cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving application throughput with enterprise JavaBeans Caching

We present the design of an Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) caching architecture, and show that EJB caching can greatly improve application throughput. Throughput is improved because data serving is offloaded from the database server to the cache-enabled application server. An important feature of our architecture is that the caching function is transparent to applications that use it. The cache-enabled application server uses the same (EJB) programming model, and the same transactional semantics, as provided by non-caching architectures.
Methodological considerations of visual workloads of helicopter pilots

This report was initiated to review the techniques and modifications developed by the U. S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory for assessing visual performance/workload of pilots during helicopter operations. Although the corneal reflection technique for gathering eye movement data is not new, innovative modifications had to be developed to permit accurate data collection in this flight environment. This study reports on these techniques, modifications, and applications.
Work in progress: curiosity in the education of the engineer

It is assumed here that the development of intrinsic motivation to learn is critical to the success of the engineer and to the process of lifelong learning. This paper presents a theory of the role of curiosity in engineering education, and describes an ongoing project to encourage the development of curiosity. The paper begins by making a case for curiosity. Kuhn's concept of a paradigm and Kolb's concept of learning are then used as the basis for a theory of curiosity development. The paper then moves to the implications that these ideas have for teaching and learning. The parallel to the ABET continuous improvement cycle is noted.
Do maternal stress and home environment mediate the relation between early income-to-need and 54-months attentional abilities?

Using Ecological Systems Theory and stage sequential modelling procedures for detecting mediation, this study examined how early developmental contexts impact preschoolers' performances on a measure of sustained attention and impulse control. Data from 1273 European-American and African-American participants in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care were used to identify the potential mediators of the relation between early household income-to-need (INR) and 54-month impulsivity and inattention. Exploratory analyses were also conducted to determine whether the relationships between early income, home environment, parenting stress, and the outcome variables differ for African-American versus European-American-American children. We found modest support for the study hypothesis that 36-month home environment quality mediated the INR/attention relationship. INR accounted for more home environment score variance and home environment accounted for more Impulsivity score variance for African-American children. Home environments were related to inattention in the European-American, but not African-American, group. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Proprioceptive Motion Feedback on Sighted and Non-Sighted Control of a Virtual Hand Prosthesis

Current prosthetic devices lack the ability to provide proprioceptive feedback, requiring the user to visually track the device in order to accomplish the tasks of daily living. This work seeks to quantify the effect of proprioceptive feedback on the accuracy, speed, and ease of use of a one-degree-of-freedom virtual prosthetic finger in both sighted and unsighted conditions. An experimental apparatus was designed to allow a user to perform a virtual grasping task with and without visual and proprioceptive feedback. Preliminary results suggest that proprioception improves movement accuracy and ease of system use in the absence of vision.
Statistics Related Self-Efficacy: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Demonstrating a Significant Link to Prior Mathematics Experiences for Graduate Level Students

The present study examined students' statistics-related self-efficacy, as measured with the current statistics self-efficacy (CSSE) inventory developed by Finney and Schraw (2003). Structural equation modeling was used to check the confirmatory factor analysis of the one-dimensional factor of CSSE. Once confirmed, this factor was used to test whether a significant link to prior mathematics experiences exists. Additionally a new post-structural equation modeling (SEM) application was employed to compute error-free latent variable score for CSSE in an effort to examine the ancillary effects of gender, age, ethnicity, department, degree level, hours completed, expected course grade, number of college-level math classes, current GPA on students' CSSE scores. Results support the one-dimensional construct and as expected, the model demonstrated a significant link between CSSE scores and prior mathematics experiences to CSSE. Additionally the students' department, expected grade, and number of prior math classes were found to have a significant effect on student's CSSE scores.
Pro)renin receptor regulates autophagy and apoptosis in podocytes exposed to high glucose

High glucose reduces autophagy and enhances apoptosis of podocytes. Previously, we reported that high glucose induced podocyte injury through upregulation of the (pro)renin receptor (PRR). We hypothesized that increasing PRR reduces autophagy and increases apoptosis of mouse podocytes exposed to high glucose via activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Mouse podocytes were cultured in normal (5 mmol/l) or high (25 mmol/l) d-glucose for 48 h. High glucose significantly increased mRNA and protein levels of PRR, phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and p62. In contrast, high glucose decreased activation of UNC-51-like kinase-1 (ULK1) by phosphorylating Ser757 and protein levels of microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain 3B (LC3B)-II and Lamp-2. Bafilomycin A1 increased LC3BII and p62 accumulation in high-glucose-treated cells. High glucose reduced the autophagic flux. Confocal microscopy studies showed significant reduction in the protein level of LC3B in response to high glucose. Cyto-ID autophagy staining showed a significant decrease in autophagosome formation with high glucose. In the absence of PRR, activation of Akt with sc-79 or mTOR with MHY-1485 increased p62 accumulation. Caspase-3/7 activity and apoptosis monitored by TUNEL assay were significantly increased in podocytes treated with high glucose. PRR siRNA significantly reversed the effects of high glucose. Based on these data, we conclude that high glucose decreases autophagy and increases apoptosis in mouse podocytes through the PRR/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.
The Rotinonshonni: A Traditional Iroquoian History Through the Eyes of Teharonhia:wako and Sawiskera. By Brian Rice. (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2013. Pp. xvi, 328. $34.95.)

