cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new day, a new me: Daily event domain and valence interact in relation to daily personality

Abstract Does daily personality relate to the daily positive and negative events people report? And do interpersonal (extraversion, agreeableness) and intrapersonal (conscientiousness) traits relate more closely to daily social and achievement events, respectively? In a diary study, 133 undergraduates provided measures of daily events and daily Big Five personality. A three-level model examined daily event items as functions of their valence (negative vs. positive), domain (social vs. achievement), and their interaction (level 1); and the extent to which daily personality moderated these effects (level 2) for the average person (level 3). It revealed 4 three-way interactions. For extraversion and agreeableness, valence × personality interactions emerged for social—but not achievement—events. For neuroticism, valence × personality interactions emerged for both domains, but social was stronger. For conscientiousness, a valence × personality interaction emerged for achievement—but not social—events. We discuss whether daily personality shapes daily event experiences or vice versa.
Interface Management for a NASA Flight Project Using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)

The goal of interface management is to identify, define, control, and verify interfaces; ensure compatibility; provide an efficient system development; be on time and within budget; while meeting stakeholder requirements. This paper will present a successful seven-step approach to interface management used in several NASA flight projects. The seven-step approach using Model Based Systems Engineering will be illustrated by interface examples from the Materials International Space Station Experiment-X (MISSE-X) project. The MISSE-X was being developed as an International Space Station (ISS) external platform for space environmental studies, designed to advance the technology readiness of materials and devices critical for future space exploration. Emphasis will be given to best practices covering key areas such as interface definition, writing good interface requirements, utilizing interface working groups, developing and controlling interface documents, handling interface agreements, the use of shadow documents, the importance of interface requirement ownership, interface verification, and product transition.
Postoperative radiation therapy is associated with a reduced risk of local recurrence among low risk Merkel cell carcinomas of the head and neck.

Abstract Purpose Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and often aggressive skin cancer. Typically, surgery is the primary treatment. Postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) is often recommended to improve local control. It is unclear whether PORT is indicated in patients with favorable Stage IA head and neck (HN) MCC. Methods and materials We conducted a retrospective analysis of 46 low-risk HN MCC cases treated between 2006 and 2015. Inclusion criteria were defined as a primary tumor size of ≤ 2 cm, negative pathological margins, negative sentinel lymph node biopsy, and no immunosuppression. Local recurrence (LR) was defined as tumor recurrence within 2 cm of the primary surgical bed and estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Results Omission of PORT was offered to all 46 patients, of which 23 patients received PORT and 23 did not. No patient received adjuvant chemotherapy. There were no significant differences in surgical margins, tumor size, depth, lympho-vascular invasion status, or demographics between the two patient groups. Median follow-up for all patients was 3.7 years. Six of the 23 patients who did not receive PORT developed an LR. Compared to the group that received PORT, there was a significantly higher risk of LR in the group treated without PORT (26% vs. 0%, P = .02). Median time to LR was 11 months. All local failures were effectively salvaged. There was no difference in MCC-specific and overall survival between the 2 groups. Conclusions For patients with HN MCC, omission of PORT was associated with a significantly higher risk of local recurrence even among those patients with the lowest-risk tumors (i.e., Stage IA without immune suppression). Thus, it is important to weigh the benefits of PORT against the side effect profile on a case-specific basis for each patient.
Emigration and association

No abstract available. (Published: 17 October 2016) This paper is part of the Special Issue: Book symposium on Debating Brain Drain: May Government Restrict Emigration? More papers from this issue can be found at http://www.ethicsandglobalpolitics.net Citation: Ethics & Global Politics, Vol. 9, 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/egp.v9.33500
Capturing Youth Voice to Assess Learning in Urban Youth Development Programs

This article describes a two-part evaluation method that was designed to assess the nature of the learning experiences and the learning environments in urban youth programs by capturing the often absent voice of youth. It also presents evaluation results after delivering educational youth programs in an urban setting for one year. While youth across five program sites indicated their programs had strong program planning and delivery that provided intentional learning environments, the most common challenge across programs was a need for improved participation of both youth and adults. The evaluation findings convey the perspectives of young people on their experience as learners in youth programs. Practitioners may use such data in future planning as they employ strategies to improve the overall quality of their programs.
On Semantic Gamification

The purpose of this essay is to study the extent in which the semantics for different logical systems can be represented game theoretically. I will begin by considering different definitions of what it means to gamify a semantics, and show completeness and limitative results. In particular, I will argue that under a proper definition of gamification, all finitely algebraizable logics can be gamified, as well as some infinitely algebraizable ones like Łukasiewicz and some non-algebraizable like intuitionistic and van Fraassen supervaluation logic.
American undergraduate students' value development during the Great Recession.

