cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rigorous Analysis of UML Access Control Policy Models

The use of the Unified Modeling Language (UML)for specifying security policies is attractive because it is expressive and has a wide user base in the software industry. However, there are very few mature tools that support rigorous analysis of UML models. Alloy is a formal specification language that has been used to rigorously analyze security policies, but few practitioners have the background needed to develop good Alloy models. We propose a new approach to policy analysis in which designers use UML at the front-end to describe their security policies and the Alloy Analyzer is used at the backend to analyze the modeled properties. The UML-to-Alloy and Alloy-to-UML transformations obviate the need for security designers to understand the Alloy specification language. The proposed approach supports the analysis of both functional and structural aspects of security policies.
Diphtheria Carriers and the Effect of Erythromycin Therapy

One hundred and fourteen Corynebacterium diphtheriae, toxigenic, gravis type, pharyngeal carriers were identified during a diphtheria epidemic in Elgin, Texas. All carriers were treated with erythromycin estolate, 1 g/day in divided doses for 6 days. Serial pharyngeal cultures were obtained in order to monitor the bacteriological response. Seventy-two carriers had positive cultures immediately prior to the start of therapy, and only these individuals were considered in the analysis of the effects of erythromycin. Forty-eight hours after institution of therapy, 96% of the carriers had become culture negative; all were negative by the 4th day of therapy, and all remained culture negative while taking the drug. Two days after cessation of therapy, all but one (99%) were culture negative. However, upon reculture 2 weeks later, 15 (21%) had relapsed to the carrier state. There were no significant differences in the serum diphtheria antitoxin levels, immunization status, age, sex, or socioeconomic status of those who relapsed and those who remained culture negative. This study demonstrates that erythromycin is effective in converting carriers to culture-negative status, but when given for only 6 days it is associated with large numbers of relapses. Because previous studies have not included follow-up cultures 2 weeks after therapy, it is suggested that all C. diphtheriae carriers be treated with either erythromycin or penicillin and that all be recultured at a minimum of 2 weeks after completion of therapy to assure eradication of the diphtheria organisms.
West Nile Virus Infection Rates and Avian Serology in East-Central Illinois

4 ABSTRACT. Understanding the geographic role of different species of mosquito vectors and vertebrate hosts in West Nile virus (WNV) transmission cycles can facilitate the development and implementation of targeted surveillance and control measures. This study examined the relationship between WNV-antibody rates in birds and mosquito infection rates and bloodfeeding patterns in east-central Illinois. The earliest detection of WNV-RNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction TaqMan was from Culex restuans; however, amplification typically coincided with an increase in abundance of Cx. pipiens. Trap type influenced annual estimates of infection rates in Culex species, as well as estimation of blood meal source. Bird species with the highest WNV-antibody rates (i.e., Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura), Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), American Robins (Turdus migratorius), and House Sparrows (Passer domesticus)) were also the common species found in Culex blood meals. Although antibody rates were not directly proportional to estimated avian abundance, the apparent availability of mammal species did influence proportion of mammal to bird blood meals. Antibody prevalence in the American Robin was lower than expected based on the strong attraction of Culex to American Robins for blood meals. Age-related differences in serology were evident, antibody rates increased in older groups of robins and sparrows, whereas 1st-year hatch and older adults of Mourning Doves and Northern Cardinals had equally high rates of antibody-positive serum samples. The vector and host interactions observed in east-central Illinois (Champaign County), an urban area surrounded by agriculture, are compared to studies in the densely population areas of southern Cook County.
The spontaneous recruitment and suppression of degrees of freedom in rhythmic hand movements

Abstract In most studies examining pattern switching in biological coordination, emphasis is placed on identifying the mechanisms underlying bifurcations in an already active set of components. Less well understood are the processes by which quiescent degrees of freedom (df) are recruited and active df suppressed. To examine such behavior, we studied four bimanual and two unimanual coordination patterns. Subjects produced the patterns in time with an auditory metronome whose frequency increased from 1.5 to 4.25 Hz in 0.25 Hz steps. Interlimb transitions from asymmetric to symmetric patterns in a motion plane occurred at critical cycling frequencies, f1. Spatial transitions, characterized by recruitment of y-(vertical) and suppression of x-(horizontal) motion, also occurred at critical cycling frequencies, f2. This recruitment-suppression process was either abrupt (2–3 cycles) or gradual (1 to 6 plateaus) where the finger-tips traversed an elliptical orbit in x, y space. Similar spatial transitions were observed in unimanual conditions. The results are discussed in reference to the problem of how task-specific coordination patterns are modified. The Hopf bifurcation is presented as a generic mechanism underlying the recruitment and suppression of df. Similarities between the four component bimanual pattern dynamics and the coordination dynamics of four limb patterns (e.g., in quadrupeds) are discussed.
Modular Upgradability in Consumer Electronics: Economic and Environmental Implications

