cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ladder-shaped network for ESD protection of millimetre-wave CMOS ICs

A compact ladder-shaped electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit is presented for millimetre-wave integrated circuits (ICs) in CMOS technology. Multiple shorted shunt stubs form a ladder network together with series stubs as ESD protection that discharges current/voltage pulses caused by an ESD event, while at the same time the network is embedded as part of the matching circuit for a normal operation. A 60/GHz low-noise amplifier using a 90 nm CMOS process is demonstrated with the proposed ESD protection methodology that introduces less than 1/dB insertion loss. Owing to the ESD current distribution through multiple shorted stubs, the proposed methodology is useful to millimetre-wave ICs with advanced CMOS technology that suffers from higher sheet resistance of the metal layers.
What Does Charter School Mean to You? A Look at Louisiana's Charter Enrollment by Charter Type

This article examines the intersection of race, socioeconomic status (SES), and charter type/admission practices in Louisiana charter schools. This study used publicly available Department of Education data to compile the sample of charter school demographic information. A one-way Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was conducted using race and socioeconomic status as dependent variables and charter type and admission practice as the independent variables. Findings suggest that there are significant differences in African American student enrollment and enrollment of low income students, particularly for Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) start-ups/conversions and forced conversions/Recovery School District (RSD) charters when compared to all other types. This is also true when comparing selective versus open enrollment charters. Results reveal a higher enrollment pattern of African American and low income students in BESE start-ups/conversions and forced conversion charters (Types 2 an...
Image-based rendering with depth information using the propagation algorithm

The paper proposes a new approach for the image-based rendering (IBR) problem. IBR has many potential applications, such as remote reality and telepresence, in which traditional computer graphic techniques require high computational complexity. Our algorithm proactively propagates all available information from actual cameras to virtual cameras, using a depth availability assumption. This process turns the IBR problem into a nonuniform interpolation problem at the virtual camera image plane, which can be done efficiently at once for all image pixels. Experimental results show the proposed algorithm has low computational complexity and produces accurate rendering, especially around object boundaries, where most existing methods fail.
Efficient and fault-tolerant distributed host monitoring using system-level diagnosis

This paper presents an efficient and fault-tolerant distributed approach to monitoring the status of processors in a network. The Distributed System Monitor (DSMon) is a distributed, decentralized program that gathers processor information, such as CPU load, user information, and network and disk statistics, in parallel at each processor and reliably distributes the information on-line to all fault-free processors. Information is filtered at each processor and distributed at different priorities to conserve communication resources. Fault-tolerance is achieved by applying the results of previous system-level diagnosis research. An on-line distributed system-level diagnosis algorithm that assumes the PMC fault model and a fully connected network is extended to consistently maintain user-defined state information in an unreliable environment. DSMon has been implemented and currently operates on approximately 200 networked workstations in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University. The key results of this paper include the extension of a distributed system-level diagnosis algorithm for reliable broadcast of current global state, and the specification of the DSMon. A relaxed form of reliable broadcast, called condensed reliable broadcast, is introduced for guaranteeing delivery of the most recently broadcast update, without guaranteeing a complete history of all broadcast updates. The DSMon implementation is described, and its operation in an actual distributed network environment is analyzed. Extensions to this work include other fault and system models and applicability to other distributed applications requiring consistent distributed global state.
Early and late failure of tissue-engineered pulmonary valve conduits used for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction in patients with congenital heart disease

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors associated with the surgical outcome in patients undergoing right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction (RVOTR) using decellularized tissue-engineered pulmonary valve conduits (TEPVc) and to study their safety and longevity. METHODS: From April 2006 to April 2010, 93 patients underwent either palliative or corrective RVOTR using Matrix P (37) and Matrix P Plus (56) xenogenic decellularized TEPVc (size range 11–27 mm). Median age and weight at operation were 20 (0.16–290) months and 10.15 (2.65–86) kg respectively. Primary and redo surgery occurred in 40 and 60% of cases, respectively. Eighty-eight patients (94.6%) received conduit implantation in the framework of corrective surgery, whereas in 5 (5.4%) a palliative procedure was undertaken. Follow-up was complete in 91% of patients, with a median duration of 12 months (range: 2 days–51 months). Data analysis included diagnosis, type of surgery (palliative vs. corrective) and age at surgery. Predetermined primary outcomes were represented by conduit failure or dysfunction. RESULTS: Two patients with Matrix P and two with Matrix P Plus died in the early post-operatively phase (4.3%). None of the deaths were conduit-related. One patient died at conduit replacement. Thirty-three patients (35.5%) experienced conduit failure whereas conduit dysfunction occurred in 27 patients (29%). Two-year freedom from conduit failure and dysfunction was 60.2% (95% CI: 50.1– 69.6) and 77.4% (95% CI: 67.9–84.7), respectively. Reasons for failure were conduit stenosis in 20 cases (61%), pseudoaneurysm in 3 (9%), conduit dilatation (>50% of original diameter) in 2 (6%), stenosis of distal anastomosis involving pulmonary bifurcation in 6 (18%) and allograft dissection in 2 (6%). Histological examination showed inflammatory giant-type cells in the presence of a poor autologous cell seeding in all explanted specimens. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed an association between age at surgery ≤1 year and conduit dysfunction (adjusted HR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.01–5.20, P= 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the other conduit for RVOTR Matrix conduits showed a high incidence of failure. Our results suggest that the use of Matrix conduits for RVOTR should be considered with caution.
Coloration in the polymorphic frog Oophaga pumilio associates with level of aggressiveness in intraspecific and interspecific behavioral interactions

