cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of muscle function during locomotion: accommodating variable conditions

Much of what we know about animal locomotion is derived from studies examining animals moving within a single, homogeneous environment, at a steady speed and along a flat grade. As a result, the issue of how musculoskeletal function might shift to accommodate variability within the external environment has remained relatively unexplored. One possibility is that locomotor muscles are differentially recruited depending upon the environment in which the animal is moving. A second possibility is that the same muscles are recruited, but that they are activated in a different manner so that their contractile function differs according to environment. Finally, it is also possible that, in some cases, animals may not need to alter their musculoskeletal function to move under different external conditions. In this case, however, the mechanical behavior appropriate for one environmental condition may constrain locomotor performance in another. To begin to explore the means by which animals accommodate variable conditions in their environment, we present three case studies examining how musculoskeletal systems function to allow locomotion under variable conditions: (1) eels undulating through water and across land, (2) turkeys running on level and inclined surfaces, and (3) ducks using their limbs to walk and to paddle. In all three of these examples, the mechanical behavior of some muscle(s) involved in locomotion are altered, although to different degrees and in different ways. In the running turkeys, the mechanical function of a major ankle extensor muscle shifts from contracting isometrically on a flat surface (producing little work and power), to shortening actively during contraction on an uphill gradient (increasing the amount of work and power generated). In the ducks, the major ankle extensor undergoes the same general pattern of activation and shortening in water and on land, except that the absolute levels of muscle stress and strain and work output are greater during terrestrial locomotion. In eels, a transition to land elicits changes in electromyographic duty cycles and the relative timing of muscle activation, suggesting some alteration in the functional mechanics of the underlying musculature. Only by studying muscle function in animals moving under more variable conditions can we begin to characterize the functional breadth of the vertebrate musculoskeletal system and understand more fully its evolutionary design.
Population Differentiation in a Complex Bird Sound: A Comparison of Three Bioacoustical Analysis Procedures

We examined three bioacoustical analysis methods for comparing complex sounds among different populations. We chose the D-syllable of the chick-a-dee call of the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapilla) because it is a broadband sound representative of a class of vocalizations, common in many animals, that resists simple subjective classification for comparative studies. We examined the properties of the D-syllable in field-recorded samples from three different populations. The first method of data extraction sampled the amplitude values of a spectrum obtained in a single fast Fourier transform (SFFT) taken at the midpoint of each D-syllable using multi-speech software. The second method employed spectrogram cross-correlation (SPCC) to obtain a matrix of similarity values between D-syllables in the samples using canary software. The third method calculated similarity values obtained from the evaluation of four acoustic features of the D-syllables derived from multi-taper spectral analysis (MTSA) using sound analysis software. Following data extraction by these three techniques, we used multivariate statistical procedures to reduce the data for examination of differences among populations and to represent in scatter-plots the patterns of clustering of the sounds. We found that the SFFT in the middle of the D-syllable provided the poorest population discrimination following statistical processing, the SPCC method produced the next clearest population separation, and the MTSA method resulted in the most distinct separation of the three populations of D-syllables. In carrying out these comparisons, we discovered that the characteristic environmental noise of a recording area can influence the signal properties of broadband sounds being compared by automated procedures, and could lead to faulty conclusions unless appropriate care is taken to mitigate the noise in which the signals of interest are embedded. Consequently we re-analyzed our data following noise reduction and found less discrete population separation overall. However, the methods of SPCC and MTSA retained the ability to separate populations, with MTSA providing the sharpest discrimination among groups.
Constrained Cavitation and Fast Fracture at Metal-ceramic Interfaces at Elevated Temperatures

Processes that constrain or promote cavity growth and fast fracture at elevated temperatures are examined. Solutions are given for the stress caused by inhomogeneous deposition of matter in metal-ceramic and alumina grain boundaries and for the tensile stress near the top of a hemispherical pore during pore growth. Velocities of dislocation climb that could promote fast fracture are calculated for elastic stresses acting upon dislocations arising from both a crack tip and interface repulsion. The rates for the atomic diffusive processes and the magnitudes of stresses resulting from them are found to agree well with experimental rate of pore growth, and new data on pore growth and fracture at an aluminum-sapphire interface are presented.
The treatment of constipation with a new hydrasorbent material derived from kelp.

