cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
With Malice Towards One: The 'Heightened' Pleading of Constitutional Torts against Federal Officials

This article previews the issues and arguments in Siegert v. Gilley, on the Supreme Court’s 1990-91 appellate docket. The main issue in Siegert is whether a "heightened pleading" requirement applies when a former government employee alleges that a federal officer acted maliciously in supplying a detrimental employment reference, and the federal officer invokes a qualified immunity from suit. Related to this question is whether such a heightened pleading requirement precludes the ability of the person bringing suit to conduct discovery relating to the alleged malice before the court dismisses the case on the federal officer's summary judgment motion. The third issue in Siegert is whether the federal officer is entitled to a qualified immunity in supplying the employment reference.The problem of properly pleading a claim in federal court has generated much interest in recent years. One of the major reforms of the 1938 Federal Rules of Civil Procedure was a new, liberalized system of "notice" pleading. The chief purpose of notice pleading was to eliminate the complexities of common-law pleading according to "forms of action," a system that required lawyers to delineate elements of a legal claim and the facts supporting each element. The arcane intricacies of common-law pleading often proved to be a "trap for the unwary" pleader, who might suffer dismissal for technical mistakes. Notice pleading, instead, merely required that a person set forth "a short and plain statement of the claim" showing that the claimant was entitled to relief.Notwithstanding this reform, federal courts in recent years have become increasingly stringent about what needs to be set forth in a complaint to prevent either the complaint from being dismissed for failure to state a claim, or the lawyer sanctioned for improper pleading. This notion of "heightened pleading" requirements has now permeated certain types of federal cases, most notably civil rights actions. Siegert v. Gilley examines the problem of heightened pleading requirements in the context of constitutional torts against federal officials, so-called Bivens actions.Siegert v. Gilley represents the intersection of three highly technical and complicated areas of law: pleading requirements in federal cases, the sovereign immunity of government officials from laws, and the burden of persuasion and proof on summary judgment motions. The Supreme Court has spoken many times on these subjects separately, but Siegert will require the Court to weave an intricate web to fashion a whole cloth from these various doctrinal threads. How the Court resolves these knotty questions will probably be closely watched by federal officials who are called upon to supply job performance references for employees under their supervision.
Artwork evolution

Creating digital artwork requires a lot of time, talent, and effort from artists and programmers. It takes artists hours to design pleasing artwork and programmers even more time as they develop and debug complex graphics shaders. One way to aid in the creation of complex art is to use evolutionary computing called genetic programming. Genetic programming can be used to create mathematical expressions that can be rendered as an image. The image can be used as a texture in a 3D scene or as a starting point for additional artwork.
USING HITCHHIKING GENES TO STUDY ADAPTATION AND DIVERGENCE DURING SPECIATION WITHIN THE DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER SPECIES COMPLEX

Several studies of intraspecific and interspecific DNA sequence variation from Drosophila loci have revealed a pattern of low intraspecific variation from genomic regions of low recombination. The mechanisms consistently invoked to explain these patterns are the selective sweep of advantageous mutations together with genetic hitchhiking of linked loci. To examine the effect of selective sweeps on genetic divergence during speciation, we studied two loci in different genomic regions thought to be subject to selective sweeps. We obtained DNA sequences from 1.1kb pair portions of the fourth chromosome locus cubitus interruptus Dominant (ciD ) and from the asense locus near the telomere of the X chromosome. At ciD , we found very low variation among multiple lines of Drosophila mauritiana and D. sechellia. This finding is consistent with an earlier report of very low variation in D. melanogaster and D. simulans at ciD and supports the conclusion of selective sweeps and genetic hitchhiking on the nonrecombining fourth chromosome. The pattern of variation found at asense suggests that a selective sweep has occurred recently at the tip of the X chromosome in D. simulans, but not in D. melanogaster or D. mauritiana. The data from ciD and asense are compared with data from three X chromosome loci (period, zeste, and yolk protein 2) that experience normal levels of recombination. By examining estimated genealogies and the rates at which different classes of mutations have accumulated, we conclude that selective sweeps are common occurrences on the fourth chromosome but less common near the tip of the X chromosome. An interesting pattern of low variation at ciD among D. simulans, D. mauritiana, and D. sechellia suggests that a selective sweep may have occurred among these forms even after divergence into separate species had begun.
The initial case at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation of the automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and review of the literature.

