually delineated CCM microbleeds from two random scans. Manual and automated counts were compared using linear regression with robust standard errors, intra-class correlation (ICC), and paired t tests. A validation analysis comparing the automated counting algorithm and a consensus read from two neuroradiologists was used to calculate sensitivity, the proportion of microbleeds correctly identified by the automated algorithm. Automated and manual microbleed counts were in strong agreement in both baseline (ICC = 0.95, p < 0.001) and longitudinal (ICC = 0.88, p < 0.001) analyses, with no significant difference between average counts (baseline p = 0.11, longitudinal p = 0.29). In the validation analysis, the algorithm correctly identified 662 of 1325 microbleeds (sensitivity=50%), again with strong agreement between approaches (ICC = 0.77, p < 0.001). The automated algorithm is a consistent method for counting microbleeds in familial CCM patients that can facilitate lesion quantification and tracking.
Metal–Organic Frameworks as Supramolecular Templates for Directing Aromatic Packing Motifs

Modular methods to direct the molecular packing of aromatic organic chromophores are essential for understanding the subtle principles needed to predict intermolecular interactions and design uniform, efficient organic optoelectronic devices. Here we demonstrate that layered two-dimensional metal–organic frameworks, based on the copper paddlewheel and 5-aryl isophthalate ligands, can alter the interstitial packing of the aryl groups and template new packing motifs for the small acenes.
Junk food diet-induced obesity increases D2 receptor autoinhibition in the ventral tegmental area and reduces ethanol drinking

Similar to drugs of abuse, the hedonic value of food is mediated, at least in part, by the mesostriatal dopamine (DA) system. Prolonged intake of either high calorie diets or drugs of abuse both lead to a blunting of the DA system. Most studies have focused on DAergic alterations in the striatum, but little is known about the effects of high calorie diets on ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons. Since high calorie diets produce addictive-like DAergic adaptations, it is possible these diets may increase addiction susceptibility. However, high calorie diets consistently reduce psychostimulant intake and conditioned place preference in rodents. In contrast, high calorie diets can increase or decrease ethanol drinking, but it is not known how a junk food diet (cafeteria diet) affects ethanol drinking. In the current study, we administered a cafeteria diet consisting of bacon, potato chips, cheesecake, cookies, breakfast cereals, marshmallows, and chocolate candies to male Wistar rats for 3-4 weeks, producing an obese phenotype. Prior cafeteria diet feeding reduced homecage ethanol drinking over 2 weeks of testing, and transiently reduced sucrose and chow intake. Importantly, cafeteria diet had no effect on ethanol metabolism rate or blood ethanol concentrations following 2g/kg ethanol administration. In midbrain slices, we showed that cafeteria diet feeding enhances DA D2 receptor (D2R) autoinhibition in VTA DA neurons. These results show that junk food diet-induced obesity reduces ethanol drinking, and suggest that increased D2R autoinhibition in the VTA may contribute to deficits in DAergic signaling and reward hypofunction observed with obesity.
Storm-time variations of atomic nitrogen 149.3 nm emission

Abstract Net radiances of atomic nitrogen emission line (N-149.3 nm) from the thermosphere are extracted from the FUV spectra observed by TIMED/GUVI on dayside at sunlit latitudes. During geomagnetic storms, the N-149.3 nm intensity is clearly enhanced in the locations where O/N2 depletion and nitric oxide (NO) enhancement are observed. The N-149.3 nm intensity is linearly and tightly correlated with N2 LBHS (140–150 nm) radiance with a fixed LBHS/149.3 nm ratio of ∼4.5, suggesting that dissociation of N2 is the dominant source of the N-149.3 nm emission. In the regions without storm disturbances, the N-149.3 nm intensities are closely correlated with solar EUV flux.
Compassionate revanchism: the blurry geography of homelessness in the USA

