cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A plant-wide quality expert system for steel mills

Abstract The purpose of the plant-wide quality expert system is to improve quality management of steel mills. In the context of this paper quality management consists of three primary functions: quality prediction, quality monitoring and quality planning. It is shown that an analysis of functional requiremen leads naturally to a real-time expert system for quality management. System design and implementation are considered as a series of issues which must be successfully resolved. One solution is provided by the prototype system described in this paper. The potential advantages of such a system are summa
The Effect of Experience on Male Courtship and Mating Behaviors in a Cellar Spider

Abstract Experience effects on mating have been implicated as important factors that can account for some of the variability in responses by prospective mates. Previous studies have demonstrated that sexual experience and learning can play significant roles in female choice; however, few studies have concentrated on experience effects in males. Using a partially sex-role reversed cellar spider, Pholcus phalangioides, in two laboratory experiments, we addressed the importance of male experience with (1) nonvirgin female cues associated with silk and (2) virgin females on a suite of male behaviors associated with mating. We discovered that males experienced with female silk and associated cues courted nonvirgin females for a longer duration than inexperienced males. Courtship latency and courtship duration had significant effects on mating success in trials involving inexperienced, but not experienced males. Female leg length affected the mating success of experienced, but not inexperienced males. Interesti...
ALSP—theory, experience, and future directions

The Aggregate Level Simulation Protocol (ALSP) interface technique is now entering its second year of practical application. ALSP is designed to permit multiple, pre-existing combat simulations to interact with each other over local and wide area networks. Army, Navy, and Air Force, simulations have been linked, using ALSP, to form a confederation of models capable of supporting major military exercises. This exercise experience has reinforced many of the initial ALSP design decisions, called others into question, and revealed some new requirements. The basic ALSP system software services, practical features derived of operational experience, and the current research efforts are described.
Hierarchical multiresolution data structures and algorithms for foveal vision systems

A system that integrates space-variant sampling in foveal vision and time-variant allocation of imaging resources in active perception is sought. It is argued that by folding the foveal data into an image pyramid, the use of uniform lattice operators may be restored. In addition, the hierarchical multiresolution approach to the foveal vision problem suggests an explicit gaze control strategy. Thus, the organizational principles for an active foveal vision system incorporating both space-variant and time-variant resolution resource allocation may be approached through study of the foveal vision problem without prior solution to the active perception problem. Various foveal sensor geometries and the embedding of an image polygon data structure in the image pyramid are discussed, and algorithms and a gaze control strategy consistent with the suggested approach are presented. >
Nigrescence Theory: Historical and Explanatory Notes

Abstract Nigrescence Models attempt to capture the stages that African Americans traverse when experiencing a major shift in their racial self-identification. In addition to a description of the key dynamics associated with each stage, this work explores the history of such constructs.
Global mechanisms for sustaining and enhancing PES schemes

article i nfo An international payment for ecosystem service (IPES) schemes may be one of the only mechanisms available to stimulate the provision of vital non-marketed ecosystem services at the global level, as those nations that benefit from global ecosystem services (GES) cannot readily force other sovereign nations to provide them. Currently, international trade offers trillions of dollars in incentives for countries to convert natural capital into marketable goods and services, and few payments to entice countries to conserve natural capital in order to sustain critical non-marketed ecosystem services. We examine the biophysical characteristics of climate change and biodiversity to understand the obstacles to developing effective IPES schemes. We find that none of the existing schemes for providing GES are adequate, given the scale of the problem. A cap and auction scheme for CO2 emissions among wealthy nations could fund IPES and simultaneously deter carbon emissions. To disburse funds, we should adapt Brazil's ICMS ecologico, and apportion available funds to targeted countries in proportion to how well they meet specific criteria designed to measure the provision of GES. Individual countries can then develop their own policies for increasing provision of these services, ensured of compensation if they do so. Indirect IPES should include funding for freely available technologies that protect or provide GES, such as the low carbon energy alternatives that will be essential for curbing climate change. Markets rely on the price mechanism to generate profits, which rations technology to those who can afford it, reducing adoption rates, innovation and total value.
Teaching and Learning Democracy: An Analysis of Undergraduates' Lived Experiences of Political Engagement

This article presents the findings from a qualitative field study of students' “lived experiences” in the University of Minnesota political science course “Democracy and Education” and practicum “Coaching Public Achievement.” This study has two key purposes: to better understand how undergraduates learn through these experiences of democratic action and to better understand how this course and practicum foster political engagement. The findings of the study highlight that most undergraduates indeed gained a better understanding of the relationship between theory and practice, developed political skills, especially group process skills, and experienced a greater sense of motivation to be active and politically involved citizens, including a stronger sense of political identity. It is evident that they now think differently about politics and themselves as public actors; it is not as clear whether students translated this into further political engagement.
Improving a Page Classifier with Anchor Extraction and Link Analysis

