cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding ill-structured engineering ethics problems through a collaborative learning and argument visualization approach.

As a committee of the National Academy of Engineering recognized, ethics education should foster the ability of students to analyze complex decision situations and ill-structured problems. Building on the NAE’s insights, we report about an innovative teaching approach that has two main features: first, it places the emphasis on deliberation and on self-directed, problem-based learning in small groups of students; and second, it focuses on understanding ill-structured problems. The first innovation is motivated by an abundance of scholarly research that supports the value of deliberative learning practices. The second results from a critique of the traditional case-study approach in engineering ethics. A key problem with standard cases is that they are usually described in such a fashion that renders the ethical problem as being too obvious and simplistic. The practitioner, by contrast, may face problems that are ill-structured. In the collaborative learning environment described here, groups of students use interactive and web-based argument visualization software called “AGORA-net: Participate – Deliberate!”. The function of the software is to structure communication and problem solving in small groups. Students are confronted with the task of identifying possible stakeholder positions and reconstructing their legitimacy by constructing justifications for these positions in the form of graphically represented argument maps. The argument maps are then presented in class so that these stakeholder positions and their respective justifications become visible and can be brought into a reasoned dialogue. Argument mapping provides an opportunity for students to collaborate in teams and to develop critical thinking and argumentation skills.
On the Origin of Crystal-poor Rhyolites: Extracted from Batholithic Crystal Mushes

The largest accumulations of rhyolitic melt in the upper crust occur in voluminous silicic crystal mushes, which sometimes erupt as unzoned, crystal-rich ignimbrites, but are most frequently preserved as granodioritic batholiths. After approximately 40–50% crystallization, magmas of intermediate composition (andesite–dacite) typically contain high-SiO2 interstitial melt, similar to crystal-poor rhyolites commonly erupted in mature arc and continental settings. This paper analyzes the feasibility of system-wide extraction of this melt from the mush, a mechanism that can rationalize a number of observations in both the plutonic and volcanic record, such as: (1) abrupt compositional gaps in ignimbrites; (2) the presence of chemically highly evolved bodies at the roof of subvolcanic batholiths; (3) the observed range of ages (up to 200–300 ka) recorded by zircons in silicic magmas; (4) extensive zones of low P-wave velocity in the shallow crust under active silicic calderas. We argue that crystal–melt segregation occurs by a combination of several processes (hindered settling, micro-settling, compaction) once convection is hampered as the rheological locking point of the crystal–melt mixture ( 50 vol. % crystals) is attained. We constrain segregation rates by using hindered settling velocities and compaction rates as endmembers. Time scales estimated for the formation of >500 km of crystal-poor rhyolite range from 10 to 10 years, within the estimated residence times of mushes in the upper crust (>10 years, largely based on U/Th and U/Pb dating). This model provides an integrated picture of silicic magmatism, linking the evolution of plutonic and volcanic systems until storage in the upper crust, where granitoids become the leftovers from rhyolitic eruptions.
Interdependence, Government Constraints, and Economic Voting

This article examines the role of global economic interdependence in constraining citizens' responses to domestic economic performance. While recent work in economic voting has made strides in accounting for the contextual mediators of support, analyses have not gone beyond domestic political structures. At the same time, students of globalization highlight the constraints governments face from the world economy but do not extend their analyses to examine the role of mass political behavior. This article brings these two research agendas together. Using cross-sectional individual-level data, it is found that accounting for exposure to the world economy dampens the strength of domestic economic bases of popular support. Additional analyses show that the susceptibility of different groups in society to the global economy's mediating influences is not uniform but contingent on occupational differences.
100-gb/s transmission using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing

The possibility of 100-Gb/s transmission over 25-GHz bandwidth using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is demonstrated. It is shown that 100-Gb/s transmission over 3840 km can be achieved using single-sideband quadrature-phase-shift keying OFDM transmission and low-density parity-check codes
Complex Selection on Intron Size in Cryptococcus neoformans

We conducted a genome-wide analysis of the roles of mutation and selection in sculpting intron size in the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. We find that deletion rate is positively associated with intron length and that insertion rate exhibits a weak negative association with intron length. These patterns suggest that long introns as well as extremely short introns in this unusually intron-rich fungal genome are in mutation-selection disequilibrium and that the proportion of constrained functional sequence in introns does not scale linearly with size. We find that untranslated region introns are longer than coding-region introns and that first introns are substantially longer than subsequent introns, suggesting heterogeneous distribution of constrained functional sequence and/or selective pressures on intron size within genes. In contrast to Drosophila, we find a positive correlation between d(N) and first intron or last intron length and a negative correlation between d(N) and internal intron length. This contrasting pattern may indicate that terminal introns and internal introns are differentially subject to hypothesized selection pressures modulating intron size and provides further evidence of widespread selective constraints on noncoding sequences.
Techniques for heating brain tumors with implanted microwave antennas