Modularly upgradable product designs have been advocated to offer environmental and economic advantages; however, they are not commonly used in the consumer electronics industry. In this article, we investigate the economic and environmental benefits and challenges of modular upgradability for consumer electronics. From an economic point of view, we posit that the limited adoption of modular upgradability in consumer electronics is owing to various demand-, technology-, and competition-related issues. From an environmental point of view, we posit that modularly upgradable product designs may not necessarily lead to superior environmental outcomes. To reach meaningful conclusions regarding the environmental benefits of modular upgradability, one needs to understand how product architecture affects demand, production, and consumption patterns, which arise from endogenous consumer and manufacturer choices. It is also important to take into account that modular upgradability may have potentially differentiated effects in the production, consumption, and postuse phases of the lifecycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Expression pattern of bcar3, a downstream target of Gata2, and its binding partner, bcar1, during Xenopus development

Primitive hematopoiesis generates red blood cells that deliver oxygen to the developing embryo. Mesodermal cells commit to a primitive blood cell fate during gastrulation and, in order to do so the mesoderm must receive non-cell autonomous signals transmitted from other germ layers. In Xenopus, the transcription factor Gata2 functions in ectodermal cells to generate or transmit the non-cell autonomous signals. Here we have identified Breast Cancer Antiestrogen Resistance 3 (bcar3) as a gene that is induced in ectodermal cells downstream of Gata2. Bcar3 and its binding partner Bcar1 function to transduce integrin signaling, leading to changes in cellular morphology, motility and adhesion. We show that gata2, bcar3 and bcar1 are co-expressed in ventral ectoderm from early gastrula to early tailbud stages. At later stages of development, bcar3 and bcar1 are co-expressed in the spinal cord, notochord, fin mesenchyme and pronephros but each shows additional unique sites of expression. These co-expression and unique expression patterns suggest that Bcar3 and Bcar1 may function together but also independently during Xenopus development.
Homogeneous Beliefs, Trading Volume and Co-Movements of Stock Market Returns: A Study of Russian and the US Markets

This paper develops an empirical model that tests the effect of information arrival in one market on the return and volatility of stocks in another market. Tests using this empirical model on the effect of the U.S., London, and German market information arrivals on Russian stocks indicate that the returns of Russian stocks are affected by both positive and negative information arrivals in the all three markets and the Russian domestic market. On the other hand the volatilities of Russian stocks are affected predominantly by the shocks in the U.S. and Russian domestic markets.
Incorporation of memory effects in coarse-grained modeling via the Mori-Zwanzig formalism

The Mori-Zwanzig formalism for coarse-graining a complex dynamical system typically introduces memory effects. The Markovian assumption of delta-correlated fluctuating forces is often employed to simplify the formulation of coarse-grained (CG) models and numerical implementations. However, when the time scales of a system are not clearly separated, the memory effects become strong and the Markovian assumption becomes inaccurate. To this end, we incorporate memory effects into CG modeling by preserving non-Markovian interactions between CG variables, and the memory kernel is evaluated directly from microscopic dynamics. For a specific example, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of star polymer melts are performed while the corresponding CG system is defined by grouping many bonded atoms into single clusters. Then, the effective interactions between CG clusters as well as the memory kernel are obtained from the MD simulations. The constructed CG force field with a memory kernel leads to a non-Markovian dissipative particle dynamics (NM-DPD). Quantitative comparisons between the CG models with Markovian and non-Markovian approximations indicate that including the memory effects using NM-DPD yields similar results as the Markovian-based DPD if the system has clear time scale separation. However, for systems with small separation of time scales, NM-DPD can reproduce correct short-time properties that are related to how the system responds to high-frequency disturbances, which cannot be captured by the Markovian-based DPD model.
Praxisbericht: WirelessHART im Feldtest

WirelessHART - "ein" Standard fur drahtlose Losungen in der Prozessindustrie? Um diese Frage zu beantworten, wird von der NAMUR eine Technologiestudie fur drahtlose Sensornetzwerke durchgefuhrt. Ein erster Schritt ist ein Feldtest mit WirelessHART-konformen Geraten bei der BASF SE in Ludwigshafen. An diesem Test nahmen Hersteller teil, die den neuen drahtlosen Standard WirelessHART kunftig in ihrem Produktportfolio anbieten werden. Den Herstellern ABB, Emerson, Endress+Hauser, MacTek, Pepperl+Fuchs und Siemens wird mit diesem WirelessHART-Feldtest eine Plattform geboten, die Performance ihrer Gerate unter Beweis zu stellen. Zusatzlich zu den Herstellern wird der Test von der HART Communication Foundation unterstutzt. Durch den herstellerunabhangigen Feldtest sollen die in der NAMUR-Empfehlung NE 124 definierten Anforderungen an Wireless Automation an drahtlose Technologien mit den Spezifikationen des WirelessHART- Standards gespiegelt werden. Zielsetzung der prototypischen Applikationen in den Produktionsstatten ist die Validierung der Laborergebnisse im industriellen Umfeld sowie ein "proof of concept" fur den neuen drahtlosen Standard.
Theory and Practicality

