cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategic users of information technology: a longitudinal analysis of organizational strategy and performance

Abstract While discussed extensively, very few studies have attempted to formally integrate the notions of organizational strategy, competitive advantage, and the strategic use of information technology. Utilizing the typology of Miles and Snow, this study attempts to identify the strategic orientation (prospector, analyzer, defender) of widely cited users of ‘strategic information technology’ before and after the launch of their innovative systems. Also, measures of financial performance are compared between emergent groups in order to determine if any particular strategic orientation consistently outperforms the others. In general, this study reports four findings. First, it appears that strategic users of information technology are not concentrated along a singular strategic dimension. The firms examined in this study exhibited characteristics associated with each of Miles and Snow's strategy types. Second, it seems that many firms shifted strategic orientation after the launch of their systems. Interestingly, these shifts were rather dramatic and seem to represent a fundamental change in strategic direction from earlier ‘pre-system’ operating philosophies. Third, case descriptions along with narratives of annual reports suggest that usage or competitive intent of these strategic systems matches the prevailing strategic profile of the initiating firms. In other words, the systems seem to support organizational strategy. Finally, it seems that prospectors and defenders realized significantly higher measures of financial performance immediately after the implementation of ‘strategic information technology’; however, in the long-term no strategic orientation seemed to outperform the others.
Inverse optimal control of a nonlinear Euler-Lagrange system, part II: Output feedback

Previous inverse optimal adaptive controllers (IOACs) have been developed that can handle structured (i.e., linear in the parameters (LP)) uncertainty for a particular class of nonlinear systems. A full-state feedback IOAC is developed in the companion Part I paper for Euler-Lagrange systems with an uncertain time varying inertia matrix. In this paper, an output feedback IOAC is developed to asymptotically minimize a meaningful performance index while the generalized coordinates of a nonlinear Euler-Lagrange system asymptotically track a desired time-varying trajectory despite LP uncertainty. A Lyapunov analysis is provided to examine the stability of the developed output feedback optimal controller, and preliminary experimental results illustrate the performance of the controller.
Structural and Physical Property Studies of Amorphous Zn-In-Sn-O Thin Films

The structures in amorphous (a-) Zn, Sn co-doped In2O3 (ZITO) thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on glass under varying oxygen pressure or with varying Sn:Zn ratios were determined using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and anomalous X-ray scattering. Typical structures around cations in a-ZITO films are described and compared with crystalline (c-) ZITO films. The results show that the Zn cations are fourfold coordinated with Zn–O bond lengths of 1.98 ± 0.02 A ˚ , which is close to that in bulk ZnO. As a consequence, the second coordination shells around Zn contract. At longer distances away from Zn, the structure is commensurate with the averaged structure. The unit volume around In also contracts slightly compared to bulk In2O3, whereas the Sn–O bond length is similar to the one in bulk SnO2. These unique structural characteristics may account for the films’ superior thermal stability over amorphous Sn-doped In2O3, and suggest that Zn and Sn act as network-forming cations. Like in c-ZITO, coordination numbers (N) around Sn, In, and Zn follow the order NSn > NIn > NZn. Unlike in c-ZITO, where electrical properties change significantly with a slight variation in the Sn: Zn ratio, this variation does not markedly alter the electrical properties, or the local structures, of a-ZITO films. Dramatic changes in the electrical properties occur for films grown under various oxygen pressures, which point to oxygen “defects” as the source of charge carriers.
Cost effectiveness of a mail-delivered individually tailored physical activity intervention for Latinas vs. a mailed contact control

Physical inactivity is high in Latinas, as are chronic health conditions. There is a need for physical activity (PA) interventions that are not only effective but have potential for cost-effective widespread dissemination. The purpose of this paper was to assess the costs and cost effectiveness of a Spanish-language print-based mail-delivered PA intervention that was linguistically and culturally adapted for Latinas. Adult Latinas (N = 266) were randomly assigned to receive mail-delivered individually tailored intervention materials or wellness information mailed on the same schedule (control). PA was assessed at baseline, six months (post-intervention) and 12 months (maintenance phase) using the 7-Day Physical Activity Recall Interview. Costs were calculated from a payer perspective, and included personnel time (wage, fringe, and overhead), materials, equipment, software, and postage costs. At six months, the PA intervention cost $29/person/month, compared to $15/person/month for wellness control. These costs fell to $17 and $9 at 12 months, respectively. Intervention participants increased their PA by an average of 72 min/week at six months and 94 min/week at 12 months, while wellness control participants increased their PA by an average of 30 min/week and 40 min/week, respectively. At six months, each minute increase in PA cost $0.18 in the intervention group compared to $0.23 in wellness control, which fell to $0.07 and $0.08 at 12 months, respectively. The incremental cost per increase in physical activity associated with the intervention was $0.15 at 6 months and $0.05 at 12 months. While the intervention was more costly than the wellness control, costs per minute of increase in PA were lower in the intervention. The print-based mail-delivered format has potential for broad, cost-effective dissemination, which could help address disparities in this at-risk population. NCT01583140 ; Date of Registration: 03/06/2012; Funding Source of Trial: National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR); Name of Institutional Review Board: Brown University IRB; Date of Approval: 05/19/2009.
Throwing Out the Bums: Protest Voting and Unorthodox Parties after Communism

