cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Art and Science of Street Sweeping: An Introduction to Urban Street Sweeping Management

The sentiments expressed by Dr. Martin Luther King in reference to street sweepers are pertinent in several ways. At one level, the expectation is that all members of society, whatever their calling, should strive to attain levels of excellence. In this case, King compares the work of street sweepers to that of Michelangelo, Beethoven, and Shakespeare, all three exceptional artistes within their respective fields. Street sweepers, therefore, just like these artistes, should seek to perform their Jobs to the benefit of society, and have pride in their accomplishments. In this way, street sweeping itself can be viewed as an art form, raising societal perspectives and Community spirit through a reduction in the visual blight of human wastes. The art of street sweeping, then, is in the aesthetic improvement in the urban environment.
Association Between Biomarkers of Ovarian Reserve and Infertility Among Older Women of Reproductive Age.

Importance Despite lack of evidence of their utility, biomarkers of ovarian reserve are being promoted as potential markers of reproductive potential. Objective To determine the associations between biomarkers of ovarian reserve and reproductive potential among women of late reproductive age. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective time-to-pregnancy cohort study (2008 to date of last follow-up in March 2016) of women (N = 981) aged 30 to 44 years without a history of infertility who had been trying to conceive for 3 months or less, recruited from the community in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, area. Exposures Early-follicular-phase serum level of antimullerian hormone (AMH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and inhibin B and urinary level of FSH. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcomes were the cumulative probability of conception by 6 and 12 cycles of attempt and relative fecundability (probability of conception in a given menstrual cycle). Conception was defined as a positive pregnancy test result. Results A total of 750 women (mean age, 33.3 [SD, 3.2] years; 77% white; 36% overweight or obese) provided a blood and urine sample and were included in the analysis. After adjusting for age, body mass index, race, current smoking status, and recent hormonal contraceptive use, women with low AMH values ( 10 mIU/mL [n = 83]) did not have a significantly different predicted probability of conceiving after 6 cycles of attempt (63%; 95% CI, 50%-73%) compared with women (n = 654) with normal values (62%; 95% CI, 57%-66%) or after 12 cycles of attempt (82% [95% CI, 70%-89%] vs 75% [95% CI, 70%-78%], respectively). Women with high urinary FSH values (>11.5 mIU/mg creatinine [n = 69]) did not have a significantly different predicted probability of conceiving after 6 cycles of attempt (61%; 95% CI, 46%-74%) compared with women (n = 660) with normal values (62%; 95% CI, 58%-66%) or after 12 cycles of attempt (70% [95% CI, 54%-80%] vs 76% [95% CI, 72%-80%], respectively). Inhibin B levels (n = 737) were not associated with the probability of conceiving in a given cycle (hazard ratio per 1-pg/mL increase, 0.999; 95% CI, 0.997-1.001). Conclusions and Relevance Among women aged 30 to 44 years without a history of infertility who had been trying to conceive for 3 months or less, biomarkers indicating diminished ovarian reserve compared with normal ovarian reserve were not associated with reduced fertility. These findings do not support the use of urinary or blood follicle-stimulating hormone tests or antimullerian hormone levels to assess natural fertility for women with these characteristics.
Writing Sensation: Critical Autoethnography in Posthumanism

This chapter suggests the importance of considering materials within our worlds and worlding within critical authoethnography, considering especially various posthuman(ist)and new materialist approaches. With a focus on writing sensation, Dickinson weaves human and nonhuman frameworks throughout her own experience of object awareness, circulation, and material/sensorial phenomena. By writing about objects within her own life, she suggests the possibility that critical autoethnography can reconsider experiences with materials through story in order to acknowledge not only object signification but the positionality and circulation of objects with the social world.
TXT-tool 3.001-1.4: Using Excel Tools for Slope Stability Analysis

Each year landslides around the world are responsible for the loss of hundreds of lives, damage to infrastructure, billions of dollars in economic loss and have an impact on the environment. An understanding of the stability of slopes is crucial to reduce the impact of landslides and there are several available methods and computer programs to do so. However, the development of simple spreadsheets to evaluate the stability of slopes can be beneficial in reducing the cost of purchasing commercially available programs and the learning component associated with these programs. This teaching tools outlines the procedures to develop Excel Spreadsheets for four commonly used slope stability analysis methods. Specifically, step-by-step procedures to determine the factor of safety using the Ordinary Method of Slices, Bishop’s Simplified Method, Simplified Janbu Method and the Lowe and Karafiath Method are provided.
Assessing the risk of Eccritotarsus eichhorniae to pickerelweed, Pontederia cordata in North America

The mirid Eccritotarsus eichhorniae is a newly described species with potential as a biological control agent for water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, in North America. A series of quarantine-base...
Endocrine Changes in Obesity

