cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polymer-based tubular microbots: role of composition and preparation

The influence of the composition and electropolymerization conditions upon the propulsion of new template-prepared polymer-based bilayer microtubular microbots is described. The effects of different electropolymerized outer layers, including polypyrrole (PPy), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), polyaniline (PANI), and of various inner catalytic metal surfaces (Ag, Pt, Au, Ni-Pt alloy), upon the movement of such bilayer microtubes are evaluated and compared. Electropolymerization conditions, such as the monomer concentration and medium (e.g. surfactant, electrolyte), have a profound effect upon the morphology and locomotion of the resulting microtubes. The most efficient propulsion is observed using PEDOT/Pt microbots that offer a record-breaking speed of over 1400 body lengths s−1 at physiological temperature, which is the fastest relative speed reported to date for all artificial micro/nanomotors. An inner Pt-Ni alloy surface is shown useful for combining magnetic control and catalytic fuel decomposition within one layer, thus greatly simplifying the preparation of magnetically-guided microbots. Polymer-based microbots with an inner gold layer offer efficient biocatalytic propulsion in low peroxide level in connection to an immobilized catalase enzyme. Metallic Au/Pt bilayer microbots can also be prepared electrochemically to offer high speed propulsion towards potential biomedical applications through functionalization of the outer gold surface. Such rational template preparation and systematic optimization of highly efficient microbots hold considerable promise for diverse practical applications.
EVALUATING A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL GARDEN ENVIRONMENT: UTILIZATION AND CONSUMER SATISFACTION

Abstract The Leichtag Family Healing Garden at Children's Hospital and Health Center, San Diego was planned and built as a healing environment space for patients, families, and staff. A Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) was conducted to determine whether the garden was meeting the goals of reducing stress, restoring hope and energy, and increasing consumer satisfaction. Results from behavioral observations, surveys, and interviews indicated a number of benefits of the garden. The garden was perceived as a place of restoration and healing, and use was accompanied by increased consumer satisfaction. However, the garden was not utilized as often or as effectively as intended. Children, parents and many staff members recommended changes for the garden, such as the inclusion of more trees and greenery, and more interactive ‘things for kids to do’. In addition, the majority of family members surveyed throughout the hospital did not know about the garden. Based on the findings, recommendations for changes were developed to promote better use of the garden. These research findings can be used to guide the future planning, design, building, and subsequent evaluation of garden environments in children's hospitals and pediatric settings.
Integrated design of a boost converter

This paper examines the integrated design of a boost power converter. An integrated design procedure is shown to produce a better power converter than could be obtained by designing and optimizing its individual components and then assembling them together. The process of integrated design is accelerated through the use of an automated design procedure that employs iterative Monte-Carlo synthesis, rapid analysis and scalar cost function evaluation techniques. Three accelerators which speed up the Monte-Carlo synthesis and one criterion to determine the convergence of the design procedure are introduced. Results show that the use of these techniques significantly improves the performance of the integrated design procedure. >
Bayesian Analysis for the Social Sciences

List of Figures. List of Tables. Preface. Acknowledgments. Introduction. Part I: Introducing Bayesian Analysis. 1. The foundations of Bayesian inference. 1.1 What is probability? 1.2 Subjective probability in Bayesian statistics. 1.3 Bayes theorem, discrete case. 1.4 Bayes theorem, continuous parameter. 1.5 Parameters as random variables, beliefs as distributions. 1.6 Communicating the results of a Bayesian analysis. 1.7 Asymptotic properties of posterior distributions. 1.8 Bayesian hypothesis testing. 1.9 From subjective beliefs to parameters and models. 1.10 Historical note. 2. Getting started: Bayesian analysis for simple models. 2.1 Learning about probabilities, rates and proportions. 2.2 Associations between binary variables. 2.3 Learning from counts. 2.4 Learning about a normal mean and variance. 2.5 Regression models. 2.6 Further reading. Part II: Simulation Based Bayesian Analysis. 3. Monte Carlo methods. 3.1 Simulation consistency. 3.2 Inference for functions of parameters. 3.3 Marginalization via Monte Carlo integration. 3.4 Sampling algorithms. 3.5 Further reading. 4. Markov chains. 4.1 Notation and definitions. 4.2 Properties of Markov chains. 4.3 Convergence of Markov chains. 4.4 Limit theorems for Markov chains. 4.5 Further reading. 5. Markov chain Monte Carlo. 5.1 Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. 5.2 Gibbs sampling. 6. Implementing Markov chain Monte Carlo. 6.1 Software for Markov chain Monte Carlo. 6.2 Assessing convergence and run-length. 6.3 Working with BUGS/JAGS from R. 6.4 Tricks of the trade. 6.5 Other examples. 6.6 Further reading. Part III: Advanced Applications in the Social Sciences. 7. Hierarchical Statistical Models. 7.1 Data and parameters that vary by groups: the case for hierarchical modeling. 7.2 ANOVA as a hierarchical model. 7.3 Hierarchical models for longitudinal data. 7.4 Hierarchical models for non-normal data. 7.5 Multi-level models. 8. Bayesian analysis of choice making. 8.1 Regression models for binary responses. 8.2 Ordered outcomes. 8.3 Multinomial outcomes. 8.4 Multinomial probit. 9. Bayesian approaches to measurement. 9.1 Bayesian inference for latent states. 9.2 Factor analysis. 9.3 Item-response models. 9.4 Dynamic measurement models. Part IV: Appendices. Appendix A: Working with vectors and matrices. Appendix B: Probability review. B.1 Foundations of probability. B.2 Probability densities and mass functions. B.3 Convergence of sequences of random variabales. Appendix C: Proofs of selected propositions. C.1 Products of normal densities. C.2 Conjugate analysis of normal data. C.3 Asymptotic normality of the posterior density. References. Topic index. Author index.
Dividend Policy and Cash-Flow Uncertainty