To the Editor: I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the interesting debate presented by Dr Keshner and Dr Scholz concerning the work on the Gross Motor Performance Measurement (GMPM) by Boyce and associates in the November 1991 issue of Physical Therapy ( Phys Ther. 1991;71:820–832). Keshner and Scholz point out that Boyce et al appear to lack a theoretical framework in the development of the GMPM. I would like, however, to make a few points. First, I believe there is always an underlying theoretical orientation, whether implicit or explicit, when we develop a measurement tool. Tammivaara and Shepard define theory as a “system of wide-ranging ideas about some centrally important physical or social issue.”1(p579) Theory organizes our observations and allows us to make sense of the chaotic flux of information that bombards our senses. It gives structure to our experience.… [ ARTICLE][1] [ ARTICLE][2] [ ARTICLE][3] [ ARTICLE][4] [1]: /lookup/volpage/71/820?iss=11 [2]: /lookup/volpage/71/828?iss=11 [3]: /lookup/volpage/71/829?iss=11 [4]: /lookup/volpage/70/578?iss=9
Beeromics: from quality control to identification of differentially expressed compounds in beer

A rigorous quality control platform was developed to monitor short- and long-term retention time reproducibility, instrument response and mass accuracy for untargeted differential analysis of beer. The optimized workflow utilized a QC beer and external calibration standards to yield LC retention time variation <3 s, average interday response RSDs <15 % and average mass errors <10 ppm on a quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometer. QC statistics guided data processing, including molecule feature (MF) extraction, MF alignment across samples and recursion, prior to differential analysis of single-hop India Pale Ales produced in two different production years (2010 vs. 2011). Differential analysis and significance testing revealed that the year of production (vs. hop used) accounted for the greatest compositional difference between samples. Negative and positive ion ESI data collectively revealed a minimum 3× fold change (p < 0.05) for ~4000 MFs. Since identification of ~4000 MFs was untenable, focus turned to the identification of ~150 high-abundance MFs. Targeted MS/MS, Metlin database searching and the use of ChemSpider with automated MS/MS spectral prediction and correlation, identified candidate compounds that were confirmed by authentic standards. Most interestingly, the 2010 beers, which were stored longer at room temperature prior to analysis, provided additional evidence for the use of purines, specifically 5-methylthioadenosine with methionine, as nonvolatile molecular indicators of beer oxidation during storage. While this untargeted metabolomics platform was developed with beer in mind, the workflow described here could be applied to any food metabolomics application.
Environmental Regulation of Dormancy in the Alfalfa Blotch Leafminer, Agromyza frontella (Diptera: Agromyzidae)

Agromyza frontella (Rondani) enter diapause during early autumn in central New York as partially developed pupae in the soil. Diapause is maintained throughout autumn and early winter (September to January), mainly by low temperatures and partly by short daylengths. As autumn progresses, response to these factors diminishes, and by the end of January the thermal maintenance of diapause has ceased. A. frontella continue to respond weakly to photoperiod until late March. After diapause ends, heat accumulation begins when soil temperatures rise above 3.9°C, the theoretical threshold for postdiapause development. Adults emerge in the laboratory when 259 degree-days above 3.9°C have accumulated, and this value predicts closely the emergence of field populations in central New York. These results have important implications for pest management: A. frontella phenology can be predicted reliably by monitoring soil temperatures in both autumn and spring, and temperature can be manipulated either for continuously rearing blotch leafminers or for rapid reactivation of pupae stored in the cold. The strong thermal influence on diapause indicates that A. frontella populations could extend their North American range southward without requiring selection for photoperiodic adaptation.
The radiologic evaluation of craniocerebral missile injuries.

This article presents a brief overview of the imaging findings in craniocerebral missile injuries (CMI). CT scanning has established itself as the primary imaging modality for the complex injuries seen in CMI and its acute and delayed complications. Angiography, X-ray, and MR imaging have more limited but sometimes important roles in the managment of these injuries.
2.18 – Ceramic Cutting Tools

Innovative ceramic engineering over the past four decades on high-temperature structural ceramics has resulted in an impressive array of high-performance ceramic cutting tools which have had a major positive impact on manufacturing and productivity efficiency, particularly with regard to metal cutting. Two significant advances in ceramic engineering which have increased the fracture toughness of ceramic tools considerably are zirconia transformation toughening and silicon carbide whisker toughening. This chapter describes the various classes of ceramic cutting tools in use today (oxide, matrix and nitride ceramics), their applications and an understanding of their performance from a materials engineering basis. Particular emphasis is given to the scientific basis for the favorable materials properties, particularly hardness. Although important for technological applications, hardness remains a poorly understood property. Thus a model of "absolute hardness" is introduced by which the conventional Mohs hardness scale can be expressed in more fundamental parameters. As a class of high-speed cutting tool materials, ceramics also possess high melting points and good wear resistance. Unlike most metals, conventional hardness levels in ceramics generally remain high at elevated temperatures, which means that cutting tip integrity is relatively unaffected at high cutting speeds. Although ceramics are also chemically inert against most work metals, particularly at relatively low cutting speeds and feeds, at the higher speeds and feeds required in the machining of superalloys, tribochemical action can become an important wear mechanism.
Altered Immune Function In Autism

