cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collagen-induced arthritis

The collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model is the most commonly studied autoimmune model of rheumatoid arthritis. Autoimmune arthritis is induced in this model by immunization with an emulsion of complete Freund's adjuvant and type II collagen (CII). This protocol describes the steps necessary for acquisition, handling and preparation of CII, as well as selection of mouse strains, proper immunization technique and evaluation of the arthritis incidence and severity. Typically, the first signs of arthritis appear in this model 21–28 days after immunization, and identification of the arthritic limbs is not difficult. Using the protocol described, the investigator should be able to reproducibly induce a high incidence of CIA in various strains of genetically susceptible mice as well as learn how to critically evaluate the pathology of the disease. The total time for the preparation of reagents and the immunization of ten mice is about 1.5 h.
Environmental Temperature and the Utilization of β-Carotene by the Rat

The effect of environmental temperature on /3-carotene utiliza tion by the rat was evaluated by liver vitamin A storage bioassay. Exposure of rats to 5Â°consistently elevated the biopotency of /3-carotene relative to retinyl acetate when compared with a 25 or 35Â° environment. A study with retinaldehyde and triiodothyronine suggested that the stimulatory effect(s) on /3-carotene utili zation occurred either in the cleavage or absorption of /3-carotene from the intes tine. The method of administration of the test materials influenced the magnitude of the effects. Techniques which resulted in poor utilization of vitamin A and /3-carotene increased the differences between the temperatures. The small differ ences associated with methods resulting in high utilization of /3-carotene (given as a component of the diet) indicate that environmental temperature is of minor importance as a factor influencing the conversion of ^-carotene to vitamin A. J. Nutr. 102: 1017-1024, 1972.
Lateen EM: Unsupervised Training with Multiple Objectives, Applied to Dependency Grammar Induction

We present new training methods that aim to mitigate local optima and slow convergence in unsupervised training by using additional imperfect objectives. In its simplest form, lateen EM alternates between the two objectives of ordinary "soft" and "hard" expectation maximization (EM) algorithms. Switching objectives when stuck can help escape local optima. We find that applying a single such alternation already yields state-of-the-art results for English dependency grammar induction. More elaborate lateen strategies track both objectives, with each validating the moves proposed by the other. Disagreements can signal earlier opportunities to switch or terminate, saving iterations. De-emphasizing fixed points in these ways eliminates some guesswork from tuning EM. An evaluation against a suite of unsupervised dependency parsing tasks, for a variety of languages, showed that lateen strategies significantly speed up training of both EM algorithms, and improve accuracy for hard EM.
Clinical Utility of Likelihood Ratios

Test-performance characteristics can be derived from a simple 2x2 table displaying the dichotomous relationship between a positive or negative test result and the presence or absence of a target disorder. Sensitivity and specificity, including a summary display of their reciprocal relationship as a receiver operating characteristics curve, are relatively stable test characteristics. Unfortunately, they represent an inversion of customary clinical logic and fail to tell us precisely what we wish to know. Predictive values, on the other hand, provide us with the requisite information but-because they are vulnerable to variation in disease prevalence-are numerically unstable. Likelihood ratios (LRs), in contrast, combine the stability of sensitivity and specificity to provide an omnibus index of test performance far more useful than its constituent parts. Application of Bayes' theorem to LRs produces the following summary equation: Clinically estimated pretest odds of disease x LR=Posttest odds of disease. This simple equation illustrates a concordance between the mathematical properties of likelihood ratios and the central strategy underlying diagnostic testing: the revision of disease probability.
DISRUPTION OF SEXUAL COMMUNICATION IN LASPEYRESIA POMONELLA1 (CODLING MOTH), GRAPHOLITHA MOLESTA1 (ORIENTAL FRUIT MOTH) AND G. PRUNIVORA1 (LESSER APPLEWORM) WITH HOLLOW FIBER ATTRACTANT SOURCES

Emission of (Z)-8-dodecenyl acetate [7% (E) isomer] from hollow fiber dispensers at 0.15 g/ha/day from 1700 points (units of 10 fibers)/ha effects complete disruption of male Grapholitha molesta (Busck) attraction to synthetic lure and virgin females. Attraction of G. prunivora (Walsh) to synthetic lures is also completely disrupted. Emission of (E,E)-8,10-dodecadien-1-o1 at 0.05 g/ha/day from 1700 points/ha effects complete disruption of male Laspeyresia pomonella (L.) attraction to synthetic pheromone, to virgin females and prevents mating with tethered females. RESUME INTERRUPTION DE LA COMMUNICATION SEXUELLE CHEZ LASPEYRESIA POMONELLA (CODLING MOTH), GRAPHOLITHA MOLESTA (ORIENTAL FRUIT MOTH) ET G. PRUNIVORA (LESSER APPLEWORM), AVEC DES EMETTEURS D'ATTRACTIF SUR FIBRE CREUSE L'emission du compose (Z)-8-dodecenyl acetate (7% de l'isomere E 8–12 Ac dans le texte), a la dose de 0,15 g/ha/jour, a partir d'emetteurs formes d'une fibre creuse (type Conrel (R)), repartis en 1700 points/ha, chaque point comportant des unites de 10 fibres, annihile completement l'attraction du male de Grapholitha molesta a l'egard de femelles vierges ou de leures chimiques de synthese. L'attraction de G. prunivora pour des leures synthetiques est egalement totalement interrompue. L'emission du compose E8 ElO-dodecadien-1-o1 (E8 E10-12:OH) a la dose de 0,05 g/ha/jour, a partir de 1700 points/ha, entraine la destruction totale du comportement attractif de Laspeyresia pomonella pour des hormones de synthese, ou pour des femelles vierges et empěche l'accouplement avec des femelles non mobiles liees par un systeme adhesif a un dispositif attractif (pherotrap 1C).
The fine structure of the retina in the newt, Triturus viridescens.

