cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sweeping costs of planar domains

Let D be a Jordan domain in the plane. We consider a pursuit-evasion, contamination clearing, or sensor sweep problem in which the pursuer at each point in time is modeled by a continuous curve, called the sensor curve. Both time and space are continuous, and the intruders are invisible to the pursuer. Given D, what is the shortest length of a sensor curve necessary to provide a sweep of domain D, so that no continuously-moving intruder in D can avoid being hit by the curve? We define this length to be the sweeping cost of D. We provide an analytic formula for the sweeping cost of any Jordan domain in terms of the geodesic Frechet distance between two curves on the boundary of D with non-equal winding numbers. As a consequence, we show that the sweeping cost of any convex domain is equal to its width, and that a convex domain of unit area with maximal sweeping cost is the equilateral triangle.
Biomanufacturing: The Definition and Evolution of a New Genre

Biomanufacturing refers to the use of cells or other living microorganisms to produce commercially viable products. Vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and proteins for medicinal use are all produced using biomanufacturing. Other examples include amino acids, industrial enzymes, biofuels, and biochemicals for consumer and industrial applications. Biomanufacturing is an interdisciplinary field incorporating aspects of chemical engineering, biochemistry, and microbiology.
Atmospheric science: Severe weather in a warming climate

During the past few decades, the Sahara Desert has become even hotter. Satellite observations suggest that this warming has led to a rise in the frequency of extreme storms in the Sahel region of West Africa. See Letter p.475 A warming climate is expected to increase the frequency of extreme rainfall events because warmer air can support higher humidity, but other mechanisms may also be at work. Christopher Taylor et al. show that increases in extreme rainfall in the western Sahel region of Africa since 1982 are driven by a larger gradient in temperature across the region caused by a warmer Sahara desert to the north. In turn, the sharper gradient increases wind shear and seems to have led to the frequency of mesoscale convective systems—which are exactly the kind of weather systems likely to generate extreme rainfall—tripling since 1982. The spatial patterns of global warming are likely to further increase the temperature gradient and intensify mesoscale convective systems, leading to more extreme rainfall events.
Studies of cholesterol structures in phospholipid bilayers

Experiments and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations on ergosterol/nystatin channels providestrong evidence for superlattices in ergosterol/phospholipid planar bilayers. Monte Carlo simulationsalso revealed the presence of ergosterol superlattice domains in artificial vesicle membranes. MC simulation for ergosterol densities in these domains matched the dehydroergosterol (DHE) fluorescence measurements by Chong of dehydroergosterol density in multilamellar vesicles. Withergosterol/nystatin channels on the boundaries of these domains MC simulations produced agreement with experimental measurements of ergosterol/nystatin channel currents. These techniques, however, failed for cholesterol/nystatin channels. Although studies of initial dynamics in the formation ofergosterol/nystatin channels confirm ergosterol superlattices, they fail for cholesterol/nystatin channels. However a Fast Fourier Transform based study of the frequency of fluctuation spikes present inlow density cholesterol/nystatin channel currents revealed a dependence of spike frequency oncholesterol mol fraction which matched cholesterol density from DHE/cholesterol/DMPC fluorescence experiments. This indicates the probable presence of superlattices in cholesterol structures in phospholipid bilayers. The causal relationship between these statistical channel fluctuations andcholesterol structure is notable in its own right.
Observation of impact of eddy current on laser targets in a strong fast rising magnetic field

Pulsed power generators are capable of producing strong magnetic fields. Foil laser targets for high intensity interactions with matter were characterized in a strong magnetic field produced by different types of loads. Longitudinal magnetic fields generated by coil loads were measured by Faraday rotation of the polarization plane of laser beams in a small glass sample at two wavelengths. Magnetic fields of 0.8–1.5 MG were measured in different coil loads at 1 MA current. For the first time, the impact of eddy current generated by the fast rising magnetic field with dB/dt = 109 T/s was observed in Al laser targets using shadowgraphy and interferometry. Material of the Al 10 μm foil target expanded from both sides at 0.1–0.2 mm. This effect was not observed in dielectric targets. The impact of eddy current on targets is important for designing experiments for laser plasma interactions in strong magnetic fields.
Tension, contraction and tissue morphogenesis

D'Arcy Thompson was a proponent of applying mathematical and physical principles to biological systems, an approach that is becoming increasingly common in developmental biology. Indeed, the recent integration of quantitative experimental data, force measurements and mathematical modeling has changed our understanding of morphogenesis - the shaping of an organism during development. Emerging evidence suggests that the subcellular organization of contractile cytoskeletal networks plays a key role in force generation, while on the tissue level the spatial organization of forces determines the morphogenetic output. Inspired by D'Arcy Thompson's On Growth and Form, we review our current understanding of how biological forms are created and maintained by the generation and organization of contractile forces at the cell and tissue levels. We focus on recent advances in our understanding of how cells actively sculpt tissues and how forces are involved in specific morphogenetic processes.
Estimation and compensation of dispersion for a high-resolution optical coherence tomography system