Obesity can be associated with several endocrine alterations arising as a result of changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary hormones axes. These include hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease, hypogonadism and growth hormone deficiency. Besides its role in energy storage, adipose tissue has many other important functions that can be mediated through hormones or substances synthesized and released by adipocytes which include leptin and adiponectin. Further, obesity is also a common feature of polycystic ovarian syndrome with hyperinsulinemia being the primary etiological factor. Here, we provide and an overview of certain endocrine syndromes which are known to result in obesity and discuss the endocrine role of adipose tissue in conjunction to its association with hypothalamic-pituitary-endocrine axes. For complete coverage of this and related areas of Endocrinology, please visit our free online textbook, WWW.ENDOTEXT.ORG.
Generating Random Deviates

Statisticians rely on a combination of mathematical theory and statistical simulation to develop new methods. Because simulations are often conducted on a massive scale, it is crucial that they be efficiently executed. In the current chapter, we investigate techniques for producing random samples from univariate and multivariate distributions. These techniques stand behind every successful simulation and play a critical role in Monte Carlo integration. Exceptionally fast code for simulations almost always depends on using a lower-level computer language such as C or Fortran. This limitation forces the statistician to write custom software. Mastering techniques for generating random variables (or deviates in this context) is accordingly a useful survival skill.
Avian influenza virus detection and quantitation by real-time RT-PCR.

Real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) has been used for avian influenza virus (AIV) detection since the early 2000s. This method has been applied to surveillance, outbreaks and research. Some of the advantages of rRT-PCR are high sensitivity, high specificity, rapid time to result, scalability, cost, and its inherently quantitative nature. Furthermore, rRT-PCR can be used with numerous sample types and is less expensive than virus isolation in chicken embryos, and since infectious virus is inactivated early during processing, biosafety and biosecurity are also easier to maintain. However, the high genetic variability of AIV may decrease sensitivity and increases the chances of a false negative result with novel strains. This chapter will provide an overview of the USDA-validated rRT-PCR procedure for the detection of type A influenza.
Biopolymers in Food Emulsions

Publisher Summary Biopolymers are widely used as emulsifiers in the food industry to improve the stability and physicochemical properties of food emulsions. This chapter aims to describe the formation, stability, and properties of food emulsions and consider the application of biopolymers as functional ingredients in emulsion-based foods. The electrical characteristics of the droplets in an emulsion-based food product may play an important role in determining their properties and shelf life. The overall properties of an emulsion-based food product depend on the type and concentration of ingredients that it contains as well as the processing operations used to manufacture it. The industrial production of a food emulsion usually involves a number of consecutive steps, which depend on the nature of the starting materials and the desired properties of the end product. These processes can be divided into pre-homogenization, homogenization, and post-homogenization steps. Emulsifiers used in the food industry vary greatly in their ability to form and stabilize emulsions and it is important for food manufacturers to identify the most appropriate emulsifier for each application. Food scientists use rheological measurements as an analytical tool to provide fundamental information about the structural organization and interactions of the components within emulsions.
MPP+ decreases store-operated calcium entry and TRPC1 expression in Mesenchymal Stem Cell derived dopaminergic neurons

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder involving the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons (DNs), with currently available therapeutics, such as L-Dopa, only able to relieve some symptoms. Stem cell replacement is an attractive therapeutic option for PD patients, and DNs derived by differentiating patient specific stem cells under defined in-vitro conditions may present a viable opportunity to replace dying neurons. We adopted a previously published approach to differentiate Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) into DN using a 12-day protocol involving FGF-2, bFGF, SHH ligand and BDNF. While MSC-derived DNs have been characterized for neuronal markers and electrophysiological properties, we investigated store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) mechanisms of these DNs under normal conditions, and upon exposure to environmental neurotoxin, 1-methyl, 4-phenyl pyridinium ion (MPP+). Overall, we show that MSC-derived DNs are functional with regard to SOCE mechanisms, and MPP+ exposure dysregulates calcium signaling, making them vulnerable to neurodegeneration. Since in-vitro differentiation of MSCs into DNs is an important vehicle for PD disease modeling and regenerative medicine, the results of this study may help with understanding of the pathological mechanisms underlying PD.
Is Informal Financial Aid Good for Health? Evidence from Kyrgyzstan, a Low-Income Post-Socialist Nation in Eurasia

The importance of social capital and economic advantage for health is well established in literature. The relationship between health and social capital through informal financial aid is less understood. Using representative data (N = 7,474), authors explored an association between informal financial aid and health satisfaction in Kyrgyzstan, a post-socialist low-income country in Eurasia. Multilevel modeling revealed significant associations between informal aid and health. Cross-level interactions between individual and neighborhood financial aid were also significantly associated with health satisfaction. The results suggest that (a) social capital is influenced by socioeconomic status of the person, and (b) paths between informal aid and health vary among individuals at different levels of socioeconomic structure. Authors conclude the article with a discussion of the implications for social work practice and policy to improve health outcomes for disadvantaged individuals.
Factors associated with gastrostomy tube dependence following salvage total laryngectomy with microvascular free tissue transfer.