The Great Recession's influence on American undergraduate students' values was examined, testing Greenfield's and Kasser's theories concerning value development during economic downturns. Study 1 utilised aggregate-level data to investigate (a) population-level value changes between the pre-recession (2004–2006: n = 824,603) and recession freshman cohort (2008–2010: n = 662,262) and (b) overall associations of population-level values with national economic climates over long-term periods by correlating unemployment rates and concurrent aggregate-level values across 1966–2015 (n = 10 million). Study 2 examined individual-level longitudinal value development from freshman to senior year, and whether the developmental trajectories differed between those who completed undergraduate education before the Great Recession (freshmen in 2002, n = 12,792) versus those who encountered the Great Recession during undergraduate years (freshmen in 2006, n = 13,358). Results suggest American undergraduate students' increased communitarianism (supporting Greenfield) and materialism (supporting Kasser) during the Great Recession. The recession also appears to have slowed university students' development of positive self-views. Results contribute to the limited literature on the Great Recession's influence on young people's values. They also offer theoretical and practical implications, as values of this privileged group of young adults are important shapers of societal values, decisions, and policies.
Osteopontin and clusterin levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus: differential association with peripheral autonomic nerve function.

Osteopontin (OPN) and clusterin are secreted glycoproteins potentially associated with nerve function. Sudomotor dysfunction is associated with the development of foot ulcerations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential relationship of OPN and clusterin with sudomotor function (i.e., autonomic nerves that control sweating) in participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Sudomotor function was assessed using SUDOSCAN® which measures electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) of the hands and feet. Demographics (e.g., age, gender, race, body mass index (BMI)), HbA1c, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, creatinine, OPN, and clusterin were also determined for the participants. Fifty individuals with T2DM (age = 59±11 years; 23/27 male/female; 13 African Americans) participated in this study. Lower ESC for the hands and feet were observed in African Americans versus Caucasians/Asians (p < 0.05). No significant ESC differences were observed for good [HbA1c <7%] versus poor [HbA1c ≥7%] glycemic control. With regard to gender, ESC values were lower for the hands for females (p < 0.05). In linear regression with ESC for the hands or feet as the dependent variable, increased OPN levels, but not clusterin, were independently associated with reduced sudomotor function while adjusting for age, gender, race, BMI, and glycemic control (ESC hands model R 2 = 0.504, p < 0.001; ESC feet model R 2 = 0.534, p < 0.001). The association between OPN and reduced sudomotor function found in our study warrants further investigation to delineate the underlying mechanisms and determine if OPN is neuroprotective, involved in the pathogenesis of sudomotor dysfunction, or simply a bystander.
Optimizing Pain Control in a Patient with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Report of Clinical Management

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a leading cause of low back pain and one of the most common causes of work absences. Treatment is initialized with narcotic and non-narcotic medications, which have been shown to work in the majority of patients. For those who do not find relief with medications and seek pain/symptom relief, invasive spinal surgery is the last resort. This case describes the escalation and dose titration of narcotic and non-narcotic medications in a patient with worsening lumbar spinal stenosis that was unable to proceed with surgical intervention for the next several months and had failed his prior outpatient pain regimen. Proper titration of a basal narcotic dose in addition to optimizing non-narcotic medications, including muscle relaxants, proved to better control pain in the interim until surgical intervention. Our case shows how several different teams of physicians and non-physician providers collaborated to optimize pain control using several different treatment regimens with different doses and routes until a safe and effective plan was created for long-term use.
Identifying Algorithms to Improve the Accuracy of Unverified Diagnosis Codes for Birth Defects.

Objectives:We identified algorithms to improve the accuracy of passive surveillance programs for birth defects that rely on administrative diagnosis codes for case ascertainment and in situations w...
Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Heparin

Chemoenzymatic synthesis is a strategy to produce heparin oligosaccharides with clearly defined structures and properties. Chemical synthesis involving protection and deprotection is combined with enzymatic synthesis. Chemical synthesis is used to construct appropriate acceptor and donor molecules, while enzymatic synthesis is used in extension and modification. Recombinant enzymes are prepared based on heparin’s biosynthetic pathway in animals and capsular polysaccharide pathways in bacteria. Chemoenzymatic synthesis relies on a deep understanding of enzyme specificity and the application of modified unnatural chemically synthesized donors and acceptors to perform target-based synthesis of smallto intermediate-sized heparins.
Simulation Analysis of Flexible Manufacturing Systems Using RENSAM

Simulation has become the most widely used computer based performance evaluation tool for FMS design and analysis due to the complexity of the interaction of the dynamic components in these systems. Simulation models can incorporate a great level of detail and capture the time dynamic behavior of these systems. RENSAM (Rensselaer’s Simulator for Automated Manufacturing) is a generic simulation model that takes advantage of the underlying structure of manufacturing systems. RENSAM is an adaptive system’ in that it consists of a generic GPSS simulation model which provides a high level of flexibility in modeling a wide spectrum of FMS configurations. This paper presents a description of RENSAM system and its capabilities as an analysis tool are illustrated by means of a case study.
Temperature- and solvent-tolerant mutants of filamentous bacteriophage helper M13 KO7