Most text categorization systems use simple models of documents and document collections. In this paper we describe a technique that improves a simple web page classifier's performance on pages from a new, unseen web site, by exploiting link structure within a site as well as page structure within hub pages. On real-world test cases, this technique significantly and substantially improves the accuracy of a bag-of-words classifier, reducing error rate by about half, on average. The system uses a variant of co-training to exploit unlabeled data from a new site. Pages are labeled using the base classifier; the results are used by a restricted wrapper-learner to propose potential "main-category anchor wrappers"; and finally, these wrappers are used as features by a third learner to find a categorization of the site that implies a simple hub structure, but which also largely agrees with the original bag-of-words classifier.
A Tracker for Multiple Dynamic Targets Using Multiple Sensors

We describe a clustering-based algorithm for tracking a dynamically varying number of targets observed by multiple sensors. The algorithm relies on discrete target detections (e.g., laser "hits") and a simple model of the targets to be tracked (e.g. a human is modeled in 2-D as a circle). The algorithm is evaluated in the context of a 4 versus 4 basketball game (8 targets) using 4 SICK LMS291 laser scanners as input. Our evaluations show that the sensor system correctly reports the number of targets roughly 99% of the time. We also demonstrate use of the tracker with two video datasets of multiple changing numbers of ants and fish, respectively
Nutritional value of acid stabilised silage and liquefied fish protein

Fish silage made by a conventional method (pH 4.0) contained a variety of active enzyme systems which not only hydrolysed fish proteins to short peptides and free amino acids, but also caused the degradation of free amino acids to ammonia and other metabolic products. Acid-stabilised fish silage (pH 2.0) contained only those polypeptides released by endogenous pepsins with only slight accumulation of free amino acids and degradation products. Liquefied fish which was autolysed for less than 1 h at 60°C at physiological pH (6.2–6.6) and then pasteurised and acidified to pH 4.0 contained polypeptides of intermediate length which remained stable. These processes provide a means for adjusting the peptide and free amino acid content of autolysed fish protein to suit the nutritional requirements of a variety of aquatic and terrestrial species.
ON PSOROMA SPECIES FROM THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE WITH CEPHALODIA PRODUCING VEGETATIVE DISPERSAL UNITS

Abstract Abstract: Two new species of Psoroma with unusual cephalodia are described: P. echinaceum with isidiate cephalodia, from southern South America and P. geminatum with fragile phyllidiate cephalodia, from New Zealand and Australia. These are additional to two previously described species producing dispersal units on their cephalodia, P. durietzii P. James & Henssen (with soredia) and P. aphthosum Vain. (syn.nov. P. dimorphum Malme) (with isidia). This is a strategy development that ensures successful establishment of new thalli.
A Dynamic Longest Prefix Matching Content Addressable Memory for IP Routing

An internet protocol (IP) router determines the next hop for a packet by finding the longest prefix match. This lookup often occurs in ternary content addressable memory (TCAM), which allows bit masking of the IP address. In this paper, an internet protocol content addressable memory (IPCAM) circuit that directly determines the longest prefix match to the stored address is described. The proposed IPCAM produces an encoded prefix match length that is limited by the prefix mask. Entries need not be sorted in order. One of the proposed IPCAM entries replaces on average 22 TCAM entries. Consequently the longest prefix matching CAM is less than 1/10 the size of the equivalent TCAM and dissipates 93.5% less dynamic power. The encoded outputs drive a priority encoder to determine the longest prefix match in the IPCAM arrays. A priority encoder circuit architecture appropriate to the unsorted IPCAM entries is also presented.
Modeling rare gene variation to gain insight into the oldest biomarker in autism: construction of the serotonin transporter Gly56Ala knock-in mouse.

Alterations in peripheral and central indices of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) production, storage and signaling have long been associated with autism. The 5-HT transporter gene (HTT, SERT, SLC6A4) has received considerable attention as a potential risk locus for autism-spectrum disorders, as well as disorders with overlapping symptoms, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Here, we review our efforts to characterize rare, nonsynonymous polymorphisms in SERT derived from multiplex pedigrees carrying diagnoses of autism and OCD and present the initial stages of our effort to model one of these variants, Gly56Ala, in vivo. We generated a targeting vector to produce the Gly56Ala substitution in the Slc6a4 locus by homologous recombination. Following removal of a neomycin resistance selection cassette, animals exhibiting germline transmission of the Ala56 variant were bred to establish a breeding colony on a 129S6 background, suitable for initial evaluation of biochemical, physiological and behavioral alterations relative to SERT Gly56 (wildtype) animals. SERT Ala56 mice were achieved and exhibit a normal pattern of transmission. The initial growth and gross morphology of these animals is comparable to wildtype littermate controls. The SERT Ala56 variant can be propagated in 129S6 mice without apparent disruption of fertility and growth. We discuss both the opportunities and challenges that await the physiological/behavioral analysis of Gly56Ala transgenic mice, with particular reference to modeling autism-associated traits.
Belief propagation in feedback systems: Connections to bode and observability

