cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combination coefficients for fastest convergence of distributed LMS estimation

Diffusion strategies for learning across networks which minimize the transient regime mean-square deviation across all nodes are presented. The problem of choosing combination coefficients which minimize the mean-square deviation at all given time instances results in a quadratic program with linear constraints. The implementation of the optimal procedure is based on the estimation of weight deviation vectors for which an algorithm is proposed. Additionally, the optimization that uses relaxed constraints is considered. The proposed methods were validated through simulations for different estimation distribution strategies and input signals. The results show a potential for significant improvement of the convergence speed.
Damage Development in Confined Borosilicate and Soda-Lime Glasses

Abstract : Post-test microscopy evaluations were performed on borosilicate (Borofloat (registered trademark) 33) and soda-lime (Starphire (registered trademark)) glass specimens following confined compression tests. These included optical and electron microscopy investigations of select specimens tested at low strain rates with confinement pressures up to 1 GPa. Specimens were evaluated following removal of the confinement sleeve or holder. The objective of this work was to investigate the flow and failure behavior of both glasses due to compressive loading with confinement. The observations provide insight into the damage process that occurs during projectile impact/penetration into transparent armor. Highlights of the microscopy evaluations are compared and contrasted for the two glasses of interest. A damage mechanism is proposed based on comparison of the mechanical response data with the post-test microscopy findings.
Kinship Mapping Among Jews in a Midwestern City

Relative influence of communal and associational factors on kinship mapping is examined in a contemporary urban setting. Respondents' maps are compared with models of kinship organization in major legal systems. The legal models fall along a continuum in applying line of descent as a criterion for assigning priorities among relatives. The data show that orthodoxy of religious upbringing predicts lineal emphasis in kinship mapping better than current religious identity does. Migration has most impact on persons from Conservative homes and least on persons with Reform backgrounds. Current synagogue attendance, membership in Jewish organizations, and ritual performance are inversely related to emphasis on line of descent; however, greater activity than one's parents in Jewish matters, living in an area with a high concentration of Jews, and disapproving of intermarriage are associated with such emphasis.
Developmental Regulation of Chromatin Conformation by Hox Proteins in Drosophila

Summary We present a strategy to examine the chromatin conformation of individual loci in specific cell types during Drosophila embryogenesis. Regulatory DNA is tagged with binding sites (lacO) for LacI, which is used to immunopreciptiate the tagged chromatin from specific cell types. We applied this approach to Distalless (Dll), a gene required for limb development in Drosophila. We show that the local chromatin conformation at Dll depends on the cell type: in cells that express Dll, the 5’ regulatory region is in close proximity to the Dll promoter. In Dll nonexpressing cells this DNA is in a more extended configuration. In addition, transcriptional activators and repressors are bound to Dll regulatory DNA in a cell type specific manner. The pattern of binding by GAGA factor and the variant histone H2Av suggest that they play a role in the regulation of Dll chromatin conformation in expressing and non-expressing cell types, respectively.
Nonacceleration of Sagittarius A*: Implications for Galactic Structure

We estimate that observations by Backer and collaborators over the past two decades constrain the time derivative of the proper motion of Sgr A* to be less than 0.14 mas yr-2. Using this result and a measurement by Eckart & Genzel of σ ~ 560 km s-1 for the velocity dispersion of the star cluster within 03 of Sgr A*, we derive the following implications. First, if the nuclear star cluster is dominated by a massive black hole, then either Sgr A* is directly associated with that black hole or it orbits the black hole with a radius 40 AU. Under this assumption, and adopting vLSR = 220 ± 10 km s-1, the Galactocentric distance is therefore R0 = 7.5 ± 0.4 kpc. If the star cluster is not assumed to contain a massive black hole, Sgr A* is constrained to move slower than 55 km s-1 (1 σ) relative to the center of mass of the cluster. This is too weak a limit to provide useful constraints on Galactic structure, but we show that it could be improved by more than one order of magnitude over the next decade. Such an improvement would eliminate the need to make any assumption about a black hole in the derivation of R0.
Tiny Web Services for Sensor Device Interoperability

There are many scenarios where interoperability is required for sensor devices. We demonstrate one approach to achieve interoperability: using web services. Hosting a Web service challenges the battery- life, bandwidth, and processing power constraints of low power sensor nodes. We demonstrate a lightweight implementation on MSP430 based sensor nodes with 802.15.4 radios. The implementation allows standards compliant web service clients to use the sensors but minimizes code size and energy at the sensor nodes. It allows sensor nodes to enter sleep modes. We prototype an example application for a home sensor network along with two types of sensor nodes required for it. We also show how our system enables sensor nodes to be used easily from applications written in high level languages using existing development tools.
GreenStor: Application-Aided Energy-Efficient Storage