A technique is described in which microwave antennas are inserted into an array of nylon catheters implanted in brain tumors and a localized heat treatment is applied to raise the tumor to 43 degrees C. Flexible antennas of various designs have been used, such as dipole, choke dipole, modified dipole, and helical designs. Phase shifting and phase rotation techniques have been incorporated into the treatment system to steer power in the tumor, as predicted by computer modeling. Choke antennas counter the sensitivity of dipole antennas to insertion length. Clinical results with the different antenna designs are discussed. >
Assessing sustainability impacts of route guidance system under cooperative vehicle infrastructure environment

The sustainability impacts of route guidance system under the cooperative vehicle infrastructure environment were examined under the various market penetration rates of equipped vehicles at 0%, 5%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. To evaluate the impacts, this study used an advanced simulation test-bed enabling car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communications based on a microscopic traffic simulation model, VISSIM and a microscopic emission and fuel consumption model, VT-Micro. The simulation results indicated that the route guidance system under the cooperative vehicle infrastructure environment improves air qualities and fuel consumption 10–18% compared to base case.
Induction of autophagy in axonal dystrophy and degeneration.

Autophagy is a highly regulated cellular mechanism for the bulk degradation of cytoplasmic contents. It has been implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions relevant to neurological diseases. However, the regulation of autophagy in neurons and its role in neuronal and axonal pathology are not yet understood. Using transgenic mice producing green fluorescent protein-tagged autophagic marker microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (GFP–LC3), we provide molecular evidence for the induction of autophagy in axonal dystrophy and degeneration in Purkinje cells of the Lurcher mice, a model for excitotoxic neurodegeneration. We show that the excitotoxic insult of Lurcher mutation triggers an early response of Purkinje cells involving accumulation of GFP–LC3-labeled autophagosomes in axonal dystrophic swellings (a hallmark of CNS axonopathy). In brain, LC3 interacts with high affinity with the microtubule-associated protein 1B (MAP1B). We show that MAP1B binds to LC3 of both cytosolic form (LC3I) and lipidated form (LC3II). Moreover, in cell culture, overexpression of MAP1B results in reduced LC3II levels and number of GFP–LC3-labeled autophagosomes; phosphorylated MAP1B is associated with GFP–LC3-labeled autophagosomes. Furthermore, in brain, phosphorylated MAP1B accumulates in axonal dystrophic swellings of degenerating Purkinje cells and binds to LC3 at increased level. Therefore, the MAP1B–LC3 interaction may participate in regulation of LC3-associated autophagosomes in neurons, in particular at axons, under normal and pathogenic conditions. We propose that induction of autophagy serves as an early stress response in axonal dystrophy and may participate in the remodeling of axon structures.
Teacher Training in Corrections and Special Education

As special educators address the needs of adjudicated handicapped youth, training programs that adequately prepare prospective teachers need to be developed. This paper examines teacher training from several perspectives. A summary of a national survey of administrators in correctional and special education is discussed. Inservice and pre service training programs in corrections and special education at the University of Maryland are reviewed. Finally, specific recommendations for developing training programs are made. Graduates of well-designed training programs are streetwise and politically savvy as well as professionally competent.
Automatic Formal Verification of Block Cipher Implementations

This paper describes an automatic method for proving equivalence of implementations of block ciphers (and similar cryptographic algorithms). The method can compare two object code implementations or compare object code to a formal, mathematical specification. In either case it proves that the computations being compared are bit-for-bit equivalent. The method has two steps. First the computations are represented as large mathematical terms. Then the two terms are proved equivalent using a phased approach that includes domain-specific optimizations for block ciphers and relies on a careful choice of both word-level and bit-level simplifications. The verification also relies on STP [5], a SAT-based decision procedure for bit-vectors and arrays. The method has been applied to verify real, widely-used Java code from Sun Microsystems and the open source Bouncy Castle project. It has been applied to implementations of the block ciphers AES, DES, Triple DES (3DES), Blowfish, RC2, RC6, and Skipjack as well as applications of the cryptographic hash functions SHA-1 and MD5 on fixed-length messages.
Subtype Progression and Pathophysiologic Deterioration in Early Schizophrenia

It is important to elaborate what we know about the symptomatic, syndromal, and functional course of schizophrenia in order to test models for this illness. The sample of schizophrenic patients from the Chestnut Lodge followup study was subtyped using classical (modified DSMHI-R) criteria and deficit/ nondeficit (Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome) criteria. During the first 5 years of manifest illness, the subtype phenomenologies were moderately stable. Instability consisted of a drift toward disorganization (hebephrenia) and nonspecificity (undifferentiated) among the classical subtypes, and toward the deficit subtype within that categorization. Over the same time, positive symptoms were relatively stable, but negative symptoms became significantly worse. Such changes probably reflect "deterioration" because they were associated with poorer functional outcome an average of 15 years later. These data dovetail with other reports in the literature and suggest a hierarchy of symptomatic/s yndromal progression in early manifest schizophrenia that may reflect active deterioration processes at work. We suggest that any theory of schizophrenic pathophysiology must account for these patterns of symptom course.
X-Ray Microbeam Measurement of Local Texture and Strain in Metals