Balanced reference-sample arm dispersion is critical in optical coherence tomography systems in order to attain images with the highest axial resolution. Here, an experimental method for the estimation and correction of dispersion in an optical coherence tomography system is presented. The system dispersion was computed from two optical coherence tomography images of the reference mirror that were symmetrically placed around the zero delay point. The method was tested using a broad bandwidth spectral domain optical coherence tomography system, compensating for the dispersion caused by a 3 mm thick fused silica flat placed in the sample arm. Using our method, dispersion compensation was achieved and the axial resolution was improved from 10.6 μm to 1.9 μm in air. Results suggest that this technique can be a simple and effective method for eliminating axial resolution degradation due to dispersion mismatch between the sample and reference arm in high-resolution optical coherence tomography systems.
Evaluating Mid-Upper Arm Circumference Z-Score as a Determinant of Nutrition Status.

BACKGROUND Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) z-score, has recently been listed as an independent indicator for pediatric malnutrition. This investigation examined the relationship between MUAC z-score and the z-scores for conventional indicators (ie, weight-for-length and body mass index) to expand the available evidence for nutrition classification z-score threshold ranges in U.S. practice settings. METHODS This was a single-center study of children through 18 years of age seen between October 2015 and September 2016. Height and weight were obtained on intake. MUAC was measured at midpoint of the humerus, between the acromion and olecranon. Age-specific and gender-specific z-score values were calculated using published λ, μ, and σ values derived from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reference data. Nutrition status was determined from biochemical data; prior history; anthropometrics; weight gain velocity; weight loss, if present; and nutrient intake. RESULTS 5,004 children (7.5 ± 5.7 years, 53% boys) were evaluated. As expected, MUAC z-scores were significantly correlated with body mass index (r = 0.789, P < .01) and weight-for-length (r = 0.638, P < .01) z-scores. There was a large degree of overlap in z-scores for all indicators between nutrition status groups; however, MUAC z-scores spanned a narrower range of values such that mean MUAC z-scores are lower in children classified as overweight/obese and higher in children who were severely malnourished than the corresponding body mass index or weight-for-length z-scores. CONCLUSION These data are the first to suggest that the z-score ranges used to define various stages of malnutrition may not be the same for all indicators.
522 Qualitative risk management techniques in emergency preparedness and response to identify and reduce occupational risk factors

Introduction Emergency response planners and responders have proper priorities when primarily focusing on life safety and incident stabilisation. Further down the list is the identification, prevention, and management of occupational risk factors for emergency preparedness, surveillance, and response personnel. There is a broad spectrum of potential chemical, biological, and physical exposures for occupations beyond first responders. Understanding and communicating these exposure scenarios and emergency response parameters is necessary for assessing and managing the occupational risk factors, but also for minimising public health consequences. Methods Control Banding is a qualitative risk assessment strategy for determining work-related risks to establish appropriate control solutions and deliver simplified risk communication. Banding strategies were initially developed for controlling bulk liquid and powder chemical hazards, but have since expanded to safety, nanomaterials, environmental, and multidisciplinary risk management applications. Banding strategies and processes were developed to provide a standardised and simplified framework to identify and reduce occupational risk factors for emergency preparedness and response personnel. Result The U.S. NIOSH Occupational Exposure Banding process is now available to assist in protecting emergency response personnel from hazardous material exposures for tens of thousands of chemicals lacking Occupational Exposure Limits. Banding strategy frameworks for emergency preparedness have also been applied to physical and biological exposures. This framework provides consistency for informed risk management decisions that assists in identifying emergency-related occupations and provides proven risk communication for the development of trainings and interventions. Discussion Emergency response scenarios include exposure potential for both noncommunicable and communicable work-related diseases. Therefore, medical and support personnel must be considered in multiple emergency preparedness parameters. The International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) is seeking collaborations to develop and communicate trainings that increase awareness of these occupational risk factors and provide intervention techniques to increase response capacities and minimise public health consequences for emergency preparedness, surveillance, and response.
Introduction to Robbins (1955) An Empirical Bayes Approach to Statistics

Important ideas are liable to be overlooked unless they are named. The Empirical Bayes (EB) method, in its original form, was well named and well developed by Robbins and was given a further boost by the approval of Neyman (1962). The name was all the more appealing for seeming at first like an oxymoron. After 1962, there was a burgeoning of literature on the topic, helped along by Robbins, his graduate students, their graduate students, and so on, in a scholastic genealogical tree. There were 308 papers with “empirical Bayes” or “empirical Bayesian” in the title or as a keyword listed in Current Index to Statistics for the years 1975-1988, but as explained below, many of these papers do not deal with empirical Bayes as originally defined by Robbins. The literature is too vast to be comprehensively surveyed even in a short book, and I shall concentrate mainly on one example, the “Poisson case” defined below. This was the first case considered by Robbins and the main theme of his paper becomes clear when this case is well understood.
How Much Quality is Enough