In this article we move beyond the binary division between care and punishment in urban studies of homelessness to examine how caring institutions are themselves crucial to the punitive and exclusionary project of capitalist urbanisation. Based on ethnographic and archival analysis of homelessness management in Fresno, California, and Phoenix, Arizona, we show how punitive measures and institutions of care often emerge simultaneously and operate in tandem as part of a broader scheme for urban revitalisation. Further, we show how caring institutions themselves often perform the function of controlling homeless people’s movements in the city, while punitive institutions adopt more caring tactics. Thus, we argue for a focus on how compassion and criminalisation are regularly blurred.
Meta-proteomic analysis of protein expression distinctive to electricity-generating biofilm communities in air-cathode microbial fuel cells.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) harness electrons from microbial respiration to generate power or chemical products from a variety of organic feedstocks, including lignocellulosic biomass, fermentation byproducts, and wastewater sludge. In some BESs, such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs), bacteria living in a biofilm use the anode as an electron acceptor for electrons harvested from organic materials such as lignocellulosic biomass or waste byproducts, generating energy that may be used by humans. Many BES applications use bacterial biofilm communities, but no studies have investigated protein expression by the anode biofilm community as a whole. To discover functional protein expression during current generation that may be useful for MFC optimization, a label-free meta-proteomics approach was used to compare protein expression in acetate-fed anode biofilms before and after the onset of robust electricity generation. Meta-proteomic comparisons were integrated with 16S rRNA gene-based community analysis at four developmental stages. The community composition shifted from dominance by aerobic Gammaproteobacteria (90.9 ± 3.3%) during initial biofilm formation to dominance by Deltaproteobacteria, particularly Geobacter (68.7 ± 3.6%) in mature, electricity-generating anodes. Community diversity in the intermediate stage, just after robust current generation began, was double that at the early stage and nearly double that of mature anode communities. Maximum current densities at the intermediate stage, however, were relatively similar (~ 83%) to those achieved by mature-stage biofilms. Meta-proteomic analysis, correlated with population changes, revealed significant enrichment of categories specific to membrane and transport functions among proteins from electricity-producing biofilms. Proteins detected only in electricity-producing biofilms were associated with gluconeogenesis, the glyoxylate cycle, and fatty acid β-oxidation, as well as with denitrification and competitive inhibition. The results demonstrate that it is possible for an MFC microbial community to generate robust current densities while exhibiting high taxonomic diversity. Moreover, these data provide evidence to suggest that startup growth of air–cathode MFCs under conditions that promote the establishment of aerobic–anaerobic syntrophy may decrease startup times. This study represents the first investigation into protein expression of a complex BES anode biofilm community as a whole. The findings contribute to understanding of the molecular mechanisms at work during BES startup and suggest options for improvement of BES generation of bioelectricity from renewable biomass.
Relational Consent: Reflections on Disability and Jonathan Edwards's Aesthetics

ABSTRACTThe author retrieves Jonathan Edwards's understanding of consent as a model for conceptualizing political participation. Edwarsdean consent both presumes and reiterates a view of human flourishing as fundamentally relational. Attention to this notion of consent in Edwards's aesthetics invites a reinterpretation of civic participation as compatible with intellectual disability.
Depression management interests among Alaska Native and American Indian adults in primary care.

Abstract Background Depression remains the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Symptoms of depression are expressed and experienced differently across cultural groups, impacting treatment decisions. Patient preferences predict service utilization, treatment selection and persistence, as well as health outcomes for medical and behavioral health conditions, including depression. We identified depression management preferences of Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) people who receive care within a comprehensive, integrated, tribally owned and operated healthcare facility in Anchorage, Alaska. Methods Adult AN/AI patients who screened positive for depression (10 or greater on the Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9)) completed a culturally-tailored decision-support tool to assess their depression management interests. Results The 125 eligible patients, who screened positive for depression, preferred counseling and medications to peer support groups, herbal remedies, and spiritual support. Those 18–39 years of age were more likely to prefer medications and less likely to prefer spirituality and peer support than those 40 years of age and older. Patients with moderate and severe depression were more likely to prefer exercise, healthy eating, and stress reduction than individuals with mild depression. Limitations Women comprised 78% of the sample. Responses may not adequately represent the views of men. Conclusions Counseling and medications should consistently be made available earlier in the course of depression management. Patient interest in exercise, stress reduction, and healthy eating to manage depression, especially among those with moderate and severe depression, offers opportunity for additional collaboration in an integrated care setting.
SEQUENCE HOMOLOGY OF SNAKE, SCORPION, AND BEE TOXINS