The normal adult retina of the North American Urodele, Triturus viridescens, has been studied with the electron microscope. Three basic types of photoreceptors are observed: rods, possibly distinguishable as either red or green rods, single cones, and double cones. The photoreceptors differ from those reported in other amphibia in that: (1) none of photoreceptors contain an oil droplet; (2) all photoreceptors possess an enlarged paraboloid, and, (3) the double cones consist of two complete photoreceptors, a principal cone member and an accessory cone member. The two members are closely related to one another along the length of the inner segment through a clasping of the principal member within cytoplasmic expansions of the accessory member. The principal member inner segment bears strong resemblance to the single cone while the accessory member inner segment is rod-like in nature. The sustentacular elements of this avascular retina display a diversity of scleral processes. The presence of specific collar-like glial ensheathments of the photoreceptors at the external limiting membrane contrasts with the extensive interreceptor contacts between all photoreceptor elements throughout the outer nuclear layer. The synaptic bases are characterized by the presence of three types of specific contact sites: (1) interreceptor contacts among all receptor bases; (2) clusters of fine horizontal cell dendrites penetrate the receptor base and terminate in a superficial spray of typical axodendritic synapses; (3) prominent bipolar dendrites enter within the horizontal cell processes terminating in the typical retinal ribbon synapse. The significance of these observations are discussed with respect to the origin of the amphibian double cone, the metabolic support of the retinal, and the potential integration among the receptor cells.
Insights on Design and Scalability of Thin-BOX FD/SOI CMOS

Device simulations are used to gain insights on the design of nanoscale thin-buried-oxide (and ultrathin-body) fully depleted/silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS and to assess its scalability toward the end of the Semiconductor Industry Association roadmap (International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors), relative to that of FinFET CMOS. The simulation results imply, albeit with complex processing, good scalability and performance for low-power (LP) applications (including static random access memory), defined by minimum viable SOI thickness. However, the scalability for high-performance (HP) applications is limited, but the processing can be simplified. Results for double-gate FinFETs are better, showing good scalability and performance to the end of the ITRS for both HP and LP applications.
Integrating The Executive MBA Curriculum: Tales Of The Cat Herder

Continuous improvement has been a strategic priority for Loyola College in Maryland’s Executive MBA (EMBA) Program since the program’s inception in 1973. In the summer of 2008, Loyola began an intensive EMBA curriculum review. The process resulted in a recommendation to make a significant shift in the curriculum’s emphasis. This paper reports on the factors involved in that review process and the leadership lessons learned from the endeavor. The lessons learned are reported using the metaphor of tales of the cat herder in reference to a widely-held belief among academicians that working with faculty is like herding cats.
Fundamental Reform of Tort Law

This paper was published in Regulation in 1995, Number 4. It is an argument in favor of replacement of tort with contract for harmful events where the parties have a pre-injury relationship. It provides some speculation about what such law would look like. In particular, I argue that parties would probably not want to be able to sue for nonpecuniary damages (e.g., pain and suffering) and would want limited options for punitive damages. The paper also discusses the magnitude of the U.S. tort system and compares it with the U.S. tort system in the past and also with foreign tort systems. This suggests that excess tort costs (in 1995) were between $500 and $900 per household. This paper may be viewed as a summary of my 1993 AEI book, Tort Reform by Contract.
'The Entrepreneurship Paradigm' Revisited Seventeen Years Later

In two precious articles, The Entrepreneurship Paradigm I and II, the author discussed the state of entrepreneurship research in 1990; in this article the author revisits the topic to review what has changed seventeen years later. The author concludes that by 2007 the field is dominated by quantitative research driven almost exclusively by statistical analysis with SPSS and that qualitative research is seldom published in the leading entrepreneurship journals. He regrets that it is almost impossible to get purely empirical paper published in the leading journal. He pleads with journal editors and their review boards to become less narrow minded and much more pluralistic.
Experimental Modal Analysis and Seismic Mitigation of Statue-Pedestal Systems

