cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trust Calibration within a Human-Robot Team: Comparing Automatically Generated Explanations

Trust is a critical factor for achieving the full potential of human-robot teams. Researchers have theorized that people will more accurately trust an autonomous system, such as a robot, if they have a more accurate understanding of its decision-making process. Studies have shown that hand-crafted explanations can help maintain trust when the system is less than 100% reliable. In this work, we leverage existing agent algorithms to provide a domain-independent mechanism for robots to automatically generate such explanations. To measure the explanation mechanism's impact on trust, we collected self-reported survey data and behavioral data in an agent-based online testbed that simulates a human-robot team task. The results demonstrate that the added explanation capability led to improvement in transparency, trust, and team performance. Furthermore, by observing the different outcomes due to variations in the robot's explanation content, we gain valuable insight that can help lead to refinement of explanation algorithms to further improve human-robot trust calibration.
Spin Polarized Electron Spectroscopies of 3d and 4f Systems

Recent results from spin polarized electron spectroscopic studies of surfaces and ultrathin films are presented. The mag-netic coupling of 3d transition metals (Cr,Mn) to the Fe(100) surface is studied by spin polarized electron energy loss spectroscopy. The first atomic layer of Cr and Mn aligns an-tiparallel to the Fe. For larger thicknesses we find evidence for layer-by-layer antiferromagnetic order. In the range of 1–6 atomic layers the behavior is more complex with the surface of the Cr films showing preferential ferromagnetic alignment while the Mn surface aligns antiparallel to the Fe substrate. Secondary electrons from Gd(0001) surfaces are shown to be highly spin polarized. However, no enhancement mechanism at low kinetic energy as in the 3d transition metals is observed in-dicating the absence of strongly spin dependent inelastic scat-tering in Gd. Temperature dependent spin polarized 4f photoemis–sion results show almost complete polarization demonstrating ferromagnetic surface coupling. However, a perpendicular surface magnetization component is found indicating surface spin canting. A large enhancement of the surface Curie temperature is also present.
A las seis patas en punta por la cabeza

If there is a leitmotiv that permeates all of Julio Medem's film production, that would be no other than incest. Tacked from very diverse perspectives, both diegetically, regarding the varied plot developments and the presentation of the films, and extra-diegetically, through the social implications derived from the family relationships suggested on the screen, the constant recurrence of incest forces us to come face to face with the evasive riddles that such a thorny topic presents. In this essay, after a brief review of incest in his full-length films, from Vacas (1992) to Caotica Ana (2007), I focus on the two extant shorts that are accessible today, namely, Patas en la cabeza (1985) and Las seis en punta (1987). In these short films, which are the germ of his later production consisting of six feature authorial films, we can already surmise what Medem would develop later on in his films. Up front, always as a minimum common denominator, incest already begins to show, half cautiously, half defiantly, a...
Eavesdropping to Find Mates: The Function of Male Hearing for a Cicada-Hunting Parasitoid Fly, Emblemasoma erro (Diptera: Sarcophagidae).

At least six species of flies of the tachinid tribe Ormiini (Diptera: Tachinidae) and two species of flies of the sarcophagid genus Emblemasoma (sensu Pape 1990; Diptera: Sarcophagidae) are parasitoids with an unusual method of finding their hosts: Female flies have highly sensitive ears that allow them to listen for, and home in on, the airborne acoustic signals of their host crickets, katydids, and cicadas (Cade 1975; Soper et al. 1976; Burk 1982; Fowler and Kochalka 1985; Lakes-Harlan and Heller 1992; Walker 1993; Allen 1998; Stucky 2015). Females perform rapid, positive phonotaxis to the mating calls of their hosts, but all previous studies have found that males are not attracted to these sounds in the field (Fowler 1987; Walker 1993; Farris et al. 2008; Lakes-Harlan et al. 2014). Nevertheless, male acoustic parasitoids also have ears. They possess the same tympanal structures as females, and the males’ tympana are physiologically functional (Robert et al. 1992; Lakes-Harlan et al. 2014; Lakes-Harlan and Lehmann 2015). So far, however, no definite adaptive function of male hearing has been demonstrated for any of these fly species. Here, I present the results of an investigation of the function of male hearing in the sarcophagid parasitoid Emblemasoma erro Aldrich. Emblemasoma erro is an acoustic eavesdropping parasitoid of the cicada Neotibicen dorsatus (Say) (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in the central Great Plains region of North America, and as with other sarcophagid and tachinid acoustic parasitoids, females of E. erro orient to the mating calls of their hosts for larviposition (Stucky 2015). After informally observing that male E. erro were also attracted to the acoustic signals of cicadas, I hypothesized that both male and female E. erro might use the calling songs of their hosts as a means for locating potential mates. To test this hypothesis, I investigated the attractiveness of host cicada calls to both male and female E. erro, and I tested whether nongravid female E. erro also perform phonotaxis to cicada calls, as would be expected if these flies use cicada calls to find mates. I also observed the behaviors of male E. erro at a sound source and attempted to observe the mating behavior of E. erro in the field. All results suggested that cicada calls serve as mate-finding cues for this parasitoid. I discuss the mate locating behavior of E. erro in the context of the mating behaviors of other sarcophagid species, other acoustic parasitoids, and, more broadly, eavesdropping parasitoids in general.
Investigation of a Solution-Processable, Nonspecific Surface Modifier for Low Cost, High Work Function Electrodes