Recent studies of the pathogenesis of autism have suggested that this disorder may have an autoimmune basis in some patients. Observations have been made regarding cellular and humoral immune dysfunction, abnormalities associated with the complement system and major histocompatibility complex gene expression, differences in soluble mediators of the immune response, and the presence of antibrain and antimyelin autoantibodies. In this article, we review these experimental and clinical observations, and examine preliminary efforts using immunomodulatory therapies to treat autism.
Acceptability of Rapid HIV Testing Among Latinos in Washington Heights, New York City, New York, USA.

In the United States, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has a disproportionately large impact on Latino Americans. This study assessed the acceptability of rapid HIV testing among a sample of Latinos from New York City. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 192 participants from The Washington Heights/Inwood Informatics Infrastructure for Community-Centered Comparative Effectiveness Research (WICER) study. Participants were interviewed and offered rapid HIV testing and post-test counseling. Seventy-five percent (n = 143) accepted rapid HIV testing when offered. More religious participants were less likely than less religious participants to undergo testing (RR = 0.73; 95% CI 0.54–0.99). Participants tested for HIV within the past year were less likely than those who had not been tested within the past year to agree to undergo testing (RR = 0.27; 95% CI 0.11–0.66). Community-based rapid HIV testing is feasible among Latinos in urban environments. Outreach efforts to engage religious individuals and encouraging routine testing should be reinforced.
Improving access and systems of care for evidence‐based childhood obesity treatment: Conference key findings and next steps

Objective To improve systems of care to advance implementation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for childhood obesity treatment (i.e., clinicians offer/refer children with obesity to intensive, multicomponent behavioral interventions of >25 h over 6 to 12 months to improve weight status) and to expand payment for these services. Methods In July 2015, 43 cross-sector stakeholders attended a conference supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, American Academy of Pediatrics Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight, and The Obesity Society. Plenary sessions presenting scientific evidence and clinical and payment practices were interspersed with breakout sessions to identify consensus recommendations. Results Consensus recommendations for childhood obesity treatment included: family-based multicomponent behavioral therapy; integrated care model; and multidisciplinary care team. The use of evidence-based protocols, a well-trained healthcare team, medical oversight, and treatment at or above the minimum dose (e.g., >25 h) are critical components to ensure effective delivery of high-quality care and to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss. Approaches to secure reimbursement for evidence-based obesity treatment within payment models were recommended. Conclusions Continued cross-sector collaboration is crucial to ensure a unified approach to increase payment and access for childhood obesity treatment and to scale up training to ensure quality of care.
In Memoriam: William Margold, 1943–2017

Adult film industry pioneer, veteran, and historian William ‘Bill’ Margold died on 17 January 2017. Born in Washington, DC in 1943, Margold was the son of noted Civil Rights attorney Nathan Margold...
Alarm criteria for motor evoked potentials.

Objective: To evaluate three commonly used alarm criteria for interpreting the significance and diagnostic value of transcranial motor evoked potential (TcMEP) changes during spinal surgery. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE from 1945 to January 2014. We included all those studies that were (1) randomized controlled trials, prospective studies, or retrospective cohort studies, (2) conducted among patients undergoing surgery on the spine or spinal cord with TcMEP monitoring, (3) conducted in a group of ≥50 patients, (4) that were inclusive of immediate postoperative neurological assessment (within 24 h), and (5) which were published in English. Results: Twenty-five studies involving 9409 patients were included. The incidence of neurological deficits was 1.82%. The overall sensitivity and specificity of all reported TcMEP changes was 82.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 73–88.6%) and 95.7% (95% CI: 93.7–97.1%), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of each alarm criteria were evaluated: 50% reduction in amplitude, sensitivity 63.2% (95% CI: 47–76.8%), and specificity 96.7% (95% CI: 96.4–99.2%); 80% reduction in amplitude, sensitivity 71.7% (95% CI; 42–89.9%), and specificity 98.3% (95% CI: 96.4–99.2%); total signal loss, sensitivity 30% (95% CI: 17.6–46.4%), and specificity 99.3% (95% CI: 98.6–99.7%). Conclusions: No statistically significant differences between using reductions in amplitude of 50% and 80% as alarm criteria were found in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Total loss was found to have a statistically significant increase in specificity. TcMEP monitoring is a highly specific and sensitive diagnostic tool for the detection of neurological defects during spinal surgery.
The burden of septic arthritis on the U.S. inpatient care: A national study