The volume of online data content has shown an unprecedented growth in recent years. Fueling this growth are new federal regulations which warrant longer data retention and a general increase in the richness of data content. To cope with this growth, high performance computing and enterprise environments are making use of large disk-based solutions that consume power all the time, unlike tape-based solutions. As a consequence, the energy consumption of the storage solutions has grown significantly. In this work we propose a storage solution called GreenStor, which makes use of application hinting on top of massive arrays of idle disks (MAID) to improve energy efficiency. GreenStor is centered on MAID, but with more efficient data movement to aid in energy conservation. Specifically, we propose an extent-based metadata manager that achieves better space efficiency without sacrificing cache utilization and an opportunistic scheduling scheme that helps provide better use of application hints in a MAID system. Results show that our proposed opportunistic scheme for application hint scheduling consumes up to 40% less energy compared to traditional non-MAID storage solutions, whereas use of standard schemes for scheduling application hints on typical MAID systems is only able to achieve a smaller energy savings of about 25% versus non-MAID storage.
On One-to-One Codes for Memoryless Cost Channels

A new twist to the classical problem of compressing a discrete source over noiseless channel alphabets where different code symbols may have different transmission costs is considered. One-to-one or nonsingular codes map each letter from the source alphabet into a distinct codeword consisting of a string of channel alphabet letters; they need not be uniquely decodable. They have been studied for binary code alphabets with equal letter costs since the early 1970s and are extended here to memoryless cost channel alphabets. The study of optimal one-to-one codes is linked in this paper to three other well-known source coding problems. The algorithm to construct the optimal one-to-one code is closely related to the Varn code and the Tunstall code. These relationships and convexity arguments are used to establish some upper and lower bounds on the expected cost per source symbol of the optimal one-to-one code. Finally, the average cost per symbol of the optimal one-to-one code is demonstrated to offer a new lower bound to the average cost per symbol of the optimal uniquely decodable code which is sometimes tighter than the classic bound from Shannon's landmark 1948 paper.
Disturbance rejection in nonlinear systems: examples

Disturbance rejection can be achieved in certain nonlinear systems via differential geometric control methods. In the paper, examples are given to illustrate some of the theoretical results from this field. In particular, both static and dynamic systems are examined. A controller can be specified for certain static systems that will reject additive disturbances. A MIMO nonliner model of a DC/AC convertor is used to illustrate various disturbance rejection results. Examples of SISO linearisation and MIMO disturbance rejection, linearisation and decoupling are given. A bibliography is provided for further research.
A statistical framework for protein quantitation in bottom-up MS-based proteomics

Motivation: Quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics requires protein-level estimates and associated confidence measures. Challenges include the presence of low quality or incorrectly identified peptides and informative missingness. Furthermore, models are required for rolling peptide-level information up to the protein level. Results: We present a statistical model that carefully accounts for informative missingness in peak intensities and allows unbiased, model-based, protein-level estimation and inference. The model is applicable to both label-based and label-free quantitation experiments. We also provide automated, model-based, algorithms for filtering of proteins and peptides as well as imputation of missing values. Two LC/MS datasets are used to illustrate the methods. In simulation studies, our methods are shown to achieve substantially more discoveries than standard alternatives. Availability: The software has been made available in the open-source proteomics platform DAnTE ( http://omics.pnl.gov/software/). Contact: adabney@stat.tamu.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Higher even clifford algebras

Associated with a nondegenerate hermitian or antithermitian form on a finite-dimensional vector space V over an involutorial division algebra D of finite dimension over its center (of characteristic zero), we define by generators and relations an infinite sequence of finite-dimensional semisimple associative algebras. The representation theory of all these algebras, taken together, is essentially that of the Lie algebra of skew D-endomorphisms of V. The case where D is commutative is presented in detail here; when the form is symetric, the first non-trivial algebra in the sequence is the even Clifford algebra.
Inhibition of the Initiation of Cellular DNA Synthesis After Reovirus Infection

Abstract The synthesis of cellular DNA was measured in synchronized L cells after reovirus infection. Initiation of the synthetic phase of the cell cycle was completely inhibited in cells infected 8 h before the beginning of DNA synthesis.
Sexism and Sexual Problems: Societal Censure of the Sexually Troubled Male:

Summy.-This experiment tested the hypothesis that the sexually troubled male is perceived as having deviated from a fundamental male-role expectation and will therefore receive a more negative evaluation of mental health. A contrived verbatim account of an interviewee's reporting either personal sexual dissatisfaction or a partner's dissatisfaction was presented to 72 male and 72 female college students. The sex of the target was manipulated by identifying the interviewee as either Allen or Alice. As predicted, the male interviewee received poorer scores on the Psychological Effectiveness Scale and greater perceived likelihood of psychological disturbance. The male stimulus person was also seen as having a greater need for psychotherapy and less chance for attaining happiness in life. The results consistently showed that these negative evaluations of the male target were made by male, but not female, subjects. Discussion focused on this self-imposed psychological pressure for adequate male sexual functioning as a harmful role stereotype. It has frequently been speculated that our society places more social pressure upon the male to function adequately in the area of human sexual performance. This pressure has been variously described as occurring in several not unrelated forms. It has often been said that in America the male is viewed as bearing the responsibility for both his own and his partner's sexual satisfaction (2, 7, 11). This double standard has been described as occurring in other cultures as well. In Coming of Age in Samoa, Margaret Mead reports, 'The Samoan puts the burden of amatory success upon the man and believes that women need more initiation, more time for the maturing of sexual feelings. A man who fails to satisfy a woman is looked upon as a clumsy, inept blunderer,
An evolutionary consequence of dosage compensation on Drosophila melanogaster female X-chromatin structure?

Background X chromosomes are subject to dosage compensation in Drosophila males. Dosage compensation requires cis sequence features of the X chromosome that are present in both sexes by definition and trans acting factors that target chromatin modifying machinery to the X specifically in males. The evolution of this system could result in neutral X chromatin changes that will be apparent in females.
Time-varying hedge ratios in linked agricultural markets.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential gains in hedge ratio calculation for agricultural commodities by incorporating market linkages and prices of related commodities into the hedge ratio estimation process.Design/methodology/approach – A vector autoregressive multivariate generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (VAR‐MGARCH) model is used to construct a time‐varying correlation matrix for commodity prices across linked markets and across linked commodities. The MGARCH model is estimated using a two‐step approach, which allows for a large system of related prices to be estimated.Findings – In‐sample and out‐of‐sample portfolio variance comparison among no hedge, bivariate GARCH, and MGARCH models indicates that hedge ratios estimated using the MGARCH approach reduce agricultural producers' and commercial consumers' risks in futures market participation.Research limitations/implications – The application is limited to an examination of Montana wheat markets.Practi...
The electronic structures of vanadate salts: Cation substitution as a tool for band gap manipulation

Abstract The electronic structures of six ternary metal oxides containing isolated vanadate ions, Ba 3 (VO 4 ) 2 , Pb 3 (VO 4 ) 2 , YVO 4 , BiVO 4 , CeVO 4 and Ag 3 VO 4 were studied using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and electronic structure calculations. While the electronic structure near the Fermi level originates largely from the molecular orbitals of the vanadate ion, both experiment and theory show that the cation can strongly influence these electronic states. The observation that Ba 3 (VO 4 ) 2 and YVO 4 have similar band gaps, both 3.8 eV, shows that cations with a noble gas configuration have little impact on the electronic structure. Band structure calculations support this hypothesis. In Pb 3 (VO 4 ) 2 and BiVO 4 the band gap is reduced by 0.9–1.0 eV through interactions of (a) the filled cation 6 s orbitals with nonbonding O 2 p states at the top of the valence band, and (b) overlap of empty 6 p orbitals with antibonding V 3 d– O 2 p states at the bottom of the conduction band. In Ag 3 VO 4 mixing between filled Ag 4 d and O 2 p states destabilizes states at the top of the valence band leading to a large decrease in the band gap ( E g =2.2 eV). In CeVO 4 excitations from partially filled 4 f orbitals into the conduction band lower the effective band gap to 1.8 eV. In the Ce 1− x Bi x VO 4 (0≤ x ≤0.5) and Ce 1− x Y x VO 4 ( x =0.1, 0.2) solid solutions the band gap narrows slightly when Bi 3+ or Y 3+ are introduced. The nonlinear response of the band gap to changes in composition is a result of the localized nature of the Ce 4 f orbitals.
Hormone Replacement Therapy, Likely Neither Angel Nor Demon.

Purpose A decline in breast cancer incidence has been attributed to the reduction in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescriptions since the publication of the landmark WHIT paper in 2003. Concurrently, a relationship between HRT and cerebrovascular disease incidence has also been suggested. No generalized analysis of HRT prescription rates and breast cancer incidence rates that included more than seven years of data. We hypothesized that detailed analysis of SEER data would clarify the relationship between HRT use and breast cancer incidence. Given the large decline in HRT prescription rates uncovered, analyses of potential complications were also conducted, with the understanding that a small effect or one limited to a subpopulation, such as a single race, might not be detected.
Lysogeny and phage resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

