cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unity: experiences with a prototype autonomic computing system

The behavior of a system results from the behaviors of its components, and from the interactions and relationships among them. In order to create computing systems that manage themselves, we will need to design both the behaviors of the individual elements, and the relationships that are formed among them. This paper describes a research project called Unity, carried out at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center, in which we explore some of the behaviors and relationships that will allow complex computing systems to manage themselves; to be self-configuring, self-optimizing, self-protecting, and self-healing. The four principle aspects of Unity that we examine are the overall architecture of the system, the role of utility functions in decision-making within the system, the way the system uses goal-driven self-assembly to configure itself, and the design patterns that enable self-healing within the system.
Research and evaluation plans for the TravTek IVHS operational field test

TravTek is a joint public sector/private sector operational field test of an advanced driver information and traffic management system. The year-long project will be operational in the greater Orlando area in 1992. In addition to the demonstration of navigation and traffic management technology, a major goal of TravTek is to evaluate project objectives and answer questions about driver behavior. The data collected will be used to examine system benefits and costs in a fully deployed system. The foci of this paper are 1) the concept of TravTek as a person-machine system, 2) the process of planning a comprehensive research program and 3) an overview of the planned evaluation approaches. Although the TravTek evaluation will not be completed until after 1992, it is hoped that this status report will assist in the research planning efforts of future Intelligent Vehicle Highway System (IVHS)/Advanced Driver Information System (ADIS) demonstrations.
Exploring the Probabilities of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’

Summary This article discusses three probabilistic scenarios based on the television game show ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’. These situations provide motivational opportunities for high-school students to explore the concepts of expected value, permutations and independent events.
Nest predation in fragmented forests: Landscape matrix by distance from edge interactions

Abstract Forest fragmentation due to forestry management, agricultural activities, or urban development decreases habitat availability for some animals. This decline in forest area has been implicated in songbird population declines via changes in nest predation pressures. The increase of edge habitat that accompanies deforestation also may affect songbird breeding activities through changes in predation risk. This study found evidence for an interaction effect of distance from edge (1, 15, 30, and 45 m) and adjacent landscape matrix (residential or forested) on nest predation rates using an artificial nest design. In fragments bordered by other forested patches, nest predation rates were lowest 1 m from the edge and higher 15–45 m into the forest patch. When the forest fragment was embedded in a landscape matrix of residential and developed plots, predation rate was highest closest to the edge of the fragment.
Acid and alkaline phosphatase in bovine antral follicles.

Acid and alkaline phosphatases were measured in the follicular fluid of 766 individual follicles from 96 cows. Follicles were obtained by bilateral ovariectomy or at slaughter from animals at various stages of the estrous cycle and pregnancy. Mean follicle size varied with the physiological state of the cow (P less than .0001). Acid phosphatase activity (U/microliters) varied inversely with follicle size (P less than .001) but not with stage of the estrous cycle or gestation. Total acid phosphatase activity per follicle increased with follicle size (P less than .05). Neither acid phosphatase nor alkaline phosphatase concentration was associated with atresia. Alkaline phosphatase activity (U/microliters) was greater in the smallest follicles (less than 50 microliters) than in other size groups (P less than .0001). Alkaline phosphatase activity (U/microliters) was greater (P less than .05) during the preovulatory phase of the estrous cycle than during other phases. A high concentration of follicular fluid phosphatases cannot be used as a marker for atresia but is characteristic of healthy small antral follicles.
Moving past the "Wild West" era for Big Data

The potential of Big Data is widely recognized and many are seeking fortunes with Big Data today, just as they once sought fortunes by heading West in America. While success was initially limited only by creativity and passion, over time we need civilization, with all its accompanying benefits and constraints. As the field of Big Data matures, it is approaching the end of the "Wild West" era. In this talk, I will suggest what the "civilized" era may look like.
Topological energy transfer in an optomechanical system with exceptional points

Topological operations can achieve certain goals without requiring accurate control over local operational details; for example, they have been used to control geometric phases and have been proposed as a way of controlling the state of certain systems within their degenerate subspaces. More recently, it was predicted that topological operations can be used to transfer energy between normal modes, provided that the system possesses a specific type of degeneracy known as an exceptional point. Here we demonstrate the transfer of energy between two vibrational modes of a cryogenic optomechanical device using topological operations. We show that this transfer arises from the presence of an exceptional point in the spectrum of the device. We also show that this transfer is non-reciprocal. These results open up new directions in system control; they also open up the possibility of exploring other dynamical effects related to exceptional points, including the behaviour of thermal and quantum fluctuations in their vicinity.
Insects as Biological Indicators of Environmental Change

