cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Legal socialization and subcultural norms: Examining linkages between perceptions of procedural justice, legal cynicism, and the code of the street

Abstract Purpose The procedural justice model of legal socialization holds that perceptions of unfair treatment by legal authorities foster cynicism toward the law. Subcultural theories argue negative perceptions of those same authorities, and resulting cynicism toward the law, also foster belief in antisocial norms. The current study considers the overlap of these literatures by exploring the psychometric properties of the core constructs found in both models and the relationships between these constructs. Methods Using a national sample of 702 American adults, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling are used to assess the relationships between perceptions of procedural justice, legal cynicism, and the code of the street. Results Confirmatory factor analysis indicates legal cynicism and the street code are empirically distinct, but moderately correlated. Structural equation modeling shows that perceptions of procedural justice and legal cynicism are both significantly associated with street code beliefs. Perceptions of procedural justice also have a significant indirect effect on street code beliefs through legal cynicism. Alternative model specifications demonstrate a persisting association between cynicism and the street code, but mixed evidence for relationships between experiences with police and belief in the code. Conclusions Findings highlight opportunities to better integrate the legal socialization and subcultural literatures.
You Might Be a Robot

As robots and artificial intelligence (AI) increase their influence over society, policymakers are increasingly regulating them. But to regulate these technologies, we first need to know what they are. And here we come to a problem. No one has been able to offer a decent definition of robots and AI — not even experts. What’s more, technological advances make it harder and harder each day to tell people from robots and robots from “dumb” machines. We’ve already seen disastrous legal definitions written with one target in mind inadvertently affecting others. In fact, if you’re reading this you’re (probably) not a robot, but certain laws might already treat you as one. Definitional challenges like these aren’t exclusive to robots and AI. But today, all signs indicate we’re approaching an inflection point. Whether it’s citywide bans of “robot sex brothels” or nationwide efforts to crack down on “ticket scalping bots,” we’re witnessing an explosion of interest in regulating robots, human enhancement technologies, and all things in between. And that, in turn, means that typological quandaries once confined to philosophy seminars can no longer be dismissed as academic. Want, for example, to crack down on foreign “influence campaigns” by regulating social media bots? Be careful not to define “bot” too broadly (like the California legislature recently did), or the supercomputer nestled in your pocket might just make you one. Want, instead, to promote traffic safety by regulating drivers? Be careful not to presume that only humans can drive (as our Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards do), or you may soon exclude the best drivers on the road. In this Article, we suggest that the problem isn’t simply that we haven’t hit upon the right definition. Instead, there may not be a “right” definition for the multifaceted, rapidly evolving technologies we call robots or AI. As we’ll demonstrate, even the most thoughtful of definitions risk being overbroad, underinclusive, or simply irrelevant in short order. Rather than trying in vain to find the perfect definition, we instead argue that policymakers should do as the great computer scientist, Alan Turing, did when confronted with the challenge of defining robots: embrace their ineffable nature. We offer several strategies to do so. First, whenever possible, laws should regulate behavior, not things (or as we put it, regulate verbs, not nouns). Second, where we must distinguish robots from other entities, the law should apply what we call Turing’s Razor, identifying robots on a case-by-case basis. Third, we offer six functional criteria for making these types of “I know it when I see it” determinations and argue that courts are generally better positioned than legislators to apply such standards. Finally, we argue that if we must have definitions rather than apply standards, they should be as short-term and contingent as possible. That, in turn, suggests regulators—not legislators—should play the defining role.
Signal and Noise Analysis of Small Antennas Terminated with High-Impedance Amplifiers

We consider the noise performance of an active antenna with high impedance amplifier as a receiver front end for an electrically small antenna. In comparison to standard impedance matching techniques, the resulting output signal to noise ratio may be suboptimal, but the bandwidth is much broader than can be achieved when a small antenna with high Q-factor is matched to a standard microwave amplifier. High impedance amplifiers with carefully designed noise parameters allow fundamental power matching bandwidth limits for small antennas to be bypassed, thereby enabling small, ultra-wideband receivers for size-constrained wireless device applications. The goal is to determine how the noise parameters of the amplifier could be adjusted to minimize noise and maximize bandwidth. (6 pages)
Influence of coda stop features on perceived vowel duration