This paper is concerned with uncertainty based characterizations of fundamental performance limitations (Bode formula) and input-output properties (observability) in feedback systems. A hidden Markov model (HMM) formulation is introduced, based on which a belief process (conditional pdf) is defined. The belief process expresses uncertainty in the state conditioned on history of noisy observations. Both the Bode formula and observability are related to the asymptotic dynamics of the belief process. These results are described for the case of Gaussian linear systems and for open-loop nonlinear systems with negative Lyapunov exponents.
Importance of the first two minutes of heart rate recovery after exercise treadmill testing in predicting mortality and the presence of coronary artery disease in men

We retrospectively analyzed exercise treadmill and coronary angiographic data of 2,193 men to compare heart rate (HR) recovery with angiographic and mortality data during a follow-up study of 7 ± 2.7 years. Only the first 2 minutes of HR recovery predicted mortality (p <0.001), and the HR decrease during the second minute of recovery predicted the presence of coronary artery disease (p <0.05).
Comparison of human adult stem cells from adipose tissue and bone marrow in the treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Introduction: While administration of ex vivo culture-expanded stem cells has been used to study immunosuppressive mechanisms in multiple models of autoimmune diseases, less is known about the uncultured, nonexpanded stromal vascular fraction (SVF)-based therapy. The SVF is composed of a heterogeneous population of cells and has been used clinically to treat acute and chronic diseases, alleviating symptoms in a range of tissues and organs. Methods: In this study, the ability of human SVF cells was compared with culture-expanded adipose stem cells (ASCs) and bone-derived marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) as a treatment of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (35–55)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalitis in C57Bl/6J mice, a well-studied multiple sclerosis model (MS). A total of 1×10 6 BMSCs, ASCs, or SVF cells were administered intraperitoneally concomitantly with the induction of disease. Mice were monitored daily for clinical signs of disease by three independent, blinded investigators and rated on a scale of 0 to 5. Spinal cords were obtained after euthanasia at day 30 and processed for histological staining using luxol fast blue, toluidine blue, and hematoxylin and eosin to measure myelin and infiltrating immune cells. Blood was collected from mice at day 30 and analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure serum levels of inflammatory cytokines. Results: The data indicate that intraperitoneal administration of all cell types significantly ameliorates the severity of disease. Furthermore, the data also demonstrate, for the first time, that the SVF was as effective as the more commonly cultured BMSCs and ASCs in an MS model. All cell therapies also demonstrated a similar reduction in tissue damage, inflammatory infiltrates, and sera levels of IFNγ and IL-12. While IFNγ levels were reduced to comparable levels between treatment groups, levels of IL-12 were significantly lower in SVF-treated than BMSC-treated or ASC-treated mice. Conclusions: Based on these data, it is evident that SVF cells have relevant therapeutic potential in an animal model of chronic MS and might represent a valuable tool for stem cell-based therapy in chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. SVF offers advantages of direct and rapid isolation procedure in a xenobiotic-free environment.
GridDB: a data-centric overlay for scientific grids

We present GridDB, a data-centric overlay for scientific grid data analysis. In contrast to currently deployed process-centric middleware, GridDB manages data entities rather than processes. GridDB provides a suite of services important to data analysis: a declarative interface, type-checking, interactive query processing, and memoization. We discuss several elements of GridDB: workflow/data model, query language, software architecture and query processing; and a prototype implementation. We validate GridDB by showing its modeling of real-world physics and astronomy analyses, and measurements on our prototype.
Bioaerosol Sampling and Analysis

Bioaerosol Sampling Sample Analysis Keywords: airborne microorganisms, methodology; bioaerosols, sampling of; detection of airborne microorganisms; methodology
Role Swapping: An Antidote to Professional Burnout

The personal and professional gains experienced when a counseling practitioner from a university counseling center and a counselor educator at the university traded aspects of their jobs for one semester are discussed. The benefits agencies and departments receive from job swapping are also reviewed. Potential problem areas (e.g., the need for careful negotiation and definition of job descriptions in the trade-off) are described. We conclude that professional renewal by role swapping for short periods of time gives counselor educators and counseling practitioners personal insight into the ways each spends their time, as well as strengthening the ties between them.
Arms versus allies: trade-offs in the search for security

Nations have two methods of increasing their security: building arms and forming alliances. Both methods present different political costs that must be incurred to raise security. Building arms requires shifting economic resources to the military. Forming alliances requires abandoning interests that conflict with those of the ally. Each of these strategies produces domestic opposition. A nation's response to a threat to its security must weigh the relative attractiveness of arms versus allies, both in terms of their effects on internal politics and on their external benefits. Three cases are examined in the light of this argument. The response of Austria and France to the unification of Germany in the 1860s is the central case. Theories of alliance formation based on neorealism and the offense-defense balance predict that Austria and France should have allied against the mutual threat of Prussia. This article argues that they did not form an alliance because arming separately presented lower political costs. World Wars I and II likewise are analyzed from the perspective of the argument above.
The effect of the Argentine ant on the threatened valley elderberry longhorn beetle.