Prolonged change in an environment will bring about changes in the community of organisms which occupies that environment. These changes in the biota, then, can be useful indicators of the environmental change that caused them. The use of indicator organisms is not new in ecology. Kolkwitz and Marsson (1908, 1909) published lists of aquatic organisms classified according to the degree of pollution in which they were typical. Their “Saprobiensystem” of classifying bodies of water in terms of degree of organic pollution has received much attention and has been revised and elaborated (Kolkwitz 1950, Liebmann 1951). Patrick (1950, 1951) published a method of biological assessment of water pollution in which numbers of organisms present in affected stations were compared to those found in “healthy” stations. Other authors such as Gaufin and Targwell (1956) and Fjerdingstad (1965) put forth saprobic systems based on communities rather than species or species complexes. Several of these classification schemes are discussed and evaluated in Hynes (1960) and Wilbur (1969).
Cognitive Versatility: A New Lens for Understanding Team Composition and Diversity

Cognitive diversity in teams is associated with both benefits and costs, and increasing the benefits without increasing the associated costs is a challenge. In this paper, we provide a new lens for...
P3.041 Identifying and Characterizing Places For the Targeted Control of HIV in Urban Areas

Background HIV transmission has been associated with specific populations in specific places, i.e. places where drug and sexual networks overlap consistently. Canvassing places or venues where people congregate has been shown to be an effective means of identifying sexually transmitted infection cases for public health control and surveillance purposes. The objectives of this study were to identify and characterise heterosexual sex partner meeting venues in one U.S. urban area according to according to the presence or absence of HIV cases. Methods Eighty-seven potential high-HIV-risk heterosexual sex partner meeting venues were identified using a three-phase methodology. Subsequently, a venue-based, cross-sectional study of sexually active 18–35 year olds was conducted in Baltimore, Maryland from October 2008 through December 2009. Results 1,594 participants were enrolled at 87 venues. Fifty-nine HIV cases were identified yielding an overall HIV prevalence of 3.7% and a mean venue prevalence of 3.6% (range = 0% to 25%). One or more cases of HIV was identified at 42% (n = 37) of venues (i.e. HIV positive venues). In bivariate analysis, commercial sex work (OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.08), high HIV-risk sexual partnering (OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.20), recent parenteral risk behaviour (OR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.10) and drug market activity (OR: 2.67; 95% CI: 1.09, 6.52) were reported significantly more frequently at HIV positive versus HIV negative venues. In final age-adjusted models, HIV positive venues had 10% more high HIV-risk sexual partnering (OR: 1:10; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.19) and more than twice as much drug market activity (OR: 2.59; 95% CI: 1.04, 6.46) compared to HIV negative venues. Sex market activity was not significantly associated with venue HIV status. Conclusions This study highlights characteristics of venues, such as drug markets, that may be important in identifying places which are more likely to have active HIV transmission.
A note on derivations

In this note we prove two results about derivations. The first result holds in any ring, whereas the second one is valid in prime rings. From the nature of the results one would expect them to be known, but we have not been able to locate them in the literature.
Brief Announcement: Effect of Strategic Grading and Early Offers in Matching Markets

In this paper we consider the effect of strategic behavior in matching markets as school graduates get assigned to jobs (or to further education) reacting to multiple incentives: Companies want to hire the best students, Students want to take the best jobs, Schools want to help their graduating students take great jobs.
Interaction of immune and central nervous systems: Contribution of anti- viral Thy-1+ cells to demyelination induced by coronavirus JHM

The murine coronavirus JHM (JHMV or MHV-4) has been intensively studied as an experimental model of viral-induced demyelination; nonetheless, the degree to which demyelination results from direct viral cytolysis of oligodendroglia or immunological mechanisms remains controversial. To examine the contribution of immunity to the pathogenesis of JHMV in the central nervous system (CNS), mice were exposed to immunosuppressive doses of x-irradiation 3 days post infection and observed for clinical and pathological evidence of acute and subacute demyelination. Irradiated mice were found to have a nearly thousand-fold increase in central nervous system virus titer, as well as the presence of both abundant virus and viral antigen in white matter cells with the morphological characteristics of oligodendrocytes. Nonetheless, infected, irradiated mice had little or no evidence of demyelination or destruction of CNS cells. Adoptive transfers of spleen cells from syngeneic JHMV-immunized donors into irradiated JHMV-infected mice were carried out in order to determine the effect of immune reconstitution on pathogenesis. Splenocytes from JHMV-immune donors, but not naive donors or donors immunized with irrelevant antigen, completely restored demyelination in irradiated, JHMV-infected recipients. Depletion of Thy-1+ cells by treatment with monoclonal antibody and complement abolished the ability to transfer demyelination. We conclude that: 1) JHMV infection of the CNS does not result in acute or subacute demyelination in the absence of an intact immune response, and 2) viral-specific Thy-1+ cells are an essential element in the induction of demyelinating CNS lesions that result from JHMV infection.
Glycoproteins of Myelin and Myelin-Forming Cells