SummaryWhen 95 strains of Ps. aeruginosa were assayed for lysogenicity on a series of indicator strains, all bacteria were found to be lysogenic. From the patterns of lysogenicity obtained with respect to the indicators we conclude that the majority of the 95 strains tested were lysogenic for more than one bacteriophage. When the patterns of lysogenicity obtained in this study were compared with patterns of phage sensitivity with respect to 12 bacteriophages, it appeared that the lysogenicity patterns showed more utility with respect to grouping strains of this organism. Approximately 30% of the strains tested were found to be untypable with respect to the bacteriophages used, whereas all strains could be typed on the basis of lysogenicity patterns. Finally, the resistance of a given strain of Ps. aeruginosa to a series of bacteriophages appeared to be related to the degree of lysogenicity exhibited on a series of indicator bacteria.
Groundwater–surface water mixing shifts ecological assembly processes and stimulates organic carbon turnover

Environmental transitions often result in resource mixtures that overcome limitations to microbial metabolism, resulting in biogeochemical hotspots and moments. Riverine systems, where groundwater mixes with surface water (the hyporheic zone), are spatially complex and temporally dynamic, making development of predictive models challenging. Spatial and temporal variations in hyporheic zone microbial communities are a key, but understudied, component of riverine biogeochemical function. Here, to investigate the coupling among groundwater–surface water mixing, microbial communities and biogeochemistry, we apply ecological theory, aqueous biogeochemistry, DNA sequencing and ultra-high-resolution organic carbon profiling to field samples collected across times and locations representing a broad range of mixing conditions. Our results indicate that groundwater–surface water mixing in the hyporheic zone stimulates heterotrophic respiration, alters organic carbon composition, causes ecological processes to shift from stochastic to deterministic and is associated with elevated abundances of microbial taxa that may degrade a broad suite of organic compounds. Groundwater-surface water mixing zones link critical ecosystem domains, but attendant microbe-biogeochemistry-hydrology interactions are poorly known. Here, the authors show that groundwater-surface water mixing stimulates respiration, alters carbon composition, and shifts the ecology from stochastic to deterministic.
Small-angle light scattering and birefringence properties of chick cornea.

PURPOSE Techniques employing polarized light propagation and scattering are useful in examining the cornea's lamellar structure. Recent advances in theoretical methods have significantly increased the ability to relate features of lamellar arrangements to measurements of transmitted polarized light. The chick cornea, because of its hypothesized structure of a gradual helical rotation of lamellar pairs, presents an interesting model for further development of this methodology. METHODS Small-angle light scattering (SALS) and polarized transmission measurements were made on 7-week-old chick corneas under conditions that closely approximate the physiological state. Birefringence properties were determined from the transmission measurements and compared to the results of model calculations of polarized light propagating through lamellae organized according to the hypothesized structure for chick cornea. RESULTS The I+ small-angle light scattering pattern had 4 cloverleaf lobes aligned with the crossed polarizer and analyzer axes. The lobes disappeared when the transcorneal pressure was increased from zero to 18 mmHg. Retardation measured at 18 mmHg was very small (approximately 0.01 microm). CONCLUSION The disappearance of the I+ small-angle light scattering pattern when IOP is increased suggests that the lamellae undulate in their relaxed state and the undulations straighten when IOP is increased. Measured birefringence properties are consistent with the hypothesized lamellar structure.
Brain imaging biomarkers in personalizing pharmacotherapy of suicidal depressed patients

Background New knowledge has emerged about decision-making, mood regulation, social distortions and learning that is relevant for the diathesis for suicidal behavior. All four domains have identified underlying neural circuits and for decision-making and mood regulation also specific neurotransmitter systems. Methods We have conducted PET studies of the serotonergic system and CSF studies of the serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine neurotransmitter systems in patients surviving suicide attempts to determine whether they have neurotransmitter abnormalities that resemble those found in the brain after suicide. We found alterations in the serotonin transporter and the 5-HT1A receptor that are similar to those seen in suicides and moreover the severity of the abnormality in 5-HT1A binding is correlated with the lethality of suicidal behavior. Other studies examining CSF levels of 5-HIAA are consistent with imaging data and extend the findings to the noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems. Finally, we will present data on use of these biomarkers to predict treatment outcome. Abnormal decision-making and mood regulation in suicidal patients is linked to abnormal brain biology and has direct implications for clinical practice in terms of selecting specific types of medication and how these may be best combined with psychotherapies.
3DCT Features of the Pediatric Anatomic Variations of the Interparietal Bone