The extinction of species from island and fragmented mainland ecosystems due to exotic species has resulted in a significant loss of species over the last 300 years (Courtenay and Meffe 1989; Diamond 1984; Minckley and Deacon 1991; Savidge, 1987; Simberloff 1981; Simberloff et al. 1997; Sinclair et al. 1998). Here, I present evidence suggesting an impact of an introduced species, the Argentine ant Linepithema humile Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on the threatened valley elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB) Desmocerus californicus dimorphus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Holway and others have shown that a loss of intraspecific aggression among nests in invaded areas has contributed to the success of Argentine ant (Holway 1998b; Holway et al. 1998). L. humile has been spreading in riparian woodlands adjacent to permanent streams since its introduction into California circa 1907 (Holway 1998; Ward 1987). These riparian woodlands are important habitat for blue elderberry Sambucus mexicana (Caprifoliacae), the host plant of the VELB. Because the VELB is an obligate specialist on elderberry, any further reduction in the amount or quality of suitable riparian woodland habitat could significantly impact the VELB. Riparian woodland habitat has been largely reduced and severely fragmented (from a preGold Rush 775,000 acres to approximately 12,000) by flood control, intensive agricultural production, and urbanization (Barbour et al. 1993; Kucera and Barrett 1995; Smith 1980). The potential interaction between VELB and L. humile may be most important in fragmented riparian woodland habitat, such as along Putah Creek and American River watersheds. Where it has spread, the Argentine ant has impacted native ants and other ground-dwelling arthropods (Cole et al. 1992; Holway 1998a, b; Human and Gordon, 1997; Ward 1987). For example, Suarez et al. (1998) found that the Argentine ant had a greater impact on native ant species in fragmented habitats than in more continuous habitat. The extreme rarity and threatened status of the VELB does not allow for manipulative experimentation. Therefore, using the ‘natural experiment’ of L. humile invasions, I explored whether the presence of L. humile was correlated with the absence of VELB. Specifically, I use a comparative approach to determine whether the invasion of L. humile has impacted the distribution of D. californicus dimorphus along the Putah Creek and the American River watersheds.
PIPE-CLIP: a comprehensive online tool for CLIP-seq data analysis

CLIP-seq is widely used to study genome-wide interactions between RNA-binding proteins and RNAs. However, there are few tools available to analyze CLIP-seq data, thus creating a bottleneck to the implementation of this methodology. Here, we present PIPE-CLIP, a Galaxy framework-based comprehensive online pipeline for reliable analysis of data generated by three types of CLIP-seq protocol: HITS-CLIP, PAR-CLIP and iCLIP. PIPE-CLIP provides both data processing and statistical analysis to determine candidate cross-linking regions, which are comparable to those regions identified from the original studies or using existing computational tools. PIPE-CLIP is available at http://pipeclip.qbrc.org/.
"Engage" Therapy: Behavioral Activation and Improvement of Late-Life Major Depression

Objective Engage is a treatment for late-life depression developed to match the skills of community clinicians based on the theory that dysfunction in the Research Domain Criteria Project positive valence systems is a critical mechanism of late-life depression. Accordingly, it uses "reward exposure" (engagement in meaningful, rewarding activities) as its principal intervention. This study tests the hypothesis that change in behavioral activation, an index of positive valence systems function, during successive treatment periods with Engage and during follow-up predicts depression at the end of each period. Methods Forty-eight nondemented, older adults with unipolar major depression were treated openly with 9 weekly sessions of Engage and assessed 36 weeks after entry. Depression severity was assessed with the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and behavioral activation with the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) at baseline, 6 weeks (mid-treatment), 9 weeks (end of treatment), and 36 weeks. Results A mixed-effects model examined whether change in BADS in successive periods occurring during Engage treatment and during follow-up predicts depression at the end of each period. Both BADS change (F 1,52 = 18.63, p 2,52 = 7.68, p = 0.0012) predicted HAM-D scores at the end of each observation period. Every point of increase in BADS change reduced the HAM-D by 0.105 points. HAM-D at each point did not predict subsequent change in BADS (F 1,52 = 2.17, p = 0.146). Conclusion During Engage treatment and follow-up, change in behavioral activation is followed by improvement of depressive symptoms and signs.
Abstract T P286: Comparison of Neuro-QOL Physical Function and modified Rankin Scale in Stroke