We demonstrate the ability of the highly fluorinated, chemically inert copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) to significantly increase the work function of a variety of common electrode materials. The work function change is hypothesized to occur via physisorption of the polymer layer and formation of a surface dipole at the polymer/conductor interface. When incorporated into organic solar cells, an interlayer of PVDF-HFP at an Ag anode increases the open circuit voltage by 0.4 eV and improves device power conversion efficiency by approximately an order of magnitude relative to Ag alone. Solution-processable in air, PVDF-HFP thin films provide one possible route toward achieving low cost, nonreactive, high work function electrodes.
Microbial Phosphite Oxidation and Its Potential Role in the Global Phosphorus and Carbon Cycles.

Abstract Phosphite ( HPO 3 2 − ) is a highly soluble, reduced phosphorus compound that is often overlooked in biogeochemical analyses. Although the oxidation of phosphite to phosphate is a highly exergonic process ( E o ' = −650 mV), phosphite is kinetically stable and can account for 10–30% of the total dissolved P in various environments. There is also evidence that phosphite was more prevalent under the reducing conditions of the Archean period and may have been involved in the development of early life. Its role as a phosphorus source for a variety of extant microorganisms has been known since the 1950s, and the pathways involved in assimilatory phosphite oxidation have been well characterized. More recently, it was demonstrated that phosphite could also act as an electron donor for energy metabolism in a process known as dissimilatory phosphite oxidation (DPO). The bacterium described in this study, Desulfotignum phosphitoxidans strain FiPS-3, was isolated from brackish sediments and is capable of growing by coupling phosphite oxidation to the reduction of either sulfate or carbon dioxide. FiPS-3 remains the only isolated organism capable of DPO, and the prevalence of this metabolism in the environment is still unclear. Nonetheless, given the widespread presence of phosphite in the environment and the thermodynamic favorability of its oxidation, microbial phosphite oxidation may play an important and hitherto unrecognized role in the global phosphorus and carbon cycles.
Parent emotion socialization and children's socioemotional adjustment: when is supportiveness no longer supportive?

Parents' supportive emotion socialization behaviors promote children's socioemotional competence in early childhood, but the nature of parents' supportiveness may change over time, as children continue to develop their emotion-related abilities and enter contexts that require more complex and nuanced social skills and greater autonomy. To test whether associations between parents' supportiveness of children's negative emotions and children's socioemotional adjustment vary with child age, 81 parents of 3- to 6-year-old children completed questionnaires assessing their responses to children's negative emotions and their children's emotion regulation, lability, social competence, and behavioral adjustment. As predicted, child age moderated the associations between parents' supportiveness and children's socioemotional adjustment. For younger children, parents' supportiveness predicted better emotion regulation and less anxiety/internalizing and anger/externalizing problems. However, for older children, these associations were reversed, suggesting that socialization strategies which were supportive for younger children may fail to foster socioemotional competence among 5- to 6-year-old children. These results suggest the importance of considering emotion socialization as a dynamic, developmental process, and that parents' socialization of children's emotions might need to change in response to children's developing emotional competencies and social demands.
Systemic Dual-Developmental Supervision: An Approach for Psychotherapy Practitioners and Supervisors

Counseling programs utilize supervision to train ethical and effective professionals. Faculty supervisors may incorporate systemic interventions into their supervision of students from mental healt...
E-cigarettes: An update on considerations for the otolaryngologist