Abstract Four experiments tested what cues contribute to English speakers’ perception of vowel duration. Listeners categorized the duration of vowels as ‘long’ or ‘short’ for stimuli produced with voiced, voiceless, breathy voiced, or voiceless aspirated stop codas. Listeners demonstrated a strong ability to perceive vowel duration, though perception was continuous rather than categorical. There were several interacting factors influencing perceived vowel duration, based on expectations set by the presence of particular codas and also acoustic effects of the coda on the vowel. When the coda was removed, vowels that had been produced before voiced codas were perceived as longer than vowels produced before voiceless codas, though they exhibited the opposite effect when codas were present. Vowels were also perceived as longer when produced before breathy voiced stops, regardless of whether or not the stop was present. The steeper f0 falls associated with voiced codas within these stimuli likely contributed to the longer perceived duration of vowels from this environment; manipulating f0 contours eliminated effects of the original coda on perceived vowel duration. The effects of the production environment on perceived vowel duration suggest a possible perceptual pathway for the voicing effect on vowel duration.
Polycythemia vera. II: Hypersensitivity of bone marrow erythroid, granulocyte-macrophage, and megakaryocyte progenitor cells to interleukin-3 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a clonal disease of the hematopoietic stem cell characterized by a hyperplasia of marrow erythropoiesis, granulocytopoiesis, and megakaryocytopoiesis. We previously reported that highly purified PV blood burst-forming units-erythroid (BFU-E) are hypersensitive to recombinant human interleukin-3 (rIL-3). Because these cells may be only a subset, and not representative of marrow progenitors, we have now studied partially purified marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells. Dose-response experiments with PV marrow BFU-E showed a 38-fold increase in sensitivity to rIL-3 and a 4.3-fold increase in sensitivity to recombinant human erythropoietin (rEpo) compared with normal marrow BFU-E. In addition, PV marrow colony-forming units-granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) and CFU-megakaryocyte (CFU-MK) also showed a marked hypersensitivity to rIL-3 and to human recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rGM-CSF). Dose-response curves with rGM-CSF and blood BFU-E showed a 48-fold increase in sensitivity. No effect of rIL-4, rIL-6, human recombinant granulocyte-CSF (rG-CSF), or macrophage-CSF (rM-CSF) was evident, nor was there any effect of PV cell-conditioned medium on normal BFU-E, when compared with normal cell-conditioned medium. Autoradiography with 125I-rEpo showed an increase in Epo receptors after maturation of PV BFU-E to CFU-E similar to that shown with normal BFU-E, but no increase of specific binding of 125I-rIL-3 by PV CD34+ cells was seen compared with normal CD34+ cells. These studies show that PV marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells are hypersensitive to rIL-3 and rGM-CSF, similar to PV blood BFU-E. While the mechanism does not appear to be due to enhanced binding of rIL-3, the hypersensitivity of PV progenitor cells to IL-3 and GM-CSF may be a key factor in the pathogenesis of PV.
Preventing Coronary Obstruction During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: From Computed Tomography to BASILICA.

Highlights •CT is sensitive but nonspecific to identify risk for TAVR-induced coronary obstruction. •BASILICA may prevent coronary obstruction in cases of native and valve-in-valve TAVR. •BASILICA is applicable to sinus sequestration and deficient-sinus mechanisms. •BASILICA is complex with available equipment, but dedicated equipment may simplify it.
Gut microbiota regulates cardiac ischemic tolerance and aortic stiffness in obesity.

These data are the first to demonstrate that cecal microbiota transplantation (CMT) can alter cardiovascular pathology in lean and obese mice independent from alterations in dietary intake. Myocard...
Magnetic Stimulus Responsive DDS Based on Chitosan Microbeads Embedded with Magnetic Nanoparticles

In this paper, we have presented a novel Drug Delivery Substrate (DDS) that that is responsive to external stimuli of high-frequency alternating magnetic fields. The DDS is constituted of chitosan crosslinked with PEGDMA (polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate), loaded with Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles and vancomycin. In another experiment, a 19-hour elution was observed where three magnetic stimuli of 25 mT, 109.9 kHz were given for 60 min to the test samples. The stimuli were separated by several hours. After excitation span, it was observed that the stimulated samples released a significantly higher amount of vancomycin by as much as 21% compared to non-stimulated samples. In another study, preliminary results showing the effect of different PEGDMA chain lengths have been discussed. These results show evidence of a smart, controllable DDS that allows modulation of its normal passive antibiotic elution by applying external stimuli per personalized needs.
On the Boundedness Character of a Rational System of Difference Equations with Non-constant Coefficients

We investigate the boundedness character of nonnegative solutions of the nonautonomous rational system $$ \left\{ \begin{array}{l} x_{n+1}=\displaystyle \frac{\alpha _n + \gamma _n x_n}{\beta _n x_n + y_n}\\ \\ y_{n+1}= g(x_n,\ldots ,x_{n-k+1},y_n,\ldots , y_{n-k+1}, n) \end{array}\right. \text { for } n=0,1,\ldots $$ where the coefficient sequences \(\{\alpha _n\}\), \(\{\beta _n\}\) and \(\{\gamma _n\}\) are bounded both above and below by positive numbers, the initial conditions \((x_0, y_0), (x_{-1},y_{-1}),\ldots , (x_{-k+1},y_{-k+1})\) are positive, and g takes on only positive values for positive values of \(x_n,\ldots , x_{n-k+1}, y_n, y_{n-k+1}\) and nonnegative integers n. Special cases of this system, such as with periodic coefficients, are also investigated.
Two's a Company, Three's a Crowd: A Review of Initiating or Switching to a Two-Drug Antiretroviral Regimen in Treatment-Naïve and Treatment-Experienced Patients Living with HIV-1.

