cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human Neuroscience and the Aging Mind: A New Look at Old Problems

In this article, marking the 65th anniversary of the Journal of Gerontology, we offer a broad-brush overview of the new synthesis between neuroscientific and psychological approaches to cognitive aging. We provide a selective review of brain imaging studies and their relevance to mechanisms of cognitive aging first identified primarily from behavioral measurements. We also examine some new key discoveries, including evidence favoring plasticity and compensation that have emerged specifically from using cognitive neuroscience methods to study healthy aging. We then summarize several recent neurocognitive theories of aging, including our own model-the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition. We close by discussing some newly emerging trends and future research trajectories for investigating the aging mind and brain.
The Grammars of Trust: A Model and General Implications

In this article we contend that trust can be conceptualized as four distinct and ordered forms—shallow dependence, shallow interdependence, deep dependence, and deep interdependence—determined by the nature of the interdependence between trusting parties. We argue that both the risks that trusting parties assume and the mechanisms for mitigating those risks emerge as a function of the form of interdependence in the relationship. By reviewing research in which trust is a central component, we illustrate the elements of this model and examine its implications.
Predictors for the development of severe tricuspid regurgitation with anatomically normal valve in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background and Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) may be a risk factor for severe functional tricuspid valve regurgitation (FTR). We aimed to determine the predictors of severe FTR in patients with AF. Methods and Results: From our echocardiographic laboratory database, we searched for and reviewed the medical records of consecutive patients with severe FTR and AF seen at Mayo Clinic in Arizona from 2002 through 2009. Our search identified 42 patients who met all inclusion criteria. These patients (cases) with severe FTR and AF were compared with 38 patients (controls) with AF who had no greater than mild tricuspid regurgitation. Case patients with severe FTR were older than controls (mean, 81 years vs. 76 years; P < 0.001) and more frequently had chronic AF (69% vs 26%; P < 0.001). Mean right atrial volume (86 mL/m2 vs 46 mL/m2; P < 0.001), right ventricular volume (42 mL ± 33 mL vs 22 mL ±8 mL; P < 0.001) and tricuspid annular diameter (3.6 cm vs 3.0 cm; P < 0.001) were larger in cases than in controls. Patients with severe FTR also had a higher prevalence of right-sided heart failure (69% vs 16%; P < 0.001). After adjusting for age and gender, right atrial and right ventricular volumes were independent predictors for the development of severe FTR in patients with AF (odds ratio, 1.7 [95% CI, 1.3–2.8] for every 10 mL/m2 increase in right atrial volume; P = 0.0002 and odds ratio, 3.1 [95% CI, 1.5–8.9] for every 10 mL increase in right ventricular volume; P = 0.0002). Conclusions: Severe FTR occurs in older patients with chronic AF as a result of marked right atrial and right ventricular dilatation; and enlargement of the tricuspid annulus in the absence of pulmonary hypertension. More importantly, severe FTR leads to increased prevalence of right-sided heart failure underscoring the nonbenign nature of chronic AF. (Echocardiography 2012;29:140-146)
Incidence and Management of Post-Lobectomy and Pneumonectomy Bronchopleural Fistula

Bronchopleural fistula is a rare but potentially fatal complication of pulmonary resections and proper management is essential for its resolution. In this study, we analyzed the incidence of fistula after pulmonary resection and reported data about endoscopic and conservative treatments of this complication. From January 2003 to December 2013, 835 patients underwent anatomic lung resections: 786 (94.1 %) had a lobectomy and 49 (5.9 %) a pneumonectomy. Bronchopleural fistula was suspected by clinical signs and confirmed by endoscopic visualization. Eighteen patients (2.2 %) developed a bronchopleural fistula, 11 in lobectomy group (1.4 %) and 7 in pneumonectomy group (14.3 %). The fistula size ranged between <1 mm and 6 mm and mean time of fistula onset was 33.9 ± 54.9 days after surgery. Of 18 patients who developed fistula, one died due to acute respiratory failure and another one was reoperated and then died to causes unrelated to the treatment. All the remaining 16 patients were treated with a conservative therapy that consisted in keeping or replacing a drainage chest tube. Nine of them underwent also endoscopic closure of the fistula using biological or synthetic glues. The mean period of time elapsed for the resolution of this complication was shorter with combined (conservative + endoscopic) than with conservative treatment alone (15.4 ± 13.2 vs. 25.8 ± 13.2 days, respectively), but without significant difference between the two methods (p: 0.299). Endoscopic therapy, associated with a conservative treatment, is a safe and useful option in the management of the postoperative bronchopleural fistula.
Optimizing the use of topical agents in psoriasis.