Objective To evaluate 3DCT features of anatomic variations of the interparietal bone.Methods CT imagings of 402 patients(exclude recent trauma) who underwent CT examination were analyzed.Maximum intensity projection(MIP) and volume-rendered image(VR) reconstructions were performed at workstation.CT features of anatomic variations of the interparietal bone,including appearance,location were analyzed.Results 89 cases of anatomic variation were found,which can be devided into penetrating type and non penetrating type.The penetrating type have multiple manifestations,which can be subdivided into type a to f.The non penetrating type included Suturae Mendosa and superior median fissure.Conclusion The anatomic variations of interparietal bone are numerous,which can be well displayed with 3DCT.
Ensemble Sensitivity Analysis for Mesoscale Forecasts of Dryline Convection Initiation

AbstractTwo cases of dryline convection initiation (CI) over north Texas have been simulated (3 April 2012 and 15 May 2013) from a 50-member WRF-DART ensemble adjustment Kalman filter (EAKF) ensemble. In this study, ensemble sensitivity analysis (ESA) is applied to a convective forecast metric, maximum composite reflectivity (referred to as the response function), as a simple proxy for CI to analyze dynamic mesoscale sensitivities at the surface and aloft. Analysis reveals positional and magnitude sensitivities related to the strength and placement of important dynamic features. Convection initiation is sensitive to the evolving temperature and dewpoint fields upstream of the forecast response region in the near-CI time frame (0–12 h), prior to initiation. The sensitivity to thermodynamics is also manifest in the magnitude of dewpoint gradients along the dryline that triggers the convection. ESA additionally highlights the importance of antecedent precipitation and cold pool generation that modifies the p...
Inhaled sildenafil as an alternative to oral sildenafil in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Abstract The practice of treating PAH patients with oral or intravenous sildenafil suffers from the limitations of short dosing intervals, peripheral vasodilation, unwanted side effects, and restricted use in pediatric patients. In this study, we sought to test the hypothesis that inhalable poly(lactic- co -glycolic acid) (PLGA) particles of sildenafil prolong the release of the drug, produce pulmonary specific vasodilation, reduce the systemic exposure of the drug, and may be used as an alternative to oral sildenafil in the treatment of PAH. Thus, we prepared porous PLGA particles of sildenafil using a water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion solvent evaporation method with polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a porosigen and characterized the formulations for surface morphology, respirability, in-vitro drug release, and evaluated for in vivo absorption, alveolar macrophage uptake, and safety. PEI increased the particle porosity, drug entrapment, and produced drug release for 36 h. Fluorescent particles showed reduced uptake by alveolar macrophages. The polymeric particles were safe to rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell and to the lungs, as evidenced by the cytotoxicity assay and analyses of the injury markers in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, respectively. Intratracheally administered sildenafil particles elicited more pulmonary specific and sustained vasodilation in SUGEN-5416/hypoxia-induced PAH rats than oral, intravenous, or intratracheal plain sildenafil did, when administered at the same dose. Overall, true to the hypothesis, this study shows that inhaled PLGA particles of sildenafil can be administered, as a substitute for oral form of sildenafil, at a reduced dose and longer dosing interval.
High brightness diode lasers controlled by volume Bragg gratings

Volume Bragg gratings (VBGs) recorded in photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass are holographic optical elements that are effective spectral and angular filters withstanding high power laser radiation. Reflecting VBGs are narrow-band spectral filters while transmitting VBGs are narrow-band angular filters. The use of these optical elements in external resonators of semiconductor lasers enables extremely resonant feedback that provides dramatic spectral and angular narrowing of laser diodes radiation without significant power and efficiency penalty. Spectral narrowing of laser diodes by reflecting VBGs demonstrated in wide spectral region from near UV to 3 μm. Commercially available VBGs have spectral width ranged from few nanometers to few tens of picometers. Efficient spectral locking was demonstrated for edge emitters (single diodes, bars, modules, and stacks), vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), grating coupled surface emitting lasers (GCSELs), and interband cascade lasers (ICLs). The use of multiplexed VBGs provides multiwavelength emission from a single emitter. Spectrally locked semiconductor lasers demonstrated CW power from milliwatts to a kilowatt. Angular narrowing by transmitting VBGs enables single transverse mode emission from wide aperture diode lasers having resonators with great Fresnel numbers. This feature provides close to diffraction limit divergence along a slow axis of wide stripe edge emitters. Radiation exchange between lasers by means of spatially profiled or multiplexed VBGs enables coherent combining of diode lasers. Sequence of VBGs or multiplexed VBGs enable spectral combining of spectrally narrowed diode lasers or laser modules. Thus the use of VBGs for diode lasers beam control provides dramatic increase of brightness.
Computer understanding of mathematical proofs