Intraspecific morphological variation may correspond to behavioral variation that helps determine the nature of species interactions. Color variation among populations of variably toxic organisms has been shown to associate with alternative anti-predator behaviors. However, the effects of these alternative behavioral tendencies on the outcomes of interspecific interactions other than predator–prey remain largely unexplored. We investigated how coloration and body size variation in Oophaga pumilio, one of the most phenotypically diverse amphibians known, associated with territorial aggressiveness and how this association influenced the outcome of agonistic male–male interactions with conspecifics and heterospecifics of two sympatric species (Andinobates claudiae and Phyllobates lugubris). Irrespective of body size, resident frogs from more conspicuous, red-colored O. pumilio populations responded to same-morph conspecifics and P. lugubris more quickly and exhibited more aggressive behaviors and more energetically expensive behaviors than resident frogs from green populations under these same treatments. Furthermore, red-colored resident frogs dominated most of the interactions in which they were involved, whereas green residents dominated only a few of the interactions, despite their status as residents. Because conspecific and heterospecific intruders did not behave more aggressively toward red resident frogs, aggressiveness of red residents does not appear to be a response to higher aggression being directed toward them. These results suggest that coloration in O. pumilio is a good indicator of aggressiveness that associates with the outcome of intraspecific and some interspecific behavioral male–male interactions, providing support for a positive association among anti-predator traits, agonistic behavior, and dominance in both intraspecific and interspecific, intraguild interactions.
Statistical Procedures for Forecasting Criminal Behavior

There is a substantial and powerful literature in statistics and computer science clearly demonstrating that modern machine learning procedures can forecast more accurately than conventional parametric statistical models such as logistic regression. Yet, several recent studies have claimed that for criminal justice applications, forecasting accuracy is about the same. In this paper, we address the apparent contradiction. Forecasting accuracy will depend on the complexity of the decision boundary. When that boundary is simple, most forecasting tools will have similar accuracy. When that boundary is complex, procedures such as machine learning, that proceed adaptively from the data will improve forecasting accuracy, sometimes dramatically. Machine learning has other benefits as well, and e↵ective software is readily available.
Meristems in the movies: live imaging as a tool for decoding intercellular signaling in shoot apical meristems.

The shoot apical meristem (SAM) is the source of all postembryonic aerial organs in plants. Because of their central importance in plant development, SAMs have been studied for more than 100 years and have also become a major focus of molecular genetic studies. These studies indicate that signaling
Work in Progress: Rapid and Inexpensive Archiving of Classroom Lectures

While extensive use is currently being made at our facility of video over IP as a distance learning delivery technique, the current archival scheme of using VHS tape leaves much to be desired from a timeliness and complexity perspective. Our goal is to deploy and test a simple scheme that captures encoded video packets directly from the network, and immediately converts that into the QuickTime format for studying by learners, and allows faculty to review their presentations. The capability to automatically capture, translate, and transfer classroom lectures to a server for students to view on demand, not only improves remote teaching capabilities, but provides a new basis for offering online programs. Additionally, this provides a critical "backup" for those inevitable technical difficulties that prevent or disrupt real time broadcasts
The Lack of Beta-amylase Activity in Soybean Cultivar Altona sp 1 is Associated with a 1.2 kb Deletion in the 5' Region of Beta-amylase I Gene