Managers are often faced with a decision about the amount of resources to devote to enhancing the production process. The decision involves removing resources from immediate production, and enhancing these resources so that they are more productive for later production. Job training falls into this category. A decision is made by management to divert resources from the production process to knowledge creation, and ultimately to enhancing the quality of the production process. This scenario is distinctly different from the learning-by-doing scenario that has received much attention in the economics and industrial engineering literature. Learning-by-doing is perceived as a cost reducing by-product of production processes. In many studies this by-product is modeled as a simple function of time or of cumulative production experience. We present an alternative explanation where managers decide what resources to devote to knowledge acquisition. Our model explains resource and output behavior for a specialized production situation; production to contractual order.
SUBSECOND TIME DOMAINS IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: RELEVANCE, PROBLEMS, APPROACHES

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the new approaches to subsecond time domains in biological systems. In the past few years, theory has progressed considerably. Statistical mechanics, irreversible thermodynamics, and computer calculations provide detailed insight into the temporal and spatial aspects of motion in proteins. Fluctuations around the equilibrium positions and motion of small molecules within proteins are being explored. Spatial and temporal behaviors are also being studied. Standard X-ray and neutron diffraction, coupled with improved sources of radiation, detectors, and methods of evaluation, provide the rough structure of different conformations. Information about the spatial properties of conformational substrates has come from a new look at the Debye–Waller factor for all nonhydrogen atoms in proteins. The temporal properties of transitions among conformations and also among substrates are investigated by a wide range of techniques, such as flash photolysis, nuclear magnetic resonance, fluorescence experiments, and the Mossbauer effect. The result is a picture of a dynamic biomolecule that continuously breathes and moves and where the dynamic behavior is the relevant feature for the biological action. The connection between structure and function is thus dynamic and not static.
Internal Wave Energetics On a Shelf Break

This study focuses on understanding the energetics and dynamics of the interaction of first-mode internal gravity waves in a continuously stratified fluid with a shelf break. We present results of high-resolution 2and 3-dimensional numerical simulations showing the interaction of internal waves with a shelf break. The interaction of an incoming nonlinear wave field with a near-critical to supercritical topography causes the formation of upslope surging bores that get ejected onto the shelf as propagating internal boluses. We present the energy flux distribution across the shelf break for a wide range of topographic slopes and Froude numbers, and we show that both the transmitted and the reflected energy fluxes are strong functions of the Froude numbers as well as the ratio of the topographic slope to the internal wave beam angle. The energy flux calculations show that the internal boluses that form due to the interaction of the incident waves with the slope are very energetic, especially for near-critical slopes. The interaction of these nonlinear internal waves with bathymetry can be effective in transporting mass onshore as well as raising diapycnal mixing levels in the coastal ocean.
Infrared spectroscopy of geoporphyrins: II. Iron etioporphyrins: model studies for the analysis of lignites and coals

Abstract Vibrational mode assignments are made for most of the observed IR bands for the iron(III) complexes of the four classical isomers of etioporphyrin, octaethylporphyrin, 13-desethyletioporphyrin, and deuteroetioporphyrin by comparison with the IR spectra of the corresponding nickel complexes. The assignments of the nickel complexes are discussed in Part 1 immediately preceding this paper. The IR spectra of these iron(III) porphyrins are sufficiently distinctive to allow one to differentiate the individual isomers of etioporphyrins and desethyl members of the etioporphyrin class. Identification of specific isomers of iron porphyrins in low rank coals and lignites may aid in understanding the biochemical and geochemical processes leading to coal formation.
Cell-Specific Chemical Delivery Using a Selective Nitroreductase-Nitroaryl Pair.

The utility of small molecules to probe or perturb biological systems is limited by the lack of cell-specificity. “Masking” the activity of small molecules using a general chemical modification and “unmasking” it only within target cells overcomes this limitation. To this end, we have developed a selective enzyme–substrate pair consisting of engineered variants of E. coli nitroreductase (NTR) and a 2-nitro-N-methylimidazolyl (NM) masking group. To discover and optimize this NTR–NM system, we synthesized a series of fluorogenic substrates containing different nitroaromatic masking groups, confirmed their stability in cells, and identified the best substrate for NTR. We then engineered the enzyme for improved activity in mammalian cells, ultimately yielding an enzyme variant (enhanced NTR, or eNTR) that possesses up to 100-fold increased activity over wild-type NTR. These improved NTR enzymes combined with the optimal NM masking group enable rapid, selective unmasking of dyes, indicators, and drugs to genet...
Differential Peripheral Inflammatory Factors Associated with Cognitive Function in Patients with Heart Failure

