cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiobjective Analysis in Water Resources Part II — A New Typology of MCDM Techniques

In this section, the numerous MCDM techniques available to analyze water resources problems are clustered into five types, corresponding to the philosophy of the decision-making process. As pointed out in Duckstein (1978) and Tecle (1988, 1992), there are many possible classification schemes for MCDM problems, possibly leading to a combinatorial number of categories. In water resources, the grouping used in Goicoechea et al. (1982) seems to be useful, as it is based on the timing of the decision-maker’s articulation of preferences, which can be prior, progressive or posterior. Other criteria for classification may include such classification characteristics as single decision maker versus multiple decision makers, fuzzy versus crisp (i.e. non-fuzzy criteria) or alternatives, integer versus noninteger programming algorithms, assumptions of the existence of a multiattribute value or utility function, implicit versus explicit constraints, single or multiperiod problems, and continuous versus discrete procedures (Korhonen et al., 1984). The problem with all these kinds of classification schemes is that each one is mostly based on a pair of characteristics and the scheme, as a result, can lead to as many classifications categories as there are different pairs of characteristics of MCDM techniques.
Mating Systems and Reproductive Ecology

The following chapter introduces the various types of mating systems that have evolved among the vertebrates. We will consider how vertebrates do three important things: finding the right species, finding the right sex, and finding the right time.
Abstract 48: Successful Rejuvenation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells From Amputated Limbs of Vascular Patients for Therapeutic Applications

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC)from patients with critical limb ischemia(CLI) are inferior to healthy donor MSCs (hMSC). Yet cellular therapy may play a role in CLI, and CLI is a relevant setting to test cell rejuvenation techniques. Pooled human platelet lysate (PL) is a novel serum for cell rejuvenation free of xenogens common in fetal bovine serum (FBS). Objective: To rejuvenate with PL or FBS MSCs cultured from the bone marrow of amputated limbs and compare the biologic function in the setting of CLI (iMSC) or CLI and diabetes (idMSC) to that of hMSC. Methods: iMSCs (n=4) and idMSCs (n=4) were cultured from the bone marrow of ischemic and ischemic and diabetic amputation specimens and compared to hMSCs (n=4). MSCs were confirmed by FACS and differentiation assays, and doubling time carried out to senescence of comparison groups (passage 9). Secretome analyses (HGF, VEGF, FGFb, MCP-1, IL-6/8) were performed by ELISA after culturing MSCs in basal media + 0.25% HSA. Endothelial cell (EC) proliferation and migration was compared to negative control after stimulation with MSC conditioned media. PKH-stained ECs were co-cultured with these MSCs, and MSC effect on EC invasion quantified under fluorescent imaging. All experiments were performed in quadruplicates with replicates. Statistical analyses were performed with students’ t-test, and ANOVA with Bonferroni or Tukey correction using a significance of P Results: MSCs were successfully cultured in both FBS and PL and confirmed by FACS and differentiation assays. Doubling time was delayed in iMSCs and idMSCs compared to hMSCs by passage 7, but PL significantly lessened this effect compared to FBS. Therapeutic levels of HGF, VEGF, and FGFb were identified in the secretome (25-100pg/10,000 MSCs), and conditioned media stimulated EC proliferation over negative control (PBS). EC invasion was significantly stimulated by co-culture with all MSCs compared to ECs alone, and there were no differences between hMSCs and iMSCs or idMSCs on EC proliferation, migration, or invasion. Conclusion: iMSC and idMSCs rejuvenated in cell culture from early passages (p
Capital Liquidity, Productivity Dispersion and Market Structure

We propose an industry-level index of capital liquidity - defined as the share of used capital in aggregate industry capital expenditure - that relates (inversely) to sunkenness of capital investment. We then test the effect of capital liquidity on the dispersion and mean of industry productivity distributions, as well as on industry concentration measures using data on US manufacturing industries. As predicted by a standard model of industry equilibrium with heterogeneous firms, we find that an increase in the capital liquidity index is associated with a reduction in the productivity dispersion and an increase in the mean and median of the productivity distribution. In addition, we find that increase in capital liquidity is associated with a decline in industry concentration measures. This is consistent with predictions from the standard industry equilibrium model under certain empirically plausible assumptions about the distribution of firm productivity parameters. Our results are robust to the inclusion of a number of control variables proxying for sunk costs, fixed costs, trade competition, product substitutability, advertising and R\&D intensity and productivity persistence. Our results are also robust to using alternative measures of dispersion and concentration, and alternative methods of estimating total factor productivity.
Behind the Model: A Constructive Critique of Economic Modeling