This is a report on the successful treatment of constipation with a new type of naturally occurring "hydrasorbent" anti-constipative derived from a form of kelp. Our study consisted primarily of the treatment of cases showing either proximal or distal colon stasis, and a combination of these. These conditions result in constipation due essentially to a derangement of the propulsive mechanism of the colon1• The classification recently published by Barowsky2 was used because the standard division of "constipation" into a spastic and an atonic category proved insufficient for this type of study. A painstaking diagnostic procedure enabled us to distinguish between constipation due to colonic stasis and that due to dyschezia or rectal stasis3, as well as to eliminate from consideration certain cases of pseudostasis or coprostasiophobia4 which neither need nor do well on bulk laxatives. Among the more important features in the treatment of uncomplicated constipation is a proper diagnosis, and the administration of a sufficient moist bulk to initiate the defecatory reflex. However, there are several types of laxatives which act through bulk production, such as the salines or osmotics, the true bulk materials such as psyllium seed extracts, cellulose and bran, which swell relatively little, and the "hydrasorbent" laxatives like methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, and alginates, which increase in bulk more than 20 times their original volume by absorbing water. A "hydrasorbent" anti-constipative, to be acceptably efficient, should be tasteless, possess a high swelling power, should not be absorbed nor exert any toxicity, and should be easily available and reasonable in price. Swelling should not occur in the stomach because the resultant bloating would interfere with appetite and result in discomfort. The mixture of alginate saltst used by us meets these requirements adequately. In addition, its swelling is superior to all other bulk laxatives whether derived of plant seeds, gum exudations, seaweeds or modified from cellulose, such as methylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose5• The "hydrasorbent" preparation used by us consisted of the calcium and sodium salts of alginic acid. The material was a readily wettable powder with
Secure and private sequence comparisons

We give an efficient protocol for sequence comparisons of the edit-distance kind, such that neither party reveals anything about their private sequence to the other party (other than what can be inferred from the edit distance between their two sequences - which is unavoidable because computing that distance is the purpose of the protocol). The amount of communication done by our protocol is proportional to the time complexity of the best-known algorithm for performing the sequence comparison.The problem of determining the similarity between two sequences arises in a large number of applications, in particular in bioinformatics. In these application areas, the edit distance is one of the most widely used notions of sequence similarity: It is the least-cost set of insertions, deletions, and substitutions required to transform one string into the other. The generalizations of edit distance that are solved by the same kind of dynamic programming recurrence relation as the one for edit distance, cover an even wider domain of applications.
Phenomenal Contrast Arguments for Cognitive Phenomenology

According to proponents of irreducible cognitive phenomenology some cognitive states put one in phenomenal states for which no wholly sensory states suffice. One of the main approaches to defending the view that there is irreducible cognitive phenomenology is to give a phenomenal contrast argument. In this paper I distinguish three kinds of phenomenal contrast argument: what I call pure—represented by Strawson's Jack/Jacques argument—hypothetical—represented by Kriegel's Zoe argument—and glossed—first developed here. I argue that pure and hypothetical phenomenal contrast arguments face significant difficulties, but that there is a sound glossed phenomenal contrast argument for irreducible cognitive phenomenology.
Throughput Analysis of a Randomized Sensing Scheme in Cell-Based Ad-Hoc Cognitive Networks

Cognitive radios have a great potential to improve spectrum utilization by enabling secondary (unlicensed) users to opportunistically access the spectrum without disturbing the primary (licensed) users' communication. However, to assure acceptable QoS for secondary users without interfering with primary users several challenges must be overcome under physical constraints. Because of hardware constraints, secondary users can only sense a limited number of spectrum channels. Therefore a secondary user must wisely select the channels to be sensed to increase it's likelihood for successful data transmission. However if a secondary user takes up a greedy approach and disregards other secondary users in its channel selection, the whole secondary network would suffer in terms of aggregate throughput. Also because of the autonomous nature of secondary users, the search policy must be as decentralized as possible, i.e. secondary users should need almost no information of one another to operate. In this work we propose a search policy for secondary users in a cell based ad-hoc network and evaluate its performance (total primary and secondary throughput) as a function of different system parameters.
Regulation of hematopoietic stem cells in the niche

Hematopoiesis provides a suitable model for understanding adult stem cells and their niche. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) continuously produce blood cells through orchestrated proliferation, self-renewal, and differentiation in the bone marrow (BM). Within the BM exists a highly organized microenvironment termed "niche" where stem cells reside and are maintained. HSC niche is the first evidence that a microenvironment contributes to protecting stem cell integrity and functionality in mammals. Although multiple models exist, recent progress has principally elucidated the cellular complexity of the HSC niche that maintains and regulates HSCs in BM. Here we introduce the development and summarize the achievements of HSC niche studies.
Topography and Reciprocal Activity of Cerebellar Purkinje Cells in the Uvula-Nodulus Modulated by Vestibular Stimulation

Fushiki, H. and N. H. Barmack. Topography and reciprocal activity of cerebellar Purkinje cells in the uvula-nodulus modulated by vestibular stimulation. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 3083–3094, 1997. In the...
Fybranta(R) — A New Approach to the Treatment of Idiopathic Hypercalciuria

Idiopathic hypercalciuria occurs in approximately 50–60% of patients with urolithiasis1. It has been shown that the stone recurrence rate can be reduced2 in the patients by significantly lowering their urinary calcium. Cellulose phosphate and thiazide diuretics have both been used successfully in the treatment of this condition1,3 They may be associated with side effects1, however, and long-term treatment requires supervision.
Enhanced electrical conductivity in a substitutionally doped spiro-bis(phenalenyl)boron radical molecular solid.