Objective Cognitive deficits are common in patients with heart failure (HF), and can negatively affect self-care, predict rehospitalizations, and increase mortality rates 5-fold. Inflammation can produce vascular pathology, reducing cerebral blood flow to brain regions necessary for optimal cognitive function. The purpose of the investigation was to identify a pattern of peripheral blood inflammation-related biomarkers associated with cognitive impairment in patients with HF. Methods Forty-five outpatients (median age = 67 years, SD = 9.9) were recruited from University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare Systems (VASDHS), diagnosed with New York Heart Association Stages I-III HF. Participants were administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as a measure of global cognitive impairment, and blood was analyzed for plasma biomarkers, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), interleukin-8 (IL-8), matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9), IL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum amyloid-A (SAA). Results Almost half the patients scored below the threshold on the MoCA, indicating at least mild cognitive impairment. A factor analysis produced three biomarker factors: vascular inflammatory factor-1: TNFα, sICAM1, sVCAM1; neuroinflammatory factor-2: BDNF, MMP-9, IL-8; peripheral inflammatory factor-3: IL-6, CRP, SAA. Only vascular inflammatory factor-1 was significantly associated with cognitive function (MoCA) (ΔR2 = 0.214, beta = -0.468, p = 0.008). Conclusions In this cohort with HF, vascular inflammation appears related to poorer cognitive function. This could indicate targets for treatment to reduce cognitive deficits in HF. However, this is a preliminary study, and further research is needed.
Transportation planning and policy in the pursuit of mega-events: Boston's 2024 Olympic bid

Abstract Improved transportation systems is a key argument boosters offer local residents as to why they should support mounting a bid for the Olympic Games. Opponents argue that transportation improvement can and should take place without the mega-event and that a bid instead deviates resources away from necessary transport projects. Transport policy makers need a practicable understanding of how to make decisions under grand opportunities like the Olympic Games. I advance the theory under grand opportunities using Boston's transport planning approach for its bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games as a case study. Through an ethnography in Boston's bidding committee, content analysis of internal planning documents circulated among staff, and in-depth interviews with participants in the transport planning process, I analyze the reasons and process by which Boston 2024's Olympic transport proposal changed over time. I find that decision-making over transport emulated many characteristics of crisis; it was complex, risky, and occurred under high uncertainty. Once the initial bid was published, Bostonians demanded decisions for subsequent bid versions become transparent. Consequently, transport planners were forced to reduce complexity, to incur higher planning costs, and to discard projects beneficial for Boston's long-term development. I find that grand opportunities for transport were squashed over the course of Boston's Olympic bid. I conclude that grand opportunities move along a spectrum of high-low complexity during the decision-making process and thus propose to analyze this process with what I term the coincidental opportunism approach.
RECK isoforms differentially regulate fibroblast migration by modulating tubulin post-translational modifications

Cell migration is essential for proper development and the defense against pathogens. Our previous work detailed a pathway of REversion-inducing-Cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK) isoform-mediated invasion in which a shorter RECK protein competes with MMP9 for interaction with the canonical RECK protein on the cell surface. Here we demonstrate that the mechanism through which RECK isoforms affect cell migration is mediated through changes in the levels of post-translational modifications (PTM) of α-tubulin. We show that both the canonical and short RECK isoforms modulate levels of tubulin acetylation and detyrosination. We demonstrate that these changes are sufficient to modulate the rate of fibroblast migration. If these tubulin PTMs are not altered, the effects of the canonical RECK isoform on cell migration are reversed. In defining the molecular pathway linking RECK and tubulin PTMs, we found that MMP9 and integrin activity both act as upstream regulators of tubulin acetylation and detyrosination. Overall, we propose a mechanism in which RECK isoforms on the cell surface have opposing effects on cell migration through MMP9-modulated changes to integrin-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions that, in turn, affect microtubule PTMs.
Heart Murmurs Clustering Using Machine Learning

This paper presents an approach of utilizing machine learning to assist cardiac auscultation for heart murmur detection. Our aims are to compare the effectiveness and advantages of both supervised and unsupervised techniques in performing clustering and classification of selected sets of different heart murmur episodes. The supervised approach uses a decision tree while the unsupervised method uses as few parameters as possible and can also reveal the most effective parameters in clustering. The clustering results are then compared and the boons and banes are drawn. The supervised approach implementation is straightforward following the known diagnosis procedure with little training. The caveat, however, is that it fails to detect extreme anomalies. The unsupervised clustering approach needs more computation and training with the advantage of self-learning and revealing most effective features in clustering the murmur episodes caused by different cardiovascular anomalies.
Defining Nonviolence as a Matter of Law and Politics