Introduction: The modified Rankin scale (mRS) is a reliable objective measure of disability and is widely applied in clinical trials. Health-related quality of life (QOL) measurements using Neuro-QOL provide validated measures of patient-reported outcomes. We compared changes in physical function QOL scores with transitions in mRS scores after ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods: From a single-center prospective cohort study, we identified ischemic stroke and TIA patients admitted between August 2012 and April 2013 who survived to 3-month follow-up and underwent mRS and Neuro-QOL outcomes assessments at 1 and 3 months. The mRS was assessed by structured telephone interviews and Neuro-QOL scores using short forms of upper extremity (UE) and lower extremity (LE) function. We used Pearson9s coefficient to compare mRS and Neuro-QOL scores and assessed mean changes in Neuro-QOL T-scores across mRS strata and between 1 and 3 months. Results: Three-hundred twelve patients met study criteria (mean age 65.2 years; initial NIHSS score 4; 77.2% ischemic stroke). Strong correlations were noted between mRS and physical function QOL scores at 3-months: mRS-LE: r = -0.74; mRS-UE: r = -0.74. UE and LE QOL scores were 6.1 and 7.1 points lower, respectively, in those with mRS of 1 compared with 0. Within individual patients, a 1 point decrease (improvement) in mRS was associated with increase in UE and LE QOL by 5.6 and 3.3 points while a 1 point increase (worsening) in mRS was associated with a decrease in UE and LE QOL by 4.0 and 7.5 points, respectively. By mRS, 7.5% of patients had worsening by at least 1 point between 1 and 3 months while the proportion with at least 1 standard deviation (10 points) decrease in UE or LE QOL scores was 12.1% and 14.4%, respectively. Conclusions: The mRS correlates well with patient-reported scores of physical function using Neuro-QOL. However, Neuro-QOL offers a complementary tool for assessment of neurological function and may help identify finer grades of functional change over time. Using a continuous measurement of function from the patient perspective may also be more valuable to patients and improve statistical power in clinical trials.
Ethnicity and Inequality in Hawai'i. By Jonathan Y. Okamura

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press, 2008. 256 pp. hardover, $83.50; softcover, $28.95
Hierarchical Role-based Access Control for Multi-user Collaborative CAx Environment

ABSTRACTCommercial computer aided design (CAD) applications have traditionally been based on a single user architecture. Recent research on multi-user collaborative CAD and other computer aided applications (CAx) have shown promising and highly functional prototypes of multi-user concurrent designing tools based on popular and market leading commercial software systems such as Siemens NX. However, for these prototypes to be deployed to the real-world corporate environment for commercial projects, security features such as access control and encrypted transport must be implemented as integral part of the enterprise network infrastructure.Directory services (DS) such as Microsoft Active Directory and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) has become the standard software and protocol for managing resources in the complex modern enterprise network. DS controller authenticates and authorizes user's access to resources and enforces security policies. This research presents a method to integrate existing ...
Water Permeation through Elastomer Laminates, II. SBR/EPDM

Abstract In summary, the measurements described here suggest that the temperature dependence of permeation rate had an Arrhenius behavior. Activation energies fall within the range expected for those membranes that follow activated transport mechanism. For all single elastomers, salt water exhibited higher permeation rates than did distilled water. The laminates show a directional behavior but more distinctly for distilled water than for salt water. Solubility data alone cannot, however, always account for this phenomenon.
Fluids Rate Forecast for Horizontal Well B58A53 of North Transition Zone

There are mainly two methods of Fluids rate forecast for horizontal well:analysis method and numerical simulation method. The fluids rate forecast is predicted for horizontal well B58A53 of North transition zone by the second method,and finally obtain the optimal daily fluid production rate and drawdown pressure of the horizontal well,which have significant meaning of both theory and practice for the regulation and planning for Horizontal well later.
Mechanical properties of A2017 alloys compression deformation in semi-solid state

A2017 alloys attained by conventional casting and shearing/cooling roll (SCR) technology were compressed in semisolid state at different deformation temperatures and different deformation rates by means of Gleeble-1500 thermal-mechanical simulator. The mechanical properties of A2017 alloys were studied. The experimental results show that the resistance to deformation of A2017 alloys manufactured by SCR technology in semisolid state is lower than that of conventional casting A2017 alloys in semisolid state, which is that microstructure of A2017 alloy manufactured by SCR technology excelled that of conventional casting A2017 alloys in solid state or semisolid state, and the deformation mechanisms of two materials are also different. The experimental results indicate also that resistance to deformation of A2017 alloy manufactured by SCR technology in semisolid state increases as deformation temperature decreasing or deformation rate rising.
HIV testing and access to HIV medical care among people who inject drugs and their intimate partners in Kazakhstan.