Abstract Purpose We provide an update in the literature and national regulations regarding electronic cigarettes with special attention to the pediatric population. Background Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are handheld battery operated devices that vaporize nicotine-containing liquids for inhalation. Use of these products has dramatically increased over the last several years, particularly among the youth. ENDS are being marketed with advertising techniques and flavors which appeal to the adolescent and young adult population. More reports of accidental pediatric exposures are being documented, as are suicides from abuse of liquid nicotine. Federal regulation has only now become required of these devices. Conclusion Use of e cigarettes among adolescents increases each year. Government oversight is needed to protect our children from the re-normalization of tobacco. Otolaryngologists should be prepared to counsel their patients and families regarding the latest in ENDS use.
National Ignition Facility (NIF) FY2015 Facility Use Plan

Major features of the FY2015 NIF Use Plan include: • Performing a record number of layered DT experiments with 28 planned compared with 15 in FY2014. Executing the first plutonium experiments on the NIF in support of the Science Campaigns. • Over 300 targets shots, a 57% increase compared to FY14. This is a stretch goal defined in the 120-Day Study document, and relies upon the success of many shot-rate improvement actions, as well as on the distribution of shot type selected by the users. While the Plan is consistent with this goal, the increased proportion of layered DT experiments described above reduces the margin against this goal. • Commissioning of initial ARC capability, which will support both SSP-HED and SSPICF programs. • Increase in days allocated to Discovery Science to a level that supports an ongoing program for academic use of NIF and an annual solicitation for new proposals. • Six Facility Maintenance and Reconfiguration (FM&R) periods totaling 30 days dedicated to major facility maintenance and modifications. • Utilization of the NIF Facility Advisory Schedule Committee (FASC) to provide stakeholder review and feedback on the NIF schedule. The Use Plan assumes a total FY2015 LLNL NIF Operations funding inmore » MTE 10.7 of $229.465M and in MTE 10.3 of 47.0M. This Use Plan will be revised in the event of significant changes to the FY2015 funding or if NNSA provides FY2016 budget guidance significantly reduced compared to FY2015.« less
Postural compensation strategy depends on the severity of vestibular damage

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of various levels of vestibular function on balance in two, free-standing rhesus monkeys. We hypothesized that postural control strategy depended on the severity of vestibular damage. More specifically, that increased muscle stiffness (via short-latency mechanisms) was adequate to compensate for mild damage, but long-latency mechanisms must be utilized for more severe vestibular damage. One animal was studied for pre-ablated and mild vestibular dysfunction states, while a second animal was studied in a pre-ablated and severe vestibular dysfunction state. The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), an eye movement reflex directly linked to vestibular function, was used to quantify the level of vestibular damage. A postural feedback controller model, previously only used for human studies, was modified to interpret non-human primate postural responses (differences observed in the measured trunk roll) for these three levels of vestibular function. By implementing a feedback controller model, we were able to further interpret our empirical findings and model results were consistent with our above hypothesis. This study establishes a baseline for future studies of non-human primate posture.
Learning Launches: Growth Results from Experimental Learning

In this note, the author discusses how research shows that consistent growth companies engage in growth experiments or tests to gather better data to be used in determining which growth ideas are worth investing in. A Learning Launch is described as a process that can be used to do those growth experiments. Students will be shown that by doing Learning Launches, a business can evaluate many growth ideas quickly and cheaply, allowing it to gain better evidence to winnow down a multitude of ideas into a smaller group of ideas that appear to be more viable based on information learned. Excerpt UVA-S-0198 Oct. 10, 2011 Learning Launches: Growth Results From Experimental Learning Multiple research projects have shown that consistent above average growth is the exception not the rule. In studying some of those exceptional companies, we have learned that growth requires the right mindsets, the right enabling internal system, and growth processes. One of the key growth processes is experimental learning. Growth is not a linear process. It is an iterative learn as you go process. Research has shown that consistent growth companies engage in growth experiments or tests to gather better data to be used in determining which growth ideas are worth investing in. A Learning Launch is a process that can be used to do those growth experiments. By doing Learning Launches, a business can evaluate many growth ideas quickly and cheaply, allowing it to gain better evidence to winnow down a multitude of ideas into a smaller group of ideas that appear to be more viable based on information learned. . . .
Coding for Slow-Frequency-Hop Transmission: Variations on a Theme of McEliece