A survivor of multiple cardiac arrest unresponsive or partially responsive to pharmacologic therapy received an automatic implantable defibrillator-cardioverter (AID-B) on May 7, 1984. Six months after implantation, the patient was alive and had had nine spontaneous episodes of ventricular tachycardia that were automatically converted. The device has been implanted in more than 300 patients at other centers between 1980 and May 1984. Clinical trials are still in progress and the results to date are favorable. The AID-B is emerging as an adjunct to the treatment of lethal ventricular arrhythmias.
A simple method to characterize the impedance of pyroelectric materials at ultra-low frequencies

The purpose of this work is to demonstrate a new simple stand-alone method of characterizing the impedance of a pyroelectric cell. This method utilizes a pyroelectric single pole low-pass filter technique. Utilizing the properties of a pyroelectric single pole low-pass filter technique, a known input voltage is applied and using simple equations, capacitance Cp and resistance Rp at a frequency range of 1 mHz to 1 Hz can be calculated. For verification purposes, an LCR meter and an impedance analyzer were exploited at 10 and 100 Hz, respectively. Results showed that Rp values for two materials, lead zirconate titanate-5A and polyvinylidene difluoride, were within 8%, and Cp values were within 7.5%. In addition, to verify the importance of the impedance values in energy harvesting applications, output power was measured with varying impedance values. The optimal load resistances for polyvinylidene difluoride and lead zirconate titanate-5A were consistent with the measured pyroelectric impedance at the parti...
LAND USE/COVER CHANGE EFFECTS ON CARBON CYCLING IN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

Land use/cover change (LUCC) is one of the most concerned environmental problems by scientists, land managers and policy makers. LUCC can affect energy flow, biogeochemical and hydrological cycling in terrestrial ecosystems through altering land surface and species composition. Ecosystem carbon cycling responds differently to various LUCC types, showing a pattern of CO2 release into the atmosphere when LUCC from a high-biomass forest to low-biomass grassland, cropland or urban area. Previous reports indicated that global terrestrial ecosystem released 2.21 Pg C (1 Pg C=1015 g C) per year induced by LUCC during the 1990s, which explains about 25% of the global C emission per year in the same period; and in the last two centuries, the released C from LUCC accounts for 50% of the C emission from fossil fuel combustion. The LUCC patterns are totally diversified for regions around the world, which cause obviously different C fluxes among them. The reports showed that LUCC in the tropics is a C source, while it is a C sink in the middle and high latitude regions in the northern hemisphere, which possibly explain a large part of the "missing carbon sink" in the terrestrial ecosystems. Currently, modeling is the most popular way to simulate LUCC-induced changes in ecosystem C cycling. The quantitative relationship between LUCC patterns and their related processes and ecosystem carbon cycling remains uncertain. This uncertainty causes great discrepancies in the estimation of terrestrial ecosystem CO2 fluxes from land use/cover changes. In the near future, except for carrying on long-term experiments to determine these quantitative relationships, model development by integrating LUCC with vegetation dynamic model and ecosystem process model will be essential for making an accurate estimation of C fluxes induced by LUCC. Sound land management can greatly increase C storage in the terrestrial ecosystems during LUCC processes. However, the quantification of land management effects is not well-established yet and land management is thus not included in most simulation models of LUCC impacts, which needs more researches in the future.
The sperm stress test: a novel test that predicts pregnancy in assisted reproductive technologies.

Objective To develop a reliable sperm test that would predict pregnancy rate in assisted reproductive technologies. Design Blind prospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary-care, university hospital-affiliated IVF program. Patients One hundred nineteen sperm samples were obtained from 110 males from couples undergoing IVF or GIFT (ART). Sperm samples were washed by Percoll, incubated at 24°C for 4hours, and an aliquot of the same sperm suspension was used for ART incubated at 40°C for 4 hours (stress test). Stress test scores are expressed as the ratio of final to initial motility. Results Of 119 ART cycles, 24 resulted in pregnancy. Of 24 pregnancies, 23 occurred in cycles that used sperm samples with stress test scores≥0.75 and only one with a stress test score Conclusion These results indicate that stress test scores
Time lapse videomicroscopic identification of Dunning R-3327 adenocarcinoma and normal rat prostate cells.

Abstract A method for accurate prediction of prognosis in human prostatic cancer does not exist. The limitations of pathologic grading systems may result from the failure of standard pathological examination of fixed dead tissue to accurately assess the biological behavior of live tumor cells. Many of the sublines of the Dunning R-3327 rat adenocarcinoma are histologically similar yet differ widely in their metastatic potential. The nonmetastatic G, occasionally metastatic AT-1 and AT-2, and highly metastatic AT-3 and MAT-Lu Dunning sublines, and normal dorsal prostate were grown in culture and filmed by time-lapse videomicroscopy. Cell membrane ruffling, undulation and pseudopodal extension, vectoral translation, irregularity of pathway, and overall subjective motility (gestalt) were visually graded. Intra-assay, intra-observer, and inter-observer reproducibility were 75, 80 and 75% respectively. The combination of ruffling, pseudopodal extension and vectoral translation was most successful in identifying the six sublines. To validate this technique prospectively, five tumor sublines and two normal prostates were graded by 10 observers unfamiliar with the technique. Fifty-nine percent of unknowns were correctly identified when motility profiles were compared to previously developed standards by least sum of squares analysis. We devised a new technique for characterizing the motility of living prostate cells which was more accurate in identifying normal rat prostate and the Dunning sublines than standard pathological examination. Prostatic cancer cell motility may reflect biological behavior and metastatic potential and thus contribute to the assessment of an individual patient’s prognosis.
The Mechanics of Ovulation Depend on an Incredibly Soft and Sugar-Rich Extracellular Matrix.