Previous studies have identifi ed near-isogenic soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] lines, one containing normal β-amylase [α-1,4-glucan maltohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.2)] activity (Altona Sp 1 b ) and the other with undetectable β-amylase activity (Altona sp 1 ) in seeds. SDS-PAGE analysis of 50% isopropanol extracted proteins from soybean seeds revealed a prominent 56 kDa protein. This protein, which was absent in Altona sp 1, was identifi ed as β-amylase by matrixassisted-laser-desorption-time-of-fl ight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and immunoblot analysis using antibodies generated against Arabidopsis β-amylase. Southern blot analysis showed differences in the sizes of the DNA fragments hybridizing to β-amylase probe between the near-isogenic soybean lines. A search of the soybean genome database revealed the presence of nine β-amylase genes in the soybean genome. We have isolated the β-amylase gene (GmBAM 1) by screening a genomic library of wild-type soybean and determined its nucleotide sequence. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the GmBAM 1 revealed a complete open reading frame that was interrupted by six introns. In contrast, the GmBAM 1 from Altona sp 1 had a 1207 bp deletion near the 5' region that included the second and third exon regions. Our results suggest that this deletion may be responsible for the lack of β-amylase activity in soybean cultivar Altona Altona sp 1.
Impairment of Ca2+ release in single Xenopusmuscle fibers fatigued at varied extracellular P O 2

We tested the hypothesis that the mechanisms involved in the more rapid onset of fatigue when O2 availability is reduced in contracting skeletal muscle are similar to those when O2 availability is ...
Heart rates and swim speeds of emperor penguins diving under sea ice

Heart rate during overnight rest and while diving were recorded from five emperor penguins with a microprocessor-controlled submersible recorder. Heart rate, cardiac output and stroke volume were also measured in two resting emperor penguins using standard electrocardiography and thermodilution measurements. Swim velocities from eight birds were obtained with the submersible recorder. The resting average of the mean heart rates was 72 beats min-1. Diving heart rates were about 15% lower than resting rates. Cardiac outputs of 1.9-2.9 ml kg-1 s-1 and stroke volumes of 1.6-2.7 ml kg-1 were similar to values recorded from mammals of the same body mass. Swim velocities averaged 3 m s-1. The swim speeds and heart rates suggest that muscle O2 depletion must occur frequently: therefore, many dives require a significant energy contribution from anaerobic glycolysis.
Automatic Question Generation for Vocabulary Assessment

In the REAP system, users are automatically provided with texts to read targeted to their individual reading levels. To find appropriate texts, the user's vocabulary knowledge must be assessed. We describe an approach to automatically generating questions for vocabulary assessment. Traditionally, these assessments have been hand-written. Using data from WordNet, we generate 6 types of vocabulary questions. They can have several forms, including wordbank and multiple-choice. We present experimental results that suggest that these automatically-generated questions give a measure of vocabulary skill that correlates well with subject performance on independently developed human-written questions. In addition, strong correlations with standardized vocabulary tests point to the validity of our approach to automatic assessment of word knowledge.
Performance of delay-based Trojan detection techniques under parameter variations

Various schemes utilizing path delay information have been proposed to determine the authenticity of a given integrated circuit. However, the performance of these techniques under parameter variations must be evaluated, as delay variations may mask the delay impact of design alterations, such as hardware Trojan horses. This paper examines how path delay characterization performs under extensive delay variations, and results reveal that it remains a powerful tool for detecting design alterations by leveraging statistical techniques.
Changing the Sexist Language: The Theory Behind the Practice

The existence of sexism in the structure and usage of the English language has recently been extensively documented by linguists, psychologists, feminists, publishers, and others. This awareness of...
Species-specific pharmacology of Trichloro(sulfanyl)ethyl benzamides as transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) antagonists

Agonists of TRPA1 such as mustard oil and its key component AITC cause pain and neurogenic inflammation in humans and pain behavior in rodents. TRPA1 is activated by numerous reactive compounds making it a sensor for reactive compounds in the body. Failure of AITC, formalin and other reactive compounds to trigger pain behavior in TRPA1 knockout mice, as well as the ability of TRPA1 antisense to alleviate cold hyperalgesia after spinal nerve ligation, suggest that TRPA1 is a potential target for novel analgesic agents. Here, we have characterized CHO cells expressing human and rat TRPA1 driven by an inducible promoter. As reported previously, both human and rat TRPA1 are activated by AITC and inhibited by ruthenium red. We have also characterized noxious cold response of these cell lines and show that noxious cold activates both human and rat TRPA1. Further, we have used CHO cells expressing human TRPA1 to screen a small molecule compound library and discovered that 'trichloro(sulfanyl)ethyl benzamides' (AMG2504, AMG5445, AMG7160 and AMG9090) act as potent antagonists of human TRPA1 activated by AITC and noxious cold. However, trichloro(sulfanyl)ethyl benzamides' (TCEB compounds) displayed differential pharmacology at rat TRPA1. AMG2504 and AMG7160 marginally inhibited rat TRPA1 activation by AITC, whereas AMG5445 and AMG9090 acted as partial agonists. In summary, we conclude that both human and rat TRPA1 channels show similar AITC and noxious cold activation profiles, but TCEB compounds display species-specific differential pharmacology at TRPA1.
The management of thyroid nodules and cancer in the molecular era

The incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing worldwide. Current standards in the diagnosis and management of thyroid cancer are limited by the uncertainty of fine-needle aspiration samples that are indeterminate in nature. Molecular markers have the potential to improve the accuracy of thyroid fine-needle aspiration and to aid the physician in giving a more accurate diagnosis and prognosis. This paper summarizes the various molecular markers currently available.
Compensated Compactness with More Geometry

The theory of compensated compactness, partly developed in collaboration with Francois Murat, proved useful for attacking questions in the nonlinear PDE (partial differential equations) of continuum mechanics and physics. Many years ago, I believed an improvement could be achieved that included more geometrical ideas. I can only conjecture what should be done, but I consider it useful to present an historical perspective, in order to place ideas in their context, and indicate where geometry may be appropriate.
Teaching Virtual Reality to undergraduates: tutorial presentation

Virtual Reality (VR) is a contemporary area of research with many exciting applications in simulation and training. The National Academy of Engineering recently named "Enhance Virtual Reality" as one of fourteen "Grand Challenges for Engineering" (http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/) and many students find the subject to be exciting and engaging. However, VR receives little or no attention in most undergraduate Computer Science programs. This tutorial will have two objectives. The first will be to introduce attendees to the field of VR through several freely available online lesson modules, and attendees will be shown how the modules are actually being integrated into a variety of existing courses. The second tutorial objective will be to describe two immersive stereo display systems: a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) unit and a stereo display wall.
Gender Differences in the Association Between Religion/Spirituality and Simultaneous Polysubstance Use (SPU).

While religion/spirituality strongly protects against drug use (Cheney et al. in J Drug Issues 44(1):94–113, 2014), little is known about gender differences in the association of religion/spirituality on simultaneous polysubstance use (SPU) among those who use prescription opioids. Data come from a community-based study that recruited community members from the St Louis area (N = 632). Participants were asked whether they used prescription opioids when not prescribed for them or in ways other than prescribed in the past 12 months. Religion/spirituality was categorized as high, medium, or low based on personal views on the importance of religion and spirituality, attendance at religious services, and advice seeking from religious leaders. SPU was defined as non-medical use of opioids simultaneously with use of cocaine, alcohol, ecstasy, or marijuana. Multivariate logistic regression determined the association between religion/spirituality, demographic variables, and SPU. Men with high levels of religion/spirituality had 63 % decreased odds of SPU compared with men with low levels. Other variables associated with SPU in men were four or more arrests (AOR 2.21), multiple sex partners (AOR 2.11), and opioid use without a prescription (AOR 3.04). Women with high or medium levels of religion/spirituality had 58 and 62 % decreased odds of SPU compared with women with low levels. Variables that predicted SPU in women also included 4+ arrests (AOR 5.00) and never being married (AOR 2.13). Being African-American was associated with decreased odds of SPU in women (AOR 0.32). Overall, a high level of religion/spirituality was associated with lower odds of SPU. Gender differences in this association were evident, whereas women with even a medium level of religion/spirituality had significantly decreased odds of SPU. Future drug prevention and interventions should consider the relevance of religion/spirituality in SPU.
The Scaffold in the Marketplace: Samuel Johnson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the Romance of Authorship

Samuel Johnson haunted the nineteenth-century American literary imagination, and there is no more compelling example of this than Nathaniel Hawthorne, who modeled his uniquely reticent form of authorial exemplarity in Johnson’s sociable shadow. This essay looks at a neglected dimension of Hawthorne’s historical and moral endeavor in his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter (1850), by considering his fascination with both the great Augustan moralist and the elusive, mobile, and seminal historical genre that shaped that fascination, the anecdote. The genre of exemplarity par excellence, the anecdote is also, in Joel Fineman’s words, “the literary form that uniquely lets history happen by virtue of the way it introduces an opening into the teleological, and therefore timeless, narration of beginning, middle, and end.” The anecdote is thus the “hole within the whole” from which alternative histories, including the true histories known as romances, can emerge. Hawthorne’s lifelong preoccupation with James Boswell’s anecdote of Johnson’s penance in Uttoxeter Market roots a uniquely American fictional hero (aka Arthur Dimmesdale) and Hawthorne’s distinctively melancholic mode of American authorship, in Johnson’s English singularity.
Characteristics of a Mammalian Fauna from Forests in Patagonia, Southern Argentina

Diet, reproduction, age structure, body size, sex ratio, and home range are described for nine species (eight genera) of small mammals living in Patagonian forests. Litter size and home range tend to be smaller in Patagonian species than in forest species of comparable body size in the Northern Hemisphere, but other life history characteristics are similar. Compared with the mammalian fauna of a similarly cool, wet forest on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, the Patagonian fauna has relatively few species of carnivores, no tiny species such as shrews, few scansorial, and no arboreal species. Compared with the fauna of a Panamanian rain forest, the Patagonian fauna has more species of small mammals, more semifossorial species, and a much lower biomass because of the absence of middle-sized and arboreal species that contribute so much to biomass in Panama.
Generative Routinized Practices and the Production of Classroom Cultures and Identities.