This ambitious book looks 'behind the model' to reveal how economists use formal models to generate insights into the economy. Drawing on recent work in the philosophy of science and economic methodology, the book presents a novel framework for understanding the logic of economic modeling. It also reveals the ways in which economic models can mislead rather than illuminate. Importantly, the book goes beyond purely negative critique, proposing a concrete program of methodological reform to better equip economists to detect potential mismatches between their models and the targets of their inquiry. Ranging across economics, philosophy, and social science methods, and drawing on a variety of examples, including the recent financial crisis, Behind the Model will be of interest to anyone who has wondered how economics works - and why it sometimes fails so spectacularly.
Taphonomic feedback in Miocene assemblages; testing the role of dead hardparts in benthic communities

The accumulation of dead hardparts can directly influence the structure and dynamics of benthic communities by changing the physical characteristics of the sea floor. Biotic changes driven by such liveldead interactions have recently been termed taphonomic feedback (TF) to stress a) the role of post-mortem processes in the availability of hardparts, and b) that not only does the life assemblage influence the death assemblage, but the accumulation of a death assemblage affects the living one. This paper presents a quantitative test for the operation of taphonomicfeedback in the fossil record. Assemblages from Miocene strata of Maryland exhibit a statistically significant correlation between the abundance of shell-gravel dwellers (including epifauna and infauna) and sediment shelliness consistent with faunal changes predicted by TF. Alternative explanations for the correlation, such as differential preservation potentials of soft-bottom and shell-gravel taxa, faunal response to changing water energy, and livellive interactions, can be rejected. The operation of TF has several implications for analysis of the fossil record: a) as a driving mechanism for faunal change in benthic communities; b) as an approach to reconstructing patterns in the accumulation (and non-accumulation) of hardparts and sediment; and c) as an indication of the apparently prolonged post-mortem persistence of skeletal material in some settings and the biologically and taphonomically complex origins of many densely fossiliferous deposits.
The CNN effect reconsidered (again): problematizing ICT and global governance in the CNN effect research agenda

Early CNN effect research considered policy effects associated with cumbersome satellite uplinks of limited capacity. Today, nearly ubiquitous mobile telephony and highly portable satellite uplinks enable high-speed data transmission, including voice and video streaming, from most remote locations. Also, important geopolitical realignments have occurred since the end of the Cold War. The US is now challenged by new economic and cultural powerhouses, and by the rise of networked nonstate actors. It is not simply a matter of realignment among nation-states, as the original CNN effects research noted, but also a realignment between the type, scope and scale of actors involved in global governance. Rather than confining the argument to a consideration of media effects on state policy processes, this article argues that important technological and political developments call for a new research path, one that centers on the relationship between governance and the nature of a given information environment.
The triple point of sulfur hexafluoride

A cryogenic fixed point cell has been filled with high purity (99.999%) sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and measured in an adiabatic closed-cycle cryostat system. Temperature measurements of the SF6 melting curve were performed using a capsule-type standard platinum resistance thermometer (CSPRT) calibrated over the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) subrange from the triple point of equilibrium hydrogen to the triple point of water. The measured temperatures were corrected by 0.37 mK for the effects of thermometer self-heating, and the liquidus-point temperature estimated by extrapolation to melted fraction F = 1 of a simple linear regression versus melted fraction F in the range F = 0.53 to 0.84. Based on this measurement, the temperature of the triple point of sulfur hexafluoride is shown to be 223.555 23(49) K (k = 1) on the ITS-90. This value is in excellent agreement with the best prior measurements reported in the literature, but with considerably smaller uncertainty. An analysis of the detailed uncertainty budget of this measurement suggests that if the triple point of sulfur hexafluoride were to be included as a defining fixed point of the next revision of the International Temperature Scale, it could do so with a total realization uncertainty of approximately 0.43 mK, slightly larger than the realization uncertainties of the defining fixed points of the ITS-90. Since the combined standard uncertainty of this SF6 triple point temperature determination is dominated by chemical impurity effects, further research exploring gas purification techniques and the influence of specific impurity species on the SF6 triple point temperature may bring the realization uncertainty of SF6 as a fixed point material into the range of the defining fixed points of the ITS-90.
Analysis of the Combined Effect of the Spermatozoal Degeneration Allele (Sd) and Homozygosity of the Rose Comb Allele (R) on the Duration of Fertility of Roosters (Gallus domesticus)

Abstract Roosters homozygous for the rose comb allele (R/R) are subfertile. Likewise, roosters bearing the dominant spermatozoal degeneration allele (Sd) are subfertile. The objective of the present research was to see whether these effects were cumulative. Domestic fowl were bred in order to obtain males representing the following genotypes: R/r+sd+/sd+, R/r+Sd/sd+, R/R sd+/sd+, and R/R Sd/sd+. Duplicate fertility trials were conducted with Single Comb White Leghorn hens. In each trial, ejaculates were pooled according to genotype. The insemination dose was 1 × 108 viable spermatozoa per hen, and eggs were collected over a 21-day interval following a single intravaginal insemination. Fertility over the 21-day period was 53 ± 2.1 (SEM), 36 ± 1.6, 21 ± 2.1, and 11 ± 1.2%, respectively. Therefore, the effect of homozygosity for the R allele and the presence of the Sd allele were cumulative in the depression of fertility.
Cocirculating precursor B acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