Abstract The vast majority of patients with psoriasis have localized disease that is manageable by topical therapy alone, and patients with more severe disease still require topical treatment for plaques that persist despite effective systemic treatment or phototherapy. Nevertheless, little attention today is paid to topical therapy, including new topical treatments.This article briefly addresses key issues that can adversely affect the use of and compliance with currently available topical treatments, as well as new and emerging topical agents for psoriasis.
Transport Properties of Granular Nix(SiO2)100-x Thin Films

We have studied the electrical transport behavior of sputter deposited Nix(SiO2)100-x thin films between room temperature and 100 mK and, at selected temperatures, in applied magnetic fields up to 6 T. As the Ni concentration x is reduced, the resistivity increases systematically. At a Ni concentration (nominal) of about x-70 atomic percent (38 volume percent) the room temperature coefficient of resistivity changes sign. For Ni concentrations greater than 70 percent the resistance first decreases with temperature then increases logarithmically at, low temperatures. This increase becomes smaller and the resistivity minimum moves to progressively lower temperatures as the Ni concentration increases. In films with less than x-70 percent Ni, the resistivity has a temperature dependence of the form {ie129-1} between room temperature and about 5 K. The exponent a is about 1/2 and To increases with decreasing Ni content. Below 1 K, however, the resistivity increases much less rapidly, with a temperature dependence independent of Ni concentration. In all films the magnetoresistance is small and negative.
Topological variations of the PDP ligand and its prospects in molybdenum(0) dearomatization agents.

The compounds fac-(κ3-PDP)Mo(CO)3 {1; PDP = 2-[[2-(1-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)pyrrolidin-2-yl)pyrrolidin-1-yl]methyl]pyridine}, [(cis-β-PDP)Mo(NO)(CO)]PF6 ([cis-β-3]PF6), [(cis-α-PDP)Mo(NO)(CO)]PF6 ([ci...
Assembly Faults Diagnosis Using Neural Networks and Process Knowledge

Traditional manufacturing process fault monitoring and detection methodologies have been based on Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts and rules. In most cases, SPC is used to detect a fault or an out-of-control condition while fault diagnosis relies on operator expertise to identify the potential root causes. Current sensor developments allow for the acquisition of large amounts of data from parts and processes in a manufacturing environment. In addition, new modeling tools have increased the efficiency and accuracy of process modeling, providing useful knowledge about product-processes interaction. This paper presents a new methodology for fault diagnosis using a Feed Forward Back-Propagation Neural Network. The proposed neural network is trained using process knowledge and then applied to the detection of manufacturing process faults. The methodology results in a modified control chart that uses measurement data from the assembly components and plots an indicator representing the presence or absence of a predefined fault. Two case studies are presented: a diagnosis system for fixture faults in a generic assembly process, and a diagnosis tool for fault detection and identification in an automobile door assembly.© 2007 ASME
Allantoxanamide-induced myocardial necrosis in Sprague-Dawley vs spontaneously hypertensive rats.

AbstractMale and female, virgin and breeder, Sprague-Dawley (S-D) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were treated with allantoxanamide which is purported to be a potent hyperuricemia-inducing agent. After 4 weeks of treatment, slight hyperuricemia was observed in breeder SHR and S-D rats which naturally are prone to have kidney stones and high urate levels. All of the allantoxanamide-treated rats manifested severe myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, fatty infiltration of the liver, hyperglycemia, subnormal corticosterone secretion, concomitant with hypersecretion of aldosterone, adrenocortical hemorrhage, and thymus gland involution. It is suggested that allantoxanamide has a hepatotoxic effect causing impaired steroid conjugation which exacerbates the hyperaldosteronism which accompanies myocardial damage and congestive heart failure. The etiology of the myocardial necrosis is an enigma.
Cross-cultural Studies: Construction of Dialogue Among Various Cultures

This paper discusses the cultural pluralism in the era of economic globalization and gives a warning against the imposition of Cultural Hegemony,with an emphasis on the importance of integration of various cultures,and of the construction of dialogue among different cultures.
Educated and At-Risk: How the Shortage of Available Partners Influences HIV Risk for College-Educated African-American Women.

Abstract Background African-Americans have the greatest gender-ratio imbalance compared to other racial groups in the United States. This has been associated with higher rates of concurrent sexual partnerships, increasing risk of HIV infection. College-educated African-American women are of particular interest as they are not often represented in studies on HIV prevention, while their dating and sexual negotiation patterns may differ from those of their lower-educated and lower-income counterparts more often the subject of study in HIV research among African-Americans. Method In this qualitative study, we investigate: a) how the gender-ratio imbalance is perceived by college-educated African-American women, b) how they feel limited partner availability impacts heterosexual relationships in the African-American community, and c) the influence this has on their sexual decision making and HIV protective behaviors. Results Four major themes emerged- Limited pool of available male partners, Pressure to get married, Feelings of competition among women for male partners, and Men's negotiating power in relationships. Conclusions Using the PEN-3 Cultural Model, we discuss how this information may be used to develop interventions for this group of women designed to address their more specific barriers to HIV risk reduction.
The Emergence of Partisans and Terrorists: How Enemies of the State Mold Public Action