Ovulation and fertilization are fundamental processes that generate life. Mechanics plays a surprisingly large role in both, with beautiful examples abundant during the transport of the oocyte from the ovary, through the fallopian tube (oviduct) via cilia and ultimately into the uterus (1,2). In this issue of the Biophysical Journal, Chen et al. (3) examine the micromechanical properties of the expanded cumulus cell oocyte complex (COC) that surrounds mammalian oocytes (3,4).
Analytical modeling and feasibility study of a multi-GPU cloud-based server (MGCS) framework for non-voxel-based dose calculations

In this paper, a multi-GPU cloud-based server (MGCS) framework is presented for dose calculations, exploring the feasibility of remote computing power for parallelization and acceleration of computationally and time intensive radiotherapy tasks in moving toward online adaptive therapies. An analytical model was developed to estimate theoretical MGCS performance acceleration and intelligently determine workload distribution. Numerical studies were performed with a computing setup of 14 GPUs distributed over 4 servers interconnected by a 1 Gigabits per second (Gbps) network. Inter-process communication methods were optimized to facilitate resource distribution and minimize data transfers over the server interconnect. The analytically predicted computation time predicted matched experimentally observations within 1–5 %. MGCS performance approached a theoretical limit of acceleration proportional to the number of GPUs utilized when computational tasks far outweighed memory operations. The MGCS implementation reproduced ground-truth dose computations with negligible differences, by distributing the work among several processes and implemented optimization strategies. The results showed that a cloud-based computation engine was a feasible solution for enabling clinics to make use of fast dose calculations for advanced treatment planning and adaptive radiotherapy. The cloud-based system was able to exceed the performance of a local machine even for optimized calculations, and provided significant acceleration for computationally intensive tasks. Such a framework can provide access to advanced technology and computational methods to many clinics, providing an avenue for standardization across institutions without the requirements of purchasing, maintaining, and continually updating hardware.
Stimulated brillouin scattering: an overview of measurements, system impairments, and applications

Basic concepts of stimulated Brillouin scattering are reviewed together with Brillouin gain spectrum characterization techniques, system impairments, and applications.
Predicting Risk of RRT in Patients with CKD.

Caring for patients with CKD can be difficult: clinicians must synthesize large amounts of data in short periods of time and use this information to make critical decisions. One manner in which care may be simplified is through the incorporation of risk scores in clinical practice. Long used in
Framing democracy: stadium financing and civic paternalism in Test Market, USA

The vast majority of North America’s professional sport arenas, ballparks and stadiums are publicly subsidized without direct approval from voters. In this article, we examine the discursive consti...
Novel Model of Tendon Regeneration Reveals Distinct Cell Mechanisms Underlying Regenerative and Fibrotic Tendon Healing.

To date, the cell and molecular mechanisms regulating tendon healing are poorly understood. Here, we establish a novel model of tendon regeneration using neonatal mice and show that neonates heal via formation of a ‘neo-tendon’ that differentiates along the tendon specific lineage with functional restoration of gait and mechanical properties. In contrast, adults heal via fibrovascular scar, aberrant differentiation toward cartilage and bone, with persistently impaired function. Lineage tracing identified intrinsic recruitment of Scx-lineage cells as a key cellular mechanism of neonatal healing that is absent in adults. Instead, adult Scx-lineage tenocytes are not recruited into the defect but transdifferentiate into ectopic cartilage; in the absence of tenogenic cells, extrinsic αSMA-expressing cells persist to form a permanent scar. Collectively, these results establish an exciting model of tendon regeneration and uncover a novel cellular mechanism underlying regenerative vs non-regenerative tendon healing.
Why didn’t the lizard cross the road? Dunes sagebrush lizards exhibit road-avoidance behaviour

Context Research has shown many negative effects of roads and traffic on wildlife and other biodiversity. The direct and indirect mechanisms through which roads and traffic harm animal populations vary across taxa, making mitigation of road effects a great challenge for conservation. As such, a large toolkit of species-specific management techniques may be needed to mitigate the negative effects of roads for wildlife and other biodiversity. The dunes sagebrush lizard, Sceloporus arenicolus, is a psammophilic (sand-loving) habitat specialist endemic to the Mescalero–Monahans Sandhills ecosystem of New Mexico and Texas. Within this ecosystem, roads fragment shinnery oak sand-dune landforms occupied by the species. Aims In the present study, we conducted behaviour trials in experimental enclosures to test whether the smallest roads restrict movements of the dunes sagebrush lizard. In addition, we also conducted trials to evaluate whether a sand-filled wildlife-crossing feature could facilitate road crossing. Methods We conducted behavioural trials on 24 dunes sagebrush lizards in our control enclosure and 22 lizards in our road and sand-filled wildlife-crossing enclosure. Movements were recorded for 15min. The final locations at the end of each trial were analysed using circular statistics to determine whether movements in the road or the sand-filled wildlife-crossing enclosures were different from the control. Key results Our results supported the hypotheses that dunes sagebrush lizards avoid roads and do so according to a surface-avoidance mechanism. We also found that the wildlife crossing-feature design tested here had no effect on the movements or road-crossing frequency of dunes sagebrush lizard. Conclusions Surface-avoidance behaviour indicated that roads will persistently affect the movements of dunes sagebrush lizard, even when traffic is not present. Also, more research into an effective wildlife crossing is needed to increase connectivity of fragmented populations. Implications These findings help evaluate the impact of roads in creating isolated populations that experience increased demographic stochasticity and, in some instances, localised extirpation in this species. Our study can guide conservation plans for the dunes sagebrush lizard, and contribute to our understanding of road effects on biodiversity in general.
Worst-Case Identification of Uncertain Nonlinear Systems Using Neural Network Models