We report the crystallization of a subsitutionally doped organic conductor based on a host lattice composed of spiro-bis(phenalenyl)boron radicals. Co-crystallization of solutions of spiro-bis(9-oxidophenalenone)boron radical [PLY(O,O)]2B mixed with selected amounts of spiro-bis(9-oxidophenalenone)beryllium [PLY(O,O)]2Be leads to the formation of a series of solid-state solutions of composition [PLY(O,O)]2B(1–x)Bex. The dopant molecules [PLY(O,O)]2Be serve to introduce holes into the lattice of spins provided by the [PLY(O,O)]2B radicals and lead to a systematic increase in the conductivity while decreasing the activation energy of the conduction process and leaving the solid-state structure relatively unperturbed. While the energies of the hole sites are expected to be high, the results are consistent with the interpretation of the electronic structure of [PLY(O,O)]2B in terms of the resonating valence bond model.
Exploring the Commodity Approach in Developing Marketing Theory

Increasing attention is being given to the development of theory in marketing. Theorists have used functional, managerial, and institutional approaches with relatively little emphasis on the commod...
Endoscopic Management of Pancreaticobiliary Emergencies

Pancreaticobiliary disorders encompass a large and costly group of benign and malignant conditions, some of which can lead to life-threatening emergencies. For several decades, gastrointestinal endoscopy has continued to emerge as an important modality in the diagnosis and treatment of various pancreaticobiliary conditions and, in some emergent disorders, its role is well established. Herein, the endoscopic management of common pancreaticobiliary emergencies is outlined.
Fundamentals of Creep in Materials

Creep of materials is classically associated with time-dependent plasticity under a fixed stress at an elevated temperature, often greater than roughly 0.5 T m , where T m is the absolute melting temperature. The plasticity under these conditions is described for constant stress and constant strain-rate conditions. Several aspects of the curve require explanation. First, three regions are delineated: Stage I, or primary creep, which denotes that portion where the creep rate (plastic strain rate), ɛ ˙ = d ɛ /d t is changing with increasing plastic strain or time. The primary creep rate decreases with increasing strain, but with some types of creep, such as solute drag with “3-power creep,” an “inverted” primary occurs where the strain rate increases with strain. Analogously, under constant strain rate conditions, the metal hardens, resulting in increasing flow stresses. Often, in pure metals, the strain rate decreases or the stress increases to a value that is constant over a range of strain. The phenomenon is termed Stage II, secondary, or steady-state creep. Eventually, cavitation and/or cracking increases the apparent strain rate or decreases the flow stress. This regime is termed Stage III, or tertiary, creep and leads to fracture. Sometimes, Stage I leads directly to Stage III and an “inflection” is observed. Thus, care must sometimes be exercised in concluding a mechanical steady state.
Penelope Fitzgerald’s Human Voices: voice, truth and human fortitude

ABSTRACTThe essay examines the English novelist Penelope Fitzgerald’s 1980 novel Human Voices, itself focused upon the BBC in the first years of the Second World War. The novel makes certain claims regarding the BBC and truth-telling, during this period; and the essay examines these claims as well as attending to Fitzgerald’s sensitive representation of character. This representation is particularly mindful not only of the stresses placed upon character in wartime but also of the way in which the organisation, like others of its kind, found itself, almost despite itself, broadening its welcome not only to women but also to those whose class origins might once have been held against them.
The impact of tobacco exposure on development of otorrhea after myringotomy tube placement.

Abstract Introduction Otorrhea is a common sequela after myringotomy with tube placement (MTP). The purpose of this study was to identify any significant relationship between passive tobacco exposure and the development of post-tympanostomy tube otorrhea. Methods Retrospective chart review was performed on 774 cases of patients who underwent MTP by a single surgeon at a tertiary pediatric hospital from 2012 to 2014. Patients with multiple medical comorbidities, craniofacial anomalies, syndromes and those over 12 years of age were excluded. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine if there was a relationship between risk factors (including tobacco exposure, age, pre-operative diagnosis, operative findings and duration of follow-up) and the development of post-tympanostomy tube otorrhea. Results One hundred and ninety-one patients (average age of 1.92 years) were included. Overall, 16.8% of patients (32/191) had exposure to tobacco smoke. Of patients with passive smoke exposure, 65.6% (21/32) developed otorrhea, as compared to 45.3% (72/159) of those without tobacco exposure. Passive exposure to tobacco smoke by (OR = 2.307; p = 0.009; 95% CI, 1.734–6.028) and younger age ( p = 0.012; 95% CI, 0.602–0.938) were associated with increased risk for otorrhea. Discussion This study suggests that in a cohort of patients undergoing MTP, passive exposure to tobacco smoke significantly increases the risk of developing post-operative otorrhea. This information is valuable to include in parental preoperative counseling regarding tympanostomy tube placement.
Modeling the inherent optical properties of aquatic particles using an irregular hexahedral ensemble