Objective To assess the health care burden of septic arthritis in the U.S. and examine the associated factors. Methods We used the U.S. Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) data of patients hospitalized with septic arthritis as the primary diagnosis from 2009-12 to assess time-trends. Multivariable-adjusted models assessed demographics, comorbidity and hospital characteristics as potential predictors of duration of hospitalization, total hospital (inpatient and ED) charges and discharge to home. Results In 2009, 2010 and 2012 in the U.S., respectively, there were 13,087, 13,662 and 13,714 hospitalizations with septic arthritis as the primary diagnosis. Respective average hospital stay was 7.4 vs. 7.4 vs. 7.2 days; total hospital charges were $601 vs. $674 vs. $759 million; and proportion discharged home were 43% vs. 43% vs. 44%. Almost 25% each were discharged to a skilled facility or with home health. Age >50 years, Medicaid and self-pay as primary payer, Northeast U.S. hospital location, teaching hospital status, heart failure and diabetes were associated with longer hospitalization; hyperlipidemia, hypertension or gout were associated with a shorter hospital stay. Similar associations were noted for higher hospital charges. Age >50 years, higher income, Medicare insurance, heart failure, diabetes and longer hospital stay were associated with lower odds, and Western U.S. hospital location and gout with higher odds, of discharge to home. Conclusions We noted an increase in hospital charges from 2009-12, but no time trends in duration or outcomes of hospitalization for septic arthritis. Comorbidity associations with outcomes indicate the potential for developing interventions to improve outcomes.
The effect of cable tensions on the stiffness of cable-driven parallel manipulators

A cable-driven parallel manipulator (CDPM) is driven by a set of cables instead of rigid links. Since cables have more flexibility than rigid links, stiffness of a CDPM has been a concern for applications requiring controllable system stiffness. This paper studies the effect of cable tensions on the stiffness of a CDPM that has six degrees of freedom and are driven by seven cables. Both upper and lower limits of the tension in a cable are taken into account in order to mimic real-world scenarios. The natural frequencies of the CDPM at all poses in the workspace are calculated based on interval analysis. Simulation results show that increasing antagonistic cable tensions does not necessarily increase the stiffness of the CDPM within a certain set of poses. The stiffness of a CDPM does not necessarily monotonically increase or decrease with the increase of antagonistic cable tensions. Moreover, a larger change of antagonistic cable tensions does not always lead to a larger change in the stiffness of the CDPM for a certain set of poses. Both cable tensions and the current pose contribute to the stiffness of the CDPM. The effect of cable tensions on the stiffness of a CDPM discussed in this paper provides a guideline to select the set of poses in order to control the stiffness of a CDPM via adjusting cable tensions.
Structural determinants and functional consequences of protein affinity for membrane rafts

Eukaryotic plasma membranes are compartmentalized into functional lateral domains, including lipid-driven membrane rafts. Rafts are involved in most plasma membrane functions by selective recruitment and retention of specific proteins. However, the structural determinants of transmembrane protein partitioning to raft domains are not fully understood. Hypothesizing that protein transmembrane domains (TMDs) determine raft association, here we directly quantify raft affinity for dozens of TMDs. We identify three physical features that independently affect raft partitioning, namely TMD surface area, length, and palmitoylation. We rationalize these findings into a mechanistic, physical model that predicts raft affinity from the protein sequence. Application of these concepts to the human proteome reveals that plasma membrane proteins have higher raft affinity than those of intracellular membranes, consistent with raft-mediated plasma membrane sorting. Overall, our experimental observations and physical model establish general rules for raft partitioning of TMDs and support the central role of rafts in membrane traffic. Lipid rafts are plasma membrane domains that specifically recruit particular proteins. Here, the authors show that the surface area, length and palmitoylation of single-pass transmembrane domains are crucial for raft partitioning and propose a general model to predict protein association with rafts.
Trust Propagation with Mixed-Effects Models

Web-based social networks typically use public trust systems to facilitate interactions between strangers. These systems can be corrupted by misleading information spread under the cover of anonymity, or exhibit a strong bias towards positive feedback, originating from the fear of reciprocity. Trust propagation algorithms seek to overcome these shortcomings by inferring trust ratings between strangers from trust ratings between acquaintances and the structure of the network that connects them. We investigate a trust propagation algorithm that is based on user triads where the trust one user has in another is predicted based on an intermediary user. The propagation function can be applied iteratively to propagate trust along paths between a source user and a target user. We evaluate this approach using the trust network of the CouchSurfing community, which consists of 7.6M trust-valued edges between 1.1M users. We show that our model out-performs one that relies only on the trustworthiness of the target user (a kind of public trust system). In addition, we show that performance is significantly improved by bringing in user-level variability using mixed-effects regression models.
What contributes to the rising house prices in Beijing? A decomposition approach