The changing status and capacity of enemies of the state play an important role in the evolution of the securitization of the state. Examining how enemies of the state mold state action, this article uses Foucault's concern with governmentality and Schmitt's theory of the partisan to describe how and where agencies have begun to manage closed and open spaces. From this administrative angle, the interplay between these two ideas sheds light on how administrators devise disciplinary and security-based measures. This article more fully describes the dynamic of how administrators have countered active threats by constructing closed spaces designed to discipline and operating in open spaces designed to exclude. The execution and interaction of extending mechanisms of control and calculation to closed and open spaces not only provide enhanced protection but also threaten the fruition of constitutional and democratic values in the twenty-first century.
Physical properties of solid molecular dispersions of indomethacin with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl-acetate) in relation to indomethacin crystallization.

Purpose. To measure solid-state features of amorphous molecular dispersions of indomethacin and various molecular weight grades of poly(vinylpyrrolidone), PVP, and poly(vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinylacetate), PVP/VA, in relation to isothermal crystallization of indomethacin at 30°C
Interaction of Lumbricus terrestris with macroscopic polyethylene and biodegradable plastic mulch

Abstract Polyethylene mulch films used in agriculture are a major source of plastic pollution in soils. Biodegradable plastics have been introduced as alternative to commonly-used polyethylene. Here we studied the interaction of earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) with polyethylene and biodegradable plastic mulches. The objective was to assess whether earthworms would select between different types of mulches when foraging for food, and whether they drag macroscopic plastic mulch into the soil. Laboratory experiments were carried out with earthworms in Petri dishes and mesocosms. The treatments were standard polyethylene mulch, four biodegradable plastic mulches (PLA/PHA [polylactic acid/polyhydroxy alkanoate], Organix, BioAgri, Naturecycle), a biodegradable paper mulch (WeedGuardPlus), and poplar litter, which served as control. Four and three replicates for the Petri dish and mesocosm experiments were used, respectively. Macroscopic plastic and paper mulch pieces (1.5 cm × 1.5 cm and 2 cm × 2 cm) were collected from an agricultural field after a growing season, after being buried in the soil for 6 and 12 months, and after being composted for 2 weeks. We found that earthworms did not ingest polyethylene. Field-weathered biodegradable plastic mulches were not ingested either, however, after soil burial and composting, some biodegradable plastics were eaten and could not be recovered from soil any longer. Earthworms, when foraging for food, dragged plastic mulch, including polyethylene and biodegradable plastic, and poplar leaves into their burrows. The burial of macroscopic plastic mulch underground led to a redistribution of plastics in the soil profile, and likely enhances the degradation of biodegradable mulches in soil, but also can lead to leaching of plastic fragments by macropore flow.
Exploring the use of adaptive gradient methods in effective deep learning systems

Successful applications of Deep Learning have brought about breakthroughs in natural language understanding, speech recognition, and computer vision. One of the major challenges of designing powerful Deep Learning solutions for tasks such as image classification and text parsing, however, is the difficulty of training Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) properly. Recent research has raised serious doubts about the use of adaptive gradient methods, which have been popularized for running faster and requiring less parameter tuning than nonadaptive gradient methods. A recent study shows that adaptive gradient methods are worse than nonadaptive gradient methods in terms of training loss and test error. In this paper, we aim to revisit this problem, evaluating several nonadaptive and adaptive gradient methods including a recently-proposed adaptive gradient algorithm, AMSGrad, which seeks to solve some of the problems present in previous adaptive gradient methods. We focus on the benchmark MNIST optical character recognition task, one of the most widely-used in machine learning research, to investigate the differences in using adaptive gradient methods and nonadaptive gradient methods to train DNNs.
Circumstellar Masers in the Galactic Center

Blind and targeted surveys for maser emission (OH, H2O, and SiO) in the central degree (≤ 150 pc) of the Galactic center will be discussed, with the emphasis on masers in OH/IR stars. Using the masers, some recent clues about the kinematics and evolution of the central part of the Milky Way galaxy will be given. An outlook toward measuring proper motions and individual stellar orbits in the nucleus of the Galaxy with, for example, the new VERA array will be presented
COMPUTER-AIDED PREDICTION OF SHEET METAL MANUFACTURING PROCESSES AND ITS EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION

ABSTRACT An interactive computer software package that predicts the degree of success or failure of formed sheet metal parts at the design stage is applied to several production parts. Given the material, the rate of deformation, the geometry and loading boundary conditions, the program computes the distribution of major and minor strains in the formed part. Concurrently, the limiting strain forming limit diagrams corresponding to the particular material are computed based on the defect growth model. The computed strain distribution is then directly displayed graphically on the forming limit diagram so that any design and processing changes could be readily made at the computer terminal. Several examples of computed results are presented which, in turn, are directly compared with the measured strain distributions obtained from the circular grid technique. Included in the experimental work are an aluminum-killed steel, enameling iron, and high strength steel sheets. Although the present analysis is limited to axisymmetric cases, the results demonstrate the utility of such an integrated computer analysis method to wider ranges of geometries. KEYWORDS, Metal stamping analysis, computer-aided-engineering, sheet metal forming, software package, forming limits, steels, material modeling.
Methodology of Buddhist Biomedical Ethics

In many Buddhist texts, the Buddha2 is called “the king of physicians” or “the master of medicaments” ([6], pp. 10–19; [13], p. 14; [30], p. 44; [32], pp. 36–37),3 and the teaching of the Buddha is referred to as medicine or health ([26], Vol. I, pp. 508–510; [28], Vol. I, p. 169; Vol. II, pp. 155, 178; [47], Vol. II, pp. 187–190). One of the earliest Buddhist texts records that the Buddha himself stated that he was “the incomparable doctor” ([43], 560). In general, the way of Buddhism is “giving a specific medicine for a specific illness” or “taking out pain and giving ease.”
Cultivation of Local Botanical Knowledge or Knowledge of Nature Using Interdisciplinary, Innovative, and Mind/Brain-Based Techniques

The lack of botanical knowledge or local knowledge of nature in children has profound implications for our society and the world. Science standards in K–12 curricula typically focus on big-picture concepts. This leaves decisions for inclusion of local knowledge (including botanical) of nature up to the individual teacher. General plant sciences are relegated to one of a few grade levels or the discretion of the teacher. Though only a handful of studies have been conducted, botanical knowledge or local knowledge of nature is also missing in undergraduate students. To illustrate potential pathways for initiating change, this chapter provides justification for its inclusion as well as tying specific innovative examples of botanical education that is based on the core concepts and competencies written by Open Science Network in Ethnobiology and are, therefore, authentic, problem based, experiential, and immersive in the local learning environment that is the student’s place. These claims are informed by the current research in mind, brain, and education (MBE) and the emerging field of neuro-education as well as (1) the Next Generation Science Standards K–12 (NGSS) by the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); (2) Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biological Education by AAAS and the National Science Foundation; (3) Vision and Change for Undergraduate Ethnobiology Education in the USA, informed by the development of number 2; and (4) How People Learn by the National Research Council (Brown and Cocking, How people learn, 2000).
Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus

Squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus is among the world’s 10 most frequent malignancies.
Primitive Recursive Arithmetic and Its Role in the Foundations of Arithmetic: Historical and Philosophical Reflections

We discuss both the historical roots of Skolem’s primitive recursive arithmetic, its essential role in the foundations of arithmetic, its relation to the finitism of Hilbert and Bernays, and its relation to Kant’s philosophy of mathematics.
The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire: Statistical Considerations for Improved Clinical Application:

The interpersonal theory of suicide (ITS) has accumulated empirical support; however, less research has investigated the clinical utility of ITS constructs in suicide risk assessment. The current study sought to increase the clinical utility of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ), an assessment of thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB), among 318 adult psychiatric outpatients while considering statistical methodology (i.e., multicollinearity and partialling). Results emphasized PB in the prediction of concurrent desire for death/suicide when TB was simultaneously considered. The interaction between TB and PB did not enhance prediction of concurrent desire for death/suicide. Independently, PB was a stronger predictor than TB of concurrent desire for death/suicide in the total sample and gender subsamples. Estimated probabilities of concurrent desire for death/suicide across INQ scores and preliminary INQ clinical cutoff scores are provided to enhance clinical application. These findings suggest the INQ could provide valuable information for suicide risk assessment and conceptualization.
Self-reported insomnia symptom, sleep duration and the risk of recurrent falls among older men and women.

To examine the risk of recurrent falls among older adults with insomnia symptoms and abnormal sleep duration. The risk of falls was significantly higher among older women who reported insomnia symptoms along with short sleep duration. Insomnia symptoms along with a measure of sleep duration may be a more accurate indicator of risk for falls among older women than insomnia symptoms or sleep duration alone. Previous studies have reported conflicting results on the association between sleep disturbance and recurrent falls. The objective of the current study was to examine the risk of recurrent falls among community-dwelling older adults who reported one or more insomnia symptoms along with normal, short and long sleep durations in comparison with those who reported no insomnia symptom and normal sleep duration. Secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study. Community. 2198 community-dwelling older adults who participated in the National Health and Aging Trends Study at round 3 and round 4 follow-up visits. Data on self-reported sleep characteristics, demographic characteristics, health and memory status, and depression symptom collected at round 3 and round 4 follow-up visits, and corresponding data on falls that was collected at round 4 and round 5 follow-up visits. Risk of recurrent falls significantly increased among women who reported insomnia symptom with short sleep duration. No significant association was observed among men. One or more insomnia symptoms with a measure of sleep duration may be a more accurate indicator of adverse outcomes associated with sleep disturbance than either insomnia symptom or sleep duration alone. The mechanism underlying gender-specific association reported in the current study merits further investigation.
Assessing the effects of modeling the spectrum of clinical symptoms on the dynamics and control of Ebola.