An important theme of McEliece’s publications on slow-frequencyhop communications is that Reed-Solomon codes can protect against the effects of frequency-selective fading and partial-band interference, especially if side information is provided to the receiver. Two variations on this theme are described and the potential performance improvements are discussed. A new method is presented that permits the receiver to derive its own side information without requiring the transmitter to send side-information symbols, and Hermitian codes are evaluated as an alternative to Reed-Solomon codes for frequency-hop communications.
Endoscopic Management of Hepatobiliary Complications of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract Extraintestinal manifestations (EIM) are seen in about 25%–40% of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is the most common EIM affecting the hepatobiliarypancreatic system. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) plays an important role in PSC diagnosis when magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is nondiagnostic. Balloon dilatation with or without stenting with ERCP is the treatment of choice for dominant strictures associated with PSC. ERCP facilitates tissue sampling with cytology and biopsy for determining the etiology of a biliary stricture or cholangiocarcinoma. A biliary stricture is labeled as indeterminate, when conventional methods of imaging and diagnosis fail to differentiate between benign and malignant causes. Advanced cytological analysis of biliary brushing specimen by fluorescence in situ hybridization, digital image analysis, and flow cytometry are a useful adjunct to routine cytology in the evaluation of indeterminate biliary stricture. Cholangioscopy, intraductal ultrasound, endoscopic ultrasound with fine needle aspiration and confocal laser endomicroscopy represent recent advances in endoscopy techniques which allows for evaluation of the biliary tree pathologies with enhanced sensitivity and a high specificity.
An Agent Architecture for Simultaneous Bilateral Negotiations

In this paper we introduce an agent architecture for joint action negotiation among several agents in complex environments and with negotiation time bounds. The architecture is based on a graded BDI model and on an information-based negotiation model. This work does not yet include experimental results but it is currently being tested using DipGame (http://www.dipgame.org).
Analysis of Heat Budget, Dissipation and Frontogenesis in a Shallow Density Current

High frequency wind and temperature measurements, obtained in March 1995 from a 10-m tower array situated in south-east Kansas, are used to analyze the structure of a shallow density current. This current is approximately 7 m deep and exhibits a current head that is estimated to be about twice the current depth. The event lasted approximately 900 s and its origin appears to be a shallow slope 2–:5 km to the west of the site, where cold air drainage occurs. The onset of the event is marked by a 5 °C temperature decrease at the 3-m level, increased variance of temperature and of wind velocity, and increased dissipation of kinetic energy, measured by a hot-wire anemometer at the 3-m level. The primary contributors to temperature changes following the frontal passage are both horizontal and vertical advections; contributions from flux divergences of temperature and of radiation, and from dew formation, do not appear to be significant. Postulated frontogenesis, prior to the arrival of the apparent equilibrated front of approximately 176-m width at the site, is examined by means of a theoretical model. The time required to equilibrate the front, by means of kinetic energy dissipation within the frontal zone, is determined to be less than 300 s, or less than the estimated travel time from the orographic slope to the observational site. The absence of upstream data is determined, however, to be a limitation of the analysis performed.
Mango Pickles and Goat Grass: Family Fieldwork in an Indian Village

In the heart of India there is a small settlement of agriculturalists, artisans, and entrepreneurs living in mud-plastered houses nestled at the foot of a forest-covered hill. None of the villagers have travelled outside of India and most have but a dim idea of the location of America, which they call “Amirka, ” or “Land of the Rich. ” In fact, some of the least sophisticated of the villagers believe America lies somewhere near the snowcapped Himalayas, as they have heard America is a country of ice and snow, very unlike the tropical region they inhabit. But however uninformed these villagers may be about New World geography, they know a surprising amount about American family life, as they have been able to observe at first hand an American family which has been associated with their village for several years.
Some uniqueness and extremum principles for rate-type materials.

Rate type materials with constitutive equations given by tensor relationship, discussing true stress and rate of deformation tensors
Review Carbon fibers for composites

An attempt has been made to review and analyze the developments made during last few decades in the field of high performance carbon fibers. The focus is primarily on high technology sector, which includes aerospace and nuclear engineering or other areas, where the large scale use of carbon fibers is driven by maximum performance and not by cost factors. We have identified and suggested some specific areas for future research in order to minimize the gap between theoretical and practically realized tensile strengths and other mechanical properties of carbon fibers.
Effects of TWA-Supported Digitally on Comprehension of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level 1:

Presenting text in digital format with annotation supports may relieve some of the cognitive load that hinders inferential comprehension for students with comprehension deficits. Science texts are ...
Food selection, food craving, and body mass index in persons in treatment for substance use disorder.