The electoral rise of unorthodox parties (uop s) in recent East European elections raises some puzzling questions about electoral dynamics in new democracies. Why did the power alternation of the mid-1990s not result in party-system consolidation, as suggested by some earlier studies, but instead give way to a much more chaotic environment in which established mainstream political parties lost considerable ground to new political formations based on personalist and populist appeals? Why did this reversal in Eastern Europe happen during a period of economic recovery, remarkable Western integration progress, and a broad acceptance of electoral democracy as the only game in town? This article suggests that these electoral dynamics can be explained by focusing on the interaction between protest voting and election sequence. While protest voting to punish unpopular incumbents has been a widespread but understudied practice since the collapse of communism, the beneficiaries of these protest votes have changed in recent elections. Whereas in the first two generations of postcommunist elections, disgruntled voters could opt for untried mainstream alternatives, in third-generation elections (defined as elections taking place after at least two different ideological camps have governed in the postcommunist period) voters had fewer untried mainstream alternatives, and therefore opted in greater number for unorthodox parties. This explanation receives strong empirical support from statistical tests using aggregate data from seventy-six parliamentary elections in fourteen East European countries from 1990 to 2006, survey evidence from twelve postcommunist elections from 1996 to 2004, and a survey experiment in Bulgaria in 2008.
The role of adrenergic receptors and pain: The good, the bad, and the unknown

Adrenergic receptors appear to play an important role in the modulation of pain. There is now abundant evidence that activation of adrenergic receptors can, in certain circumstances, generate impressive analgesic effects. However, under other circumstances, adrenergic receptors can contribute to chronic neuropathic pain and hyperalgesia. This review will focus on the beneficial effects of adrenergic pain modulation, and the circumstances when this modulation appears to magnify pain. This review will also address controversies surrounding how these two opposing processes occur via the same mediators.
Abstract C176: Combining oncolytic herpes simplex virus and chemotherapy: G47 and temozolomide synergize in killing glioma stem cells

Malignant gliomas, such as glioblastoma, are amongst the most common primary brain tumors in adults. Along with debulking surgery and post‐operative radiation, the alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ) is the standard of care for glioblastoma patients. However, the benefits of TMZ are correlated with tumors having transcriptional silencing of the O6‐methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) gene, which occurs in approximately half of tumors. Unfortunately, regardless of MGMT status, recurrence or progression are inevitable, necessitating novel therapeutic approaches. Glioma stem cells (GSCs) have been implicated as a potential perpetrator of glioma recurrence. We have established human GSCs from surgically resected glioblastomas that vary in MGMT expression and TMZ sensitivity. Five human GSC lines were examined, two of which were MGMT‐positive (confirmed by western blotting). MGMT‐negative GSCs were more sensitive to TMZ (IC50 1000 µM). When MGMT was inactivated by O6‐Benzylguanine (O6‐BG), GSC sensitivity to TMZ approximately doubled. Oncolytic viruses destroy tumor cells by different mechanisms from conventional therapeutics, including TMZ, and therefore should interact positively. We have previously reported that clinically tested oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) G207 combined with TMZ synergistically kills established glioma cell lines. However, G207 does not replicate in GSCs. Therefore, we examined a newer generation oHSV, G47, which was effective at killing GSCs regardless of MGMT status. The interaction between TMZ and G47 on GSC killing was assessed by Chou‐Talalay analysis. For MGMT‐negative GSCs, the combination was synergistic, while it was antagonistic for MGMT‐positive GSCs. When MGMT was inactivated with O6‐BG, the interaction became synergistic for MGMT‐positive GSCs. Interestingly, viral replication, entry, or spread was not affected by combination treatment. For those combinations that were synergistic, there was a large increase in H2AX, indicative of DNA double‐strand breaks. Finally, the effect of combination therapy was assessed in two in vivo GSC models: GBM8 (MGMT‐negative) and BT74 (MGMT‐positive). Intracerebral tumors were established in athymic mice and treated with chemotherapy and/or intracerebral injection of G47 on the second day of chemotherapy. TMZ + G47 was more effective than either agent alone in extending survival in mice bearing GBM8 tumors. In the BT74 model, TMZ + O6‐BG + G47 was more effective than TMZ+O6‐BG or G47 alone. These studies demonstrate that GSCs can be both sensitive and resistant to TMZ, correlating with their MGMT status. All GSCs were sensitive to killing by G47 and this was synergistically enhanced by TMZ or TMZ+O6‐BG, depending upon the MGMT status. Importantly, the combination was very efficacious in vivo in both models, suggesting that this combination strategy be tested clinically. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12 Suppl):C176.
Mesh-based spherical deconvolution for physically valid fiber orientation reconstruction from diffusion-weighted MRI

High angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) methods have enabled the reconstruction of complex spin diffusion profiles in central nervous system white matter through diffusion-weighted MRI. For recovery of the underlying fiber orientations, conventional spherical deconvolution techniques based on spherical harmonics typically have difficulty producing fiber orientation distributions (FODs) that simultaneously satisfy the physical constraints of being real, symmetric, and non-negative. In this work, we propose a novel approach for HARDI reconstruction that is guaranteed to generate FODs satisfying these constraints. By using a meshed representation of the unit sphere, we formulate the spherical deconvolution as a convex optimization problem and compute the solution using a projected gradient descent algorithm. Flexible regularization is also included in our method to allow for tuning the sharpness of the reconstructed FOD. In our experiments, we present simulated results to examine the effects of varying the regularization parameters, and we illustrate the robustness of our method by applying it to several biological data sets to reconstruct known white matter fiber geometry.
Airborne Crystalline Silica Concentrations at Coal-Fired Power Plants Associated with Coal Fly Ash

This study presents measurements of airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica in the breathing zone of workers who were anticipated to encounter coal fly ash. Six plants were studied; two were fired with lignite coal, and the remaining four plants used bituminous and subbituminous coals. A total of 108 personal breathing zone respirable dust air samples were collected. Bulk samples were also collected from each plant site and subjected to crystalline silica analysis. Airborne dust particle size analysis was measured where fly ash was routinely encountered. The results from bituminous and subbituminous fired plants revealed that the highest airborne fly ash concentrations are encountered during maintenance activities: 0.008 mg/m3 to 96 mg/m3 (mean of 1.8 mg/m3). This group exceeded the threshold limit values (TLV®) in 60% of the air samples. During normal production activities, airborne concentrations of crystalline silica ranged from nondetectable to 0.18 mg/m3 (mean value of 0.048 mg/m3). ...
Human factors study of two screen-oriented query languages: STBE and QBE

Abstract Summary-Table-By-Example (STBE) is a relational-calculus-based database query language. Like Query-by-Example (QBE), STBE is screen oriented and uses the example concept to formulate queries. The paper describes a series of experiments designed to evaluate the user-friendliness of STBE and QBE for relatively complex queries that use advanced features of both languages, and to propose possible improvements to STBE. The study, which used college students as subjects, investigated the differences between the retrieval features of both languages, and the types and frequencies of errors made. Some additional features to STBE are proposed as a result of this study.
Mortgaging our future--the cost of medical education.

Dr. Gail Morrison discusses the cost of medical education, which has been spiraling upward for the past 20 years. How, she asks, do we stop this vicious circle of increasing tuition and student debt?
Influences of a contemporary Renaissance on corporate document production

A contemporary Renaissance in document production influences the way I perform tasks as a senior writer and editor for a semiconductor manufacturer. An increased understanding of human perception returns the focus of document production to human interests and values. As such, my work as a writer and editor is more clearly than ever before an effort to produce documents directed to my readers. I speak to my specific audiences, trying to achieve their frame of reference. For illustration, I present a project to redesign a quarterly corporate newsletter to shareholders.
Wild-type and YMDD mutant murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptases are resistant to 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine.

The antiretroviral nucleoside analog 2*,3*-dideoxy-3*-thiacytidine (3TC) is a potent inhibitor of wild-type human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT). A methionine-to-valine or methionine-to-isoleucine substitution at residue 184 in the HIV-1 YMDD motif, which is located at the RT active site, leads to a high level of resistance to 3TC. We sought to determine whether 3TC can inhibit the replication of wild-type murine leukemia virus (MLV), which contains V223 at the YVDD active site motif of the MLV RT, and of the V223M, V223I, V223A, and V223S mutant RTs. Surprisingly, the wild type and all four of the V223 mutants of MLV RT were highly resistant to 3TC. These results indicate that determinants outside the YVDD motif of MLV RT confer a high level of resistance to 3TC. Therefore, structural differences among similar RTs might result in widely divergent sensitivities to antiretroviral nucleoside analogs.
A design methodology for activated carbon load equalization systems applied to biofilters treating intermittent toluene loading

