cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Small-signal modeling of PWM Z-source converter by circuit-averaging technique

This paper presents the small-signal modeling of pulse-width modulated (PWM) Z-source converter (ZSC) operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM) by circuit averaging technique. The averaged large-signal, dc, and time-invariant linear small-signal circuit models of PWM ZSC power stage operating in CCM are derived. The small-signal modeling focuses on the dynamics introduced by the Z network present in the ZSC. Based on the small-signal model derived, the small-signal model required to derive the open-loop input-to-capacitor voltage transfer function is derived. The open-loop input-to-capacitor voltage transfer function is derived, and the associated theoretical Bode plots are illustrated using Matlab and is verified by circuit simulation. The theoretical results were in excellent agreement with the simulation results, validating the ac small-signal model and the derived input-to-capacitor voltage transfer function.
Ecological perspectives on foreign language education

Ecological approaches to language learning and teaching have captured the interest of language educators as both native and non-native speakers find themselves operating in increasingly multilingual and multicultural environments. This paper builds on Kramsch & Whiteside (in press) to conceptualize what an ecological perspective on foreign language education, based on complexity theory, would look like. It first explains some of the major tenets of complexity theory, and analyzes transcriptions of exchanges taking place among multilingual individuals in multicultural settings using the ecological approach offered by complexity theory. Based on what these analyses reveal about the ability of these individuals to shape the very context in which language is learned and used, it discusses the notion of ‘symbolic competence’ recently proposed by Kramsch (2006) and explores how symbolic competence might be developed through foreign language education in institutional contexts.
Adolescents' understandings of infidelity

This study explored younger adolescents' (aged 14–17 years; N = 204; 50% girls) understandings of infidelity and whether these understandings differed for girls and boys. Analyses revealed that younger adolescents' understandings of infidelity included an array of physical, affective, cognitive, and verbal behaviors with an extradyadic partner. No gender differences were found. In addition, younger adolescents' understandings of infidelity were compared to older adolescents' (aged 17–21 years; N = 214; 50% girls) understandings. Results showed that younger adolescents' salient understandings of infidelity more often included light, affectionate behaviors such as hugging and kissing an extradyadic partner, whereas older adolescents' salient understandings more often included heavy physical behaviors, including sexual intercourse and oral sex. Gender comparisons with older adolescents revealed that boys' salient understandings of infidelity included higher numbers of heavy physical behaviors, whereas girls' salient understandings included higher numbers of light, affectionate behaviors. Results demonstrate that infidelity is a complex and multifaceted construct for adolescent girls and boys and suggest that developmental researchers should examine understandings of infidelity beyond sexual extradyadic experiences. Implications for adolescent development and psychosocial health are discussed.
On the Design of Three-Layer Symmetric and Three-Layer Asymmetric Adherends in Lap Shear Joints

Design studies are performed for composite material adherends in an axially loaded single lap shear joint with a three-layer adherend architecture. An optimal three-layer symmetric design and an improved three-layer asymmetric design are found. For the specific composite and adhesive material systems chosen, peel stresses are reduced by approximately 7% by using this improved three-layer asymmetric architecture. The maximum principal stress is reduced by approximately 4% for this optimized architecture.
Feminist Perspectives on Dress and the Body: An Analysis of Ms. Magazine, 1972 to 2002

This interpretive analysis examines the dress-related meanings included within issues of Ms. magazine, a key feminist periodical, published between the magazine's inception in 1972 and 2002. Dress-...
Accordian‐type Laser‐Raman scattering by polymers

All the improvements of the independent-rod model of longitudinal accordian-type acoustic mode (LAM) oscillations have assumed that the oscillation energy is retained either on the isolated macromolecule oscillating in a vacuum or in a narrow cylinder containing the straight sections of the macromolecules in the crystal lattice and their straight continuations through the amorphous layers. According to such concepts, concentration of the oscillation energy in gauche defects or amorphous layers occurs, respectively, whenever the axial elastic modulus of the straight sections (crystal lattice) is very much larger than that of the kinked sections (amorphous layers). The effect is enhanced by low crystallinity. Actually such behavior has never been observed. To agree with experimental data the model has to be modified in such a manner that the oscillation amplitude in the amorphous layer steadily decreases with increasing distance from the boundary between the two phases. The necessary large damping of the LAM oscillation in the kinked sections results from true damping in the viscoelastic amorphous component and energy transfer to adjacent chains which turns out to be just as easy as energy conduction along the kinked chain. Such a transfer is equivalent to radiation of the oscillation energy in all directions in the kinked phase. As a consequence of damping, the coupling of chains in adjacent crystals becomes so small that it may be completely neglected. Such a model explains in a satisfactory manner the observed accordion Laser-Raman spectra of the semicrystalline polymers and the infrared absorption of paraffins in the liquid state.
Playing Offense vs. Defense: The Effects of Team Strategic Orientation on Team Process in Competitive Environments