Myelin is formed as an extension and modification of the surface membrane of the oligodendrocyte in the central nervous system (CNS) and the Schwann cell in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The extended plasma membranes are wrapped around the axons in a spiral fashion, leading to a structure that is seen in the electron microscope to consist of alternating major dense and intraperiod lines. The relationship of the myelin sheath to the myelin-forming cells and the axon, as well as the morphological and biochemical differences between CNS and PNS myelin, are described in detail elsewhere (Morell et al., 1989). However, the basic structures of CNS and PNS myelin sheaths are similar, with the major dense lines consisting of the structure formed by the junction of the cytoplasmic surfaces of the plasma membrane of myelin-forming cells and the intraperiod lines corresponding to the point at which the extra-cellular surfaces come together. The membranes composing the compacted myelin sheaths are characterized by a high lipid content and only a few major proteins. CNS myelin has two major proteins: the hydrophobic 30-kDa proteolipid protein (PLP) accounting for about half of the total, and the highly positively charged, 14- to 21-kDa myelin basic proteins (MBPs) accounting for over one-third of the total. More than half of the total protein in PNS myelin is the integral, 30-kDa P0 protein, while about one-fourth to one-third is accounted for by lower-molecular-weight positively charged proteins including the same MBPs found in CNS myelin and another 14-kDa component called the P2 protein. Current concepts about how these major myelin proteins are incorporated into the myelin sheath are summarized in Figure 1.
Pieces of the Puzzle: FBI Evidence Response Team pproaches to Scenes with Commingled Evidence

Abstract This chapter presents the FBI ERT concept and basic operational guidelines. It then presents two cases to illustrate how those guidelines were followed and how the extra effort toward three-dimensional mapping of human remains and associated evidence can aid in the interpretation, reconstruction, and presentation of a crime or disaster scene. Both cases involve multiple victims and represent a middle ground between cases of a single victim and those constituting large-scale mass disasters.
Evolution of an interdisciplinary course in sustainability and design for environment

A course in `Sustainability and Design for Environment' has engaged engineering, science, architecture, forestry, business administration, law and public policy students at the University of Washington since 1998. The course is divided into two distinct phases. Phase 1 constructs a Design for Environment (DFE) knowledge base in each individual student through lecture and homework assignments. Topics have evolved to include interactions between technology and the environment, design and other types of decision making, energy efficiency, environmental management for industrial processes, materials selection in product design, product delivery and use, product design for recovery and disassembly, environmental and cost metrics and implementation issues. Phase 2 further develops DFE knowledge through an interdisciplinary team project. Evolution of the team project has taken students from the development of a business plan, a streamlined `Life Cycle Assessment', or disassembly process design for a company that will collect, refurbish, disassemble and recover postconsumer electronic materials to the development of a rating system for a product, process or activity of their choice based on, for example, the LEED Green Building Rating System, the US Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star programme, or the US Department of Energy's Energy Guide programme. The five-fold growth in enrolment in the class that has occurred since its inception mirrors the growth in the number of environmentally focused courses and degree programmes on the campus. Co-listing the course in different units allows more students to use the course towards their degree and should ensure a continuing interdisciplinary mix of students.
Locality Transformations for Nested Recursive Iteration Spaces

There has been a significant amount of effort invested in designing scheduling transformations such as loop tiling and loop fusion that rearrange the execution of dynamic instances of loop nests to place operations that access the same data close together temporally. In recent years, there has been interest in designing similar transformations that operate on recursive programs, but until now these transformations have only considered simple scenarios: multiple recursions to be fused, or a recursion nested inside a simple loop. This paper develops the first set of scheduling transformations for nested recursions: recursive methods that call other recursive methods. These are the recursive analog to nested loops. We present a transformation called recursion twisting that automatically improves locality at all levels of the memory hierarchy, and show that this transformation can yield substantial performance improvements across several benchmarks that exhibit nested recursion.
Predictors of Accommodation Among Families Affected by Fear-Based Disorders.

Symptom accommodation—behaviors that family members engage in either to prevent or alleviate a loved one’s anxiety—is ubiquitous in families with relatives affected by fear-based disorders (FBDs), yet little research has examined the extent to which certain psychological factors predict symptom accommodation. The current study examined several potential predictors (e.g., empathic concern) among co-residing relatives of individuals diagnosed with FBDs. Participants (n = 53) completed a series of clinical interviews and self report measures. Results indicated that accommodation occurred to similar degrees across relatives with various relationships to the individual with a FBD, as well as across different FBDs. Further, the predictors jointly explained a significant amount of variance in accommodation; although, no single construct emerged as a unique predictor. Empathic concern and expressed emotion emerged as marginally significant predictors of symptom accommodation. Conclusions, limitations, and future directions are discussed.
The Racial Structure of Inequality: Consequences for Welfare Policy in the United States*