Abstract Biofiltration has been used successfully as an air pollution control technology in many applications during the past several decades, however, several design and operational challenges remain. Among these is the fact that contaminant concentrations in most waste gas streams vary with time, and an appropriate basis of design for treatment of dynamically-varying waste gas streams has not yet been well established. Use of an integrated system consisting of a column packed with granular activated carbon (GAC) as a passively controlled load equalization mechanism in series before a biofilter has the potential to mitigate many of the adverse effects of unsteady loading. This paper describes results from a series of experiments conducted to characterize the capacity of Calgon BPL 4 × 6 mesh GAC for load equalization of toluene contaminated air under intermittent loading conditions consisting of contaminant supply during only 8 h/day. Experimental testing was conducted for a variety of loading conditions with GAC column empty bed contact times (EBCTs) as low as 1.5 s and influent toluene concentrations as high as 1000 ppmv. Results demonstrate that appreciable load equalization can be accomplished at low EBCTs (on the order of a few seconds) for the range of contaminant concentrations typically treated by biofiltration. A pore and surface diffusion model (PSDM), calibrated and validated using experimental data, was successful in predicting dynamic adsorption and desorption behavior. The calibrated PSDM was used to develop a series of design curves that can provide guidance in reactor sizing and operating parameter estimation. Examples are presented to demonstrate how implementation of this load equalization approach may facilitate use of smaller, less expensive biofilters, and how it can minimize much of the uncertainty that accompanies biofilter design and operation.
Expanding the stages of change: a program matched to the stages of alcohol acquisition.

This paper reports on 3 years of experience in developing and testing an innovative, stage-based health promotion program aimed at preventing alcohol use among disadvantaged urban youth. The organizational setting for this program is an inner city middle school, within a socioeconomically disadvantaged area of Jacksonville, Florida. Demographic data on 460 program participants during the past 3 years indicate that the majority of these youth are African-American (86%), followed by Caucasian (12%) and other racial groupings (2%). Two-thirds youth (68%) reported participation in a free lunch program, indicating their families are economically disadvantaged. Nearly one-third of youth (29%) reported having an immediate family member with an alcohol or drug problem. In addition, approximately two-thirds (64%) reported having received no alcohol or drug education during the past year. PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED
Comparison of the Effect of Minocycline and Simvastatin on Functional Recovery and Gene Expression in a Rat Traumatic Brain Injury Model

The goal of this study was to compare the effects of minocycline and simvastatin on functional recovery and brain gene expression after a cortical contusion impact (CCI) injury. Dosage regimens were designed to provide serum concentrations in a rat model in the range obtained with clinically approved doses; minocycline 60mg/kg q12h and simvastatin 10mg/kg q12h for 72h. Functional recovery was assessed using motor and spatial learning tasks and neuropathological measurements. Microarray-based transcriptional profiling was used to determine the effect on gene expression at 24h, 72h, and 7 days post-CCI. Gene Ontology analysis (GOA) was used to evaluate the effect on relevant biological pathways. Both minocycline and simvastatin improved fine motor function, but not gross motor or cognitive function. Minocycline modestly decreased lesion size with no effect of simvastatin. At 24h post-CCI, GOA identified a significant effect of minocycline on chemotaxis, blood circulation, immune response, and cell to cell signaling pathways. Inflammatory pathways were affected by minocycline only at the 72h time point. There was a minimal effect of simvastatin on gene expression 24h after injury, with increasing effects at 72h and 7 days. GOA identified a significant effect of simvastatin on inflammatory response at 72h and 7 days. In conclusion, treatment with minocycline and simvastatin resulted in significant effects on gene expression in the brain reflecting adequate brain penetration without producing significant neurorestorative effects.
Managerial Social Capital and Financial Development: A Cross‐Country Analysis

This study examines the issue of whether managerial social capital, defined as aggregate benefits of social obligations and informal contacts formed through social networks, has an impact on financial development. Utilizing a large cross-country sample for the period 1999–2012, we provide evidence that higher levels of social capital have a positive effect on financial development. We are able to examine different types of social connections for our sample firms and find that informal and nonprofessional relationships matter the most for financial market development. These findings are robust to alternative model specifications, variable measurement, and estimation techniques.
Reputation without commitment in finitely repeated games

In the reputation literature, players have commitment types, which represent the possibility that they do not have standard payoffs, but instead are constrained to follow a particular plan. In this paper, we show that arbitrary commitment types can emerge from incomplete information about the stage payoffs. In particular, any finitely repeated game with commitment types is strategically equivalent to a standard finitely repeated game with incomplete information about the stage payoffs. Then classic reputation results can be achieved with uncertainty concerning only the stage payoffs.
Ability, Specialization, and 'Economic Imperialism'

