cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A sandwich ELISA for properdin in clinical specimens

Abstract We have developed a symmetrical sandwich ELISA for measuring human properdin (P) in serum by using the globulin fraction from a commercial antiserum as the capture antibody adsorbed on the plastic. The detecting reagent was a glutaraldehyde conjugate of this Ig fraction with alkaline phosphatase. Two types of inhibition were observed in this study. First, inhibition was observed when > 2.5 μ g/ml of the globulin fraction was used to coat the plates. A second type of inhibition was observed for serum dilutions 405 =0.2. A sample of pooled normal human serum was run on each plate as a reference; it was assigned a titer of 100 ELISA units/ml (EU/ml). The titers of the unknown samples were expressed in terms of EU/ml by reference to this standard. For purified P, the assay could readily detect 10 ng/ml. By comparing purified P with our reference serum pool, we found that 1 EU equals 0.57 μg. Day-to-day variation for a group of nine normal sera showed a mean difference of −0.85 EU/ml, SD 5.85 EU/ml. The mean titer for these normal sera was 78.9 EU/ml, SD 15.7 EU/ml. In three recovery experiments in which purified P was mixed with pooled normal serum, the recoveries ranged from 96 to 117%. We conclued that the sandwich ELISA constitutes an adequate immunochemical assay for human P in serum specimens.
Southern Hemisphere Cloud–Dynamics Biases in CMIP5 Models and Their Implications for Climate Projections

AbstractThis study quantifies cloud–radiative anomalies associated with interannual variability in the latitude of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) midlatitude eddy-driven jet, in 20 global climate models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). Two distinct model types are found. In the first class of models (type I models), total cloud fraction is reduced at SH midlatitudes as the jet moves poleward, contributing to enhanced shortwave radiative warming. In the second class of models (type II models), this dynamically induced cloud radiative warming effect is largely absent. Type I and type II models have distinct deficiencies in their representation of observed Southern Ocean clouds, but comparison with two independent satellite datasets indicates that the cloud–dynamics behavior of type II models is more realistic.Because the SH midlatitude jet shifts poleward in response to CO2 forcing, the cloud–dynamics biases uncovered from interannual variability are directly relevant for cli...
Process‐governed changes in the temporal properties of ordered recalls

Pollio, H. R., Linder, W. & Foote, R. A. Process-governed changes in the temporal properties of ordered recalls. Scand. J. Psychol., 1973, 14, 114–120.-Two different experiments were run in which Ss were given a large number of recall trials involving binary digits. Half of the Ss were taught a binary coding rule while half were not. As expected, Rule Ss showed consistently more extended recalls and tended to produce temporal output protocols mirroring the structural properties imposed by the coding rule. Present results were compared to results obtained from other free recall studies and led to the conclusion that human Ss when allowed by stimulus or task constraints always structure recall in whatever way they can and that the specific details of how recall is accomplished must always be specific to the particular combination of subjects, materials, and task constraints used in any given experiment.
A stochastic model for the optimal control of epidemics and pest populations

Abstract The growth of epidemics, bacteria, pests, and other biological populations has often been described by both deterministic and stochastic models. Recently, theoretical work has been done to develop the models incorporating control and, with explicit cost functions, to find optimal control strategies. A birth-and-death process is assumed to describe a stochastic population process. Continuous-time control rules of stopping action type are considered as representing the harvesting, curing, or killing of a segment of the population. The optimal timing and magnitude of the control policy is found to minimize the average cost criterion. Several simplified examples along with extension of the basic model are presented.
Correlations of two excited electrons

Advances over the last twenty years are reported, with the emphasis on describing correlations through the distribution of an electron pair's wavefunction in its configuration space. The symmetry of the Schrodinger equation and its eigenfunctions are thus viewed and found to be important. The radial correlations are more significant for the mechanics of the pair than the angular correlations. Connections with other approaches to the subject are described. Earlier studies concerning doubly excited helium and the hydrogen negative ion are related to Wannier's threshold law (1953) for ionisation by electron collision, but these two subjects are not yet fully connected. Recent studies on the alkaline earths and helium negative ion are described and viewed as a prelude to a renewed analysis and interpretation of the optical spectra and electron collisions for atoms with partially filled valence shells, which afford ample opportunity for the manifestation of strong correlations.
Finding deep compiler bugs via guided stochastic program mutation