Alignment of composite amino acid sequences for four types of snake toxins, three types of scorpion toxins, and two bee toxins revealed significant sequence homology. The positions of the cysteine residues and probable deletions suggested that these toxins evolved from a common ancestral polypeptide about half the length of the present snake and scorpion toxins. The sequence data are consistent with the following scheme. The ancestral half-toxin sequence evolved to form protosnake half-toxin and protoscorpion half-toxin sequences. The protosnake half-toxin underwent internal duplication to form a protosnake toxin, which underwent duplication and evolution to furnish the present snake cytotoxins, short neurotoxins, medium toxins, and long neurotoxins. Independently, the protoscorpion half-toxin also underwent similar internal duplication to give a protoscorpion toxin, which underwent duplications and evolution to provide the several types of scorpion neurotoxins. In addition, the protoscorpion half-toxin may have evolved by divergence and duplication without internal duplication to yield two bee peptides, apamin and mast-cell degranulating peptide.
THE GROUP STRUCTURE AND THE THEORY OF OBSERVABLE MARKET BEHAVIOR

This chapter discusses the group structure and the theory of observable market behavior. The chapter focuses on the analysis and abstraction of the formal group structure exhibited in many observable market behaviors dealt with in economic theory. Many of the well-known results in economic theory are restated in the group theoretical and differential geometric framework in a more consistent manner. This enables one to study some of the basic problems still unresolved in economics in a more fruitful and unified manner. Thus, for instance, the well-known theory of revealed preference in the consumer's demand analysis is regarded as the involution conditions of the group action of a Lie group on a differentiable manifold. Economic optimization, such as cost minimization and utility maximization is regarded as defining contact transformations. If rational economic behavior is market observable as a system of mixed variables of prices and quantities, the underlying production technology or the preference ordering can be recoverable by the use of the fundamental properties of contact transformations. The Frobenius existence theorem is fundamental to the group theoretic/differential geometric approach to the theory of observable behavior.
The International Criminal Court and Atrocities in DRC: A Case Study of the RCD-Goma (Nkunda Faction)/CNDP/M23 Rebel Group

Do International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutions initiated during ongoing conflict prevent, exacerbate, or have no effect on atrocities? I address this question in the context of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by developing a case study of the impact of ICC action vis-a-vis the RCD-Goma (Nkunda faction)/CNDP/M23, a major rebel group active in DRC from 2004 through 2013. Specifically, I analyze the effects of ICC actions, including the unsealing of an ICC arrest warrant for Bosco Ntaganda, at the time a senior commander in the CDNP, in April 2008, the ICC’s first conviction in March 2013, and Ntaganda’s surrender to the ICC in March 2013, on atrocities committed by this group. I employ both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The quantitative component involves interrupted time series analysis of data from the GED and ACLED conflict events databases on attacks against civilians (which I use to proxy atrocities) attributable to the RCD-Goma (Nkunda faction)/CNDP/M23. The qualitative component employs process tracing to test my quantitative findings for spuriousness and identify causal mechanisms linking ICC actions to observed outcomes; the primary data source for this analysis is interviews conducted with former members of the RCD-Goma (Nkunda faction)/CNDP/M23, current and former members of other belligerent groups, civil society activists, and local and international media. My analysis yields three main findings. First, the publication of the arrest warrant for Bosco Ntaganda had no significant effect on violence against civilians, mostly because Ntaganda and other CNDP leaders perceived a low probability of arrest and other future legal sanctions resulting from the warrant. Second, the ICC’s first conviction, for Thomas Lubanga on charges of conscripting child soldiers, was associated with higher levels of violence against civilians, as renewed calls for Ntaganda’s arrest after the Lubganga verdict contributed to the outbreak of the M23 rebellion and increased violence against civilians. Finally, Ntaganda’s voluntary surrender to the ICC was associated with lower levels of violence against civilians, mostly because it significantly weakened the M23. Based on these findings, I suggest a reframing of the debate over the impact of prosecutions to focus on identifying and explaining variation in their impact across stages of the legal process and other relevant categories, rather than whether or if prosecutions generate effects.
Is intelligence associated with mortality from lethal force by law enforcement