Abstract The seismic protection of cultural heritage, particularly statues, is a critical issue due to its high cultural significance, difficulty to repair or replace artifacts, and observed poor behavior during past earthquakes. Recent research has explored analysis techniques and methodologies for predicting the seismic response of statues; however, these studies typically assume the statue to be either freestanding or rigidly attached. The seismic response of statues with these different boundary conditions varies widely and therefore accurate characterization is critical. While modern mounting techniques aim to rigidly attach a statue to the floor or to a pedestal, the degree of rigidity of the as-built system may vary greatly, particularly for large and heavy statues, which are difficult to mount. To this end, experimental modal analysis and system identification were conducted on six statues while in their installed condition at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California. The tested statues were large, typically stone, and restrained with different mechanisms for comparison. The statue-pedestal-restraint systems were observed to be quite flexible with natural frequencies as low as 3 Hz. However, certain systems, which incorporated an embedded base of the statue, were much stiffer with frequencies around 14 Hz. It is noted that this type of testing requires significant contact and excitation of the statue. This rare opportunity to work directly with the statues resulted in a valuable dataset summarizing their dynamic characteristics for museum engineers and curators. In cases where rigidity is not attained, there is concern that the statue's natural frequency may be too close to that of the anticipated floor motions. For this reason, a simple and non-intrusive base isolation system is detailed. This system was further verified through shake table testing and is shown to sufficiently reduce earthquake demands to the statue.
Using Acoustic Emission to Monitor Stress-Corrosion Cracking

In-situ monitoring of the condition of materials has the potential for reducing the risk of failures, improving maintenance scheduling and costs, and allowing predictions of component life. Stress-corrosion cracks have been shown to emit acoustic signals, and correlations between crack area and the number of acoustic emission events have been developed in laboratory tests. On-line monitoring will require the ability to discriminate between background and crack growth signals. Acoustic emission characteristics such as event rate, amplitude and rise time can be used to discriminate between valid and invalid events. A summary of acoustic emission from stress-corrosion cracking initiation and long crack growth, acoustic emission characteristics, and potential applications is given in this article.
Hierarchical Models of Ecosystems

The development of comprehensive research and management models of ecosystems requires an understanding of the overall behavior of the systems being modeled. A new technique has been developed to aid in constructing models for ecosystem studies. The technique is applied to the soybean crop ecosystem as an example.
Synthesis of (−)-Neothiobinupharidine

An eight step, asymmetric synthesis of a dimeric thiaspirane nuphar alkaloid from 3-methyl-2-cyclo-pentenone is reported. The brevity of the route relies on a useful procedure for tandem reductive allylation of cyclopentenones, as well as the minimization of redox manipulations and other functional group interconversions. The distribution of products that arise from spontaneous dimerization points to a more complex biosynthesis.
Bi-Objective Optimal Control Modification Adaptive Control for Systems with Input Uncertainty

This paper presents a new model-reference adaptive control method based on a bi-objective optimal control formulation for systems with input uncertainty. A parallel predictor model is constructed to relate the predictor error to the estimation error of the control effectiveness matrix. In this work, we develop an optimal control modification adaptive control approach that seeks to minimize a bi-objective linear quadratic cost function of both the tracking error norm and predictor error norm simultaneously. The resulting adaptive laws for the parametric uncertainty and control effectiveness uncertainty are dependent on both the tracking error and predictor error, while the adaptive laws for the feedback gain and command feedforward gain are only dependent on the tracking error. The optimal control modification term provides robustness to the adaptive laws naturally from the optimal control framework. Simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive control approach.
Traspié entre la poesía y el cine: El caso de César Vallejo y Roy Andersson

El presente estudio intenta iluminar algunos de los ecos del poema “Traspie entre dos estrellas” de Cesar Vallejo que se encuentran en la cinta Canciones del segundo piso del director sueco Roy Andersson. En particular, la investigacion sugiere que el cineasta se aprovecha de la preocupacion existencial del hombre comun que se percibe en el poema vallejiano al crear personajes estaticos cuya inmovilidad cobra un tono hieratico y puede interpretarse como la creacion de una nueva hagiografia de lo ordinario. Abstract: This study attempts to illuminate some of the echoes of Vallejo’s poem “Stumbling between two stars” found on the tape Songs from the second floor of Swedish director Roy Andersson. In particular, research suggests that the filmmaker takes advantage of the existential concerns of the common person that are perceived in Vallejo’s poetry when creating static characters whose immobility becomes a hieratic tone and can be interpreted as creation of a new hagiography of the ordinary. Keywords: Cesar Vallejo; Roy Andersson; Songs from the Second Floor ; “Stumbling between two stars”; cinema; adaptation DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.2201.2406
Conformational Properties of Polypeptide Models of Collagen

