cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simulating smoking behaviors based on cognition-determined, opinion-based system dynamics

We created a cognition-focused system dynamics model to simulate the dynamics of smoking tendencies based on media influences and communication of opinions. We based this model on the premise that the dynamics of attitudes about smoking can be more deeply understood by combining opinion dynamics with more in-depth psychological models that explicitly explore the root causes of behaviors of interest. Results of the model show the relative effectiveness of two different policies as compared to a baseline: a decrease in advertising spending, and an increase in educational spending. The initial results presented here indicate the utility of this type of simulation for analyzing various policies meant to influence the dynamics of opinions in a population.
Racial Recognition by Nursery School Children in Lynchburg, Virginia

T HIS paper deals with the relationship of age, sex, race, and family status to the ability of nursery school children to recognize Negroes and whites. It is an analysis of a part of the data from research on race awareness conducted in the racially segregated city of Lynchburg, Virginia.' Other parts of the research, not included in this presentation, attempt to measure racial preference, willingness to associate with members of another race, and racial selfidentification. There have been several studies made of racial recognition among preschool children with which this analysis can be compared and contrasted,2 but this study differs from previous ones in the methods it uses and in its concentration on the relationship of social factors to racial recognition in a racially segregated community. An underlying assumption of this paper is that the ability to recognize racial differences reflects social training.
Measurement and Analysis of Noise in UHV AC Substation

In order to obtain the boundary noise level in ultra-high voltage(UHV) AC substation,we measured the noise levels of transformer and reactor in station,as well as their spectral characteristics,attenuation characteristics and relationship to the power load.The measurement was mainly performed in a substation of UHV Test Demonstration Project in China,in its normal operation and load commissioning period,respectively.The measurement results were further analyzed.It is concluded that the noise of transformer is mainly at low and medium frequencies,it is more influenced by cooling fan,and it has an approximate positive correlation with the power load.The energy of reactor noise concentrates on the 1/3 octave band centered at 100 Hz,while has little correlation with the power load.The noise of transformer and reactor slowly decreases with increasing the distance from equipment,so the transformer and reactor should not be placed close to environmentally-sensitive sound areas.In addition,we verified the A-weighted sound power levels of UHV transformers and reactors under normal load to be approximately 103 dB and 97 dB,respectively;we also obtained the parameters of sound power level in 1/3 octave band of the sound source,providing basic data for predictions and evaluations of substation noise.
2007-2009 jiangxi railway system centralized water wholesome monitoring results analysis

Objective to understand the jiangxi railway system centralized water sanitation.Methods According to GB/T5750-2006 living standards for drinking water inspection of water samples,preservation and testing,GB5749-2006 according to the living and drinking water hygiene standards are evaluated. Results The total rate 72.66%,Affect the rate of water quality of the main factors are ammonia nitrogen,oxygen consumption,turbidity and microbiology indicators,In every year,effluent water richful during different periods and water type comparative differences with a statistical significance.Conclusion Centralized drinking water quality by natural factors,water environmental health impact is larger,protect potable water and perfect disinfects processing facilities are the fundamental method to solve drinking water safety.
Compliance in the Elderly

Noncompliance is not a unique phenomenon associated with aging. Many of the same problems concerning taking medications most appropriately apply to 40 year olds as well as to 80 year olds. What is unique about the elderly is their greater sensitivity to medications, their greater propensity for the development of adverse effects, and the greater complexity of their regimens as they develop chronic illnesses through the course of their lives. In addition, decreasing acuity of special senses, problems with memory, and the interposition of other caregivers are all unique phenomena that have to be dealt with through expansion of the standard methods but only rarely through specific methods. Utilization of modern technology such as video cassette recorders, large print reproductions, and improved communication modalities for people with hearing and sight disabilities may overcome some of the problems leading to decreased comprehension and communication ability in elderly patients. Similarly, for those with financial barriers to appropriate utilization of medications, programs such as the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) in New York State may be helpful. Medicaid and AARP programs for obtaining medications at lower prices can help financially strapped patients. The necessity for physicians to learn about cultural attitudes toward family and governmentally supplied caregivers may also facilitate optimal medication utilization in our polycultural society. Medications can serve the elderly to great benefit. Misapplication and misuse of medications may result in undesirable outcomes, ranging from lack of maximum efficacy, annoying nuisance side effects, diminishing quality-of-life, and even life-threatening adverse outcomes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Label-Informed Non-negative Matrix Factorization with Manifold Regularization for Discriminative Subnetwork Detection