As HIV has become a manageable chronic condition, a renewed and increased interest in challenging traditional three-drug HIV therapies and moving toward two-drug regimens (2DR) for initial or maintenance treatment in people living with HIV (PLWH) has developed. As PLWH are living longer, continual advancements in antiretroviral regimens have been a focus to provide optimal life-long therapy options. Although early studies may have shown poor outcomes in virologic suppression with 2DR, newer studies and treatment options have emerged to show promise in the management of HIV. The purpose of this review is to evaluate current literature and assess the efficacy of two-drug (2DR) antiretroviral therapy in treatment-naive and -experienced people living with HIV. A systematic search was performed between January 2009 to January 2020, using EMBASE, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and bibliographies. Combinations of the following search terms were used: HIV-1 infection, antiretroviral therapy, dual therapy, two-drug regimen, two-drug therapy, two-drug regimen, and 2DR. Included studies were those in the adult population with at least one active comparator, outcomes assessing HIV-1 RNA viral load while on treatment, and written in English. Thirty-three studies were included, 13 where 2DRs were evaluated as initial therapy (3 studies with extension data) and 15 where 2DRs were evaluated as maintenance or switch therapy (2 studies with extension data). Although 2DRs may not be appropriate in all patient populations, they are being utilized more frequently and have the potential to reduce costs, adverse effects, and drug interactions.
Energy-Aware Resource Management in Vehicular Edge Computing Systems

The low-latency requirements of connected electric vehicles and their increasing computing needs have led to the necessity to move computational nodes from the cloud data centers to edge nodes such as road-side units (RSU). However, offloading the workload of all the vehicles to RSUs may not scale well to an increasing number of vehicles and workloads. To solve this problem, computing nodes can be installed directly on the smart vehicles, so that each vehicle can execute the heavy workload locally, thus forming a vehicular edge computing system. On the other hand, these computational nodes may drain a considerable amount of energy in electric vehicles. It is therefore important to manage the resources of connected electric vehicles to minimize their energy consumption.In this paper, we propose an algorithm that manages the computing nodes of connected electric vehicles for minimized energy consumption. The algorithm achieves energy savings for connected electric vehicles by exploiting the discrete settings of computational power for various performance levels. We evaluate the proposed algorithm and show that it considerably reduces the vehicles’ computational energy consumption compared to state-of-the-art baselines. Specifically, our algorithm achieves 15-85% energy savings compared to a baseline that executes workload locally and an average of 51% energy savings compared to a baseline that offloads vehicles’ workloads only to RSUs.
Metalinguistic discourses on translanguaging and multimodality: Acts of passing by black African immigrants in Johannesburg

Abstract This article explores metalinguistic discourses of black African immigrants (BAIs) in Johannesburg on how they mobilize multilingual and multimodal resources in their communicative practices to pass as South Africans (SAs), concealing their identities as non-SAs to avert violent xenophobic attacks. Drawing data from semi-structured interviews and group discussions with BAIs, the article investigates how BAIs report on creatively, strategically using translanguaging and multimodality in performance of ingroup membership as local black SAs, blurring the boundaries between “outsiders” and “insiders.” BAIs use passing as a social identity management strategy, to negotiate their putative identity and resist ascription of the foreigner-outsider categorization and attendant social meanings. Besides language(s), BAIs use modes of corporeal practice (embodiment, clothing semiosis, skin-bleaching) as legitimating markers of belonging. The article argues that using passing unsettles the distinction between local/insider/citizen and migrant/outsider/non-citizen – concepts framed around a nation-state – revealing tensions, contradictions, and complexities in the politics of identity in Johannesburg.
Sustained Resolution of Recurrent Atrial Fibrillation in a Post-Ablation Patient Following Initiation of Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet

Atrial fibrillation (af) may recur despite antiarrhythmic drug therapy or catheter ablation. This case reports such a scenario of a patient with recurrent paroxysms of af following catheter ablation that resolved following institution of a whole-food, plant-based diet. Thus, a change to a whole-food, plant-based diet may be an effective intervention for reducing or eliminating af recurrence.
Free People: Oceanic and Overland

This chapter is a massive undertaking, in which the official statistics (and to some extent, privately generated data) on international travel to or from the United States are replaced with superior series. For oceanic journeys, free-people travelers are divided into U.S.-citizen tourists and alien travelers. Aliens themselves are composed of immigrants and nonimmigrants, with nonimmigrants consisting of two groups: tourists plus distant-land transmigrants, and transmigrants to Canada and the West Indies. The general concept is embarkations; but, for immigration, admittances are also developed. Emigration is calculated via the emigration/immigration ratio—a reversal of conventional procedure.
The impact of standardized footwear on load and load symmetry.