All cultures have their own way of explaining their origin and existence. Each creation story is accepted on faith, which need not be interpreted in a religious context. This study is not a history...
Almost closed and sojourn sets

In this last section of Part I we return to general considerations of the evolution of the M. C. The new results will concern primarily non-recurrent (essential or inessential) states. Logically speaking, this section may be placed immediately after § 4 as it is largely independent of the developments thereafter. Its postponement is partly due to the methodological difference and partly due to its being an introduction to an as yet unexplored part of the theory of M.C.
Discussion and reply: The reptile Macroleter: First vertebrate evidence for correlation of Upper Permian continental strata of North America and Russia Discussion

[Reisz and Laurin (2001)][1] documented the presence of the reptile Macroleter in the Chickasha Formation of Oklahoma and concluded “that the Chickasha Formation. . . belongs to the Guadalupian, and that it is equivalent in age to the late Kazanian, or early Tatarian of the Russian platform” (p
Directivity of Noise from Discrete Elements in a Turbulent Boundary Layer

Measurements were taken in the Virginia Tech Anechoic Wall Jet Facility to study the directivity of roughness noise produced by single 8mm and 3mm cubes and varying size grid patterns of 3mm cubes. Boundary layer thickness to roughness height ratios varied from 2-5.3 over the examined conditions. An arrangement of 8 far field microphones creating two arcs overtop and around the side of the roughness were used in combination with a linear microphone array of 32 sensors which was resting on the flat plate of the wall jet. Single microphone data, beamformed source images, and a least-squares method were used to characterize the noise produced by the rough surfaces. The least-squares method was used to estimate the source strengths of both streamwise and spanwise dipoles originating from the cubic roughness by minimizing the error between the measured spectra and model spectra. This method was validated for frequencies above 10kHz by comparison with single microphone measurements. The results show that the strength of the streamwise dipole emanating from a single element was found to be equal to or stronger than the spanwise dipole. Finally, the lead row of a multi-row fetch of cubic roughness elements produced the strongest spanwise dipole and the strength of the spanwise dipole decreased with each succeeding row.
Measurement of free [Ca2+] changes in agonist-sensitive internal stores using compartmentalized fluorescent indicators.

The fact that acetoxymethyl (AM)-ester derivatives of fluorescent Ca(2+) indicators accumulate not only in the cytoplasm but also in organelles was recognized long ago as a potential source of artifacts during measurements of cytoplasmic [Ca(2+)]. Later, it was observed that high-affinity dyes, such as fluo-3 and fura-2, normally saturated in the high-[Ca(2+)] environment of the agonist-sensitive Ca(2+) store, could register [Ca(2+)] changes in this compartment under special conditions (e.g., when pools were already partially empty). The propensity of indicators to become compartmentalized was fully exploited, however, when investigators began to use lower affinity probes such as magfura-2, to monitor [Ca(2+)] changes in the inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P(3)]-sensitive store (a compartment largely accepted to be the endoplasmic reticulum [ER]). Thus, the release and reloading of this organelle with Ca(2+), as reported by ER-trapped dye, could be directly visualized in single permeabilized cells with high spatiotemporal resolution. This basic approach has been adopted by a number of laboratories to investigate phenomena ranging from Ca(2+) oscillations to quantal release, and the subcellular localization of Ca(2+) storage sites.
Rapid Fluorescence Concentration Immunoassay for Detection of Salmonellae in Chicken Skin Rinse Water.