Abstract A statistical approach in defining particle morphology in terms of an ensemble of hexahedra of distorted shapes is employed for modeling the Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) of aquatic particles. The approach is inspired by the rich variability in shapes of real aquatic particles that cannot be represented by one particular shape. Two methods, the Invariant Imbedding T-matrix (II-TM) and Physical Geometric Optics Hybrid (PGOH) method, are combined to simulate the IOPs for aquatic particles of sizes ranging from the Rayleigh scattering to geometric optics regimes. Nonspherical effects on the IOPs are examined by comparing the results with predictions based on the Lorenz-Mie theory to explore the limitations of assuming the particles to be spherical. We pay special attention to backscattering-related and polarimetric scattering properties, particularly the backscattering ratio, Gordon parameter, backscattering volume scattering function and the degree of linear polarization. The simulated IOPs are compared with the in-situ measurements to assess the feasibility of using a hexahedral ensemble in modeling the IOPs of the aquatic particles.
Uncertainty, polarization, and proposal incentives under quadratic voting

We consider the quadratic voting mechanism (Lalley and Weyl in Quadratic voting. Working paper, University of Chicago, 2015; Weyl in The robustness of quadratic voting. Working paper, University of Chicago, 2015) and focus on the incentives it provides individuals deciding what proposals or candidates to put up for a vote. The incentive compatibility of quadratic voting rests upon the assumption that individuals value the money used to buy votes, while the budget balance/efficiency of the mechanism requires that the money spent by one voter by redistributed among the other voters. From these assumptions, we show that it follows that strategic proposers will have an incentive to offer proposals with greater uncertainty about individual values. Similarly, we show that, in an electoral setting, quadratic voting provides an incentive to propose candidates with polarized, non-convergent platforms.
Forensic Investigation of Pavement: Practices in North America and a Pilot Investigation

AbstractState agencies/provinces and civil engineers must remain current in forensic pavement investigation procedures and inspection technologies to efficiently maintain public roads. Preliminary ...
THE NONSPECIFIC MEDIOTHALAMIC-FRONTOCORTICAL SYSTEM: ITS INFLUENCE ON ELECTROCORTICAL ACTIVITY AND BEHAVIOR

Publisher Summary Functional blockade at any point in the nonspecific thalamocortical system renders an animal unable to perform certain types of behavioral tasks. However, the blockade does not render the subjects totally unable to perform the tasks correctly if certain controls of the experimental situation are provided by the experimenter. This chapter illustrates some behavioral deficits that occur during a type of functional blockade. Whether the provided control is of the stimulus environment or the response choice, or both, is not certain. The nonspecific brain systems are activated by sensory stimuli in any modality because their components are organized in such a way that they have nonspecific irritabilities. The nonspecific thalamocortical system controls the electrical excitability of at least two sensory systems and perhaps all at both the thalamic and cortical levels. While the exact source and destination of the nonspecific thalamocortical system are not known, it is clear that in rats, cats, and monkeys, the dorsomedial nucleus and other portions of the midline thalamic nuclear group project via the inferior thalamic peduncle to the lateroventral and orbital surface of the frontal lobe. The surface-negative slow potential shift in the cortex—a response associated with the expectancy of presentation of a sensory stimulus—is abolished during blockade of the nonspecific thalamocortical system at the level of the inferior thalamic peduncle.
Ion exchange resin separation of calcium and strontium.

Calcium and Sr were separated on an Amberlite IR-120 resin column with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and Ca was determined spectrophotometrically and in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Calcium recovery from the CaEDTA complex was 85% at the 100 mu g level. Recoveries of Ca from the CaEDTA complex in the presence of large quantities of EDTA were improved with the addition of Cu chloride. Calcium and Sr were separated on the Amberlite IR-120 column; ammonium EDTA was used to elute the Ca. Recovery of Ca contaminated with 40% Sr was 100%. The remainder of the Sr, approximately 47%, was recovered free of Ca. A total of -86% of the Sr added was found. (auth)
Real-time foreground detection approach based on adaptive ensemble learning with arbitrary algorithms for changing environments