Compiler testing is important and challenging. Equivalence Modulo Inputs (EMI) is a recent promising approach for compiler validation. It is based on mutating the unexecuted statements of an existing program under some inputs to produce new equivalent test programs w.r.t. these inputs. Orion is a simple realization of EMI by only randomly deleting unexecuted statements. Despite its success in finding many bugs in production compilers, Orion’s effectiveness is still limited by its simple, blind mutation strategy. To more effectively realize EMI, this paper introduces a guided, advanced mutation strategy based on Bayesian optimization. Our goal is to generate diverse programs to more thoroughly exercise compilers. We achieve this with two techniques: (1) the support of both code deletions and insertions in the unexecuted regions, leading to a much larger test program space; and (2) the use of an objective function that promotes control-flow-diverse programs for guiding Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) optimization to explore the search space. Our technique helps discover deep bugs that require elaborate mutations. Our realization, Athena, targets C compilers. In 19 months, Athena has found 72 new bugs — many of which are deep and important bugs — in GCC and LLVM. Developers have confirmed all 72 bugs and fixed 68 of them.
States of Curiosity Modulate Hippocampus-Dependent Learning via the Dopaminergic Circuit

People find it easier to learn about topics that interest them, but little is known about the mechanisms by which intrinsic motivational states affect learning. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate how curiosity (intrinsic motivation to learn) influences memory. In both immediate and one-day-delayed memory tests, participants showed improved memory for information that they were curious about and for incidental material learned during states of high curiosity. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results revealed that activity in the midbrain and the nucleus accumbens was enhanced during states of high curiosity. Importantly, individual variability in curiosity-driven memory benefits for incidental material was supported by anticipatory activity in the midbrain and hippocampus and by functional connectivity between these regions. These findings suggest a link between the mechanisms supporting extrinsic reward motivation and intrinsic curiosity and highlight the importance of stimulating curiosity to create more effective learning experiences.
Structural Reliability Estimation with Vibration-Based Identified Parameters

This paper presents a unique structural reliability estimation method incorporating structural parameter identification results based on the seismic response measurement. In the shaking table test, a three-bent concrete bridge model was shaken to different damage levels by a sequence of earthquake motions with increasing intensities. Structural parameters, stiffness and damping values of the bridge were identified under damaging seismic events based on the seismic response measurement. A methodology was developed to understand the importance of structural parameter identification in the reliability estimation. Along this line, a set of structural parameters were generated based on the Monte Carlo simulation. Each of them was assigned to the base bridge model. Then, every bridge model was analyzed using nonlinear time history analyses to obtain damage level at the specific locations. Last, reliability estimation was performed for bridges modeled with two sets of structural parameters. The first one was obtained by the nonlinear time history analysis with the Monte Carlo simulated parameters which is called nonupdated structural parameters. The second one was obtained by updating the first set in Bayesian sense based on the vibration-based identification results which is called updated structural parameters. In the scope of this paper, it was shown that residual reliability of the system estimated using the updated structural parameters is lower than the one estimated using the nonupdated structural parameters. DOI: 10.1061/ASCEEM.1943-7889.0000066 CE Database subject headings: Shake table tests; Vibration; Identification; Structural reliability; Parameters; Bayesian analysis; Monte Carlo method; Kalman filters.
Alternative lead-free solder joint integrity under room temperature mechanical load

This work explored the feasibility of using alternative lead-free solder alloy with lower melting temperatures as board-level interconnects and attempted to establish preliminary baseline reliability under mechanical loads. Solder ball pull and shear tests were first performed at package level. Bend tests were performed at board level with PCB/BGA test coupons under monotonic three-point bending load. In addition to the traditional Sn-Pb solder and current lead-free Sn-Ag-Cu solder, four other lead-free solders (Sn-In, Sn-Bi, Sn-Bi-Ag and Sn-Zn-Al) were tested. For the board level test, surface finishes were immersion silver (ImAg) and organic solderability preservatives (OSP) with package level surface finish of electrolytic Ni and electrolytic Au. The test coupon with surface mounted BGAs has both via-in-pad (VIP) pads and non-VIP pads. The pull, shear and bend test results showed that Sn-In solder has the lowest performance, while Sn-Bi and Sn-Bi-Ag solder compositions showed comparable performance to Sn-Ag-Cu. The work showed that Sn-Zn-Al solder could be a potential choice for lead-free solder alternative. Bend test showed that most of the BGAs with non-VIP pads performed better than those with VIP pads.
Optimal sequences, power control and capacity of synchronous CDMA systems with linear multiuser receivers

The capacity of networks with multiuser receivers together with efficient usage of the resources, is analyzed in the uplink scenario of a single cell synchronous code division multiple access (CDMA) system. The capacity of the system is the maximum number of users per unit processing gain admissible in the system such that each user has its quality-of-service (QoS) requirement (expressed in terms of its desired signal-to-interference ratio) met. We characterize the capacity of a single cell for both the optimal linear receiver (MMSE receiver) and the matched filter receiver structures. This characterization of the capacity has a simple "effective bandwidth" interpretation. We also identify the "optimal" signature sequences and transmit powers to be allocated so that the users meet their QoS requirement.
Autonomous learning of visual concept models