![Figure][1] A 76-year-old woman who had a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma for the last 7 years was treated with Rituxan plus CVP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone). Treatment was completed in May 2006. The patient remained in remission until
Educational Innovation and Practice of Communication Specialty Based on CDIO

CDIO(Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) is a new model in current education.In order to perfect the training model for professional having specialized characteristic,we should hold the developing opportunity of higher education from changing style by carrying out probe into the education innovation of communication engineering specialty based on CDIO.In order to intensify the market competition ability of graduates and increase the employment rate,students should be trained to have higher inclusiveness and social accountability,stronger organizational coordination ability and innovation ability by adjusting the educational project,courses and practice platform of communication specialty.
Commercial 100-Gbit/s Coherent Transmission Systems

This chapter provides a global network service provider’s view on the technology development and product commercialization of 100-Gb/s for optical transport networks. Optical channel capacity has been growing over the past four decades to address traffic demand growth and will continue this trend for the foreseeable future to meet the ever-increasing bandwidth requirements. In this chapter, optical channels are re-classified into three basic design types. Commercial 100-Gb/s channel development experienced all three types of channel designs before eventually settling on the single carrier PM-QPSK format with coherent detection, which appears to be the optimal design in the industry. A series of 100-Gb/s channel related field trials were performed in service providers’ networks to validate the technical merits as well as business advantages of this new capacity standard before its deployment. Introduction of the 100-Gb/s channel brings new opportunities to boost fiber capacity, accommodate increases in client interface speed rates, lower transmission latency, simplify network management, and speed up the realization of next generation optical add/drop functions.
Dynamic unwrapping of nucleosomes by HsRAD51 that includes sliding and rotational motion of histone octamers.

Wrapping of genomic DNA into nucleosomes poses thermodynamic and kinetic barriers to biological processes such as replication, transcription, repair and recombination. Previous biochemical studies have demonstrated that in the presence of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) the human RAD51 (HsRAD51) recombinase can form a nucleoprotein filament (NPF) on double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) that is capable of unwrapping the nucleosomal DNA from the histone octamer (HO). Here, we have used single molecule Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) to examine the real time nucleosome dynamics in the presence of the HsRAD51 NPF. We show that oligomerization of HsRAD51 leads to stepwise, but stochastic unwrapping of the DNA from the HO in the presence of ATP. The highly reversible dynamics observed in single-molecule trajectories suggests an antagonistic mechanism between HsRAD51 binding and rewrapping of the DNA around the HO. These stochastic dynamics were independent of the nucleosomal DNA sequence or the asymmetry created by the presence of a linker DNA. We also observed sliding and rotational oscillations of the HO with respect to the nucleosomal DNA. These studies underline the dynamic nature of even tightly associated protein-DNA complexes such as nucleosomes.
Analyzing the articulation features of children's touchscreen gestures

Children’s touchscreen interaction patterns are generally quite different from those of adults. In particular, it has been established that children’s gestures are recognized by existing algorithms with much lower accuracy than are adults’ gestures. Previous work has qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed adults’ gestures to promote improved recognition, but this has not been done for children’s gestures in the same systematic manner. We present an analysis of gestures elicited from 24 children (age 5 to 10 years old) and 27 adults in which we calculate geometric, kinematic, and relative articulation features of the gestures. We examine the effect of user age on 22 different gesture features to better understand how children’s gesturing abilities and behaviors differ between various age groups, and from adults. We discuss the implications of our findings and how they will contribute to creating new gesture recognition algorithms tailored specifically for children.
Arquitectura del fotolibro: escritura e imagen

El articulo analiza una serie de fototextualidades de caracter experimental cuya logica a la vez niega y afirma la inconmensurabilidad entre escrituraliteraria e imagen fotografica. Tiene como objetivo explorar el funcionamientode formaciones intermediaticas que adoptan la forma de libro y son elresultado del cruce entre literatura, fotografia y vanguardia. Estos artefactosexperimentales cuestionan la nocion de la “ceguera” de la literatura, asi comola “referencialidad tautologica” de la fotografia. El ensayo se detiene en Prosadel observatorio, uno de los fototextos producidos por Julio Cortazar, comoaparato fototextual que se opone activamente a las relaciones dominantesentre palabra e imagen, caracterizadas por formatos que subordinan un medioal otro. Prosa del observatorio propone una poetica basada en el desplazamientoy la transformacion del sentido a lo largo de una serie abierta de significantesque crea un sistema de equivalencias entre el plano verbal y el visual,transformando el discurso poetico en discurso fotografico y viceversa. De esemodo, deconstruye las fronteras entre verbo e imagen, colapsando su funcionpoetica con su funcion fotografica como manifestaciones heterogeneas de laescritura, entendida como proceso de significacion que excede y subsume a laliteratura y la fotografia.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of magnetic resonance imaging-ultrasound fusion biopsy versus systematic transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy in diagnosing prostate cancer.