Abstract A class of nonlinear identification schemes are presented, which use neural network models and some tools recently developed in a setting of H∞– optimization based identification (Didinsky et al., 1995). The nonlinearity of the dynamical system to be identified is unknown, and is modeled by neural network architectures. Both multilayer feedforward networks and radial basis function networks are considered, for the cases when full-state-derivative information (FSDI) or noise perturbed full-state information (NPFSI) is available. It is shown that the celebrated backpropagation algorithm is just a special case of the identification scheme developed here, and is locally H∞– optimal for feedforward multilayer networks. It is also shown that in both the FSDI and NPFSI cases, there exist control inputs that enhance excitation and lead to satisfaction of a relevant persistency of excitation condition, thereby achieving stability and robust performance for the identifier presented.
Prognostic Significance of Left Ventricular Fibrosis in Patients With Congenital Bicuspid Aortic Valve.

This study sought to evaluate the prognostic value of left ventricular (LV) fibrosis assessed by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) of the myocardium during cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), which is associated with early aortic valve fibrosis and calcification. To what degree the LV myocardial wall is affected by fibrosis and its prognostic value is currently unknown. This is a retrospective, single-center study evaluating all adult patients with BAV who had CMR and followed from March 2002 to March 2016. CMR and transthoracic echocardiogram images were reviewed. Clinical data were abstracted from the electronic medical record. A total of 29 patients were included in the study, of which 11 (38%) had CMR studies that demonstrated the presence of LGE. Patients with LGE had significantly higher aortic valve mean gradients by echocardiography when compared with LGE-negative patients (30.3 ± 7.2 mm Hg vs 14.7 ± 3.6 mm Hg, p = 0.049). They were also more likely to have LV hypertrophy. Patients with LGE were 10 times more likely to need aortic valve replacement within 1 year of the CMR study than did patients without LGE (55% vs 5.5%, p = 0.0028). In conclusion, evaluation of LGE by CMR as a marker of LV myocardial fibrosis can have additional prognostic value when evaluating patients with aortic stenosis secondary to BAV.
Antiemetic Therapy in Paediatric Patients

The past three decades have been associated with a dramatic increase in the cure rate for children with malignant disease. This improvement has been the result of, in the main, more intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimens which have been associated with increased toxicity, in particular acute side-effects due to myelosuppression, alopecia and nausea and vomiting.
An Optical Neuron-Astrocyte Proximity Assay at Synaptic Distance Scales

Summary Astrocytes are complex bushy cells that serve important functions through close contacts between their processes and synapses. However, the spatial interactions and dynamics of astrocyte processes relative to synapses have proven problematic to study in adult living brain tissue. Here, we report a genetically targeted neuron-astrocyte proximity assay (NAPA) to measure astrocyte-synapse spatial interactions within intact brain preparations and at synaptic distance scales. The method exploits resonance energy transfer between extracellularly displayed fluorescent proteins targeted to synapses and astrocyte processes. We validated the method in the striatal microcircuitry following in vivo expression. We determined the proximity of striatal astrocyte processes to distinct neuronal input pathways, to D1 and D2 medium spiny neuron synapses, and we evaluated how astrocyte-to-excitatory synapse proximity changed following cortical afferent stimulation, during ischemia and in a model of Huntington's disease. NAPA provides a simple approach to measure astrocyte-synapse spatial interactions in a variety of experimental scenarios. Video Abstract
Prediction-time Efficient Classification Using Feature Computational Dependencies