AbstractBackground: Growing rates of HIV and high rates of injection drug use in Kazakhstan call for examining access to testing and treatment among people who inject drugs and their intimate partners.Objectives: We examine how access to health and drug treatment services as well as risk environment factors are associated with ever being tested for HIV and ever receiving any general HIV medical care among 728 male and female intimate partners, where at least one partner injects drugs.Methods: Multivariate random effects logistic regression with random effects for couple were conducted to examine associations between access to health and drug treatment services, risk environment factors, and HIV testing and HIV medical care outcomes.Results: Analyses indicate that accessing needle exchange services and having a regular physician were associated with access to both HIV testing and HIV medical care. Receiving drug treatment was associated with accessing HIV testing but not HIV medical care. Being arrested an...
Diffusion in Networks: The Strategic Spread of Islamism

In this paper, we develop a fuzzy mathematics approach to study the influence of actors in networks on diffusion. We construct a dynamic diffusion model that represents the interactions and evolution of the current international network and determines the rate of Islamism by the internal and external pressures exerted on each state. We then identify key states in the international system by their degree to test if, and to what extent, they influence the rate and breadth of diffusion. Using this model we determine to what extent the most central actors in a network influence the overall rate of diffusion. We hypothesize that diffusion by the most central actors in the international system will greatly increase the overall rate of diffusion for the remaining actors. Given the current structure of the international system, we hypothesize that the prevalence of Islamism will decrease over time.
The Hero as Expert: Ayn Rand’s Romances of Choice

When I arrived at graduate school at Indiana University in 1967, I saw an index card among others of its kind neatly affixed to a bulletin board on the outside of the humanities building. It read: Who is John Galt? John Galt, b. 1779 d. 1839 Scottish writer and colonial official, author of The Annals of the Parish, Ringan Gilhaize and other novels, histories and poems, and founder of the city of Guelph in Canada.
Harmonization of Consumer Product Safety Standards: International Marketing Issues

At the center of many arguments for “free trade” and “fair trade” is the notion that harmonization--or making more similar governmental policies and regulatory requirements concerning environmental and safety standards and similar issues--will further reduce non-tariff barriers to trade. By now the concept of harmonization has been fully incorporated as the norm in international economic relations in the world's trading system. Harmonization has always been an important concept in the evolution of the European Union (EU) and, more recently, it has been adopted in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) agreements.
A Self-Replicating System of Ribosome and Replisome Factories

An artificial chemistry with composition devices borrowed from object-oriented and functional programming languages was introduced in prior work. Actors in object-oriented combinator chemistry are embedded in space and subject to diffusion; since they are neither created nor destroyed, mass is conserved. This paper further develops these ideas and applies them in significant ways. First, it introduces the concept of a self-replicating systems normalized complexity. Normalized complexity permits comparisons between artificial organisms defined in different virtual worlds by explicitly accounting for the relative complexities of both organism and world. Second, object-oriented combinator chemistry is used to define a parallel, asynchronous, spatially distributed self-replicating system modeled in part on the living cell. This system is strongly constructive since interactions among its parts results in the construction of more of these same parts; constructed parts are assembled from elements of a few primitive types. The systems high normalized complexity is contrasted with that of a simple composome, which is also defined.
Sofosbuvir and velpatasvir: a stellar option for patients with decompensated hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis.

The treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients with advanced liver disease has consistently been associated with higher failure rates and increase rates of adverse events (1,2). The advent of highly effective direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in the management of these difficult-to-treat chronic hepatitis C subpopulation has significantly improved sustained virologic response (SVR, absence of HCV RNA in plasma 12 weeks after cessation of therapy), while maintaining an excellent safety profile (3-5). Achieving SVR has resulted in reversal of the degree of fibrosis, reduction in the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, lowers the rate of hepatic decompensation, and perhaps curtails the need for liver transplantation (2,6,7). However, lack of availability of a pan-genotypic regimen has limited our ability to expand HCV treatment beyond patients infected with genotype 1 thus far. In particular, there are limited options to treat patients with HCV genotype 3, especially with decompensated liver disease (8).
Generating the highest power with a tiny and distant inductively coupled coil

Although microsystems today require less power than ever before, they still cannot fit large enough batteries to sustain them for months or years at a time. Ambient energy is appealing, but only when available, which is often not the case for embedded sensors. Transmitting power wirelessly is more practical in these applications. Tiny receivers, however, capture a small fraction of the power that a distant source can deliver. So output power is low and its effects on the transmitting coil are barely noticeable. Receivers should therefore draw as much power as possible, but only as much as breakdown voltages and power losses allow. This paper shows that, although the switched bridge can draw 27% more power than resonant bridges, synchronization and ohmic losses negate that gain. In fact, breakdown voltages limit the switched resonant bridge less than others in the state of the art. Plus, the switched resonant bridge excludes the charger that the others require for maximum output power, so with less space and less added losses, power density can be greater.
Assessing the value and pest management window provided by neonicotinoid seed treatments for management of soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) in the Upper Midwestern United States.