Organizations increasingly rely on teams to formulate plans and respond in critical situations. However, current models of team process are insensitive to the effects of team strategic orientation. This paper expands existing work on team process and strategic orientation to introduce and explicate the constructs of offensive and defensive strategic orientations in teams. It takes advantage of a rare opportunity to observe eight counterterrorism teams in the intelligence community that explicitly adopted an offensive or defensive strategic orientation in evaluating terrorist threats. The resulting inductive model suggests that the strength of a team's strategic orientation was enhanced or inhibited by its perception of oppositional strength and the problem scope it assumed in confronting the adversary. This in turn had effects on the work strategy the teams adopted, the extent to which they relied on internal versus external knowledge, and the norms for effort that evolved within the teams. The observations suggest broader theoretical implications for research on teams, as the “offense” and “defense” strategic orientations influence fundamental team processes related to effort, performance strategy, and use of member knowledge and skill.
Requirements for the Assembly and Release of Newcastle Disease Virus-Like Particles

g/cm 3 and 83.8% 1.1%, respectively) similar to those of authentic virions. Expression of M protein alone, but not NP, F-K115Q, or HN protein individually, resulted in efficient VLP release, and expression of all different combinations of proteins in the absence of M protein did not result in particle release. Expression of any combination of proteins that included M protein yielded VLPs, although with different densities and efficiencies of release. To address the roles of NP, F, and HN proteins in VLP assembly, the interactions of proteins in VLPs formed with different combinations of viral proteins were characterized by coimmunoprecipitation. The colocalization of M protein with cell surface F and HN proteins in cells expressing all combinations of viral proteins was characterized. Taken together, the results show that M protein is necessary and sufficient for NDV budding. Furthermore, they suggest that M-HN and M-NP interactions are responsible for incorporation of HN and NP proteins into VLPs and that F protein is incorporated indirectly due to interactions with NP and HN protein. Paramyxoviruses, such as Newcastle disease virus (NDV), assemble progeny virions at infected cell plasma membranes and release these particles by budding from cell surfaces (20, 43). Paramyxovirus assembly requires the packaging of genomic RNA with the nucleoprotein (NP), as well as phosphoprotein and large polymerase (20), components of the polymerase complex. This ribonucleoprotein core is encased in a host-derived membrane modified by two transmembrane glycoproteins, the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) and fusion (F) proteins, as well as the matrix or membrane (M) protein, which is associated with the inner surface of the viral mem
Automatic detection of replay segments in broadcast sports programs by detection of logos in scene transitions

In broadcast sports, replays provide viewers another look at interesting events. We propose an automatic algorithm for replay segment detection by detecting frames containing logos in the special scene transitions that sandwich replays. Detected replays are utilized in efficient navigation, indexing, and summarization of sports programs. The proposed algorithm first automatically determines the logo template from frames surrounding slow motion segments, where slow motion segments are automatically detected using [4]. Then, it locates all the similar frames in the video using the logo template. Finally the algorithm identifies the replay segments by grouping the detected logo frames and slow-motion segments. Our algorithm accurately detects replays, with or without slow motion.
Loco cow logo.

The News & Comment article “Mad cow disease: Scant data cause widespread concern” by Claire O'Brien ([29 Mar., p. 1798][1]) was illustrated with a color picture resembling abstract art, but carrying the caption “ Mad cow brain . Brain tissue from cow with BSE [bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Multi-destination communication over single-hop lightwave WDM networks

The authors address the open issue of providing efficient mechanisms for multi-destination communication over one class of lightwave WDM architectures, namely, single-hop networks. They suggest, analyze, and optimize several alternative approaches for broadcast/multicast. One of their major contributions is the development of a suite of adaptive multicast protocols which have very good performance, are very simple to implement, and are insensitive to propagation delays. >
Subannual variability of total alkalinity distributions in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico

The subannual variability of total alkalinity (TA) distributions in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico was examined through the use of TA data from ship-based water sampling, historical records of riverine TA, and contemporaneous model output of surface currents and salinity. TA variability was restricted to the upper 150 m of the water column, where relationships between salinity and TA were controlled primarily by subannual variations in the extent of mixing between seawater and river water. A transition in TA distribution patterns between the river-dominated northern margin (near the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River System) and the ocean current-dominated eastern margin (West Florida Shelf) was observed. An index for riverine alkalinity input was formulated to provide insights about riverine alkalinity contributions in the upper water column. Spatial and temporal variations of total alkalinity in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico are primarily controlled by riverine TA inputs and ocean currents.
The Year of Decision 1846

The Year of Decision is the first volume in Bernard DeVoto's monumental trilogy that brilliantly, boldly, and evocatively tells the story of the antebellum American West.
Public street lighting service standard assessment and achievement