Synchrotron x-ray sources provide high-brilliance beams that can be focused to submicron sizes with Fresnel zone-plate and x-ray mirror optics. With these intense, tunable or broad-bandpass x-ray microbeams, it is now possible to study texture and strain distributions in surfaces, and in buried or encapsulated thin films. The full strain tensor and local texture can be determined by measuring the unit cell parameters of strained material. With monochromatic or tunable radiation, at least three independent reflections are needed to determine the orientation and unit cell parameters of an unknown crystal. With broad-bandpass or white radiation, at least four reflections and one measured energy are required to determine the orientation and the unit cell parameters of an unknown crystal. Routine measurement of local texture and strain is made possible by automatic indexing of the Laue reflections combined with precision calibration of the monochromator-focusing mirrors-CCD detector system. Methods used in implementing these techniques on the MHA-IT-CAT beam line at the Advanced Photon Source will be discussed.
Climatic and land cover influences on the spatiotemporal dynamics of Holocene boreal fire regimes

Although recent climatic warming has markedly increased fire activity in many biomes, this trend is spatially heterogeneous. Understanding the patterns and controls of this heterogeneity is important for anticipating future fire regime shifts at regional scales and for developing land management policies. To assess climatic and land cover controls on boreal forest fire regimes, we conducted macroscopic-charcoal analysis of sediment cores and GIS analysis of landscape variation in south-central Alaska, USA. Results reveal that fire occurrence was highly variable both spatially and temporally over the past seven millennia. At two of four sites, the lack of distinct charcoal peaks throughout much of this period suggests the absence of large local fires, attributed to abundant water bodies in the surrounding landscape that have likely functioned as firebreaks to limit fire spread. In contrast, distinct charcoal peaks suggest numerous local fires at the other two sites where water bodies are less abundant. In ...
Interictal spike detection using the Walsh transform

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using the Walsh transformation to detect interictal spikes in electroencephalogram (EEG) data. Walsh operators were designed to formulate characteristics drawn from experimental observation, as provided by medical experts. The merits of the algorithm are: 1) in decorrelating the data to form an orthogonal basis and 2) simplicity of implementation. EEG recordings were obtained at a sampling frequency of 500 Hz using standard 10-20 electrode placements. Independent sets of EEG data recorded on 18 patients with focal epilepsy were used to train and test the algorithm. Twenty to thirty minutes of recordings were obtained with each subject awake, supine, and at rest. Spikes were annotated independently by two EEG experts. On evaluation, the algorithm identified 110 out of 139 spikes identified by either expert (True Positives=79%) and missed 29 spikes (False Negatives=21%). Evaluation of the algorithm revealed a Precision (Positive Predictive Value) of 85% and a Sensitivity of 79%. The encouraging preliminary results support its further development for prolonged EEG recordings in ambulatory subjects. With these results, the false detection (FD) rate is estimated at 7.2 FD per hour of continuous EEG recording.
A Two-Layer Model of the North Atlantic Thermocline

Abstract A two-layer model of a mid-oceanic thermocline is developed, and a comparison of the depth and temperature of the thermocline in this model is made with a root-mean-square description of the hydrographic structure of the North Atlantic. It is shown that the Sverdrup balance is maintained within the rms errors, and the entire estimated heat flux from the atmosphere is used to produce the observed density changes along the path of persistent flow.
Sunlight and Settlement Mills

Accident compensation, and particularly auto accident compensation, is typically thought to take one of two dichotomous forms: either no-fault or traditional tort. Further, conventional wisdom holds that while pure no-fault may be an option in theory, it is not one in practice. No pure no-fault auto regime has ever been enacted in the United States, and states these days are repealing, rather than enacting, modified no-fault legislation. Yet something peculiar is happening on the ground. Far out of the light of day, high-volume personal injury firms that I call “settlement mills” are quietly achieving many of no-fault’s objectives — speeding recoveries, lowering systemic costs, and delivering relatively standardized sums to an apparently expanded set of clients — while ostensibly operating within traditional tort. What settlement mills are accomplishing, then, is in some respects astonishing — and certainly commendable. Yet, the fact settlement mills’ distinctive operations are out of the light of day and rarely revealed to clients is problematic, raising profound issues of informed consent and highlighting severe information deficiencies in the market for legal services. A well-designed disclosure regime can preserve settlement mills’ substantial benefits, ameliorate their unique costs, and, more broadly, improve the tort system’s operation and address the vexing problem of attorney choice.
The first Indo-French Prehistorical Mission in Siwaliks and the discovery of anthropic activities at 2.6 million years