BACKGROUND A two year, multi-state study was conducted to assess the benefits of using soybean seed treated with the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam to manage soybean aphid in the upper Midwestern US and compare this approach with an integrated pest management (IPM) approach that included monitoring soybean aphids and treating with foliar-applied insecticide only when the economic threshold was reached. Concentrations of thiamethoxam in soybean foliage were also quantified throughout the growing season to estimate the pest management window afforded by insecticidal seed treatments RESULTS Both the IPM treatment and thiamethoxam-treated seed resulted in significant reductions in cumulative aphid days when soybean aphid populations reached threshold levels. However, only the IPM treatment resulted in significant yield increases. Analysis of soybean foliage from thiamethoxam-treated seeds indicated that tissue concentrations of thiamethoxam were statistically similar to plants grown from untreated seeds beginning at the V2 growth stage, indicating that the period of pest suppression for soybean aphid is likely to be relatively short. CONCLUSION These data demonstrate that an IPM approach, combining scouting and foliar-applied insecticide where necessary, remains the best option for treatment of soybean aphids, both in terms of protecting the yield potential of the crop, and in terms of break-even probability for producers. Furthermore, we found that thiamethoxam concentrations in foliage are unlikely to effectively manage soybean aphids for most of the pests’ activity period across the region.
Two Paradigms of Stability

Life has existed on Earth for more than 3 billion years. This probably requires the presence somewhere on the planet of temperatures between the freezing and boiling points of water (0 to 100°C). That the climate has remained within such narrow bounds for so long strongly suggests that it is stable. It is expected intuitively that any long-lived system is stable in some way. This is why “balancing” rocks are so surprising. But what exactly do we mean when we say that a system is stable or unstable? The typical picture, found in many textbooks, is that of a ball in a valley or on top of a hill (Figure 1.1). This is a simple system to model, especially if we neglect the rotation of the ball and imagine that it slides without friction down the slope. Furthermore, the model of this system provides a good working introduction to STELLA.
From Struggle to Success via Latina Sororities: Culture Shock, Marginalization, Embracing Ethnicity, and Educational Persistence through Academic Capital.

We query the role that sorority involvement serves in the college experiences of Latinas in ethnic sororities. We find that Latina sorority members at first experience culture shock and marginaliza...
Abstract 1270: Vitamin E related genetic variants and prostate cancer risk: A Mendelian randomization analysis

Alpha-tocopherol is a highly biologically active form of vitamin E that has been inconsistently associated with prostate cancer risk in cohorts and supplementation trials. In order to further elucidate the association using a Mendelian randomization approach that avoids sources of bias common in observational research, we examined genetic variants related to vitamin E status, including those from GWAS analyses of circulating vitamin E, in relation to prostate cancer risk in the Prostate Cancer Association Group to Investigate Cancer Associated Alterations in the Genome (PRACTICAL) Consortium. The analysis included 38,868 cases and 25,210 controls from 35 participating cohorts and examined the association between 847 vitamin E-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in (or near) six genes and risk of prostate cancer. Logistical regression was used to estimate meta-analyzed case-control odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the per allele risk associations. Both genotyped and imputed data were examined, and results for the latter are presented based on the consistency between the two sets of findings. In addition to examining SNPs demonstrating nominal significance (alpha-error p Citation Format: Tracy M. Layne, Shakira M. Nelson, Stephanie J. Weinstein, Eric Karlins, Stephen J. Chanock, Demetrius Albanes, The PRACTICAL Consortium. Vitamin E related genetic variants and prostate cancer risk: A Mendelian randomization analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1270. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1270
Solder joint fatigue life prediction using peridynamic approach