We explore the role of expected cash-flow volatility as a determinant of dividend policy both theoretically and empirically. Our simple one-period model demonstrates that, given the existence of a stock-price penalty associated with dividend cuts, managers rationally pay out lower levels of dividends when future cash flows are less certain. The empirical results use a sample of REITs from 1985 to 1992 and confirm that payout ratios are lower for firms with higher expected cash-flow volatility as measured by leverage, size and property-level diversification. These results are consistent with information-based explanations of dividend policy but not with agency-cost theories.
Role of Protein Kinase C on the Steroidogenic Effect of Angiotensin II in the Rat Adrenal Glomerulosa Cell

The role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the steroidogenic action of angiotensin II (All) was investigated by depletion of endogenous PKC using prolonged incubation with phorbol ester and direct measurement of PKC in isolated rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. PKC activity was measured by incorporation of 32P from [γ32P]ATP into histone in the presence of cytosolic and detergent-solubilized membrane fractions purified by diethylaminoethyl cellulose chromatography. Basal PKC activity was higher in cytosol than in membranes (1,000 ± 57 and 413 ± 14 pmol P incorporated/mg-min, respectively). After incubation of the cells with All for 5, 15, 30, and 60 min, PKC activity in the cytosol decreased by 5, 18, 25, and 27%, respectively, while in the membrane there was a transient increase of 15% at 15 min returning to basal by 60 min. Incubation of the cells with 100 nM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) resulted in transient translocation of PKC activity to the membrane (15 min) which was followed by a 64% decrea...
A Case Study of Placenta Percreta and Small Bowel Obstruction in Pregnancy

Childbearing Poster Presentation Background Placenta percreta is a rare and potentially life‐threatening complication of pregnancy. Its incidence has been increasing and is reported to be one in 533 deliveries. Risk factors include history of previous cesarean/scarred uterus, placenta previa, history of manual extraction of placenta, multiple pregnancies, dilatation and curettage, endometriosis, high parity, and advanced maternal age. Intestinal obstruction in pregnancy is rare and occurs in one in 3,000 deliveries. Symptoms are often nonspecific, and fetal and maternal mortality rates are higher during pregnancy as diagnosis can be delayed due to symptoms mimicking typical pregnancy‐associated complaints. Significant morbidity or mortality is associated with both complications. Concern for fetal outcomes while managing these two complications raises therapeutic, ethical, moral, and social dilemmas. Case A 32‐year‐old multigravida with a history of extensive adhesions of the small bowel into the anterior abdominal wall and significant hemoperitoneum was admitted at 28‐week gestation for sudden sharp abdominal pain, nausea, and elevated blood pressure. The fetal heart rate was 147 and a Category I strip. Routine and pregnancy‐induced hypertentions labs were within normal limits. Sonogram and MRI showed a small bowel obstruction and placenta percreta. The patient was scheduled for cesarean and hysterectomy at 32 weeks. A multidisciplinary team including the patient's obstetrician, gynecologic oncologist, maternal fetal medicine specialist, neonatologist, anesthesiologist, interventional radiologist, representative from blood bank, clinical nurse specialist, and managers from labor and delivery and the operating room met and planned for the delivery. At 31‐week gestation, the patient's pain worsened and her hemoglobin and hematocrit dropped. The patient delivered a viable infant girl via repeat cesarean the patient went to the intensive care unit (ICU) for recovery and the infant was admitted to the neonatal ICU. The postpartum course was significant for fluctuating blood pressure that was treated intermittently with medications. The patient was discharged home on postoperative day 7. Conclusion The presence of two rare complications necessitated extensive planning for the anticipated delivery and well‐being of the mother and infant. Significant lessons learned from this case included education and support for nursing staff on a variety of diagnoses uncommon to daily obstetric practice and a multidisciplinary team approach to care. Daily high‐risk multidisciplinary planning rounds and strong collegial relationships that focused on the patient and infant's welfare facilitate evidence‐based care of critically ill mothers and infants.
Embeddings of Altn and its perfect covers for n≥6 in exceptional complex Lie groups