Background Following salvage total laryngectomy (STL) with microvascular-free tissue transfer (MFTT), patients are at high risk for swallowing dysfunction, but risk factors for persistent gastrostomy tube (G-tube) dependence are unknown. Methods Retrospective review of 33 patients who underwent STL with MFTT. Results A total oral diet was achieved by 81% of patients with ≥6 months of postoperative follow-up. Approximately 27% of patients were G-tube dependent preoperatively with 67% achieving a total oral diet postoperatively. Factors associated with persistent G-tube dependence included pT4 tumor, pN2+ status, more extensive pharyngectomy, and re-irradiation. Strictures occurred in 30% of patients and were associated with more extensive pharyngectomy and tubed reconstruction. Conclusions For patients undergoing STL with MFTT, the majority of patients achieve a total oral diet regardless of their preoperative swallowing function. Advanced-stage recurrent tumors and increased extent of pharyngectomy contribute to poorer swallowing outcomes.
Exploring the Benefits of Ecotherapy-Based Activities at an Urban Community College

ABSTRACTEcotherapy-based experiences have been shown to provide multiple benefits such as improved cognitive functioning, increased overall well-being and improved mental and physical health. Few, ...
Retention of Coiled-Coil Dimer Formation in the Absence of Ion Pairing at Positions Flanking the Hydrophobic Core.

Hydrophobic interactions govern how proteins fold and interact with other molecules, but the impact of nearby polar functionality on the effective hydrophobicity of nonpolar surfaces remains unclea...
The T2-FLAIR-mismatch sign as an imaging biomarker for IDH and 1p/19q status in diffuse low-grade gliomas: a systematic review with a Bayesian approach to evaluation of diagnostic test performance.

Objective With the revised WHO 2016 classification of brain tumors, there has been increasing interest in imaging biomarkers to predict molecular status and improve the yield of genetic testing for diffuse low-grade gliomas (LGGs). The T2-FLAIR-mismatch sign has been suggested to be a highly specific radiographic marker of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) gene mutation and 1p/19q codeletion status in diffuse LGGs. The presence of T2-FLAIR mismatch indicates a T2-hyperintense lesion that is hypointense on FLAIR with the exception of a hyperintense rim. Methods In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, we performed a systematic review of the Ovid Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane databases for reports of studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of T2-FLAIR mismatch in predicting the IDH and 1p/19q codeletion status in diffuse LGGs. Results were combined into a 2 × 2 format, and the following diagnostic performance parameters were calculated: sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and positive (LR+) and negative (LR-) likelihood ratios. In addition, we utilized Bayes theorem to calculate posttest probabilities as a function of known pretest probabilities from previous genome-wide association studies and the calculated LRs. Calculations were performed for 1) IDH mutation with 1p/19q codeletion (IDHmut-Codel), 2) IDH mutation without 1p/19q codeletion (IDHmut-Noncodel), 3) IDH mutation overall, and 4) 1p/19q codeletion overall. The QUADAS-2 (revised Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies) tool was utilized for critical appraisal of included studies. Results A total of 4 studies were included, with inclusion of 2 separate cohorts from a study reporting testing and validation (n = 746). From pooled analysis of all cohorts, the following values were obtained for each molecular profile-IDHmut-Codel: sensitivity 30%, specificity 73%, LR+ 1.1, LR- 1.0; IDHmut-Noncodel: sensitivity 33.7%, specificity 98.5%, LR+ 22.5, LR- 0.7; IDH: sensitivity 32%, specificity 100%, LR+ 32.1, LR- 0.7; 1p/19q codeletion: sensitivity 0%, specificity 54%, LR+ 0.01, LR- 1.9. Bayes theorem was used to calculate the following posttest probabilities after a positive and negative result, respectively-IDHmut-Codel: 32.2% and 29.4%; IDHmut-Noncodel: 95% and 40%; IDH: 99.2% and 73.5%; 1p/19q codeletion: 0.4% and 35.1%. Conclusions The T2-FLAIR-mismatch sign is an insensitive but highly specific marker of IDH mutation but not 1p/19q codeletion in diffuse LGGs, although there may be significant exceptions. These findings support the utility of T2-FLAIR mismatch as an imaging-based biomarker for positive selection of patients with IDH-mutant gliomas.
Patients’ Expectations in a Residential Rehabilitation Center:

Blind persons entering a rehabilitation center have a variety of unexpressed or unacknowledged expectations. They may, for example, view it as a source of blind skills and adjustment training, an e...
Effect of age on outcomes and practice patterns for patients with anterior communicating artery aneurysms.