Abstract This paper presents the first Indo-French Prehistorical Mission in the Himalayan foothills, northwestern India, and introduces the results of the multidisciplinary research program “Siwaliks” under the patronage of Professor Yves Coppens, from the College de France and Academie des Sciences, France. This program is dedicated to the discovery of cut marks on mineralized bovid bones collected among vertebrate fossils in a fluviatile formation named “Quranwala zone” in the Chandigarh anticline, near the village Masol, and located just below the Gauss–Matuyama polarity reversal (2.58 Ma). Artefacts (simple choppers, flakes) have been collected in and on the colluviums. This important discovery questions the origins of the hominins which made the marks.
Pre-Market Skills, Occupational Choice, and Career Progression

This paper develops a new empirical framework for analyzing occupational choice and career progression. I merge the NLSYs with O*Net and find that pre-market skills (primarily ASVAB test scores) predict the task content of the workers’ occupations. These measures account for 71 percent of the gender gap in science and engineering occupations. Career trajectories are similar across workers, so that initial differences in occupation persist over time. I then quantify the effect of layoffs on career trajectory and find that a layoff erases one-fourth of a worker’s total career increase in task content but this effect only lasts two years.
Platypnea-Orthodeoxia Syndrome Due to Venovenous Malformation

The platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome (POS) is a rare clinical condition characterized by dyspnea occurring in the upright position and relieved in the supine position (platypnea) associated with oxygen desaturation noted in the upright position (orthodeoxia).1 A diagnosis of POS requires two of the following criteria: 1) orthodeoxia, 2) platypnea, 3) presence of an interatrial communication, 4) right-to-left shunt, and 5) absence of pulmonary arterial hypertension or right atrial hypertension.1,2 POS can originate in the heart, lungs, abdomen, or elsewhere due to either an intracardiac (cardiac POS) or intrapulmonary shunt, or a ventilation-perfusion mismatch.1 However, a venovenous malformation (VVM) as a cause of cardiac POS has never been reported in the literature.1 We report here the case of a 24-year-old female patient who presented with cardiac POS due to a VVM. The syndrome emerged insidiously 16 years after an extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) for a complex of congenital cardiovascular malformations and was successfully treated with percutaneous transvenous coil embolization.
On Translation Planes with Affine Central Collineations, II

This article, as the name implies, is a continuation of [9]. In that article the second author investigates finite translation planes containing both affine dations and affine homologies. (See the beginning of Section 2 for definitions.) Such translation planes are called Ei7-planes. In [9] the author restricted himself to translation planes of characteristic p ≧ 5. The main reasons for this were that Ostrom's and Hering's theorem [13; 4] on affine dations excluded the case p = 3 and the conclusions were easier to interpret geometrically when p ≧ 5 (as opposed to the case p = 2). Since then Ostrom [17] has settled the case p = 3.
Immunoelectrophoretic Identification of Human Serum Proteins on a Cellulose-Acetate Medium

Immunoelectrophoretic identification of components of serum protein has become a common laboratory procedure. The technic with agar gel is relatively cumbersome. Modification to permit its performance on a paper-like medium such as cellulose-acetate offers advantages of convenience and uniformity. Cellulose-acetate membrane has been described for electrophoretic separation of proteins ' ' 10 and for Immunoelectrophoresis.-' 6 '-''Sudhof and Walter detailed patterns of 5 serum fractions by means of Immunoelectrophoresis on this medium; however, more detailed immunoelectrophoretic analyses of human serum proteins on cellulose-acetate have not been reported. Inasmuch as immunoelectrophoretic patterns in agar gel and on celluloseacetate would not necessarily be the same, the study described in this paper was made in order to determine the electrophoretic patterns of human serums on that medium.
Treatment of Hyperthyroidism With Antithyroid Drugs

When the requirements of proper dosage, duration and distribution of administration. are met, propylthiouracil and similar agents are effective, safe, inexpensive and convenient in treatment of hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism in youth and in pregnancy presents special problems, and antithyroid drugs are the treatment of choice. We believe that the uncertainty of the long-term effects of radioiodine warrants the use of antithyroid drugs in most young adults with hyperthyroidism.
2,4-Diamino-5-cyano-6-halopyridines and analogues. A new family of insulin secretogogues that resemble glucose in hydrogen bonding possibilities.