Mutants of helper phage M13 KO7 were isolated whose survival was up to 300-fold greater than the wild type after 30 min at 95 °C, and had increased solvent tolerance (up to 200-fold in 75% v/v N,N-dimethylformamide). These mutants retained their ability to package pIII-fusion display phagemids with normal efficiency and therefore will be useful in the isolation of stable protein variants by phage display.
Leadership in a non-traditional setting: self-managing virtual IS development teams

Despite its abundance, traditional leadership research cannot be claimed to transfer directly to the leadership context of self-managing virtual (SMV) Information Systems Development teams. Unique conditions of these novel team environments require focused studies of leadership in virtual team settings. Although there are some studies of virtual team leadership that make important contributions to the literature, these studies typically use short term, ad-hoc teams of students. This study ultimately aims at filling the gap in the literature by investigating how leadership manifests in real-life SMV IS teams over time. In this paper, the overall study is introduced and the initial findings based on the content analysis schema development effort are reported.
First Postprostatectomy Ultrasensitive Prostate-specific Antigen Predicts Survival in Patients with High-risk Prostate Cancer Pathology.

Abstract Background Ultrasensitive prostate-specific antigen (uPSA) has untapped potential for optimizing management following radical prostatectomy (RP) in terms of facilitating early salvage, minimizing overtreatment, and identifying those at risk of occult systemic disease. Objective To test first postoperative uPSA for prediction of outcome in patients with adverse pathology after RP. Design, setting, and participants Patients with extraprostatic extension and/or a positive margin who did not receive immediate adjuvant therapy. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis First uPSA was measured at 3 mo after RP. The study endpoints were biochemical relapse (BCR), defined as PSA ≥0.2 ng/ml, bone metastasis–free survival (BMFS), prostate cancer–specific survival (PCSS), overall survival (OS), and salvage radiation therapy (SRT) success. Outcome results were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate analysis (MVA). Results and limitations The cohort consisted of 269 RP patients from 1991–2015 with median follow-up of 77 mo. Sensitivity analysis identified first postoperative uPSA of ≥0.03 ng/ml as the optimal threshold for predicting BCR. First postoperative uPSA ≥0.03 versus Conclusions First postoperative uPSA ≥0.03 ng/ml independently predicts BCR, BMFS, PCSS, and OS better than traditional risk factors. SRT alone may be insufficient for patients with high-risk disease when first postoperative uPSA is ≥0.03 ng/ml. Patient summary When the first postprostatectomy ultrasensitive prostate-specific antigen level is ≥0.03 ng/ml, patients are at higher risk of recurrent and occult prostate cancer. They should be considered for early salvage radiotherapy, possibly with hormone therapy.
A rare and serious cause of pancytopenia in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

A 60-year-old woman with a history of hypertension, rhupus (systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis), anemia who presented to an outside hospital with generalized weakness, worsening anaemia, recurrent vomiting and had a complicated medical course including septic shock due to Escherichia coli bacteraemia with acute renal failure, acute liver injury, acute respiratory failure and pancytopenia. Patient was receiving continuous renal replacement therapy, mechanical ventilation and immunosuppression with intravenous methylprednisolone and azathioprine. Patient was weaned from …
Study of a toroidal-helical pipe as an innovative static mixer in laminar flows

Abstract In this paper we present the design of a novel, passive mixer, to enhance mixing and residence time distribution for promoting transport and reaction mechanisms in such devices. The goal is to understand and optimize the flow patterns for enhancing mixing in laminar flows through toroidal helical pipes, inspired by the coiled flow inverter (CFI) (Saxena and Nigam, 1984). A toroidal helix is a smooth analytical curve winding around a torus. It is characterized by three parameters: the radius of the torus’ centerline, the radius of the torus’ cross-section, and the number of turns it winds around the torus. Unlike the torus or the straight helix which have constant curvatures, the toroidal helix has a spatially oscillating curvature. We found that this causes the otherwise separated pair of Dean vortices to couple together, periodically re-orient, shrink and grow within each turn of the pipe. The resultant complex streamlines span the entire cross-section and enhances mixing via advective means. By constraining the total pipe length, a meaningful comparison of mixing efficiency within a given volume of pipe can be assessed as the torus’s cross-section radius and the number of helix turns are systematically varied. Reynolds number of up to 400 is explored with the number of turns of 3, 5, 7 and 8. The optimization study shows that the best mixing performance is achieved using a moderate number of turns. Apart from flow pattern and mixing efficiency, we also studied the pressure drop to monitor increased energy consumption and residence time distribution of the flow to monitor degree of mixing.
Metabolomic Studies of Live Single Cancer Stem Cells Using Mass Spectrometry