Salmonellae in chicken carcass rinse water or enrichment broth were detected with a fluorescence concentration immunoassay (FCIA) using intact salmonellae cells as the reacting particles. Sample Solutions and reagents were added to a 96-well fluoricon assay plate and incubated 30 min in the chamber of a fluorescence concentration analyzer at room temperature. The bound and free components were separated by automated vacuum filtration and washings through the membrane filters equipped at the bases of the wells. The fluorescent signals were concentrated through vacuum filtration and were read at a wavelength of 485/535 nm. A cut-off value of the arbitrary fluorescence units was calculated by adding two standard deviations to the mean value of the negative control. When the arbitrary fluorescence units of a sample were above the cut-off value, it was scored positive indicating the presence of salmonellae in the test suspensions. It was found the FCIA method could detect salmonellae at 1.25 × 104 cells per mi in pure culture and was specific enough to screen salmonellae from four types of common chicken carcass contaminating bacteria. By coupling with 18-h direct enrichment in selenite cystine broth of the whole carcass rinse, the detection of salmonellae in chicken carcass rinse water was accomplished in less than 24 h.
Measures of Performance

The solution of the shop scheduling problem demands an explicit statement of a criterion or a set of criteria. A study of the criteria proposed in the literature indicates that a wide variety of measures of performance are employed. The variety of different scheduling situations and the prospects of obtaining solutions have usually influenced the choice of criteria. This chapter is devoted to discussing the characteristics of several types of criteria that have been proposed in the literature as well as those practiced in operational systems. In the process we shall define several basic terms, introduce the necessary notation, and discuss equivalences and interrelations among the various criteria,
Provider-Identified Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening and Perceptions Toward Self-Collection of Human Papillomavirus in Southwest Virginia.

Objective To explore health care workers identified barriers to cervical cancer screening in rural Southwest Virginia. Design and Sample A descriptive study utilizing telephone-based structured interviews and conventional content analysis. All free and federally funded health clinics within a 75 mile radius of Virginia's health Districts 1, 2, and 3 were contacted for participation in the study. Measures Organizational information such as composition of clinical staff, services provided, cost of services, recorded compliance with current guidelines, and assessed individual barriers to accessing screening within the community. Results With a 27% response rate, all but one clinic offered cervical cancer screening. The most common barriers to cervical cancer screening identified were lack of education and cost. The most important efforts to detect unscreened women and increase screening would involve clinic-based tracking, education and advertisements. Seventy percent of respondents felt that self-collection of HPV would be at least somewhat acceptable in their communities. Conclusions Public health nursing implications for the barriers of lack of education and high cost were found in this study. In Southwest Virginia, self-collection of HPV was perceived as acceptable by health care workers in the community, and might represent an avenue for increased outreach and education.
Crystal structure of tetrachlorobisd[μ-imidocarbonylchloridato]diboron

Boron trichloride and mercuric cyanide react slowly to form the title compound, B2N2C2Cl8, which contains a four-membered B2N2 ring with alternating BCl2 and N—CCl2. Crystals are triclinic, space group P\(\bar 1\), a = 6.1198(1), b = 7.4457(3), c = 7.9186(3) A, α = 117.064(2), β = 106.923, γ = 93.712(2)°, Z = 1, and V = 299.07(2) A3. The compound has a crystallographic center of symmetry but the metric symmetry is close to the expected mmm.
Sociology of Religion and Religious Studies: Institutional Contexts and Intellectual Concerns:

This concluding comment draws upon the common themes articulated by the preceding contributors about how Sociology of Religion and Religious Studies can influence each other, as well as considering...
The effects of self-disclosure on the communicative interaction between a person who stutters and a normally fluent speaker.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of self-disclosure on the self-perception of stuttering severity, comfort, cognitive effort, and anxiety in a structured conversational interaction with a normally fluent speaker. The benefit of self-disclosure from the perspective of the person who stutters in a self-disclosed and in a non-disclosed condition was also studied. The total syllables produced and percent syllables stuttered were measured in both experimental conditions in order to evaluate the effects on the amount of speech produced and verbal fluency. Methods Twenty-five adults who stutter were recruited in Philadelphia and New Jersey, through social media, university clinics, and National Stuttering Association (NSA) self-help groups. The participants engaged in a conversational task with a normally fluent speaker (NFS). The cognitive-affective variables (self-perception of stuttering severity, comfort, cognitive effort, anxiety and benefit) were measured using self-report questionnaires completed after each condition. The percent syllables stuttered and total syllables in each condition were also transcribed and analyzed. Results Frequency distributions of Likert Scale ratings indicated a slight preference for self-disclosure over non-disclosure, but there was a non-significant difference on the benefit variable for the disclosed and non-disclosed conditions. There were correlations between total syllables produced and percent syllables stuttered and comfort, in the non-disclosed state only. Other findings included non-significant differences for the cognitive-affective variables across conditions. Conclusion From the perspective of the person who stutters, self-disclosure at the outset of the communicative interaction did not have a decisive impact on the cognitive-affective or speech variables.
Abstract TP313: Virtual Stroke Patient Simulation Training for Residents and Medical Students Improves Knowledge, Skill Sets and Confidence in Acute Stroke Care