Abstract Background The inability to standardize footwear is a potential issue when measuring landing kinetics in non-laboratory settings. This study determined the impact of not standardizing footwear on load and load symmetry during landing. A secondary purpose of this study was to introduce the Load Analysis Program, an open-source MATLAB® user-interface for computing kinetic and kinetic symmetry from data collected using loadsol® sensors. Methods Forty uninjured participants completed bilateral and unilateral landing tasks in their own preferred athletic footwear and in laboratory-standardized footwear. Peak impact force, impulse, and a limb symmetry index of both kinetic outcomes were computed using loadsol® sensors (200 Hz) for both footwear conditions, and compared between footwear conditions using intraclass correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman plots. Findings The agreement between the preferred and standardized conditions was good to excellent for peak impact force, peak impact force limb symmetry index, and impulse limb symmetry index during the bilateral task (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.870–0.951). The agreement was moderate to poor for unilateral limb symmetry index measures (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.399–0.516). During the preferred footwear condition, impulse was greater for the left limb during bilateral landing, and peak impact force during unilateral landing on the right limb was decreased, when compared to the standardized footwear condition (p Interpretation These results suggest that while not standardizing footwear can alter the results of certain load metrics, laboratory-relevant landing mechanics information can be obtained with participants wearing their own footwear.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adults with current and prior depression: initial findings from the longitudinal Texas RAD study.

Abstract Background Emerging work has suggested worsening mental health in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is minimal data on individuals with a prior history of depression. Methods Data regarding depression, anxiety and quality of life in adult participants with a history of a depressive disorder (n = 308) were collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mixed effects regression models were fit for these outcomes over the period May – August 2020, controlling for pre-pandemic depressive groups (none, mild, moderate-to-severe), demographic characteristics, and early COVID-19 related experiences (such as disruptions in routines, mental health treatment, and social supports). Results In pre-to-early pandemic comparisons, the 3 pre-pandemic depressive categories varied significantly in anxiety (Fdf=2,197 = 7.93, p Limitations Follow-up data were self-reported. Furthermore, the duration was a relatively short span into the pandemic. Conclusions Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and quality of life were generally stable from 2019 throughout August 2020 in adults with a history of depression. Disruption in mental health care access and routines in May 2020 predicted worse symptom outcomes through August 2020.
An integrated deep learning and stochastic optimization approach for resource management in team-based healthcare systems

Abstract The aging of the global population and the increasing number of patients with chronic diseases necessitate an efficient healthcare operations mechanism to enable provision of appropriate services to patients in a timely and cost-efficient manner. This research provides a solution for two unanswered and critical challenges in healthcare team-based resource planning by employing machine learning and stochastic optimization. The first challenge is how the required workload of a patient should be measured and predicted. The second challenge is how decision-makers should plan and optimize resources in a healthcare team and eventually allocate patients to the available resources to efficiently satisfy needs and minimize costs. In this research, we develop a novel integrated model that provides a mathematical and systematic solution for predicting healthcare providers' total workload and balancing their workload when the required workload is unknown. The proposed approach consists of predictive and prescriptive phases. First, we predict the required workload for different patient types by proposing a deep multi-task learning approach. Then, we use the result of the prediction stage as input for assigning every patient to one of the available healthcare teams, determining the number of required teams, and balancing the teams' workloads in the prescriptive decision-making stage. The outcome of this study suggests that using multi-task learning on represented data outperforms other conventional prediction methods. Moreover, the results of using the proposed stochastic optimization model for resource planning indicate that consideration of randomness and stochastic variables in modeling team-based resource allocation reduces the total cost of healthcare operations considerably, and as a result, leads to enhanced access to healthcare.
Environmental identity formation in nonformal environmental education programs

This paper explores experiences that remained salient in the memories of former participants in three nature-based programs in Colorado, five to forty years after childhood involvement. Interviews with program founders and staff, archival research, and observations of current activities provided an understanding of each program’s history, mission and educational approach. In this context, 18 former participants were interviewed about program experiences that they remembered and program impacts on their environmental identities and academic or career choices. Results were analyzed through the lens of social practice theory, which has significant implications for the design and evaluation of environmental education programs. Results showed that social practice theory is a useful framework for interpreting the development of a social environmental identity, but an ecological identity that forms through direct contact with the natural world is an important complementary concept.
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

In attempting to apply evidence-based medicine in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), it must be acknowledged that a randomized study comparing imatinib mesylate therapy and allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) has not been conducted. The question that will remain at the end of this chapter is whether such a study is feasible, or even ethical. The treatment of CML could represent a paradigm in oncology as well as a unique set of challenges.
Photodynamic therapy using Lu-Tex induces apoptosis in vitro, and its effect is potentiated by angiostatin in retinal capillary endothelial cells.