In this article, I share results from a year-long qualitative study that focused on the emergent production of a classroom culture and the social identities most valued in that culture. I collected observational data, interview data and archival data throughout the school year in one self-contained fourth-grade classroom. Using a combination of analytic strategies drawn from grounded theory and critical discourse analysis, I constructed an account of key generative routinized practices/performances that contributed in powerful and pervasive ways to the emergent production of a classroom culture and the social identities encouraged/afforded within that culture. The practices were practising family, practising care, practising fourth-grade professionalism, practising literature–life connections and practising democracy. Accounting for and interpreting these practices in considerable detail allowed me to argue for how generative routinized practices can produce dynamic but durable classroom cultures that exe...
Smoking Status of Health Workers and The Effect of Intervention for Tobacco Control in Shijiazhuang City

[Objective]To know the current smoking status of health workers,to understand their knowledge,attitude and practice about tobacco control,then to apply interventions so as to enhance their awareness of tobacco control.[Methods]Stratified random sampling method was adopted to select 1031 health workers for investigation.Six months comprehensive intervention was performed for all subjects.[Results]The overall smoking rate was 21.4%.The smoking rate of male was 45.3%,significantly higher than that of females(0.5%).The smoking rate was significantly different between male workers in different positions(P0.05).As to knowledge,most of health workers knew the relationship between lung diseases and smoking and passive smoking,but less than 50% knew the relationship between osteoporosis,male sexual dysfunction and smoking,only 25.2% knew the relationship between sudden infant death syndrome and passive smoking.As to practice,only 6 people(1.5%) knew about smoking cessation drugs and had ever tried it.Through the comprehensive intervention,the smoking rate in male declined significantly(P0.05),Doctors use smoking cessation drugs without significant difference(P0.05).[Conclusion]Male health workers have a comparatively high smoking rate with inadequate awareness of hazards of tobacco use and weak awareness of tobacco control.Hospitals should carry out creation of smokeless medical institutions activities in-depth.The comprehensive tobacco control is effective for changing the health workers' smoking behavior and enhancing their responsibility consciousness.
Analysis of influenza surveillance in Shandong province from 2010 to 2011

Objective: To find out the variation and the virological characteristics of influenza virus in Shandong province and provide the scientific supports for the prevention of influenza.Methods: The throat swab specimens were collected and the influenza virus was detected with Real-Time PCR and isolated with MDCK cells,identified by hemagglutination inhibition test(HI).Results: A total number of 10218 samples were collected from April 2010 to March 2011,with 1025 strains identified to have influenza virus(10.03%).Among them,415 strains were pandemic A(H1N1) subtype,250 were A(H3N2) subtype,242 were B subtype and 118 were untyped A subtype.311 influenza virus strains were isolated with MDCK cell.Conclusion: Pandemic A(H1N1) subtype is the main influenza virus subtype in Shandong province in this period.The incidence of influenza is correlated with the age and the influenza population is independent of gender.
Evidence for Cl(-)-independent HCO3- transport in basolateral membranes of Necturus oxyntopeptic cells

Luminal H+ secretion by gastric mucosa is accompanied by basolateral HCO3- release. A basolateral Cl-/HCO3- exchanger is known to mediate HCO3- extrusion from oxyntopeptic cells during resting and ...
Cooperative Grid Vortals: Research Articles

Vertical Grid portals, or Vortals, proved to be useful by providing access to applications running on high-performance computational platforms and to distributed data enabling data sharing and other forms of collaboration. This paper identifies the commonalities between Vortals in various application domains, i.e. application-independent patterns of orchestrating Grid services employed by a typical Vortal. These patterns can be captured as facades—a software layer between the Vortal business logic and generic Grid services that promotes a horizontal integration. The facades are reusable and considerably simplify the development of new Vortals. Furthermore, the facades foster interactions between different Vortals, and hence making them the cooperative Grid Vortals. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
V Gene Diversity in the Memory Immune Response to PC-KLH

We report that extensive variable (V) gene diversity is generated in the Balb/c memory response to phosphocholine-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (PC-KLH). Antibodies found in the primary response to PC-KLH (referred to as Group I) express the VH1 gene, are T15 idiotype positive and bind the haptens PC and nitrophenyl PC (NPPC). In contrast, the memory response exhibits new antibodies (Group II) that bind appreciably only NPPC, are T15 idiotype negative and express different VH and VL genes.
Interaction Dynamics Predict Successful Negotiation in Divorce Mediation