Introduction: At most teaching hospitals, first- and second-year residents respond to a “Stroke Alert” where “Time is Brain.” Interpreting neurologic signs and symptoms and acute management of stro...
Sperm Motility Assessment by Videomicrography

A technically simple, inexpensive method is described for measuring objective parameters of sperm motility. The instruments involved are commercially available, home-oriented videotape equipment. Quantitative measurements of sperm motility are made directly from the video image and are facilitated by use of an analysis transparency that is applied as an overlay to the screen of the television monitor. A protocol is given for describing the motility of a suspension of human spermatozoa in terms of percentage motility, mean swimming speed, and the percentage of progressive sperm. A complete analysis can be done in 20 minutes or less. Examples are presented of videomicrographic assessment of the motility of human and bull spermatozoa.
The law and economics of sycophancy

Tullock (in: Rowley (ed) The selected works of Gordon Tullock, Liberty Fund, Indianapolis, pp 399–455, 2005) was skeptical of the presumed economic efficiency of the common law, as adversarialism, apparently inherent to common law procedures, allowed for and was prone to litigiousness. Common law litigations accord to patterns of rent-seeking, as litigants invest ever more resources to assure victory. This paper asks if viable institutional solutions can emerge to resolve the problem Tullock identified. I survey the historical development of the term sycophancy within ancient Greek law as a revealing case study. Though a relatively innocuous pejorative in contemporary parlance, the term’s etymological roots stem from a formative process of ancient legal and institutional change within Athenian Greece. In the wake of specific legal reforms that expanded the scope of governmental authority under Solon (born 638–558 BCE), citizens were given explicit financial incentive to report violators of newly implemented public laws. Thereafter, social stigma surrounding third party legal representation leveraged the term sycophancy in reference to prosecutors motivated by private interests over the public welfare. Forgone social status and eventually formal criminal sanction emerged as offsetting differentials against the incentives of sycophancy.
Implementation of rate-adaptive integer forcing compression in distributed wireless relay networking

Cooperative distributed relay networking is one way to enable wireless communication among users lacking required infrastructure. An important application of such networks is to restore cell network coverage in the case of emergencies such as severe power outages or natural disasters. One example of distributed relay networking is compress-and-forward relaying where the relay nodes inside the relay network compress their observations before forwarding them to the receiver. Recently, integer forcing source coding (IFSC), which is based on lattice vector quantization, has been studied as a compression scheme in compress-and-forward relaying and cloud radio access networks. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end low computational complexity integer forcing compression strategy which we denote as rate-adaptive integer forcing (RAIF) compression. The proposed compression strategy uses IFSC to quantize observations of the relay network after optimal distribution of the quantization bits. This is shown to enhance the system throughput compared to existing strategies. Simulations are used to verify the obtained results.
Cost and determinants of acute kidney injury after elective primary total joint arthroplasty

Abstract Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication after major surgery, which may lead to increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to identify cost and determinants of AKI after total joint arthroplasty. Methods A retrospective case-controlled study was conducted with 1719 primary elective total hip or knee replacements performed from January 2004 through September 2015 at an urban teaching hospital. Patients who developed AKI were matched in a 1:3 ratio with those in a control group who did not develop AKI based on age, sex, race, operated joint, and comorbidities including hypertension and diabetes. Increased postoperative serum creatinine was considered indicative of AKI. Results Fifty-four patients (3.1%) had AKI that was significantly associated with increased length of hospital stay (8.07 days) compared with that of the control group (4.50 days, P Conclusions Health-care providers and patients should work together to manage risk factors and to lower the risk of morbidity and mortality, longer in-hospital stay, and high associated costs of AKI.
Update on pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) are relatively rare tumors comprising 1-2% of all pancreas neoplasms. In the last 10 years our understanding of this disease has increased dramatically allowing for advancements in the treatment of pNETs. Surgical excision remains the primary therapy for localized tumors and only potential for cure. New surgical techniques using laparoscopic approaches to complex pancreatic resections are a major advancement in surgical therapy and increasingly possible. With early detection being less common, most patients present with metastatic disease. Management of these patients requires multidisciplinary care combining the best of surgery, chemotherapy and other targeted therapies. In addition to surgical advances, recently, there have been significant advances in systemic therapy and targeted molecular therapy.
Noninvasive Imaging for Supporting Basic Research