PURPOSE To examine the effect of combining angiostatin with photodynamic therapy (PDT) using Lutetium Texaphyrin (Lu-Tex; Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) as a photosensitizer in bovine retinal capillary endothelial (BRCE) and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and to determine the mode of PDT-induced cell death in these cell lines. METHODS Cultured BRCE and RPE cells were incubated with angiostatin (500 ng/ml) for 18 hours and subjected to Lu-Tex/PDT, using treatment parameters previously optimized (3 microgram/ml Lu-Tex for 30 minutes followed by timed irradiation at 732 nm). Cellular survival was assessed after a 1-week cellular proliferation. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test. Caspase 3 activity was monitored in cells after PDT using a fluorogenic substrate, (Asp-Glu-Val-Asp)-AFC (7-amino-4-trifluoromethyl coumarin) [DEVD-AFC], of caspase 3. After PDT, expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-x(L), Bax, and Bak was also examined in cell lysates by Western blot analysis. RESULTS A synergistic cytotoxic effect of angiostatin and Lu-Tex/PDT was observed in BRCE cells at all fluences used (5, 10, and 20 J/cm(2); P </= 0.05). These findings applied only if angiostatin was delivered before PDT. No such interactive killing effect was observed in RPE cells. Caspase 3 activity was elevated within 10 minutes of PDT in BRCE and RPE cells and was fluence dependent. Differential modulation of Bcl-2 family members was observed after PDT in BRCE and RPE cells. CONCLUSIONS The combination of angiostatin and Lu-Tex/PDT potentiates the cytotoxic effect of Lu-Tex/PDT on BRCE but not on RPE cells. This may provide a strategy to increase the selectivity of PDT in damaging capillary endothelial cells with less damage to RPE cells. Lu-Tex/PDT induces rapid caspase-dependent apoptosis in BRCE and RPE cells. Furthermore, Lu-Tex/PDT induces apoptosis through selective modulation of members of the Bcl-2 family and differs between BRCE and RPE cells.
Structure of human dentine. I. Phase contrast, polarization, interference and bright field microscopic observations on the lateral branch system.

Abstract Examination of human dentine by phase contrast microscopy has revealed that the odontoblast process gives rise to large numbers of lateral branches. Large branches with a diameter of 0·25–0·5μ leave the main process from all sides at intervals of 1.0–2.0μ. Smaller branches with a diameter of 0.2μ or less arise directly from the main process or from the large branches, and occur throughout the matrix. Both the matrix, and the processes and large branches are birefringent when viewed with the polarizing microscope. The processes and large branches display a birefringence colour different from that of the matrix, reflecting a difference in their structure and/or composition. The pericanalicular matrix was shown to have a major orientation at right angles to the long axis of the dentinal canal. It may also have a spiral component around the canal. The refractive index of the odontoblast process was measured with an interference microscope. The values obtained ranged from 1.414 to 1.493, and are in the range of values generally given for cytoplasm. The large lateral branches have been shown to have the same range of refractive index values by use of appropriate mounting media. Measurements of the refractive index of the matrix gave values of 1·7132–1·8699, indicating that its structure and/or composition are distinctly different from those of the processes and large branches. The difference in the magnitudes of these values also accounts for (1) the clarity of demonstration of the odontoblast processes and their branches with the phase contrast microscope, and (2) for the colour differences in birefringence seen with the polarizing microscope. Dentine sections stained with thionin display a pattern of parallel and concentric bands, which are also visible with polarization and interference methods. The darker bands, approximately 0.5μ in width, alternate with lighter bands, approximately 1.0–1.5μ in width. They appear to be produced by an intimate association between large lateral branches and bands of collagen matrix.
USE OF THE FROHLICH-RAIMES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC MODELS FOR THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS AND ALLOYS

The effectiveness of the Frohlich-Raimes model in treating force constants and alloy behavior is discussed. Typical predictions of trends which have been made relate to: the deviation of Vegard’s Law and the variation of the bulk modulus with pressure and with alloying elements. The simple model of Koskimaki and Waber using the linear combination of the density of states has led to several useful predictions for Ti-based alloys. This model will be discussed and recent results will be reviewed.
Mental Illness, Criminal Risk Factors and Parole Release Decisions