In this paper, we present a novel method for obtaining a low dimensional representation of a complex brain network that: (1) can be interpreted in a neurobiologically meaningful way, (2) emphasizes group differences by accounting for label information, and (3) captures the variation in disease subtypes/severity by respecting the intrinsic manifold structure underlying the data. Our method is a supervised variant of non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), and achieves dimensionality reduction by extracting an orthogonal set of subnetworks that are interpretable, reconstructive of the original data, and also discriminative at the group level. In addition, the method includes a manifold regularizer that encourages the low dimensional representations to be smooth with respect to the intrinsic geometry of the data, allowing subjects with similar disease-severity to share similar network representations. While the method is generalizable to other types of non-negative network data, in this work we have used structural connectomes (SCs) derived from diffusion data to identify the cortical/subcortical connections that have been disrupted in abnormal neurological state. Experiments on a traumatic brain injury (TBI) dataset demonstrate that our method can identify subnetworks that can reliably classify TBI from controls and also reveal insightful connectivity patterns that may be indicative of a biomarker.
FTY720 Induces Necroptosis by Regulating Ceramide Signaling at the Plasma Membrane

Sphingolipids, important signaling molecules in cells, have recently been explored as cancer therapy targets. FTY720 (Fingolimod, Gilenya) is an FDA approved sphingosine analogue drug used for the ...
Hierarchical approach to transfer of control in semi-autonomous systems

Semi-Autonomous Systems (SAS) encapsulate a stochastic decision process explicitly controlled by both an agent and a human, in order to leverage the distinct capabilities of each actor. Planning in SAS must address the challenge of transferring control quickly, safely, and smoothly back-and-forth between the agent and the human. We formally define SAS and the requirements to guarantee that the controlling entities are always able to act competently. We then consider applying the model to Semi-Autonomous VEhicles (SAVE), using a hierarchical approach in which micro-level transfer-of-control actions are governed by a high-fidelity POMDP model. Macro-level path planning in our hierarchical approach is performed by solving a Stochastic Shortest Path (SSP) problem. We analyze the integrated model and show that it provides the required guarantees. Finally, we test the SAVE model using real-world road data from Open Street Map (OSM) within 10 cities, showing the benefits of the collaboration between the agent and human.
Scalable and broadband modeling of coupled on-chip spiral inductors up to 110 GHz

Hub paper presents a scalable model capturing the magnetic coupling between adjacent on-chip spiral Inductors at frequencies from DC up to 110 GHz. The scalable model is comprised of ideal frequency-independent circuit elements. The element values are given by closed-form expressions In terms of the layout and process parameters. We have applied the modeling methodology to fabricated coupled on-chip inductors and verified the model accuracy through both full-wave EM simulation and measurement. The scalable model is fully compatible with common circuit simulators including Spice and ADS.
Variable amplitude fatigue behavior of neat and short glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics

Abstract Variable amplitude fatigue behavior of injection molded thermoplastics was investigated. A neat thermoplastic (polypropylene impact co-polymer) and a thermoplastic composite made of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) with 30 wt% short glass fibers were used for the experimental study. Fatigue tests were conducted on both un-notched and notched specimens using plate-type specimens. For the notched specimens, a circular hole was drilled in the center of the specimens. Two-step loading (high-low and low-high) tests at two cycle ratios of 0.2 and 0.5 and stress ratios of R = 0.1 and −1 were conducted to investigate load sequence and mean stress effects, as well as the accuracy of linear damage rule. Periodic overload and service load history tests were also conducted to investigate the effect of overloads, cycling frequency, small stress cycles, and maximum stress level. A strengthening effect of increased frequency was observed for both materials and the effect of small stress cycles was found to be negligible. A general fatigue damage model along with the rainflow cycle counting method and linear damage rule were used for life predictions of variable amplitude service load history tests. More than 89% of the life predictions based on the modeling procedure used were within a factor of 3 of the experimental lives for both materials.
Understanding improved lifetime in mixed emissive layer organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs)

The role of excitons and polarons in OLED degradation is studied by quantifying emitter photoluminescence (PL) efficiency loss. Excitons are found to dictate PL loss, while polarons have a stronger impact on the efficiency of exciton formation.
The Control System of the Chinese Government

The new Chinese constitution which was almost unanimously adopted by the National Assembly and presented to Chiang K'ai-shek on Christmas Day 1946 gives conclusive proof that the Chinese plan to maintain their ancient Censoral system, now the Control Yuan of the Chinese government. A clue to the importance which the Chinese attach to this body is found in the fact that although the new constitution has abandoned the complete separation and independence of the five powers (legislative, executive, judicial, examination, and control) as visualized by Sun Yat-sen, the Control Yuan remains as one of the completely independent and elected bodies in the future Chinese government.
Ibrutinib and fungus: an invasive concern.