Imaging has long been indispensable in clinical practice. Increasingly, in vivo imaging of small laboratory animals (i.e., mice and rats) has emerged as a critical component of preclinical biomedical research as well (Beckman et al. 2007; Cherry 2006; Gross and Piwnica-Worms 2006; Pomper 2005). Small-animal imaging provides a noninvasive means of assaying biological structure and function in vivo, yielding quantitative, spatially and temporally indexed information on normal and diseased tissues such as tumors. Importantly, because of its noninvasive nature, imaging allows serial (i.e., longitudinal) assay of rodent models of human cancer and cardiovascular, neurological, and other diseases over the entire natural history of the disease process, from inception to progression, and monitoring of the effectiveness of treatment or other interventions (with each animal serving as its own control and thereby reducing biological variability). This also serves to minimize the number of experimental animals required for a particular study. With the ongoing development of genetically engineered (i.e., transgenic and knock out) rodent models of cancer and other critical diseases (Malakoff 2000), such models are increasingly more realistic in recapitulating the natural history and clinical sequelae of the corresponding human disease and the ability to track these disease models long-term is therefore invaluable. Importantly, in contrast to cell or tissue culture-based experiments, studies in intact animals incorporate all of the interacting physiological factors – neuronal, hormonal, nutritional, immunological, etc. – present in the complex in vivo milieu. Intact whole-animal models also facilitate investigation of systemic aspects of disease such as cancer metastasis, which are difficult or impossible to replicate in ex vivo systems. Further, because many of the same imaging modalities – magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopic imaging (MRI and MRSI), positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), transmission computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound (US) – used in the clinic are also used in the laboratory setting, the findings of small-animal imaging are readily translatable to patients.
Resonance Energy Transfer in Arbitrary Media: Beyond the Point Dipole Approximation

In this work, we present a comprehensive theoretical and computational study of donor/acceptor resonance energy transfer (RET) beyond the dipole approximation, in arbitrary inhomogeneous and dispersive media. The theoretical method extends Forster theory for RET between particles (molecules or nanoparticles) to the case where higher multipole transitions in the donor and/or acceptor play a significant role in the energy transfer process. In our new formulation, the energy transfer matrix element is determined by a fully quantum electrodynamic expression, but its evaluation requires only classical electrodynamics calculations. By means of a time domain electrodynamical approach (TED), the matrix element evaluation involves the electric and magnetic fields generated by the donor and evaluated at the position of the acceptor, including fields associated with transition electric dipoles, electric quadrupoles, and magnetic dipoles in the donor, and the acceptor response to the electric and magnetic fields and ...
Soviet higher education: an alternative construct to the western university paradigm

Historically, the university was an alien establishment for Russia, reflecting the political ambition of its leadership, not the organic impetus of Russian society. In Soviet academia, the notion of university education was replaced by the concept of vocational–technical training. As a creation of the Soviet government, Soviet higher education represented a very unusual organizational construction with an umbilical connection to the communist party ideology and Soviet autocracy. In its organization and social purpose, Soviet higher education was quite different from the European notion of a university and remote from the international academic community. Soviet higher education opposed the western university model on a fundamental level: The pragmatism of practical training contradicted the ideology of academic liberal knowledge and institutional self-governance. An analysis of Soviet HE administrative structure reveals three defining characteristics: uniformity, top-down administration and one-man management. The purpose of Soviet higher education was to be a nationwide conveyor of a professional workforce that would supply the state with qualified specialists in each field of industry or social services. It intentionally promoted communal values. This review and analysis of Soviet HE administrative organization indicate that in both form and function, it seems to be an alternative to the traditional western notion of university education, rather than a variation of higher education in its traditional sense.
Analyst Days, Stock Prices, and Firm Performance

We construct a comprehensive dataset of 3,890 analyst days, which are firm-hosted gatherings where information is disclosed to equity analysts and institutional investors. We demonstrate that firms holding these events have significantly higher abnormal returns after these events, despite the Regulation Fair Disclosure requirement that such information be simultaneously disclosed to the public. A buy-and-hold strategy that holds these stocks for 20 days earns a market-adjusted return of 1.6%, and a similar calendar-time portfolio has a one-month, four-factor alpha of 1.8%. We find no evidence of mean reversion or change in risk exposure after analyst days, and abnormal returns remain significantly positive for up to six months. We classify analyst days into four major types---product announcement, review of results, discussion of strategy, and technology and markets---according to the textual content of their announcements, and we show that product- and market-related analyst days earn significantly higher returns than events reviewing past financial results. Finally, firms holding analyst days have significantly higher revenue growth, earnings per share, and dividend yields up to two years after these events. Analyst coverage, earning estimates, and price targets also increase, and these estimates have lower dispersion. Our results thus suggest that firms use analyst days to convey positive incremental information that has not been incorporated in their stock prices, and market participants significantly underreact to this information.
Monitoring Diaper Condition Using the Impedance Variation of a Dipole Antenna