Research has not examined whether higher rates of parole denial among inmates with mental illness (MI) are the result of the increased presence of criminal risk factors among this population. Employing a representative sample of inmates with (n = 219) and without (n = 184) MI receiving parole release decisions in 2007, this study tested whether the central eight risk factors for recidivism considered in parole release decisions intervened in the relationship between MI and parole release. MI was associated with possession of a substance use disorder, antisocial personality disorder and violent charges while incarcerated; however, these factors were not related to release decisions. MI was found to have neither a direct nor an indirect effect on release decisions. While results indicate that release decisions appear, to some extent, to be evidence-based, they also suggest considerable discretion is being implemented by parole board members in release decisions above and beyond consideration of criminal risk factors. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Language: en
Learning programs for decision and control

Introduces learning programs, an approximate dynamic programming (ADP) or otherwise named neural dynamic programming (NDP) algorithm developed and tested by the authors. We first introduce the basic framework of our learning programs, the associated learning algorithms, and then extensive case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of our learning programs. This is probably the first time that neural dynamic programming type of learning algorithms has been applied to complex, real life continuous state problems. Until now, reinforcement learning (another learning approach for approximate dynamic programming) has been mostly successful in discrete state space problems. On the other hand, prior NDP based approaches to controlling continuous state space systems have all been limited to smaller, or linearized, or decoupled problems. Therefore the work presented here compliments and advances the existing literature in the general area of learning approaches in approximate dynamic programming.
Historical Descriptions and Prescriptions for Adolescence

The use of the term “adolescence” for any period other than the late nineteenth or twentieth century has been much debated. Aries denied that the medieval period had a life phase that could be described with such a term; others have argued that the term carries a particular, very modern meaning even if Augustine did use the term adolescentia. This introduction to a collection of essays on the history of adolescence shows that the life stage was a well recognized and defined one through the Middle Ages and into the modern period. While the modern period did not invent adolescence, it did modify the definition. Constants in acolescence from the thirteenth through the twentieth century are the struggle between adults and youth over entry and exit from adolescence and for control during that period. But much changes over the centuries. Social scientific discussions that aid in our historical analysis are almost entirely based on the male rather than the female experience. While cultural change modifies the ma...
Temporary Anchors, Impermanent Shelter: Can the Field of Education Model a New Approach to Academic Work?

Through a discussion of three pedagogical instances--based on classroom discourse, student writing, and program development--the authors examine education as an academic field, arguing that its disciplinary practices and perspectives invite interdisciplinarity and extra-disciplinarity to bridge from the academy to issues, problems, and strengths beyond it. Interdisciplinarity--understood as temporary “groundlessness”--emerges as a means to apprehend and respond to problems that in the context of past frustrations and failures may seem insurmountable; the willingness to not-know inspires new paradigms, experiences, and relationships. Extra-disciplinarity highlights the many chords running between academe and the rest of the world. Using this framework, we discuss the featured pedagogical instances as small-scale models for changing the power structures that have historically silenced some perspectives and knowledges, thus opening these structures to new inputs and connections. We conclude that while this work has no guarantees and is never complete, we must keep trying to connect beyond our academic disciplines and ourselves, both to learn and to more effectively impact the world.
EUS in the evaluation and management of chronic pancreatitis

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has become a valuable tool in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pancreatitis. The high resolution images provided can identify the parenchyma and ductal abnormalities that characterize the disease. In appropriate cases EUS can effectively establish or exclude the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. Like all other diagnostic tests, EUS can be impacted by the pretest probability of each individual case. The role of EUS in chronic pancreatitis is changing as this modality progresses from a primarily diagnostic role to one of therapeutic intervention. Established interventional EUS techniques include celiac block and transmural pseudocyst drainage. The techniques used to achieve pseudocyst drainage are being modified to allow EUS guided treatment of panreaticobiliary or gastric outlet obstruction.
HORSE SPECIES SYMPOSIUM: Use of mesenchymal stem cells in fracture repair in horses,

Equine bone fractures are often catastrophic, potentially fatal, and costly to repair. Traditional methods of healing fractures have limited success, long recovery periods, and a high rate of reinjury. Current research in the equine industry has demonstrated that stem cell therapy is a promising novel therapy to improve fracture healing and reduce the incidence of reinjury; however, reports of success in horses have been variable and limited. Stem cells can be derived from embryonic, fetal, and adult tissue. Based on the ease of collection, opportunity for autologous cells, and proven success in other models, adipose- or bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are often used in equine therapies. Methods for isolation, proliferation, and differentiation of MSC are well established in rodent and human models but are not well characterized in horses. There is recent evidence that equine bone marrow MSC are able to proliferate in culture for several passages in the presence of autologous and fetal bovine serum, which is important for expansion of cells. Mesenchymal stem cells have the capacity to differentiate into osteoblasts, the bone forming cells, and this complex process is regulated by a number of transcription factors including runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and osterix (Osx). However, it has not been well established if equine MSC are regulated in a similar manner. The data presented in this review support the view that equine bone marrow MSC are regulated by the same transcription factors that control the differentiation of rodent and human MSC into osteoblasts. Although stem cell therapy is promising in equine bone repair, additional research is needed to identify optimal methods for reintroduction and potential manipulations to improve their ability to form new bone.
Effect of water deficit on generation time and reproduction of the gall wasp Tetramesa romana, a biological control agent of giant reed (Arundo donax)