Abstract The average real house price in Beijing rose by roughly 41.8% between 2012 and 2015, and the appreciation differs across low- versus high-priced homes. The rising house price might be caused by changes in the characteristics of housing units, and it might also be induced by the changing returns to housing characteristics in the underlying hedonic price functions. In this paper, we use a comprehensive housing transaction dataset and analyze the changes in the distribution of house prices over time through a decomposition approach. The result of Oaxaca-Blinder mean decomposition suggests that the proportion of the price gap between 2012 and 2015 due to altered returns over time is greater than the proportion caused by changes in housing characteristics. The quantile decomposition shows that the decomposition effects are heterogenous across the complete distribution of house prices. We also find that low-priced homeowners are exposed to a decline in house prices, while there are deteriorating housing conditions from 2012 to 2015. The high-priced homeowners experience an improvement in living conditions, but a rise in house prices.
Chemical Evolution in Silicon-Graphite Composite Anodes Investigated by Vibrational Spectroscopy.

Silicon–graphite composites are under development for the next generation of high-capacity lithium-ion anodes, and vibrational spectroscopy is a powerful tool to identify the different mechanisms that contribute to performance loss. With alloy anodes, the underlying causes of cell failure are significantly different in half-cells with lithium metal counter electrodes compared to full cells with standard cathodes. However, most studies which take advantage of vibrational spectroscopy have only examined half-cells. In this work, a combination of FTIR and Raman spectroscopy describes several factors that lead to degradation in full pouch cells with LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 (NMC532) cathodes. The spectroscopic signatures evolve after longer term cycling compared to the initial formation cycles. Several side-reactions that consume lithium ions have clear FTIR signatures, and comparison to a library of reference compounds facilitates identification. Raman microspectroscopy combined with mapping shows that the compos...
Brain States That Encode Perceived Emotion Are Reproducible but Their Classification Accuracy Is Stimulus-Dependent.

The brain state hypothesis of image-induced affect processing, which posits that a one-to-one mapping exists between each image stimulus and its induced functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-derived neural activation pattern (i.e., brain state), has recently received support from several multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) studies. Critically, however, classification accuracy differences across these studies, which largely share experimental designs and analyses, suggest that there exists one or more unaccounted sources of variance within MVPA studies of affect processing. To explore this possibility we directly demonstrated strong inter-study correlations between image-induced affective brain states acquired four years apart on the same MRI scanner using near-identical methodology with studies differing only by the specific image stimuli and subjects. We subsequently developed a plausible explanation for inter-study differences in affective valence and arousal classification accuracies based on the spatial distribution of the perceived affective properties of the stimuli. Controlling for this distribution improved valence classification accuracy from 56% to 85% and arousal classification accuracy from 61% to 78%, which mirrored the full range of classification accuracy across studies within the existing literature. Finally, we validated the predictive fidelity of our image-related brain states according to an independent measurement, autonomic arousal, captured via skin conductance response (SCR). Brain states significantly but weakly (r=0.08) predicted the SCRs that accompanied individual image stimulations. More importantly, the effect size of brain state predictions of SCR increased more than threefold (r=0.25) when the stimulus set was restricted to those images having group-level significantly classifiable arousal properties.
Economic Rationality vs. Ethical Reasonableness: The Relevance of Law and Economics for Legal Ethics

(2005). Economic Rationality vs. Ethical Reasonableness: The Relevance of Law and Economics for Legal Ethics. Legal Ethics: Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 107-116.
Factors influencing nesting success of Burrowing Owls in southeastern Idaho

A burrowing owl ( Athene cunicularia ) population nesting on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) in southeastern Idaho utilized burrows excavated by badgers ( Taxidea taxus ) or natural cavities in lava flows as nesting sites. The size of the population was small (N = 13–14 pairs) in relation to the number of available nesting sites, suggesting that factors other than burrow availability limited this population. Rodents and Jerusalem crickets ( Stenopelmatus fuscus ) represented the primary prey utilized during the nesting season. This population demonstrated both a numerical (brood size) and functional (dietary) response to a decrease in the density of three species of rodents on the INEL during a drought in 1977.
Endocranial Volume and Optic Foramen Size in Parapithecus grangeri

The living anthropoids tend to have large brains, small olfactory bulbs, and high acuity vision compared with other primates (Baron et al., 1983; Stephan et al., 1981). An interesting possibility is that an increasing emphasis on vision was in some way related to increases in brain size in the anthropoid lineage. It is certainly plausible that changes in sensory behavior would necessitate major changes in the brain. Comparative neuroanatomical data has suggested that brain size increases were related to growth in the parvocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus, an early stage in the visual processing hierarchy (Barton, 1998).
Disruption of a Magnaporthe Grisea Cutinase Gene