Individual collagen chains exist as Polypro II helices because of their large imino content and their super-coiling into the collagen triple helix is facilitated by Gly in every third position. Because of this, collagen may be considered as being made up of Gly-led triplets. One fourth of such triplets in collagen have the sequence Gly-Pro-X and another one fifth, Gly-X-Hyp, where X is an α-amino residue. The stereochemical properties of the imino peptide bond, the position of the imino residue in the sequence and its interactions with neighboring residues, determine the conformation. Synthetic polytripeptides of sequence (Gly-Pro-X)n generate collaqen-like conformations in aqueous solutions whereas (Gly-X-Pro)n sequences usually do not. This difference has been attributed to different H-bonding properties of X-NH in the two sequences. Stabilizing interactions are said to occur between the side chain of X and Pro ring atoms in X-Pro but not in Pro-X. We investigated this question using (Gly-Pro-Sar)n (I) and (Gly-Sar-Pro)n (II). (I) generated collagen-like conformations in aqueous solutions but (II) did not although some order was elicited in helix promoting solvents. Since NH-H bonds are not possible at Sar residues, they may not play a final role in stabilizing the collagen helix. It appears likely that non-bonding interactions of the imino residue with the residue on its C-terminal may play a significant role in stabilizing collagen-like conformations.
Masters of Empire: Great Lakes Indians and the Making of America. By Michael A. McDonnell

Masters of Empire: Great Lakes Indians and the Making of America. By Michael A. McDonnell. (New York: Hill and Wang, 2015. X + 403 pp. Illustrations, maps, notes, index. $28.00, CAN$32.50, cloth). Historian Michael McDonnell is perhaps best known for his impressive work on the America Revolution, but in his new book, Masters of Empire: Great Lakes Indians and the Making of America , he steps into a field that has blossomed since the publication of Richard White’s seminal The Middle Ground over two decades ago. McDonnell’s entry into this historiography is a welcome one that revises how we envision early American history. Masters of Empire focuses on the Native peoples (the Anishinaabeg) of the western Great Lakes, particularly upon the Odawa … bjarvis{at}svsu.edu
Tuataras and Lizards

This chapter focuses on two groups of reptile—namely, sphenodontidans and squamates. The chapter describes taxonomic accounts, such as classification, characteristics, and geographical distribution of several taxon of these two groups and also describes lizards. The chapter defines squamata and sphenodontidans. Squamates have more than 50 shared-derived features attesting to their monophyly. The sphenodontidans and squamates apparently diverged in the early Late Triassic, and the sphenodontidans seemingly have always been a group with low diversity. Sphenodontidans and squamates comprise the Lepidosauria. Lepidosaurs share numerous derived characteristics, including a transverse cloacal opening (the vent), tongue notched distally and used to capture prey (lingual prehension), full-body ecdysis, imperforate stapes, teeth attached superficially to the jaw bones, pelvic bones fused in adults, fracture planes or septa in the caudal vertebrae, and numerous other anatomical traits. Sphenodontidans differ from squamates by the presence of gastralia; a narrow quadrate with greatly reduced or lateral concha; lower temporal fenestra enclosed or partially so; jugal in the mid-temporal arch touching the squamosal posteriorly; prominent coronoid process on the mandible; several anterior teeth of the palatine series enlarged; dentary and mandibular teeth generally enlarged, regionalized, and fused to dorsal margin of bone; and the premaxillary teeth replaced by chisel-shaped extensions of the premaxillary bones that have given rise to the tuatara's other vernacular name, half-beaks.
Imputation using higher order moments of an auxiliary variable

In this paper, we propose a new method of imputation which makes use of higher order moments of an auxiliary variable while imputing missing values. The mean, ratio and regression methods of imputation are shown to be special cases and less efficient than the newly developed method of imputation which makes use of higher order moments. Analytical comparisons show that the first order mean squared error approximation for the proposed new method of imputation is always smaller than that for the regression method of imputation. At the end, the proposed higher order moments based imputation method has been applied to a real data set.
HHLA2, a member of the B7 family, is expressed in human osteosarcoma and is associated with metastases and worse survival

Over the past four decades there have been minimal improvements in outcomes for patients with osteosarcoma. New targets and novel therapies are needed to improve outcomes for these patients. We sought to evaluate the prevalence and clinical significance of the newest immune checkpoint, HHLA2, in osteosarcoma. HHLA2 protein expression was evaluated in primary tumor specimens and metastatic disease using an osteosarcoma tumor microarray (TMA) (n = 62). The association of HHLA2 with the presence of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and five-year-event-free-survival were examined. HHLA2 was expressed in 68% of osteosarcoma tumors. HHLA2 was expressed in almost all metastatic disease specimens and was more prevalent than in primary specimens without known metastases (93% vs 53%, p = 0.02). TILs were present in 75% of all osteosarcoma specimens. Patients whose tumors were ≥25% or ≥50% HHLA2 positive had significantly worse five-year event-free-survival (33% vs 64%, p = 0.03 and 14% vs 59%, p = 0.02). Overall, we have shown that HHLA2 is expressed in the majority of osteosarcoma tumors and its expression is associated with metastatic disease and poorer survival. Along with previously reported findings that HHLA2 is a T cell co-inhibitor, these results suggest that HHLA2 may be a novel immunosuppressive mechanism within the osteosarcoma tumor microenvironment.
High-speed bus signal integrity compliance using a frequency-domain model