Abstract Nighttime lighting is an important public service that impacts human activities and promotes transportation and pedestrian safety. Of course, such services are not free and have been found to have negative impacts on the environment. Responsible stewardship of the built environment requires that efficiency and care in the delivery of services be taken, particularly in the context of sustainability concerns. A significant problem with existing urban infrastructure systems like street lighting is that they have evolved over time using rule-of-thumb planning standards. Given this, systematic assessment and re-evaluation offers much potential for enhancing the spatial efficiency of infrastructure but also the opportunity to explicitly account for environmental impacts in combination with safety and security. This paper applies a methodology for studying lighting in urban areas based upon the use of spatial analytics, including GIS and spatial optimization. Findings and results are reported for a study area in San Diego, California, highlighting current system configuration issues, method development and the potential long term benefits of systematic analysis of public sector services.
A Theory of Multi-Constituent Finitely-Deforming Composite Materials Subject to Thermochemical Changes with Damage

A mixture theory with arbitrary numbers of constituents of anisotropic solids and fluids, invoking the postulate of maximum rate of entropy production with coupled diffusion, reaction, deformation and thermal history, is briefly described. The model generalizes the 2-constituent theory of Hall and Rajagopal (2012) to include, in addition to the previously-described features, multiplicatively decomposed kinematics for thermal and chemical volume expansions and contractions. Applications of interest generally include the evolution of asymmetric material features involving finite-dimensional growth and recession, leading to local rotations important to the description of failure. An example process is the oxidation of SiC to form SiO2 in SiC-based ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), which results in a 2.2× local volume increase.
Factors Academic Real Estate Authors Consider When Choosing Where to Submit a Manuscript for Publication

Executive Summary. As the number of refereed scholarly journals grows, authors have to choose among a wider range of outlets for their work. A survey of academic real estate authors in the United States reveals that perceived quality of a journal is most important in choosing where to submit a manuscript. Faculty at doctoral degree-granting institutions and AACSB-accredited schools place more importance on promotion and tenure considerations, while faculty at teaching colleges are more concerned about the ease and fairness of the editorial process. Thus, editors wanting to attract the best research should focus on authors’ perception of their journal’s quality and create an atmosphere of openness and fairness to all authors.
An evidence-based approach to metacarpal fractures.

Seattle, Wash. The Maintenance of Certification module series is designed to help the clinician structure his or her study in specific areas appropriate to his or her clinical practice. This article is prepared to accompany practice-based assessment of preoperative assessment, anesthesia, surgical treatment plan, perioperative management, and outcomes. In this format, the clinician is invited to compare his or her methods of patient assessment and treatment, outcomes, and complications, with authoritative, information-based references. This information base is then used for self-assessment and benchmarking in parts II and IV of the Maintenance of Certification process of the American Board of Plastic Surgery. This article is not intended to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject. Rather, it is designed to serve as a reference point for further in-depth study by review of the reference articles presented. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 126: 2205, 2010.)
The Disintegration of As 72

The spectra of the various radioactive arsenics produced by high energy alpha-particle bombardment of gallium have been studied using a magnetic lens spectrograph. These isotopes consist of ${\mathrm{As}}^{72}$ (26 h), ${\mathrm{As}}^{74}$ (19.5 d), ${\mathrm{As}}^{73}$ (90 d) and ${\mathrm{As}}^{71}$ (60 h). The main investigation concerns ${\mathrm{As}}^{72}$. This element is found to emit five positron groups of end-point energies 3.339 (19.3 percent), 2.498 (64.6 percent), 1.844 (12.1 percent), 0.669 (5.0 percent) and 0.271 (2.0 percent) Mev. A strong gamma-ray of energy 0.835 Mev together with many weak gamma-rays with energies up to 3 Mev have been found. The levels of the product nucleus ${\mathrm{Ge}}^{72}$ agree well with those found from a study of ${\mathrm{Ga}}^{72}$. The highest energy positron group has a forbidden shape. The spectrum of ${\mathrm{As}}^{74}$ consists of one gamma-ray of energy 0.593 Mev, two negatron groups of energies 1.45 and 0.82 Mev together with a positron group of energy about 0.96 Mev. ${\mathrm{As}}^{73}$ disintegrates by $K$-electron capture and the emission of an internal conversion line corresponding to a gamma-ray of 0.052 Mev. An internal conversion line corresponding to a gamma-ray at 0.162 Mev is ascribed to ${\mathrm{As}}^{71}$.
Rapid enrichment of Shigella flexneri based on the immuno magnetic nanobeads