Recent years have witnessed the reinvigoration of disruptive political protest — from the Occupy Movement, to Black Lives Matter, to the Women’s Marches. These sorts of disruptive outdoor assemblies, including many of their tactics, have been central to American politics since the Founding, and have long been protected by the First Amendment. Nevertheless, legislatures around the country have been introducing and passing bills that render a wide swath of protest tactics unlawful precisely because they have been effective in drawing attention to claims and issues that typically fall off the legislative radar. More important, these legislative efforts are part of a broader erosion of fundamental democratic norms — from partisan redistricting to rewriting legislative procedures and attacking the free press and the independence of the judiciary. Now more than ever, therefore, whatever our personal normative views of either the tactics of contemporary protesters or the parameters of current constitutional doctrine, it is our duty as a scholarly community to reaffirm that recent acts of protest and dissent operate well within the bounds of our American tradition of outdoor assembly and its constitutional protections.
The functional organization of the brain for mental imagery and image rotation: an electroencephalographic investigation

The intent of this dissertation was to utilize a set of cognitive tasks (that are visuospatial in nature) to investigate how multicomponent mental tasks are accomplished by the brain. Particular attention will be devoted to the processes that involve the generation of mental images and their rotation. The brain is known to approach complex tasks in an organized and planned manner which enables it to perform tasks of considerable cognitive complexity with relative ease. Here, an attempt has been made to define the functional brain system whose composite activity is required for successful performance on two such tasks: image generation and mental rotation.
“Getting to Know You”: Confirming Target Suitability

Before committing to the attack, an aggressor will often attempt to confirm the suitability of a potential target. At this stage in the victimization process, the aggressor needs to determine that the potential target will pose minimal risk and present maximum opportunity for success. Good reconnaissance can confirm whether the potential target is unwilling or incapable of fighting back and susceptible to attacks to their self-esteem. The aggressor may deploy deceptive tactics to minimize suspicion while they secure the necessary information. Some of the most common tactics include testing the target’s resolve, interviewing the target for information, probing for vulnerabilities and access, and researching social media.
Assessing advance directive (AD) completion rate in inpatient hematology unit.

42Background: Advance Directive (AD) completion is particularly more important in patients with cancer given the higher mortality associated with the diagnoses as well as the treatments that patien...
Preserving the CTLA-4 Checkpoint for Safer and More Effective Cancer Immunotherapy

A major paradigm in cancer immunotherapy is the use of checkpoint inhibitors to break regulatory mechanisms that usually guard the host against autoimmune diseases. CTLA-4-targeting immunotherapy was the first example that helped establish this paradigm. However, the clinically tested anti-CTLA-4 antibodies exhibit suboptimal efficacy but high toxicity. Recent studies have demonstrated that immunotherapy-related adverse events (irAE) and the cancer immunotherapeutic effect (CITE) represent distinct and therapeutically separable activities of anti-CTLA-4 antibodies. The former is attributable to inactivation of the CTLA-4 checkpoint, while the latter is due to selective depletion of regulatory T cells (Treg) in a tumor microenvironment. Here we argue that for safer and more effective CTLA-4-targeting immune therapy, one should preserve rather than inhibit the CTLA-4 checkpoint while enhancing the efficacy and selectivity of Treg depletion in a tumor microenvironment.
We Are What We Eat: Assessing the Use of a Documentary Film as an Educational Tool to Change Students’ Nutritional Attitudes and Behaviors:

Background: Identifying effective educational strategies to change lifestyle behaviors related to eating habits is imperative for health professionals providing education related to disease managem...
Multiscale physics of rotating detonation waves: Autosolitons and modulational instabilities.

Proposed is a phenomenological modeling framework that is capable of reproducing the diverse experimental observations of the nonlinear, combustion wave propagation in a rotating detonation engine (RDE), specifically the nucleation and formation of combustion pulses, the soliton-like interactions between these combustion fronts, and the fundamental, underlying Hopf bifurcation to time-periodic modulation of the waves. In this framework, the mode-locked structures are classified as autosolitons or stably propagating nonlinear waves where the local physics of nonlinearity, gain, and dissipation exactly balance. We find that the global dominant balance physics in the RDE combustion chamber are dissipative and multiscale in nature: The fast combustion physics provide the energy input to form the fundamental mode-locked autosoliton state, while the slow physics of exhaust and propellant recovery shape the waveform and dictate the number of autosolitons. In this manner, the global multiscale balance physics give rise to the stable structures---not exclusively the frontal dynamics prescribed by classical detonation theory. Experimental observations and numerical models of the RDE combustion chamber are in strong qualitative agreement. Moreover, numerical continuation (computational bifurcation tracking) of the RDE analog system indicates that a Hopf bifurcation of the steadily propagating pulse train leads to the fundamental instability of the RDE, or time-periodic modulation of the waves. Along branches of Hopf orbits in parameter space exist a continuum of wave-pair interactions that exhibit solitonic interactions of varying strength.
When Brokerages Restrict Retail Investors, Does the Game Stop?