Mathematical proofs constitute a mixture of formulas with a subset of natural language. They can be represented as a sequence of lines expressible in the symbolism of predicate calculus. The transition from step to step may depend on a series of logical manipulations and/or on intricate mathematical knowledge associated with the domain of the proof. The organization of the proof may depend on different conventions adopted by mathematicians in communication with each other. This paper deals with problems involved in following the mathematical argument along those lines. Some of the ideas were implemented as a part of a system for teaching axiomatic set theory to college students. The most powerful and frequently used rules of inference utilize a resolution theorem prover. To the best of our knowledge this is the only resolution theorem prover, perhaps the only general purpose theorem prover used in actual production.
Canals, Cutoffs, and the Vicksburg Campaign

During the American Civil War, the term “Union” was used to refer to the United States of America, and specifically to the national government and the 20 free states and five border slave states that supported it. The Union was opposed by 11 southern states that formed the Confederate States of America, or the “Confederacy.” The Union’s overall strategy for dealing with the Confederacy at Vicksburg was developed by then General-in-Chief Winfield Scott. It emphasized the blockading of ports and an advance down the Mississippi River to divide the Confederacy in two. Because the blockade would take time to work, some people began to compare it to the coils of an anaconda slowly suffocating its victim. The snake image caught on, eventually giving rise to the popular “Anaconda Plan” name.
Reversal of the Politics of Ignoring Islam in Russian Turkestan in Response to the "Awakening of Asia" in the beginning of the twentieth century

The paper examines activities of the Commission "On the intelligence issues inside and outside of Turkestan", established by the Chancellery of the Turkestan Governor-General in the summer 1908. It was charged to observe Islamic educational institutions, Russian-native schools, politically non-loyal natives-translators. In addition the Commision was to gather information on the role of Tatars and other migrants from the interior provinces of Russia in the spread of Islamism in Turkestan, which, in opinion of the committee members seized the whole Muslim world. Her appearance demonstrate shift in colonial policy of Russia in its Muslim south, caused by the "awakening of Asia," as well as the defeat in the Russian-Japanese war and the revolutionary movement in the empire.
Solidarity is in the heart, not in the field: joint Israeli–Palestinian peace movement organizations during the 2014 Gaza War

The social movement literature suggests that social movement organizations that work across difference and power asymmetry are dependent to some degree on shared and unified action in order to cons...
Progesterone for smoking relapse prevention following delivery: A pilot, randomized, double-blind study.

Abstract Introduction Close to half of women who were smokers prior to conception quit smoking in pregnancy, when endogenous progesterone levels are high. However, at least half resume pre-pregnancy smoking levels within weeks after delivery and when progesterone levels drop. The current pilot study tested the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of postpartum progesterone replacement in preventing relapse to smoking in postpartum women with a history of pre-pregnancy smoking. Methods This was an 8-week, double-blind, parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial of 41 women with a history of pre-pregnancy smoking who achieved abstinence by 32 weeks of gestation. Immediately following delivery women were randomized to oral micronized progesterone (200 mg twice daily) or placebo via computerized urn randomization program. The main outcome measures were descriptions of study feasibility: recruitment and retention. Secondary outcomes were 7-day point prevalence of abstinence at week 8, time to relapse and smoking cravings. Results The trial was feasible with adequate randomization, 64% (41/64) of eligible women, and trial retention, 78% (32/41) completed the trial. Women taking progesterone were 1.8 times more likely to be abstinent during week 8 and took longer to relapse (10 vs. 4 weeks) compared to the placebo group, although these differences did not reach statistical significance. After adjusting for age and pre-quit smoking level, the number needed to treat was 7. There was a 10% greater decline per week in craving ratings in the progesterone group compared to placebo (β = −0.10, 95% CI: −0.15, −0.04, p Conclusions These preliminary findings support the promise of progesterone treatment in postpartum smokers and could constitute a therapeutic breakthrough.If these preliminary findings can be evaluated and replicated in a larger study with sufficient power, this may constitute an acceptable and safe smoking relapse prevention strategy for use during lactation.
A Dynamic Theory of Bank Lending, Firm Entry, and Investment Fluctuations

This paper offers a dynamic theory of bank lending standards with two features. First, bank screening takes time. Second, the borrower pool is determined endogenously by firm entry. I show that in booms, banks reduce standards by offering unscreened credit to any borrower, which results in many low-quality firms entering the pool. In busts, high-quality borrowers delay borrowing if the average quality of the pool is sufficiently low. If so, banks increase standards by offering credit only after screening. With that expectation, only high-quality firms enter the pool. The implied investment fluctuations can be related to macroeconomic recoveries.
Defect Detection in Bonded Structures Using the Reverberant Wavefield

With the increasing use of adhesives in the automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing industries, there is a growing interest in developing nondestructive methods for locating defects in adhesive bonds. While conventional techniques which utilize ultrasonic waves and Lamb waves are likely candidates for obtaining high resolution images of defects, these methods may not be practical for assembly line applications where the time required to scan the bonds and the access to the bonds are often limited. The objective of this work is to develop an approach for detecting defects in bonds that requires only a limited number of measurements of the reverberant acoustic wavefield (i.e., waves that are multiply scattered off the boundaries of the structure) made over a band of frequencies.
Nonlinear normal modes of relative orbital motion for unperturbed two-body reference orbits