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are rare types of cells responsible for tumor development, relapse, and metastasis. However, current research in CSC biology is largely limited by the difficulty of obtaining sufficient CSCs. Single-cell analysis techniques are promising tools for CSC-related studies. Here, we used the Single-probe mass spectrometry (MS) technique to investigate the metabolic features of live colorectal CSCs at the single-cell level. Experimental data were analyzed using statistical analysis methods, including the t-test and partial least squares discriminant analysis. Our results indicate that the overall metabolic profiles of CSCs are distinct from non-stem cancer cells (NSCCs). Specifically, we demonstrated that tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites are more abundant in CSCs compared to NSCCs, indicating their major energy production pathways are different. Moreover, CSCs have relatively higher levels of unsaturated lipids. Inhibiting the activities of stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1), nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), and aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH1A1) in CSCs significantly reduced the abundances of unsaturated lipids and hindered the formation of spheroids, resulting in reduced stemness of CSCs. Our techniques and experimental protocols can be potentially used for metabolomic studies of other CSCs and rare types of cells and provide a new approach to discovering functional biomarkers as therapeutic targets.
EQ-5D Quality-of-Life Analysis and Cost-Effectiveness After Skull Base Meningioma Resection.

Background Skull base meningioma management is complicated by their proximity to intracranial neurovascular structures because complete resection may pose a risk of worsening morbidity. Objective To assess the influence of clinical outcomes and surgical management on patient-perceived quality-of-life outcomes, value, and cost-effectiveness. Methods Patients who underwent resection of a skull base meningioma, had adequate clinical follow-up, and completed EQ-5D-3L questionnaires preoperatively and at 1 mo and 1 yr postoperatively were identified in a retrospective review. Cost data from the Value Driven Outcomes database were analyzed. Results A total of 52 patients (83.0% women, mean age 51.9 yr) were categorized by worsened (n = 7), unchanged (n = 24), or improved (n = 21) EQ-5D-3L index scores at 1-mo follow-up. No difference in subcategory cost contribution or total cost was seen in the 3 groups. Patients with improved scores showed a steady improvement through each follow-up period, whereas those with unchanged or worsened scores did not. Mean quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and cost per QALY improved for all groups but at a higher rate for patients with better outcomes at 30-d follow-up. Female sex, absence of proptosis, nonfrontotemporal approaches, no optic nerve decompression, and absence of surgical complications demonstrated improved EQ-5D-3L scores at 1-yr follow-up. A mean cost per QALY of $27 731.06 ± 22 050.58 was observed for the whole group and did not significantly differ among patient groups (P = .1). Conclusion Patients undergoing resection of skull base meningiomas and who experience an immediate improvement in EQ-5D are likely to show continued improvement at 1 yr, with improved QALY and reduced cost per QALY.
Fracture mechanics analysis of generalized compact tension specimen geometry using the mechanics of net-section

Abstract Fracture mechanics analysis of a generalized compact tension specimen, on the basis of the mechanics of deformation of the net-section, is shown to provide a simple and a broadly useful expression for stress intensity factor calculations. A single analytical expression is found to be sufficient for the characterization of crack behavior in compact tension, extended compact tension and wedge splitting test specimens without any restriction on the specimen length (or height) and width. The analysis is enabled by the concept of the change in net-section energy, which is determined by summing the changes in strain energies of the net-section of the generalized specimen for tension and bending deformation modes, which result from the introduction of the crack. This is equivalent in concept to the increase in strain energy upon the introduction of the crack, as in the Griffith’s fracture theory. The square-root of the change in net-section strain energy parameter multiplied by the elastic modulus provides an expression that is equivalent to the conventional stress intensity factor expression. The application of the net-section based expression to the standard compact tension, the extended compact tension and the wedge-splitting test specimens shows very good agreements with the crack behaviors as expressed by the stress intensity factor expressions for the respective geometries. The proposed method enables easy analytical determination of stress intensity factors for any asymmetrically-loaded mode-I crack problem.
Involvement of Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background Recently, we and others have reported a causal role for oxidized lipids in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the role of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) in PH is not known. Methods and Results We examined the role of LDL-R in the development of PH and determined the efficacy of high-density lipoprotein mimetic peptide 4F in mitigating PH. Explanted human lungs and plasma from patients with PH and control subjects were analyzed for gene expression, histological characteristics, and lipoprotein oxidation. Male LDL-R null (LDL-R knockout) mice (12-15 months old) were fed chow, Western diet (WD), WD with 4F, and WD with scramble peptide for 12 weeks. Serial echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, oxidized LDL assay, real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and histological analysis were performed. The effect of LDL-R knockdown and oxidized LDL on human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation was assessed in vitro. LDL-R and CD36 expression levels were significantly downregulated in the lungs of patients with PH. Patients with PH also had increased lung lipid deposits, oxidized LDL, E06 immunoreactivity, and plasma oxidized LDL/LDL ratio. LDL-R knockout mice on WD developed PH, right ventricular hypertrophy, right ventricular dysfunction, pulmonary vascular remodeling, fibrosis, and lipid deposition in lungs, aortic atherosclerosis, and left ventricular dysfunction, which were prevented by 4F. Interestingly, PH in WD group preceded left ventricular dysfunction. Oxidized LDL or LDL-R knockdown significantly increased proliferation of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells in vitro. Conclusions Human PH is associated with decreased LDL-R in lungs and increased oxidized LDL in lungs and plasma. WD-fed LDL-R knockout mice develop PH and right ventricular dysfunction, implicating a role for LDL-R and oxidized lipids in PH.
Complex Impedance Transformers: Their Use in Designing Various Ultracompact and Wideband Power Dividers