We study a set of trading restrictions that limit equity and/or options positions imposed by retail-oriented broker-dealers in 38 stocks, including GameStop. Using brokerages’ capital requirements from the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) and the exact timing of restrictions, for identification, we find large stock price effects: CARs average -13.54% within two hours following a stock’s first trading restrictions and -51.97% after five trading days. When restrictions are lifted, share prices do not rebound. When traders substitute options for equities, options volume and open interest spike, as do implied volatilities, which rise more than realized volatilities. Options purchasers overpay, creating large transfers to options sellers and market-makers. Margin increases show similarities and differences relative to trading restrictions.
A survey of immersive technologies and applications for industrial product development

Abstract With the expanded digitalization of manufacturing and product development process, research into the use of immersive technology in smart manufacturing has increased. The use of immersive technology is theorized to increase the productivity of all steps in the product development process, from the start of the concept generation phase to assembling the final product. Many aspects of immersive technology are considered, including techniques for CAD model conversion and rendering, types of VR/AR displays, interaction modalities, as well as its integration with different areas of product development. The purpose of this survey paper is to investigate the potential applications of immersive technology and advantages and potential drawbacks that should be considered when integrating the technology into the workplace. The potential application is broad, and the possibilities are continuing to expand as the technology used becomes more advanced and more affordable for commercial business to implement on a large scale. The technology is currently being utilized in the concept generation and in the design or engineering of new products. Additionally, the immersive technology have great potential to increase the productivity of assembly line workers and of the factory layout/functionality, and could provide a more hands-on form of training, which leads to the conclusion that immersive technology is the step to the future in terms of smart product development strategies to implement for employers.
White Racial Identity and Reparations for Slavery

In this study, we explore the relationship between racial identity and white Americans’ views on reparations to African Americans for slavery and the legacy of racial inequality it spawned. More specifically, we draw on data from an original 2016 survey to examine the association between various dimensions of White racial identity and support for a range of reparative measures targeting African Americans. The White racial identity dimensions we examine are prominence, salience, private self-regard, public self-regard, and verification. The views on reparations we analyze are an apology, a memorial, financial payments, special scholarships for university attendance, preferential hiring and promotion, fair treatment in jobs, and improving the economic and social conditions of black Americans. Consistent with prior work, we find that private self-regard (pride) is a key predictor of whites’ opposition to reparative policy targeting blacks. At the same time, we observe that public self-regard (respondents’ perception of others’ respect for whites) consistently predicts support for these same reparative policies. We draw on identity theory and recent scholarship on whiteness to explain these patterns. Our findings contribute to a growing body of work on how racial identity shapes white Americans’ racial policy attitudes.
Sensitivity of the Communicative Participation Item Bank for Measuring Patient-Reported Outcomes After Treatment of Unilateral Vocal Fold Immobility.

Importance The Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB) is a patient-reported outcome measure assessing the association between communication disorders and participation in daily communication. To our knowledge, no prior research has examined whether CPIB scores change after treatment of unilateral vocal fold immobility (UVFI). Objective To compare CPIB scores before and after treatment of UVFI and with patient-defined target treatment outcomes and other common clinical outcomes after UVFI intervention. Design, setting, and participants This single-group case series recruited a convenience sample of community-dwelling patients aged 18 years or older from an urban academic medical center who had a diagnosis of UVFI and planned to receive intervention for UVFI. The study was conducted from March 2014 to March 2019. Exposures Intervention for UVFI according to clinicians' recommendations. The treatment type was not controlled for this study. Main outcomes and measures Patients' self-reported communicative participation was assessed by obtaining CPIB scores before and after treatment of UVFI, with scores calibrated to the standardized T scale. Pearson correlations between the CPIB general short form and computerized adaptive format, the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10), and self-rated and clinician-rated voice severity were also evaluated. Results The sample included 25 participants, of whom 17 (68%) were male, 8 (32%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 54.9 (17.0) years. Significant changes after treatment were observed in all quantitative outcomes including the primary outcome of the CPIB; the mean T score before treatment was 40.95 (95% CI, 37.49-44.41) and after treatment was 53.23 (95% CI, 48.41-58.04) (mean difference, -13.04 [95% CI, -7.30 to -18.79]; Cohen d, 0.96). The Pearson correlation between the CPIB general short form and computerized adaptive testing scores at pretreatment was r = 0.93 and at posttreatment, r = 0.95. Computerized adaptive testing showed efficiency advantages, with typically 5 to 6 items required for administration compared with 10 items for the short form. The correlation between the CPIB and VHI-10 was moderate before treatment (r = -0.70) and strong after treatment (r = -0.91). Moderate correlations were observed between the CPIB and clinician-rated voice quality before (r = -0.52) and after (r = -0.46) treatment and between CPIB and self-rated voice quality before (r = -0.56) and after (r = -0.62) treatment. Conclusions and relevance The results of this case series suggest that the CPIB is relevant for clinical use to assess changes in communicative participation among patients with UVFI before and after they receive treatment.
Latinx children’s race- and ethnicity-related identities, beliefs, and preferences:

The study of Latinx children’s race- and ethnicity-related identity, beliefs, and preferences has the potential to contribute to theoretical models and policy recommendations concerning intergroup ...
A Preliminary Investigation into Learning Behaviors in Complex Environments for Human-in-the-Loop Cyber-Physical Systems:

The field of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) is increasingly recognizing the importance of integrating Human Factors for Human-in-the-loop CPS (HiLCPS) developments. This is because psychological, phy...
Loss Distribution, Forum Shopping, and Bankruptcy: A Reply to Warren

Elizabeth Warren has presented a view of bankruptcy that, while rarely as well articulated, is widely shared. The virtues of Warren's paper, like those of the rest of her work, are easy to identify. Her style is sharp and penetrating. She writes with insight and wit, and she demands that all analysis be held against the light of empirical data-the brighter the better. Warren has put forward a critique of the work I have done with Thomas Jackson that merits a response both because of its own strengths and because it captures misgivings other traditional bankruptcy scholars have shared about our work. There is much in Warren's view of bankruptcy policy that I admire and agree with. Indeed, to understand our disagreement, it is necessary first to recognize the extent of our common ground. Warren and I agree that, in the main, existing bankruptcy law is consistent with sound bankruptcy policy. The trustee should have the powers of a hypothetical lien creditor; the trustee should be able to set aside voidable preferences and reject executory contracts; creditors (including secured creditors) should be stayed from asserting their substantive claims after the filing of a bankruptcy petition. Warren and I also agree that victims of nonmanifested torts should have their rights against the firm recognized in bankruptcy. On what in my view is a different front, Warren and I also think existing laws do not adequately protect many, such as workers, who are affected when a firm fails. Warren and I both have doubts about whether secured credit brings benefits that outweigh its rather obvious costs. I am more inclined than Warren to think that the institution is one worth having, but we agree that the issue is not clear. Warren's attack on the theory of bankruptcy that I have developed with Thomas Jackson goes to methodology. Jackson and I claim that we can isolate bankruptcy issues (such as whether the
The Limbic System

Willis (1664) was the first to refer to the cortical regions that form the medial edge of the telencephalon as limbus (i.e., Latin meaning border), but Broca (1878) was the first to popularize the designation of this cortex as “le grand lobe limbique,” or limbic lobe. Broca envisioned the limbic lobe as comprising the entire gray mantle, namely the telencephalic cingulate and parahippocampal gyri that lay as a transition between the neocortex and the diencephalon and formed a circle around the interventricular foramen (Fig. 1). The limbic lobe is rostrally connected to the olfactory bulb and olfactory cortex, and is smaller in microsmatic animals and larger in macrosmatic animals. These facts led Broca to suggest that the function of the limbic lobe was related to olfaction, and several researchers expanded on this view, even to the point of suggesting that the limbic lobe was a “smell brain,” or rhinencephalon. By 1940, several lines of evidence suggested that these regions of the cortex also received other types of sensory information and were involved in other functions, especially emotion.
Cloning and analysis of the spinosad biosynthetic gene cluster of Saccharopolyspora spinosa

Abstract Background: Spinosad is a mixture of novel macrolide secondary metabolites produced by Saccharopolyspora spinosa . It is used in agriculture as a potent insect control agent with exceptional safety to non-target organisms. The cloning of the spinosyn biosynthetic gene cluster provides the starting materials for the molecular genetic manipulation of spinosad yields, and for the production of novel derivatives containing alterations in the polyketide core or in the attached sugars. Results: We cloned the spinosad biosynthetic genes by molecular probing, complementation of blocked mutants, and cosmid walking, and sequenced an 80 kb region. We carried out gene disruptions of some of the genes and analyzed the mutants for product formation and for the bioconversion of intermediates in the spinosyn pathway. The spinosyn gene cluster contains five large open reading frames that encode a multifunctional, multi-subunit type I polyketide synthase (PKS). The PKS cluster is flanked on one side by genes involved in the biosynthesis of the amino sugar forosamine, in O -methylations of rhamnose, in sugar attachment to the polyketide, and in polyketide cross-bridging. Genes involved in the early common steps in the biosynthesis of forosamine and rhamnose, and genes dedicated to rhamnose biosynthesis, were not located in the 80 kb cluster. Conclusions: Most of the S. spinosa genes involved in spinosyn biosynthesis are found in one 74 kb cluster, though it does not contain all of the genes required for the essential deoxysugars. Characterization of the clustered genes suggests that the spinosyns are synthesized largely by mechanisms similar to those used to assemble complex macrolides in other actinomycetes. However, there are several unusual genes in the spinosyn cluster that could encode enzymes that generate the most striking structural feature of these compounds, a tetracyclic polyketide aglycone nucleus.
Trompenaars' And Hampden-Turner's Cultural Factors: Universalism–Particularism