As the amount of video data increases, organizing and retrieving video data based on their semantics is becoming increasingly important. Traditionally, supervised learning is used to build models for detecting semantic concepts. However, in order to obtain a substantial amount of training data, extensive labeling work is needed with the supervised learning schemes. In this paper, we propose a novel autonomous learning framework in which imperfect labelling automatically extracted from cross-modality information is used for training. This completely avoids the manual labeling process. In our proposed framework, imperfect labels without user involvement are first obtained from cross-modality information. Then, based on our proposed new schemes, "generalized multiple-instance learning" and "uncertain labeling density", the system conjectures relevance scores of visual concepts. From these scores, support vector regression is used to build generic visual models. In preliminary experiments, we use the proposed system to learn 20 visual concepts in 6 hours of video. Compare with two concept models that were trained by two supervised algorithms, this novel autonomous learning framework achieves better system average precisions. Other concept models also show promising results.
Cyclooxygenase-2 regulates prostaglandin E2 signaling in hippocampal long-term synaptic plasticity.

The functional significance of cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and -2), the key enzymes that convert arachidonic acid (AA) to prostaglandins (PGs) in brain, is unclear, although they have been implicated in...
Here, there, anywhere: remote usability testing that works

Usability testing is regarded as a key element in user-centered design. Several studies from the Standish Group have shown that usability testing increases the chance of developing usable software. Companies are faced with many challenges: their customers demand usable products at reasonable costs and the customer base is distributed and diverse. Unfortunately, usability testing is often perceived as impractical due to the remote and distributed location of users, limited access to representative users, or a work context that is difficult to reproduce in a laboratory setting. Additionally, for some companies, the cost of transporting users or developers to remote locations can be prohibitive. Interest in remote usability testing has grown in response to these concerns.As the user advocate, the Information Technology student needs to be provided not only with hands-on experience in usability testing, but also with its nuances. These include an understanding of the wide range of formats and options available such as remote usability testing. Moreover, a remote format may be a solution for universities that do not have the resources to set up formal laboratories. There is a need to understand how best to facilitate remote testing in a classroom environment.The focus of our study was to identify appropriate tools and define methodologies for efficient and effective remote testing environments. We investigated commercial tools to determine their usefulness and cost-effectiveness for the classroom and then conducted an empirical study to compare traditional and remote usability testing of a web site using one of these tools. This paper will report on advantages and disadvantages of various remote testing tools, modifications to procedures and protocols of traditional testing, and the project findings, including usability problem identification, which establish the effectiveness of remote usability testing. Recommendations will be made for providing a credible environment for remote testing.
Effects of Enrichment on Gifted/Learning-Disabled Students.

Students who are concomitantly gifted and learning disabled continue to present educators with a significant quandary regarding programming. While previous studies have concentrated on the disabilities of students, this analysis focuses on their personal strengths. The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of a highly structured, personally tailored enrichment program on the attitudes, self-concepts, and creative productivity of 108 gifted/LD youngsters enrolled in the fourth through sixth grades. Results indicate that year-long participation in such a program had significant positive impact on attitudes toward school, self-concept, and creative production.
A solution approach for optimizing long- and short-term production scheduling at LKAB’s Kiruna mine

Abstract We present a mixed-integer program to schedule long- and short-term production at LKAB’s Kiruna mine, an underground sublevel caving mine located in northern Sweden. The model minimizes deviations from monthly preplanned production quantities while adhering to operational constraints. Because of the mathematical structure of the model and its moderately large size, instances spanning a time horizon of more than a year or two tend to be intractable. We develop an optimization-based decomposition heuristic that, on average, obtains better solutions faster than solving the model directly. We show that for realistic data sets, we can generate solutions with deviations that comprise about 3–6% of total demand in about a third of an hour.
Strategies for mainstream usage of formal verification

Formal verification technology has advanced significantly in recent years, yet it seems to have no noticeable acceptance as a mainstream verification methodology within the industry. This paper discusses the issues involved with deploying formal verification on a production mode, and the strategies that may need to be adopted to make this deployment successful. It analyses the real benefits and risks of using formal verification in the overall verification process, and how to integrate this new technology with traditional technologies like simulation. The lessons described in this paper have been learnt from several years of experience with using commercial formal verification tools in industrial projects.
Estimating Expected Cost of Equity Capital: A Theory-Based Approach