Objective This article explores the effect of the racial structure of inequality on redistributive policy in the states. Methods Applying measures developed in Hero and Levy (2016), we use fixed effects regressions to assess the impact of between-race inequality on multiple measures of state welfare effort and generosity. Results We find a strong negative association between racial inequality and all measures of welfare policy. The total level of inequality and the racial composition of the population, by contrast, are not associated with the welfare policy measures. The impact of racial inequality emerges after, but does not appear before, the 1996 national welfare reform that increased states’ discretion over welfare policy. Conclusion These findings illustrate that the influence of income inequality on public policy is strongly conditioned by racial “structure.”
Behind Armor Effects of Extending Rod Technology

Abstract Extending rod penetrator technology has been an area of study within the armor/anti-armor community for at least the last 30 years. Most of the reported work, both experimental and computational, has been in the hyper-velocity impact regime (
Non-oxidative Coupling of Methane to Ethylene Using Mo2C/[B]ZSM-5

Methane non-oxidative coupling to ethylene was investigated on Mo2 C/[B]ZSM-5 catalyst at 923 K and atmospheric pressure. In contrast to Mo2 C/[Al]ZSM-5 catalysts for methane aromatization, this material exhibits very high ethylene selectivity (>90 %) and low aromatics (benzene and naphthalene) selectivity. The much weaker Bronsted acidity of [B]ZSM-5 leads to a slow rate of ethylene oligomerization. The stability of the catalyst is greatly enhanced with 93 % of the initial reaction rate remaining after 18 h of time on stream. In-situ UV/VIS spectra indicate that prior to carburization, mono/binuclear Mo oxides are initially well dispersed onto the zeolite support. Mo carbides clusters, formed during carburization with methane, appear similar to clusters formed in [Al]ZSM-5, as indicated by the X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) data.
Outsourcing the Board: How Board Service Providers Can Improve Corporate Governance

In this groundbreaking work, Stephen M. Bainbridge and M. Todd Henderson change the conversation about corporate governance by examining the origins, roles, and performance of boards with a simple question in mind: why does the law require governance to be delivered through individual board members? While tracing the development of boards from quasi-political bodies through the current 'monitoring' role, the authors find the reasons for this requirement to be wanting. Instead, they propose that corporations be permitted to hire other business associations - known as 'Board Service Providers' or BSPs - to provide governance services. Just as corporations hire law firms, accounting firms, and consulting firms, so too should they be permitted to hire governance firms, a small change that will dramatically increase board accountability and enable governance to be delivered more efficiently. Outsourcing the Board should be read by academics, policymakers, and those within the corporations that will benefit from this change.
Secure and practical output feedback control for cloud-enabled cyber-physical systems

Integrated with cloud computing technologies, a large-scale cyber-physical system (CPS) can outsource its extensive computations to a cloud, creating a cloud-enabled CPS (CE-CPS). However, outsourcing the computation to an untrusted cloud may expose the privacy of the data in the CPS. To this end, this paper presents a secure and practical mechanism to securely outsource the output feedback control problem of a large-scale CPS. Our approach combines a standard homomorphic encryption (SHE) and a customized homomorphic encryption (CHE), allowing the cloud to process computation on the ciphertexts and return the desired results. We analyze the correctness and security of the proposed mechanism. We also investigate the performance and stability of CPS under the quantization errors caused by encryption. In the end, we use experiments to evaluate the performance of the mechanism.
Policing the intestinal epithelial barrier: Innate immune functions of intraepithelial lymphocytes.

This review will explore the contribution of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) to mucosal innate immunity and highlight the similarities in IEL functional responses to bacteria, viruses, and protozoan parasite invasion. IELs rapidly respond to microbial invasion by activating host defense responses, including the production of mucus and antimicrobial peptides to prevent microbes from reaching the epithelial surface. During active infection, IELs promote epithelial cytolysis, cytokine and chemokine production to limit pathogen invasion, replication, and dissemination. Commensal-induced priming of IEL effector function or continuous surveillance of the epithelium may be important contributing factors to the rapidity of response. Impaired microbial recognition, dysregulated innate immune signaling, or microbial dysbiosis may limit the protective function of IELs and increase susceptibility to disease. Further understanding of the mechanisms regulating IEL surveillance and sentinel function may provide insight into the development of more effective targeted therapies designed to reinforce the mucosal barrier.
Race/Ethnic Differences in Nonresident Fathers' Involvement after a Nonmarital Birth.