Rat pancreas was perfused in situ with medium containing 300 mg/dl glucose and 2,4-diamino-5-cyano-6-bromopyndine (Compound I) or several closely related analogues. Addition of 0.1 mM Compound I caused a 3 to 4-fold increase in insulin release. At 1.0 mM concentration Compound I increased insulin release 7 to 20-fold greater than that caused by glucose alone. The augmented release of insulin was biphasic, with a brief initial spike followed by a secondary rise that lasted at least 60 min. Similar results were obtained with 2,4-diamino-5-cyano-6-iodopyridine and 2,4-diamino-3,5-dicyano-6-bromopyridine. Twenty minutes after giving Compound I by gavage to anesthetized rats an intravenous bolus of glucose (0.625 g/kg) was given. During the 60 min interval following glucose, drug-treated animals had almost 3 times higher serum insulin concentrations compared to control animals. The glucose disappearance curves were similar in both groups. These results indicate that Compound I and its analogues are potent insulin secretogogues in vivo and in vitro . The similarity of the hydrogen bonding possibilities of these compounds to glucose suggests that their ability to release insulin may be due to interaction with a glucoreceptor in the pancreatic β-cell. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Mrs. Glenda Schneider for excellent technical assistance, Dr. Frederic M. Richards for a sample of Compound I and Dr. V. A. Engelhardt for samples of Compounds III and IV.
The fundus photo has met its match: optical coherence tomography and adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy are here to stay.

Purpose Over the past 25 years, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and adaptive optics (AO) ophthalmoscopy have revolutionised our ability to non-invasively observe the living retina. The purpose of this review is to highlight the techniques and human clinical applications of recent advances in OCT and adaptive optics scanning laser/light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) ophthalmic imaging. Recent findings Optical coherence tomography retinal and optic nerve head (ONH) imaging technology allows high resolution in the axial direction resulting in cross-sectional visualisation of retinal and ONH lamination. Complementary AO ophthalmoscopy gives high resolution in the transverse direction resulting in en face visualisation of retinal cell mosaics. Innovative detection schemes applied to OCT and AOSLO technologies (such as spectral domain OCT, OCT angiography, confocal and non-confocal AOSLO, fluorescence, and AO-OCT) have enabled high contrast between retinal and ONH structures in three dimensions and have allowed in vivo retinal imaging to approach that of histological quality. In addition, both OCT and AOSLO have shown the capability to detect retinal reflectance changes in response to visual stimuli, paving the way for future studies to investigate objective biomarkers of visual function at the cellular level. Increasingly, these imaging techniques are being applied to clinical studies of the normal and diseased visual system. Summary Optical coherence tomography and AOSLO technologies are capable of elucidating the structure and function of the retina and ONH noninvasively with unprecedented resolution and contrast. The techniques have proven their worth in both basic science and clinical applications and each will continue to be utilised in future studies for many years to come.
Quick Models for Saccade Amplitude Prediction

This paper presents a new saccade amplitude prediction model. The model is based on a Kalman filter and regression analysis. The aim of the model is to predict a saccade’s am-plitude extremely quickly, i.e., within two eye position samples at the onset of a saccade. Specifically, the paper explores saccade amplitude prediction considering one or two sam-ples at the onset of a saccade. The models’ prediction performance was tested with 35 subjects. The amplitude accuracy results yielded approximately 5.26° prediction error, while the error for direction prediction was 5.3% for the first sample model and 1.5% for the two samples model. The practical use of the proposed model lays in the area of real-time gaze-contingent compression and extreme eye-gaze aware interaction applications. The paper provides theoretical evaluation of the benefits of saccade amplitude prediction to the gaze-contingent multimedia compression, estimating a 21% improvement in com-pression for short network delays.
Magazine and Television Exposure Patterns of the Elderly1

Magazine and television exposure patterns were examined via a national probability sample of 6,056 respondents, of which 864 were 65 years of age or older. Results indicate that public policy makers and social institutions offering programs to the elderly should concentrate on specific vehicles in their efforts to communicate with this growing segment of citizens.
The field-reversed configuration heating experiment on Shiva Star

A collaborative research effort was launched in 2000 between the Air Force Research Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory to investigate the formation of high density field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas for the purpose of then adiabatically compressing them to a high energy density (HED) state. The goal of the experimental system developed through this collaboration was to enable a low-cost approach to achieving thermonuclear fusion of the target plasma, which would then facilitate magneto-inertial fusion studies, laboratory astrophysical studies, and numerous other basic research studies connected with HED plasmas. This system was assembled at the Shiva Star facility at the Air Force Research Laboratory and referred to as the Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX).
Improving the robustness of pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling to off-resonance and pulsatile flow velocity.