With the development of wireless communication systems, the use of complex impedance transformers to convert one complex impedance into another is important for achieving the maximum power transfer. These transformers are exploited for impedance-transforming power dividers (PDs) and combiners [1]-[3], wireless power transfer [4] and energy harvesting, antenna feed lines, and power amplifiers. The simplest design is generally the most preferable for any engineering solution; thus, in most cases, the best approach is to use quarter-wave impedance transformers to convert one real impedance into another real impedance. However, since the input and output impedances of PDs [1]-[3]; transmitter- and receiver-coils for wireless power transfer systems [4]; and power transistors, antennas, and diodes for rectifiers are not always real values, complex impedance transformers are also needed to convert one complex impedance into another.
The Economics of Digital Platforms: A Guide for Regulators

This paper examines the economics of digital platforms and two-sided markets and discusses the economic conditions that underlie policy assertions by advocates of both interventionist and laissez-faire policies. We include applications to internet search, online advertising, media, data, and privacy. Our goal is to provide a balanced look at the economic assumptions that underlie the many “possibility theorems” policymakers use to rationalize different policies (e.g., regulation, breaking up large companies, subsidizing entry, forced data sharing, or maintaining the status quo). Our discussion of the economics underlying various possibility theorems highlights the type of information and analyses required to determine whether alternative forms of intervention are likely to enhance the welfare of various market participants. While it is relatively easy to identify theoretical conditions under which intervention dominates the status quo (and vice versa), empirical verification is difficult because multi-sided platforms have many interrelated parts and involve complex data. These complexities augment the challenges inherent in implementing welfare-enhancing policies and highlight the importance of evidence-based decision-making.
Update on latest advances in time-of-flight PET

Abstract This paper provides an update on time-of-flight (TOF) PET with a focus on latest hardware developments leading to current commercial PET/CT instruments. We describe advances in scintillator development, new photosensors and associated electronics readout, and detector designs for utilization in complete systems. Next, we introduce the latest commercial PET/CT scanners based on the aforementioned technologies, and discuss the detector design choices made that are relevant to differences in the system performance. Finally, we end with a discussion of the latest performance benchmarks for improved timing in PET detectors, challenges in scaling this performance to a complete system, and the outlook towards achieving a sub-50 ps coincidence timing resolution (CTR) in a PET detector.
Mitigation of late cardiovascular effects of oxygen ion radiation by γ-tocotrienol in a mouse model.

Abstract Purpose: While there is concern about degenerative tissue effects of exposure to space radiation during deep-space missions, there are no pharmacological countermeasures against these adverse effects. γ-Tocotrienol (GT3) is a natural form of vitamin E that has anti-oxidant properties, modifies cholesterol metabolism, and has anti-inflammatory and endothelial cell protective properties. The purpose of this study was to test whether GT3 could mitigate cardiovascular effects of oxygen ion (16O) irradiation in a mouse model. Materials and methods: Male C57BL/6 J mice were exposed to whole-body 16O (600 MeV/n) irradiation (0.26–0.33 Gy/min) at doses of 0 or 0.25 Gy at 6 months of age and were followed up to 9 months after irradiation. Animals were administered GT3 (50 mg/kg/day s.c.) or vehicle, on Monday – Friday starting on day 3 after irradiation for a total of 16 administrations. Ultrasonography was used to measure in vivo cardiac function and blood flow parameters. Cardiac tissue remodeling and inflammatory infiltration were assessed with histology and immunoblot analysis at 2 weeks, 3 and 9 months after radiation. Results: GT3 mitigated the effects of 16O radiation on cardiac function, the expression of a collagen type III peptide, and markers of mast cells, T-cells and monocytes/macrophages in the left ventricle. Conclusions: GT3 may be a potential countermeasure against late degenerative tissue effects of high-linear energy transfer radiation in the heart.
John Benedetto’s Mathematical Work