The immuno magnetic nanobeads were a rapid method which can be used to isolate the target bacteria directly from food samples to ensure follow-up detection.Combining with the reliable conventional surface plating methods and the superparamagnetic nanobeads,the influence of the antibody quantity added and the dose of immuno magnetic nanobeads was determined by the capturing efficiency.Meanwhile,the immuno magnetic nanobeads was used to capture the shigella flexneri in pure broths and lamb wash water at concentration of 100~103CFU/mL.The results showed that the optimal amount of the shigella polyclonal antibody(4~5mg/mL)for conjugation of 1mL streptavidin nanobeads((180±20)nm,2mg/mL)was 70μL,and the optimized amount of immuno magnetic nanobeads used for capture of target bacteria at concentration of 102~104CFU/mL was 60μL.For pure broths and lamb wash water,the capture limit could reach to 100CFU/mL and 101CFU/mL within 1h,respectively.This study optimized the test conditions and provided a theoretical basis for immuno magnetic beads rapid enrichment of target bacteria.
Study on the relations of basic sex hormones,leptin and other factors in girls with central precocious puberty

Objective To observe the change of sex hormones and leptin in girls with central precocious puberty(CPP),and to study the related factors with CPP.Methods Severty-eight girls with CPP were selected and enrolled in the study.Severty-eight girls without CPP were enrolled in control group.The height and weight were accurately measured.Serum sex hormones and leptin were evaluated using fasting blood samples.Data were analyzed via independent samples t-test,rank sum test and Spearman correlation analysis.Results Height,weight,bone age(BA),body mass index(BMI),leptin(LEP),coarse gonadal hormones(LH and FSH),estradiol(E2)levels in girls with CPP were higher than those in the control group.The LEP level in girls with CPP correlated positively with LH and FSH.Compared with BA,LEP showed stronger correlation with LH and FSH.Conclusions In girls with CPP,the physical features and hormone levels change significantly.The relationship between LEP and sex hormones and the relationship between BA and sex hormones become stronger in girls with CPP,as compared with those in control group.Compared with BA,the LEP level has stronger correlation with the levels of sex hormones.
Epidemic Characteristics of Viral Hepatitis in Yixing City during 2007-2009

[Objective] To describe the epidemic characteristics of viral hepatitis in Yixing City from 2007 to 2009,and provide scientific basis for intervention measures to control it.[Methods]The descriptive epidemiological method was applied to analyze the reported hepatitis cases from 23 counties through "Hepatitis Cases Information Network" with spss13.0 statistical software.[Results]A total of 1643 cases of the viral hepatitis were reported from 2007-2009,with annual incidence of 51.69/100 000.1172 cases were male,and 471 cases were female,the incidence ratio of male to female was 2.49∶1.The annual incidence was 55.51/100 000,50.64/100 000,and 48.94/100 000 respectively,showing decreasing tendency annually.Hepatitis B and unclassified hepatitis accounted for 56.60% and 33.66%.The main age of the incidence was 25~and 45~years,accounting for 42.06% and 36.40%,peasants and workers occupied with 53.32% and 16.13% respectively.[Conclusion]The prevention of hepatitis B should be attached importance in Yixing City,it is necessary to strengthen it among adults,especially for farmers and migrant worker.
Linguistic and cultural universality of the concept of sense-of-direction

We analyze self-reported sense-of-direction in samples of people from Santa Barbara, Freiburg, Saarbrucken, Tokyo, and Beijing. The Santa Barbara Sense-of-Direction Scale (SBSOD) by Hegarty and colleagues primarily assesses survey spatial abilities in directly-experienced environments. It was translated into German, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. Results suggest sense-of-direction is a unitary and meaningful concept across the five samples and four languages. In four of the samples, males report significantly better sense-of-direction than do females. Some variations are found across the five samples in overall level of sense-of-direction and in response patterns across the 15 items. Because it is strongly related to the survey spatial thinking that primarily underlies sense-of-direction, and because it can be counted in a relatively straightforward manner, we specifically examine thinking in terms of cardinal directions as a component of sense-of-direction, including conducting a count of cardinal-direction words from Internet corpora in the four languages. We find support for sense-of-direction as a coherent concept across the four languages and as a useful tool to measure individual differences in sense-of-direction. We also consider linguistic/cultural variations in sense-of-direction, especially with respect to variations in physical environments.
Transpositions Within User-Posted YouTube Lyric Videos: A Corpus Study

There are many practical reasons why experiences of a given musical work tend to be heard repeatedly at the same pitch transposition level, especially recordings of musical works. Yet here, a corpus study is presented that challenges this very basic assumption of music perception. In 2011, an initial corpus of 100 user-posted YouTube videos was collected in order to investigate the prevalence of transposition and tempo alterations within these videos. Results found 42% of these videos contained nominal changes of pitch (36%) and/or tempo (22%). Using the same methodology, a follow-up study was performed in 2015 and found only that 24% of user-posted videos contained these same alterations. Implications for these observations are discussed in light of musical communication models, YouTubeology, and absolute pitch memory.
Coexistence of traditional neurotransmitters with peptides in the mammalian brain: 5-hydroxytryptamine and substance P in the raphe and γ-aminobutyric acid and motilin in the cerebellum