Purpose To improve pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (PCASL) robustness to off-resonance and pulsatile blood flow velocity. Methods Bloch equations were solved to evaluate the effect of labeling parameters in a pulsatile flow model for a range of off-resonance. Experimental confirmation was achieved in volunteers using linear phase increase between labeling pulses to approximate off-resonance errors. We first assessed the location of the labeling plane in four volunteers. Next, we explored a range of parameters—including balanced and unbalanced gradients—in five more volunteers at an optimal labeling plane location. Results Simulations demonstrated that 1) high velocities are vulnerable to off-resonance, 2) unbalanced PCASL outperforms balanced PCASL, 3) increased B1 and low average gradient improve the labeling efficiency for high-velocity flow, and 4) a low ratio of selective to average gradient improves off-resonance robustness. A good agreement between theory and experiment was observed. Conclusion The robustness of PCASL can be increased by selecting an unbalanced scheme with a low average gradient (0.5 mT/m), a low ratio (7×) of selective to average gradients, and the highest feasible B1 (1.8 μT). Placing the labeling plane above the carotid bifurcation and below the V3 segment, usually between the second and third vertebrae, yielded robust results. Magn Reson Med, 2016. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
Plasticity to the Rescue

The balance between excitatory and inhibitory inputs is critical for the proper functioning of neural circuits. Landau and colleagues show that, in the presence of cell-type-specific connectivity, this balance is difficult to achieve without either synaptic plasticity or spike-frequency adaptation to fine-tune the connection strengths.
The Measurement Problem

In Chap. 2, we reviewed the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics and practiced applying it to a number of concrete examples. In the present chapter, we will begin the process of stepping back and turning a critical eye toward the theory. In particular, in this chapter, we will look carefully at the curiously central role that the theory gives to the process of “measurement” and discuss the network of related concerns, centering on the infamous example of Schrodinger’s Cat, that have come to be called “the measurement problem.”
Imperial History and the Postnational Other

Miguel de Unamuno and Jose Ortega y Gasset proposed comprehensive approaches to the status of Spain within the European framework. Neither of these authors took a critical view of Spain’s imperial past. It is necessary to revise this view of the Spanish past and present as an imperial project with the elements of exploitation that are concomitant with it. Additionally, Navajas proposes that the new postnational paradigm creates a fluid situation that facilitates the emergence of interactive relations between the old metropolis and its colonies. The dialogue should be based on a recognition of the traumatic past, but also on the notion that supranational entities need a cultural imaginary of shared cultural referents that acts as an archive accepted communally by all.
A Practical Theology of Aging: Biblical Perspectives for Individuals and the Church:

Aging is a gracious gift given by God to cause us to ask about and work on the real issues of life. The Bible presents three main themes on aging. Achieving old age is a Divine Tribute. People in t...
Ultrasonic Evaluation and Imaging of Tube Closure Welds

Tube closure welds, commonly called pinch welds, are made by solid state upset welding, where quality assurance consists of process control and geometric feature verification. Ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation demonstrated the feasibility for sorting oxide contaminated pinch welds from clean welds. Until now contaminated pinch welds could only be detected by destructive testing. Two approaches are presented in this paper. First, a study was conducted to detect the variation in the ultrasonic signal caused by interaction with the pinch weld. Correlations between the good and bad welds were accomplished with feature extraction and pattern recognition techniques. The second approach involved high resolution scanning of the pinch weld with an acoustic microscope. The acoustic microscope produced excellent color images of the weld which clearly distinguished the pre-weld cleanliness.
Ascending versus descending aortic balloon pumping: organ and myocardial perfusion during ischemia

Abstract Background . The ICS-Supracor (Abiomed, Danvers, MA) is a preshaped ascending aorta balloon pump. We compared the effects of this catheter with the classical descending intraaortic balloon pump (IABP). The study focused on hemodynamic effects, myocardial blood flow in normal and ischemic regions, cerebral perfusion, and peripheral organ perfusion. Methods . We placed a stenosis on the lateral branch of the coronary artery to reduce flow 50% (sheep). Measurements included hemodynamic changes, myocardial blood flow, and organ flow (colored microspheres) at baseline, after stenosis, during IABP support, and during ICS support. Results . Counterpulsation with the ICS led to a significantly higher peak diastolic aortic augmentation than with the IABP (IABP, 99 ± 14 mm Hg; ICS, 140 ± 29 mm Hg; p = 0.003). There was no significant change in cerebral perfusion or peripheral organ perfusion. Myocardial blood perfusion was significantly increased by the IABP as well as the ICS. This effect was seen in ischemic and nonischemic regions (subendocardial and subepicardial). The ICS improved myocardial blood flow significantly more than the IABP (IABP, 0.65 ± 0.1 mL/min/g; ICS, 0.94 ± 0.06 mL/min/g; p = 0.0005). Conclusions . The ICS increases myocardial blood flow in ischemic regions significantly more than the IABP, without impairment of cerebral flow. Assessment of vascular complications, peripherally and in the ascending aorta, has to await results of clinical trials.
Does Rejection Still Hurt? Examining the Effects of Network Attention and Exposure to Online Social Exclusion:

Social media platforms archive the content and flow of social exchange across communication networks. This may present challenges for individuals because using these platforms increases the probabi...
Controlling Band Alignment at the Back Interface of Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells using ZnTe and Te Buffer Layers