In this issue of Blood, Ghez et al report on 33 patients who developed invasive fungal infections during ibrutinib treatment, the majority of which were invasive aspergillosis, which supports the observation that fungal infections are a potential risk with ibrutinib.1
Defect engineering, a path to make ultra-high strength low-dimensional nanostructures

Abstract A current understanding is that materials with perfect structures have better mechanical properties. Thus, lowering the defect concentration, particularly by reducing the size of synthesized materials such as nanowires (NWs), is one of the key goals in the fabrication of new materials. In contrast, here we demonstrate the possibility of enhancing the mechanical properties of the low-dimensional nanostructures by engineering defects using the classical molecular dynamics technique. Our results show that NWs with high-density of I1 stacking faults (I1-SFs) have higher Young’s Module (up to 14% in compression) and critical stress (about 37% under compression) in comparison to the perfect structure over a wide range of temperatures. This enhancement is in agreement with the in-situ experimental measurements of highly defective NWs and is explained by the interplay between surface stresses and the stress field of immobile SFs. The overlap of SF-induced stresses in regions confined by SFs partially relaxes with increasing temperature, while it remains the main reason for this non-trivial strengthening. Furthermore, a unique stress relaxation mechanism, twin boundary formation, is revealed for highly defective NWs. The twin boundary formation postpones the phase transition and increases the resilience of the nanostructure over a wide range of temperatures, which results in a stress plateau in a highly defective NW and an increase in ductility. Defect engineering is demonstrated as a new route for synthesizing advanced materials with superior mechanical properties, and increasing their stiffness, strength, and ductility for applications under extreme environments.
What Makes a Senior Thesis Good

• Two hundred thirteen students at seven liberal arts colleges wrote senior theses, completed a survey about their experiences, and had those theses evaluated using a common rubric.• Student experi...
Analyzing the microstructural evolution and hardening response of an Al-Si-Mg casting alloy with Cr addition

Abstract Chromium is added to Al-Si based casting alloys for the mitigation of die soldering. In the present work, EBSD, EDS and TEM characterizations are combined with thermodynamic simulations to study the microstructural evolution and hardening response of an Al-Si-Mg-Cr casting alloy during heat treatments. It is shown that the Fe-containing intermetallic compounds formed in the inter-dendritic region were acicular π-Al8(Fe, Cr)Mg3Si6 phase and polyhedral Al-(Cr, Fe)-Si phase which is structurally similar to face-centered cubic Al13Cr4Si4. The polyhedral Al-(Cr, Fe)-Si intermetallics that crystallized prior to β-Al5FeSi consumed impurity Fe, suppressing the formation of β phase during gravity die casting process. Also, Cr-addition enables the precipitation of nano-scale Cr-bearing dispersoids in Al dendrite during solution treatment at 813 K. Hardness increment of over 10 HV can be induced by the Cr-bearing dispersoids for as-quenched alloy. Though the dispersoids have a moderate hardening effect on the as-quenched alloy, they may impair the ageing hardening response by acting as heterogeneous nucleation sites for coarse Mg-Si rods and Si particles when quenching into water at 338 K.
COHEN - MACAULAY MODULES AND APPROXIMATIONS

The purpose of this write-up is to provide a quick, “bare bones” introduction to maximal Cohen - Macaulay (mCM, for short) approximations. The reader I had in mind does not have much time (or, perhaps, desire) to learn in-depth yet another formalism, but she/he is curious about this technique and is willing to experiment with it if the necessary basic tools are provided on the fly. There are two such tools to be found in the first part of these notes: one, due to Auslander - Buchweitz, is called the pitchfork construction, and the other, appearing in joint work with Jurgen Herzog, is known as the gluing construction To learn that much, the reader may need to set aside 2–3 hours for what is essentially a bed-time reading. At the end of the first lecture, I have included an explicit example of gluing for the residue field of a complete intersection, followed by an application to quasihomogeneous singularities. That segment is more technical and is not required for understanding later material.
Power (in)-action: state and agribusiness in the making of the Bracero Total Institution