Though communication is a process that unfolds over time, it has been difficult to study it as a dynamic process. This article examines the process of real-life divorce mediations as a dynamic system. First, the article sets out a paradigm of an interaction dynamic, revealing underlying dynamic patterns of frame coordination and how those patterns predict successful negotiation. Second, the article details a methodology for studying communication features dynamically. Finally, an analysis of 15 anonymous divorce mediations is conducted. Results largely support the predictions of relational order theory.
Balancing individual capabilities and social peer pressure for role adoption

In this paper, we model agent role adoption when they are under the influence of peers and must account for their capabilities as well. Our model suggests a strategy for role adoption that decreases tension among agents. We show the contention between considering social pressure versus role qualification as two factors for role adoption.
Progressive recovery of interdependent services in enterprise data centers

In this paper, we discuss the progressive restoration planning in an enterprise data center environment after partial or full disruption. Repairing disrupted components takes significant amount of time and human involvement. Thus, after a major disruption, the recovery process will involve multiple stages and during each stage, the partially recovered infrastructures will be able to provide limited services at some degraded service level. However, how fast and effective an enterprise infrastructure can be recovered depends on how the recovery processes will restore the disrupted components considering the inter-dependencies in between the services, along with the limitations of expert human operators. The entire problem turns out to be NP-hard and rather complex, and we devise effective meta-heuristics to solve the problem. By taking some real-world examples, we show that the proposed meta-heuristics gives fairly accurate results compared to the optimal solution, with the ratio between the optimal and heuristic solution never exceeding 1.04.
Abstract P178: Depletion of Gamma-Delta T Cells Protects Against Toll-Like Receptor-Induced Preeclampsia in Mice

Preeclampsia (PE), a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, is associated with vascular endothelial dysfunction and excessive immunity and inflammation. However, it is unclear which innate immune cells propagate the pro-inflammatory state. Gamma-delta T (gdT) cells can secrete tolerogenic anti-inflammatory cytokines or cytotoxic pro-inflammatory cytokines depending on their activation status. gdT cells from women with PE produce significantly more IFNg and perforin and are less susceptible to apoptosis than gdT cells from normal pregnant women. We hypothesized that Toll-like receptor (TLR) activation in gdT cells induces inflammation and causes PE-like features in mice and that gdT cell KO mice would be resistant to developing TLR-induced PE-like features. Activation of splenocytes isolated from day 14 normal pregnant mice with the TLR3 agonist poly I:C or the TLR7 agonist R837 for 24 hours significantly increased gdT cells as well as IFNg and TNFa production. We have reported that poly I:C or R837 treatment of normal pregnant mice elicits a pregnancy-dependent PE-like syndrome by inducing a pro-inflammatory immune response. Pregnant poly I:C-treated and R837-treated mice had significantly increased splenic levels of gdT cells and plasma levels of IFNg and TNFa compared to pregnant vehicle-treated mice. Pregnant gdT cell KO mice treated with poly I:C or R837 did not develop hypertension or endothelial dysfunction. These data demonstrate that gdT cells mediate the TLR-induced PE-like features in mice and depletion of gdT cells may reduce the severity of PE in women.
Geographic exposure risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in US blood donors: a risk-ranking model to evaluate alternative donor-deferral policies.

Background Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) has been transmitted by blood transfusion (TTvCJD). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends deferring blood donors who resided in or traveled to 30 European countries where they may have been exposed to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) through beef consumption. Those recommendations warrant re-evaluation, because new cases of BSE and vCJD have markedly abated. Study design and methods The FDA developed a risk-ranking model to calculate the geographic vCJD risk using country-specific case rates and person-years of exposure of US blood donors. We used the reported country vCJD case rates, when available, or imputed vCJD case rates from reported BSE and UK beef exports during the risk period. We estimated the risk reduction and donor loss should the deferral be restricted to a few high-risk countries. We also estimated additional risk reduction by leukocyte reduction (LR) of red blood cells (RBCs). Results The United Kingdom, Ireland, and France had the greatest vCJD risk, contributing approximately 95% of the total risk. The model estimated that deferring US donors who spent extended periods of time in these three countries, combined with currently voluntary LR (95% of RBC units), would reduce the vCJD risk by 89.3%, a reduction similar to that achieved under the current policy (89.8%). Limiting deferrals to exposure in these three countries would potentially allow donations from an additional 100,000 donors who are currently deferred. Conclusion Our analysis suggests that a deferral option focusing on the three highest risk countries would achieve a level of blood safety similar to that achieved by the current policy.
How Children Learn the Skill of Tension Control