Abstract Intelligence (IQ) has emerged as an important determinant of many social and health outcomes, and is associated with criminal behavior. This ecological study tested whether IQ was associated with the use of lethal force by law enforcement by examining estimates of state IQ and mortality from lethal force in 50 U.S. states. These data were obtained from a variety of sources freely available on the Internet, including information about mortality from lethal force from a database compiled by a news website, The Guardian. State IQ was negatively correlated with the rate of people killed by law enforcement (r = −0.50, p
Clinical and Economic Impact of Time From Admission for CSF Rhinorrhea to Surgical Repair

BACKGROUND If conservative management of CSF leak is unsuccessful, surgical repair is indicated for the prevention of severe complications such as meningitis. This study investigated the influence of surgical timing on clinical and economic outcomes. METHODS Retrospective review of the National Inpatient Sample (2012) and the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2002-2011) for nonelective admissions with a principal diagnosis of CSF rhinorrhea treated with surgical repair of the meninges. Demographics and outcomes of patients undergoing meningeal repair for CSF rhinorrhea were analyzed. Cases were classified into four groups based on timing of surgical intervention: 1) performed on the day of admission (day 0), 2) performed between days 1 and 3, 3) performed between days 4 and 7, and 4) performed between days 8 and 14. RESULTS A total of 1,088 emergent admissions were analyzed. On average, patients underwent surgical repair between the second and fourth day of admission. Lowest rates of meningitis were in patients treated on the day of admission (6.1%); those treated at 2 weeks had a 34.7% incidence. Multivariate analysis controlling for comorbidity burden, gender, and surgical timing found the highest odds of meningitis in patients treated with surgical repair during the second week of admission compared to repair on the day of admission (OR 8.2, P < .001). Length of stay (LOS) and hospital costs increased as time to repair increased. CONCLUSION Multiple factors influence outcomes in patients with CSF rhinorrhea. Early surgical repair was significantly associated with decreased rates of meningitis, LOS, and hospital costs. Expedient treatment of patients admitted for CSF rhinorrhea may prove to be both a cost- and morbidity-saving measure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2C Laryngoscope, 129:539-543, 2019.
Overcoming smallness: Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and strategic realignment in the Gulf

Geography and the anarchic state system incentivise the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar to collaborate in managing the threat posed by being neighbours of two (aspiring) regional hegemons, Saudi Arabia and Iran. However, both small states have responded very differently to the causes and consequences of instability in the Gulf region and developed very different foreign policies to deal with their structural IR problem. Just how divergent their external relations now are is clearly seen in the UAE’s lead role in the diplomatic boycott and economic embargo launched against Qatar in June 2017—including the de facto dissolution of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Framing our examination in the theoretical literature on small states, we explain the ultimately colliding foreign policy trajectories of the UAE and Qatar in terms of diverging ideational and strategic considerations in the cause of what we term ‘overcoming smallness’.
Progressive supranuclear palsy is not associated with neurogenic orthostatic hypotension.

Objective To evaluate the pattern and severity of autonomic dysfunction in autopsy-confirmed progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) compared to α-synuclein pathology. Methods Autopsy-confirmed cases of 14 patients with PSP, 18 with multiple system atrophy (MSA), and 24 with Lewy body disease (LBD) with antemortem autonomic testing were reviewed retrospectively. All patients underwent comprehensive clinical evaluations by a movement disorder specialist, formal autonomic testing, and postmortem examinations at Mayo Clinic. Results The absence of orthostatic hypotension (OH) was the strongest autonomic parameter that distinguished PSP from α-synucleinopathies (0% vs 69%, p Conclusion Our results suggest that the cardiovascular adrenergic system, which sustains BP during standing, is relatively unaffected, if not spared, in PSP. These findings increase our understanding of the clinical signature of PSP and have the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy in atypical parkinsonisms by distinguishing PSP from the α-synucleinopathies.
In situ position-resolved x-ray diffraction of an intact Roman-era Egyptian mummy guided by computed tomography