Formation of a low barrier back contact plays a critical role in improving the photoconversion efficiency of the CdTe solar cells. Incorporating a buffer layer to minimize the band bending at the back of the CdTe device can significantly lower the barrier for the hole current, improving open circuit voltage (VOC) and the fill factor. Over the past years, researchers have incorporated the both ZnTe and Te as buffer layers to improve CdTe device performance. Here we compare device performance using these two materials as buffer layers at the back of CdTe devices. We show that using Te in contact to CdTe results in higher performance than using ZnTe in contact to the CdTe. Low temperature current density-voltage measurements show that Te results is a lower barrier with CdTe than ZnTe, indicating that Te has better band alignment, resulting in less downward bending in the CdTe at the back interface, than ZnTe does.
Proceedings of the 16th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 16th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks (IPSN 2017). This year, IPSN continues a tradition of being one of the premier events that brings together researchers and professionals from academia, industry, and government to address the array of current challenges, to discover new challenges, and expand the concepts of sensor networks. This year is the 10th year that IPSN has been part of CPS Week. Together with our four sister conferences---HSCC, ICCPS, IoTDI, and RTAS---and an array of workshops, all participants can explore various aspects of research and development in Cyber-Physical Systems including Embedded Systems, Hybrid Systems, Real-Time Systems, Internet of Things, and Sensor Networks.
Concrete processing of action metaphors: Evidence from ERP.

Abstract The timing of sensory-motor activation during the comprehension of action verbs used in a metaphorical sense is not well understood. In the present Event Related Potential (ERP) study, participants read verbs in metaphoric (The church bent the rules), literal-concrete (The bodyguard bent the rod), and literal-abstract (The church altered the rules) conditions. The literal concreteness effect, obtained by subtracting the abstract from the concrete, was revealed as an N400, frontally distributed. A metaphoric effect, obtained in the metaphor-abstract contrast, was a widespread N400, and included the frontal response seen in the literal concreteness effect. Another metaphoric effect, obtained in the metaphor-concrete contrast, was a posterior N400. Further time window analyses showed that the literal concreteness effect primarily came from 200 to 300 ms, the metaphoric-concrete effect primarily came from 200 to 400 ms, and the metaphoric-abstract effect was significant throughout 200–500 ms. These results suggest that a concrete but underspecified meaning consistent with metaphoric and literal readings, was activated early and was sustained throughout the 200–500 ms window. We concluded that the metaphoric sense is based in concrete action semantics, even if these senses are underspecified.
Heme oxygenase-1/carbon monoxide as modulators of autophagy and inflammation

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) catalyzes heme degradation to generate biliverdin-IXα, carbon monoxide (CO), and iron. The HO-1/CO system confers cytoprotection in animal models of organ injury and disease, via modulation of inflammation and apoptosis. Recent studies have uncovered novel anti-inflammatory targets of HO-1/CO including regulation of the autophagy and inflammasome pathways. Autophagy is a lysosome-dependent program for the turnover of cellular organelles such as mitochondria, proteins, and pathogens; which may downregulate inflammatory processes. Therapeutic modulation of autophagy by CO has been demonstrated in models of sepsis. The nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome regulates the maturation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. CO can regulate NLRP3 inflammasome activation and associated pro-inflammatory cytokines production and promote the resolution of inflammation by upregulating the synthesis of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs). Mitochondria may represent a proximal target of HO-1/CO action. HO-1 may localize to mitochondria in response to stress, while CO can moderate mitochondrial dysfunction and regulate mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy) and biogenesis. The interplay between mitochondrial autophagy, mitochondrial dysfunction, and the regulation and resolution of inflammation may make important contributions to the protection afforded by HO-1/CO in cellular and organ injury models. Recent studies have continued to explore the potential of CO for clinical applications.
An advanced multidimensional method for structural and hydrodynamic analysis of liquid-metal fast breeder reactor piping systems

An advanced multidimensional method for structural and hydrodynamic analysis of piping systems of liquid-metal fast breeder reactors under various accident loads is described. The method couples a two-dimensional finite difference hydrodynamic technique with a three-dimensional finite element structural dynamics program. In the analysis, an elbow hydrodynamic model has been developed to account for the effect of global elbow motion. Treatment is provided for calculating fluid motion in the vicinity of the isolated flow region, rigid obstacle, and baffle plates, which commonly occurs in the in-line components. Also, an implicit time-integration scheme has been developed for structural analysis under long-duration accident loads. Three sample problems are given, dealing with analyses of (a) multidimensional fluid-structure interaction, (b) hydrodynamics in the in-line components, and (c) seismic response of a pipe-elbow loop.
Developments in Radio Frequency Pasteurization of Food Powders

Radio frequency (RF) heating has been used in several industries and has a great potential to be used as an alternative pasteurization technology in the food industry. Efforts have been undertaken ...
Implications of the updated Lung CT Screening Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS version 1.1) for lung cancer screening