This chapter will deal with two examples of the coexistence of neuroactive substances in single neurones of the mammalian central nervous system: first, the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin)-containing neurone in the raphe and other brain stem nuclei that have coexistent substance P; second, the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-containing Purkinje neurones of the cerebellum which have coexistent motilin.
State Consumer Protection Acts: An Economic and Empirical Analysis

Consumer protection acts (CPAs) developed with the goal to protect American consumers from fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices. Initially, Congress, through the FTC Act, sought to define and deter conduct that the existing legal system largely failed to remedy. Subsequently, states localized and individualized these rights while maintaining a careful balance between protecting consumers and preventing the proliferation of lawsuits that harm both consumers and businesses. But in recent decades, this thoughtful balance has yielded to damaging legislative and judicial overcorrections at the state level with a common theoretical mistake: the assumption that more CPA litigation automatically yields more consumer protection. The result has been an explosion in consumer protection litigation, which serves no social function and for which consumers pay indirectly through higher prices and reduced innovation. Using data on state and federal CPA litigation from 2000-2013, we find substantial increases in CPA litigation in both, with federal litigation growing almost twice as fast in federal than state courts (a cumulative average growth rate of 6.1 percent vs. 3.4 percent). We also find that the financial crisis appears to have played a large role in the recent growth in CPA litigation — the financial services industry is the most common target for private CPA actions in a set of cases we sample, and a large proportion of these cases involve debt collection or federal lending or housing statutes. We conclude that although the entire suite of expansive provisions in CPAs — enhanced damages, class actions, attorneys fees, and eliminating the need to show harm — are responsible for the explosion in private CPA litigation, from a social standpoint, requiring consumers to show cognizable harm would be the most efficient reform.
Spontaneous Dancemaking with Beginning Improvisers: Foundational Practices in Presence, Stillness, and Problem Solving

Many dance artists in their first encounters with improvisational dance making begin not only to learn how to compose spontaneously, but also to gain skills for coping with the uncertainties inhere...
IMPS-21EFFECT OF rQNestin 34.5 ONCOLYTIC HERPES VIRUS ON IMMUNE CHECKPOINT GENE EXPRESSION IN GLIOBLASTOMA CELLS AND EVALUATION OF THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY

There has been a recent surge of interest in cancer immunotherapies due to newly FDA approved immunologic treatments based on targeting immune checkpoint inhibition pathways. Multiple preclinical and clinical trials combining immunostimulatory approaches with immune checkpoint inhibition are also underway, reinforced by fairly dramatic anticancer responses in animal models and early clinical human trials. Because oncolytic viruses (OVs) can lead to improved presentation of tumor antigens, they may be potentially useful in combination with immune checkpoint approaches. We have therefore investigated the potential of combining the Herpes OV (rQNestin 34.5) with immune checkpoint inhibition in glioblastoma models. rQNestin 34.5 is an OV with enhanced potency and tumor specificity, which will be tested in a Phase1 trial for recurrent glioblastoma in the near future. In vitro studies showed that the immune checkpoint ligand PD-L1 is expressed across a panel of human conventional and stem-like glioblastoma-derived cells (GSCs) and that cell surface PD-L1 is consistently up-regulated 24 hours after infection with rQNestin 34.5. This effect is most pronounced in GSCs of the mesenchymal subclass compared with proneural, and was not observed with other inducers of cell death such as staurosporine, and therefore may be due to direct effects of the OV treatment. We then showed that PD-L1 levels in glioblastoma cells are linked to increases of cytokine levels (i.e. interferon-g). These studies show that infection of cells with rQNestin 34.5 could lead to increased PD-L1 expression, thus providing a strong rationale for co-administration of OV with immune checkpoint blockade. Our initial studies using this combinatorial approach in immunocompetent mouse models demonstrate a significant and striking benefit of combined treatment with rQNestin34.5 and anti-PD-1 antibodies. This data suggests that immune checkpoint blockade combined with OV treatment should be developed for future clinical trials in glioblastoma.
8th edition AJCC/UICC staging of cancers of the esophagus and esophagogastric junction: application to clinical practice