BACKGROUND With widespread utilization of noninvasive imaging, small unruptured anterior communicating artery (AcoA) aneurysms are increasingly detected in the general population, particularly in elderly patients. We investigated the association between age and clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with unruptured AcoA aneurysms. METHODS Between January 2008 and May 2016, information on 179 consecutive patients with unruptured AcoA aneurysms was obtained and included demographic data, aneurysm features, risk factors for formation and rupture, treatment type, complications, and follow-up information. A 2-tailed t test was used for continuous data and the chi-square test for categorical variables. Statistical significance was set at P value < 0.05. RESULTS There were 76 patients 65 and older (42.5%) and 103 younger than 65 (57.5%). Conservative management was more common in older patients (67.1% vs. 41.7%, P=0.001). Endovascular treatment was more commonly used in the older population (80% vs. 61% of the treated aneurysms in older and younger group, P=0.16). Treatment-related complications were 8% but resulted in permanent neurological deficits in one patient (1.2%). Among conservatively treated aneurysms, three (3.2%) ruptured at follow-up resulting in patient death in two cases (2.4%). All three ruptures occurred in elderly patients. CONCLUSIONS With a modern approach that emphasizes endovascular therapy, especially in older individuals, unruptured AcoA aneurysms can be treated with a very low morbidity. Among patients with small aneurysms for which treatment was not deemed indicated or necessary, the rate of rupture at follow-up was not negligible, with 5.8% of older patients experiencing bleeding from the aneurysm.
Chorioamnionitis versus intraamniotic infection among preterm deliveries-is postpartum infectious morbidity different?

BACKGROUND Chorioamnionitis can have a highly variable definition with substantial maternal and fetal morbidity, with higher frequencies in preterm births. With the recently updated intraamniotic infection diagnostic criteria by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, fewer women experiencing preterm delivery may qualify for intrapartum antibiotic treatment, potentially resulting in higher postpartum infectious morbidity. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to estimate whether the proportion of women delivering preterm who develop postpartum endometritis differs between subjects diagnosed as having clinical chorioamnionitis and those meeting the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' criteria for intraamniotic infection. STUDY DESIGN Secondary analysis was conducted using a randomized controlled trial of antenatal magnesium sulfate for the prevention of cerebral palsy. Subjects were included if they had a clinical diagnosis of chorioamnionitis and maternal temperature of ≥37.8°C and excluded if maternal temperature data were missing. The exposure group included women who met the criteria for intraamniotic infection, defined as a single maternal temperature of ≥39.0°C or maternal temperature of 38.0°C to 38.9°C plus 1 additional clinical risk factor (leukocytosis, purulent cervical drainage, or fetal tachycardia). The primary outcome was postpartum endometritis. The odds of postpartum endometritis were compared between women with intraamniotic infection and women with clinical chorioamnionitis, after adjusting for potential confounders using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS Of the original study population, 258 of 2241 (11.8%) subjects met the criteria for chorioamnionitis. Nearly all subjects (98.5%) received antibiotic treatment between randomization and delivery. A total of 144 subjects (55.8%) met the criteria for intraamniotic infection, whereas 114 (44%) only met the criteria for clinical chorioamnionitis. A total of 40 women (15.5%) experienced postpartum endometritis. Women with intraamniotic infection had higher parity (P=.02) and higher maximum maternal temperature (P<.001) and were more likely to have received antibiotic treatment (P=.04). Postpartum endometritis rates were similar between subjects with chorioamnionitis and intraamniotic infection (12% vs 18%; P=.50). After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds of developing postpartum endometritis did not differ between subjects who met the criteria for intraamniotic infection and those who did not (adjusted odds ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.62-2.62). CONCLUSION Patients delivering preterm who receive a diagnosis of clinical chorioamnionitis in the intrapartum period seem to have similar odds of developing postpartum endometritis as those meeting the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' criteria for intraamniotic infection, suggesting that this group remains at a high risk for postpartum infectious complications.
Virtual Inertia Based Control of PV-STATCOM: Operation Under Unbalanced Frequency and Grid Conditions

Modular photovoltaic based static synchronous compensator (PV-STATCOM) is extensively applied to either supply or consume reactive AC power to electricity network. However, the absence of mechanical rotating mass in voltage source converters (VSC) restricts their contribution in regulating voltage fluctuations or sufficient fast inertial frequency response. In this paper, a virtual inertia based control methodology over the dc-link voltage is applied to accommodate a smooth transient frequency response and a feed forward term based on the oscillations of the active power is appended to cater for the unbalanced grid voltage condition. This combination presents a package which provides seamless inertial energy response and straight power supply in the impact of an unbalanced grid condition. This control methodology has been verified using the Hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) technique in Matlab/Simulink and Xilinx System Generation environment. The real-time co-simulation results prove the veracity of this control scheme.
Optimal Non-Assignment Costs for the GNP Problem