Objectives This article examines how the levels of nonresidential father involvement (over child ages 1 to 9) differ by race/ethnicity (comparing White, Black and Hispanic fathers), and then considers how individual and couple characteristics may 'account for' any observed differences. Method Data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 2,447) and random effects models were used to examine how nonresidential father involvement (with respect to time, engagement, shared responsibility, and coparenting with mothers) is differentiated by race and ethnicity. Results Overall, Black nonresident fathers were significantly more likely to spend time and engage in activities with their children as compared to Hispanic fathers-but not White fathers. Black fathers also shared responsibilities more frequently and displayed more effective coparenting than Hispanic and White fathers. Conclusions Fathers' involvement with children is shown to differ across major race/ethnic groups, with implications for children as well as for future research and public policy.
The use of physical and artificial room reverberation to create transparent or fused ensemble sounds

Room Reverberation has shaped the sound of musical instruments from the beginning. The oldest known musical instrument, a 40,000-year-old bone flute has been found in a cave, the Hohle-Fels Hoehle. Impulse response measurements taken at this cave reveal that the cave had a reverberation time, T30, at mid frequencies of 1.8 seconds, a value within the range of that of a modern concert hall. Room reverberation has continued to play an important role in defining our cultural sonic environments. During the Reformation, for example, there was a clear call for transparency so that the words of the reverends could be understood by the people. This sound ideal also affected the music of protestant composers like Johann Sebastian Bach an ideal that culminated in the interpretations of Glenn Gould, who preferred the natural sound of the dry sound recording studio. While a concert hall is always bound to its sound, most modern recording studios offer a flexible design where the room can be created artificially around the artist to achieve a certain sound ideal. Unlike in a physical hall that embeds all musicians in a homogenous sound, artificial reverb is often used to provide a unique environment for each instrument to meet specific goals.
Tuning the Core–Shell Structure of Au144@Fe2O3 for Optimal Catalytic Activity for CO Oxidation

Core–shell heterostructures have been utilized as a catalyst that is thermally stable and exhibits a synergistic effect between core and shell, resulting in increased catalytic activity. Here we report on the synthetic procedure involving a Au144 core with an iron oxide shell which can be varied in thickness. The Au144@Fe2O3 particles with Au:Fe mass ratios of 1:2, 1:4, and 1:6 were synthesized and then deposited onto silica via colloidal deposition. Using CO oxidation, each Au144@Fe2O3/SiO2 catalyst gave varying degrees of full CO conversion depending on the thickness of the iron oxide layer. The 1:4 Au144@Fe2O3/SiO2 catalyst produced the best catalytic activity and was further investigated via thermal treatments, where calcination at 300 °C presented the best results, and the 1:4 ratio was still active at 100 °C after thermal treatments.
Why must pain patients be found deserving of treatment

Assessing and treating patient pain effectively, particularly in the emergency department, demands honest self-reflection on the part of physicians. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Abstract Algebra and Secondary School Mathematics Connections as Discussed by Mathematicians and Mathematics Educators

Most certification programs in the USA for secondary mathematics require coursework in abstract algebra. Yet several researchers have shown that most undergraduate students struggle to understand even the most fundamental concepts of this course. Perhaps more troubling is that the participants in these studies were unable to articulate hardly any connections between abstract algebra and secondary school mathematics upon completion of the course. In this chapter, I elaborate on the results of a study involving interviews with 13 mathematicians and mathematics educators that research and teach abstract algebra. The aim of these interviews was to understand how field experts describe connections between abstract algebra and secondary mathematics. In my findings, I discuss the differences in the participants’ descriptions of connections as reflected by their experiences with the secondary curriculum and their individual conceptualizations of abstract algebra.
Engineering Next-Generation Medicines: It's All About Delivery.

It is not at all surprising to say that “drugs” do not deliver themselves, and always need a “vehicle” to do so. The innovation in the delivery vehicles relates to the complexity in the drug discovery process, where drugs that are believed to be highly potent are incidentally associated with
Probing glioblastoma and its microenvironment using single-nucleus and single-cell sequencing

Abstract Single-cell (scSeq) and single-nucleus sequencing (snSeq) are powerful tools to investigate cancer genomics at single cell resolution. Multiple studies have recently illuminated intratumoral heterogeneity in glioblastoma, however, the majority focused on molecular complexity of tumor cells, without considering unexplored host cell types that contribute to the microenvironment around tumor. To address the glioblastoma microenvironment composition and potential tumor-host interactions, we performed deep coverage sequencing of freshly resected primary GBM patient tissue without implementing any tumor enrichment strategies. The sequencing resulted in 902 cells and 1186 nuclei, respectively, passing quality control and with low mitochondrial gene percentage. We customized reference transcriptome by listing gene transcript loci as exons to take into account immature RNA, which greatly improved the alignment rate for single-nucleus data. We applied Cell Ranger pipelines (Version 3.0.2) and Seurat package (Version 2.3.1) and discovered 10 clusters in both scSeq and snSeq. Pathway analysis of each cluster signature in scSeq data along with known GBM microenvironment cell signatures revealed glioma tumor population along with surrounding microglia/macrophages, astrocytes, pericytes, oligodendrocytes, T cells and endothelial cells. The analysis of snSeq was able to capture the majority of cell types from patient tissues (tumor and microenvironment cells), but interestingly presented different cell type composition in microenvironment cell types such as microglia/macrophages. Integrating single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomic data using canonical correlation analysis facilitated a comparison of snSeq and scSeq, contrasting depiction for certain cell types (e.g. NKX6-2 gene in Oligodendrocytes). Differential analysis of pathways between tumor and microenvironment cells unveiled potentially rewired pathways such as double strand break repair pathway. Our results demonstrate the cellular diversity of brain tumor microenvironment and lay a foundation to further investigate the individual tumor and host cell transcriptomes that are influenced not only by their cell identity but also by their interaction with surrounding microenvironment.
Modeling the Effects of Topography on Delay-Doppler Maps