Contrast in Computed Tomography (CT) most often relies on absorption differences, and reconstructions give absorptivity of each volume element (voxel) but not the material’s identity. This paper describes the first use of in situ position-resolved x-ray diffraction to identify different contents (see below) within an intact mummy. Hawara Portrait Mummy No. 4 (HPM4) was first imaged with a clinical CT scanner, and this 3D “roadmap” guided diffraction mapping at beamline 1-ID of the Advanced Photon Source. Only 24 hrs were available, and the CT data allowed mapping of only the volumes of interest. The long beam path through the mummy was a major complication solved by collecting each diffraction pattern at two detector-mummy separations. Accuracy in diffracting volume positions was 1-2 mm, and precision sufficed for diffraction identification of the materials. Diffraction patterns were collected from the mineralized tissues within the five year old child’s mummy (HPM4), specifically the skull, cervical vertebrae, femora and teeth. Patterns from the femorum lateral and medial sides (and the skull’s left and right sides) could be analyzed separately. Lattice parameters and crystallite sizes of the bones’ mineral phase were comparable with those from modern bone. Within the wrappings, wires were located by diffraction and identified as a modern dual phase steel, probably introduced during earlier conservation. Highly absorbing, millimeter-sized inclusions were identified as calcite. The position of these and other features were found at the positions indicated by the CT scans, and the limitations of the diffraction approach compared to absorption CT are discussed.
Librarians as methodological peer reviewers for systematic reviews: results of an online survey

Developing a comprehensive, reproducible literature search is the basis for a high-quality systematic review (SR). Librarians and information professionals, as expert searchers, can improve the quality of systematic review searches, methodology, and reporting. Likewise, journal editors and authors often seek to improve the quality of published SRs and other evidence syntheses through peer review. Health sciences librarians contribute to systematic review production but little is known about their involvement in peer reviewing SR manuscripts. This survey aimed to assess how frequently librarians are asked to peer review systematic review manuscripts and to determine characteristics associated with those invited to review. The survey was distributed to a purposive sample through three health sciences information professional listservs. There were 291 complete survey responses. Results indicated that 22% (n = 63) of respondents had been asked by journal editors to peer review systematic review or meta-analysis manuscripts. Of the 78% (n = 228) of respondents who had not already been asked, 54% (n = 122) would peer review, and 41% (n = 93) might peer review. Only 4% (n = 9) would not review a manuscript. Respondents had peer reviewed manuscripts for 38 unique journals and believed they were asked because of their professional expertise. Of respondents who had declined to peer review (32%, n = 20), the most common explanation was “not enough time” (60%, n = 12) followed by “lack of expertise” (50%, n = 10). The vast majority of respondents (95%, n = 40) had “rejected or recommended a revision of a manuscript| after peer review. They based their decision on the “search methodology” (57%, n = 36), “search write-up” (46%, n = 29), or “entire article” (54%, n = 34). Those who selected “other” (37%, n = 23) listed a variety of reasons for rejection, including problems or errors in the PRISMA flow diagram; tables of included, excluded, and ongoing studies; data extraction; reporting; and pooling methods. Despite being experts in conducting literature searches and supporting SR teams through the review process, few librarians have been asked to review SR manuscripts, or even just search strategies; yet many are willing to provide this service. Editors should involve experienced librarians with peer review and we suggest some strategies to consider.
Beyond stewardship and dominion? Towards a social psychological explanation of the relationship between religious attitudes and environmental concern

Research about the religion and environmental attitudes relationship in the United States has yielded mixed results. Some studies find that religion relates to heightened concern about environmenta...
Reactions to the opioid epidemic: A text-mining analysis of tweets

This study analyzed public reactions to the opioid epidemic using Twitter discourse. Methods: One month of unique tweets (n = 26,079) from July 23, 2018 to August 22, 2018 were identified using the...
A Deep Neural Network for Accurate and Robust Prediction of the Glass Transition Temperature of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Homo- and Copolymers.