In this study, we estimate the expected cost of equity capital using the unrestricted form of the classic dividend discount formula and examine the extent to which these estimates (rDIV ) reliably proxy for expected cost of equity capital. We find that the rDIV estimates are associated with six risk proxies suggested by theory and prior research in a manner consistent with expectations; the explanatory power of the model is approximately 26%. Based on these results we conclude that the rDIV estimates are a valid proxy for expected cost of equity capital. Estimating rDIV requires a terminal value forecast. Since such forecasts are not always available we also assess the reliability of estimates produced by imposing three alternative terminal value assumptions on the dividend discount model. Specifically, rGORDON (Gordon and Gordon (1997)) imposes a firm-specific assumption; rGLS (Gebhardt, Lee and Swaminathan (2001)) imposes an industry-specific assumption and rOJN (Ohlson and Juettner-Nauroth (2000) and Gode and Mohanram (2001)) imposes an economy-wide assumption. We find that the rGORDON estimates have the highest correlation with rDIV and behave in a manner consistent with expectations with respect to their relationships with the risk proxies. We conclude that, when sufficient data to estimate rDIV is unavailable, rGORDON represents a reasonable substitute. Finally, our data indicate that although rDIV and rGORDON reflect the distribution of expected cost of equity capital, neither measure (nor any of the alternatives) should be relied upon to estimate the magnitude of expected cost of equity capital and/or implied risk premiums.
Henry, Louis (1911–91)

Louis Henry, a French demographer, made significant contributions to the analysis and measurement of demographic phenomena and to population modeling, particularly in the area of fertility, where he focused on the physiological factors and the determinants of natural fertility. He is credited with developing the basic methods used today in historical demography, including family reconstitution.
Durability of wood flour-plastic composites exposed to accelerated freeze-thaw cycling. II. High density polyethylene matrix

This study examined the durability of extruded HDPE/wood-flour composites exposed to 15 accelerated cycles of water submersion, freezing, and thawing, according to ASTM standard D6662. The durability of both maple and pine composites was assessed by testing the flexural properties and density. Mercury intrusion porosimetry and scanning electron microscopy were also used to evaluate the interfacial adhesion between the matrix and wood flour before and after exposure to accelerated freeze–thaw cycling. Freeze–thaw actions had no apparent effect on the density of the composites after exposure, regardless of the wood species. However, these actions led to moisture uptake, which decreased the interfacial adhesion and increased the pore size and quantity in the composites, which resulted in a significant loss in flexural properties. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 35–39, 2006
Shadow Banking In The United States And China :What Are The Risks ?

This paper addresses the concern the authors have regarding the speculative nature of shadow banking in the United States and China in particular. There appears to be ample evidence that shadow banking in the United States was a major contributor to the speculation that led up to the 2008 - 2010 financial crisis. The same type of speculation was also responsible for the U.S. stock market collapse of 1929. During the 1930’s the Glass-Steagall Act was enacted to address the potential conflict of interest between commercial and investment banking activities. This Act was altered in the 1990’s by a majority vote in Congress. Some believe that this partial gutting of the Glass-Steagall Act contributed to America’s unregulated shadow banking activities and real estate speculation that followed. At present China’s shadow banking sector is following a similar speculative path that the United States did about seven years ago. A difference is that China’s commercial and shadow banking systems are absent of many of the mechanisms that allowed the U.S. to regulate its way out of America’s financial crisis. This paper compares past and current U.S. and Chinese shadow banking activities and draws conclusions relative to certain sectors in the Chinese economy that are overheated and primed for economic difficulties that could have global implications.
Preparation of clear noodles with mixtures of tapioca and high-amylose starches1Journal Paper J-16546 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames. Project 3258.1

Abstract Ways to simulate the making of clear noodles from mung bran starch were investigated by studying the molecular structures of mung bean and tapioca starches. Scanning electron micrographs showed that tapioca starch granules were smaller than those of mung bean starch. X-ray diffraction patterns of mung bean and tapioca starch were A- and C A -patterns, respectively. Iodine affinity studies indicated that mung bean starch contained 37% of apparent amylose and tapioca starch contained 24%. Gel permeation chromatograms showed that mung bean amylopectin had longer peak chain-length of long-branch chains (DP 40) than that of tapioca starch (DP 35) but shorter peak chain-length of short-branch chains (DP 16) than that of tapioca starch (DP 21). P-31 n.m.r. spectroscopy showed that both starches contained phosphate monoesters, but only mung bean starch contained phospholipids. Physical properties, including pasting viscosity, gel strength, and thermal properties (gelatinization), were determined. The results of the molecular structure study and physical properties were used to develop acceptable products using mixtures of cross-linked tapioca and high-amylose maize starches. Tapioca starch was cross-linked by sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP) with various reaction times, pH values, and temperatures. The correlation between those parameters and the pasting viscosity were studied using a visco/amylograph. Starches, cross-linked with 0.1% STMP, pH 11.0, 3.5 h reaction time at 25, 35, and 45°C (reaction temperature), were used for making noodles. High-amylose maize starch (70% amylose) was mixed at varying ratios (9, 13, 17, 28, 37, and 44%) with the cross-linked tapioca starches. Analysis of the noodles included: tensile strength, water absorption, and soluble loss. Noodle sensory properties were evaluated using trained panelists. Noodles made from a mixture of cross-linked tapioca starch and 17% of a high-amylose starch were comparable to the clear noodles made from mung bean starch.
Enhancing homology-directed genome editing by catalytically active and inactive CRISPR-Cas9 using asymmetric donor DNA