The 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging of epithelial cancers of the esophagus and esophagogastric junction (EGJ) presents separate classifications for clinical (cTNM), pathologic (pTNM), and postneoadjuvant (ypTNM) stage groups. Histopathologic cell type markedly affects survival of clinically and pathologically staged patients, requiring separate groupings for each cell type, but ypTNM groupings are identical for both cell types. Clinical categories, typically obtained by imaging with minimal histologic information, are limited by resolution of each method. Strengths and shortcomings of clinical staging methods should be recognized. Complementary cytology or histopathology findings may augment imaging and aid initial treatment decision-making. However, prognostication using clinical stage groups remains coarse and inaccurate compared with pTNM. Pathologic staging is losing its relevance for advanced-stage cancer as neoadjuvant therapy replaces esophagectomy alone. However, it remains relevant for early-stage cancers and as a staging and survival reference point. Although pathologic stage could facilitate decision-making, its use to direct postoperative adjuvant therapy awaits more effective treatment. Prognostication using pathologic stage groups is the most refined of all classifications. Postneoadjuvant staging (ypTNM) is introduced by the AJCC but not adopted by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). Drivers of this addition include absence of equivalent pathologic (pTNM) categories for categories peculiar to the postneoadjuvant state (ypT0N0-3M0 and ypTisN0-3M0), dissimilar stage group compositions, and markedly different survival profiles. Thus, prognostication is specific for patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy. The role of ypTNM classification in additional treatment decision-making is currently limited. Precision cancer care advances are necessary for this information to be clinically useful.
A Complete Algorithm for Generating Safe Trajectories for Multi-robot Teams

In this paper, we consider the problem of planning collision-free trajectories to navigate a team of labeled robots from a set of start locations to a set of goal locations, where robots have pre-assigned and non-interchangeable goals. We present a solution to this problem for a centralized team operating in an obstacle-free, two-dimensional workspace. Our algorithm allows robots to follow Optimal Motion Plans (OMPs) to their goals when possible and has them enter Circular HOlding Patterns (CHOPs) to safely navigate congested areas. This OMP\(+\)CHOP algorithm is shown to be safe and complete, and simulation results show scalability to hundreds of robots.
Predator foraging strategy mediates the effects of predators on local and emigrating prey

Predation is a dominant structuring force in ecosystems, but its effects are almost always measured in the ecosystem of the predator. However, the effects of predators can potentially extend across ecosystem boundaries during ontogenetic niche shifts in prey. We compared the effects of fish predation on benthic versus emerging aquatic insects, and hypothesized that the relative effects of fish on these two stages of prey are mediated by fish foraging strategy (benthic versus water‐column feeders). Benthic‐feeding smallmouth buffalo reduced benthic insect biomass in the freshwater ecosystem by 89%, and reduced insect emergence to the terrestrial ecosystem by 65%. In contrast, water‐column feeding sunfish had no effect on benthic biomass in the freshwater ecosystem, but reduced emergence to the terrestrial ecosystem by 44% relative to the fishless control. When smallmouth and sunfish were combined in a substitutive design that kept total fish density the same as the single species treatments, their effects on benthic insects (50% reduction) were weaker than expected based on predictions from the single species treatments. In contrast, their combined effects on emergence (46% reduction) were additive. Tetragnathid spider densities increased during peak emergence, but did not respond to changes in emergence among treatments. These results demonstrate that the effects of fish on prey flux to the terrestrial ecosystem are not the same as their effects on benthic prey biomass in the aquatic ecosystem, and that this difference is likely mediated by foraging strategy.
Large-scale graph representation learning

Machine learning on graphs is an important and ubiquitous task with applications ranging from drug design to friendship recommendation in social networks. The primary challenge in this domain is finding a way to represent, or encode, graph structure so that it can be easily exploited by machine learning models. However, traditionally machine learning approaches rely on user-defined heuristics to extract features encoding structural information about a graph. In this talk I will discuss methods that automatically learn to encode graph structure into low-dimensional embeddings, using techniques based on deep learning and nonlinear dimensionality reduction. I will provide a conceptual review of key advancements in this area of representation learning on graphs, including random-walk based algorithms, and graph convolutional networks.
Efficient Integration of Fixed Beamformers and Speech Separation Networks for Multi-Channel Far-Field Speech Separation

Speech separation research has significantly progressed in recent years thanks to the rapid advances in deep learning technology. However the performance of recently proposed single-channel neural network-based speech separation methods is still limited especially in reverberant environments. To push the performance limit, we recently developed a method of integrating beamforming and single-channel speech separation approaches. This paper proposes a novel architecture that integrates multi -channel beamforming and speech separation in a much more efficient way than our previous method. The proposed architecture comprises a set of fixed beamformers, a beam prediction network, and a speech separation network based on permutation invariant training (PIT). The beam prediction network takes in the beamformed audio signals and estimates the best beam for each speaker constituting the input mixture. Two variants of PIT-based speech separation networks are proposed. Our approach is evaluated on reverberant speech mixtures under three different mixing conditions, covering cases where speakers partially overlap or one speaker's utterance is very short. The experimental results show that the proposed system significantly outperforms the conventional single-channel PIT system, producing the same performance as a single-channel system using oracle masks.
Readmission Patterns Over 90-Day Episodes of Care Among Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries Discharged to Post-acute Care