Abstract Foreground detection technologies have emerged as an important research area with increasing popularity of computer vision and camera devices. Even though several foreground detection approaches have been proposed, they cannot address various challenges in actual complex scenes owing to their applicability and restrictions. This study proposes a method that can integrate arbitrary detection technologies to detect foregrounds in real time, thereby improving overall detection performance of video-based systems. Moreover, the proposed approach can be fully initialized with initial foreground results, requires no training, and performs dynamic adjustments online, for every new frame. In this approach, critical weighted values are automatically calculated over time based on observed scenes for optimal flexibility and parameterization. Thus, the proposed method has the flexibility to accommodate any new technology to overcome the challenging problems of foreground detection in changing environments. Experimental results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed method is comparable to that of state-of-the-art methods and satisfies the requirements of real-time practical applications.
Platform Governance: Developing Collaborative Democracy

Democratic governance depends on robust public participation. Citizens are alienated from the institutions of government as meaningful public discourse and activity in the public sphere decrease. This article reflects critically on the institutional foundations of this alienation, arguing that the more direct democracy is, the more it can facilitate robust public speech and action. Governance platforms are proposed as a complement to traditional government institutions. Their capacity to facilitate meaningful civic engagement and to allow citizens to reclaim an active role in addressing public problems is explored, with particular emphasis on their potential to broaden opportunities to collaborate on public problems and make government more transparent.
Occupational Injuries and Work Place Violence

Occupational injuries and workplace violence are defined and discussed in terms of their nature, scope, and importance as public health problems. The public health approach to injury prevention is described and distinctions and commonalities between occupational and nonoccupational injuries presented. Also described are sources of occupational injury data; causal and risk factors; prevention strategies, including the Haddon Matrix and hierarchy of controls; and strategies for transferring injury prevention research results to workplace practice. Workplace violence discussions include the role of surveillance; risk factors; and prevention approaches, including legislative, administrative and behavioral, and environmental design approaches.
A precipitated iron Fischer-Tropsch catalyst for synthesis gas conversion to liquid fuels

A precipitated iron Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) catalyst with nominal composition 100 Fe/3 Cu/4 K/16 SiO 2 (in parts by weight) was tested in a stirred tank slurry reactor. The performance of this catalyst (activity and selectivity) under baseline activation (H 2 reduction at 240°C for 2 h) and process conditions (260°C, 1.48 MPa, 1.4 Nl/g-cat/h, H 2 /CO = 2/3) was found to be comparable to that of the best state-of-the-art iron F-T catalysts. In this study the repeatability of performance was demonstrated by performing multiple tests of the catalyst from the same preparation batch, whereas reproducibility of catalyst preparation procedure was demonstrated in tests of the catalyst from different batches. Catalyst productivity (i.e. reactor space-time-yield) was increased by 40% (relative to baseline process conditions) by increasing reaction pressure from 1.48 MPa to 2.17 MPa, while simultaneously increasing gas space velocity in order to maintain a constant contact time in the reactor. The intrinsic activity of the catalyst was increased up to 75% through the use of different pretreatment procedures. The catalyst productivity in run SA-2186 at 260°C, 2.17 MPa, 3.4 Nl/g-cat/h and H 2 /CO = 2/3 was 0.86 (g hydrocarbons/g-Fe/h) at syngas conversion of 79%, methane selectivity of 3% (weight percent of total hydrocarbons produced) and C 5 + hydrocarbon selectivity of 83 wt%. This represents a 75% increase in catalyst productivity relative to Rheinpreussen's slurry bubble column reactor. The yield of liquid and wax hydrocarbons in different tests of our catalyst was 80-89%, and the Anderson-Schulz-Flory parameter was 0.92-0.94 (high alpha catalyst). This catalyst is ideally suited for production of high quality diesel fuels via hydrocracking of the F-T wax product.
Macroscale: Macroclimatic Differentiation

We describe climate primarily in terms of temperature, movement, and water content of (and precipitation from) air masses. Our unique position in the solar system (and possibly throughout much of the universe) combined with our atmosphere enables water to exist on earth in all three states of liquid, solid, and gas. The water molecule is unusual in that its solid form is less dense than its liquid form. This enables ice to float, thus forming hugh masses at the poles that strongly affect climate. Climate is more heavily modified by the large land and water masses, the continents, and the oceans. Continental position and landforms, such as mountain chains, also modify climate.
Primary Prevention Mental Health Programs: The Future is Exciting

Current outcome research on primary prevention mental health programs is encouraging and the future is exciting. Data continue to accumulate regarding the efficacy of preventive intervention. Exemplary programs can prevent multiple problems across different outcome domains suggesting the need for collaboration among preventionists across disciplines and research areas. The commentators on our review (Durlak and Wells, 1997) offered many useful suggestions to improve the next generation of research. Most recommendations fall broadly under the rubric of increasing the precision of theory, design, and program evaluation. If current recommendations for improving future research are followed, the next reviewers of primary prevention mental health programs for children and adolescents will have a more complete and useful database for analysis.
Structural and Reduced-Form Models: An Evaluation of Current Modeling Criteria in Econometric Methods