Targeted genomic manipulation by Cas9 can efficiently generate knockout cells and organisms via error-prone nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), but the efficiency of precise sequence replacement by homology-directed repair (HDR) is substantially lower. Here we investigate the interaction of Cas9 with target DNA and use our findings to improve HDR efficiency. We show that dissociation of Cas9 from double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) substrates is slow (lifetime ∼6 h) but that, before complete dissociation, Cas9 asymmetrically releases the 3' end of the cleaved DNA strand that is not complementary to the sgRNA (nontarget strand). By rationally designing single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) donors of the optimal length complementary to the strand that is released first, we increase the rate of HDR in human cells when using Cas9 or nickase variants to up to 60%. We also demonstrate HDR rates of up to 0.7% using a catalytically inactive Cas9 mutant (dCas9), which binds DNA without cleaving it.
Chameleon: a model of identification, authorization and accountability for ubicomp

This paper introduces a model for invisible security. Our model provides an unobtrusive multi-factor authentication and context-aware authorization based on a probabilistic approach that takes into account social relationships and natural behaviors of the user, such as sharing objects or borrowing credentials as a form of access delegation. We believe the traditional model with sequential authentication, authorization and accounting modules is not suitable for smart spaces. Instead we propose a "probabilistic-spiral" model that can be as dynamic as the space itself.
The effect of microstructure on stress-induced martensitic transformation under cyclic loading in the SMA Nickel-Titanium

Abstract A combined experimental and analytical study to determine the configurations of transforming martensite during ambient temperature cyclic deformation of superelastic Nickel-Titanium has been conducted. Full-field, sub-grain-size microscale strain measurements were made in situ during cycling using distortion-corrected Digital Image Correlation combined with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-DIC). Using grain orientation maps from Electron Backscatter Diffraction analysis, possible configurations of martensite formed during cyclic deformation were identified by matching the calculated and measured strain fields. This analysis showed that the inclusion of Correspondence Variants (CVs) in addition to Habit Plane Variants (HPVs) of transformed martensite was necessary to provide a robust fit between calculated and measured strain fields. The approach also provided evidence that there was a more rapid accumulation of residual strain in CV regions and that a correlation existed between residual strain accumulation and the loss of actively transforming martensite in later cycles. It was also found that regions of CVs could coexist with untransformed austenite and Habit Plane Variants (HPVs) in individual grains throughout the microstructure, and that these regions of CVs formed before the end of the macroscopic stress plateau. The CV structure that forms during the initial superelastic deformation of Nickel-Titanium plays a critical role in shaping and stabilizing subsequent martensite recovery during cyclic loading.
MRP4 EXPRESSION IN PLATELET OF PATIENTS UNDER CHRONIC ASPIRIN TREATMENT IS INFLUENCED BY MICRORNA MODULATION: A NEW MECHANISM FOR ASPIRIN RESISTANCE?

Multidrug resistence protein-4 is an ATP Binding Cassette membrane transporter, actively involved in the efflux of important pharmacological and physiological compounds. It is found on platelet membrane and its over-expression has been show to induce aspirin (ASA) resistence in patients after by-
On Certain Finite Sums of Binomial Coefficients and Gamma Functions

(1930). On Certain Finite Sums of Binomial Coefficients and Gamma Functions. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 37, No. 5, pp. 241-245.
Vibration Response Analysis of a Rotating Blade of Variable Thickness Shell Element

Taking a rotating variable cross-section twisted blade as the research object,the finite element model of the blade was established by using variable thickness shell element in ANSYS software. And the validity of the model was verified by comparing the static frequencies and their modal shapes of the shell element with these of the solid element. The change rule of displacement and equivalent stress with the rotating speed were analyzed by considering the effects of centrifugal force and aerodynamic force. The results show that the variable thickness shell element gives good agreement with the natural frequency and vibration response by solid element;however,there exits many errors to calculate equivalent dynamic stress because of the neglection in the thickness direction. The results will provide a basis for blade structure design.
A primary care-based asthma program improves recognition and treatment of persistent asthma in inner-city children compared to routine care.