As machine learning methods are utilized in more and more real-world applications involving constraints on computational budgets, the systematic integration of such constraints into the process of model selection and model optimization is required to an increasing extent. A specific computational resource in this regard is the time needed for evaluating predictions on test instances. There is meanwhile a substantial body of work concerned with the joint optimization of accuracy and test-time efficiency by considering the time costs of feature generation and model prediction. During the feature generation process, significant redundant computations across different features occur in many applications. Although the elimination of such redundancies would reduce the time cost substantially, there has been little research in this area due to substantial technical challenges involved, especially: 1) the lack of an effective formulation for feature computation dependency; and 2) the nonconvex and discrete nature of the optimization over feature computation dependency. In order to address these problems, this paper first proposes a heterogeneous hypergraph to represent the feature computation dependency, after which a framework is proposed that jointly optimizes the accuracy and the exact test-time cost based on a given feature computational dependency. A continuous tight approximation to this original problem is proposed based on a non-monotone nonconvex regularization term. Finally, an effective nonconvex optimization algorithm is proposed to solve the problem, along with a theoretical analysis of the convergence conditions. Extensive experiments on eight synthetic datasets and six real-world datasets demonstrate the proposed models' outstanding performance in terms of both accuracy and prediction-time cost.
Navigating the past in the aftermath of dramatic social transformations: Postclassic engagement with the Classic period past in the northeast Yucatan peninsula

Abstract Dramatic social transformations are common events in world history and raise several questions. How, for example, do individuals navigate the past during these critical times? Do they emphasize their ties to the past, distance themselves from the past, alter the past, or eschew the past? An analysis of modifications to existing built environments – and particularly whether existing features are venerated, destroyed, re-contextualized, or ignored – offers one means to answer this question. Using Henri Lefebvre’s notion of relational space and Walter Benjamin’s notion of temporal constellations, this article examines Postclassic period (1100–1500 CE) engagement with the Classic period (250–1100 CE), and in some instances Late Preclassic period (400 BCE – 250 CE), past in the northeast Yucatan Peninsula. Specifically, it uses data from a variety of sources to compare Postclassic modifications to existing features at eight sites: El Meco, Xcaret, Xelha, Muyil, T’isil, El Naranjal, Punta Laguna, and Coba. Data from these sites suggest, among other insights, that the past was indeed a critical resource at each of these communities, but that Postclassic peoples navigated the past in heterogeneous ways: They engaged in a variety of practices, each with a multiplicity of meanings. This article concludes by suggesting that the Postclassic, like other time periods, is usefully understood as a temporal constellation.
Identification of Causal Effects in the Presence of Selection Bias

Cause-and-effect relations are one of the most valuable types of knowledge sought after throughout the data-driven sciences since they translate into stable and generalizable explanations as well as efficient and robust decision-making capabilities. Inferring these relations from data, however, is a challenging task. Two of the most common barriers to this goal are known as confounding and selection biases. The former stems from the systematic bias introduced during the treatment assignment, while the latter comes from the systematic bias during the collection of units into the sample. In this paper, we consider the problem of identifiability of causal effects when both confounding and selection biases are simultaneously present. We first investigate the problem of identifiability when all the available data is biased. We prove that the algorithm proposed by [Bareinboim and Tian, 2015] is, in fact, complete, namely, whenever the algorithm returns a failure condition, no identifiability claim about the causal relation can be made by any other method. We then generalize this setting to when, in addition to the biased data, another piece of external data is available, without bias. It may be the case that a subset of the covariates could be measured without bias (e.g., from census). We examine the problem of identifiability when a combination of biased and unbiased data is available. We propose a new algorithm that subsumes the current state-of-the-art method based on the back-door criterion.
Spazi antichi e futuri possibili: la geografia classica nelle Digital Humanities

This paper summarizes the current situation of Ancient Geography within the larger context of the Digital Humanities. It proposes an overview of the most important achievements and initiatives in the digital analysis of spatial sources, emphasizing their innovative approaches in research, but also con-sidering issues in the difficult relationship between machine-based collection of data and the traditional means of investigation of the Humanities. In con-clusion, it proposes a set of promising methods and strategies to be pursued for the future of the spatial analysis of premodern sources.
Fostering Peer Dialogic Engagement in Science Classrooms with an Educational Videogame

This study examines the design and enactment of a secondary physics unit on electromagnetism. The unit used an educational videogame to support peer dialogic engagement in a Singapore secondary school by engaging learners with qualitative physics phenomena. As an example of game-based learning, the unit includes activities and resources that organize a recurring progression of playing and interacting around science that we term play-centered cycles. We incorporate two complementary, qualitative analyses to consider how a recurring progression of playing with and talking about science-mediated peer dialogic engagement across two separate classes. Findings demonstrate that peer dialogic engagement occurred within each play-centered cycle for both classes but that the nature of such engagement varied across cycles and student teams. Additionally, comparative case analyses of focal teams’ peer dialogic engagement illuminate how the design of play-centered cycles productively supported play and learning while also highlighting emerging tensions for sustaining dialogic engagement. Findings underscore the plausibility of this approach to fostering science learning by articulating two principles for designing science learning environments that can guide ongoing efforts to enlist videogames and play in the service of talking about and learning science.
PENGARUH MOTIVASI BELAJAR, KEAKTIFAN MAHASISWA DAN KINERJA DOSEN TERHADAP PRESTASI BELAJAR MAHASISWA: PENDEKATAN PARTIAL LEAST SQUARES-SEM ANALISYS