In market situations, workers specialize to differing degrees. Previous literature on specialization has focused on cases in which workers who have no comparative advantages still specialize because of increasing returns; but all workers specialize to the same degree. This paper extends the model in a logical way to allow for workers who, though lacking comparative advantage, differ in ability, and finds that workers of differing abilities will specialize to differing degrees. In particular, if general skill is substitutable (complementary) for specialized knowledge in production, then the more able workers will tend to generalize (specialize). Empirical work on the specific case of academic research in economics illustrates the result, indicating that abler economists tend to publish more general research. Substitutability between general and specialized knowledge may explain the recent phenomenon of "economic imperialism" in the social sciences.
Force Measurement Techniques and Preliminary Results Using Aerogels and Ferroelectrics for Dielectric Barrier Discharge Actuators

This paper presents experiments carried out on dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators. Two areas concerning these actuators are addressed in this work: First, two different experimental techniques used to measure the induced body force are compared. A high precision force balance is used to make a direct measurement of the thrust produced which is then compared with a control volume analysis on data obtained through particle image velocimetry. For the direct measurements the effect of varying the actuator plate length upon which the induced flow acts is also investigated. The results from these tests show that the length of the actuator plate is most influential at higher voltages with the measured force increasing as much as 20% as the length of the plate is decreased. When the two methods are compared against each other, good agreement is found given that the control volume size has a sufficient downstream extent. In the second part of the paper, materials with extreme relative dielectric constants () are investigated for performance. Specifically, the use of silica aerogels ( ~ 1.1) and ferroelectric dielectrics ( = 1750) are examined. The silica aerogel was found to have a strong effect on thrust generation as compared to the other dielectrics tested. However, the power supplied to the ferroelectric actuator manifests itself primarily as heat generation with no noticeable thrust measured. Especially due to its minimal actuator weight penalty and higher thrust, actuators made with silica aerogel may be quite useful for practical applications.
Study on CO_2 Gasification Reaction Reactivity and Kinetics of Lignite Semi-coke Hydrogenation Residue

The reactivity and kinetics on the CO2gasification of hydrogenation residues,which were produced by the hydrogasification of Inner Mongolian lignite semi-coke,were studied by means of TGDTA.The results show that,during the CO2gasification process,the conversion versus time curve of the residues deriued from different final hydrogenation temperatures were of similar type,and with the rise of heating rate,the maximum reaction rate and the corresponding temperature were increased.The relationship between the heating rateβand the maximum rate r could be described as r=mβ+l;the reaction order was increased with the increase of heating rate,the relationship between the heating rateβand residue CO2gasification activation energy was E=aβ2+bβ+c.Hydrogenation temperature TF and the activation energy E were in relationship of E=aβT2F+bβTF+cβ.Kinetic compensation relationship lnA=eE+fexisted between reaction activation energy Eand pre-exponential factor A.
A Bayesian tracker for multi-sensor passive narrowband fusion

We demonstrate the detection and localization performance of a multi-sensor, passive sonar Bayesian tracker for underwater targets emitting narrowband signals in the presence of realistic underwater ambient noise. Our evaluation focuses on recent advances in the formulation of the likelihood function used by the tracker that provide greater robustness in the presence of both realistic environmental noise and imprecise/inaccurate a priori knowledge of the target’s narrowband signal. These improvements enable the tracker to reliably detect and localize narrowband emitters for a broader range of propagation environments, target velocities, and inherent uncertainty in a priori knowledge.
Supramolecular Self-assembly of a Model Hydrogelator: Characterization of Fiber Formation and Morphology.

Hydrogels are of intense recent interest in connection with biomedical applications ranging from 3-D cell cultures and stem cell differentiation to regenerative medicine, controlled drug delivery, and tissue engineering. This prototypical form of soft matter has many emerging material science applications outside the medical field. The physical processes underlying this type of solidification are incompletely understood, and this limits design efforts aimed at optimizing these materials for applications. We address this general problem by applying multiple techniques (e.g., NMR, dynamic light scattering, small angle neutron scattering, rheological measurements) to the case of a peptide derivative hydrogelator (molecule 1, NapFFKYp) over a broad range of concentration and temperature to characterize both the formation of individual nanofibers and the fiber network. We believe that a better understanding of the hierarchical self-assembly process and control over the final morphology of this kind of material should have broad significance for biological and medicinal applications utilizing hydrogels.
Nonlinear Amplifier and Mixer Measurements with a Vector Network Analyzer