AbstractObjective: To examine whether a primary care-based asthma program that applies the Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR-3): Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma-2007 criteria to classify asthma severity increases detection of persistent asthma in inner-city children and affects “step of care” compared to routine care. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of 97 consecutive children referred to the asthma program from 2011–2013. Asthma severity documented during routine health care maintenance visits was compared to the asthma severity assessed during the asthma program visit using five standardized questions and spirometry. Medication plan “step of care” was compared pre- and post- the asthma program visit. Results: 79 children, ages 5–19 years old (mean = 9.6), had spirometry tracings meeting American Thoracic Society criteria and were included in this study. 53% were male. The majority of children were Latino (45.6%) or African American (35.4%). At the asthma program visit, ...
A Devil's Platform

1. M. Abramowitz and I. Stegun, eds., The Handbook of Mathematical Functions with Formulas, Graph and Mathematical Tables, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1964. 2. A. Erd?lyi, Higher Transcendental Functions, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1953. 3. I. S. Gradshteyn and I. M. Ryzhik, Tables of Integrals Series and Products, Academic Press, Orlando, FL, 1980. 4. G. Klambauer, Aspects of Calculus, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1986. 5. B. Ross, Serendipity in mathematics, or how one is led to discover that
Octaphenyloctasilsesquioxane and Polyphenylsilsesquioxane for Nanocomposites

A simple two step reaction was developed to prepare octaphenyloctasilsesquioxane ([PhSiO1.5]8, OPS) in high yield from phenyltrichlorosilane (PhSiCl3). Octaphenyloctasilsesquioxane is easily modified by a wide number of electrophilic reactions to provide octa and hexadeca functionalized compounds that can be used as three-dimensional building blocks for nanometer-by-nanometer construction of composite materials. In this study, PhSiCl3 was reacted with ethanol under reflux to produce two products, one is the liquid phenyltriethoxysilane [PhSi(OEt)3, PTES], the other is an uncharacterized polymeric material likely, EtO[PhSiO(OEt)]n. OPS was synthesized from both products. PTES gave primarily one crystal form of OPS. However, this material was contaminated by another compound not be easily separated because of the insolubility of OPS. In contrast, the polymeric version of PTES, when dissolved and reacted under identical conditions, gave a second phase of OPS analytically pure as formed. This same polymeric starting material, when reacted with catalytic amounts of KOH in ethanol, provided high molecular weight polyphenylsilsesquioxane (PPS) with only small amounts of OPS.
Eliciting teamwork with game attributes

The modern workplace has become increasingly complex as a function of numerous factors, including technological and economic growth. Teams are more frequently implemented within organizations to facilitate high performance within these complex, dynamic conditions. Game-based training has become a common method of delivering training to teams, paralleling the recent trend towards gamification, which refers to integrating games into traditionally non-game based settings. However, the extant literature remains nascent as there is a dearth of theory relating independent game attributes to teamwork behaviors. Specifically, it is unknown why or how game-based training may foster desired competencies within teams. To address this gap, the present article conducts a systematic review to identify opportunities for research and potential relationships between game attributes and teamwork behaviors. These proposed relationships are ultimately intended to uncover the manner in which game-based training can be leveraged to facilitate effective teamwork. Existing research linking game-based training to teamwork is reviewed.Future research opportunities in the area of game-based training are identified.Propositions linking game-based training to teamwork are described.
Application-driven network management with ProtoRINA

Traditional network management is tied to the TCP/IP architecture, thus it inherits its many limitations. Additionally there is no unified framework for application management, and service providers have to rely on their own ad-hoc mechanisms to manage their application services. The Recursive InterNetwork Architecture (RINA) is our solution to achieve better network management. RINA provides a unified framework for application-driven network management along with built-in mechanisms. It allows the dynamic formation of secure communication containers for service providers in support of various requirements. In this paper, we focus on how application-driven network management can be achieved over the GENI testbed using ProtoRINA, a user-space prototype of RINA. We use video multicast as an example, and experimental results show that application-driven network management enabled by ProtoRINA can achieve better network and application performance.
Exploring New Life Course Patterns of Mother's Continuing Secondary and College Education.