Abstract We classify Alt n and its perfect covers for n ≥ 6 up to conjugacy as subgroups of the exceptional complex Lie groups (with some exceptions where we give lower bounds and discuss the possibilities of Lie primitive subgroups).
Επανεξετάζοντας την τοποθεσία Binbirkilise: Οι φωτογραφίες του John Henry Haynes του 1887

Η τοποθeσία των πρώιμων βυζαντινών χρόνων του Binbirkilise (οι χίλιeς και μία eκκλησίeς), κοντά στην eπαρχία Καραμάν στη Λυκαονία, eίναι πeρισσότeρο γνωστή από την τeκμηρίωση του 1907 του Sir William M. Ramsay και της Gertrude Bell. Άγνωστη σe αυτούς, ωστόσο, ήταν η eπίσκeψη το 1887 του Αμeρικανού αρχαιολόγου John Henry Haynes, ο οποίος φωτογράφισe τους ναούς 8, 10, 13, 32 και 39. Eξαιτίας σοβαρών φθορών στα κτήρια μeταξύ του 1887 και του 1907, οι φωτογραφίeς του Haynes παρέχουν σημαντικές λeπτομέρeιeς των κτηρίων, οι οποίeς δeν ήταν γνωστές στους μeταγeνέστeρους eρeυνητές.
An analysis of attitude toward infant sleep safety and SIDS risk reduction behavior among caregivers of newborns and infants.

An analysis of attitude toward infant sleep safety and SIDS risk reduction behavior among caregivers of newborns and infants
Testing Techniques for Shock Accelerometers below 10,000 g

Research in the fields of impact science and penetration mechanics is often focused on the acceleration of projectiles during launch and penetration. In recent studies, various researchers have started using the Hopkinson bar to evaluate the performance of shock accelerometers for 10,000–100,000 g (1 g = 9.81 m/s2) accelerations. However, very little work has focused on shock environments below 10,000 g using the Hopkinson bar setup, although it has been reported that there may exist the peak amplitudes of sub 10,000 g acceleration during the penetration of concrete targets. Consequently, the presence of these acceleration levels in projectile penetration yields a definite need to create well-controlled accelerations below 10,000 g in a laboratory setting. In this study, two types of experimental techniques were investigated for accelerometer performance evaluation. The first was to modify the Hopkinson bar setup to test shock accelerometers with special attention to the acceleration level below 10,000 g. The second was to investigate a drop tower tester for the evaluation of shock accelerometers below 1,000 g.
Neighborhood Social Resources and Depressive Symptoms: Longitudinal Results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

The ways in which a neighborhood environment may affect depression and depressive symptoms have not been thoroughly explored. This study used longitudinal data from 5475 adults in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis to investigate associations of time-varying depressive symptoms between 2000 and 2012 (measured using the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)) with survey-based measures of neighborhood safety and social cohesion (both individual-level perceptions and neighborhood-level aggregates) and densities of social engagement destinations. Linear mixed models were used to examine associations of baseline cross-sectional associations and cumulative exposures with changes over time in CES-D. Econometric fixed effects models were utilized to investigate associations of within-person changes in neighborhood exposures with within-person changes in CES-D. Adjusting for relevant covariates, higher safety and social cohesion and greater density of social engagement destinations were associated with lower CES-D at baseline. Greater cumulative exposure to these features was not associated with progression of CES-D over 10 years. Within-person increases in safety and in social cohesion were associated with decreases in CES-D, although associations with cohesion were not statistically significant. Social elements of neighborhoods should be considered by community planners and public health practitioners to achieve optimal mental health.
Hepatic iron deposition in humans. I. First-pass hepatic deposition of intestinally absorbed iron in patients with low plasma latent iron-binding capacity.

In patients with spontaneous chronic low plasma latent iron-binding capacity, a large fraction of the intestinally absorbed iron is deposited in the liver without prior appearance in the systemic plasma. Such hepatic iron is not released to any large extent during the subsequent 2 weeks. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that iron absorbed from the intestinal tract is not initially bound to transferrin. When the plasma latent iron-binding capacity is normal, iron binds to transferrin prior to reaching the liver; when the plasma latent iron-binding capacity is low, a portion of the iron reaches the liver either unbound or abnormally bound to transferrin, resulting in its immediate hepatic deposition.
Practice and Analysis of Drug Consultation in Children's Hospital

OBJECTIVE: To facilitate a rational use of drugs in children to comply with the development of the clinical pharmacy. METHODS: The drug consultation in children's drug use was carried out by means of face to face talk or telephone inquiry between the guardians of children and the pharmacists, and the analysis was performed with exemplification. RESULTS CONCLUSIONS: The practice of drug consultation has improved the guardians' consciousness of rational drug use, corrected some errors in drug use, improved pharmacists' professional level, and facilitated the development of the pharmacy in hospital.
Serotonin increases DNA synthesis in rat proximal and distal pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells in culture.