Structural and Reduced-Form Models: An Evaluation of Current Modeling Criteria in Econometric Methods
A probabilistic model to estimate visual inspection error for metalcastings given different training and judgment types, environmental and human factors, and percent of defects

Abstract Current methods for visual inspection of cast metal surfaces are variable in both terms of repeatability and reproducibility. Because of this variation in the inspection methods, extra finishing operations are often prescribed; much of this is over processing in attempt to avoid rework or customer rejection. Additionally, defective castings may pass inspection and be delivered to the customer. Given the importance of ensuring that customers receive high-quality castings, this article analyzes and quantifies the probability of Type I and II errors, where a Type I error is a false alarm, and a Type II error misses a present defect. A probabilistic model frequently used in risk analysis, called an influence diagram, is developed to incorporate different factors impacting the chances of Type I and II errors. These factors include: training for inspectors, the type of judgment used during the inspection process, the percentage of defective castings, environmental conditions, and the inspectors’ capabilities. The model is populated with inputs based on prior experimentation and the authors’ expertise. The influence diagram calculates the probability of a Type I error at 0.35 and the probability of a Type II error at 0.40. These results are compared to a naive Bayes model. A manufacturer can use this analysis to identify factors in its foundry that could reduce the probability of errors. Even under the best-case scenario, the probability of Type I error is 0.18 and the probability of Type II error is 0.30 for visual inspection. This indicates improvements to the inspection process for cast metal surfaces is required.
When do crowds turn violent?: uncovering triggers from media

Mass gatherings often underlie civil disobedience activities and as such run the risk of turning violent, causing damage to both property and people. While civil unrest is a rather common phenomenon, only a small subset of them involve crowds turning violent. How can we distinguish which events are likely to lead to violence? Using articles gathered from thousands of online news sources, we study a two-level multi-instance learning formulation, CrowdForecaster, tailored to forecast violent crowd behavior, specifically violent protests. Using data from five countries in Latin America, we demonstrate not just the predictive utility of our approach, but also its effectiveness in discovering triggering factors, especially in uncovering how and when crowd behavior begets violence.
First description of the male of the linyphiid spider Disembolus corneliae (Chamberlin & Ivie, 1944) (Araneae, Linyphiidae)

The erigonine linyphiid genus Disembolus currently contains 24 described species (World Spider Catalog 2018). Disembolus was erected by Chamberlin and Ivie (1933) to accommodate their new species D. stridulans Chamberlin and Ivie from Utah. Since then, 23 species have been added to the genus. Chamberlin (1949) described D. zygethus Chamberlin, but the majority of species were added to the genus by Millidge (1981). Millidge (1981) described 16 species from museum specimens at the American Museum of Natural History and transferred five species from the genera Tapinocyba and Soudinus ( D. alpha (Chamberlin 1949), D. kesimbus (Chamberlin 1949), D. phanus (Chamberlin 1949), D. sacerdotalis (Crosby & Bishop 1933), and D. corneliae (Chamberlin & Ivie 1944)). The last species added to the genus was D. bairdi Edwards described by Edwards in 1999. Disembolus corneliae Chamberlin and Ivie was described from the female only by Chamberlin and Ivie (1944) as Soudinus corneliae . The species was then transferred to Disembolus by Millidge (1981). Herein, I describe the male of the species for the first time.
Investigating the Sleep–Pain Relationship in Youth with Sickle Cell Utilizing mHealth Technology

OBJECTIVES The current study utilized mHealth technologies that were objective (e.g., sleep actigraphy and pulse oximetry) and time-sensitive (e.g., ecological momentary assessments [EMAs]) to characterize sleep in youth with sickle cell disease (SCD) and investigate the relationships between sleep variables and pain. It also investigated the influence of age on sleep and the sleep-pain relationship. METHODS Eighty-eight youth with SCD (aged 8-17 years) were recruited from three regional pediatric SCD clinics. Youth completed twice daily EMAs for up to 4 weeks to assess nighttime subjective sleep quality and daily pain. They also wore a sleep actigraph for 2 weeks to assess sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and sleep latency, and a wrist-worn pulse oximeter for two nights to assess whether they had sleep apnea. Multilevel models were calculated predicting daily SCD pain using the sleep variables, age, and the interaction between age and the sleep variables. RESULTS None of the sleep variables were related to one another. Poor subjective sleep quality during the night was related to high pain severity the next day, and high pain was related to poor subjective sleep quality that night. Older age was associated with poorer subjective sleep quality, shorter duration of nighttime sleep, and high sleep latency. Also, findings indicated that as age increased, the strength of the relationship between poor continuous subjective sleep quality and high pain severity increased. CONCLUSIONS Future research is needed to examine possible mechanisms connecting subjective sleep quality to high pain.
Defining the Role of Lymphadenectomy for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: An Eight-Institution Study of 695 Patients from the US Neuroendocrine Tumor Study Group