Studies of persons in treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) frequently report significant body weight gain and higher food consumption. It is unclear what psychological variables might mediate a relationship between SUD treatment status and food selection. To examine the association between SUD treatment status and food selection, 212 men and women (104 in treatment for SUD) were asked, in an online survey, to choose from among 16 food images in an imagined all-you-can-eat buffet scenario. Food craving, emotional eating (EE), impulsivity, and drugs used were examined as potential mediators while reward responsiveness (RR) was examined as a potential moderator. The amount of energy from foods selected was the predicted variable. Results indicated that those in treatment for SUD had significantly higher food cravings, positive EE, and attentional and motor impulsivity (but not RR or negative EE) which were (with the exception of RR) not correlated with energy selected from food images. Those in SUD treatment selected more energy (M = 2655.10 kcal, SEM = 156.97) from food images than those in the control group (M = 2221.52 kcal, SEM = 112.29), t(188) = -2.25, p = 0.026. In a multiple regression moderation analysis, SUD treatment status (β = 419.58, p = 0.029) and RR (β = 39.23, p = 0.016) were significant predictors of energy from foods selected. The amount of energy selected from food images predicted by SUD treatment status was dependent on values of RR. Mean BMI was not significantly higher for the SUD group but there were more participants with BMI values over 29 and fewer with BMI between 25 and 29 in the SUD treatment group. While the cause remains unclear, the results show that persons in treatment for SUD and with higher RR do select more energy from food images in a meal scenario.
Ring canals permit extensive cytoplasm sharing among germline cells independent of fusomes inDrosophilatestes

Abstract Intercellular bridges, also called ring canals (RCs), connect germline cells during gametogenesis in males and females. They form as a consequence of incomplete cytokinesis during cell division leaving groups of daughter cells connected in syncytia. In Drosophila females, RCs are required for oocyte growth but little is known about the role of RCs during spermatogenesis. Using live imaging, we document extensive intercellular movement of GFP and a subset of endogenous proteins through RCs during spermatogenesis from two-cell diploid spermatogonia to clusters of 64 post-meiotic haploid spermatids. Loss of the fusome, a large cytoplasmic structure extending through RCs that is known to be important during oogenesis, has minimal impact on RC development or intercellular protein movement during spermatogenesis. Our results reveal that male germline RCs remain persistently open and mediate extensive sharing of cytoplasmic information, supporting multiple roles for RCs throughout sperm development.
Optomechanical design of a portable metrology system for measurement of precision rotary stage errors

The Advanced Photon Source Upgrade (APS-U) project will construct several new, best-in-class beamlines and enhancements to existing beamlines to exploit the massive increase in coherent flux enabled by the new storage ring lattice. APS-U will also enhance several existing beamlines to boost their performance. X-ray tomography is a common imaging mode for several of these beamlines, so there is demand for the highest-precision rotation of the sample. For example, the In Situ Nanoprobe (ISN, 19-ID), a next-generation hard x-ray nanoprobe, will use x-ray fluorescence tomography and ptychographic 3D imaging as key imaging modes with a spot size of 20 nm. It will require <100 nm runout and single-micro-radian wobble errors of the rotation stage to achieve full 3D resolution. Such precise requirements for a rotation stage can be achieved with air bearing rotation stages. However, this approach puts constraints on sample positioning design in terms of the sample environment (air bearing stages are generally not vacuum compatible) and the large mass of air bearing rotation stages. Mechanical bearing stages do not equal the precision runout/wobble specifications of air bearings. In order to use mechanical stages and approach air bearing level precision, the errors of the mechanical stage have to be measured precisely. We have then designed a metrology system using interferometer or capacitive sensors for the nanopositioning support lab as a diagnostic tool and to be portable for quality assurance testing of stages at the beamline.
Presence of cerebrospinal fluid antibodies associated with autoimmune encephalitis of humans in dogs with neurologic disease.