This paper describes an RF network analyzer, the HP 8753B, which has the ability to make nonlinear measurements of amplifiers and mixers. The measurements to be discussed are swept-frequency harmonic distortion, gain compression with power metal calibration, and swept-frequency conversion loss of a mixer. In addition, the block diagram of the network analyzer will be examined in order to explain how these measurements are made.
A maximum partial likelihood framework for channel equalization by distribution learning

Presents the general formulation for adaptive equalization by distribution learning in which conditional probability mass function (PMF) of the transmitted signal given the received is parametrized by a general neural network structure. The parameters of the PMF are computed by minimization of the accumulated relative entropy (ARE) cost function. The equivalence of ARE minimization to maximum partial log-likelihood (MPLL) estimation is established under certain regularity conditions which enables the authors to bypass the requirement that the true conditionals be known. The large sample properties of MPLL estimator are obtained under further regularity conditions, and the binary case with sigmoidal perceptron as the conditional PMF model is shown to be a special case of the new framework. Results are presented which show that the multilayer perceptron (MLP) equalizer based on ARE minimization can always recover from convergence at the wrong extreme whereas the mean square error (MSE) based MLP can not.
Semi-supervised multi-metric active learning for classification of hyperspectral images

Augmenting spectral features with spatial features for hyperspectral image classification can often improve the classification accuracy. However, the resulting high dimensionality and the typically scarce quantities of labeled samples impose significant challenges for supervised techniques. To alleviate these two issues simultaneously, in this paper, a semi-supervised multi-metric learning method is proposed for feature extraction and combined with active learning (AL) into a unique framework. In particular, the proposed metric learning approach learns distinct projection matrices jointly, and each metric is assigned to one type of feature. Moreover, the proposed regularizer helps avoid overfitting by taking advantage of the unlabeled data information. Finally, different types of features are projected into a common feature space in which AL is performed in conjunction with k-nearest neighbor (kNN) classification. Experiments on two benchmark hyperspectral datasets illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework compared to other state-of-the-art AL classification methods.
Inoculation of Beef Steaks with Lactobacillus Species Before Vacuum Packaging. I. Microbiological Considerations.

Biceps femoris steaks were inoculated with each of four Lactobacillus sp. (atypical streptobacteria and beta bacteria) at a high or low level of cell concentration, vacuum-packaged and stored for up to 35 days at 1-3 C. Total lactobacillus counts of inoculated steaks were numerically higher than those of corresponding control (non-inoculated) steaks at nearly all of the storage intervals tested. Differences in lactobacillus counts between steaks inoculated with a high concentration of Lactobacillus cultures 5, 8 and 642, and those of control steaks usually were significant (P 0.05). The lactobacilli encountered on the inoculated steaks consisted primarily of the type added by inoculation.
Unrelenting Change, Innovation, and Risk: Forging the Next Generation of Community Colleges

Unrelenting change, as Daniel Phelan, author of the latest book in The Futures Series on Community Colleges points out, is inevitable and something we must embrace as we sail uncharted waters. So i...
Substituting activities mediates the effect of cognitive flexibility on physical activity: a daily diary study.

Pursuit of physical activity goals often requires modifying plans, but research on these flexible processes is limited. Cognitive flexibility may heighten one’s likelihood of using flexible self-regulatory strategies (e.g., substitution), thereby increasing physical activity. This study used daily diary methodology to test the indirect effect of cognitive flexibility on physical activity via activity substitution. A sample of 128 college students (73% female, mean age 19.9) completed baseline measures and cognitive flexibility assessments, then logged physical activity daily for 2 weeks. Activity substitution was defined as adopting an alternate activity on a day another planned activity was unfulfilled. Controlling for baseline activity, intentions, and time, a multilevel mediation model revealed a significant indirect effect of cognitive flexibility on physical activity via activity substitution (b = 81.36, p = .041). Our results indicate that people with greater cognitive flexibility are more likely to use flexible self-regulation, leading to greater physical activity.
Broadening Secure Mobile Software Development (SMSD) Through Curriculum Development (Abstract Only)

In this poster we present an innovative authentic learning approach for Secure Mobile Software Development(SMSD) through real-world-scenario case studies. The primary goal of this learning approach is to create an engagement and motivating learning environment that encourages all students in learning emerging SMSD technologies and enhances their secure software development concepts. This approach provides students with hands-on laboratory practices on real-world SMSD and mobile security. The laboratory consists of multiple modules covering input validation, output encoding, secure inter-process communication, secure data protection, secure mobile database. Each topic consists of a series of progressive sub-labs: a pre-lab, lab activities, and a student add-on post-lab. The preliminary feedback from students is positive. Students have gained hands-on real world experiences on Android software security with Android mobile devices, which also greatly promoted students' self-efficacy and confidences in their mobile security learning.
Synthesis and Mechanism of Formation of Hydride–Sulfide Complexes of Iron