A method for simulating delay-Doppler maps (DDMs) of global navigation satellite system signals reflected from land surfaces with heterogeneous terrain is developed from first principles. The method follows previous work for ocean DDMs in the geometric optics limit of the Kirchhoff approximation. Unlike the ocean method, however, where surface heights are assumed to be random with homogeneous statistics, this method decomposes the surface heights into a deterministic part obtained from a digital elevation map (DEM) and a random part representing the residual between the surface and the DEM. The method accounts for the displacement of reflected power into bins of lower delay due to raised surface terrain. The method also provides for the modulation of the normalized bistatic radar cross section by DEM-derived surface slopes over the glistening zone of the DDM. A technique to register Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) DDM bins in delay-Doppler space for land applications is also proposed. The DEM-based method is applied to a CYGNSS track over the Soil Moisture Sensing Controller And oPtimal Estimator (SoilSCAPE) site at Tonzi Ranch, CA, USA. The DEM-based method has potential application for spaceborne monitoring of a variety of environmental parameters.
A retrospective descriptive study of cranioplasty failure rates and contributing factors in novel 3D printed calcium phosphate implants compared to traditional materials.

Failure rates with cranioplasty procedures have driven efforts to improve graft material and reduce reoperation. One promising allograft source is a 3D-printed titanium mesh with calcium phosphate filler. This study evaluated failure rates and pertinent characteristics of these novel 3D-grafts compared to traditional materials. Sixty patients were retrospectively identified who underwent a cranioplasty between January 2015–December 2017. Specific data points related to graft failure were collected for all surgical admissions, from the primary injury to their most recent. These included, but were not limited to, initial physical exam findings, vitals, comorbid conditions, surgery length, estimated blood loss, incision type, and need for revision. Failure rates of 3D-printed allografts were compared to traditional grafts. A total of 60 subjects were identified who underwent 71 unique cranioplasty procedures (3D = 13, Synthetic = 12, Autologous = 46). There were 14 total failures, demonstrating a 19.7% overall failure rate. Specifically, 15.4% (n = 2) of 3D, 19.6% (n = 9) of autologous, and 25.0% (n = 3) of synthetic grafts required revision. Patients receiving 3D-grafts had the shortest overall mean surgery times (200.8 ± 54.3 min) and lowest infection rates (7.7%) compared to autologous (210.5 ± 47.9 min | 25.0%) and synthetic models (217.6 ± 77.3 min | 8.7%), though significance was unable to be determined. Tobacco use and trap-door incisions were associated with increased failure rates relative to straight or curved incisions in autologous grafts. Cranioplasties performed less than 3 months after craniectomy appeared to fail more often than those performed at least three months after craniectomy, for the synthetic group. We concluded that 3D-printed cranioplasty grafts may lead to lower failure rates and shorter surgery times compared to traditional cranioplasty materials in our limited population. 3D-implants hold promise for cranial reconstruction after TBI.
The Ecosystem and Succession

Up to this point, the types of positive feedback considered have involved single species or communities of species. The ecosystem, however, includes not only interactions among species, but also interactions between species and their physical and chemical environment, therefore involving such factors as energy flow, nutrient cycles, soil conditions, and microclimate.
Complementary and alternative medicine treatments for common skin diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments are growing in popularity as alternative treatments for common skin conditions. Objectives To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the tolerability and treatment response to CAM treatments in acne, atopic dermatitis (AD), and psoriasis. Methods PubMed/Medline and Embase databases were searched to identify eligible studies measuring the effects of CAM in acne, AD, and psoriasis. Effect size with 95% confidence interval (CI) was estimated using the random-effect model. Results The search yielded 417 articles; 40 studies met the inclusion criteria. The quantitative results of CAM treatment showed a standard mean difference (SMD) of 3.78 (95% CI [−0.01, 7.57]) and 0.58 (95% CI [−6.99, 8.15]) in the acne total lesion count, a SMD of −0.70 (95% CI [−1.19, −0.21]) in the eczema area and severity index score and a SMD of 0.94 (95% CI [−0.83, 2.71]) in the scoring of atopic dermatitis score for AD, and a SMD of 3.04 (95% CI [−0.35, 6.43]) and 5.16 (95% CI [−0.52, 10.85]) in the Psoriasis Area Severity Index score for psoriasis. Limitations Differences between the study designs, sample sizes, outcome measures, and treatment durations limit the generalizability of data. Conclusions Based on our quantitative findings we conclude that there is insufficient evidence to support the efficacy and the recommendation of CAM for acne, AD, and psoriasis.
Storytelling as Loving Praxis in Critical Peace Education: A Grounded Theory Study of Postsecondary Social Justice Educators