A new technique for frequency-domain compliance testing of high-speed differential interfaces is implemented in a signal integrity simulation tool that can accurately predict a channel's bit-error rate (BER) from seven frequency-domain parameters. This greatly increases the speed and efficiency of designing the number of computer systems required for custom configurations in scale-out data centers. The compliance method is tested with three example case studies in channel printed circuit board (PCB) design. These three studies are: finding maximum loss due to routable trace length as a function of wiring depth layer (which affects crosstalk), finding the maximum routable length when introducing reflections and crosstalk due to adding a connector in the channel, and finding what amount of skew introduced by asymmetry in a differential pair for reasons such as the glass weave or different copper lengths under which a channel can still operate. The pass/fail frequency compliance results are discussed and compared with the time-domain simulation results of the channels tested.
Pathways to school readiness: Executive functioning predicts academic and social-emotional aspects of school readiness.

The current study specified the extent to which hot and cool aspects of executive functioning predicted academic and social-emotional indicators of school readiness. It was unique in focusing on positive aspects of social–emotional readiness, rather than problem behaviors. One hundred four 3–5-year-old children completed tasks measuring executive functioning, social–emotional readiness, academic readiness, and vocabulary. As expected, age predicted executive functioning components and social–emotional readiness. Moreover, working memory and inhibitory control directly predicted academic readiness, whereas delay of gratification predicted social–emotional readiness. Working memory and inhibitory control predicted delay of gratification, consistent with the notion that simpler executive functions may set the stage for more complex executive functions. Interestingly, social–emotional readiness predicted academic readiness. These findings confirm that hot and cool aspects of executive functioning are related to social–emotional and academic school readiness.
Abstract 72: Endothelial Cell Tissue Factor Enhances Inflammation but Not Coagulation in Mouse Model of Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with increased tissue factor (TF) expression and activation of coagulation. Using a mouse model of SCD, we have previously demonstrated that inhibition of TF with a rat-anti mouse TF (1H1) antibody not only abolishes activation of coagulation (measured by plasma levels of thrombin anti-thrombin (TAT) complexes) but also reduces inflammation and endothelial cell (EC) injury, which was indicated by attenuation of plasma levels of IL-6 and sVCAM-1, respectively. SCD is one of the few diseases where TF has been shown to be expressed on ECs. Therefore, we investigated the effect of EC-specific deletion of TF gene on activation of coagulation, inflammation and EC injury in a mouse model of SCD (BERK mice). Sickle cell (SS) mice that expressed normal levels of TF or have EC-specific deletion of TF gene (TFfl/flEC) were generated by transplanting TFfl/fl (normal expression of TF) and TFfl/fl Tie2 Cre+ mice (lacking TF gene in both hematopoietic cells and ECs) with bone marrow from SS mice (bone marrow transplantation reconstituted expression of TF in all hematopoietic cells in TFfl/fl Tie2 Cre+). Interestingly, we found that activation of coagulation (TAT) and EC injury (sVCAM-1) were not affected by EC-specific deletion of TF gene. In contrast, plasma levels of IL-6 were significantly reduced in TFfl/flEC SS mice compared to SS mice with normal levels of TF expression (mean+/-SEM; 6.9+/-1.8 vs 14.9+/-3.0 pg/ml; p
Simultaneous Inversion of Six Parameters for Three-Layered Metal Specimens

Layered media is used extensively in the aerospace and automotive industries from paint on metal surfaces to actuators with piezoelectric layers. NDE of such materials is used for manufacturing quality control or damage inspection. A method of inversion for thickness and wavespeeds from ultrasonic data using the minimization of the difference between measured and constructed transfer function magnitudes in transmission has been developed [1,2]. Using this method, for a three-layer metal/liquid/metal specimen immersed in water it is possible to invert accurately for up to four parameters, for example, three thicknesses and one wavespeed. Kinra, Wang, Zhu, and Rawal [3] reported thickness measurements on three-layer metal-clad specimens.
Can an Affect-Sensitive System Afford to Be Context Independent?