Power, as a sociological concept, has been deployed arguably in every realm of social theorizing from the discipline's origins to the present. Even in the sociological traditions that seem to belie an engagement with power, the concept is always already present. From the post- War period to the 1960's protest movements, sociological theory took its cues from U.S. society in assuming that those deemed marginal or undesirable were best kept out of sight, in large monolithic institutions beyond the public's purview. The total institution framework, as introduced by Erving Goffman (1961), applied this attempt at total social control to the mental asylums of the era. However, the way Goffman analyzes power seems to exclude some of the central forms of marginalization during that period: particularly along the lines of gender, race, and class. I address Foucault's various attempts at theorizing disciplinary power as an alternative route to viewing the relationship between total control and bodies. During the time of Goffman's writing, the U.S.-Mexico Bracero Program was underway and deploying many forms of social control both he and Foucault mentioned to secure the optimal workforce for U.S. agribusiness. In this article, I analyze how the Bracero total institution operated within this power matrix of state-sponsored migration, second-class citizenship, and dominated class relations - all within a thoroughly racialized context.
Digital librarires and spatial information processing

The process of constructing and supporting general digital libraries offers a rich area for research into, and application of, parallel and distributed computing. The ability of large, distributed digital libraries to perform adequately over the Internet may well depend on the contributions that parallel computing can make to their performance. This is particularly the case for digital libraries that support access to multimedia materials by geographical reference, as compared with more traditional forms of access relating to author, title, and subject matter. We provide a survey of significant classes of problems in the construction and maintenance of such libraries that can benefit from parallel and distributed processing. Particular emphasis is placed on the processing of information that is implicitly or explicitly organized in terms of spatial reference. Such information includes items whose contents are explicitly organized in terms of spatial reference, such as maps, images, and video (and hence in terms of the “vector” and “raster” data models), and items whose contents are only implicitly organized in such terms, such as texts. Key aspects of such information that encourage the application of parallel computation are the large sizes of individual items (often in the gigabyte range); the fact that much of the information contained in the items is in “implicit” form and requires significant computation to make explicit; and possibilities for decomposing a computation into relatively independent components corresponding to some partition of the geographic space.
A new approach to automated incubation recess detection using temperature loggers

ABSTRACT Nest attendance during incubation is an important facet of avian nesting behavior, and understanding the number, timing, and duration of incubation recesses can improve our understanding of the factors determining avian reproductive success. Temperature loggers are a low-cost, noninvasive method for studying nest attendance, but processing and interpreting the data present logistical challenges for investigators. We developed an accurate automated method for processing data from temperature loggers to identify incubation recesses. This automated method combines absolute changes in nest temperature over time and changes relative to daily nest-specific variation in temperature to identify incubation recesses. We validated this method through comparison with recesses observed during continuous infrared video monitoring of 3 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and 7 Gadwall (Mareca strepera) nests in northern California, USA. Of 116 recesses observed on camera, we detected 102 (88%) with automated recess de...
Pilot Performance Using Head-up and Head-down Synthetic-Vision Displays for SA CAT I Approaches:

Thirteen two-person crews flew 39 approaches each to runway 34R at Seattle-Tacoma airport in a 737-800 level D flight simulator using both head-up and head-down synthetic-vision displays. The withi...
Geographic Information Systems in an Undergraduate Structural Geology Course: A Pilot Project at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee

This chapter describes a Fall 2016 semester Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro, TN) pilot project in which undergraduate students use a Geographic Information System (GIS) to learn about structure surfaces, structural domains, cross sections, geologic maps, and cratonic structural geology and tectonics. While two self-selected undergraduates completed optional GIS exercises comprising approximately 25% of a semester-long structural geology course, ten self-selected undergraduates solved pencil-and-paper problems related to the same topics. Formative and summative assessment results demonstrate the potential of the GIS approach. Comparison of pilot project characteristics with characteristics of projects described in the literature suggests that education research on differentiated learning (e.g., Tomlinson in How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, 2001) and 2D and 3D visualization (e.g., Giorgis in J Geosci Ed 63:140–146, 2015) is relevant. The education literature suggests that an effectively executed project of this type will likely improve visual penetrative ability (Giorgis in J Geosci Ed 63:140–146, 2015) and spatial skills in general (e.g., Hall-Wallace and McAuliffe in J Geosci Ed 50:5–14, 2002; Lee and Bednarz in J Geog Higher Ed 33:183–198, 2009).
Sensory Integration and Functional Reaching in Children With Rett Syndrome/Rett-Related Disorders:

Background:The loss of functional hand skills is a primary characteristic of Rett syndrome. Stereotypies, dyspraxia, and other sensory processing issues severely limit the individual’s ability to r...
Alternative Financing Sources and Their Impact on Profitability

This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of various financing alternatives for the hospitality industry and discusses their potential effect on the profitability of the firm. The author provides background and perspective for developing the appropriate financing arrangement for a specific hospitality enterprise.
"The cavalry ain't coming in to save us": Supporting Capacities and Relationships through Civic Tech