25Background: We sought to determine if the reported improved performance of magnetic resonance imaging-ultrasound (MRI-US) fusion biopsy over systematic transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy (TRUS) in the detection of prostate cancer justifies the added cost of the MR imaging. Methods: A decision-analytic Markov model with a lifetime horizon of 10 years was developed to evaluate diagnostic accuracy, long-term health outcomes, costs, and quality-of-life of two strategies (i.e., TRUS versus MRI-US fusion biopsy [prostate MRI followed potentially by MRI-US fusion biopsy]) as the initial diagnostic test in men with elevated prostate-specific antigen ( > 4 ng/ml) without prior evaluation. Probabilities of clinical events were obtained from published literature. Direct medical costs, including diagnostic and treatment-related costs, were derived from the Premier Hospital Database. Costs were inflated to 2015 US dollars and discounted at an annual rate of 3%. Health outcomes were measured in quality-adjusted lif...
Increased cerebrospinal fluid levels of GABA, testosterone and estradiol in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

STUDY QUESTION Do cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) differ in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as compared to eumenorrheic, ovulatory women (EW)? SUMMARY ANSWER Women with PCOS displayed higher CSF levels of GABA and E2, and possibly T, than EW. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY The chronic anovulation characteristic of PCOS has been attributed to increased central GnRH drive and resulting gonadotropin aberrations. Androgens are thought to regulate GABA, which in turn regulates the neural cascade that modulates GnRH drive. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This cross-sectional observational study included 15 EW and 12 non-obese women with PCOS who consented to a lumbar puncture in addition to 24 h of serum blood collection at 15-min intervals. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS In total, 27 women were studied at a the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at the University of Pittsburgh. Serum analytes included T, E2 and androstenedione. CSF analytes included GABA, glutamate, glucose, T and E2. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Women with PCOS had higher CSF GABA as compared to EW (9.04 versus 7.04 μmol/L, P < 0.05). CSF glucose and glutamate concentrations were similar between the two groups. CSF T was 52% higher (P = 0.1) and CSF E2 was 30% higher (P < 0.01) in women with PCOS compared to EW. Circulating T was 122% higher (P < 0.01) and circulating E2 was 75% higher (P < 0.01) in women with PCOS than in EW. LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION The study is limited by its small sample size and the technical limitations of measuring CSF analytes that are pulsatile and have short half-lives. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Women with PCOS displayed significantly higher circulating levels of T and E2, significantly higher CSF levels of E2, and higher levels of CSF testosterone, although the latter was not statistically significant. A better understanding of the central milieu informs our understanding of the mechanisms mediating increased the GnRH drive in PCOS and lends a new perspective for understanding the presentation, pathogenesis and potential health consequences of PCOS, including gender identity issues. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) No conflicts of interest. The study was funded by NIH grants to SLB (RO1-MH50748, U54-HD08610) and NIH RR-00056 to the General Clinical Research Center of the University of Pittsburgh. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT01674426.
The copy exactly! Evolution story: High reliability fungible output based solely upon matching

The Copy Exactly! methods have evolved throughout a twenty-five year journey from initial process tool configuration and bill of materials matching to include factory infrastructure, human factors, process controls, and process indicators matching. These methods have delivered high reliability across billions of microprocessors largely without dedicated reliability monitoring systems. How is this possible? CE! is an extensive system of matching that is integrated into the manufacturing network. Present day CE! 2.0, correlates development certification and process qualification data to high volume, online process control systems with inline quality and reliability monitoring. Online systems enable alternatives to traditional offline, ongoing reliability monitors which cannot detect problems close to the source nor time proximity with respect to occurrence of issues. We review these incorporations with a demonstration of results on Intel's 14nm logic technology across four factories.
Valence-band offsets of CoTiSb/In0.53Ga0.47As and CoTiSb/In0.52Al0.48As heterojunctions