The global nearest pattern (GNP) approach to data association is closely related to the global nearest neighbor (GNN) problem, and both require that a cost of non-assignment of tracks be established. The existing theory for GNN can be reasonably applied to GNP problems, but adjustments are required to optimally account for bias estimation and uncertainty in GNP. These adjustments are presented along with Monte Carlo analysis showing the achieved performance is nearly optimal.
Witchcraft and Representation in Early Modern England

This chapter first examines the ethics of representation expounded by Aristotle, Tertullian, Augustine, and Aquinas. It then argues that the rapid monetization of the European economy during the sixteenth century was understood as a threat to those ethics. Like the Protestant Reformation and the campaign against usury, the witch hunts of the era were, in part, protests against the newly independent power of images. Tracts against magic argued that any attempt to use an image to alter objective reality constituted a pact with Satan, and plays by Heywood, Middleton and Shakespeare make the same point for a popular audience. Witchcraft was understood as an attempt to thwart natural reproduction—often by such means as abortion—and to replace it with the unnatural reproduction of magical signs.
A two-axis water-immersible micro scanning mirror (WIMSM) using torsional and bending polymer hinges

In this paper, we report a new two-axis micro scanning mirror (WIMSM) using torsional and bending BoPET (biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) hinges. With a torsional hinge, the fast axis has a resonance frequency of 265 Hz in air and 172 Hz in water. With a torsional hinge, the fast axis has a resonance frequency of 265 Hz in air and 172 Hz in water. With a bending hinge, the slow axis has a resonance frequency less than 1 Hz. When the two axes are driven at their resonance frequencies, a dense raster scanning pattern with a maximal scanning range is obtained. For demonstration, 3D volumetric ultrasound microscopy in water is conducted with the new WIMSM.
Increasing Social Communication of Students With Intellectual Disability in Rural College Classrooms

As more students with an intellectual disability are attending postsecondary programs at colleges and universities, these students are presented with new opportunities for socialization (e.g., conv...
Silver linings: A thematic analysis of case studies describing advances in health professions education during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition to the damaging public health, social and economic effects of COVID-19, health professions faculty around the world have faced staggering upheaval in the education of their students and...
First principles guided device fabrication of arsenic doped CdTe photovoltaics

The doping effect of arsenic (As) concentration in the CdTe absorber has been studied by using the first principles method. Atomistic modeling based on density functional theory (DFT-1/2) and green’s function (GF) was utilized to simulate a first order approximated model of As doped CdTe surface. The band alignment results calculated using DFT-1/2 revealed that higher concentration of As doping at CdTe surface is required to obtain favorable band bending for hole charge carrier transport. Based on the results obtained from DFT models, CdTe solar cells were fabricated with two different As dopant concentrations. The experimental finding corroborates the theoretical result and provides a future pathway of using DFT simulations as a precursor in guiding the CdTe device fabrication experiments.
Estudando a linguagem na vida social: uma narrativa pessoal

This essay, an “interview alternative”, aims to present an overview of Sally McConnell-Ginet´s perspectives on sociolinguistic research since she entered linguistics via the study of mathematical logic and analytic Anglo-American philosophy of language. The author tells us about her perception of linguistic diversity since she was a child, her research on language and gender issues, her work with Penelope Eckert, among others. She also highlights her resistance to the temptation to seek a ‘total’ theory of language in social and political life and, instead, her attention to the valuable insights made not only by a wide range of voices and research programs with different theoretical orientations and from different disciplines, but also by those of non-specialists whose informal observations and reactions can sometimes be important in suggesting new and fruitful paths of inquiry.
Soil type and species diversity influence selection on physiology in Panicum virgatum

Species diversity influences the productivity and stability of plant communities, but its effect on the evolution of species within those communities is poorly understood. In this study, we tested whether species diversity and soil type influence selection on physiology in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Plants were grown in 0.33–0.55 ha plots in eight full-factorial treatment combinations: four diversity treatments (1 species—switchgrass monoculture; 5 species—a mix of C4 grasses; 16 species—a mix of grasses, forbs, and legumes; 32 species—a mix of grasses, forbs, legumes, and sedges) and two soil types (Waukee loam “loam” and Spillville–Coland alluvial complex “clay”). We measured selection on photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll concentration, and specific leaf area in each treatment combination and compared the strength of selection between soil types and diversity treatments. When significant, selection favored increased photosynthesis, increased chlorophyll concentration, and decreased specific leaf area in all treatment combinations. Selection for these attributes was stronger in the faster-draining loam soil than the slower-draining clay soil. Selection rarely differed significantly between diversity treatments; however, most instances in which selection differed significantly between soil types occurred in the high-diversity mixes suggesting that diversity alters the impact of soil type as an agent of selection. Selection may have been stronger in the loam soil because of its lower available water capacity. There was a lengthy summer drought during our experiment. Under these conditions, plants with high photosynthesis and chlorophyll concentration would have more resources to invest in their root system for water uptake. Increased capacity for water uptake would benefit plants in both soil types during drought but would have greater adaptive significance in the faster-draining loam soil. Our results suggest that species diversity is a weak agent of selection and only influences physiological evolution by modifying the pressures exerted by other environmental factors.
By the Spear: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire

Preface Acknowledgements Timeline Quotations from Ancient Works and Special Abbreviations Maps 1. The Architect and the Master Builder 2. Greece and Macedonia 3. Philip II and the Rise of Macedonia 4. The New Player in Greek Politics 5. The Gathering War Clouds 6. The Downfall of Greece 7. Philip's Assassination and Legacy 8. Alexander's Early Kingship - and Persia 9. From Europe to Asia 10. Alexander: Master Strategist and Emerging God 11. The Decline and Fall of the Persian Empire 12. The War in Afghanistan 13. Passage to India 14. Retreat from India 15. Alexander's Final Years 16. Death in Babylon and Alexander's Legacy Appendix: The Sources of Information Bibliography Index
Pairing of radar instruments on satellites could provide optimal mapping of sea surface winds

Scientists pairing two radar instruments with different sensitivities to ripples on the ocean surface may be able to measure the entire range of sea surface wind speeds—vital parameters that affect climate and the ocean environment. Ocean ripples detected via remote radar sensing are effective tracers of sea surface wind velocity [Woiceshyn et al., 1986; Wu, 1990b]. The scatterometer, which detects the scattering of radar waves by ripples on the sea surface, is deployed on Earth-orbiting satellites to map wind velocities over the world' oceans. The scatterometer/wind anemometry relationship has been derived from data collected mainly under intermediate wind velocities.
Influence of gilt age and body composition at first breeding on sow reproductive performance and longevity.

Regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of gilt age and body composition at first breeding on sow performance over three parities. Eighty-seven Yorkshire x Landrace F1 gilts were used. Variation in age and body composition at first breeding was obtained by breeding gilts at puberty, second, or third estrus and by providing those gilts bred after puberty one of four nutritional regimens from puberty until breeding: 1) 2.7 kg/d of a 14.3% CP, 3.5 Mcal ME/kg diet (H), 2) maintenance ME and CP/d (M), 3) half-maintenance ME and CP/d (1/2M), and 4) M or 1/2M until anestrus, then 2.27 kg/d of a 14.0% CP corn-soybean meal diet until first breeding. Body composition at first breeding was determined using live weight, backfat thickness, and deuterium oxide space as variables in prediction equations. All females were treated similarly after first breeding. Age and body composition at first breeding were not related (P > .10) to litter size at birth or weaning in parities 1, 2, 3, or overall. Increasing age at first breeding was related to small increases in pig birth weights (P .10) to pig birth weights and was inconsistently related to pig weaning weights in parities 2 and 3 (P .10) for gilts completing three parities (n = 53) compared with gilts failing to complete three parities (n = 34). Results show no large effects of gilt age or body composition at first breeding on sow productivity and longevity over three parities.
A wavefront array processor using dataflow processing elements

In this paper, a prototype Wavefront Array Processor based on the NEC μPD7281 dataflow chip is presented. The interconnections of this array are reconfigurable and its processor addressing scheme permits construction of very large arrays. The programming methodology and high level language are presented. These, facilitate the expression and mapping of linear algebra and signal/image processing algorithms on this array. To illustrate the performance and programming of this machine some indicative applications are discussed.
Atmospheric chemistry. Better budgets for methyl halides.

In research into ozone depletion in the stratosphere, most attention has centred on man-made halocarbon compounds (the chlorofluorocarbons — CFCs — for instance). Other ozone-depleting compounds such as methyl bromide and methyl chloride are largely produced in the natural world. Three new studies look at the sources and reactions concerned.
Reducing and Vectorizing Procedures for Telescoping Languages

At Rice University, we have undertaken a project to construct a framework for generating high-level problem solving languages that can achieve high performance on a variety of platforms. The underlying strategy, called telescoping languages, builds problem-solving systems from domain-specific libraries and scripting languages by extensively preanalyzing libraries to produce a precompiler that optimizes library calls within the scripts as if they were primitives in the underlying language. Our study of applications written in Matlab by the signal processing group at Rice University has identified a collection of old and new optimizations that show promise for this particular domain. Two promising new optimizations are procedure vectorization and procedure strength reduction. By transforming these programs, at source level, according to the strategies described in this paper, we were able to achieve speedups ranging from a factor of 1.1 to 1.6 over the entire applications—with speedups for individual functions as high as 3.3.
From Function Level Semantics to Program Transformation and Optimization

The software crisis results from our disorderly concepts of "program". These make programming an art, rather than an engineering discipline. Such a discipline would at least require that we have stocks of useful off-the-shelf programs and collections of standard theorems that can be applied repeatedly. We have neither.
Evaluating the use of metaphor in software interface design: a rhetorical approach