Universalism–particularism is one of the seven dimensions of Trompenaars' and Hampden-Turner's model of culture. Keywords: universalism; particularism; culture; trompenaars; Hampden-Turner
Knowledge Representation, Psychology of

‘Knowledge representation’ is an umbrella term for the methods by which information is stored in the mind for later use. Keywords: knowledge representation; semantics; meaning; representation
Problems inherent in assessing biofeedback efficacy studies

This paper discusses some of the problems involved in drawing conclusions across studies about the efficacy of biofeedback. It focuses on biofeedback for the treatment of hypertension, but the same difficulties arise when considering the effect of biofeedback in other disorders. Large multicenter studies using the same inclusion and exclusion criteria, biofeedback protocol, and methodology are badly needed if biofeedback practitioners are ever going to demonstrate the real effectiveness of biofeedback.
All LODs Are Not Created Equal

In recent years, the development of new methodology and/or the improvement of existing methodology in gene mapping, specifically that which is targeted toward the localization of genes underlying complex disorders, have led to a proliferation of linkage analysis techniques, most of which have been implemented in user-friendly programs and have been made freely available to the genetics community. A scan through genetic epidemiological journals reveals the almost immediate embracement of these techniques; however, user interpretation regarding the statistical properties of these tests is often insubstantial and occasionally is incorrect.
Robust adaptive beamforming for passive sonar using eigenvector/beam association and excision

A new eigenvector-based robust adaptive beamforming (ABF) algorithm is presented for use with passive sonar arrays. Robustness refers to protection against self-nulling in the presence of signal mismatch. The algorithm is based on an eigenvector decomposition, similar to ABF algorithms such as dominant mode rejection (DMR) and principal components inverse (PCI). For robustness, the proposed method removes the eigenvector from the ABF weight computation deemed as the contributor to self-nulling. This approach is in contrast to eigenvector-based ABF with a white noise gain constraint which instead changes the weighting of all eigenvectors. By identifying and removing the offending eigenvector, robustness to self-nulling can be restored. The proposed eigenvector/beam association and excision (EBAE) algorithm, associates each eigenvector with a beam or angle and removes it from that beam only. The EBAE eigenvector-based ABF is compared to other robust ABF algorithms in both simulation and experimental data where it is shown to provide improved performance both in terms of interference rejection and signal separation.
Mining Semantic Structures from Syntactic Structures in Free Text Documents

The Web has made possible many advanced text-mining applications, such as news summarization, essay grading, question answering, and semantic search. For many of such applications, statistical text-mining techniques are ineffective since they do not utilize the morphological structure of the text. Thus, many approaches use NLP-based techniques, that parse the text and use patterns to mine and analyze the parse trees which are often unnecessarily complex. Therefore, we propose a weighted-graph representation of text, called Text Graphs, which captures the grammatical and semantic relations between words and terms in the text. Text Graphs are generated using a new text mining framework which is the main focus of this paper. Our framework, SemScape, uses a statistical parser to generate few of the most probable parse trees for each sentence and employs a novel two-step pattern-based technique to extract from parse trees candidate terms and their grammatical relations. Moreover, SemScape resolves co references by a novel technique, generates domain-specific Text Graphs by consulting ontologies, and provides a SPARQL-like query language and an optimized engine for semantically querying and mining Text Graphs.
Effects of Glutathione on Fenton Reagent-Dependent Radical Production and DNA Oxidation

The effects of glutathione (GSH) on the generation of radicals and the oxidation of DNA by Fenton reagent were studied. Hydroxyl radicals and thiyl radicals were detected by electron spin resonance spin trapping when GSH–Fe(II) reacted with H2O2; however, the mixture was ineffective at promoting the hydroxylation of 2′-deoxyguanosine in calf thymus DNA. When the concentrations of ferrous iron and hydrogen peroxide were both 100 μM, the concentration of GSH required to inhibit 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) production by 92% was 1 mM. Other thiol compounds were also effective at inhibiting 8-OHdG formation; however, mannitol and benzoate were ineffective at inhibiting 8-OHdG formation when present at the same concentration. Single strand breaks were detected in φX174 plasmid DNA treated with 2 μMFe(II) and 2 μMH2O2; furthermore, the addition of 50 μMGSH to this system inhibited single strand break formation by 95%. In conclusion, GSH protected DNA from oxidation by Fe(II) and H2O2even though it did not completely inhibit the production of radicals by the Fenton reaction.