Children should learn to relax for the same reason they learn the skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. Tension control is a basic skill. Is such a skill worthy of “Fourth R” status in the curriculum of basic education? Is it indeed presumptious to claim that something called “relaxation,” essentially a non-verbal skill, should be equated with the “Three Rs,” the latter forming the essential verbal and symbolic foundation for literacy and technology? I believe the answer to such questions to be in the affirmative (Frederick, 1979).
Learner Agency and Academic Discourse in a Sheltered-Immersion Mathematics Class

Students and teachers alike commonly view mathematics as an objective discipline to be learned through rote memorization. This view of the field is rooted in a traditional ideology of classroom roles in which any question has exactly one answer and the teacher is positioned as the ultimate authority. The case for reform has been made to deepen students’ engagement with mathematics content, but this chapter identifies another justification: to provide opportunities for second-language learners to be socialized to academic discourse. I analyze video-recordings of a middle school mathematics class for English learners in which the teacher knows mathematics and language pedagogy, integrates language and content instruction, and incorporates accepted best practices for teaching English through mathematics, such as explicitly teaching technical vocabulary and “unpacking” word problems. Considering how these techniques are instantiated through talk-in-interaction, however, this study shows that students are given a limited degree of semiotic agency over meaning-making resources such as classroom discourse; even when students evaluate one another’s work, their evaluations become tools for reinforcing teacher authority. Socializing students to academic language requires changes in ideology, not simply technique; only by decentering their own authority will teachers make space for students to appropriate complex mathematics discourse structures.
On the Possibility of Subcritical Instabilities

Let us consider a steady solution of the hydrodynamic equations governing an incompressible, Newtonian fluid. We examine the asymptotic stability of this state by superposing small disturbances and obtaining a set of partial differential equations which govern the behavior of a disturbance (also called the difference motion).
The Urine that Would Not Freeze

A random urine specimen from a 61-year-old male was collected at an outside clinic for the evaluation of hyponatremia. Although the urine sodium concentration was unremarkable (<20 mmol/L), attempts to measure urine osmolality resulted in a “will not freeze error”; repeat on a separate freezing point depression osmometer yielded the same message. Osmolality is a measure of the number of particles dissolved in a given mass of water. The main contributors to serum and urine osmolality in humans include sodium, chloride, glucose, and urea. Plasma and urine osmolality are typically measured in tandem …
The Determinants of Individual Performance and Collective Value in Private-Collective Software Innovation

We investigate if the actions by individuals in creating effective new innovations are aligned with the reuse of those innovations by others in a private-collective software development context. This relationship is studied in the setting of eleven “wiki-like” programming contests, where contest submissions are open for reuse by others, each involving more than one hundred contributors and several thousand attempts to generate, over a one-week period, the “best” software solution to a difficult programming challenge. We find that greater amounts of new code and novel recombinations of others’ code, in a contest submission, increases both the probability of achieving top rank and the subsequent reuse by others in their own submission (community value). While, increasing use of borrowed code in a submission reduces the probability of achieving top rank, but increases the community value of the submission. Code structures that are more non-conforming to commonly accepted programming conventions similarly increase the probability of generating a top performer, but reduce subsequent reuse by others. Surprisingly, greater code complexity in a submission increases both the odds of generating a top performing entry and its community value. We discuss the implications of these findings in light of the literature on private-collective innovation with an emphasis on the importance of considering both individual and community perspectives as they relate to knowledge creation, reuse and recombination for innovation. *Please send comments to klakhani@hbs.edu
Rich computational model of conflict for virtual characters

Rich interactions with virtual characters in narrative-based environments can be enabled by providing characters with representation of parameters for reasoning about various types of conflict. This paper proposes a model of conflict that includes mechanics, context, and dynamics of conflict scenarios. This model extends and reconciles prior work on conflict management from various disciplines. This model complements task-oriented conflicts that are implemented in current agent architectures and seeks to motivate exploration to a new design space of possible conflict situations. This work is based on initial analysis of a corpus of conflict scenarios annotated with personality profiles and resolution strategies. This annotated corpus is made available to the community for further research on conflict.
Let's work together: Improving block-based environments by supporting synchronous collaboration

Block-based programming environments are a good way to teach beginners how to code, in part because they eliminate syntax errors and provide visual feedback. However, many of the existing environments do not explicitly support synchronous collaboration. Collaboration is a critical component of computer science practice and CS education. We therefore argue that features to support collaboration could significantly enhance existing and new block-based programming environments. We review existing block-based programming environments, suggest design ideas for supporting synchronous collaboration, and evaluate environments that currently support some of these features.
Public Power and Private Purpose: Odious Debt and the Political Economy of Hegemony