Cities are increasingly integrating sensing and information and communication technologies to improve municipal services, civic engagement, and quality of life for residents. Although these civic technologies have the potential to affect economic, social, and environmental factors, there has been less focus on residents of lower income communities' involvement in civic technology design. Based on two public forums held in underserved communities, we describe residents' perceptions of civic technologies in their communities and challenges that limit the technologies' viability. We found that residents viewed civic technology as a tool that should strengthen existing community assets by providing an avenue to connect assets and build upon them. We describe how an asset-based approach can move us toward designing civic technology that develops stronger relationships among community-led initiatives, and between the community and local government--- rather than a data-driven approach to civic tech that focuses on transactions between residents and city services.
Multidimensional strategies for overcoming time-related challenges of transition-age students with learning and attention disorders

Date Presented 04/04/19 College students with learning and attention disorders face obstacles related to time and time management. This qualitative analysis delineates and describes the types of strategies that students use to compensate for time-related challenges across multiple domains, which include academics, career preparation, and social and daily life. Understanding these strategies and how they are used is important for informing interventions that support occupational performance. Primary Author and Speaker: Consuelo Kreider Additional Authors and Speakers: Mackenzi Slamka, Sharon Medina
Coverage of the 2019 Eastern equine encephalitis virus outbreak on news media.

Background: The media plays as an important role in delivering information about emergent issues, such as the Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) outbreak of 2019. As such, there has been an increase in news coverage of vector-borne disease coverage due to a rise in emerging or re-emerging arboviruses. Methods: The purpose of this study was to describe the content of news clips related to the recent (2019) EEEV outbreak in the United States. Results: Only 3 of the important topics identified were mentioned in a majority of the 110 videos analyzed. These topics were, mosquito mentioned as transmitter, prevention by repellent/ pesticide, and geography. Thus, many aspects of EEEV were lacking in coverage. Conclusion: A priority for public health professionals should be to engage in discourse with news media to assure that information disseminated via news channels is not vague or misleading.
Defending the Inclusion of Categorical Exclusion Criteria in Crisis Standard of Care Frameworks.

Fortunately, efforts in the US to contain the spread of COVID-19 have successfully flattened the curve of new coronavirus infections, making it seem unlikely at this time that crisis standards of c...
Mode Coupling from Subbottom Roughness

Low frequency sound propagation in shallow water can entail extensive bottom penetration if the sediments that overlay the basement are very fine grained. In this case, the effective scattering from the roughness of the water-sediment interface may be of secondary importance compared to the effective scattering of the basement irregularities. In addition, at low frequencies, this scattered energy is not lost, rather it is transferred between the normal modes of propagation through a process called mode coupling. The object of this paper is to explore the relationship of subbottom roughness to the propagated modal structure. We will show the effects of frequency, source depth, water depth and subbottom layer depth. A dimensionless parameter γ = fh/c has been suggested as a measure of coupling influence. For large γ significant coupling has been shown to occur between nearest neighbor modes. In this paper, we will examine more fully the relationship between coupling and γ, particularly in the intermediate region 1 ⩽ γ ⩽ 10.
Stage IVA cervical cancer: outcomes of disease related complications and treatment

Introduction Stage IVA cervical cancer is an uncommon diagnosis. The course of the disease and the complications of treatment are not well characterized. The goal of this study was to report treatment outcomes of patients with stage IVA cervical cancer. Methods A single institution retrospective review was carried out of all patients treated for stage IVA cervical cancer from January 2008 to July 2017. Patients were clinically staged using the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 staging criteria for cervical cancer. Inclusion criteria were patients with stage IVA cervical cancer of any histologic subtype, including patients with evidence of para-aortic lymph node involvement, treated at the institution during this time period. Overall survival and progression free survival were calculated using the Kaplan–Meyer method. Comparisons between survival were done using the Cox proportional hazards regression model and the log rank test. Results We identified 25 patients with stage IVA cervical cancer. Mean age at diagnosis was 54 years (range 27–77). Squamous cell carcinoma was the histologic diagnosis in 24 of 25 patients (96%), with 1 case of small cell carcinoma (4%). 21 patients completed a full course of radiation. The median overall survival for patients who completed their treatment was 60 months (range 3–136), with a 2 year overall survival of 63%. The median progression free survival was 27 months (range 0–125), with a 2 year progression free survival of 40%. 11 of 25 patients (44%) developed fistulas during the course of their disease, and 55% of these were complex fistulas. 19 of 25 (76%) patients had a percutaneous nephrostomy for either hydronephrosis or diversion of vesicovaginal fistula. 111 unplanned admissions occurred among the 25 patients, and infections of the urinary tract was implicated in 46 (41%) of these. The cohort had a total of 92 emergency department visits, with pain control (36%) and medication refills (15%) being the most common presentations. Discussion Patients with stage IVA cervical cancer may have substantial long term survival, although the sequelae of disease and treatment is associated with significant morbidity. Symptoms of fistula, percutaneous nephrostomy complications, and chronic pain present unique issues that require extensive supportive care.
Healing as a Metaphor? An Interview with Laura Levitt