Abstract Objective Examine readmission patterns over 90-day episodes of care in persons discharged from hospitals to post-acute settings. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Acute care hospitals. Participants Medicare fee-for-service enrollees (N = 686,877) discharged from hospitals to post-acute care in 2013-2014. The cohort included beneficiaries >65 years of age hospitalized for stroke, joint replacement, or hip fracture and who survived for 90 days following discharge. Measurements 90-day unplanned readmissions. Results The cohort included 127,680 individuals with stroke, 442,195 undergoing joint replacement, and 117,002 with hip fracture. Thirty-day readmission rates ranged from 3.1% for knee replacement patients discharged to home health agencies (HHAs) to 14.4% for hemorrhagic stroke patients discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Ninety-day readmission rates ranged from 5.0% for knee replacement patients discharged to HHAs to 26.1% for hemorrhagic stroke patients discharged to SNFs. Differences in readmission rates decreased between stroke subconditions (hemorrhagic and ischemic) and increased between joint replacement subconditions (knee, elective hip, and nonelective hip) from 30 to 90 days across all initial post-acute discharge settings. Conclusions We observed clear patterns in readmissions over 90-day episodes of care across post-acute discharge settings and subconditions. Our findings suggest that patients with hemorrhagic stroke may be more vulnerable than those with ischemic over the first 30 days after hospital discharge. For patients receiving nonelective joint replacements, readmission prevention efforts should start immediately after discharge and continue, or even increase, over the 90-day episode of care.
Corrosion behavior of iron and nickel base alloys under solid oxide fuel cell exposure conditions

Topography and phase composition of the scales formed on commercial ferritic stainless steels and experimental low CTE nickel-based alloys were studied in atmospheres simulating solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) environments. The materials were studied under dual environment conditions with air on one side of the sample and carbon monoxide on the other side at 750°C. Surface characterization techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis were used in this study.
The Eve of the Restoration

Cromwell died on 3 September 1658, and his son’s accession was generally peaceful and without incident. “I do not yet find that there are any great stirrings yet upon this occasion,” wrote Thurloe during the Protector’s last illness, “though the cavaliers do begin to listen after it and hope their day is coming.” 1 Throughout the nation Richard Cromwell was proclaimed his father’s successor, and they only recorded instances of opposition took place at Oxford where bystanders threw carrot-and turnip-tops at a group of officials, 2 and in Yorkshire where a blacksmith was arrested for “saying that there was now no law, and that every man might do what they list, and that we might have a king.” 3 The French minister reported that the royalists had decided that they had no cause to regret Richard’s advent since he “had never done them any harm.” 4 As much as they may have hoped that other factions might fall to fighting, they were not themselves inclined to take the lead. Richard himself was believed to be friendly toward the Stuarts’ party, and when one army leader urged him to take protective measures, Richard insultingly belittled the suggestion. 5
Endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of disorders of upper esophageal sphincter function

Abstract The upper esophageal sphincter functions to facilitate antegrade transit during deglutition and restrict retrograde flow of refluxed material from the esophagus. Neuropathic, myopathic, and inflammatory conditions can result in upper esophageal sphincter dysfunction and lead to detrimental consequences of dysphagia and aspiration. Proper evaluation of oropharyngeal swallowing is critical to diagnosing upper esophageal sphincter pathology. The aim of this review is to describe the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the upper esophageal sphincter.
Broadband enhancement of quantum dot emission for microLED using Ag plasmonic nanoparticles

MicroLED display is emerging as a candidate to drive a new generation of display technology. Full-color microLED based on carbon-dots (CDs) and blue microLED utilizes photoluminescence (PL) of blue-excited red and green emission CDs to achieve large coverage of color gamut and low power consumption. There is a high demand to develop costeffective technologies to enhance CD emission and minimize blue excitation light leakage through the CD layer. Here we demonstrate the use of plasmonic nanoparticles to enhance multicolor CDs in the emitting layer of microLED while suppressing the transmission of blue excitation. Silver nanoparticles are known to have surface plasmon resonances in or close to the blue range. Blue excitation over an emitting layer formed by the mixture of CDs and metal nanoparticles leads to excitation enhancement of CDs and thus the increased quantum efficiency. We studied the emitting layers fabricated by dispersing a mixture of 30 nm silver nanoparticles and CDs at various ratios and obtained a maximum enhancement factor of ~8. The metal nanoparticles also absorbed the blue excitation and reduced the leakage of blue light. Fluorescence lifetime measurements showed negligible changes in the CD emission rate with and without the presence of metal nanoparticles. The analysis implies that the enhanced CD PL is a result of excitation enhancement rather than Purcell effect. This technique offers a low-cost, effective approach to improve the performance of microLED displays.
Combined laparoscopic-fluoroscopic technique for primary gastrojejunostomy button tube placement.