Water deficit stress can reduce the reproductive performance of galling insects, but has not previously been studied in the context of mass-rearing of a galling agent on a perennial grass. The effects of water deficit were examined for the wasp Tetramesa romana Walker (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), released in the Lower Rio Grande Basin of Texas and Mexico in 2009 and in northern California in 2010 for control of giant reed (Arundo donax (L)) (Poaceae). In one study, water deficit was imposed for 7–10 weeks during gall maturation, ending when adult progeny began to emerge. Aboveground water content was reduced by 1.7% and culm height by 41% in pots receiving one-fourth of normal watering (soil saturation), indicating that water deficit stress occurred. Water deficit did not affect proportion of culms successfully galled or number of progeny produced. However, time to first exit hole appearance was 2–4 days longer and adult wasp generation time 5–7 days longer on galls on water deficit–stressed compared to co...
Under What Conditions Do Opinions Predict Behavior

HIGH on the list of problems harassing opinion researchers is that of validity. When people tell an interviewer how they expect to act, will they really act that way when the time comes? This article discusses some of the social and cultural factors which tend to sustain the validity of surveys, and also various other factors which tend to make people's opinions unreliable indices for predicting their behavior. Seven conditions which, if kept in mind, may assist in understanding the relationship between opinion and action are presented. The author, well known for his writing on race relations, morale, and other subjects, is Research Associate in Psychology, and a member of the Institute of Human Relations, at Yale University.
Newer concepts of the physiology of deglutition and dysphagia.

Abstract The development of technics for the accurate measurement and recording of esophageal intraluminal pressure coupled with careful roentgenographic observation have advanced our knowledge of the mechanical factors involved in deglutition and dysphagia. Transport within the esophagus is dependent upon intact mechanisms which are capable of creating a pressure gradient. A definite and characteristic normal deglutition pressure pattern is recognized. Abnormal pressure patterns as a result of local or systemic disease may produce a loss of pressure gradient and result in dysphagia. The exact mechanism of esophageal evacuation is still somewhat in doubt and further study is needed to elucidate the action of the distal end of the esophagus. The esophagogastric junction is a delicately integrated structure and disturbances may produce a functional obstruction or allow esophageal reflux. A number of mechanical, inflammatory, neoplastic, neurologic and psychic disorders may produce dysphagia by interfering with one or more of the stages of deglutition. Dysphagia may indicate a serious condition; therefore, its presence usually warrants a thorough investigation, including roentgenographic and endoscopic examination of the pharynx and esophagus.
Synthesis, structures and spectroscopic properties of palladium(II) complexes with tridentate piperidyl-containing pincer ligands

Abstract A new series of square planar palladium(II) complexes with pincer ligands, pip2NCN− (pip2NCNH = 1,3-bis(piperidylmethyl)benzene) and pip2NNN (2,6-bis(piperidylmethyl)pyridine), has been prepared: Pd(pip2NCN)X (X = Cl, Br, I), [Pd(pip2NCN)(L)](BF4) (L = pyridine, 4-phenylpyridine), and [Pd(pip2NNN)Cl]Cl. The X-ray crystal structures of Pd(pip2NCN)Br, [Pd(pip2NCN)(L)]BF4, and [Pd(pip2NNN)Cl]Cl confirm the tridentate coordination geometries of the pincer ligands. For the pip2NCN− complexes, each piperidyl ring adopts a chair conformation with the metal center at an equatorial position on the N(piperidyl) atom. However, one of the piperidyl groups of Pd(pip2NNN)Cl+ adopts a previously unobserved coordination geometry, effectively placing the metal center at an axial position on the N(piperidyl) atom. 1H NMR and UV–Vis absorption measurements provide additional insight into the electronic structures of these complexes. The 1H NMR spectra of Pd(pip2NCN)X (X = Cl, Br, I) are consistent with deshielding of the pip2NCN− ligand resonances along the Cl
Changes in the urinary excretion of creatinine, albumin and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase with increasing age and maturity in healthy schoolchildren