It is pointed out that interfaces that employ overt metaphors, such as the desktop metaphor, require a technique to evaluate the appropriateness and intent of the metaphor. The author suggests a method, based in part on the rhetorical concept of pathos, for evaluating metaphor in interface design. She then examines how a pathos-based method can be used to examine present interfaces and design new ones. It is concluded that the concept of pathos, enlarged with considerations based on schema theory, offers a method for evaluating metaphors with regard to the feelings and needs of the users. >
A Buprenorphine Education and Training Program for Primary Care Residents: Implementation and Evaluation

ABSTRACT. Background: Although substance use disorders are highly prevalent, resident preparation to care for patients with these disorders is frequently insufficient. With increasing rates of opioid abuse and dependence, and the availability of medication-assisted treatment, one strategy to improve resident skills is to incorporate buprenorphine treatment into training settings. Methods: In this study, esidency faculty delivered the BupEd education and training program to 71 primary care residents. BupEd included (1) a didactic session on buprenorphine, (2) an interactive motivational interviewing session, (3) monthly case conferences, and (4) supervised clinical experience providing buprenorphine treatment. To evaluate BupEd, the authors assessed (1) residents’ provision of buprenorphine treatment during residency, (2) residents’ provision of buprenorphine treatment after residency, and (3) treatment retention among patients treated by resident versus attending physicians. Results: Of 71 residents, most...
Almost optimal explicit Johnson-Lindenstrauss families

The Johnson-Lindenstrauss lemma is a fundamental result in probability with several applications in the design and analysis of algorithms. Constructions of linear embeddings satisfying the Johnson-Lindenstrauss property necessarily involve randomness and much attention has been given to obtain explicit constructions minimizing the number of random bits used. In this work we give explicit constructions with an almost optimal use of randomness: For 0 e] ≤ δ, with seed-length r = O(log d + log(1/δ) ċ log (log(1/δ/e)). In particular, for δ = 1/ poly(d) and fixed e > 0, we obtain seed-length O((log d)(log log d)). Previous constructions required Ω(log2 d) random bits to obtain polynomially small error. We also give a new elementary proof of the optimality of the JL lemma showing a lower bound of Ω(log(1/δ)/e2) on the embedding dimension. Previously, Jayram and Woodruff [10] used communication complexity techniques to show a similar bound.
Creating diverse ensemble classifiers to reduce supervision

Ensemble methods like Bagging and Boosting which combine the decisions of multiple hypotheses are some of the strongest existing machine learning methods. The diversity of the members of an ensemble is known to be an important factor in determining its generalization error. In this thesis, we present a new method for generating ensembles, DECORATE (Diverse Ensemble Creation by Oppositional Relabeling of Artificial Training Examples), that directly constructs diverse hypotheses using additional artificially-generated training examples. Query by Committee is one effective approach to active learning in which disagreement within the ensemble of hypotheses is used to select examples for labeling. Query by Bagging and Query by Boosting are two practical implementations of this approach that use Bagging and Boosting respectively, to build the committees. For efficient active learning it is critical that the committee be made up of consistent hypotheses that are very different from each other. Since DECORATE explicitly builds such committees, it is well-suited for this task. We introduce a new algorithm, ACTIVED ECORATE, which uses DECORATE committees to select good training examples. Experimental results demonstrate that ACTIVED ECORATE typically requires labeling fewer examples to achieve the same accuracy as Query by Bagging and Query by Boosting. Apart from optimizing classification accuracy, in many applications, producing good class probability estimates is also important, e.g., in fraud detection, which has unequal misclassification costs. This thesis introduces a novel approach to active learning based on ACTIVEDECORATE which uses Jensen-Shannon divergence (a similarity measure for probability distributions) to improve the selection of training examples for optimizing probability estimation. Comprehensive experimental results demonstrate the benefits of our approach. Unlike the active learning setting, in many learning problems the class labels for all instances are known, but feature values may be missing and can be acquired at a cost. For building accurate predictive models, acquiring complete information for all instances is often quite expensive, while acquiring information for a random subset of instances may not be optimal. We formalize the task of active feature-value acquisition, which tries to reduce the cost of achieving a desired model accuracy by identifying instances for which obtaining complete information is most informative. We present an approach, based on DECORATE, in which instances are selected for acquisition based on the current model's accuracy and its confidence in the prediction. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach can induce accurate models using substantially fewer feature-value acquisitions than random sampling.
Blow-up Surfaces for Nonlinear Wave Equations, I

We introduce a systematic procedure for reducing nonlinear wave equations to characteristic problems of Fuchsian type. This reduction is combined with an existence theorem to produce solutions blowing up on a prescribed hypersurface. This first part develops the procedure on the example □u = exp(u); we find necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a solution of the form ln(2/⊘2) + v, where {⊘ = 0} is the blow-up surface, and v is analytic. This gives a natural way of continuing solutions after blow-up.
Control of ship roll using passive and active anti-roll tanks