Preoperative factors that reliably predict lymph node (LN) metastases in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) are unclear. The number of LNs needed to accurately stage PanNETs has not been defined. Patients who underwent curative-intent resection of non-functional PanNETs at eight institutions from 2000 to 2016 were analyzed. Preoperative factors associated with LN metastases were identified. A procedure-specific target for LN retrieval to accurately stage patients was determined. Of 695 patients who underwent resection, 33% of tumors were proximal (head/uncinate) and 67% were distal (neck/body/tail). Twenty-six percent of patients (n = 158) had LN-positive disease, which was associated with a worse 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS; 60% vs. 86%; p < 0.001). The increasing number of positive LNs was not associated with worse RFS. Preoperative factors associated with positive LNs included tumor size ≥ 2 cm (odds ratio [OR] 6.6; p < 0.001), proximal location (OR 2.5; p < 0.001), moderate versus well-differentiation (OR 2.1; p = 0.006), and Ki-67 ≥ 3% (OR 3.1; p < 0.001). LN metastases were also present in tumors without these risk factors: < 2 cm (9%), distal location (19%), well-differentiated (23%), and Ki-67 < 3% (16%). Median LN retrieval was 13 for pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), but only 9 for distal pancreatectomy (DP). Given that PD routinely includes a complete regional lymphadenectomy, a minimum number of LNs to accurately stage patients was not identified. However, for DP, removal of less than seven LNs failed to discriminate 5-year RFS between LN-positive and LN-negative patients (less than seven LNs: 72% vs. 83%, p = 0.198; seven or more LNs: 67% vs. 86%; p = 0.002). Tumor size ≥ 2 cm, proximal location, moderate differentiation, and Ki-67 ≥ 3% are preoperative factors that predict LN positivity in resected non-functional PanNETs. Given the 9–23% incidence of LN metastases in patients without such risk factors, routine regional lymphadenectomy should be considered. PD inherently includes sufficient LN retrieval, while DP should aim to remove seven or more LNs for accurate staging.
Negotiating the Democratic Paradox: Approaches Drawn From Governance Efforts on Yellowstone River

We propose to analyze perspectives on watershed governance articulated by community leaders along the Yellowstone River (Montana, U.S.A.). These leaders framed watershed governance as a process of negotiating tensions between individual rights and equality, embracing diverse viewpoints, and acknowledging the constant presence of change. We used informant directed interviews, and analyzed the resulting discourse from the theoretical perspective of Chantal Mouffe’s democratic paradox, which provides insight into governance dynamics and suggests ways to provide more meaningful engagement opportunities for all participants. The paradox between liberty and equality is both difficult and important for civic leaders to negotiate. Failure to recognize the centrality of this paradox encourages practices that attenuate democracy and lead to either autocracy, where a single individual or party controls all important political matters, or mobocracy, where lawlessness and chaos prevail. These civic officials struggled to develop a pluralistic democracy that could legitimize heterogeneous perspectives of residents. Their version of pluralistic democracy offers a model for negotiating the democratic paradox. It is critical for democratic governance to build approaches to orderly change into a political system. These leadership struggles offer lessons regarding ways to position all citizens inside the borders where moral values and rules of fairness apply.
Probabilistic Reliability Evaluation Including Adequacy and Dynamic Security Assessment

The growing penetration of variable renewable sources and the competitive power system environment make the application of probabilistic reliability techniques all the more important. Although probabilistic methods have been widely used in resource adequacy assessment, using probabilistic methodologies for reliability evaluation including system dynamic security need to be investigated. This paper proposes a probabilistic methodology for integrated reliability evaluation considering resource adequacy and dynamic security assessment in a unified framework. Sequential Monte Carlo simulation (SMCS) is chosen because of its ability to consider time-varying sequential characteristics. By using an optimization model, which minimizes load curtailment for adequacy assessment, and representing stability preserving protection systems in security assessment, the proposed approach gives quantitative integrated reliability evaluation results. In addition, two acceleration methods are introduced to improve computational efficiency. The proposed approach is demonstrated on a synthetic test system and the results illustrate the efficacy of an integrated reliability evaluation approach.
An Improved Approach to Iterative Learning Control for Uncertain Systems

For iterative learning control (ILC) algorithms to date, there is a fundamental tradeoff between plant model knowledge and convergence rate in the iteration domain. This article presents a new fast ILC (FILC) method that uses a novel error term in the ILC learning law based on techniques from sliding mode control (SMC). The input signal is guaranteed to remain bounded in the time and iteration domains and is insensitive to noise due to the unique structure of the FILC learning algorithm. Moreover, the FILC approach does not require end-user tuning of arbitrary gains, which is useful for uncertain systems with significant uncertainty. The stability and convergence properties for the FILC system are presented using the Lyapunov analysis techniques. Simulation and experimental system results on a manufacturing system compare FILC with the existing ILC techniques and demonstrate that FILC achieves improved iteration convergence while retaining stability when plant uncertainty is high.
Generalized Statistical Label Fusion using Multiple Consensus Levels