Raised urinary levels of albumin and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) are predictive of abnormal renal function and excretion of these substances is often expressed as a creatinine ratio. However, it is important to establish normal reference limits of albumin and NAG excretion for comparison of values from patients. For this reason, overnight excretion rates of creatinine, albumin and NAG were determined in timed overnight urine samples from 528 healthy schoolchildren (260 boys, 268 girls; 4–16 years) of normal size. There was a significant correlation with age and puberty for all substances in both sexes (P<0.01). Peak creatinine excretion occurred at 16 year in boys, at 15 years in grils and at pubertal stage 5 in both sexes. Maximum albumin excretion was seen at 15 years and genital stage 5 in boys and at 16 years and breast stage 4 in girls. Peak NAG excretion occurred earlier, at 14 years and genital stage 4 in boys and at 13 years and breast stage 3 in girls. Boys excreted significantly more creatinine compared with girls before and during puberty (reflecting greater muscle mass) (P<0.01) while excretion rates for albumin and NAG were similiar in both sexes. Height and weight combined accounted for 58% and 29% of the variation in creatinine and NAG excretion respectively, while height alone predicted 20% of variation in albumin excretion.
Why are empirically supported treatments for bulimia nervosa underutilized and what can we do about it

Empirically supported therapies for bulimia nervosa, as well as for other disorders, are rarely utilized. Underutilization is frequently attributed to doubts among psychotherapists about the value of randomized controlled trials and professional resistance to the perceived constraints of manualized therapy. However, controversies about the usefulness of empirically supported therapies have been shaped by lack of access to adequate training and inexperience in delivering these treatments. A proposal for expanding training opportunities is presented along with discussion about how more intensive training for the practicing therapist would affect current controversies regarding the value and relevance of empirically supported therapies for bulimia nervosa and other disorders. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 55: 769–779, 1999.
Greater Convenience But Not Greater Turnout: The Impact of Alternative Voting Methods on Electoral Participation in the United States

In this study, I evaluate the merits of the structural-legal theory of voter participation in light of the most recent voting reforms instituted in the states. Specifically, I determine the extent ...
Probiotics and Prebiotics for the Prevention of Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. Although the pathogenesis of NEC remains unclear, abnormal bacterial colonization has been postulated as playing a central role. Various factors impact bacterial colonization following delivery. Compared to term infants, the bacterial colonization pattern in prematurely born infants is markedly different, with a greater predilection for colonization with pathogenic bacteria. Probiotic and prebiotic administration offers the opportunity to manipulate the intestinal bacterial environment, favoring the growth of commensal bacteria. Experimental data from animal studies and data from human trials suggest that probiotics decrease the incidence of NEC. These preliminary studies support the need for a large, randomized, controlled trial to further investigate the role of probiotics in the prevention of NEC.
Divergence in larval responses to food plants between temperate and tropical populations of the black swallowtail butterfly

. 1 Larvae of the black swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes Fabr., from New York and Costa Rica were reared under the same environmental conditions on Daucus carota L. and Spananthe paniculata Jacq. (Umbelliferae), which are the host plants most commonly used by the two populations, respectively. Feeding rates, growth rates and feeding efficiencies of the fifth instar larvae were measured by standard techniques. 2 Larvae from each population grew faster on the host-plant species from their region of origin than did larvae from the other population, though differences on S.paniculata were not significant. On D.carota the faster growth by New York larvae was attributable to greater efficiency. On S.paniculata, by contrast, the somewhat faster growth by Costa Rican larvae seemed to have resulted chiefly from faster feeding. The two populations have thus come to differ in metabolic and, probably, behavioural responses to host plants. 3 S.paniculata was a superior host plant for larvae of both populations, even though the total energy, nitrogen and water content of its foliage was similar to that of D.carota. 4 These results are consistent with the hypothesis that insects in the two populations have diverged in adaptation to their host plants following curtailment of gene flow between them as the species colonized Central America from the north.
Organisational Exit: Understanding And Managing Voluntary Departures

Organisational entry has received much concern and research over the years. Organisational exit, on the other hand, has been slighted in human resource management. Yet, the few who have investigated this phenomenon have found that it is very poorly managed.
Simulating clefts in pumpkin balloons

Abstract The geometry of a large axisymmetric balloon with positive differential pressure, such as a sphere, leads to very high film stresses. These stresses can be significantly reduced by using a tendon re-enforced lobed pumpkin-like shape. A number of schemes have been proposed to achieve a cyclically symmetric pumpkin shape, including the constant bulge angle (CBA) design, the constant bulge radius (CBR) design, CBA/CBR hybrids, and NASA’s recent constant stress (CS) design. Utilizing a hybrid CBA/CBR pumpkin design, Flight 555-NT in June 2006 formed an S-cleft and was unable to fully deploy. In order to better understand the S-cleft phenomenon, a series of inflation tests involving four 27-m diameter 200-gore pumpkin balloons were conducted in 2007. One of the test vehicles was a 1/3-scale mockup of the Flight 555-NT balloon. Using an inflation procedure intended to mimic ascent, the 1/3-scale mockup developed an S-cleft feature strikingly similar to the one observed in Flight 555-NT. Our analysis of the 1/3-scale mockup found it to be unstable. We compute asymmetric equilibrium configurations of this balloon, including shapes with an S-cleft feature.