Abstract We numerically studied the full (six degrees of freedom) motion of a cargo ship without roll stabilizers in rough (sea state 5) conditions for multiple heading angles ranging from 0° (follower seas) to 180° (head seas). We found that the ship exhibits excessive roll motion in quartering (45° off the stern), beam, and head seas. Therefore, roll damping is critical in these conditions. We then investigated the performance of passive and active anti-roll tank (ART) systems and compared their performance in each of the three sea conditions. Each ART consists of three identical tanks, distributed along the centerline of the ship, each of which consists of two vertical ducts connected at the bottom with a horizontal duct. A pump is located at the middle of the horizontal duct of each tank. The pumps are switched on for active ARTs but switched off for passive ones. The loads (forces and moments) exerted on the ship by the ARTs are added to the hydrodynamic loads (e.g., due to pressure and viscous effects) and the thrust in the governing equations of motion of the ship. Whereas both passive and active ARTs are able to reduce the excessive roll motion, active ARTs outperform the passive ones from three perspectives. First, they are more effective in reducing the roll motion. Second, they require much less working liquid. Third, their performance is insensitive to their natural frequencies and, hence, to their geometric design. In addition, we found that head seas are most responsive to ARTs, which suggests that they are effective in mitigating parametric roll.
Surface damage effects on allowed and forbidden phonon raman scattering in cuprous oxide

Abstract Ten laser frequencies near the blue and violet excitons in Cu 2 O were used to study the resonance Raman intensities of the Raman-allowed phonon, Γ + 25 , and of two Raman-forbidden phonons, Γ - 15 and Γ - 12 . Cu 2 O samples with chemically etched surfaces show Raman cross section enhancements from 10 3 −10 4 and considerable structure whereas unetched crystals show much less enhancement and little structure.
New studies in vortex dynamics: Incompressible and compressible vortex reconnection, core dynamics, and coupling between large and small scales

Coherent structure dynamics in turbulent flows are explored by direct numerical simulations of the Navier-Stokes equations for idealized vortex configurations. For this purpose, two dynamically significant coherent structure interactions are examined: (i) incompressible and compressible vortex reconnection and (ii) core dynamics (with and without superimposed small-scale turbulence). Reconnection is studied for two antiparallel vortex tubes at a Reynolds number (Re) of 103. Incompressible reconnection consists of three distinct phases: inviscid advection, bridging and threading. The key mechanism, bridging, involves the ‘cutting’ of vortex lines by viscous cross diffusion and their subsequent reconnection in front of the advancing vortex dipole. We conjecture that reconnection occurs in successive bursts and is a physical mechanism of cascade to smaller scales.
Starfish: Efficient Concurrency Support for Computer Vision Applications

Emerging wearable devices promise a multitude of computer vision-based applications that serve users without active engagement. However, vision algorithms are known to be resource-hungry; and modern mobile systems do not support concurrent application use of the camera. Toward supporting efficient concurrency of vision applications, we report Starfish, a split-process execution system that supports concurrent vision applications by allowing them to share computation and memory objects in a secure and efficient manner. Starfish splits the vision library from an application into a separate process, called the Core, which centrally serves all vision applications. The Core shares library call results among applications, eliminating redundant computation and memory use. Starfish supports unmodified applications and unmodified libraries without needing their source code, and guarantees correctness to the applications. In doing so, Starfish improves both the performance and energy efficiency of concurrent vision applications. Using a prototype implementation on Google Glass, we experimentally demonstrate that Starfish reduces the time spent processing repeated vision library calls by 71% - 97%. When running two to ten concurrent face recognition applications at 0.3 frames per second, Starfish reduces CPU utilization by more than 42% - 80%. Notably, this keeps CPU utilization below 13%, even as the number of applications increases. This reduces system power consumption by 19% - 58%, as Starfish maintains a power consumption at approximately 1210 mW while running the concurrent application workloads.
Four-dimensional multiphoton imaging of brain entry, amyloid binding, and clearance of an amyloid-β ligand in transgenic mice

The lack of a specific biomarker makes preclinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) impossible, and it precludes assessment of therapies aimed at preventing or reversing the course of the disease. The development of a tool that enables direct, quantitative detection of the amyloid-β deposits found in the disease would provide an excellent biomarker. This article demonstrates the real-time biodistribution kinetics of an imaging agent in transgenic mouse models of AD. Using multiphoton microscopy, Pittsburgh compound B (PIB) was imaged with sub-μm resolution in the brains of living transgenic mice during peripheral administration. PIB entered the brain quickly and labeled amyloid deposits within minutes. The nonspecific binding was cleared rapidly, whereas specific labeling was prolonged. WT mice showed rapid brain entry and clearance of PIB without any binding. These results demonstrate that the compound PIB has the properties required for a good amyloid-imaging agent in humans with or at risk for AD.