To prevent skin rashes and skin eruption in babies, timely detection of urine and feces on a diaper is important. Currently, several smart diaper systems are being developed as a means of sensing excretion and alerting the caretaker to change the diaper. We propose to use the input impedance variation of a single on-diaper antenna to sense the urine and feces of a baby. By using an antenna as a sensor, there is no need to use other sensors, although an RF transmitter is necessary by default. We will locate a microstrip dipole patch antenna at the bottom of a diaper. The antenna is designed to resonate at 5.7 GHz. It senses urine and feces, for which we rely on the change to input impedance of an on-diaper antenna that results when a baby excretes urine or feces. The diaper is modeled with three layers, and the EM simulation is performed by FEKO. We observe the antenna impedance change with diverse diaper conditions and compare the results.
Dynamics of a parallel-plate electrostatic actuator in viscous dielectric media

Abstract Understanding the dynamics of a parallel-plate electrostatic actuator, that is, the complex temporal interactions between the mechanical and electrostatic nonlinearities will help optimize the actuator performance for micromanipulation applications. In this paper, we analyze the response of the actuator in a clamped–clamped configuration immersed in viscous dielectric media. We model the actuator as a continuous system by deriving a reduced-order model, and solving it by employing the Galerkin method and linear undamped mode shapes for a clamped–clamped beam. Our model incorporates the inertial loading effect and squeeze film damping by the media, nonlinear mid-plane stretching forces in the beam electrode of the actuator, and nonlinear contact force during the physical contact of the beam electrode with the stationary electrode. The model is utilized to study the actuator dynamics over a broad range, three orders of magnitude of viscosity and two orders of magnitude of relative permittivity of the media. We report three main observations: (1) the actuator response near the vicinity of the pull-in instability region is sensitive to the external forces such as electrostatic force and viscous damping force; (2) the actuator at lower actuation voltages and/or higher actuation frequencies can be approximated to be a linear system; and (3) the high relative permittivity of a media amplifies the generated force, resulting in pull-in to occur at lower actuation voltage amplitudes, and the high dynamic viscosity of a media increases the pull-in time.
Facets of experiential avoidance differentially predict engagement in a contamination-based behavioral approach task

Abstract Experiential Avoidance (EA) is an unwillingness to experience or remain in contact with unpleasant emotions, thoughts, bodily sensations, or other private experiences (Hayes, Wilson, Gifford, Follette, & Strosahl, 1996). Previous research has found a relationship between EA and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD; Twohig, Hayes, & Masuda, 2006a). The current study examined relations among multiple EA facets, contamination concerns, and anxiety, disgust, and engagement during a contamination-relevant behavioral approach task (BAT). Of particular interest was whether any specific EA facets would emerge as predictive of task engagement after controlling for baseline contamination concerns. Results were that Distraction/Suppression, Repression/Denial, and Procrastination significantly predicted task engagement. Although Behavioral Avoidance was correlated with anxiety, disgust, and engagement at the zero-order level, it did not predict task engagement after controlling for baseline contamination concerns. These distinct correlates highlight the importance of measuring EA at the facet level rather than as a unitary construct. Specific EA facets may interfere with engagement in BATs—and by extension, exposure-based treatment efforts—to a greater extent than others. Augmentations aimed at decreasing the use of distraction and suppression may improve treatment response in the context of exposure-based treatment for OCD.
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Counseling

Knowledge about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is generally lacking among patients with cystic fibrosis. However, studies have consistently shown that patients desire to learn about the physiologic, genetic, and psychosocial aspects of SRH [1]. This chapter addresses pubertal development, family planning, and other SRH concerns, along with infertility, genetic screening, and pregnancy management.
Understanding Child Behavior Problems in Young Children with Previously Incarcerated Fathers: Parents’ Depressive Symptoms, Relationship Quality, and Coparenting

Guided by family systems theory, we focused on families where young children have experienced paternal incarceration (n = 775 families). We examined how characteristics of mothers and fathers at tw...
Resource Allocation and Sharing in URLLC for IoT Applications Using Shareability Graphs