Iron–sulfide complexes with hydride ligands provide an experimental precedent for spectroscopically detected hydride species on the iron–sulfur MoFe7S9C cofactor of nitrogenase. In this contribution, we expand upon our recent synthesis of the first iron sulfide hydride complex from an iron hydride and a sodium thiolate (Arnet, N. A.; Dugan, T. R.; Menges, F. S.; Mercado, B. Q.; Brennessel, W. W.; Bill, E.; Johnson, M. A.; Holland, P. L., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 13220−13223). First, we describe the isolation of an analogous iron sulfide hydride with a smaller diketiminate supporting ligand, which benefits from easier preparation of the hydride precursor and easier isolation of the product. Second, we describe mechanistic studies on the C–S bond cleavage through which the iron sulfide hydride product is formed. In a key experiment, use of cyclopropylmethanethiolate as the sulfur precursor leads to products from cyclopropane ring opening, implicating an alkyl radical as an intermediate. Combined with th...
Isolated Conjunctival Inflammation as a Manifestation of IgG4-Related Disease.

Purpose To report a unique case of isolated conjunctival inflammation from IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) confirmed by pathology. Methods A single interventional case of conjunctival IgG4-RD. Results A 63-year-old woman presented with a chronic, solitary, vascularized, tan-colored, and raised conjunctival lesion measuring 7.5 × 8.0 × 1.2 mm located at the temporal bulbar conjunctiva. An excisional biopsy was diagnostic of IgG4-RD based on the classic fibrosis pattern, 120 IgG4-positive plasma cells per high-power field, and an overwhelming majority of IgG4-positive cells among IgG plasma cells. No orbital or systemic involvement was found on clinical examination, imaging, and laboratory workup. The serum IgG4 level was normal (87.1 mg/dL). The patient was free of recurrence at 6-month follow-up. Conclusions Isolated conjunctival inflammation without orbital involvement can be a presentation of IgG4-RD.
Tumors of the Skin

Although skin tumors are common, they are rarely graded. This chapter covers only the grading of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and some mesenchymal and pigmented lesions.
The Physics of Running

At one time, runners from the United States performed well in international, long distance running competitions. In the early 1980s, for example, American Alberto Salazar won the New York City Marathon three times in a row, as well as the Boston Marathon and several 10,000 meter races against some of the fastest runners in the world (Gladwell, 2012). However, in the last twenty years, long-distance running competitions have been dominated by teams from Africa—most notably, Kenya and Ethiopia.
The Impact of Perceived Autonomous Agents on Dynamic Team Behaviors

Adaptive complex team behaviors evolve dynamically and occur in many different environments. In this study, we examined the role of these behaviors and their relationship with team performance in the context of human-autonomy teams (HAT) and all-human teams. The HAT served as the “synthetic” condition in which two human team members were informed that the third team member was a “synthetic” agent; in the control condition, the team members were informed that the pilot was a remotely located human teammate. Following are the primary findings from this study: first, control teams demonstrated better performance than the synthetic teams; second, control teams were more active than the synthetic teams in terms of planning the task, and third, the behavioral passiveness of the synthetic teams (due to lack of planning) associated with diminished team performance. This suggests that the synthetic teams did not show enough adaptive complex behaviors that were evident in control teams. This finding implies that merely believing the pilot to be a synthetic agent made it more difficult for synthetic teams to plan and, thus, effectively anticipate their teammates’ needs. In addition, this study highlights that there is a significant need for humans to gain experience in working with a synthetic agent to overcome negative perceptions.
Reducing Health-Related Stigma Through Narrative Messages

Public stigma characterizes three leading health issues: prescription opioid addiction, obesity, and cigarette smoking. Attributions of individual responsibility are often embedded in negative publ...
Infrastructure as a wicked complex process

Changing complexity in the increasingly integrated human, natural, and built systems within which our infrastructures are designed and operated make it necessary to examine how the role of engineering requires new competencies for satisficing. Several long-term trends appear to be shifting our infrastructures further away from the complicated domain where optimization and efficiency were the core approaches, to the domain of complexity, where rapidly changing environments and fragmentation of goals require fundamentally new approaches. While complexity in infrastructure has always existed in some form, making infrastructures agile and flexible for the Anthropocene will require us to acknowledge and work with the fact that infrastructure change now appears to be a wicked and complex process. Wicked complexity is the result of three competing forces that are inimical to rapid and sustained change of infrastructures in a future marked by acceleration and uncertainty: wicked problems, technical complexity including lock-in, and social complexity. The combination of these factors raises serious questions about whether rapidly changing demands, technologies, and perturbations (such as climate change, or cyber attacks) will affect our infrastructure’s capacity to provide services. What infrastructure managers need to do today is very different than in the past. Increased presence and polarization of viewpoints is becoming more common, where solutions are dictated not by technical performance measures but instead by “acceptable enough” to all parties. Adaptive management practices and associated competencies that have proven successful in managing complex socio-ecological systems may provide some guidance for how to manage infrastructure change. These competencies are i) promoting a shared understanding of what infrastructures can do, ii) managing infrastructures as systems with changing demands, iii) emphasizing experimentation over conventional approaches, and, iv) restructuring education and training for a complexity mindset that emphasizes what can be over what is, and relies on satisficing, not optimization.
Transformer-less Medium Voltage EV Chargers