A mounting body of evidence suggests that the life course sequence that once defined contemporary U.S. women's lives is changing as an increasing number of women now complete their education after the transition to motherhood. Despite such evidence, we know little about this changing pattern of life course events for many U.S. women. The aim of this study, therefore, is to produce population-based estimates that describe the prevalence of mothers' school reentry and secondary and college degree attainment, the timing of women's post-childbearing education vis-a-vis their transition into motherhood, and the characteristics of mothers who pursue additional schooling. To do so, the study draws on data from a nationally representative cohort of U.S. women participating in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (n=4,925) and descriptive and event history techniques. Findings suggest that a substantial proportion of mothers (17%) completed additional education after the transition to motherhood, especially mothers who had the lowest levels of education at their time of first birth (high school dropouts) (43%). These mothers, who overwhelmingly earned high school degrees/GEDs, were most likely to do so within five years of giving birth, while mothers pursuing higher levels were more likely to do so when children were older. Mothers who pursued schooling after the transition to motherhood were remarkably more disadvantaged than women who followed the traditional sequencing of life course events. Compared to women who had the same education upon being mothers, they were also younger, more often poor, and had greater job instability but higher cognitive test scores.
Patterns of crystallographic axis orientation in blastoid skeletal elements

It is well known that echinoderm skeletal elements behave optically as single calcite crystals, but one implication of this observation, that skeletal units have crystallographic axes with characterizable orientations, has received little attention. This paper examines patterns of crystallographic axis orientations in 43 blastoid species and assesses their usefulness to the study of homology among echinoderm skeletal elements, phylogeny both within blastoids and at higher taxonomic levels, and biomineralization processes.Calcite decoration and optical goniometry techniques reveal intraspecific and interspecific patterns of variation in the orientations of c and a crystallographic axes in the three major sets of blastoid thecal plates. Within species, basal, radial, and deltoid c axes all show consistent orientations, clustering near the meridional plane that bisects each plate. In contrast, a axes of most plates have random orientations, although for a few plates a axes are clustered rather than random. While c axes from different species all fall about the meridional plane bisecting each plate, inclinations within this plane vary, so crystallographic data can provide new characters for phylogenetic analysis.In assessing homologies among deltoid plates, axes of posterior deltoids show little correspondence with those of regular deltoids, possibly suggesting a nonhomologous origin. Superdeltoids and epideltoids have commingled c axis orientations and may be homologues.Consistent c axes within species suggest molecular or cellular control of biomineralization during development, but the occurrence of both random and constrained a axes, depending on the plate examined, implies heterogeneities in this control affecting different plates on the theca.
Class Isolation and Affluent Americans’ Perception of Social Conditions

Rising inequality and pro-affluent housing policy have led affluent Americans to become increasingly isolated into neighborhoods that only they are able to afford. I use an under-utilized and unusually large dataset to measure the effects of this isolation on affluent Americans’ perception of social conditions, including crime, healthcare accessibility, joblessness, and public school quality. I find that the affluent form perceptions of such social conditions by extrapolating from the conditions that exist in their own neighborhoods. When these neighborhoods are predominately affluent, offering little hint of the problems faced by the lower classes, the affluent take on perceptions of social conditions that are significantly more positive than the perceptions of everyone else in society. By leading politically and economically powerful affluent Americans to develop the false sense that others’ lives are as problem-free as their own, class isolation may imperil the prospects for improving social conditions in the United States.
Recent Applications of the Supreme Court's Hands-Off Approach to Religious Doctrine: From Hosanna-Tabor and Holt to Hobby Lobby and Zubik

In each of the past four terms, the United States Supreme Court has decided a case with important implications for the interpretation and application of the Religion Clauses of the United States Constitution: Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & Sch. v. EEOC, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, Inc., Holt v. Hobbs, and, most recently, Zubik v. Burwell. Although the Court’s decisions in these cases addressed — and seemed to resolve — a number of questions central to Free Exercise and Establishment Clause jurisprudence, including recognition of the “ministerial exception” and religious rights of a corporate entity, the decisions left a number of questions unanswered, such as the contours of free exercise rights for prisoners and the definition of a religious minister. More dramatically — though anticlimactically — in Zubik, rather than ruling in favor of one of the parties, the Court issued an unusual per curiam opinion instructing the parties to work to find a way to resolve the matter.This article suggests that the Supreme Court’s inability to answer some of these questions, or even to resolve the controversy in Zubik, is rooted in the Court’s continuing, and arguably expanding, hands-off approach to religious doctrine. Courts and scholars have offered sound justifications for the Supreme Court’s hands-off approach to questions of religious doctrine grounded in constitutional principles of religious freedom as well as more general concerns over judicial competence and the role of judges. Nevertheless, as recent cases have illustrated, the hands-off approach raises concerns of its own, at times serving as a source of contention and confusion. The ongoing tensions and divisions among Justices and judges revolving around these issues may suggest a need for the Supreme Court to revisit and perhaps rethink the contours of the hands-off approach to achieve clarity for the future.
STINGER: High performance data structure for streaming graphs

The current research focus on “big data” problems highlights the scale and complexity of analytics required and the high rate at which data may be changing. In this paper, we present our high performance, scalable and portable software, Spatio-Temporal Interaction Networks and Graphs Extensible Representation (STINGER), that includes a graph data structure that enables these applications. Key attributes of STINGER are fast insertions, deletions, and updates on semantic graphs with skewed degree distributions. We demonstrate a process of algorithmic and architectural optimizations that enable high performance on the Cray XMT family and Intel multicore servers. Our implementation of STINGER on the Cray XMT processes over 3 million updates per second on a scale-free graph with 537 million edges.
Murine Polyomavirus Cell Surface Receptors Activate Distinct Signaling Pathways Required for Infection.