Abstract Background Gastrojejunostomy (GJ) tubes are frequently used to provide pediatric enteral nutritional support for pediatric patients. Various placement methods have been described, each with attendant advantages and disadvantages. Description of the operative technique We present a technique for primary laparoscopic/fluoroscopic GJ button tube placement designed to avoid delay in placement of the jejunal limb, and difficulties associated with endoscopic-assisted and primary fluoroscopic placement. Results There were 52 gastrojejunostomy button tubes placed via this technique in patients ranging from 3.8 to 90.3 kg in weight. Three postoperative complications were identified; one bowel perforation on postoperative day two, and two tube dislodgements within 30 days. Conclusion The described technique was uniformly effective and was associated with a low complication rate (5.8%).
The Costs of Green Leaf Volatile-Induced Defense Priming: Temporal Diversity in Growth Responses to Mechanical Wounding and Insect Herbivory

Green leaf volatiles (GLVs) have long been associated with plant defense responses against insect herbivory. Although some of their biological activities appear to directly affect the attacking herbivore, one of the major functions of GLVs seems to be the priming of these defense responses. This priming is generally considered to impose low costs on the plant should no direct attack happen. Here, we demonstrate that priming of maize seedlings with GLVs is costly for the plants as it results in significantly reduced growth. We further demonstrate that priming very selectively affects growth responses after insect elicitor treatment and mechanical wounding depending on the age and/or the developmental stage of the treated plant. The differential growth response of maize seedlings to treatment with GLVs and subsequent herbivory-related damage sheds new light on the biological activity of these important plant volatile compounds and indicates consequences that go beyond defense.
Drug Pricing and its Discontents: At Home and Abroad

This Health Policy Outlook assesses the market for chronic disease medications such as antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to treat HIV/AIDS. A tiered, or differential, pricing structure serves public health by ensuring the greatest affordability of patented drugs as well as maximizing profits to the innovator. Ending differential pricing could increase access for some patients in the short run, but would pose a severe threat to global drug innovation in the long run, and probably lower access for some patients. Differential pricing appears haphazard, often because negotiations among drug companies, insurers, government providers, pharmacies, and other retailers are opaque. There is no doubt the pricing system could be improved. Many companies differentiate prices according to socioeconomic indicators to make them equally affordable to people with different incomes and to countries with varying disease burdens. Ideally, this approach simultaneously yields prices affordable to both low- and middle-income countries and maintains incentives for research and development (R&D). Concerns within pharmaceutical companies about pricing approaches, however, prevent sensible collaboration on the correct approach to differential pricing.
Third Parties: United States

A third party is any political party in the US political system other than one of the two major parties. Although there are many third parties, the US political system is correctly classified as a two-party system for several reasons. The most compelling, reflecting Duverger's Law, is the single-member, plurality electoral system used in the vast majority of elections. In addition, laws that limit the ability of third parties to compete successfully have reinforced the two-party system. Examples are laws limiting ballot access, banning fusion candidacies, and governing campaign finance. The first third party was the Anti-Masonic Party, formed in 1827. Third parties became more prevalent on the national political scene during the second half of the nineteenth century. They were organized around specific issues and ideologies. In contrast, major third-party efforts in the twentieth century were personality driven. There is little evidence that significant third-party challenges bring more Americans to the polls. Third parties do make two important contributions to the US political system. First, they offer voters a way to express dissatisfaction with the two major parties and their candidates. Second, they are vehicles for promoting issues and policies that the major parties may ignore.
Altering Agglomeration in a Composite Propellant with Aluminum-Silicon Eutectic Alloy

Although aluminum alloys are generally employed for their structural and mechanical properties, the low-level inclusion of secondary metals and metalloids may also make alloy powders advantageous i...
Integrating asthma management and care in Maryland Head Start Programs: A qualitative assessment of opportunities and needs.

Abstract Purpose To understand the role of Maryland Head Start (HS) programs in asthma care and identify resources and needs to improve health outcomes. Methods A qualitative needs assessment was conducted with Maryland HS staff (n = 35) and parents/caregivers of enrolled children with asthma (n = 16) from all 14 grantee programs in Maryland. Focus group discussions and interviews addressed strengths and challenges in current asthma control and opportunities for integration of an asthma care program into HS services. Transcripts were thematically analyzed using a modified Framework approach. Results HS programs actively communicate with families about asthma management and facilitate communication between families and primary care providers (PCPs). Both HS staff and families reported a strong trusting relationship allowing HS staff to provide asthma management support. HS needs strong linkages with supportive services and PCP offices to engage families, address environmental triggers, and educate staff. While families across the state report interest in peer education on asthma through HS, there were some region-specific asthma care barriers for urban and rural programs. Conclusion This needs assessment confirmed interest among all stakeholders in integrating asthma care through HS and identified communication strategies, supportive infrastructure, and addressing regional access to care as key elements for program design.
X-SQL: reinforce schema representation with context.

In this work, we present X-SQL, a new network architecture for the problem of parsing natural language to SQL query. X-SQL proposes to enhance the structural schema representation with the contextual output from BERT-style pre-training model, and together with type information to learn a new schema representation for down-stream tasks. We evaluated X-SQL on the WikiSQL dataset and show its new state-of-the-art performance.