Looking through the philosophical lens of love, this study seeks a deeper understanding and appreciation of how postsecondary social justice educators use storytelling, in the context of critical peace education, to create social change. This research explores the guiding question of how storytelling is used to encourage social change and to inspire action toward the goal of greater social justice. The argument for the importance of this research is located within the crisis of neoliberalism, where the very tenets of democratic education are being challenged by an educational agenda that favors standards-based learning and employment training over the critical and analytical thinking skills required for democracy to flourish. The results of this study identify storytelling as a method of ideology critique, and locate it within a larger process of loving praxis. A theoretical model of loving praxis is offered to explain how postsecondary social justice educators engage story as an action that leads to the goal of social justice. The steps in the model describe how valuing the common good motivates social justice educators to take action through storytelling, toward the outcome of building transformation, voice, and agency within students as a means to build greater social justice. The sense of possibility that is cultivated in this process re-engages the cycle by validating the value of and hope for the common good.
When Three Charms But Four Alarms: Identifying the Optimal Number of Claims in Persuasion Settings

How many positive claims should be used to produce the most positive impression of a product or service? This article posits that in settings where consumers know that the message source has a persuasion motive, the optimal number of positive claims is three. More claims are better until the fourth claim, at which time consumers’ persuasion knowledge causes them to see all the claims with skepticism. The studies in this paper establish and explore this pattern, which is referred to as the charm of three. An initial experiment finds that impressions peak at three claims for sources with persuasion motives but not for sources without a persuasion motive. Experiment 2 finds that this occurs for attitudes and impressions, and that increases in skepticism after three claims explain the effect. Two final experiments examine the process by investigating how cognitive load and sequential claims impact the effect.
Prevalence and Factors Associated With Youth Vaping Cessation Intention and Quit Attempts.

OBJECTIVES This study sought to examine the prevalence and factors associated with youth vaping cessation behaviors. METHODS Current (past 30-day) electronic-cigarette (e-cigarette) users from the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey (n = 1660, typically aged 11–18 years) were analyzed to examine the prevalence of youth intention to quit vaping, past-year quit attempts, and the frequency of quit attempts. Multivariable logistic or linear regressions were performed to assess the correlates with youth vaping cessation behaviors. RESULTS In 2020, 53.4% of current e-cigarette users reported intention to quit vaping and 67.4% reported having tried to quit vaping. Intention to quit was lower among female individuals (versus male individuals, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.7, P = .0004), users of a modifiable system (versus disposable e-cigarettes, aOR = 0.4, P = .0204), and dual or poly users (versus sole e-cigarette use, aOR = 0.7, P = .0144). e-cigarette harm perception was positively associated with intention to quit (aOR = 2.2, P CONCLUSIONS Intention to quit vaping and past-year quit attempts are prevalent among US adolescent e-cigarette users. The study findings inform the development of multifaceted vaping cessation programs to take sex, e-cigarette devices, vaping reasons and patterns, harm perception, and nicotine dependence into account.
Glycan Biosynthesis in Mammals

Mammalian glycosylation, the process by which a cellular complement of glycans of dazzling complexity is produced, involves a minimum of 1% of the genome (in humans) and is the dominant postsynthetic modification of both proteins and lipids endowing these molecules with an extended range of structure and function. This article provides a brief outline of the metabolic process by which monosaccharides—the raw material for the construction of complex oligosaccharides—are converted into high energy nucleotide sugar “building blocks” that are in turn assembled into four major classes of mammalians carbohydrates: glycoproteins, glycolipids, GPI anchored structures, and polysaccharides. Finally, the article concludes with a brief discussion of modern methods for manipulating glycans in living cells and in animals–using synthetic, molecular biology, and “chemical biology” approaches—as early steps toward developing sugar-based medicines.
Coherent Structures in Turbulence

A technique is proposed for calculating organized structures in turbulent shear flows. The proposed approach is based on a homogeneous function decomposition and involves representation of a random function as a series of coherent structures occurring at stochastic locations with stochastic strengths. Attention is given to the retrieval of phase information and information on overlap and spacing, nearly parallel shear flows, dynamical equations, and applications to measurements.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Sediments of the Milwaukee Harbor Estuary, Wisconsin, U.S.A.