The purpose of this study was to develop a data-driven machine learning model to predict the performance properties of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a group of biosourced polyesters featuring excellent performance, to guide future design and synthesis experiments. A deep neural network (DNN) machine learning model was built for predicting the glass transition temperature, Tg, of PHA homo- and copolymers. Molecular fingerprints were used to capture the structural and atomic information of PHA monomers. The other input variables included the molecular weight, the polydispersity index, and the percentage of each monomer in the homo- and copolymers. The results indicate that the DNN model achieves high accuracy in estimation of the glass transition temperature of PHAs. In addition, the symmetry of the DNN model is ensured by incorporating symmetry data in the training process. The DNN model achieved better performance than the support vector machine (SVD), a nonlinear ML model and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), a sparse linear regression model. The relative importance of factors affecting the DNN model prediction were analyzed. Sensitivity of the DNN model, including strategies to deal with missing data, were also investigated. Compared with commonly used machine learning models incorporating quantitative structure-property (QSPR) relationships, it does not require an explicit descriptor selection step but shows a comparable performance. The machine learning model framework can be readily extended to predict other properties.
Using a Phosphoproteomic Screen to Profile Early Changes During HCMV Infection of Human Monocytes.

During the binding and infection of monocytes, HCMV binds to at least two major cell surface receptors/receptor families: the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to initiate downstream signaling through the EGFR-PI3K pathway, and to β1- and β3-integrins to initiate downstream signaling through the integrin-c-Src pathway (Nogalski et al. PLoS Pathog 9:e1003463, 2013; Chan et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:22369-22374, 2009; Kim et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113:8819-8824, 2016; Wang et al. Nature 424:456-461, 2003; Wang et al. Nat Med 11:515-521, 2005; Yurochko et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 89:9034-9038, 1992). Signaling through these receptors can occur rapidly with phosphorylation observed as early as 15 s after EGF-EGFR interaction, for example (Alvarez-Salamero et al. Front Immunol 8:938, 2017). The ability to detect signaling and the consequences of that signaling are critical for our understanding of how HCMV-receptor engagement promotes infection and modulates the biology of different target cells. In this chapter we describe how we used an ELISA-based antibody platform to perform an assessment of the rapid phosphorylation events that occur in monocytes following infection. This assay can be adapted to other infection systems, time points and cell types as needed. Together, we examined via an ELISA-based antibody array a phosphoproteomic screen to search for potential phosphorylated proteins that might influence HCMV infection.
A gene-based capture assay for surveying patterns of genetic diversity and insecticide resistance in a worldwide group of invasive mosquitoes

Abstract Understanding patterns of diversification, genetic exchange, and pesticide resistance in insect species of human health concern is necessary for effective population reduction and management. With the broad availability of next-generation sequencing technologies, one of the best approaches for surveying such patterns involves the simultaneous genotyping of many samples for large numbers of genetic markers from across the known genome. To this end, the targeting of gene sequences of known function or inheritance can be a cost-effective strategy. One insect group of substantial health concern are the mosquito taxa that make up the Culex pipiens complex. Members of this complex transmit damaging arboviruses and filariae worms to humans, as well as other pathogens that are detrimental to endangered vertebrate species such as bird malaria. Here we describe our development of a targeted gene-based assay for surveying genetic diversity and population structure in this mosquito complex. To test the utility of this assay, we examined taxonomic divergence among samples from several members of the complex, as well as distinct populations of the relatively under-studied Culex quinquefasciatus, an urban pantropical species. We also examined the presence of known insecticide-resistance conferring alleles. Broadly, our developed gene-based assay proved effective for examining patterns of taxonomic and geographic clustering within the species complex, as well as for surveying genetic variants that have been associated with insecticide resistance. This assay will be useful for future studies that aim to understand the genetic mechanisms underlying the evolution of ubiquitous and increasingly damaging disease vectors.