Prestasi belajar yang tinggi selalu menjadi harapan semua pihak. Bagi pihak perguruan tinggi prestasi belajar mahasiswanya merupakan salah satu indikator efektif proses belajar mengajar, yang sekaligus dapat digunakan untuk meningkatkan citra perguruan tinggi tersebut. Banyak faktor yang mempengaruhi prestasi belajar mahasiswa, hal ini sangat penting untuk ditinjau lebih dalam demi meningkatkan prestasi mahasiswa. Tujuan dalam penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis pengaruh motivasi belajar, keaktifan mahasiswa, dan kinerja dosen terhadap prestasi belajar mahasiswa. Penelitian dipaparkan secara deskriptif dan verifikatif dengan menggunakan metode penelitian explanatory survey. Hipotesis penelitian ini akan dianalisis menggunakan model persamaan struktural (Structural Equation Model, SEM) dengan metode alternatif Partial Least Square (PLS). Hasil studi menunjukkan bahwa motivasi belajar, keaktifan mahasiswa dan kinerja dosen mempengaruhi dalam peningkatan prestasi belajar mahasiswa. Hal ini menegaskan prestasi belajar mahasiswa tidak terlepas dari motivasi belajar, keaktifan mahasiswa, dan kinerja dosen baik secara parsial maupun bersama-sama.
Many Faces of Mulian: The Precious Scrolls of Late Imperial China: By Rostislav Berezkin. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2017. ix + 248 pp. 15 illus. Cloth $90.00. Paper $30.00.

A gap of nearly twenty years stands between Daniel Overmeyer’s Precious Volumes: An Introduction to Chinese Sectarian Scriptures from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries and Berezkin’s Many Fac...
Reflux as a Risk Factor for Morbidity after Pediatric Tonsillectomy: A National Cohort of Inpatients.

OBJECTIVE Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) has been identified as a risk factor for complications following pediatric tonsillectomy. The primary objective of this study was to examine outcomes after tonsillectomy among children with GER using a nationwide database. Secondary objectives included analyzing duration of hospitalization and total charges after admission. METHODS A cross-sectional review of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Kids' Inpatient Databases (KID) from 2012 and 2016. RESULTS A total of 21,232 children had a tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy, with 1683 (7.9%) diagnosed with GER. Average age for patients with reflux was 4.4 years and for those without was 5.6 years (P < .001). The rate of primary hemorrhage was not statistically different between groups (P = .87). Patients with reflux were more likely to have respiratory complications (P = .03), aspiration pneumonitis (P < .001), and hypoxemia (P < .001) during their hospital course. Noninvasive ventilation and reintubation also occurred more frequently in this population (P < .001). Children with reflux had a longer duration of postoperative admission (3.8 vs. 2.3 days, P < .001) and higher total hospital charges ($47,129 vs. $27,584, P < .001). Multivariable regression analysis determined that reflux remained a statistically significant indicator of aspiration pneumonitis, hypoxemia, invasive and non-invasive ventilation, as well as length of admission. CONCLUSION Children with GER were significantly more likely to experience inpatient complications following tonsillectomy. Further, length of admission was higher compared to children without reflux. These results suggest that children with GER experience poorer outcomes after tonsillectomy and highlight the role for appropriate preoperative counseling and planning in this patient population. Laryngoscope, 131:907-910, 2021.
Measuring weather exposure with annual reports

The FASB and IFRS Foundation's International Sustainability Standards Board have called for measuring individual firms' exposure to weather, a fundamentally amorphous concept, as a first step toward quantifying the impact of environmental factors on financial reporting. This study builds a large-scale measure of individual firm exposure to weather using linguistic analysis of annual reports. Preliminary analyses suggest that weather is a determinant of our measure: e.g., it increases significantly after the firm gets hit by a severe storm. Despite being constructed from largely backward-looking mandated reports, our measure is forward looking in that it can predict variation in returns around future extreme weather events. Exposure to our measure is also priced as a risk factor, further establishing its forward-looking nature systematically in the cross-section. Our measure appears to reasonably capture a firm's business exposure to weather, thus showcasing the power of accounting to measure the economic impact of ESG factors.
At-Home Colorimetric and Absorbance-Based Analyses: An Opportunity for Inquiry-Based, Laboratory-Style Learning

In light of COVID-19 in spring 2020, we developed a simple and versatile inquiry-based, laboratory-style active learning colorimetry experiment amenable to at-home quantitative analysis. In this ex...
Development of the Truckee River terraces on the northeastern flank of the Sierra Nevada

Abstract The distribution and elevation of the abandoned strath terraces along the Truckee River in the Carson Range on the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada are mapped and quantified with measurements from Lidar accompanied by field survey. Each mapped strath terrace is formed by incision into the Hunter Creek Sandstone and deposition of fluvial gravel by the Truckee River. The gravel contains granitic boulders sourced from the glaciated headwaters of the Truckee >20 km upstream from the terraces and display boulders ranging from 4 to 12 m in dimension, in comparison to the
The Effect of Elevated Mean Arterial Blood Pressure in Cervical Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury with Hemorrhagic Contusion.