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has been proven to aid in early detection of lung cancer and reduce disease specific mortality. In 2014, the American College of Radiology (ACR) released version 1.0 of the Lung CT Screening Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS) as a quality tool to standardize the reporting of lung cancer screening LDCT. In 2019, 5 years after the implementation of Lung-RADS version 1.0 the ACR released the updated Lung-RADS version 1.1 which incorporates initial experience with lung cancer screening. In this review, we outline the implications of the changes and additions in Lung-RADS version 1.1 and examine relevant literature for many of the updates. We also highlight several challenges and opportunities as Lung-RADS version 1.1 is implemented in lung cancer screening programs.
Efficacy and safety of anticoagulation in non-malignant portal vein thrombosis in patients with liver cirrhosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background The role of anticoagulation in treating non-malignant portal vein (PV) thrombosis (PVT) in patients with liver cirrhosis remains unclear. In our meta-analysis, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anticoagulation for the treatment of non-malignant PVT in these patients. Methods We conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the effects of anticoagulation on non-malignant PVT in patients with liver cirrhosis. We assessed the rates of PV recanalization, variceal bleeding, and any bleeding. Results We included 9 observational studies which involved 474 patients. The rate of PV recanalization was significantly higher in patients who received anticoagulation compared to those who did not: 65.2% vs. 25.2%; relative risk (RR) 2.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.80-2.96; P<0.00001. Variceal bleeding was significantly lower in patients who received anticoagulation: 0.1% vs. 18.5%; RR 0.15, 95%CI 0.04-0.55; P=0.004. Any bleeding was similar between patients who received anticoagulation and those who did not: 10.3% vs. 22.7%; RR 0.43, 95%CI 0.09-1.99; P=0.28. Conclusions Anticoagulation use increased the rate of PV recanalization in cirrhotic patients with non-malignant PVT. Anticoagulation decreased the rate of variceal bleeding and did not increase the rate of any bleeding.
Molecular Insights of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Molecular Treatments.

The coronavirus disease emerged in December 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its rapid global spread has brought an international health emergency and urgent responses for seeking efficient prevention and therapeutic treatment. This has led to imperative needs for illustration of the molecular pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, identification of molecular targets or receptors, and development of antiviral drugs, antibodies, and vaccines. In this study, we investigated the current research progress in combating SARS-CoV-2 infection. Based on the published research findings, we first elucidated, at the molecular level, SARS-CoV-2 viral structures, potential viral host-cell-invasion and pathogenic mechanisms, main virus-induced immune responses, and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. We then focused on the main virus- and host-based potential targets, summarized and categorized effective inhibitory molecules based on drug development strategies for COVID-19, that can guide efforts for the identification of new drugs and treatment for this problematic disease. Current research and development of antibodies and vaccines were also introduced and discussed. We concluded that the main virus entry route- SARS-CoV-2 spike protein interaction with ACE2 receptors has played a key role in guiding the development of therapeutic treatments against COVID-19, four main therapeutic strategies may be considered in developing molecular therapeutics, and drug repurposing is likely to be an easy, fast and low-cost approach in such a short period of time with urgent need of antiviral drugs. Additionally, the quick development of antibody and vaccine candidates has yielded promising results, but the wide-scale deployment of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines remains paramount in solving the pandemic crisis. As new variants of the virus begun to emerge, the efficacy of these vaccines and treatments must be closely evaluated. Finally, we discussed the possible challenges of developing molecular therapeutics for COVID-19 and suggested some potential future efforts. Despite the limited availability of literatures, our attempt in this work to provide a relatively comprehensive overview of current SARS-CoV-2 studies can be helpful for quickly acquiring the key information of COVID-19 and further promoting this important research to control and diminish the pandemic.
OneEdge: An Efficient Control Plane for Geo-Distributed Infrastructures

Resource management for geo-distributed infrastructures is challenging due to the scarcity and non-uniformity of edge resources, as well as the high client mobility and workload surges inherent to situation awareness applications. Due to their centralized nature, state-of-the-art schedulers that work well in datacenters lack the performance and feature requirements of such applications. We present OneEdge, a hybrid control plane that enables autonomous decision-making at edge sites for localized, rapid single-site application deployment. Edge sites handle mobility, churn, and load spikes, by cooperating with a centralized controller that allows coordinated multi-site scheduling and dynamic reconfiguration. OneEdge's scheduling decisions are driven by each application's end-to-end service level objective (E2E SLO) as well as the specific requirements of situation awareness applications. OneEdge's novel distributed state management combines autonomous decision-making at the edge sites for rapid localized resource allocations with decision-making at the central controller when multi-site application deployment is needed. Using a mix of applications on multi-region Azure instances, we show that, in contrast to centralized or fully distributed control planes, OneEdge caters to the unique requirements of situation awareness applications. Compared to a centralized control plane, OneEdge reduces deployment latency by 66% for single-site applications, without compromising E2E SLOs.