Background Presumed autoimmune diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS) of dogs are common. In people, antibodies against neuronal cell surface antigens that are associated with a wide variety of neurological syndromes have been identified. The presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) autoantibodies that target neuronal cell surface proteins has not been reported in dogs with neurologic disorders. Objectives Autoantibodies to neuronal cell surface antigens can be found in the CSF of dogs with inflammatory CNS disease. Our aim was to determine whether 6 neuronal cell surface autoantibodies were present in the CSF of dogs diagnosed with inflammatory and noninflammatory CNS disease. Animals Client-owned dogs with CNS disease and complete diagnostic evaluation including magnetic resonance imaging and CSF analysis were included. One healthy dog was included as a negative control. Methods Cerebrospinal fluid was tested for 6 antigenic targets with a commercially available indirect immunofluorescence assay test kit. Results There were 32 dogs with neurological disease, 19 diagnosed with inflammatory disease (encephalitis and meningitis), 10 with noninflammatory disease (neoplasia, intervertebral disk disease, degenerative myelopathy, and epilepsy), 2 with no diagnosis, and 1 with neoplasia and meningoencephalitis. Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 1 (NMDAR1) antibodies were detected in 3 dogs (3/32; 9.38%). All 3 dogs responded to treatment of meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown etiology (MUE). Conclusions and clinical importance Further evaluation of the prevalence and clinical relevance of CSF and serum antibodies to neuronal cell surface antigens is warranted. Defining antigenic targets associated with encephalitis in dogs might allow diagnostic categorization of MUE antemortem.
5G Wireless Technology:A Primer

5G stands for fifth generation wireless technology. It is the latest iteration of cellular technology that has three main features: greater speed, lower latency, and the ability to connect a lot more devices simultaneously. A commercial 5G wireless network is expected to be deployed by 2020. This paper provides a brief introduction to 5G wireless technology.
A Replay Attack-Resistant 0-RTT Key Management Scheme for Low-Bandwidth Smart Grid Communications

With the increasing digitization of different components of Smart Grid, there is an ongoing effort to design secure protocols and deploy them for different applications. A major need along with these efforts is to deal with key management for a large number of devices which are resource constrained and deployed within a very legacy communication environment. As the utilities rightly request to build the new systems on top of the legacy systems with limited investment, the research community needs to re-think the adaptation of the existing security approaches to such non- traditional environments. Assuming a legacy (i.e., 2G) radio communication infrastructure with bandwidths in the order of kilobits, the goal of this study is to enable basic security services in Smart Grid via a lightweight key management scheme. Specifically, the proposed scheme provides mutual authentication, key agreement, and key refreshment by utilizing a 0-RTT message exchange that relies neither on PKI or session resumption. It depends on dynamic hash chains to enable authentication and prevent any replay attacks. The evaluations results show that the proposed scheme out-performs other conventional approaches such as TLS and IKE and is suitable for Smart Grid legacy environments.
Most Patients Undergoing Ground And Air Ambulance Transportation Receive Sizable Out-Of-Network Bills.

“Surprise” out-of-network bills have come under close scrutiny, and while ambulance transportation is known to be a large component of the problem, its impact is poorly understood. We measured the ...
Introduction: A Virtual Issue on Diversity and Inclusion in Education Abroad

The Guest Editors introduce their virtual issue on Diversity and Inclusion in Education Abroad, which curates past articles published in Frontiers on the topic. Click on the links beside each selected article in the REFERENCES section below to read the full article.
Modulation of Extracellular ISG15 Signaling by Pathogens and Viral Effector Proteins.

Summary ISG15 is a ubiquitin-like modifier that also functions extracellularly, signaling through the LFA-1 integrin to promote interferon (IFN)-γ release from natural killer (NK) and T cells. The signals that lead to the production of extracellular ISG15 and the relationship between its two core functions remain unclear. We show that both epithelial cells and lymphocytes can secrete ISG15, which then signals in either an autocrine or paracrine manner to LFA-1-expressing cells. Microbial pathogens and Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists result in both IFN-β-dependent and -independent secretion of ISG15, and residues required for ISG15 secretion are mapped. Intracellular ISGylation inhibits secretion, and viral effector proteins, influenza B NS1, and viral de-ISGylases, including SARS-CoV-2 PLpro, have opposing effects on secretion of ISG15. These results establish extracellular ISG15 as a cytokine-like protein that bridges early innate and IFN-γ-dependent immune responses, and indicate that pathogens have evolved to differentially inhibit the intracellular and extracellular functions of ISG15.
Hypothesis Testing in Scientific Practice: An Empirical Study

It is generally accepted among philosophers of science that hypothesis testing (or confirmation) is a key methodological feature of science. As far as philosophical theories of confirmation are con...
Firearm Instrumentality: Do Guns Make Violent Situations More Lethal?