Cultured smooth muscle cells obtained from rat lung periphery (RPC) and proximal pulmonary artery (RSMC) expressed mRNA for serotonin (5-HT) type 2 receptor (5-HT2) and 5-HT transporter (by Norther...
The Implications of Stalin’s Technocracy

Stalin’s postwar system marked the Soviet Union’s passage from the convulsion and disorder of revolution to the routinized professionalization common to most industrial societies. In the late Stalin years the career paths offering status and security became more clearly delineated, and for industrial supervisors, their families, and even their employees, life became more predictable. The stability and emerging normalcy of the era were new and welcomed phenomena in Soviet history. Unlike the situation in the 1930s, radical change and social upheaval were not part of the late Stalinist landscape. In the Introduction I asked if something about the postwar experience might have helped build popular acceptance or tolerance for Stalin’s regime. This study of elite formation indicates that the job security and enhanced status enjoyed by postwar technicians and engineers may well have inclined the technical intelligentsia to develop a fondness for Stalinism, at least in its postwar manifestation.
Prevalence of Perinatal Depression in the Military: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Objectives Perinatal depression (PND) has been widely studied in the general population, but has been under studied in military populations. This literature review evaluates studies of PND in military service women and spouses of military servicemen. Methods Articles from peer-reviewed journals published from January 2005 to September 2015 were included if they reported on US military women and/or spouses of military servicemen who were screened for PND symptoms during the prenatal and/or postpartum periods; and were available in English. Qualitative studies were excluded. Studies were compared and contrasted by screening instrument, screening time-period, study population, deployment status as a unique risk factor, and results. Results Ten articles were included. Studies varied greatly in methodology and use of screening instruments and screening time-period, but collectively indicate a wide prevalence range of PND symptoms in military populations. Studies also indicate deployment status as a unique risk factor associated with PND symptoms. Common methodological issues include excluding women at high risk for PND, and not reporting if adequate clinical resources were readily available to ensure appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic services treatment for women who screened positive for PND. Conclusions for Practice PND is receiving increasing attention and military populations should be studied more closely to identify this condition, and understand the complex interactions of unique risk factors associated with a military way of life in order to implement more rigorous screening and early, appropriate intervention strategies.
Efficiency of D- vs L-methionine utilization by growing steers.

Five ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (180 kg) were used in a 5 x 5 Latin square design experiment to evaluate the efficiency of D- vs L-methionine (Met) utilization in growing steers. Treatments were continuous abomasal infusions of water or water with 2 or 4 g.steer-1.d-1 L-Met or 2 or 4 g.steer-1.d-1 D-Met. All steers were fed 2.7 kg/d (DM basis) of a soyhull-based diet to minimize basal Met flow to the small intestine to create a paradigm by which responses to Met supplementation could be measured easily. To ensure that amino acids other than Met did not limit animal performance, an essential amino acid mixture simulating the nonsulfur amino acid profile of ruminal bacteria was infused abomasally. Energy supply to the steers was increased by continuously infusing acetate, propionate, and butyrate into the rumen at rates of 150, 150, and 37.5 g.steer-1.d-1, respectively. Abomasal infusions of dextrose (300 g/d) also provided an additional energy source. Nitrogen retention increased linearly (P < .05) in response to both L-Met and D-Met infusions, with responses being similar between the two Met isomers. Regression of N retention against Met supplementation yielded: Nitrogen retention (g/d) = 19.2 + 1.81 D-Met (g/d) + 1.90 L-Met (g/d). By slope ratio analysis, the efficiency of D-Met utilization relative to L-Met was 95.5%. In a concurrent study using intestinally cannulated steers, both D- and L-Met were absorbed essentially completely from the small intestine. These results show that D-Met can be utilized efficiently as a Met source by cattle.
Performance of the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Pooled Cohort Risk Equations by Social Deprivation Status.

Background The atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) Pooled Cohort risk equations have shown different calibration across US populations with varied levels of social deprivation. Methods and Results We analyzed the calibration and discrimination of the Pooled Cohort risk equations by social deprivation status among 9066 REGARDS (REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke) study participants not taking statins for whom ASCVD risk may lead to statin initiation. Patients were aged 45 to 79 years, had no ASCVD or diabetes mellitus, and had a low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol level 70 to 189 mg/dL. Social deprivation was defined using 3 indicators: annual household income P =0.01); 8.05 and 6.61 (95% CI, 5.29–8.24), respectively, with 1 indicator ( P =0.09); and 9.83 and 11.40 (95% CI, 9.23–14.05), respectively, with 2 or 3 indicators ( P =0.12). The C‐index (95% CI) was 0.72 (0.69–0.75), 0.73 (0.69–0.78), and 0.70 (0.65–0.75) among participants with 0, 1, and 2 or 3 indicators of deprivation, respectively. The net reclassification improvement after adding deprivation data to the Pooled Cohort risk equations was modest (0.12; 95% CI, 0.03–0.21). Conclusions The Pooled Cohort risk equations have good calibration among individuals with social deprivation but overestimate ASCVD risk among those with less social deprivation.
Structure and function of the divalent anion/Na+ symporter from Vibrio cholerae and a humanized variant