There has been a wave of interest in affect recognition among researchers in the field of affective computing. Most of these research use a context independent approach. Since humans may misunderstand other’s observed facial, vocal, or body behavior without any contextual knowledge, we question whether any of these human-centric affect-sensitive systems can be robust enough without any contextual knowledge. To answer this question, we conducted a study using previously studied audio files in three different settings; these include: no contextual indication, one level of contextual knowledge (either action or relationship/environment), and two levels of contextual knowledge (both action and relationship/environment). Our work confirms that indeed the contextual knowledge can improve recognition of human emotion.
Minimum cost flow problem formulation for the static vehicle allocation problem with stochastic lane demand in truckload strategic planning

ABSTRACTThis paper studies the complex strategic planning problem faced by truckload (TL) companies related to finding the allocation of vehicles serving lanes with stochastic demand within their networks. Lanes are origin–destination pairs associated with volumes of TLs per unit of time that follow discrete probability distributions. Finding strategic vehicle allocations that anticipate demand variability is critical because unrealized demands increase repositioning costs and reduce perceived revenues. The allocation problem is formulated as a two-stage stochastic program. The paper proposes a novel procedure based on network transformations that formulate the complex stochastic problem as a minimum cost-flow problem (MCFP), which can be efficiently solved with classic MCFP algorithms. Numerical experiments demonstrate the computational efficiencies of the method (instances with 1404 nodes and 98,904 arcs solved in 20.74 seconds) and reinforce the necessity of incorporating stochastic effects to avoid ov...
Student Perceptions and Learning Outcomes: Evidence from the Education Testing Service (ETS) Major Field Test in Business

We examine course evaluation data from the core finance course and analyze how these data relate to performance on the finance portion of the Educational Testing Service Major Field Test in Business (ETS). We find that gender, SAT scores, GPA and concentration all have significant impacts on student performance. We also find that student perceptions of teaching and of how much knowledge they gained do not relate to the finance ETS score. Finally, we find that students who feel challenged in their finance core course do significantly better on the finance portion of the exam. This result is robust to different data partitions.
A real-time radix-2-based median filtering algorithm

The author presents a real-time radix-2-based median filtering algorithm that computes the median bit by bit by successively using the majority rule and the previously computed bits. It determines the kth bit of the median by finding the Kth bit majority of the samples. In addition to the O(n) average computational complexity for n samples, the algorithm offers a simple real-time implementation using hardware that grows gradually with n. The radix-2-based median filter can be designed to find the approximate median with a maximum error of 2/sup k-q/-1 by determining only q most significant bits of the median. The approximate median filter has an increase of speed by a factor of 1-q/k, where k is the word length. >
Jim McCroskey: Professional Mentor

The author discusses the discipline’s most productive scholar through a series of encounters the two shared. The focus is not on McCroskey’s own research, as it is about the high rate of productivity of his students and colleagues. In addition, this article describes what kinds of actions McCroskey undertook to build and maintain a high-quality program for more than two decades.
Screening for Psychological Conditions in Infertile Women: Provider Perspectives

Abstract Purpose: To determine if reproductive specialists are screening new patients for depression or anxiety, explore possible reasons why providers are not screening, and assess physician's views about the impact of mental health disorders on fertility. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional exploratory study in which 86 practicing reproductive physicians filled out a 20-question survey regarding mental health screening and perception of psychological disorders on reproduction. Results: The majority of infertility providers believe psychological conditions negatively impact pregnancy success (75%); however, most providers are not formally screening patients for depression or anxiety (28%). Providers who did not screen for depression were more likely to be uncomfortable assessing patients for mental health disorders and to work in a private practice setting. Conclusions: This study finds that most infertility specialist respondents believe that mental health conditions negatively impact reproductive ou...
Economic Development and the Gender Wage Gap

of the role of women in economic growth and the affect of development on them. The difference in income between men and women is of great importance because it affects a very large number of people. The gender wage gap is not uniform cross-nationally, and if determinants of the gap size can be found, policy could be implemented to reduce the income disparities. Economic inequality between men and women is an important problem deserving of indepth study because of the large number of people it affects. Not only do current gender wage gaps affect women, they also likely affect their children and future generations. A number of studies have found evidence that women tend to spend income differently then men, with greater shares being put back into the household and more equally allocated between children of both sexes (Blau,
Unit recordings during Pavlovian conditioning.

Publisher Summary This chapter explains some switches in the brain and characterizes them. There are five assumptions involved: (a) that the very large population of neurons in the brain can be effectively sampled in a limited set of experiments; (b) that a middle kind of electrodes can direct themselves to a sufficiently stable single unit population to permit extended conditioning experiments; (c) that averaging can be used to eliminate the effects of all unwanted variables that are not correlated with the main auditory signals; (d) that latency mapping would permit the tracing of a signal even through the multiple-channeled pathways of the brain; and (e) that a middle kind of conditioning can be used to get the rapid learning of a Skinner experiment with the clear CS of a Pavlovian one. To permit the separation of the links of a message chain to help one find a larger number of the plastic coupling points, it is hoped that different parts of the brain would learn at different rates.
Modeling Human Steering Behavior During Path Following in Teleoperation of Unmanned Ground Vehicles

Objective:This paper presents a behavioral model representing the human steering performance in teleoperated unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).Background:Human steering performance in teleoperation i...
Analysis of a hybrid numerical method – decomposing leaf hydraulic conductance