Abstract Mathematical modelers have attempted to capture the dynamics of Ebola transmission and to evaluate the effectiveness of control measures, as well as to make predictions about ongoing outbreaks. Many of their models consider only infections with typical symptoms, but Ebola presents clinically in a more complicated way. Even the most common symptom, fever, is not experienced by 13% of patients. This suggests that infected individuals could be asymptomatic or have moderately symptomatic infections as reported during previous Ebola outbreaks. To account crudely for the spectrum of clinical symptoms that characterizes Ebola infection, we developed a model including moderate and severe symptoms. Our model captures the dynamics of the recent outbreak of Ebola in Liberia. Our estimate of the basic reproduction number is 1.83 (CI: 1.72, 1.86), consistent with the WHO response team’s estimate using early outbreak case data. We also estimate the effectiveness of interventions using observations before and after their introduction. As the final epidemic size is linked to the timing of interventions in an exponential fashion, a simple empirical formula is provided to guide policy-making. It suggests that early implementation could significantly decrease final size. We also compare our model to one with typical symptoms by excluding moderate ones. The model with only typical symptoms overestimates the basic reproduction number and effectiveness of control measures, and exaggerates changes in peak size attributable to the timing of interventions. In addition, uncertainty about how moderate symptoms affect the basic reproduction number is considered, and PRCC (Partial rank correlation coefficient) is used to analyze the global sensitivity of relevant parameters. Possible control strategies are evaluated through numerical simulations and sensitivity analysis, indicating that simultaneously strengthening contact-tracing and effectiveness of isolation in hospital would be most effective. In this study, we show that asymptomatic Ebola infections may have implications for policy-making.
“Cowboy” and “Cowgirl” Programming: The Effects of Precollege Programming Experiences on Success in College Computer Science

This study examines the relationship between students' pre-college experience with computers and their later success in introductory computer science classes in college. Data were drawn from a nationally representative sample of 10,197 students enrolled in computer science at 118 colleges and universities in the United States. We found that students taking introductory college computer science classes who had programmed on their own prior to college had a more positive attitude toward computer science, lower odds of dropping out, and earned higher grades, compared with students who had learned to program in a pre-college class, but had never programmed on own, or those who had never learned programming before college. Moreover, nearly half of the effect on final grades was mediated by a positive attitude toward computing.
Enlarging the Domain of Attraction of the Local Dynamic Mode Decomposition with Control Technique: Application to Hydraulic Fracturing

The local dynamic mode decomposition with control (LDMDc) technique combines the concept of unsupervised learning and the DMDc technique to extract the relevant local dynamics associated with highly nonlinear processes to build temporally local reduced-order models (ROMs). But the limited domain of attraction (DOA) of LDMDc hinders its widespread use in prediction. To systematically enlarge the DOA of the LDMDc technique, we utilize both the states of the system and the applied inputs from the data generated using multiple “training” inputs. We implement a clustering strategy to divide the data into clusters, use DMDc to build multiple local ROMs, and implement the k-nearest neighbors technique to make a selection among the set of ROMs during prediction. The proposed algorithm is applied to hydraulic fracturing to demonstrate the enlarged DOA of the LDMDc technique.
Equivalence of an infinite one-dimensional ionic crystal to a simple electrostatic model

Abstract It is observed that the electrostatic potential created by the ions of an infinite one-dimensional ionic crystal at the position of a reference ion (for instance, a positive ion) is equivalent to the electrostatic potential created at the same point by a system of two identical uniformly charged straight wires each containing a charge equal to the opposite charge of the reference ion. The distance of the closest point of each wire relative to the reference ion and the length of the wires is equal to the distance separating any two adjacent ions in the regular lattice.
Caribbean-Latin@s: A Crisscrossing and Dislocating Narrative

This review looks at Vanessa Perez Rosario' volume Hispanic Caribbean Literature of Migration. Narratives of Displacement (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) and its contributions to both Caribbean and Latino/a Studies.
IoT and the Risk of Internet Exposure: Risk Assessment Using Shodan Queries