In the opening line of her new book, The Objects that Remain (Penn State University Press, 2020), Laura Levitt writes, “I have always liked things” (xiii). In The Objects that Remain she specifical...
Homologous locus pairing is a transient, diffusion-mediated process in meiotic prophase

The pairing of homologous chromosomes in meiosis I is essential for sexual reproduction and is mediated, in part, by the formation and repair of Spo11-induced DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). In budding yeast, each cell receives ~150-200 DSBs, yet only a fraction go on to form crossover products. How and why the cell initially co-ordinates so many interactions along each chromosome is not well understood. Using a fluorescent reporter-operator system (FROS), we measure the kinetics of interacting homologous loci at various stages of meiosis. We find that while tagged loci undergo considerable motion throughout prophase I, they are constrained in how far they can diffuse from their homolog pair. This effective tethering radius decreases over the course of meiosis in a DSB-dependent manner. We develop a theoretical model that captures the biological contributions of centromere attachment to the nuclear envelope, homolog pairing, and nuclear confinement. With this model, we demonstrate that the experimentally observed heterogeneity in single-cell behavior and the effective tethering between loci is captured for two polymers forming randomly-spaced linkages. The small number of connections required to reproduce our data demonstrates that a single linkage site between homologous chromosomes can constrain the movement of loci up to hundreds of kilobases away. Significance StatementMeiosis is essential for sexual reproduction, and homologous chromosome pairing is a critical step in this process that must be reliably achieved. We measure the dynamics of homologous loci throughout prophase I of meiosis, demonstrating the transient nature of homolog contacts and heterogeneity in single-cell behavior. We develop a minimal model containing only the basic polymer physics of DNA but is sufficient to reproduce the observed behavior. We show that it only takes a handful of homologous linkages per chromosome to facilitate pairing, demonstrating that a single tethered locus can drastically restrict the diffusion of DNA tens to hundreds of kilobases away. These results demonstrate the central role of random diffusion and polymer physics in facilitating chromosome pairing in meiosis.
Shallow-UWnet: Compressed Model for Underwater Image Enhancement (Student Abstract).

Over the past few decades, underwater image enhancement has attracted an increasing amount of research effort due to its significance in underwater robotics and ocean engineering. Research has evolved from implementing physics-based solutions to using very deep CNNs and GANs. However, these state-of-art algorithms are computationally expensive and memory intensive. This hinders their deployment on portable devices for underwater exploration tasks. These models are trained on either synthetic or limited real-world datasets making them less practical in real-world scenarios. In this paper, we propose a shallow neural network architecture, Shallow-UWnet which maintains performance and has fewer parameters than the state-of-art models. We also demonstrated the generalization of our model by benchmarking its performance on a combination of synthetic and real-world datasets.
Dynamical mechanical analysis as an assay of cross-link density of orthopaedic ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

Abstract The established gravimetric gel swell technique for measuring cross-link density in orthopaedic ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is unable to detect local distributions of cross-link density that may be expected after in vivo degradation. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) offers better spatial resolution of cross-linking. The ability to measure cross-link density in thin specimens using DMA would enable depth dependent analysis of cross-link density, opening the door to future studies on the effects of oxidation, antioxidants, and other factors on cross-linking. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the performance of gel swell and DMA in the measurement of cross-link density in a range of highly cross-linked UHMWPE materials and to determine the relationship between the results of the two techniques. The results suggest that DMA and gel swell each offer advantages, and that both may have applications in the study of explanted orthopaedic UHMWPE bearings.
Research as a daily reality

In the initial phases of establishing a private practice, some practitioners want any and all referrals, regardless of diagnostic group. Although this is understandable, it is probably in best interest to define at least some broad categories of one's expertise and interest. Not only would one be able to provide the best possible evaluations for his or her patients and their referring providers, one can also focus from the outset on research questions that interest him or her. When establishing a private practice, one has a unique opportunity to craft hypotheses about neuropsychological populations and to record information from data summary sheets in order to automatically track pertinent variables. While respecting patient confidentiality and safeguarding patient privacy at every step of the way, as a private practitioner, one does not have to wait for 6 months for approval from a human subjects review board to analyze data sitting in file cabinets. Also most neuropsychology practitioners have the opportunity over time to expand their services to new populations of patients.
Mothers United: An Immigrant Struggle for Socially Just Education. Andrea Dyrness, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2011, 264 pages