The valence-band offsets, ΔEv, between semiconducting half-Heusler compound CoTiSb and lattice-matched III-V In0.53Ga0.47As and In0.52Al0.48As heterojunction interfaces have been measured using X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). These interfaces were formed using molecular beam epitaxy and transferred in situ for XPS measurements. Valence-band offsets of 0.30 eV and 0.58 eV were measured for CoTiSb/In0.53Ga0.47As and CoTiSb/In0.52Al0.48As, respectively. By combining these measurements with previously reported XPS ΔEv (In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As) data, the results suggest that band offset transitivity is satisfied. In addition, the film growth order of the interface between CoTiSb and In0.53Ga0.47As is explored and does not seem to affect the band offsets. Finally, the band alignments of CoTiSb with GaAs, AlAs, and InAs are calculated using the density function theory with the HSE06 hybrid functional and applied to predict the band alignment of CoTiSb with In0.53Ga0.47As and In0.52Al0.48As. Good ag...
Eed, a member of the Polycomb group, is required for nephron differentiation and the maintenance of nephron progenitor cells

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression has a crucial role allowing for the self-renewal and differentiation of stem and progenitor populations during organogenesis. The mammalian kidney maintains a population of self-renewing stem cells that differentiate to give rise to thousands of nephrons, which are the functional units that carry out filtration to maintain physiological homeostasis. The polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) epigenetically represses gene expression during development by placing the H3K27me3 mark on histone H3 at promoter and enhancer sites, resulting in gene silencing. To understand the role of PRC2 in nephron differentiation, we conditionally inactivated the Eed gene, which encodes a nonredundant component of the PRC2 complex, in nephron progenitor cells. Resultant kidneys were smaller and showed premature loss of progenitor cells. The progenitors in Eed mutant mice that were induced to differentiate did not develop into properly formed nephrons. Lhx1, normally expressed in the renal vesicle, was overexpressed in kidneys of Eed mutant mice. Thus, PRC2 has a crucial role in suppressing the expression of genes that maintain the progenitor state, allowing nephron differentiation to proceed.
Isomer Energy Differences for the C4H3 and C4H5 Isomers Using Diffusion Monte Carlo

A new diffusion Monte Carlo study is performed on the isomers of C{sub 4}H{sub 3} and C{sub 4}H{sub 5} emulating the methodology of a previous study [Int. J. Chem. Kinetics 33, 808 (2001)]. Using the same trial wave function form of the previous study, substantially different isomerization energies were found owing to the use of larger walker populations in the present work. The energy differences between the E and I isomers of C{sub 4}H{sub 3} were found to be 10.5 {+-} 0.5 kcal/mol and for C{sub 4}H{sub 5}, 9.7 {+-} 0.6 kcal/mol. These results are in reasonable accord with recent MRCI and CCSD(T) findings.
A History of Western Medicine, Labor, and Birth

There is an abundant literature on the history and medicalization of birth and reproduction, from conception, to the maternal body, to the labors of birth itself (see Davis-Floyd and Sargent 1997; Devries et al. 2001; Ehrenreich and English 1973; Graham and Oakley 1981; Martin 1992; Rapp 2000; Trevathan 1997). Much of this research examines the cultural-social dimensions of medicine and women’s bodies within the biomedical model. But there is a complex history that has shaped how western medicine views pregnancy, labor and the maternal body that this chapter aims to examine through a chronological history of childbirth and labor in the last three hundred years that has put in place a static and potentially problematic medicalized model of birth, which, as western medicine permeates all parts of the world is becoming globally accepted. This chapter focuses primarily on the United States, recognizing occasionally its connection with Europe.
Investigating the Pedagogy of Poverty in Inner-City Middle Level Schools.

AbstractWhile there have been several criticisms of the instructional approaches used in middle level classrooms, there have been very few empirical studies examining classroom instruction in inner-city middle level schools. In this study systematic classroom observations were conducted of 90 middle level teachers and 356 six- and eighth-grade students from 16 inner-city middle level schools. Data from these observations indicate that students are typically involved in whole-class instruction and not interacting with either their teacher or other students. Students rarely selected their own instructional activities, and they were generally very passive in the classroom, often just watching or listening to the teacher, even though they were found to be on task about 94% of the time. Teachers typically focused on the content of the task or assignment, responded to students' signals, communicated the task's procedures, and checked students' work. Teachers were observed spending very little time interacting w...
ASYMPTOTIC BEHAVIOR OF ASSET MARKETS: ASYMPTOTIC INEFFICIENCY

Publisher Summary There is an old intuition that opening new markets lead to a Pareto improvement of the equilibrium allocation. Hart has shown that this intuition is not always correct and that opening new markets may lead to a Pareto worsening of the equilibrium allocation. Despite Hart's examples, the intuition may persist that opening more markets should eventually be an improvement, and indeed that, as markets come closer to being complete, equilibrium allocations should become closer to Pareto-optimal allocations. This chapter describes a study of the asymptotic behavior of securities markets as the number of securities. The results show that equilibrium allocations of the securities markets need not converge to Pareto-optimal allocations and that such behavior is not at all pathological. Thus, a large but incomplete security market may not be a good approximation to a Walrasian market. Asymptotic inefficiency arises because some portfolios create liabilities that are unsatisfiable, given endowments and the constraints that terminal consumption be positive.
Hemiepiphysiodesis is a potentially effective surgical management for skeletally immature patients with patellofemoral instability associated with isolated genu valgum