Abstract Solder joint fatigue life prediction using peridynamic approach is presented for the first time. The underlying premise is that material degradation through energy dissipative mechanisms play a central role in crack initiation and propagation, and that fatigue cracks follow paths similar to cracks form under quasi-static loading. The new method uses peridynamic approach in simulating crack initiation as well as propagation. Dissipated energy in the vicinity of newly generated fracture surfaces are calculated as the cracks propagate. Once failure starts taking place, load rebalance leads to further propagation. The method is first demonstrated using controlled experimental measurements of compact tension test specimens that were subjected to mechanical loading only. The fatigue life predicted by simulations of compact tension test specimens is within 12% of the measurements. The methodology is then applied to solder joint fatigue problems. The nonlinear thermo-mechanical problem is first solved by finite element analysis for four thermal cycles. The most severe deformation configuration during the fourth thermal cycle at the most critical solder joint is identified and applied as the static loading in the peridynamic simulation. Number of cycles to crack initiation and propagation on five distinct packages are predicted. The combined finite element and peridynamic approach yielded predictions within 25% of the experimentally measured fatigue life values for four packages. In the fifth package, a close match is not achieved. Overall, the results point to the conclusion that the peridynamic approach has great potential to accurately predict solder joint fatigue life.
Experimentally Known Properties of U-10Zr Alloys: A Critical Review

More than 14 000 U-10Zr fuel rods (alloys of U with 10 wt% Zr) were irradiated in the Experimental Breeder Reactor II and Fast Flux Test Facility, with some irradiated to burnups of almost 20 at. %...
Introduction to Remote Sensing and Modeling Applications to Wildland Fires

Wildland fire is one of the most disastrous natural hazards threatening life and properties. The rapid growth of wildland-urban interface since last century has increased the complexity of fire management. It is important to exploit new technologies for fire risk assessment, fuel management, wildland fire detection, fire behavior modeling, smoke emissions estimation, and analysis of fire impacts on air quality. This book contains 23 chapters, covering various topics related wildland fires, including satellite remote sensing applications for fire detection and monitoring, fire behavior simulation, smoke emissions and monitoring, and fuel managements. It can be used as a reference book for graduate students and researchers interested in wildland fire study.
Effect of Nutrition and Physical Activity Training with Mexican Americans

Health related behaviors are of concern in the Mexican American community because of the prevalence of disease, such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Poor nutrition and a lack of physical activity are behaviors which contribute to these diseases. Training regarding health related behaviors associated with nutrition and physical activity was attended by 11 individuals from low income areas who were Mexican American. Results indicate most did understand the importance of diet and exercise in controlling these diseases. Most were motivated to change their eating and exercise habits as a result of the training they attended. Comportamientos relacionados con la salud son de gran preocupacion en la comunidad Mexicana por la alta ocurrencia de enfermedades como diabetes, hipertension y cancer. Pobre nutricion y la falta de actividad fisica son ejemplos de comportamientos responsables por estas enfermedades. Once individuos de areas de bajo ingreso que eran Mexicano Americanos atendieron un entrenamiento referente a comportamientos relacionados con la salud que son asociados con la nutricion y actividad fisica. Los resultados indican que la mayoria entendieron la importancia de la dieta y ejercicios para controlar estas enfermedades. La mayoria de ellos fueron motivados a cambiar sus habitos de comer y ejercicios como resultado del entrenamiento que asistieron.
Conditions and Their Use for Controlling the Flow of Programs

A condition is a literal, a variable, a formula, or a method call whose value is boolean. Conditional evaluation is the action of obtaining the value of a condition.
The influence of stress on attentional bias to threat: An angry face and a noisy crowd

During stress, attentional capture by threatening stimuli may be particularly adaptive. Individuals are more efficient at identifying threatening faces in a crowd than identifying nonthreatening faces (e.g., Ohman et al., Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130(3): 466-478, 2001a, Ohman et al., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(3): 381-396, 2001b). However, under conditions of stress, when attention to threat may be most critical, cognitive processes are generally disrupted. The present study explored the attentional advantage of threatening stimuli under stressful conditions. We exposed participants to either high or low stress conditions during a visual search task displaying threatening and nonthreatening facial targets among distractors. Participants' accuracy, reaction times, and self-reported stress were measured. Stress introduced a speed-accuracy trade-off: participants in the high-stress condition were faster, but less accurate, than participants in the low-stress condition. Although both groups of participants showed relative performance advantages in detecting threatening compared with nonthreatening stimuli, this advantage was markedly larger for participants in the high-stress condition. This suggests that the established stress-mediated increase in the activity of the ventral neural network responsible for the reorienting of attention may have enhanced the ability to detect threatening stimuli or buffered the disruptive effects of stress on this process. Our findings highlight the potentially adaptive nature of stress disruption on attentional processes and align research on the anger superiority effect and automated attentional processes under stress.
The World of Honor and Shame in the New Testament: Alien or Familiar?:

During the last sixty or more years, analysis of the New Testament which draws on the social sciences of cultural anthropology and sociology has made great strides in elucidating the cultural assum...
Pregnancy And Inflammation - The Impact Of Air Pollution On Maternal And Child Health

Pregnancy itself is associated with increased inflammation, largely due to the suppression of the immune system that supports maternal-fetal tolerance. Air pollutants increase inflammation and oxid...