John Joseph Benedetto (JB) has been at the University of Maryland, College Park, since 1965. In this chapter, I will submit data that attests to JB’s (a) large number of PhD students, (b) large number of papers (As a linear regression computation shows, the number of PhD students (per year) he advises and the number of papers (published per year) are both increasing, on average. See below.), and (c) remarkable outreach into the business sector, inviting cooperation between industry and his group of UMCP mathematicians that became the Norbert Wiener Center.
Emergent media scan of digital mutual aid organizing during the COVID-19 pandemic

A rapid emergent media scan, describing 1) how mutual aid emerged as a response to COVID-19 and 2) how digital organizing was used for mutual aid, was conducted using a media bias framework to sele...
Invitation to Number Theory

Number theory has been instrumental in introducing many of the most distinguished mathematicians, past and present, to the charms and mysteries of mathematical research. The purpose of this simple little guide will have been achieved if it should lead some of its readers to appreciate why the properties of numbers can be so fascinating. It would be better still if it would induce you to try to find some number relations of your own; new curiosities devised by young people turn up every year. In any case, you will become familiar with some of the special mathematical concepts and methods used in number theory and will be prepared to embark upon the study of the more advanced books in its rich literature.
PRICE INFERENCE IN SMALL MARKETS

This paper investigates the effects of market size on the ability of price to aggregate traders' private information. To account for heterogeneity in correlation of trader values, a Gaussian model of double auction is introduced that departs from the standard information structure based on a common (fundamental) shock. The paper shows that markets are informationally efficient only if correlations of values coincide across all bidder pairs. As a result, with heterogeneously interdependent values, price informativeness may not increase monotonically with market size. As a necessary and sufficient condition for the monotonicity, price informativeness increases with the number of traders if the implied reduction in (the absolute value of) an average correlation statistic of an information structure is sufficiently small.
CMAC Learning Controller for Servo Control of High Precision Machine Tools

There is an increasing number applications of high precision motion control systems in manufacturing, i.e. ultra-precision machining, assembly of small components and micro devices. Typical required positioning accuracies are in the range of 2.5?m to 0.25?m (1/10,000 in to 1/100,000 in). The trend is to require even higher accuracies. It is very difficult to assure such accuracies due to many factors affecting the precision of motion, such as friction and backlash in the drive system. The standard proportional-integral-derivative (PID) type servo control algorithms are not capable of delivering the desired precision under the influence of friction and backlash. A learning control algorithm based on Cerebellar Model Articulation Controller (CMAC) is studied for servo motion control under the presence of friction and backlash with the ultra-precision machine tool applications in mind. The CMAC learning controller is conceptually simpler, has faster learning convergence, and more practical than the well known feedforward backpropagation artificial neural network architectures. The CMAC control algorithm is implemented using C-language on an IBM-PC compatible.
Dignity at Work: Toward a Theory of Dignity

Dignity is essential for a life well lived, or even for one worth living. But what does dignity at work mean? This chapter provides groundwork for answering this question by considering the work of the some of the founding figures in the social sciences. In addition, we consider the theoretical basis for an analysis of contemporary challenges to working with dignity and behavioral strategies for safeguarding dignity at work. The essential meaning of dignity that emerges includes both inherent human rights, such as protection from abuse, and earned aspects of dignity based on taking valued actions. The starting point for our discussion of dignity focuses on the ideas of the classic social science theorists. We start with the conceptual insights of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber on themes related to working with dignity and the challenges to achieving this goal. Alienation, Anomie, and Bureaucratic Rationality The three founding figures in the social sciences, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber, provided groundbreaking ideas on the nature of work and human dignity that set the stage for modern theories of society. Each theorist conceptualized modern industrial society as entailing profound denials of dignity. For Marx, the central challenge to dignity was the control of labor by capitalists and their exploitation of workers, resulting in alienation from meaningful work. For Durkheim, the central challenge to dignity was the breakdown of social norms or rules governing workplace relations due to the drive toward endless expansion generated by modern industry.
The foreign exchange market in a highly-open developing economy: The case of Singapore

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the foreign exchange market of Singapore from the perspective of market-efficiency and further to determine if factors such as the unanticipated changes in interest rate differentials and purchasing power parity play a role in the behavior of the exchange rate using a variety of tests. It is shown that the Singapore market despite its relatively small size displays many of the same characteristics observed in the markets of developed countries. This is taken as a confirmation of the general nature of the ‘empirical regularities’ found in studies of such markets.
Abstract T P239: Utilization and Outcomes of Ventriculostomy in Non-Traumatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage During Last Decade in United States