One of the central debates animating the interpretation of gun research for public policy is the question of whether the presence of firearms independently makes violent situations more lethal, kno...
Bronchoscopy in Pediatric and Neonatal ICU

Diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopy have important roles in the pediatric and neonatal intensive care units. An understanding of technical aspects and physiologic changes occurring during bronchoscopy is critical such that adverse events are minimized. Indications include, among others, anatomic evaluation and bronchoalveolar lavage to evaluate persistent or recurrent infiltrates, infections in immunocompromised hosts, and pulmonary hemorrhage.
Supporting Research on Inclusion in K-12 Computer Science Education using CSEdResearch.org

CSEdResearch.org was originally conceived in order to collect data necessary to discover empirically-based best practices for teaching K-12 computing across the demographic spectrum, with an eye towards improving the efficacy of outreach activities and curriculum for underrepresented groups. This resource includes evaluation instruments for computing education and a repository of articles related to K-12 computing education with the capability of filtering by demographic, such as gender, race/ethnicity, and disabilities. Instructors, researchers, and evaluators interested in inclusion and diversity in computer science education can use the CSEdResearch.org resources to quickly find relevant articles and evaluation instruments. The site is easy to engage in as a contributor and as an end-user. We encourage continued collaboration and feedback from users as this resource evolves.
Continuum-Scale Quantitative Defect Dynamics in Growing Czochralski Silicon Crystals

The vast majority of modern microelectronic devices are built on monocrystalline silicon substrates produced from crystals grown by the Czochralski (CZ) and float-zone (FZ) processes. Silicon crystals inherently contain various crystallographic imperfections known as microdefects that often affect the yield and performance of many devices. Hence, quantitative understanding and control of the formation and distribution of microdefects in silicon crystals play a central role in determining the quality of silicon substrates. These microdefects are primarily aggregates of intrinsic point defects of silicon (vacancies and self-interstitials) and oxygen (silicon dioxide). The distribution of microdefects in a CZ crystal is determined by the complex dynamics, influenced by various reactions involving the intrinsic point defects and oxygen, and their transport. The distribution of these microdefects can also be strongly influenced and controlled by the addition of impurities such as nitrogen to the crystal. In this chapter, significant developments in the field of defect dynamics in growing CZ and FZ crystals are reviewed. The breakthrough discovery of the initial point defect incorporation in the vicinity of the melt–crystal interface, made in the early 1980s, allows a simplified quantification of CZ and FZ defect dynamics. Deeper insight into the formation and growth of microdefects was provided in the last decade by various treatments of the aggregation of oxygen and the intrinsic point defects of silicon. In particular, rigorous quantification of the aggregation of intrinsic point defects using the classical nucleation theory, a recently developed lumped model that captures the microdefect distribution by representing the actual population of microdefects by an equivalent population of identical microdefects, and another rigorous treatment involving the Fokker–Planck equations are discussed in detail. The industrially significant dynamics of growing CZ crystals free of large microdefects is also reviewed. Under the conditions of large microdefect-free growth, a moderate vacancy supersaturation develops in the vicinity of the lateral surface of a growing crystal, leading to the formation of oxygen clusters and small voids, at lower temperatures. The vacancy incorporation near the lateral surface of a crystal, or the lateral incorporation of vacancies, is driven by the interplay among the Frenkel reaction, the diffusion of the intrinsic point defects, and their convection.
A comparison of body image and self-concept variables among various sport groups.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare body image, body-cathexis, and self-cathexis variables among the following sport groups at Florida State University: team sports — football (N = 65), basketball (N = 12), baseball (N = 26); individual sports — weightlifting (N = 15), swimming (N = 18), gymnastics (N = 9). Using multiple discriminate analysis, significant differences were noted among the team sports and individual sports, but not between the combined team sports and the combined individual sports. Significant differences were also noted among the six sport groups for the body and self-cathexis variables, but not for the body image variable. Of the groups tested, basketball players and gymnasts were found to be the most different from each other.
Logical effort of higher valency adders

Higher valency parallel prefix adders reduce the number of logic levels at the expense of greater fan-in at each level. This paper uses the method of logical effort to evaluate the tradeoffs of higher valency for static and dynamic implementations of various adder architectures.
The World Trade Organization's Anti-Discrimination Jurisprudence: Free Trade, National Sovereignty, and Environmental Health in the Balance