The current development trend of wireless communications aims at coping with the very stringent reliability and latency requirements posed by several emerging Internet-of-Things (IoT) application scenarios. Since the problem of realizing ultrareliable low-latency communications (URLLCs) is becoming more and more important, it has attracted the attention of researchers, and new efficient resource allocation algorithms are necessary. In this article, we consider a challenging scenario where the available spectrum might be fragmented across nonadjacent portions of the band, and channels are differently affected by interference coming from surrounding networks. Furthermore, channel state information (CSI) is assumed to be unavailable, thus requiring an allocation of resources-based only on topology information and channel statistics. To address this challenge in a dense smart factory scenario, where devices periodically transmit their data to a common receiver, we present a novel resource allocation methodology based on a graph-theoretical approach originally designed to allocate mobility resources in on-demand, shared transportation. The proposed methodology is compared with two benchmark allocation strategies, showing its ability of increasing spectral efficiency of as much as 50% with respect to the best performing benchmark. Contrary to what happens in many resource allocation settings, this increase in spectrum efficiency does not come at the expense of fairness, which is also increased as compared to benchmark algorithms.
Constructing Circuit Transfer Functions directly from the State Equations, Using Convolutions

Given the Nodal Admittance Matrix (NAM) of a linear circuit this article provides means to generate any desired transfer function, or s-expanded polynomial, in a very efficient way. There are three features that are used in combinations to facilitate this task. The first feature is the use of the state space and characteristic equation. The second feature is tuple-based array manipulations. In these manipulations multiplications and divisions are replaced with convolutions and deconvolutions. The last feature to work with is the newly developed UaL decomposition for tuple-based matrices [7]. The UaL decomposition is proven to be computationally more efficient compared to the traditional LU factorization. It is shown that the growth of the entries in both $U$ and $L$ matrices are gradual and it follow a geometrical pattern as the decomposition progresses. Another important feature of the UaL decomposition is that it does not generate nonzero remainders, or simply, it is an “error free” procedure. The method is applied to the Branch Admittance Matrix (BAM) representation of an RC (or RL) circuit. Finally, it is shown that working in the tuple-based format puts the $U$ and $L$ matrix entries into s-expanded form, such as $P(s)=a_{n}s^{n}+a_{n-1}s^{n-I}+\ldots+a_{0}$ , which in turn produces $s$ -expanded transfer functions.
Borrowing Decisions of Households: An Examination of the Information Search Process

This study uses the 2009 National Financial Capability Study dataset to examine the factors associated with information search behavior by consumers when applying for a loan. The results indicate that financial literacy, perceived financial knowledge, educational attainment, and engaging the service of a financial professional are positively associated with the likelihood of information search among consumers. The results also indicate that consumers from the traditionally under-served groups, who would benefit most from better information search, were the least likely to engage in such behavior. The results of this study are important to consumers, educators, and financial practitioners. A discussion of the implications addressing the association between financial literacy, information search behavior, and household financial capability within the population is also included in this study.
Association of Sex With Risk of 2-Year Revision Among Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Importance The worldwide population is aging and includes more female individuals than male individuals, with higher rates of total hip arthroplasty (THA) among female individuals. Although research on this topic has been limited to date, several studies are currently under way. Objectives To evaluate the association between sex and 2-year revision after THA. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used data from statewide databases in New York and California between October 1, 2015, and December 31, 2018. Patients 18 years or older with osteoarthritis who underwent THA and had sex recorded in the database were included in the analysis. Exposure Total hip arthroplasty. Main Outcomes and Measures The outcome of interest was the difference in early, all-cause revision surgery rates after primary THA between women and men. The association of sex with the revision rate was examined using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results Of 132 826 patients included in the study, 74 002 (55.7%) were women; the mean (SD) age was 65.9 (11.0) years, and the median follow-up time was 1.3 years (range, 0.0-3.0 years). The 2-year revision rate was 2.5% (95% CI, 2.4%-2.6%) among women and 2.1% (95% CI, 2.0%-2.2%) among men. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and facility volume, a minimal clinically meaningful difference was observed in revision rates despite women having a higher risk of all-cause revision compared with men (hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07-1.26;P Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, no clinically meaningful difference in all-cause revision rates after primary THA was found between men and women at 2-year follow-up. The modest difference in the risk of revision between men and women in a small subgroup of patients younger than 55 years suggests that the risk of revision in this population should be studied further.
Heidegger on Ontotheology: Technology and the Politics of Education

Heidegger is now widely recognized as one of the most influential and controversial philosophers of the twentieth century, yet much of his later philosophy remains shrouded in confusion and controversy. Restoring Heidegger's understanding of metaphysics as 'ontotheology' to its rightful place at the center of his later thought, this book demonstrates the depth and significance of his controversial critique of technology, his appalling misadventure with Nazism, his prescient critique of the university, and his important philosophical suggestions for the future of higher education. It will be required reading for those seeking to understand the relationship between Heidegger's philosophy and National Socialism, as well as the continuing relevance of his work.
Web Based Prognostics and 24/7 Monitoring