Since its introduction several years ago, Shodan has been used in several research projects related to security assessment of IoT devices publicly facing the Internet. Despite the fact that many of the queries that can expose those devices are publicly known, yet subsequent assessments continue to indicate the existence of instances of those vulnerabilities. In this paper, we conducted a remote security assessment based on an extended dataset from original public Shodan queries (with known terms to expose vulnerabilities). Based on our own assessment for the terms in the public Shodan queries, we updated the list to cover other important query terms that were reported for remote back-door access. Results showed that many of those public queries in the original Shodan list can still exploit several systems and devices facing the Internet. Similarly, many of the newly added queries indicate existing vulnerabilities in some live systems in the US in particular and also worldwide. Vulnerabilities related to default or trivial passwords in IoT devices were reported in SHINE and other assessment projects. Nonetheless, many of those vulnerabilities that are easy to fix, still exist in publicly visible IoT devices.
A Model-Driven Framework for Ensuring Role Based Access Control in IoT Devices

Ensuring security and privacy of IOT devices and the associated/ dependent complex and critical systems is certainly a major concern, especially after proliferation of IoT devices in variety of domains in current era. A considerable level of security can be achieved in these systems using the techniques of Role Based Access Control (RBAC). In contrast to Discretionary Access Control (DAC) where personal identity of the owner/ user matters, RBAC grants access permissions on the basis of roles of the user. Due to the inherent complexity associated with ensuring security in IoT devices and related systems/ services, a level of abstraction is required in the development process, in order to better understand and develop the system accordingly by integrating all the security aspects. This level of abstraction can be achieved by developing the system as per the concepts of Model Driven Development (MDD). In this paper, techniques of Model Driven Architecture (MDA)/ MDD has been used to propose such a Framework/ Meta-Model, which ensures RBAC in order to access the services associated with IoT devices. The proposed Meta-Model can be further extended for the model-based development and automation of such a system that ensure RBAC for IoT devices. Validity of proposed Meta-Model has been proved by creating an M1 level Instance Model of a real-world case study. Results prove, that the proposed Meta-Model is capable to be transformed into a reliable system that ensures RBAC in IoT devices.
Modeling alloy catalyst surfaces and bimetallic catalyst particles

A model for the qualitative prediction of surface segregation in alloy systems is presented. A quasi-chemical thermodynamic approach Is used in the development of the model and a multi-layered surface region is assumed. Features of this model include multlcomponent capability and Incorporation of surface free energy data. No adjustable parameters are needed. The Ag-Au, Cu-Nl, and Au-Nl binary systems were studied as well as the Cu-Nl-Pt ternary system. Silver was predicted to segregate to the outermost atomic layer in the Ag-Au binary and surface layers were found to be alternately enriched or depleted in silver (relative to the bulk region). Good agreement was found between predicted first layer silver compositions and Auger data. In the Cu-Nl binary, copper was predicted to segregate to the outermost atomic layer and decrease in concentration in a monotonie fashion until the bulk composition was reached. Both regular and Margules solution models were used In this alloy with the Margules model agreeing better with experimental data. The segregating element In the Au-Nl binary was found to be gold. Greater segregation of gold and better agreement with experimental data resulted when the size differences between the elements were accounted for. In the Cu-Nl-Pt system, copper was predicted to segregate to the surface causing a relative depletion of both nickel and platinum in the first atomic layer.
Electrodeposition as a Powerful Tool for the Fabrication and Characterization of Next-Generation Anodes for Sodium Ion Rechargeable Batteries

As the number of markets, as well as the overall market size, for rechargeable batteries continues to grow, it is clear that there is no one perfect battery to suit every application. In the best case, we would have batteries that store a very large amount of energy per unit mass or volume (energy density), can charge and discharge very quickly (power density), can cycle many times with very low loss of efficiency (cycle life), and are safe. Ideally, such a battery would be made from Earth-abundant, recyclable, sustainably mined or made materials, and could be scaled using inexpensive, safe manufacturing. There is, as of now, no such battery. Because we do not have a battery that is one size fits all, the wide range of potential applications for energy storage is a significant driving force for discovering and implementing a diversity of new battery chemistries to meet a wide range of requirements. In this Interface article, we describe the use of electrodeposition as a synthesis method for battery materials to enable and accelerate the design, understanding, and optimization of electrodes for sodium ion and sodium metal rechargeable batteries for applications where cost is more important than the overall weight of the battery.
Safety and Efficacy of TIPS as a Bridge to Liver Transplantation in Two Cases of Severely High MELD Patients With Variceal Bleeding.