This Article examines the process by which overlapping interests between private bankers and government translates into influence and power mediated through the use of bank loans as instruments of foreign policy. The article suggests the market transactions often act as a matter of U.S. interests. It makes use of historical narratives not only as means to document the origins of the Odious Debt doctrine, but also to demonstrate the complexity attending efforts to create an Odious Debt doctrine that might function in law. The International Lending Supervision Act, the Baker plan and Brady initiative - policies reinforced through legal interpretations, tax and revenue rules and regulations, SEC regulations - and a host of other statutes that intersect banking and foreign policy interests suggest that market forces rarely act independently of U.S. interests. Foreign banking is politicized and foreign policy is commercialized. The article also addresses the ideological and procedural limitations of the use of private law as a conceptual framework for resolving odious debt. The specific case studies addressed in the article, including the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Costa Rica, serve to underscore the necessity of including an analysis of the realpolitik of banking and foreign policy and the inexorable entanglement of private financial interests with national interests. The article argues that the realpolitik of lending activity requires a debt resolution framework that addresses not only the circumstances of the sovereign debtor, or the practices of creditor banks, but the circumstances of U.S. interests in which all such transactions are conceived and conducted.
Valvular heart disease and pregnancy

The population of women with valvular disease who are of childbearing age continues to increase. Many will want to become pregnant or may present already pregnant, and in some cases, underlying valve disease will complicate pregnancy, increasing the risk for adverse outcomes for the mother and fetus. This chapter discusses the hemodynamic changes of pregnancy and the implications for patients with valve disease. Focus is on the physiology and outcomes of pregnancy with specific valve lesions. There is a discussion of particular issues that may be relevant in these patients, such as anticoagulation for mechanical valves and cardiac surgery during pregnancy. Issues to be addressed during labor and delivery are described. Ideally, women with valvular disease will present prior to pregnancy, allowing for preconceptual counseling. Thus, strategies to assess risk include currently available risk scores that can aid in counseling, regardless of specific valve abnormality.
Hearts, Minds, Voices: US Cold War Public Diplomacy and the Formation of the Third World

Jason C. Parker, an associate professor of history at Texas A&M, offers a well-written, thoroughly researched, and engaging book about US public diplomacy efforts in the Global South under presiden...
Disaster Medicine: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature From 2016.

Objective:The Society of Academic Emergency Medicine Disaster Medicine Interest Group, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response – Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (ASPR TRACIE) team, and the National Institutes of Health Library searched disaster medicine peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify, review, and disseminate the most important new research in this field for academics and practitioners.Methods:MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus databases were searched with key words. Additional gray literature and focused hand search were performed. A Level I review of titles and abstracts with inclusion criteria of disaster medicine, health care system, and disaster type concepts was performed. Eight reviewers performed Level II full-text review and formal scoring for overall quality, impact, clarity, and importance, with scoring ranging from 0 to 20. Reviewers summarized and critiqued articles scoring 16.5 and above.Results:Articles totaling 1176 were identified, and 347 were screened in a Level II review. Of these, 193 (56%) were Original Research, 117 (34%) Case Report or other, and 37 (11%) were Review/Meta-Analysis. The average final score after a Level II review was 11.34. Eighteen articles scored 16.5 or higher. Of the 18 articles, 9 (50%) were Case Report or other, 7 (39%) were Original Research, and 2 (11%) were Review/Meta-Analysis.Conclusions:This first review highlighted the breadth of disaster medicine, including emerging infectious disease outbreaks, terror attacks, and natural disasters. We hope this review becomes an annual source of actionable, pertinent literature for the emerging field of disaster medicine.
Cortical Structure and Cognition in Infants and Toddlers

Cortical structure has been consistently related to cognitive abilities in children and adults, yet we know little about how the cortex develops to support emergent cognition in infancy and toddlerhood when cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) are maturing rapidly. In this report, we assessed how regional and global measures of CT and SA in a sample (N = 487) of healthy neonates, 1-year-olds, and 2-year-olds related to motor, language, visual reception, and general cognitive ability. We report novel findings that thicker cortices at ages 1 and 2 and larger SA at birth, age 1, and age 2 confer a cognitive advantage in infancy and toddlerhood. While several expected brain-cognition relationships were observed, overlapping cortical regions were also implicated across cognitive domains, suggesting that infancy marks a period of plasticity and refinement in cortical structure to support burgeoning motor, language, and cognitive abilities. CT may be a particularly important morphological indicator of ability, but its impact on cognition is relatively weak when compared with gestational age and maternal education. Findings suggest that prenatal and early postnatal cortical developments are important for cognition in infants and toddlers but should be considered in relation to other child and demographic factors.