From 1990 to 1994, a total of 21 sediment cores and 37 grab sediment samples were collected from the Milwaukee Harbor Estuary. Each sediment core was sectioned and dated using 210Pb and137 Cs radioisotope techniques. A total of 305 samples were analyzed for sixteen polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs). Grain size distribution, porosity, and total organic carbon content as measured by loss on ignition were also determined. The results provide a historical overview of the impact of industrialization in the Milwaukee area. Although highly variable, the concentration profile of PAHs show, in general, peaks in the 1950's through 1980's. The PAH concentrations have declined since then for most sediment cores. The current levels of total PAHs in most surface sediment samples range from 25 to 200 ppm. A few cores, some of which were collected in 1994, have an elevated PAH concentration at the surface. Toxicity of the surface sediments was evaluated by comparing with the benchmark values developed by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The most heavily contaminated area was found in the Kinnickinnic River between the Becher Street Bridge and the Wisconsin Wrecking Company Wharf. The highest total PAH concentration determined from seven vibra cores collected in this area ranges from 380 to 1000 ppm. The former Wisconsin Solvay Coke Company may have been a major point source of PAHs until the 1970's. Highway traffic and various industrial discharges also contribute to the sediment PAHs in this area.
Tactile discrimination capacity in relation to size and organization of somatic sensory cortex in primates. I: Old-world Prosimian, Galago. II: New-world anthropoids, Saimiri and Cebus

Living primates vary considerably in brain organization, in sensorimotor and cognitive abilities, and in natural behavioral repertoires. Comparative studies of primary (SI) and secondary (SII) somatic sensory cortex of primates reveal major differences in the size and in the complexity of topographic projection patterns. The separate projections of the glabrous hand to SI cytoarchitectonic areas 3b and 1 described in the Old World (OW) anthropoid Macaca and in New World (NW) anthropoids Cebus, Saimiri, and Aotus are lacking in NW Saguinus and in the prosimian Galago. The relationship between the size and complexity of SI organization and tactile abilities is explored in this study of four species of primates--Galago, Macaca, Cebus, and Saimiri. These species were trained to discriminate between pairs of objects differing either in cross-sectional diameter (size) or surface roughness (texture). The course of acquisition of such tactile discrimination in normal Macaca and the nature of deficits following SI or SII removals are known. Selective lesions of either cytoarchitectonic area 1 or 2 in Macaca affect only texture or size discriminations, respectively. Removal of area 3b in SI, or of SII, in Macaca affects both size and texture capacities. The single projection of the glabrous hand to area 3b-1 of Galago led to our expectation that the capacity of Galago to discriminate textures would be more similar to an area 1-lesioned than to a normal Macaca. The substantial and persistent differences between Macaca and Galago on texture, but not size, tasks lend support to the view that the evolution of a second projection of the glabrous hand to area 1 in Macaca contributes to increased texture discrimination capacity. The similarity in multiple projection patterns of the glabrous hand to areas 3b and 1 in Macaca, Saimiri, and Cebus led us to expect greater correspondence in texture discrimination capacity between these three anthropoids than to Galago. Contrary to expectations, Saimiri and Cebus showed a tactile capacity more similar to Galago than to Macaca. Furthermore, the texture discrimination capacity of Cebus actually improved substantially after removal of area 1. This provides further evidence, together with the single SI hand area in NW Saguinus and Galago, that the separate cutaneous projections to area 1 in OW and NW primates are not homologous but evolved independently and possibly serve different tactile functions.
Long-term service performance of polymeric materials from short-term tests: prediction of the stress shift factor from a minimum of data

We use the time‐stress correspondence (TSC) principle and consider creep compliance D data for a polymer liquid crystal (PLC). A master compliance plot is created from two stress s levels only; the lower stress level is the reference while the other set is shifted on the logarithmic time axis. The master plot so created is quite close to that constructed after a significant amount of experimentation at several s levels. A formula for stress shift factor as obtained by one of us is applied for the prediction of as values for the other s levels. Again, a low s level is used as the reference while D values for two higher s levels are used in calculations. The predicted as values agree with the experimental ones within the limits of the experimental accuracy. Very close values of the Doolittle constant B are obtained from different subsets of minimum amounts of results and also from the full set of experiments for nine stress levels. The accuracy of the results is affected by the stress range covered (a wider range gives better results) but not by the amount of data used. q 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
Polarization selective devices embedded in glass fabricated by femtosecond laser induced nanogratings

We demonstrate polarization selective devices for visible light operation fabricated in glass by a femtosecond laser. The devices are composed of arrays of micro-waveplates which are tailored by the laser formation of nanogratings in glass.