Genu valgum is one of the well-known predisposing factors for patellofemoral instability. The study aims to investigate the outcomes of isolated hemiepiphysiodesis in the correction of genu valgum and in the management of recurrent patellofemoral instability. The hypothesis was that hemiepiphysiodesis alone would result in significant correction of genu valgum, thereby preventing recurrent patellofemoral instability. In the cohort study, all skeletally immature patients who underwent isolated hemiepiphysiodesis for recurrent patellofemoral instability were included. All patients included in the study had a minimum of 1-year follow-up duration prior to the conclusion of the study. Sixteen of twenty knees had no further patellofemoral instability post-operatively. The change in the status of patellofemoral instability was statistically significant (p = 0.001), similar to the change in the tibiofemoral angle (p = 0.015) and patellar tilt angle (p = 0.002). Comparison between patients with and without patellofemoral instability post-operatively revealed that the pre-operative patellar tilt angle (p = 0.005) and tibiofemoral angle (p = 0.001), post-operative patellar tilt angle (p = 0.004) and tibiofemoral angle (p = 0.027) as well as the change in patellar tilt angle (p = 0.001) and tibiofemoral angle (p = 0.001) were all significant predictors of the outcomes of genu valgum. Hemiepiphysiodesis is a potentially effective surgical management for skeletally immature patients with patellofemoral instability associated with isolated genu valgum. This is especially for patients who are skeletally immature and have sufficient remaining years for their genu valgum to be corrected using hemiepiphysiodesis. These patients also tended to have less severe genu valgum and patellar tilt angle, which could be corrected using hemiepiphysiodesis with the remaining years of growth. II.
Omnidirectional Multisensory Perception Fusion for Long-Term Place Recognition

Over the recent years, long-term place recognition has attracted an increasing attention to detect loops for largescale Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) in loopy environments during long-term autonomy. Almost all existing methods are designed to work with traditional cameras with a limited field of view. Recent advances in omnidirectional sensors offer a robot an opportunity to perceive the entire surrounding environment. However, no work has existed thus far to research how omnidirectional sensors can help long-term place recognition, especially when multiple types of omnidirectional sensory data are available. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to integrate observations obtained from multiple sensors from different viewing angles in the omnidirectional observation in order to perform multi-directional place recognition in longterm autonomy. Our approach also answers two new questions when omnidirectional multisensory data is available for place recognition, including whether it is possible to recognize a place with long-term appearance variations when robots approach it from various directions, and whether observations from various viewing angles are the same informative. To evaluate our approach and hypothesis, we have collected the first large-scale dataset that consists of omnidirectional multisensory (intensity and depth) data collected in urban and suburban environments across a year. Experimental results have shown that our approach is able to achieve multi-directional long-term place recognition, and identifies the most discriminative viewing angles from the omnidirectional observation.
Pairwise controllability and motion primitives for micro-rotors in a bounded Stokes flow

Micro-robots that can propel themselves in a low Reynolds number fluid flow by converting their rotational motion into translation have begun attracting much attention due to their ease of fabrication. The dynamics and controllability of the motion of such microswimmers are investigated in this paper. The microswimmers under consideration here are spinning spheres (or rotors) whose dynamics are approximated by rotlets, a singularity solution of the Stokes equations. While singularities of Stokes flows are commonly used as theoretical models for microswimmers and micro-robots, rotlet models of microswimmers have received less attention. While a rotlet alone cannot generate translation, a pair of rotlets can interact and execute net motion. Taking the control inputs to be the strengths of the micro rotors, the positions of a pair of rotors are not controllable in an unbounded planar fluid domain. However, in a bounded domain, which is often the case of practical interest, we show that the positions of the micro rotors are controllable. This is enabled by the interaction of the rotors with the boundaries of the domain. We show how control inputs can be constructed based on combinations of Lie brackets to move the rotors from one point to another in the domain. Another contribution of this paper is the creation of a framework for path planning and control of the motion of Stokes singularities that model the dynamics of microswimmers. This can be extended to microswimmers with other shapes moving in confined fluid domains with complex boundaries.
Shuffler: Mitigate Cross-VM Side-Channel Attacks via Hypervisor Scheduling

Cloud computing relies on resources sharing to achieve high resource utilization and economy of scale. Meanwhile, contention on shared resources opens doors for co-located virtual machines (VMs) to have negative impacts on each other, and even introduces vulnerabilities such as information leakage. For example, via CPU cache-based side-channel attacks, an attacker VM can extract crypto keys from a victim VM.
Promoting Consumer Engagement in Health and Health Care