Integral membrane proteins of the divalent anion/Na+ symporter (DASS) family translocate dicarboxylate, tricarboxylate or sulphate across cell membranes, typically by utilizing the preexisting Na+ gradient. The molecular determinants for substrate recognition by DASS remain obscure, largely owing to the absence of any substrate-bound DASS structure. Here we present 2.8-A resolution X-ray structures of VcINDY, a DASS from Vibrio cholerae that catalyses the co-transport of Na+ and succinate. These structures portray the Na+-bound VcINDY in complexes with succinate and citrate, elucidating the binding sites for substrate and two Na+ ions. Furthermore, we report the structures of a humanized variant of VcINDY in complexes with succinate and citrate, which predict how a human citrate-transporting DASS may interact with its bound substrate. Our findings provide insights into metabolite transport by DASS, establishing a molecular basis for future studies on the regulation of this transport process.
Crude Oil Effects on Redox Status of Salt Marsh Soil in Louisiana

In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill triggered extensive research on crude oil impacts on flora and fauna of the Gulf of Mexico. Little research has investigated impact of spilled oil on redox condition of wetland soil. Redox condition is an excellent proxy for oxygen levels, which control biogeochemical functions linked to valuable ecosystem services. The goal of this study was to quantify effects of crude oil on wetland soil redox conditions in cores collected from a salt marsh in Barataria Bay, LA. Treatments tested were nonoiled control, weathered crude oil at the soil surface, fresh crude oil at the soil surface, and a layer of buried weathered crude oil 5 cm beneath the soil surface to mimic the presence of buried oil found in marshes. No significant differences in redox potentials were detected among treatments at any depth at the end of the 35-d flooded, anaerobic study. After drainage of the cores began, redox was measured to the time to reach the aerobic threshold (+300 mV) within the rhizosphere. Mean redox values for control cores reached +300 mV after 193 h. Both fresh and weathered crude oil surface treatments reached +300 mV after 316 h while the buried crude oil treatment reached the aerobic threshold after 370 h. These results suggest the presence and location of crude oil in the soil profile can impact soil redox conditions which could alter biogeochemical processes over the long term and induce oxygen stress on wetland vegetation and organisms in the soil.
Effects of an Imprinting Stimulus on Tonic Immobility in Young Domestic Chicks

The effects of various tones on tonic immobility in both isolation- and socially reared chicks were investigated. The tones were a 500-Hz pulsating imprinting stimulus and a 200-Hz continuous novel stimulus. Chicks were exposed to daily imprinting trials for 5 days following hatch, after which they were tested for immobility in the presence of each tone. The 500-Hz tone attenuated the duration of immobility, but the 200-Hz tone had no appreciable enhancing effect. Chicks exhibiting short immobility durations vocalized significantly more than chicks exhibiting longer durations. This observation supports earlier reports that vocalizations can be inhibited by heightened arousal or fear.
Biologically motivated quantum neural networks

This paper presents one step toward creating the building blocks for machine intelligence that is inspired by its biological equivalent. The authors' quantum learning methods (deep quantum learning) are applied to quantum devices whose quantum bit (q-bit) activity is deliberately chosen to mimic the spiking behavior of biological neurons. Because of the "quantum" scale of these computers, these studies may lead to quantum hardware (rather than simulation) with enough processors and enough connectivity that can more closely mimic biological intelligence.
Power struggles: Estimating sample size for multilevel relationships research

Conducting research on human relationships entails special challenges of design and analysis. Many important questions benefit from the study of dyads and families, and studies of relationships in ...
The Industrialization of Information Services

Almost all major economies in the world are already dominated by services. A more recent trend is their evolution towards becoming information economies. The confluence of these trends is leading towards the growth of information intensive serviceinformation-intensive service s which is already the major part of many developed economies. This change is being accompanied by a technology driven process of “industrialization ” in information services that has some similarities to the industrialization of manufacturing , but also some important differences. Outcomes of industrialization include increases in productivity , standardization and mass markets. The consequences for industry structure, sector size and growth, employment and management practice are significant and again have both similarities to and differences from what occurred in manufacturing. One difference for industry structure is the tendency towards vertical de-integration and lateral dominance, as the role of transport media diminishes, and transaction costs reduce.
Blast from the Past: The Generation of 1914 and the Causes of World War II