We created a general framework for analysts to store and view data in a way that removes the boundaries created by operating systems, programming languages, and proximity. With the advent of HTML5 and CSS3 with JavaScript the distribution of information is limited to only those who lack a browser. We created a framework based on the methodology: one server, one web based application. Additional benefits are increased opportunities for collaboration. Today the idea of a group in a single room is antiquated. Groups will communicate and collaborate with others from other universities, organizations, as well as other continents across times zones. There are many varieties of data gathering and condition-monitoring software available as well as companies who specialize in customizing software to individual applications. One single group will depend on multiple languages, environments, and computers to oversee recording and collaborating with one another in a single lab. The heterogeneous nature of the system creates challenges for seamless exchange of data and ideas between members. To address these limitations we designed a framework to allow users seamless accessibility to their data. Our framework was deployed using the data feed on the NASA Ames' planetary rover testbed. Our paper demonstrates the process and implementation we followed on the rover.
Digital Videomagnetograms in Real Time

The Aerospace — NASA Videomagnetograph began operation one month ago, two years after components were ordered and construction began. The design grew out of a desire to obtain magnetic fields in real time using an optical filter. The aim was to study and analyze magnetic configurations and changes, quantitatively if possible, with high spatial and temporal resolution and as much sensitivity as possible. This instrument is restricted to the line-of-sight component of the magnetic field and is primarily intended for high resolution studies of selected regions of the sun. The rationale behind our approach is shown in the next section and the design details in the following.
NA‐SWS‐1.1: A uniform database of teleseismic shear wave splitting measurements for North America

[1] This version of shear wave splitting (SWS) database (DB) for North America (NA) contains 6224 pairs of splitting parameters (fast polarization directions and splitting times) measured using all the available data recorded by digital broadband seismic stations over the period of 1980–2007 and archived at the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center. The measurements were produced using a set of robust procedures that involve automated batch processing and manual screening and were ranked quantitatively on the basis of a uniform criterion. The result is a homogeneous database of individual (rather than station-averaged) splitting parameters that can be used by a variety of geoscientists for the understanding of the structure and dynamics of the Earth's deep interior beneath NA. This data brief describes the seismic data and techniques used to generate the SWS results, the spatial and azimuthal coverage, and the limitations of the DB. The DB will be periodically updated and enhanced by adding newly recorded data and by measuring splitting parameters using the PKS and SKKS phases in addition to SKS. The database can be accessed at http://www.mst.edu/∼liukh/SWS.
Complementation between nucleotide binding domains in an anion-translocating ATPase.

Abstract The catalytic component of the oxyanion-translocating ATPase of the plasmid-encoded ars operon of Escherichia coli is a homodimer of the ArsA protein. This enzyme is an oxyanion-stimulated ATPase with two consensus nucleotide binding sequences in each subunit, one in the N-terminal (A1) half and one in the C-terminal (A2) half of the ArsA protein. The two halves of both the arsA gene and the ArsA protein exhibit similar nucleotide and amino acid sequences, respectively. The two halves of the arsA gene were subcloned into compatible plasmids. Neither alone was sufficient to confer resistance, but cells in which the arsA1 and arsA2 half genes were coexpressed were resistant to arsenicals. Genetic complementation was also observed in cells bearing plasmids with point mutations in the two halves of the arsA gene and between cells with plasmids carrying combinations of the arsA1 or arsA2 subclones and point mutations. In every case, complementation was observed only when one plasmid contained a wild-type arsA1 sequence and the other contained a wild-type arsA2 sequence. These results demonstrate that both sites are required for resistance but that the two nucleotide binding domains need not reside in a single polypeptide. We propose a model in which the ArsA dimer has two catalytic units, each composed of an A1 domain from one monomer and an A2 domain from the other monomer.
Abstract 15730: Ankle-Brachial Index and Physical Function in Community-Based Older Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background: Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD), commonly defined by an ankle-brachial index (ABI) <0.9, increases mortality risk and also reduces physical function. All prior studies of the impact of PAD on objectively measured physical function have been in restricted populations with known PAD or physical inactivity, leaving uncertainty regarding its impact in the community. Methods: We studied 5,351 ARIC participants (age 71-90 years during 2011-2013) who underwent the assessment of ABI and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB, 0-12 scale), a summary measure of physical function based on three domains (4-meter walk velocity, timed chair stands, and standing balance). Logistic regression models examined the association of ABI with poor physical function (SPPB score <6), adjusting for potential confounders including a history of other cardiovascular diseases. Results: There were 463 participants (8.2%) with ABI <0.9 and 506 participants (9.0%) with ABI ≥1.3, a potential manifestation...