Using a one-step strategy to disrupt CUT1, a gene for cutinase, cut1− mutants were generated in two strains of Magnaporthe grisea. One strain, pathogenic on weeping lovegrass and barley and containing the arg3–12 mutation, was transformed with a disruption vector in which the Aspergillus nidulans ArgB+ gene was inserted into CUT1. Prototrophic transformants were screened by Southern hybridization, and 3 of 53 tested contained a disrupted CUT1 gene (cut1 : : ArgB+). A second strain, pathogenic on rice, was transformed with a disruption vector in which a gene for hyg B resistance was inserted into CUT1. Two of the 57 transformants screened by Southern hybridization contained a disrupted CUT1 gene (cut1:. Hyg). CUT1 mRNA was not detectable in transformants that contained a disrupted gene. Transformants with a disrupted CUT1 gene failed to produce a cutin-inducible esterase that is normally detected by activity staining on non-denaturing polyacrylamide gels. Enzyme activity, measured either with tritiated cutin or with p-nitrophenyl butyrate as a substrate, was reduced but not eliminated in strains with a disrupted CUT1 gene. The infection efficiency of the cut1− disruption transformants was equal to that of the parent strains on all three host plants. Lesions produced by these mutants had an appearance and a sporulation rate similar to those produced by the parent strains. We conclude that the M. grisea CUT1 gene is not required for pathogenicity.
Sensible parameters for univariate and multivariate splines

The package bspline, downloadable from Statistical Software Components, now has three commands. The first, bspline, generates a basis of Schoenberg B-splines. The second, frencurv, generates a basi...
The Trochlea: A Study of the Anatomy and Physiology

Trochleas obtained from fresh surgical specimens, autopsy material, and cadavers were studied by means of dissection, light microscopy, and electron microscopy (scanning and transmission). A bursa-like structure that has not previously been described lines the inner surface of the cartilagenous trochlea. A fibrillar, vascular sheath surrounds the intratrochlear superior oblique tendon. This portion of the superior oblique tendon consists of discrete fibers with few, interfibrillar connections. Each superior oblique tendon fiber is thought to move through the trochlea by means of a sliding action with the central fibers undergoing the maximum excursion.
Maternal Alcohol Use During Lactation and Child Development

Gibson and Porter1 are commended for providing information on a difficult-to-research and poorly understood topic: longitudinal child developmental effects of maternal substance use via breast milk. The authors of this interesting and important study found an association between maternal alcohol consumption during lactation and later negative effects on child development, namely, reduced abstract reasoning ability at 6 to 7 years, in a dose-dependent manner. The finding is not surprising when we consider the potential pharmacokinetic basis for it and the known harmful effects of alcohol on the developing brain. Alcohol concentrations in breast milk resemble those in maternal blood within 30 to 60 minutes of ingestion; the amount of alcohol in breast milk is ∼5% to 6% of the weight-adjusted maternal dose,2 and newborns metabolize alcohol at approximately half the rate of adults.3 The wide range of potentially severe effects due to prenatal alcohol exposures to the developing fetal brain … Address correspondence to Lauren M. Jansson, MD, The Center for Addiction and Pregnancy, 4940 Eastern Ave, D4E, Baltimore, MD 21224. E-mail: ljansson{at}jhmi.edu
Low-Power Resistive Associative Processor Implementation Through the Multi-Compare

The computation based on traditional architectures is approaching its limits in terms of scalability and energy consumption. The main issue contributing to this fact is memory bottleneck. To overcome this issue, the most promising methodology is parallelism where multiple cores are utilized to perform concurrent operations on their local memories. The ultimate processor architecture in this trend is associative processors where each row in the memory behaves as a single core. With the advent of emerging memory technologies such as Resisitve RAMs (and in particular, memristors), lower footprint and high-performance associative processors became possible. On the other hand, the high write energy of the memristors poses a significant reliability thread for the applicability. This study aims to overcome this problem by wisely managing the trade-off between the memristor write energy and the memristance scaling. To preserve the accuracy affected by the scaling, the study proposes a multi-cycle compare scheme. Results on seven different benchmarks report an average 1.12x speedup with a 54.16x improvement in the energy consumption.
Lactipro (Megasphaera elsdenii) Increases Ruminal pH and Alters Volatile Fatty Acids and Lactate During Transition to an 80% Concentrate Diet

Direct-fed microbials commonly have been used to enhance performance or to decrease shedding of foodborne pathogens in beef cattle. Megasphaera elsdenii is a recently introduced probiotic bacteria marketed under the trade name Lactipro (MS-Biotec Inc., Wamego, KS) and is a key lactate-fermenting bacterium in the rumens of cattle fed high-concentrate diets. Megasphaera elsdenii is responsible for metabolizing up to 95% lactic acid within the rumen, and thus is an important species for controlling occurrence of ruminal acidosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in ruminal pH and volatile fatty acid concentration during the transition from a diet with 60% concentrate to a diet containing 80% concentrate after administering five different oral dosages of Lactipro.
History of Mathematics in the Training Program for Elementary Teachers.