Fast charging of electric vehicles is a key technology for widespread electrification of transportation. To enable fast charging extending to megawatt levels, a medium voltage grid connection is imperative. Although transformers can be salvaged for this connection, a transformer-less power electronic topology can provide a significant power density advantage. Current source rectifiers (CSR) can convert three-phase AC to DC with high power throughputs. In this paper, a new carrier based PWM technique with switch clamping is developed for CSR, however, switch rating is identified as a limitation for their use in grid connected fast chargers. To allow a transformer-less medium voltage grid connection, a modular AC-AC buck topology is developed. This topology reduces the required switch voltage rating and can be controlled to step down voltages which are more compatible with switch ratings. Furthermore, the use of three-phase AC-AC buck with current source and voltage source rectifiers is proposed.
Statistical variations in predicted martensite variant volume fractions in superelastically deformed NiTi modeled using habit plane variants versus correspondence variants

Abstract Habit plane variants (HPVs) are traditionally used as the fundamental microstructure unit in micromechanical models of shape memory alloys. Recently, an approach using Correspondence Variants (CVs) has emerged. Previous research has shown that HPVs cannot completely explain superelastic deformation of Nitinol, especially beyond initiation of the martensitic phase transformation that gives rise to superelasticity. In this work, a statistical comparison of both modeling approaches is presented for the case of superelastic Nitinol subjected to uniaxial tension and uniaxial compression. Specifically, volume fractions of variants that contribute to deformation were calculated using the two models and then compared. The relative differences were found to be about 30% in tension and 10% in compression at high strains. Allowing detwinning to occur in the HPV model reduced the relative differences in CV volume fractions to about 20% in tension.
Weaving the fabric of science: Dynamic network models of science's unfolding structure

Abstract Science is a complex system. Building on Latour's actor network theory, we model published science as a dynamic hypergraph and explore how this fabric provides a substrate for future scientific discovery. Using millions of abstracts from MEDLINE, we show that the network distance between biomedical things (i.e., people, methods, diseases, chemicals) is surprisingly small. We then show how science moves from questions answered in one year to problems investigated in the next through a weighted random walk model. Our analysis reveals intriguing modal dispositions in the way biomedical science evolves: methods play a bridging role and things of one type connect through things of another. This has the methodological implication that adding more node types to network models of science and other creative domains will likely lead to a superlinear increase in prediction and understanding.
Feasibility of Serial Ultrasound Measurements of the Rectus Femoris Muscle Area to Assess Muscle Loss in Patients Awaiting Liver Transplantation in the Intensive Care Unit.

End-stage liver disease (ESLD) patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) care before liver transplantation (LT) often experience significant muscle mass loss, which has been associated with mortality. In this exploratory study, we primarily aimed to assess the feasibility of serial ultrasound (US) rectus femoris muscle area (RFMA) measurements for the evaluation of progressive muscle loss in ICU-bound potential LT candidates and describe the rate of muscle loss as assessed by sequential US RFMA measurements. Secondarily, we sought to identify patient characteristics associated with muscle loss and determine how muscle loss is associated with survival. Methods We prospectively enrolled 50 ESLD adults (≥18 y old) undergoing evaluation for LT candidacy in the ICU. A baseline computed tomography measurement of psoas muscle area (PMA) and serial bedside US measurements of RFMA were obtained. The associations between patient characteristics, PMA, RFMA, ICU stay, and survival were analyzed. Results Rapid decline in muscle mass by RFMA measurements was ubiquitously present and correlated to baseline PMA and length of ICU stay. RFMA normalized by body surface area decreased by 0.013 cm2/m2 (95% confidence interval, 0.010-0.016; P < 0.001) for each day in the ICU. Decreased RFMA normalized by body surface area was associated with poor overall survival (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.18-0.99; P = 0.047). Conclusions In this exploratory, prospective study, serial US RFMA measurements in ESLD patients in the ICU are feasible, demonstrate progressive time-dependent muscle loss, and are associated with mortality. Further large-scale assessment of this modality compared with static PMA or performance-based dynamic assessments should be performed.