AbstractWe describe a hybrid numerical method to solve a boundary value problem where an unknown parameter of the model is chosen to satisfy an additional boundary condition. After the solution of the differential equation is approximated using a one-step method, a secant method is used to update the value of the unknown parameter. The model is a generalization of a model first used to describe water flow through roots, which was later used to describe water flow through the tank bromeliad Guzmania lingulata. In both cases, identification of the unknown parameter represents the decomposition of overall plant conductance into components in the radial and axial directions. We describe convergence of the one-step and secant portions of the method in a base case corresponding to previous applications of the model and in an intermediate case corresponding to a first approximation of the geometry of the leaf. We demonstrate that in the more general case, which better represents the geometry of G. lingulata, the...
An Intermission: Ramsey’s Theorem

Some notation, special to the present discussion, ought to be introduced. If A and B are subsets of the set N of natural numbers, then we write A < B whenever a < b holds for each a ∈ A and b ∈ B. The collection of finite subsets of A is denoted by ℘ <∞(A) and the collection of infinite subsets of A by ℘ ∞(A). More generally for A,B ⊆ N we denote by ℘ <∞(A,B the colelction { X ∈ ℘ <∞ (N) : A ⊆ X A ∪ B, A < X\ A } and by ℘ ∞ (A,B) the collection { X ∈ ℘ ∞ (N): A ⊆ X ⊆ A ∪ B, A < X\ A }.
Joint Longitudinal Modeling of Brain Appearance in Multimodal MRI for the Characterization of Early Brain Developmental Processes

Early brain maturational processes such as myelination manifest as changes in the relative appearance of white-gray matter tissue classes in MR images. Imaging modalities such as T1W (T1-Weighted) and T2W (T2-Weighted) MRI each display specific patterns of appearance change associated with distinct neurobiological components of these maturational processes. In this paper we present a framework to jointly model multimodal appearance changes across time for a longitudinal imaging dataset, resulting in quantitative assessment of the patterns of early brain maturation not yet available to clinicians. We measure appearance by quantifying contrast between white and gray matter in terms of the distance between their intensity distributions, a method demonstrated to be relatively stable to interscan variability. A multivariate nonlinear mixed effects (NLME) model is used for joint statistical modeling of this contrast measure across multiple imaging modalities. The multivariate NLME procedure considers correlations between modalities in addition to intra-modal variability. The parameters of the logistic growth function used in NLME modeling provide useful quantitative information about the timing and progression of contrast change in multimodal datasets. Inverted patterns of relative white-gray matter intensity gradient that are observable in T1W scans with respect to T2W scans are characterized by the SIR (Signal Intensity Ratio). The CONTDIR (Contrast Direction) which measures the direction of the gradient at each time point relative to that in the adult-like scan adds a directional attribute to contrast. The major contribution of this paper is a framework for joint multimodal temporal modeling of white-gray matter MRI contrast change and estimation of subject-specific and population growth trajectories. Results confirm qualitative descriptions of growth patterns in pediatric radiology studies and our new quantitative modeling scheme has the potential to advance understanding of variability of brain tissue maturation and to eventually differentiate normal from abnormal growth for early diagnosis of pathology.
Using Bayesian Correspondence Criteria to Compare Results From a Randomized Experiment and a Quasi-Experiment Allowing Self-Selection.

Background:Randomized experiments yield unbiased estimates of treatment effect, but such experiments are not always feasible. So researchers have searched for conditions under which randomized and ...
CONTRAST INDUCED NEPHROPATHY IN HEMODYNAMICALLY STABLE PATIENTS UNDERGOING PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION: DOES LEFT VENTRICULAR END DIASTOLIC PRESSURE MATTER?

Contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) is an important complication after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Adequate intravascular volume has been considered important to prevent CIN, and intravenous hydration is the only accepted preventive measure. A small randomized trial showed that left
Law, Policy, and Sexual Abuse in the #MeToo Movement: USA Gymnastics and the Agency of Minor Athletes

This article considers gymnastics to illustrate how culture, law, and elite youth sports intertwine, focusing on the recent revelations of sexual abuse. It proposes an intervention based in the wor...
Alternative to Morse–Novikov theory for a closed 1-form. I

This paper extends the Alternative to Morse–Novikov theory we have proposed in Burghelea (New topological invariants for real- and angle-valued maps, Word Scientific, Hackensack, 2018) from real- and angle-valued maps to closed 1-forms. For a topological closed 1-form $$\omega $$ on a compact ANR ( $$=$$ absolute neighborhood retract) X, a concept generalizing closed differential 1-form on a compact manifold, under the mild hypothesis of tameness, a field $$\kappa $$ and a non-negative integer r, we propose two configurations $$\varvec{\delta }^\omega _r{:}\,\mathbb {R}\rightarrow \mathbb {Z}_{\geqslant 0}$$ and which recover Novikov–Betti numbers and the Novikov complex associated with a Morse closed 1-form with non-degenerated zeros. Precisely, the sum of the multiplicities of the points in the support of $$\varvec{\delta }^\omega _r$$ equals the rth Novikov–Betti number and that of the points in the support of $$\varvec{\gamma }^\omega _r$$ equals the rank of the boundary map in the Novikov complex. We formulate the basic properties of these configurations, the stability and the Poincare duality when X is a $$\kappa $$ -orientable closed topological manifold, which in full generality will be proven in the second part of this work.
Three Tiers for Collaborative Law: A Moderate Solution