Background: Large studies describing recent trends in ventriculostomy utilization in non-traumatic ICH are lacking. Purpose: To describe trends, outcomes and predictors of ventriculostomy utilization in ICH. Study-design and Setting: Population based serial cross-sectional study of non-federal US hospitals from 2001-2010. Methods: Nationwide Inpatient Sample was searched for patients with primary diagnosis of ICH (ICD-9 code 431) undergoing ventriculostomy (ICD-9 code 02.2). Primary outcome measures were inpatient mortality and good functional outcomes as indicated by discharge to home. Resource utilization was measured by length of stay and inflation adjusted cost of care (2013 US dollar value). Logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of ventriculostomy utilization. Population estimates were obtained by complex sample analysis taking into account the discharge weights, clustering and stratification used for sampling design. Results: A total of 652,738 ICH cases were included, of w...
Sources of Political Cynicism in Democratic Society

My project uncovers and explores the democratic sources of political cynicism. Against prevailing opinion, I argue that the contemporary contempt of politics follows primarily from neither the discontents of our liberal political system, nor from life in "market society." Instead, extending Tocqueville’s work on democracy, I argue that the anti-political prejudice so apparent today is inscribed in democracy itself - that is, in the principle of "democratic openness," the freedom that becomes imaginable only with the collapse of hierarchy and the rise of equality. In its openness democratic society is imagined as a sort of social state of nature, before and beyond the political practice of democracy - paradoxically both wholly determined by base economic forces and the material equations of power and wholly undetermined, free and open. In the former, the distinction between persuasion and force collapses; arguments are taken as just so much powerless talk or as force by means of deception and manipulation. In the latter, defined by a sense of limitless, revolutionary/creative possibility and indefinite perfectibility, the need for a politics of argument and persuasion signifies only the sad distance between us and our transcendent aspirations. Within this dialectic of cynicism and idealism, we consider ourselves both unable to participate in and in need of nothing from politics. Democratic man, as it were, does not consider himself a political animal.
12/15-Lipoxygenase Is Increased in Alzheimer's Disease: Possible Involvement in Brain Oxidative Stress

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that impairs cognition and behavior. Although the initiating molecular events are not known, increasing evidence suggests that oxidative stress could play a functional role in its pathogenesis. Lipoxygenase (LOX) enzymes by oxidizing polyunsaturated fatty acids synthesize hydroperoxyacids, which are potent pro-oxidant mediators. Because circumstantial evidence suggests that 12/15-LOX is a major source of oxidative stress, we investigated the protein levels and activity of this enzyme in different brain regions of histopathologically confirmed AD and control cases. Using quantitative Western blot analysis we demonstrated that in affected frontal and temporal regions of AD brains the amount of 12/15-LOX was higher compared with controls, whereas no difference between the two groups was detected in the cerebellum. This observation was confirmed by immunohistochemical studies. Levels of 12/15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids, metabolic products of 12/15-LOX, were also markedly elevated in AD brains compared to controls. This increase directly correlated with brain lipid peroxidation, and inversely with vitamin E levels. Finally, genetic deletion of this enzyme in vitro resulted in a reduction of the cellular oxidative stress response after incubation with H2O2 or amyloid β. These data show that the 12/15-LOX metabolic pathway is increased and correlates with an oxidative imbalance in the AD brain, implying that this enzyme might contribute to the pathogenesis of this neurodegenerative disorder.
Clinical Applications of PCR (Methods in Molecular Medicine, Volume 16).

Clinical Applications of PCR (Methods in Molecular Medicine, Volume 16). Edited by Y.M. Dennis Lo. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, Inc., 1998, 353 pp. $69. ISBN 0-89603-359-7. Since the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was first described in 1985, the technique and its applications have gone through many rounds of their own amplification. Clinical Applications of PCR is written as a guide to the many applications of PCR in clinical molecular medicine. The book begins with a general introduction to the principles of PCR that is clearly written and covers …
The Economic Impact of Payer Policies after the Rx-to-OTC Switch of Second-Generation Antihistamines*