ABSTRACT Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is well established as a salvage therapy for refractory esophageal variceal hemorrhage (EVH). A more controversial issue is the upper limit of Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores at which this procedure can be performed safely. We present 2 cases of TIPS performed for EVH in patients with severely high MELD scores as a successful intervention for hemostatic and hemodynamic stabilization, and as a bridge to urgent liver transplantation. Both patients had endoscopically confirmed EVH with high blood product transfusion and vasopressor needs despite standard medical therapy. Each received narrow bore TIPS at MELD 42 and 44, respectively, with subsequent resolution of hemorrhage despite worsening synthetic liver function. Detrimental consequences of metabolic acidosis associated with minimal residual hepatic function were avoided via continuous renal replacement therapy and mechanical ventilation, with a goal to maintain cardiopulmonary stability and favorable acid base balance. Liver transplant followed TIPS 4 and 3 days, respectively, with both patients maintaining good functional status at discharge. Both cases suggest that in patients deemed otherwise appropriate for liver transplantation, a severely high MELD score alone should not preclude TIPS as salvage therapy for refractory EVH bleeds.
Cyto-histological aspects of haploid androgenesis when obtaining haploids/doubled haploids in rice (Oryza Sativa l.) anther culture in vitro

The aim of the study was to study the development of rice microspores in anther culture in vitro , study the structure of androclinic callus to identify cyto-embryological features of the formation of morphogenic structures in anther culture, obtain doubled rice haploids (Oryza sativa L .) and accelerate the development of valuable breeding material with desired properties. Within the framework of this study, the results of a cyto-histological study of rice haploid androgenesis in vitro were obtained, which indicate that it is induced under the influence of phytohormones from rice anther microspores at the mononuclear or early binuclear stage of development. The abnormal development of microspores on nutrient media with phytohormone 2,4-D was traced, in which nuclei, having lost their characteristic functions, acquired the ability to unlimited division and growth with the formation of microcallus. The morphological structure of calli was assessed. The main morphotypes of callus tissues and the pathways of morphogenesis, leading to the formation of androgenic structures, up to full-fledged regenerant plants, were identified. Homozygous androgenic lines based on F1 and BC1 - rice generations obtained in the course of hybridization and backcrossing between Chinese samples carrying blast resistance genes and Russian accessiond were rapidly developed.
Intra-dorsolateral striatal AMPA receptor antagonism reduces binge-like alcohol drinking in male and female C57BL/6J mice.

Abstract The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is involved in addiction, reward, and alcohol related behaviors. The DLS primarily receives excitatory inputs which are gated by post-synaptic AMPA receptors. We antagonized AMPA receptors in the DLS to investigate how such modulation affects binge-like alcohol drinking in male and female C57BL/6J mice and whether an associated alcohol drinking history alters dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and DLS AMPA receptor expression. We also investigated the effect of intra-DLS NBQX on locomotor activity and saccharin drinking in mice. Mice were allowed free access to 20% alcohol for two hours each day for a total of seven days. Mice received an intra-DLS infusion of one of four concentrations of NBQX (saline, 0.15, 0.5, or 1.5 μg/side), an AMPA receptor antagonist, immediately prior to alcohol access on day 7. Two-hour binge alcohol intakes, locomotor activity, and blood alcohol concentrations were determined. Intra-DLS NBQX reduced binge-like alcohol drinking in a U-shaped manner in male and female mice. Intake predicted blood alcohol concentration, and locomotor activity was not affected. In a follow up experiment, we assessed whether the most effective NBQX concentration for reducing alcohol consumption also reduced saccharin drinking, finding intra-DLS NBQX did not alter saccharin drinking in male and female mice. These data suggest that AMPA receptors in the DLS play a role in the modulation of binge-like alcohol drinking. These findings further validate the importance of the DLS for alcohol related behaviors and alcohol use disorder.
CamSense: A camera-based contact-less heart activity monitoring

Abstract Remote Photoplythysmograpy (rPPG) systems enable contactless heart activities (heart rate, heart rate variability) monitoring by estimating Photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal, blood’s volumetric variation in the skin tissues, leveraging the occurred diffused reflection from the exposed skin in skin video. They can primarily monitor heart activities using off-the-shelf video sensors while ensuring the safety of concerned individuals during contagious diseases. However, developing the rPPG systems is challenging due to the marginal presence of PPG signal in the video stream, data variations, limited and noisy rPPG data. In this regard, we propose an end-to-end deep learning-based approach for camera-based contactless sensing CamSense for recovering PPG signals from consecutive raw video frames. Firstly, we design and validate a personalized model to bypass data variation and noise across data collection with a modified objective function under realistic settings. Secondly, we explore and design multi-task learning (MTL) network to address the rPPG data variabilities for learning generalized rPPG representations. We also propose a transfer learning approach that integrates an efficient weight initialization to scale the rPPG systems under different domains and settings for fast and generalized training and inferences. Finally, we offer a new dataset, MPSC-rPPG dataset, containing multiple RGB videos and corresponding PPG ground truth for end–end rPPG network training. We evaluate CamSense on two public datasets and our MPSC-rPPG dataset across multiple subjects and heterogeneous camera sensors such as DSLR and near-infrared sensors with different ground truth provider PPG sensors (wrist, finger) to showcase its’ generalizability. We further validate our components’ design choices by performing ablation studies using different settings. Our developed model approximates accurate PPG signals with an average root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.08, 0.10, and 0.06 for personalized models, MTL model, and transfer learnings on the held-out test videos.
A Video Microscopy System for Teaching and Casework