Segmentation plays a critical role in exposing connections between biological structure and function. The process of label fusion collects and combines multiple observations into a single estimate. Statistically driven techniques provide mechanisms to optimally combine segmentations; yet, optimality hinges upon accurate modeling of rater behavior. Traditional approaches, e.g., Majority Vote and Simultaneous Truth and Performance Level Estimation (STAPLE), have been shown to yield excellent performance in some cases, but do not account for spatial dependences of rater performance (i.e., regional task difficulty). Recently, the COnsensus Level, Labeler Accuracy and Truth Estimation (COLLATE) label fusion technique augmented the seminal STAPLE approach to simultaneously estimate regions of relative consensus versus confusion along with rater performance. Herein, we extend the COLLATE framework to account for multiple consensus levels. Toward this end, we posit a generalized model of rater behavior of which Majority Vote, STAPLE, STAPLE Ignoring Consensus Voxels, and COLLATE are special cases. The new algorithm is evaluated with simulations and shown to yield improved performance in cases with complex region difficulties. Multi-COLLATE achieve these results by capturing different consensus levels. The potential impacts and applications of generative model to label fusion problems are discussed.
Mechanics of topologically interlocked material systems under point load: Archimedean and Laves tiling

Abstract Topologically interlocked material systems are two-dimensional assemblies of unit elements from which no element can be removed from the assembly without disassembly of the entire system. Consequently, such tile assemblies are able to carry transverse mechanical loads. Archimedean and Laves tilings are investigated as templates for the material system architecture. It is demonstrated under point loads that the architecture significantly affects the force-deflection response. Stiffness, load carrying capacity and toughness varied by a factor of at least three from the system with the poorest performance to the system with the best performance. Across all architectures stiffness, strength and toughness are found to be strongly and linearly correlated. Architecture characterizing parameters and their relationship to the mechanical behavior are investigated. It is shown that the measure of the smallest tile area in an assembly provides the best predictor of mechanical behavior. With small tiles present in the assembly the contact force network structure is well developed and the internal load path is channeled through these stiffest components of the assembly.
Effect of the Smart Moms intervention on targeted mediators of change in child sugar-sweetened beverage intake

Abstract Objective Few parent-targeted interventions have examined the mechanisms of action by which the intervention changes child behavior. The purpose of this study was to test the theoretical and behavioral mediators of the Smart Moms intervention on changes in child sugar-sweetened beverage and juice (SSB/juice) consumption. Study design This is a secondary mediation analysis of data from a 6-month randomized controlled trial (N = 51 mother-child dyads) of a mobile phone–based program to reduce child SSB/juice intake compared with a waitlist control group. Methods Linear mixed models compared changes in intervention targets from baseline to 3 months between treatment groups. Intervention targets that changed significantly between groups were tested in a multiple mediation model to evaluate their significance as mediators of change in child SSB/juice at 6 months. Results Maternal beverage consumption but no other behavioral or theoretical intervention targets mediated the effect of the intervention on the reduction in child SSB/juice at 6 months. There were few mediators of the intervention on child SSB/juice change. Conclusion Greater longitudinal research is needed to understand predictors of child dietary changes to inform future intervention efforts. In addition, a greater focus on the measurement of theoretical constructs in family-based child obesity prevention research is needed.
Childhood Friendship Experiences and Cognitive Functioning in Later Life: The Mediating Roles of Adult Social Disconnectedness and Adult Loneliness.

Background and objectives This study investigated the relationship between childhood friendships and cognitive functioning, as assessed with cognitive status and decline among adults aged 45 and older in China. We also examined the mediating effect of adult social disconnectedness and adult loneliness for this relationship. Research design and methods This study was based on 3 waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS; 2011, 2013, 2015; N = 13,959). Cognitive functioning was assessed with episodic memory. Childhood friendship measures were taken from the 2014 life history module of the CHARLS. Two dimensions of adult social isolation, loneliness and social disconnectedness, were included as mediators. Latent growth curve modeling was utilized to test the associations between childhood friendships, adult social isolation, and cognitive functioning. Results Adverse childhood friendship experiences were found to be significantly associated with both lower initial cognitive status and the rate of decline in cognitive functioning. Our findings indicated that adult loneliness and social disconnectedness partly mediated the link between childhood friendship experiences and the initial level of cognitive functioning, but not cognitive decline later in life. Discussion and implications The findings emphasized the enduring importance of childhood friendships for cognitive functioning later in life. Interventions that focus on improving social participation through fostering friendships in childhood may have long-term benefits for cognition later in life.