Objective Hemorrhagic contusion in cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) is poorly understood. We investigated hemorrhagic expansion in patients with CSCI with an assigned elevated mean arterial pressure (MAP) goal of >85 mm Hg. The change in hemorrhagic area and long-term follow-up data ≥6 months after injury was studied. Methods A retrospective review was performed from 2005 to 2016 to identify patients with motor complete CSCI with 2 cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans within 7 days of injury showing evidence of hemorrhagic contusion and assigned a MAP goal of >85 mm Hg for 7 days. T2-weighted MRI was used to calculate the hemorrhagic surface area in the sagittal plane. A calculated MAP was recorded for each blood pressure measure between the initial and follow-up MRI scans. The American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS) and American Spinal Injury Association motor scores were recorded at the final follow-up examination at ≥6 months. Results A total of 193 patients were identified. The mean change in the hemorrhagic area was 24.0 mm2. Of the 193 patients, the AIS grade was A for 114 and B for 79 patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the MAP and systolic blood pressure were nonsignificant predictors of hemorrhagic contusion expansion. An increased hemorrhagic contusion area on the follow-up MRI scan was associated with a reduced odds of AIS improvement of ≥1 and ≥2 points (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.87–0.97; P = 0.028; and odds ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.99–1.13; P = 0.008, respectively) at the final ≥6-month follow-up examination. Conclusion The present study investigated the clinical safety of elevated MAP goals for patients with CSCI and hemorrhagic contusion. Elevated MAPs did not significantly increase the risk of hemorrhagic expansion in those with CSCI. We have also reported the use of hemorrhagic contusion size as a potential radiographic biomarker for neurological outcomes.
Weekly Carboplatin and Paclitaxel for Ovarian Cancer: The "Finer Points".

First‐line ovarian cancer platinum doublet is paclitaxel‐carboplatin. Superiority of weekly paclitaxel schedules has not been confirmed; however, a novel schedule with both drugs given weekly (days 1, 8, 15) followed by a 2‐week break may be advantageous to some.
The Silver Lining of a Pandemic

It is hard to overestimate the adverse effects that the current COVID 19 pandemic has produced in our lives. The most striking effect, of course, is the illness and death that the SARS CoV2 virus h...
Phase Diagram, Melt Growth, and Characterization of Cd 0.8 Zn 0.2 Te Crystals for X-Ray Detector

In this study, the solidus curve of the Cd0.8Zn0.2Te homogeneity range was constructed from the partial pressure measurements by optical absorption measurements which provided the information of the melt-growth parameters to achieve crystals with the required electrical resistivity. The melt growth of Cd0.8Zn0.2Te crystals was then processed by directional solidification under controlled Cd overpressure. During the growth experiments, several procedures have been developed to improve the crystalline quality: (1) reducing the structural defects from wetting by HF etching of fused silica ampoule, (2) minimizing the contamination of impurities during homogenization, (3) promoting single-crystal growth by mechanical pulsed disturbance, and (4) maximizing electrical resistivity and minimizing Te precipitates by controlling Cd overpressure during growth and post-growth cooling. Additionally, the thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and Seebeck coefficient of a vapor-grown CdTe and two melt-grown Cd0.8Zn0.2Te crystals were measured between 190 °C and 780 °C to provide an in-depth understanding of the thermal and electrical conduction mechanisms of the crystals as well as the prospect of its thermoelectric applications.
The Use of Synthetic IMU Signals in the Training of Deep Learning Models Significantly Improves the Accuracy of Joint Kinematic Predictions.

Gait analysis based on inertial sensors has become an effective method of quantifying movement mechanics, such as joint kinematics and kinetics. Machine learning techniques are used to reliably predict joint mechanics directly from streams of IMU signals for various activities. These data-driven models require comprehensive and representative training datasets to be generalizable across the movement variability seen in the population at large. Bottlenecks in model development frequently occur due to the lack of sufficient training data and the significant time and resources necessary to acquire these datasets. Reliable methods to generate synthetic biomechanical training data could streamline model development and potentially improve model performance. In this study, we developed a methodology to generate synthetic kinematics and the associated predicted IMU signals using open source musculoskeletal modeling software. These synthetic data were used to train neural networks to predict three degree-of-freedom joint rotations at the hip and knee during gait either in lieu of or along with previously measured experimental gait data. The accuracy of the models’ kinematic predictions was assessed using experimentally measured IMU signals and gait kinematics. Models trained using the synthetic data out-performed models using only the experimental data in five of the six rotational degrees of freedom at the hip and knee. On average, root mean square errors in joint angle predictions were improved by 38% at the hip (synthetic data RMSE: 2.3°, measured data RMSE: 4.5°) and 11% at the knee (synthetic data RMSE: 2.9°, measured data RMSE: 3.3°), when models trained solely on synthetic data were compared to measured data. When models were trained on both measured and synthetic data, root mean square errors were reduced by 54% at the hip (measured + synthetic data RMSE: 1.9°) and 45% at the knee (measured + synthetic data RMSE: 1.7°), compared to measured data alone. These findings enable future model development for different activities of clinical significance without the burden of generating large quantities of gait lab data for model training, streamlining model development, and ultimately improving model performance.
The Exploration of Technological Diversity and Geographic Localization in Innovation: Start-Up Firms in the Semiconductor Industry