This paper discusses an inexpensive video microscopy system built around a high-resolution, solid-state color camera. The system includes a VHS-format videocassette recorder, a color monitor, and a home computer to provide titling and other data input. The entire system is mounted on a small table designed as a personal-computer workstation so that it can be moved to different locations within the laboratory.
Kinetic Studies of the Interaction of Methyl Orange with β-Lactoglobulin between pH 3.7 and 2.0

Abstract Temperature jump studies of aqueous β-lactoglobulin have been conducted between pH 3.7 and 2.0, where a reversible dissociation of the protein into two identical subunits has been reported to occur, using methyl orange as an indicator. Two relaxation processes have been observed, both of which can be attributed to intramolecular interactions between the indicator dye and protein rather than to the monomer-dimer equilibrium.
Body Mass Index and Sociodemographic Predictors of School Lunch Purchase Behavior during a Year-Long Environmental Intervention in Middle School.

Modifying the school food environment is on the national agenda as one strategy to improve the nutritional quality of children’s diets. Because few environmental-level interventions have been rigorously evaluated, the evidence base to inform programs and policies is limited. Of concern is the impact that changes to cafeteria offerings will have on participation in school meal programs. This study evaluates school lunch participation in the setting of a year-long middle school cafeteria intervention by examining the association between body mass index (BMI), sociodemographics, and the purchases of school lunch meals. IMOVE meals were healthier choices that met stringent nutritional criteria and were offered alongside standard lunch meals. Students who were overweight had a significantly higher purchase rate for both types of meals compared to those with a healthy BMI. Non-white race, younger age, being male, and low-income status were also significantly associated with participation in school lunch. Results indicate that nutritionally vulnerable students participate in school lunch and are equally likely to buy healthy alternatives or standard meals. This behavioral observation has important implications for school foodservice programs and policies. These results are timely given recent federal legislation to improve the school food environment to influence students’ food choice behaviors.
Elder Rights: The Next Civil Rights Movement

Keynote address for a symposium entitled "Aging in the U.S.: The Next Civil Rights Movement?" Argues that elder rights can – and should – be the United States' next civil rights movement, and discusses the value of applying a civil rights perspective to the aging experience.
Multistate Tax Planning: Benefits of Multiple Jurisdictions and Tax Planning Assistance

This paper investigates corporate income tax planning at the state level. Specifically, we examine whether certain firm-specific characteristics ? the number of states in which corporations file tax returns and their state apportionment factors ? impact firms' overall state tax burdens. The analysis is based on confidential survey data from firms included in the IRS's Coordinated Examination Program that are rich in certain state-related data not available publicly for individual firms. We find that firms' state tax burdens decrease then increase in the number of states in which they file returns and are minimized at an estimated 21 states. Using the best available data to explore firm-level apportionment opportunities, we find our proxy for sales factor apportionment is related to lower state tax burdens, although this result is sensitive to sample composition. With regard to investments in state tax planning, we find that the average payoff of 100 to 1 is much higher than has been previously documented for federal tax planning.
Preliminary report on a program for generating natural language

A program framework has been designed in which the linguistic facts and heuristics necessary for generating fluent natural language can be encoded. The linguistic data is represented in annotated procedures and data structures which are designed to make English translations of already formulated messages given in a primary program's internal representation. The messages must include the program's intentions in saying them, in order to adequately specify the grammatical operations required for a translation. The pertinant questions in this research have been: what structure does natural language have that allows it to encode mutifaceted messages; and how must that structure be taken into account in the design of a generation facility for a computer program. This paper describes the control and data structures of the design and and their motivation. It is a condensation of my Master's Thesis , to which the reader is retered for further information. Work is presently underway on implementing the design in LISP and developing a grammar for use in one or more of the domains given below.
Detecting the unexpected in photointerpretation.

A methodology for measuring photointerpretation performance from a single glance at a novel scene is presented. Subjects attempted to detect the presence or absence of a target. object, specified in advance by the object's name, from a cued position in a 150-ms flash of a line drawing of a real-world scene. The cue, a dot, was presented immediately after the presentation of the scene, so that the subjects were uncertain as to the position of the cued object. Miss rates as a function of distance of the cued position from central fixation, target size, and degree of target camouflage were determined. The experiment also explored how these functions varied with objects that were in unexpected locations, such as a sofa floating in a street scene. Objects in these locations violated the usual constraints which characterize the organization of real-world scenes. Large, uncamouflaged targets in a normal relation to their context suffered only modestly from the effects of increasing distance from fixation. But ta...