Divorce cases present an extremely complex set of emotional, legal, and ethical questions. Recognizing that traditional litigation models can be harmful to client interests, many lawyers have critically reexamined and reformed the basic process of settling a divorce. The collaborative law movement is one such attempt; its strictures work to reorient lawyers toward productive and cooperative negotiation strategies and away from litigiousness. Collaborative law has not been without its critics, nor is it a perfect process. Instead, it represents one of a host of options clients and lawyers may have in addressing the dissolution of a marriage. A collaborative divorce can be costly, particularly if one party is more conciliatory than the other. Certain parts of the process also raise very serious ethical concerns. Collaborative divorce may ask a lawyer to manage a task not at all suited to the legal profession. Despite concerns, collaborative practitioners have pushed the practice of family law into the 21st Century, and the lessons of those practitioners, as well as the profession’s long-standing rules of ethics, should guide future practice. Therefore, a process should exist that helps mitigate certain serious concerns about collaborative law, while retaining its benefits. This Note proposes such a solution.
Screening transposon-mutant library of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus for mutants with altered sensitivity toward three antimicrobial agents

Background and Hypothesis: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is resistant to almost all beta-lactam antibiotics, including oxacillin. To combat MRSA infections, recently, new classes of drugs are developed, such as oxadiazole DR1 and ESP404. We hypothesize that, if we identify MRSA mutants with altered sensitivity toward the drugs, those mutants will help us understand the antimicrobial mechanisms of the drugs. Experimental Design or Project Methods: The screening was carried out on the Nebraska library consisting of 1,920 non-redundant transposon mutants of USA300 strain in 96 well plates. First, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each drug was determined. Then the transposon mutants were grown in tryptic soy broth (TSB) containing either 1/4× MIC or 4× MIC of the drugs for sensitive mutants and resistant mutants respectively. Due to the limited availability of ESP404, the drug was used to screen for sensitive mutants only. Results: The first screening identified 81 mutants with altered drug sensitivity: 23 for oxadiazole DR1 (5 sensitive, 18 resistant); 20 for ESP404 (all sensitive); 38 for oxacillin (18 sensitive, 5 resistant). Conclusion and Potential Impact: Screening of the transposon-mutant library identified multiple mutants that have altered sensitivity toward three drugs against S. aureus. Further verification of the phenotype and characterization of those mutants are expected to shed light on the antimicrobial mechanism of the drugs and open a door for the development of drug-potentiators.
A WTO If You Can Keep It

Recalling how the free trader Benjamin Franklin pondered whether politics in America would be able to keep the republic he had helped to create, this essay looks at whether politics in the world will now be able to keep the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the face of the ongoing attacks by the US government. The essay makes several theoretical contributions: (1) to debunk the Trump Administration's arguments that there is a trade-off between American sovereignty and global governance by showing that this is a false dichotomy; (2) to identify the key design features of specialized international organizations that are crucial to organizational success and to point out the irony of the fact that the presence of those features in the WTO does not seem to enhance the WTO's popularity while the absence of these features in the Paris Agreement on Climate does not seem to undermine that Agreement's popularity; and (3) to dismiss application of the "embedded liberalism" thesis to the WTO. In addition, the essay makes several historical contributions: (1) to chronicle the 19th and early 20th century roots of the post-World War II trading system; (2) to show how the current US criticism of the WTO Appellate Body fits into the broader and longtime American governmental fears of being held accountable by international courts; and (3) to offer a revisionist interpretation of the US-China trade war that emphasizes the failure of the WTO to honor its commitments to China and the failure of the US to make use of the WTO judicial system to bring cases against China's violations of its applicant WTO-plus commitments. The essay concludes with several practical suggestions: (1) to recognize the geopolitical dangers in the unprincipled economic sanctions against China by the Trump Administration and to understand the need to take steps to resist the rise of US mercantilism and protectionism; (2) to enhance the nascent parliamentary dimension of the WTO in order to build more political support for and legitimacy of trade rules; and (3) to devise a workaround to WTO rules on consensus decisionmaking and nondiscrimination by moving forward with broad-based, open plurilateral agreements among likeminded countries to foster more opportunities for international trade.
BRILLIANCE IN THE BASICS: HOW COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION IN CARDIAC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY RESULTS IN TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO RURAL MEDICAL CENTERS

Cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has gained widening indications for the assessment of cardiovascular patients. As such, there is renewed focus on training fellows to not only be comfortable and competent in the interpretation of CCTA studies but also the multitude of potential