implications of an appreciation of mathematics on the part of prospective elementary teachers are farreaching, considering the teaching responsibilities they are about to assume. In light of these far-reaching implications, the college mathematics program for elementary teachers presents a definite challenge. One promising and meaningful provision for developing mathematical appreciation falls into the area of the history of mathematics. Virtually no one, prospective teacher or otherwise, could fail to name a great musician if asked (say Brahms or Bach or Beethoven). The case for mathematics is another matter. The odds for success in
7 – Thermoset Elastomers

Publisher Summary Elastomers are defined by their very large deformability with essentially complete recoverability. In order for a material to exhibit this type of elasticity, three molecular requirements must be met: the material must consist of polymeric chains, the chains must have a high degree of flexibility and mobility, and the chains must be joined into a network structure. The first requirement arises from the fact that the molecules in a rubber or elastomeric material must be able to alter their arrangements and extensions in space dramatically in response to an imposed stress, and only a long-chain molecule has the required very large number of spatial arrangements of very different extensions. The second characteristic required for rubberlike elasticity specifies that the different spatial arrangements be accessible. The last characteristic cited is required in order to obtain the elastomeric recoverability. Typical nonbiological applications are tires, gaskets, conveyor belts, drive belts, rubber bands, stretch clothing, hoses, balloons and other inflatable devices, membranes, insulators, and encapsulants. Biological applications include parts of living organisms, and various biomedical devices.
BEOL-Embedded 3D Polylithic Integration: Thermal and Interconnection Considerations

In this paper, a BEOL-embedded chiplet integration scheme is proposed for dense 3D integration. This scheme represents a system with multiple device tiers (primary and embedded tiers) where custom chiplets, such as voltage regulator modules, I/O drivers, RF front-end chips, etc. are embedded into the BEOL of an application processor tier with a monolithic memory device tier, such as resistive RAM. The proposed integration scheme is thermally evaluated to investigate the effects of design parameters on the thermal operation of the primary and embedded tiers, along with transient analysis to estimate the extent of inter-tier thermal coupling. Results for steady-state operation suggest the thermal viability of such an integration approach. Considerable reduction in inter-tier thermal coupling for transient operation was achieved with dual-sided cooling (tier 1 to tier 3 coupling: 85% for air-cooling, reduced to 65% for dual-sided cooling). We also propose and demonstrate metal electroless plating in addition to mechanical self-alignment as an enabling technology for BEOL-embedded integration to facilitate low-temperature, low-pressure, and high interconnect density inter-die bonding. Post assembly Ni electroless deposited bonding was verified across all inspected diagonal pillars in an area array of 50×50 copper pillars.
The Acquisition of Peer Manding Using a Speech-Generating Device in Naturalistic Classroom Routines

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of an interrupted chain procedure and a time delay with full physical prompts, in the establishment of peer manding, within a naturally occurring classroom routine. The participants included three preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who used a tablet-based speech-generating device to communicate. Using a multiple baseline across subjects design, the participants were instructed to complete an arts and crafts activity, with an item needed to complete the activity in possession of the peer listener. Training included a three-second time delay with full physical prompts, which was used to evoke correct responding. Participants were exposed to this paradigm until responding reached a mastery criterion of 80% independent peer manding across three consecutive sessions. All three participants acquired the ability to mand from the peer using the training procedures, two of the three participants demonstrated maintenance of the acquired skill. Limitations and considerations for future investigations are also discussed.
Diagnostic Criteria of Recurrent Acute Rhinosinusitis: A Systematic Review.

BackgroundRARS is a challenging clinical phenomenon that affects many patients, and diagnostic criteria for this condition are not fully characterized in the literature.ObjectiveTo examine diagnost...
Enhanced mutation through exposure to EMS affects the evolution of ethanol tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Ethanol is a multifunctional compound that has many uses and can be made naturally by sugar-fermenting yeast such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, ethanol is toxic to yeast, so in this study we aimed to improve yeast ethanol tolerance, which could result in greater efficiencies in the process of alcohol production. This research explores the effectiveness of artificially inducing population-level variation through the application of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) on increasing the ethanol tolerance in S. cerevisiae. After several rounds of selection and increasing ethanol concentrations, ranging from 9-27%, the two treatment populations (AS - Artificial Selection only; and EMS – Exposure to EMS and Artificial Selection) were compared to the initial parental population. The parental strain was tolerant to ethanol concentrations of 13%, while the AS treatment was tolerant to slightly higher levels, 16%. Both of these treatments were well below the EMS treatment which expressed a tolerance of 27%. To test differences between strains, the parental strain, selection strain, and the EMS-exposed strain were separately plated on ten 27% ethanol plates and ten 0% ethanol plates, and growth was checked after 24 hours. The EMS-exposed strain was the only strain that grew at 27% ethanol; all strains grew at 0% ethanol. These results show that EMS, artificial selection, and ethanol as a stressor might be effective in producing strains of S. cerevisiae that are able to produce greater amounts of ethanol before toxicity sets in.