ABSTRACT Virus binding to the cell surface triggers an array of host responses, including activation of specific signaling pathways that facilitate steps in virus entry. Using mouse polyomavirus (MuPyV), we identified host signaling pathways activated upon virus binding to mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Pathways activated by MuPyV included the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), FAK/SRC, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Gangliosides and α4-integrin are required receptors for MuPyV infection. MuPyV binding to both gangliosides and the α4-integrin receptors was required for activation of the PI3K pathway; however, either receptor interaction alone was sufficient for activation of the MAPK pathway. Using small-molecule inhibitors, we confirmed that the PI3K and FAK/SRC pathways were required for MuPyV infection, while the MAPK pathway was dispensable. Mechanistically, the PI3K pathway was required for MuPyV endocytosis, while the FAK/SRC pathway enabled trafficking of MuPyV along microtubules. Thus, MuPyV interactions with specific cell surface receptors facilitate activation of signaling pathways required for virus entry and trafficking. Understanding how different viruses manipulate cell signaling pathways through interactions with host receptors could lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets for viral infection. IMPORTANCE Virus binding to cell surface receptors initiates outside-in signaling that leads to virus endocytosis and subsequent virus trafficking. How different viruses manipulate cell signaling through interactions with host receptors remains unclear, and elucidation of the specific receptors and signaling pathways required for virus infection may lead to new therapeutic targets. In this study, we determined that gangliosides and α4-integrin mediate mouse polyomavirus (MuPyV) activation of host signaling pathways. Of these pathways, the PI3K and FAK/SRC pathways were required for MuPyV infection. Both the PI3K and FAK/SRC pathways have been implicated in human diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, and inhibitors directed against these pathways are currently being investigated as therapies. It is possible that these pathways play a role in human PyV infections and could be targeted to inhibit PyV infection in immunosuppressed patients.
Leadership and Creativity

Creativity is a leadership quality that should be an essential part of the job description. Leaders may not need to be creative themselves, but they need to understand key elements of the creative process (freedom/autonomy, working-memory limitations, ownership, acceptance, and creativity principles). Leaders should provide education, time, resources, and encouragement for their employees to generate many novel ideas. Leaders should make available and guide the use of specific techniques available for proper framing of tasks or problems and for stimulating the divergent and convergent thinking needed for arriving at optimal solutions for tasks and problems. The decision-making required of leaders should be delayed and focus on weeding out poor options frequently and quickly and in guiding the implementation of best ideas. Introduced here is the idea of systematically using a set of techniques known to guide idea creation and to treat ideas as a database that can be managed.
Source location and food availability determine the growth response of Orbicella faveolata to climate change stressors

Abstract The local environment shapes coral physiology through acclimatization and also selects for genotypes best suited to a particular site. Both acclimatization and selection likely affect the response of corals to future climate change. The local environment is therefore an important factor to consider for restoration ecology. In this study, we exposed Orbicella faveolata from two different locations in Florida (Emerald Reef, near Key Biscayne in the upper Florida Keys, and Truman Harbor near Key West in the lower Florida Keys) that were common-gardened for one month prior to experimentation to four temperature, CO 2 , and food availability treatments (26°C/390 ppm, 26°C/1000 ppm, 31°C/390 ppm, and 31°C/1000 ppm where each of these treatments had fed and unfed components). The goal was to determine how the same species of coral from different locations would respond to projected climate change scenarios. We found that growth (measured as changes in buoyant weight) was highly correlated to source location (i.e., whether the corals came from Emerald Reef or Truman Harbor) and not to parent colony, and growth, symbiont density, chlorophyll a content, and lipid content were highly correlated to feeding regime. These findings show that within a single reef tract, (i.e. the Florida Reef Tract), source location and food availability matter for the physiological outcome of a coral’s stress response, and suggest that an explicit consideration of these effects may be important for management activities such as coral restoration, transplantation, and MPA placement.
iPad® or iPod Touch®: Evaluating Self-Created Electronic Photographic Activity Schedules and Student Preferences:

Five secondary students with intellectual disability (ID) participated in a withdrawal design (A-B-A-B) study evaluating the effectiveness of a self-created electronic photographic activity schedul...