Abstract Nonlinear normal modes (NNMs) are obtained for spacecraft relative motion in the case of bounded Keplerian reference orbits. For this purpose, the Lyapunov-Floquet transformation, invariant manifold-based order reduction, and time-dependent normal forms are employed on the third order extension of the Tschauner-Hempel equations to obtain the NNM manifolds and the reduced order dynamics on the NNMs. This approach extends the modal interpretation of relative orbital motion from the Hill-Clohessy-Wiltshire equations to the regime of elliptic reference orbits and large separation distances in which second and third order nonlinearities are non-negligible.
Overall Downregulation of mRNAs and Enrichment of H3K4me3 Change Near Genome-Wide Association Study Signals in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Cell-Specific Effects.

This study was designed to define gene expression and H3K4me3 histone modifications in T cells, B cells and monocytes in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Array studies of total peripheral blood mononuclear cells have demonstrated gene expression signatures related to neutrophils, interferon and other inflammatory pathways. It is not clear how consistent these effects are across different cell types. In this study, RNA-seq and ChIP-seq were utilized to identify gene expression patterns and H3K4me3 histone modifications related to promoter activation in SLE. Across the three cell types, there was 55% concordance for gene expression changes related to SLE. Key conserved pathways were ribosome biogenesis among up-regulated genes and heat shock response among down-regulated genes. ETS family transcription factors and STAT1 were revealed as common regulators by position weight matrices. When epigenetic changes were leveraged with gene expression, the pivotal transcription factors ATF3 and FOS were defined with ATF3 also cross referencing with gene expression-identified transcription factors. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with SLE were cross referenced with both mRNA and H3K4me3 changes in SLE. Baseline mRNA expression and H3K4me3 peak height was higher at sites that cross referenced with GWAS signals, however, all three cell types exhibited an overall decrease in expression of GWAS-associated RNAs differentially expressed in SLE. H3K4me3 changes in SLE were also enriched in GWAS-associated sites. In summary, the SLE disease process is associated with both shared and cell-specific changes in gene expression and epigenetics. Surprisingly, GWAS-associated RNAs were overall markedly decreased across all three cell types. Transcription factor analysis identified ATF3, FOS, STAT1 and ETS family members as critical, all pathways with a recognized relationship to the SLE disease process. GWAS signals clearly mark both cell-type specific changes in SLE as well as concordant changes across all three cell types. Interpretation of single nucleotide polymorphism effects in SLE will require tissue-specific mechanistic studies and therapeutics will require mechanistic studies in multiple cell types.
A Case Study on the Cybersecurity of Social Robots

During the last few years, we have observed a rapid increase in the number of robots that are manufactured and marketed for our homes. These social robots promise to become not just a personal assistant, but a companion that knows its owner»s tastes and habits. As the advances in artificial intelligence move the dream of home robots closer, exploitation techniques that could specifically target these robots need to be thoroughly examined. In this paper, we present our observations from performing an initial vulnerability analysis to a commercial social robot. Our results indicate that both manufacturers and application developers need to take cybersecurity into account when considering the use of their robots.
Empowered or Impoverished: Divorce and Its Effects on Urban Women in Contemporary China

Current efforts to alleviate poverty and wealth inequality in China overlook a growing demographic with untold influence on the economic future—divorced women. Divorced women in China are at a distinct economic disadvantage when compared to their male counterparts. Although once viewed as a tool for empowerment, divorce can in many cases lead to financial hardship for women, as the inequitable wage distribution between genders causes the higher, or sole, income to be lost. This chapter addresses this rapidly growing phenomenon.
Drug Interactions With Oral Inhaled Medications.

Objective: To evaluate the potential for drug interactions with oral inhaled medications (OIMs). OIMs include bronchodilators (β-agonists and antimuscarinics), corticosteroids, combination products...
Poster: Inferring API Elements Relevant to an English Query

We develop a context-sensitive machine translation approach that takes as query a given English description of a programming task, and infers the corresponding API elements for the task by learning from large training corpus. To determine those API elements, we consider the context of the words in the textual query and the context of API elements that often go together in the corpus. We formulate the problem as a set-based statistical machine translation. Our empirical evaluation shows a promising result for our technique.
Treatment: Immunomodulatory drugs and rituximab