Already in 1976, Robert Jervis pointed towards the potential significance of the concept of generations for understanding large-scale changes in foreign policy beliefs over time. George Modelski has called generations the “basic units of social learning processes” . However, few attempts in IR have been made to conceptualize the notion of generations and consequently the explanatory potential of this concept has been left unexplored in the discipline. In my paper, I develop a theory of generations and generational change and demonstrate its explanatory power by applying it to the question of foreign policy change. The theory specifies mechanisms for the transmission of ideas across time and defines the conditions under which we should expect generational change. The central hypothesis is that generational change results in large-scale changes in international norms, foreign policy beliefs and practices with a time-lag of about 15-20 years, when the members of a generation reach positions of political power. A theory of generational change therefore allows us to predict the timing and character of radical changes in foreign policy. Periods of generational change, however, are followed by periods of generational transmission, where new ideas and beliefs are reproduced across time. Consequently, a theory of generations contributes not only to our understanding of why, how, and when new ideas emerge and result in new foreign policy practices, but it will also help us explain how ideas are reproduced across time, how long certain formative experiences dominate the thoughts of elites and the general public, and why only some events result in significant foreign policy lessons and not others. The empirical section of the paper focuses on the “Generation of 1914”, the generation of people across Europe which happened to be in their youth during the outbreak and course of the First World War. I argue that this generation brought about radical changes in the belief systems and worldviews of both elites and publics in most Western European countries, which in turn created the enabling conditions for the outbreak of World War II.
The effect of multitasking on the grade performance of business students

The growth and expansion of communication technology have created a multitasking generation of students who believe they are utilizing time more effectively by performing two or more tasks simultaneously. Multitasking refers to the concurrent processing of two or more tasks through a process of context switching. However, research by neuroscientists show that multitasking reduces the brain’s ability to effectively retrieve information. The purpose of this study is to empirically examine whether multitasking in class affects the grade performance of business students. We conducted an experiment using 62 undergraduate business students enrolled in the first accounting principles course at a university in the Southeastern part of the United States. The students participated in a class lecture and afterwards were given a quiz covering the lecture content. One-half of the participants were allowed to multitask in the form of texting during a class lecture, while the other half of the participants were not. Our findings indicate that the exam scores of students who text in class are significantly lower than the exam scores of students who do not text in class. Thus, multitasking during class is considered a distraction that is likely to result in lower grade performance. The implications of this study can be very useful to students, instructors, administrators, and other academic stakeholders, about the effect of multitasking in a learning environment on students’ grade performance.
Firm Characteristics and the Cross-Section of Covariance Risk

I analyze the cross-section of covariance risk for individual stocks using a new type of multivariate volatility model in which firm characteristics serve as time-varying loadings on fundamental factors. The evidence points to strong linkages between firm characteristics and covariance risk, and also reveals that cross-sectional differences in covariance risk explain much of the cross-sectional variation in expected excess stock returns. I find, for example, that the fundamental factors perform at least as well as the Fama-French factors in regression-based pricing tests. In view of its tractability and performance, the proposed model should find use in a variety of applications.
Supply Chain Virtualization: Facilitating Agent Trust Utilizing Blockchain Technology

In this chapter, through the lens of information security, we discuss the use of blockchain technology as a mechanism for facilitating trust between various supply chain agents. The goal is to explicate the use of blockchain technology as a distributed ledger to mitigate a varied set of risks to supply chain virtualization, whereby various agents within the supply chain context can engage in transactions with an immutable and cryptographically secure record. This immutable and secure record would then serve as the foundation of a mutually beneficial relationship, built upon the blockchain technology, by engendering greater trust among supply chain agents. The usefulness of blockchain technology is such that it enables information to be stored using a cryptographically secure hash and be distributed among multiple record-keeping nodes. Each agent within the supply chain context can act as a node and, by maintaining a copy of the record, create a distributed ledger of information. This provides two distinct benefits that facilitate trust among agents within the supply chain context; first, agents acting as nodes within the blockchain possess a copy of the information record, which cannot be altered without their consent. Second, information is stored on the blockchain using a secure method of encryption that provides protection against tampering from malicious sources and security of the information contained on the chain. Therefore, these two benefits of blockchain technology provide supply chain agents with powerful trust-building mechanisms, which extricate fear and allay concerns when interacting with new or unknown agents.
Pathological downstaging as a novel endpoint for the development of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma

OBJECTIVES To evaluate whether pathological downstaging (pDS) was more informative in predicting overall survival (OS) than pathological complete response (pCR) in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). PATIENTS AND METHODS The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with high-grade cN0M0 disease who had received NAC. pDS was defined as a decrease of at least one stage from cT to pT stage along with pN0, including pCR. A multivariable Cox model predicting OS was generated by fitting alternatively either pDS or pCR, and adjusted for potential confounders. The discrimination of the Cox models for predicting OS was evaluated using Harrell's C-index. The analyses were repeated in patients diagnosed as having cT2-4N0M0 disease. RESULTS Among 264 patients meeting the inclusion criteria, 72 (27%) and 39 (15%) achieved pDS and pCR, respectively. On multivariable analysis, both pDS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13, 0.45; P < 0.001) and pCR (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.18, 0.79; P = 0.01) were associated with OS. The model including pDS achieved better discrimination with respect to the model including pCR: C-index 76.4 vs 72.7, respectively. In the 128 patients diagnosed with cT2-4 disease, both pDS (HR 0.19, 95% CI 0.09, 0.40; P < 0.001) and pCR (HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.11, 0.85; P = 0.023) were confirmed as predictors of OS. The model including pDS was confirmed to discriminate better than the model including pCR: C-index 75 vs 68.9, respectively. CONCLUSION The study showed that pDS after NAC for UTUC was more informative than pCR when predicting OS. These findings, although requiring prospective validation, can aid in the design of clinical trials seeking to refine the use of chemotherapy and other systemic therapies in this setting.
Buyer Beware: Ethics, Adverse Selection, and Target Method of Sale Strategies

We examine the impact of whether the target initiates the sale of the firm on the method-of-sale decision (auctions vs. one-on-one negotiations), and on shareholder wealth creation. While we find a strong positive relationship between proxies of adverse selection risk and the likelihood of target initiation, robustness tests suggest target initiation itself is a unique indicator of information asymmetry in an acquisition environment. We also find that most target initiated transactions follow an auction as the method of sale. Regarding shareholder wealth, we find that the wealth accrued to both bidders and targets increases in auctions, especially in non-target initiated acquisitions. This benefit, however, disappears when the target initiates the acquisition, arguably due to higher adverse selection risk concerns. When adverse selection risk is lower, both the bidder’s and combined gains from acquisitions are higher. Consistent with recent theoretical two-stage sale models, our analysis highlights the importance of considering private information factors when examining the impact of the method-of-sale and shareholder gains.
Thermodynamic analysis of the stability of planar interfaces between coexisting phases and its application to supercooled water

Two-phase simulations are commonly used to evaluate coexistence conditions, interfacial tensions, and other thermodynamic properties associated with first-order phase transitions. Calculation of these properties is often simplified when the interfaces between the two phases are flat or planar. Here, we derive a general thermodynamic criterion for selecting simulation cell dimensions to stabilize planar interfaces in phase-separated fluid-fluid systems with respect to homogeneous, single-phase states. The resulting expression is validated by analyzing the effects of simulation cell dimensions on the formation of planar liquid-vapor interfaces in the Lennard-Jones fluid and in the TIP4P/2005 model of water. We also perform large scale molecular dynamics simulations to study metastable liquid-liquid phase separation in the ST2 and TIP4P/2005 models of water under deeply supercooled conditions. Our simulations confirm the stability of a liquid-liquid interface in ST2, and they demonstrate that the corresponding interface for TIP4P/2005 can be stabilized by judiciously choosing the simulation cell aspect ratio in a manner consistent with the thermodynamic criterion. We posit that this sensitivity to the simulation cell aspect ratio may explain discrepancies between previous studies examining liquid-liquid separation in models of supercooled water.
Human regulatory T cells (Treg) and their response to cancer.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Regulatory T cells (Treg) and their role in health and disease is being intensively investigated. Today, human Treg emerge as a highly heterogeneous subset of CD4 + T cells wh...
Phase II study of the clinical efficacy and safety of tosedostat in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) after failure of hypomethylating agent-based therapy.

The prognosis for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients who fail to respond or become resistant to hypomethylating agents (HMA) is dismal, and there is a compelling unmet medical need for novel ...
Introduction: Gurus, Grades, and the Globe: Khalsa College, Education, and Colonial Modernity in South Asia

Gurus, Grades, and the Globe addresses the history and historiography of religion, education, and the transmission of knowledge in colonial society. The chapter introduces Khalsa College, Amritsar in British India, as a subject of study that allows for a combination of micro- and macro-historical inquiry and thinking on a local level about global processes. Interpreting colonial modernity as the result of a complex negotiation and flow of ideas and practices, the chapter sets the stage for an analysis of a modern Sikh identity as it was moulded in the educational milieu of late colonial South Asia.
Determinants of governance institutional quality in sub-saharan africa

The paper hypothesizes that the quality of institutions tends to evolve slowly and in a piecemeal nature over time. In this process policy is seen to be a mechanism through which this evolutionary ...
Vision and force based autonomous coating with rollers