The field of consumer health informatics evaluates the ways information and communications technologies enable people to make decisions about their health and health care. Digital health is an umbrella term for the industry that produces electronic technologies and tools—such as Web portals, mobile phones, sensors, and online social networks—that deliver services and help people manage their personal health and wellness. Together, consumer informatics and digital health are accelerating the transformation of the health care system from a transactional and disease-oriented biomedical model to a more integrated system that values teams, partnerships, and shared decision-making and supports people in achieving their personal health goals. This new pathway has been described as the democratization of health care, and it represents a convergence of several broader social and technological trends. Among these larger trends are the consumer movement; citizen science; evidence-based behavioral, cognitive, and social sciences; consumer electronics and wireless technology; health equity; human-centered design and usability; and health policy decisions about getting better value from health care spending. This chapter describes some of the key contributing influences and future implications of engaged consumers using digital technologies to improve their health and health care experiences. Perhaps the most compelling rationale for consumer health informatics is the opportunity to use digital technology to support the most personal aspects of well-being in the ways that matter the most to each of us.
Five New Records of Introduced Terrestrial Gastropods in Southern California Discovered by Citizen Science

Terrestrial gastropod inventories can be improved, both in scope and thoroughness, by including species observations made by citizen scientists. Few citizen science projects, however, focus on terrestrial gastropods and perhaps none has mobilized members of the public to survey the malacofauna of a major North American metropolitan area. Here we report first occurrence records of five introduced terrestrial gastropod species in the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in California, discovered by citizen science: Arion hortensis Ferussac, 1819, Cochlicella barbara (Linnaeus, 1758), Lauria cylindracea (Da Costa, 1778), Pupoides albilabris (C.B. Adams, 1841), and Xerotricha conspurcata (Draparnaud, 1801). Four of these taxa are known elsewhere in California and one, L. cylindracea, is a first occurrence record for the U.S.A. All were contributed to SLIME, a citizen science project and malacofaunal inventory of southern California initiated by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and hosted online by iNaturalist. Species identifications were made based on snail or slug morphology and collected specimens' COI barcoding sequences, which were compared to those in GenBank and BOLD databases. These discoveries demonstrate the efficacy of SLIME and the potential for molluscan-focused citizen science to detect and document land snail and slug taxa in a major metropolis.
A Framework for Parallel Graph Algorithm Design

We describe a graph search technique called open ear decomposition and its applicability in the design of algorithms for several connectivity problems on undirected graphs. All of these algorithms have optimal or efficient parallel and sequential implementations.
Businesses, Places, and Homicide: A Preliminary Empirical Examination

This paper empirically examines the relations between homicide rates by age (adults 18 to 24 and adults 25 or older), the tattoo shop density, on-site and off-site alcohol outlets, and disadvantage...
Two-Stage Redo Aortic Arch Repair in a Patient With an Isolated Left Vertebral Artery:

A 47-year-old male presented with an enlarging distal aortic arch false lumen 6 months status post ascending and hemiarch replacement with antegrade endograft insertion for acute type A aortic diss...
Effect of Baixiao moxibustion at meridian sinew nodal points on upper limb motor function in children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of Baixiao moxibustion at meridian sinew nodal points combined with routine rehabilitation on upper limb motor function in children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy. METHODS A total of 50 children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy were divided into control group and treatment group using a random number table, with 25 children in each group. The children in the control group were given routine rehabilitation training of the ipsilateral upper and lower limbs, and those in the treatment group were given Baixiao moxibustion at the meridian sinew nodal points of the ipsilateral upper limb in addition to the treatment in the control group, once a day and five times a week. Each course of treatment was 4 consecutive weeks, and both groups were treated for 3 courses. Before treatment and at weeks 4 and 12 of treatment, modified Ashworth score was used to evaluate muscle tension of the ipsilateral upper limb, and 88-item version of the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) and Carroll upper extremities functional test (UEFT) were used to assess the motor function of the ipsilateral upper limb. RESULTS At weeks 4 and 12 of treatment, both groups had a significant reduction in modified Ashworth score (P<0.05) and significant increases in GMFM-88 and UEFT scores (P<0.05). Both groups had significant changes in modified Ashworth score, GMFM-88 score, and UEFT score from week 4 to week 12 of treatment (P<0.05). Compared with the control group at week 12 of treatment, the treatment group had a significant reduction in modified Ashworth score (P<0.05) and significant increases in GMFM-88 and UEFT scores (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Baixiao moxibustion at meridian sinew nodal points can significantly improve the muscle tension and motor function of the ipsilateral upper limb in children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy, and the improvement becomes more apparent as the treatment lasts longer.
Markers of Myocardial Stress, Myocardial Injury, and Subclinical Inflammation and the Risk of Sudden Death