Andrea Dyrness, Associate Professor of Educational Studies at Trinity College, and author of Mothers United: An Immigrant Struggle for Socially Just Education , offers readers a seat at the table with five Latina immigrant women who come together in weekly meetings as Madres Unidas . This group, centered on conducting participatory research, comes into existence in response to the tensions that arise during the small schools reform movement in Oakland in 2000. These reforms aimed to engage committed educators with parents to create community-based schools as an alternative to over-crowded, poorly maintained traditional schools and to shift control for decision-making from centralized administrators to teachers and parents. But these alliances also laid bare the ways power and privilege led to the marginalizing of parents.
Analysis of a GaAs E-D inverter chain

Analytic formulas for the noise margins and pull-up and pull-down delays due to an input pulse with finite rise and fall times (rather than a step) of a GaAs enhancement-depletion (E-D) inverter and, by extension, of an inverter chain are derived. The formulas relate the DC and speed performance of an inverter to the current-voltage characteristics of the transistors, and indirectly to the device parameters. It is shown that for an inverter chain to be self-restoring, the logical-high and logical-low levels of the output voltage cannot be arbitrarily specified, that noise margins can be improved only logarithmically as the width ratios of the transistors are adjusted, and that the pull-up and pull-down delays are, to first order, proportional to the risetime of the input. >
Stimulation of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis, diacylglycerol release, and gene expression in response to endothelin, a potent new agonist for fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells.

Abstract Endothelin is a potent vasoconstrictive peptide recently isolated by Yanagisawa, M., Kurihara, H., Kimura, S., Tamobe, Y., Kobayashi, M., Mitsui, Y., Yazaki, Y., Goto, K., and Masaki, T. (1988) Nature 332, 411-415). In order to understand the mechanism of action of endothelin in various cell types we have examined the effects of endothelin on second messenger levels in Rat-1 fibroblasts and A10 smooth muscle cells. Endothelin stimulated a 15-fold increase in the accumulation of inositol trisphosphate in Rat-1 cells, with half-maximal stimulation observed at 0.5 nM endothelin. In the A10 vascular smooth muscle cell line, endothelin stimulated phosphatidylinositol turnover more than 3-fold, comparable to the stimulation produced by serum. Concurrent with the increase in inositol phosphate release, endothelin increased diacylglycerol levels by 50% in A10 cells and by more than 3-fold in Rat-1 cells. The increase in diacylglycerol levels in response to endothelin was equal to or greater than the response to serum. Stimulation of phosphatidylinositol turnover by endothelin did not require the presence of extracellular calcium and was not blocked by treatment with EGTA or cobalt. Furthermore, endothelin did not stimulate Ca2+ uptake by either cell type and actually reduced Ca2+ uptake below control levels with increased duration of preincubation. Endothelin stimulated an increase in intracellular Ca2+ levels, from 100 to over 750 nM in Rat-1 cells and from 150 to over 350-nM in A10 cells as measured by fura-2 microspectrofluorimetry. The rise in intracellular Ca2+ concentration was not inhibited by the presence of EGTA or cobalt. These data indicate that endothelin did not act to open Ca2+ channels in either Rat-1 fibroblasts or A10 smooth muscle cells. Cytoplasmic levels of VL30 RNA, a gene independently induced by protein kinase C and by epidermal growth factor, were increased following endothelin treatment, even in protein kinase C-depleted cells. We conclude that endothelin is a very potent stimulus for phosphatidylinositol turnover, diacylglycerol release, and gene transcription. These data may have wide-ranging implications for a number of disease states.
The "New" Withdrawal of Consent Standard in Maryland Rape Law: A Year After BABY V. STATE