Objective: As a result of the over-the-counter (OTC) introduction of loratadine, health plans have been strug- gling to determine the best policy to incorporate this change within their existing drug benefit structure for sec- ond-generation antihistamines (SGA). The objective of this study was to examine the economic impact of payer policies in response to the Rx-to-OTC switch of loratadine. Study Design: Decision analysis was used to model the budgetary impact and cost-effectiveness of four policies for SGA benefits for the managed care organization (MCO), employer, and Medicaid perspectives separately. Patients and Methods: Outcomes included direct medi- cal costs and lost productivity (employers only), dis- counted, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) saved because of amelioration of allergic rhinitis symptoms and avoidance of unintentional injuries associated with the use of first-generation antihistamines (FGA). Bayesian probabilistic sensitivity analysis was conducted using sec- ond-order Monte Carlo simulation. Results: Providing limited OTC and second-tier prescrip- tion benefits would cost approximately $0.13 and $0.30 compared to third-tier prescription benefits for employers and MCOs, respectively, and would save Medicaid $.02 per member per month (PMPM). Providing limited cov- erage for OTC loratadine while retaining second-tier pre- scription benefits for SGA was the optimal policy for a willingness to pay below $26,200 per QALY for all payers. Conclusions: Offering second-tier prescription and lim- ited OTC benefits provides greater effectiveness and is not significantly more expensive PMPM than discontinua- tion. Some of the drug savings from limiting coverage of prescription SGA may be attenuated by the cost of lost productivity and direct medical expenditures due to unin- tentional injuries associated with increased FGA use in addition to the increased cost of therapeutic substitutes.
Structural and electronic properties of nonperiodic superlattices

A brief review of the structural and electronic properties of Fibonacci, Thue-Morse, and random superlattices (SLs) is given. Quasiperiodic Fibonacci SLs and 1-D analogs of quasicrystals; their wave behavior is characterized by critical hierarchy of gaps. The interest in random SLs focuses on the problem of Anderson localization. Thue-Morse structures are based on an automatic sequence that is not random, periodic, or quasi-periodic. The structural properties of these SLs and results of X-ray and Raman scattering (RS) experiments on GaAs-Al/sub 1-x/Ga/sub x/As and other semiconductor multilayers are discussed. >
Connexin35/36 gap junction proteins are expressed in photoreceptors of the tiger salamander retina.

Photoreceptors in the vertebrate retina are electrically coupled with one another. Such coupling plays important roles in visual information processing. Physiological properties of rod-rod and rod-cone coupling have been best studied in the salamander retina, yet the cellular and molecular basis of these electrical synapses has not been established. Recently, connexin35/36 (Cx35/36) gap junction proteins were found to be highly expressed in brain and retina, suggesting that it may mediate photoreceptor coupling. To test this idea, we examined the cellular distribution of Cx35/36 in the salamander retina. Western blot analysis showed the expression of Cx35/36 proteins, and confocal microscopy revealed characteristic punctate Cx35/36 immunoreactivity in both synaptic layers. In addition, Cx35/36-positive plaques were detected in the outer nuclear layer (ONL) between neighboring rods, and these plaques outlined the mosaic of the rod network at a level distal to the external limiting membrane. Moreover, although Cx35/36 plaques were detected between some cones and their adjacent rods, the number and size of these plaques was smaller, and their staining intensity was diminished compared with the plaques between adjacent rods. Furthermore, Lucifer yellow injection together with confocal microscopy revealed that Cx35/36-puncta were colocalized with finlike structures of rod cell membrane, with the ultrastructure of gap junctions between paired rod fins having been found by electron microscopy. Therefore, our findings demonstrate that Cx35/36 expression in photoreceptors is primarily located between rods and to a lesser extent between rods and cones, suggesting that Cx35/36 may participate in electrical coupling between rods and between rods and cones in the salamander retina. J. Comp. Neurol. 470:1–12, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A National Laboratory and University Branch Campus Library Partnership: Shared Benefits and Challenges from Combined Reference Services

The Hanford Technical Library of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Max E. Benitz Memorial Library of the Washington State University Tri-Cities Branch Campus have functioned both separately and in combination since moving into the same space within the Consolidated Information Center in 1997. The libraries have successfully partnered to serve different clientele at a combined reference desk since June 1997. Although having separate staffs, catalogs, and collections, the libraries share a single reference/information desk. The reference staffs work together to serve a very diverse clientele including students, faculty, engineers, scientists, contractors, regulators, and the public. The combined libraries offer significant benefits to both library staffs and their users. The libraries have expanded access to collections and information expertise, enhanced staff training opportunities, and provided additional hours of reference service to patrons while at the same time maintaining the individual identities of the two libraries.
Racialization in times of contention: how social movements influence Latino racial identity

This paper examines the effects of the 2006 immigrant rights protests on the strength of Latino racial identity. Utilizing the 2006 Latino National Survey and an original protest event data set, we test whether Latino perceptions of racialization changed during the series of demonstrations. We treat the marches temporally as a quasi-natural experiment to explore changes in Latino attitudes regarding their racial identities before, during, and after the protests. We find that both during and after the marches, Latinos possessed a greater sense of racialization than before the marches. Moreover, the effect of the demonstrations was not short-lived and did not dissipate immediately after the end of the protest cycle. Rather, the effect grew stronger as the number of days after the last protest occurred increased. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the impacts social movements can have on the strength of collective identities.