Coating rollers are widely popular in structural painting, in comparison with brushes and sprayers, due to thicker paint layer, better color consistency, and effortless customizability of holder frame and naps. In this paper, we introduce a cost-effective method to employ a general purpose robot (Sawyer, Rethink Robotics) for autonomous coating. To sense the position and the shape of the target object to be coated, the robot is combined with an RGB-Depth camera. The combined system autonomously recognizes the number of faces of the object as well as their position and surface normal. Unlike related work based on two-dimensional RGB-based image processing, all the analyses and algorithms here employ three-dimensional point cloud data (PCD). The object model learned from the PCD is then autonomously analyzed to achieve optimal motion planning to avoid collision between the robot arm and the object. To achieve human-level performance in terms of the quality of coating using the bare minimum ingredients, a combination of our own passive and builtin active impedance control is implemented. The former is realized by installing an ultrasonic sensor at the end-effector of robot working with a customized compliant mass-spring-damper roller to keep a precise distance between the end-effector and surface to be coated, maintaining a fixed force. Altogether, the control approach mimics human painting as evidenced by experimental measurements on the thickness of the coating. Coating on two different polyhedral objects is also demonstrated to test the overall method.
Freed unto Liberty: A Call to Re-Treasure American Liberty

Americans cherished a particular kind of liberty that the Constitution was ratified to protect. This original liberty was moral in character, communal in nature, and consensual in reach. At the dawn of the twentieth century, however, nine unelected judges began loosening the meaning of the Constitution, crowning themselves as the “supreme law of the land,” and burying the American liberty treasure under a heap of extra-constitutional court opinions. But hope remains for honoring America’s original liberty once again. The same source that created America’s original liberty can help bring it back.
Pressure for rapid and accurate mate recognition promotes avian-perceived plumage sexual dichromatism in true thrushes (genus: Turdus)

Ecological conditions limiting the time to find a compatible mate or increasing the difficulty in doing so likely promote the evolution of traits used for species and mate recognition. Here, we tested this recognition hypothesis for promoting plumage sexual dichromatism in the true thrushes (Turdus), a large and diverse genus of passerine birds. We used receptor-noise limited models of avian vision to quantify avian-perceived chromatic and achromatic visual contrasts between male and female plumage patches and tested the influence of breeding season length, spatial distribution, and sympatry with other Turdus species on plumage dichromatism. As predicted, we found that 1) true thrush species with migratory behaviour have greater plumage sexual dichromatism than non-migratory species, 2) species with longer breeding seasons have less plumage sexual dichromatism, and 3) the number of Turdus thrush species breeding in sympatry is associated with more plumage sexual dichromatism. These results suggest that social recognition systems, including species and mate recognition, play a prominent role in the evolution of thrush plumage sexual dichromatism.
A review of pregnancy-induced changes in opioid pharmacokinetics, placental transfer, and fetal exposure: Towards fetomaternal physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling to improve the treatment of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome.

Abstract Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling has emerged as a useful tool to study pharmacokinetics (PK) in special populations, such as pregnant women, fetuses, and newborns, where practical hurdles severely limit the study of drug behavior. PK in pregnant women is variable and everchanging, differing greatly from that in their nonpregnant female and male counterparts typically enrolled in clinical trials. PBPK models can accommodate pregnancy-induced physiological and metabolic changes, thereby providing mechanistic insights into maternal drug disposition and fetal exposure. Fueled by the soaring opioid epidemic in the United States, opioid use during pregnancy continues to rise, leading to an increased incidence of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). The severity of NOWS is influenced by a complex interplay of extrinsic and intrinsic factors, and varies substantially between newborns, but the extent of prenatal opioid exposure is likely the primary driver. Fetomaternal PBPK modeling is an attractive approach to predict in utero opioid exposure. To facilitate the development of fetomaternal PBPK models of opioids, this review provides a detailed overview of pregnancy-induced changes affecting the PK of commonly used opioids during gestation. Moreover, the placental transfer of these opioids is described, along with their disposition in the fetus. Lastly, the implementation of these factors into PBPK models is discussed. Fetomaternal PBPK modeling of opioids is expected to provide improved insights in fetal opioid exposure, which allows for prediction of postnatal NOWS severity, thereby opening the way for precision postnatal treatment of these vulnerable infants.
Bolts, Timber Connectors, and Special Weldments

Bolts for resisting direct shear or tension loads were covered in Chapter 5. This chapter introduces the use of bolts under more complex loading conditions.
Land Disposal of Coal Gasification Residue

Solid wastes produced in all stages of the coal fuel cycle (mining, processing, beneficiation, and utilization) may represent a major fraction of the total solid waste. The Stored Solids Study has as its objective the provision of design criteria for geologic disposal of solid wastes at coal gasification facilities. The major emphasis is directed toward alerting the specific emerging coal technologies of possible environmental impacts of ground-water leachate from coal conversion residues in land disposal sites, as well as in runoff from rainfall on coal storage piles. The studies represent an engineering-oriented approach to attenuation of the dissolution and subsequent movement of coal conversion solid wastes by using suitable geologic media and a knowledge of the geochemical interactions between leachate and local soils. First-order dissolution rates have been determined for components of some of these wastes. The experimental program utilizes a three-step approach: characterization, evaluation, and prediction.