On April 16, 2008, the Maryland Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state, ruled that a woman may withdraw consent for vaginal intercourse after penetration has occurred. After consent has been withdrawn, the continuation of vaginal intercourse by force or threat of force may constitute rape.1 The ruling caused a news sensation because the defendant, Maouloud Baby, was convicted of first degree rape and related charges after his female victim testified that he “continued to have sex with her for five or ten seconds after she asked him to stop.”2 The over-reaching implications of what has been termed “The Five-Second Rule” are obvious, because the most difficult legal elements to prove in any rape crime case are force and non-consent.3 A victim’s ability to change his or her mind during intercourse could effectively remove the problem of consent as a barrier to rape convictions and give rise to a host of criminal prosecutions. Black’s Law Dictionary defines rape as “unlawful sexual activity with a person without consent and by force or threat of injury.”4 At common law, the crime of rape consisted of unlawful sexual intercourse by a man with a woman who was not his wife through force and against her will and required at least slight penetration of the penis into the vagina.5 Currently, Maryland statutorily defines the crime of “rape in the first degree” as the act of “[engaging] in vaginal intercourse with another by force, or the threat of force, without the consent of the other.”6 The applicable punishment is “imprisonment not exceeding life.”7 In contrast, “post-penetration” rape8 describes a situation where two people initially engage in consensual sexual intercourse, but during intercourse one person “communicates to the other the revocation of consent and the other party forces the continuation of intercourse against the will of the non-consenting person.”9 One person decides to stop and the other person does not. Only one state has explicit legislation criminalizing post-penetration rape: Illinois.10 Until Baby, Maryland was one of two states that expressly held that post-penetration continuation of intercourse after withdrawal of consent did not constitute rape.11
Contents of Codes of Ethics of Professional Business Organizations in the United States

This paper reports an analysis of the content of the codes of ethics of 15 professional business organizations in the United States, representing the broad range of disciplines found in business. The analysis was conducted to identify common ethical issues faced by business professionals. It was also structured to highlight ethical issues that are either unique to or of particular importance for business professionals. No attempt is made to make value judgments about either the codes of ethics studied or of their content. General ethical values identified include honesty and integrity, general legal compliance, discreditable or harmful acts, and obligations related to social values. More business-specific issues include confidentiality, responsibilities to employers/clients, obligations to the profession, independence and objectivity, and business-specific legal and technical compliance issues.
Abstract 13283: Testing the Menopausal Hormone Therapy Timing Hypothesis: The Early versus Late Intervention Trial with Estradiol

The Early versus Late Intervention Trial with Estradiol (ELITE) is a 2x2, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial specifically designed to determine whether menopausal hormone therapy (HT) has a differential effect on slowing the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis according to time-since-menopause when HT is initiated. The ELITE cohort is comprised of 643 healthy postmenopausal (>6 months) women without clinical evidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes mellitus who were randomized according to their time-since-menopause (<6 years, n=271 or &gt10 years, n=372). The primary trial end point is progression of carotid artery intima media thickness (CIMT) by high resolution B-mode ultrasound measured at baseline and every 6 months for up to 6 years. Women with a median (interquartile range) of 3.5 (1.9,5.0) and 14.3 (11.4,18.6) years-since-menopause were randomized to oral 17β-estradiol 1 mg daily with (uterine intact) or without (hysterectomy) vaginal micronized progesterone gel 4% (45 mg)...
Vascular distribution in ruptured canine cranial cruciate ligament

Objective: To (1) determine the microanatomic vascular distribution in ruptured canine cranial cruciate ligaments (CCL) using specific vascular immunohistochemical techniques, and (2) compare vessel density between ruptured and intact canine CCL and between different areas of interest in ruptured CCL using histomorphometric analysis. Study Design: In vitro study. Animals: Dogs (n=41) admitted for surgical treatment of ruptured CCL and 19 dogs euthanatized for nonorthopedic conditions. Methods: Diseased (variable CCL rupture) and intact (normal control) CCL were processed for immunohistochemical staining specific to vessels (factor VIII, laminin). Mean vascular density was assessed and compared in areas of interest (torn end versus remaining core regions of CCL, proximal femoral versus distal tibial core CCL regions). Results: Ruptured CCL was more vascular than intact CCL; however there was no difference in vascular density between the torn end and the remaining core area of the ruptured CCL. Ruptured CCL was vascularized to a greater degree at the proximal portion than the distal portion of the CCL. Partially ruptured CCLs had a higher vessel density than completely ruptured CCLs. Conclusions: Vascular density is increased in diseased CCL compared with intact CCL. It remains to be determined whether this finding is associated with the cause of CCL rupture or is a result of CCL degeneration and rupture.
Investigating Peer Scaffolding in Learning and Transfer of Learning Using Teaching Interviews

We conducted teaching interviews with nine groups of students enrolled in an introductory level algebra‐based physics course and consisted of two sessions–a learning session and a transfer session. The students were engaged in hands‐on activities to learn various physics ideas in the learning session. We expected the students apply the physics learning to understand positron emission tomography (PET) in a transfer session. After providing worksheets, we asked the students to write their responses before and after the group discussion. To present the dynamics of group learning and the influence of peer scaffolding we compared the results of this study with our prior study [3] where students were individually engaged with a similar set of activities. Results suggest that peers were effective in activating and challenging each other's conceptual resources as well as facilitating transfer of learning. The results of this study also showed that students' performance was better when they were provided the direc...