Background: The majority of sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs) occur in low-risk populations often as the first manifestation of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Biomarkers are screening tools that may iden...
Multiagent Task Allocation in Complementary Teams: A Hunter-and-Gatherer Approach

Consider a dynamic task allocation problem, where tasks are unknowingly distributed over an environment. This paper considers each task comprising two sequential subtasks: detection and completion, where each subtask can only be carried out by a certain type of agent. We address this problem using a novel nature-inspired approach called “hunter and gatherer.” The proposed method employs two complementary teams of agents: one agile in detecting (hunters) and another skillful in completing (gatherers) the tasks. To minimize the collective cost of task accomplishments in a distributed manner, a game-theoretic solution is introduced to couple agents from complementary teams. We utilize market-based negotiation models to develop incentive-based decision-making algorithms relying on innovative notions of “certainty and uncertainty profit margins.” The simulation results demonstrate that employing two complementary teams of hunters and gatherers can effectually improve the number of tasks completed by agents compared to conventional methods, while the collective cost of accomplishments is minimized. In addition, the stability and efficacy of the proposed solutions are studied using Nash equilibrium analysis and statistical analysis, respectively. It is also numerically shown that the proposed solutions function fairly; that is, for each type of agent, the overall workload is distributed equally.
A Framework to Quantify the Value of Operational Resilience for Electric Power Distribution Systems

Resilience to the high impact low probability (HILP) events due to extreme weather events is increasingly becoming critical for electric power distribution systems. It is essential to enhance the distribution system's resilience through appropriate operational planing measures such as infrastructure hardening and advanced restoration. Planning distribution system resilience calls for a quantitative metric that can not only model the impacts of non-deterministic catastrophic events but also evaluate the value of the services provided by different planning measures. This paper proposes a resilience metric that quantifies the value of operational resilience of distribution systems in terms of cost of customer interruption. A Monte Carlo based simulation framework is developed to model the probabilistic damage scenarios and to evaluate the resilience metric for different weather intensities. The proposed framework is demonstrated using IEEE 123- bus system.
Cultivating Compassionate Communication with Clinical Competence: Utilizing Human Simulation to Provide Constructive Feedback to Learners

This chapter examines clinical communication skills training in relation to the Compassion Crossroads in healthcare—the intersection in which genuine intent from healthcare providers to alleviate the suffering of ill people by communicating compassionately is often thwarted by outside influences including health systems. Chapter components are intended to equip SP Educators (SPEs) with the knowledge and practical tools necessary to train SPs to provide constructive feedback in support of learner communication skill development as they prepare to navigate the Compassion Crossroads. This chapter offers the following for use in training SPs to provide constructive feedback to learners: key definitions of common terms and concepts, a three-stage model for SP feedback training process, exercises and tips for use in SP feedback, and examples. Recognized communication skills assessment tools are also highlighted, as well as bias which is a critical area for SPEs to include in feedback training and routinely in all training. Additionally, the ASPE Standards of Best Practices applicable to Domain 3 are identified and discussed. Finally, it is common knowledge that familiarity with theatrical principles and pedagogy has been helpful to SPEs—both with and without performing arts backgrounds—in coaching SPs for years. So, we close with novel approaches that draw on theatre and performance pedagogy—including Medical Improvisation supported by program evaluation data—in partnership with SPs to support learners in honing their clinical communication skills. This is purposeful work as evidence shows SP feedback to learners makes a significant, beneficial impact in their learning. This is critical work. Once healthcare learners complete their formal education, it may be a long time or never again that they are observed and receive feedback on clinical communication skills from the patient perspective.
What are the masses of SNIb progenitors

The spectra, frequency, and spatial distribution of supernovae are all consistent with the hypothesis that SNIb have precursor masses m > 15 m⊙ and that SNII are produced by stars that have main-sequence masses in the range 8 < m ⩽ 15 m⊙.
The Transport of Neurosurgical Patients

Neurosurgical intensive care unit (NICU) patients require multiple transports for diagnostic studies and interventions over the course of their hospitalization. While the majority of these transports proceed uneventfully, they are fraught with potential risk, particularly in the setting of a rapidly deteriorating patient. Urgent transports are frequently required at night when staffing numbers and the experience of staff doing the transport may be less than during daytime shifts. Given the potential for patient injury, many institutions are now moving toward the establishment of a team of professionals who provide scheduled and emergent transport and continued care during invasive studies, an entirely new (and yet unrecognized) specialty of transport medicine.
Building Successful Student Learning Experiences Online

This chapter identifies challenges that students may face in their online courses. It also discusses specific strategies that online instructors can use to assist students with these challenges and help them to have a successful learning experience. These challenges and strategies are organized into five areas: readiness for online learning, technology issues, communication, study skills, and critical thinking skills.