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is the pancreatic manifestation of the multiorgan syndrome currently referred to as IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). Although AIP and the other organ manifestations of IgG4-RD characteristically respond to steroid treatment, a subset of individuals has disease that is difficult to control, including those who are unable to tolerate high-dose steroids, develop steroid dependence, or have frequent relapses despite maintenance treatment. Existing data suggest that immunomodulatory agents and rituximab (RTX) may be helpful for some to achieve and maintain remission; however, additional studies demonstrating efficacy are needed.
Implementing Diffie-Hellman key exchange using quantum EPR pairs

This paper implements the concepts of perfect forward secrecy and the Diffie-Hellman key exchange using EPR pairs to establish and share a secret key between two non-authenticated parties and transfer messages between them without the risk of compromise. Current implementations of quantum cryptography are based on the BB84 protocol, which is susceptible to siphoning attacks on the multiple photons emitted by practical laser sources. This makes BB84-based quantum cryptography protocol unsuitable for network computing environments. Diffie-Hellman does not require the two parties to be mutually authenticated to each other, yet it can provide a basis for a number of authenticated protocols, most notably the concept of perfect forward secrecy. The work proposed in this paper provides a new direction in utilizing quantum EPR pairs in quantum key exchange. Although, classical cryptography boasts of efficient and robust protocols like the Diffie-Hellman key exchange, in the current times, with the advent of quantum computing they are very much vulnerable to eavesdropping and cryptanalytic attacks. Using quantum cryptographic principles, however, these classical encryption algorithms show more promise and a more robust and secure structure for applications. The unique properties of quantum EPR pairs also, on the other hand, go a long way in removing attacks like eavesdropping by their inherent nature of one particle of the pair losing its state if a measurement occurs on the other. The concept of perfect forward secrecy is revisited in this paper to attribute tighter security to the proposed protocol.
Vital Sign Abnormalities on Discharge Do Not Predict 30-Day Readmission.

OBJECTIVE Hospital readmissions are common and expensive. Risk factors for hospital readmission may include vital sign abnormalities (VSA) at the time of discharge. The study aimed to validate VSA at the time of discharge as a useful predictor of hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge. VSA was compared to the validated HOSPITAL score and LACE index readmission risk prediction models. DESIGN All adult medical patients discharged from internal medicine hospitalist service were studied retrospectively. Variables such as age, gender, diagnoses, vital signs at discharge, 30-day hospital readmission, and components for the HOSPITAL score and LACE index were extracted from the electronic health record for analysis. SETTINGS A 507-bed university-affiliated tertiary care center. PARTICIPANTS During the 2-year study period, a cohort of 1,916 discharges for the hospitalist service were evaluated. The final analysis was based on the data from 1,781 hospital discharges that met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS VSA was found in 13% of the study population. Only one abnormal vital sign was present in a higher proportion readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. No discharges had three or more unstable vital signs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) comparisons of the HOSPITAL score (C statistic of 0.67, P < 0.001), LACE index (C statistic of 0.61, P < 0.001), and VSA (C statistic of 0.52, P = 0.318) indicated that VSA at time of discharge was not a useful predictor of hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge. CONCLUSION Our study indicated that VSA at the time of discharge is not a useful predictor of 30-day hospital readmission at a university-affiliated teaching hospital. The more complex and validated HOSPITAL score and LACE index were useful predictors of hospital readmission in this patient population.
Extension of the bimodal intraseasonal oscillation index using JRA-55 reanalysis

This study aims to extend the bimodal intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) index, developed by Kikuchi et al. (Clim Dyn 38:1989–2000, 2012), using JRA-55 reanalysis back in time to 1958. The bimodal ISO index is composed of two distinct ISO indices: the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) index and the boreal summer ISO (BSISO) index, each aiming to capture the ISO behavior during boreal winter and summer, respectively. These indices are derived by means of extended empirical orthogonal function (EEOF) analysis applied to outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) during boreal winter and summer, respectively. By combining the MJO and BSISO indices, the state of the ISO can be reasonably represented over the course of the year. First, the original index is updated using observed OLR until recently (–Jan. 2017) with a modification of the use of extended winter and summer months (Dec.–Apr./Jun.–Oct.) instead of normal winter and summer months (Dec.–Feb./Jun.–Aug.) in EEOF analysis. The updated version is quite consistent with the original counterpart, whereas it is arguably able to represent the ISO more faithfully throughout the year. In the same manner, a JRA-55-based index is constructed. Although JRA-55 OLR has systematic biases, the resulting JRA-55-based bimodal ISO index is in excellent agreement with the observation-based index. A comparison between JRA-55 and its subset, JRA-55C (satellite observations are not assimilated at all) suggests that the JRA-55-based index is reliable even in the pre-satellite era. Interannual variability and long-term trend of the ISO activity are also discussed. The newly developed, long-term JRA-55-based index will be useful for a number of applications.