This paper examines the innovative ability of small firms in the semiconductor industry regarding their exploration of technological diversity and their integration within local knowledge networks. Through the analysis of patent data, we compare the innovative activity of start-up firms and larger firms. We find that small firms explore new technological areas by innovating in less ‘crowded’ areas. The analysis of patent citation data reveals that small firms are tied into regional knowledge networks to a greater extent than large firms. These findings point to the role of entrepreneurial firms in the exploration of new technological spaces and in the diffusion of their accumulated knowledge through local small firm networks.
Scheduling policy design using stochastic dynamic programming

Scheduling policies for open soft real-time systems must be able to balance the competing concerns of meeting their objectives under exceptional conditions while achieving good performance in the average case. Balancing these concerns requires modeling strategies that represent the range of possible task behaviors, and solution techniques that are capable of effectively managing uncertainty in order to discover scheduling policies that are effective across the range of system modes. We develop methods for solving a particular class of task scheduling problems in an open soft real-time setting involving repeating, non-preemptable tasks that contend for a single shared resource. We enforce timeliness by optimizing performance with respect to the proportional progress of tasks in the system. We model this scheduling problem as an infinite-state Markov decision process, and provide guarantees regarding the existence of optimal solutions to this problem. We derive several methods for approximating optimal scheduling policies and provide theoretical justification and empirical evidence that these solutions are good approximations to the optimal solution. We consider cases in which task models are known, and adapt reinforcement learning methods to learn task models when they are not available.
Hidden network reconstruction from information diffusion

Learning about the structure of hidden or covert networks is a major challenge in epidemiology, sociology, and intelligence analysis. Vertices in hidden networks usually cannot be enumerated or sampled in a systematic way; they can only be revealed by tracing links emanating from already-observed vertices. Observers sometimes cannot follow links directly, and instead must rely on passive observation of a dynamic process to reveal vertices and edges. This paper outlines a framework for estimating network structures from partial observation of information diffusion through the network. Diffusion is modeled by a continuous-time Markov epidemic model. Edges are revealed by transmission events and new vertices are uncovered when information is transmitted to them. The approach is a generalization of tools developed to reconstruct drug-user networks from respondent-driven sampling studies in epidemiology. The likelihood of the diffusion process can be interpreted as an exponential random graph model. A Bayesian method for probabilistic reconstruction of the transmission-induced subgraph is described.
AlN Two-Dimensional-Mode Resonators for Ultra-High Frequency Applications

In this letter, we present the first prototype of aluminum nitride two-dimensional-mode resonators (2DMRs) for operation in the ultra-high-frequency range. The 2DMRs in this letter are made of thick AlN films ( ${5.9} \mu \text{m}$ ) and rely on both the $ {d} _{31}$ and the $ {d}_{33}$ coefficients of AlN to attain high electromechanical coupling ( $ {k} _{t}^{2}$ ), low motional resistance, and a limited lithographic control of the resonance frequency. $ {k} _{t}^{2 } > 3.4$ %, a mechanical quality factor larger than 2400, and >10% lithographic variation of the center frequency were demonstrated.
Bluetooth automatic data acquisition and synchronization software

Bluetooth-equipped cell phones are increasingly common, affording users additional connectivity options. With the advent of cameras small enough to use in cell phones, manufacturers have added memory to store images; however, few people use this space. We have created a solution that harnesses that unused space to automatically synchronize data between two computers with a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. The phone carries the synchronized data between the two computers so no matter which computer the user works on, the user always has the current version available to use.
Long-Term Outcomes After Function-Sparing Surgery Without Radiotherapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Extremities and Trunk

PURPOSE: To define the rate of local recurrence (LR) and identify prognostic factors for LR for patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) treated with function-sparing surgery (FSS) without radiotherapy (RT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1970 and 1994, 242 patients with STS of the trunk and extremity presented with primary localized disease, 74 of whom were treated with FSS without RT (31%). The median tumor size was 4 cm (range, 0.5 to 31 cm). There were 40 patients with grade 1 tumors and 34 with grade 2 and 3 tumors. Median follow-up was 126 months. RESULTS: The 10-year actuarial local control rate was 93% ± 4%. Resection margin status was a significant predictor for LR. Patients with closest histologic resection margins of less than 1 cm had a 10-year local control rate of 87% ± 6% compared with 100% for patients with closest histologic resection margins of ≥ 1 cm (P = .04). There was no significant association between LR and tumor grade, size, site (truncal v extremity), or depth (superficial v deep)....