The protests in Seattle and Genoa embody the growing controversy surrounding the World Trade Organization (WTO). The popular protest, which is echoed in the academic literature, centers on the tension between the free trade commitment of the General Agreement on the Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and domestic policies regarding such matters as environmental, health, consumer, and labor protection. The WTO and its related dispute resolution bodies have increasingly been confronted with challenges by importing trade partners claiming that environmental and health regulations violate multilateral international trade commitments. In a series of cases adjudicated by early GATT panels (pre-1995), and the newly formed WTO dispute settlement bodies (post-1995), an emerging jurisprudence has developed a framework for resolving such conflicts. In this article we illustrate how this jurisprudential framework, and the cases that comprise it, articulate and apply an anti-discrimination norm that pervades the GATT. In applying the GATT's anti-discrimination norm, the WTO's jurisprudence strikes a balance between "free trade" and its sovereign members' pursuit of non-trade interests, some of which openly conflict with liberalized trade practices. This balancing accords with the fundamental structure of the GATT as a "negative integration" treaty, the character of which necessarily constrains the WTO's ability to undermine the sovereign policy choices of its contracting parties, particularly when those policy choices implicate public interest regarding values such as environmental and public health protection. If properly articulated and applied, we argue, the anti-discrimination jurisprudence of the WTO embodies a legitimate application of the trade principles by which the GATT contracting States agreed to be bound. In other words, the democratic legitimacy and other concerns raised by the protests and the general malaise associated with what has been loosely termed "globalization" are not implicated by the cases under review. While the liberalization of free trade raises highly complicated and legitimate concerns for domestic agendas on environmental health and other issues, the WTO anti-discrimination norm may root out protectionism, up to the point where the GATT intended domestic sovereignty to preempt supranational intrusion. That is not to say that the GATT is a wonderfully functioning treaty that does not implicate any concern for domestic sovereignty. The negative integration feature of GATT is a double-edged sword. At the same time as it shelters domestic measures from aggressive judicial review, it permits States to choose low levels of regulatory protection and uses this regulatory comparative advantage to attract manufacturers. How to address this and other problems associated with economic globalization lies beyond the scope of this Article, but is the subject of a forthcoming article.
A Variational Approach to Robust Regression

We consider the problem of regression estimation within a Bayesian framework for models linear in the parameters and where the target variables are contaminated by 'outliers'. We introduce an explicit distribution to explain outlying observations, and utilise a variational approximation to realise a practical inference strategy.
The Role of Socialization, Effortful Control, and Ego Resiliency in French Adolescents' Social Functioning.

The relations among effortful control, ego resiliency, socialization, and social functioning were examined with a sample of 182 French adolescents (14–20 years old). Adolescents, their parents, and/or teachers completed questionnaires on these constructs. Effortful control and ego resiliency were correlated with adolescents' social functioning, especially with low externalizing and internalizing behaviors and sometimes with high peer competence. Furthermore, aspects of socialization (parenting practices more than family expressiveness) were associated with adolescents' effortful control, ego resiliency, and social functioning. Effortful control and ego resiliency mediated the relations between parental socialization and adolescents' peer competence and internalizing problems. Furthermore, effortful control mediated the relations between socialization and adolescents' externalizing behavior. Findings are discussed in terms of cultural and developmental variation.
Development of an in vitro model for assessing the in vivo stability of lanthanide chelates

An in vitro model was developed to evaluate the in vivo stability of lanthanide polyaminocarboxylate complexes. The ligand-to-metal ratios for the chelates EDTA, CDTA, DTPA, MA-DTPA (monoamide-DTPA) and DOTA with the lanthanides lanthanum, samarium, and lutetium were optimized to achieve > or = 98% complexation yield for the resultant radiolanthanide complexes. The exchange of the radiolanthanides from their EDTA, CDTA, DTPA, MA-DTPA and DOTA complexes with Ca(2+) was determined by in vitro adsorption and in vitro column studies using hydroxyapatite (HA), an in vitro bone model. In vitro serum stability of these radiolanthanide complexes was used as an additional indicator of in vivo stability, although the mechanism of instability in serum will be different than with bone. The in vitro studies were consistent with the expected findings that the smallest lanthanide (Lu) formed the most stable complexes. In vivo studies were done to validate the in vitro model. Biodistribution studies in normal CF-1 mice showed that in vivo stability of the complex (i.e., the more lanthanide remaining in complex form) could be assessed by a combination of the urinary, bone and liver uptake. For example, biodistribution studies demonstrate that high urinary excretion correlated with complex stability, while high liver plus bone uptake correlated with complex instability. The urinary excretion of the EDTA complexes decreased from (177)Lu to (140)La indicating a loss in stability in the direction of (140)La, consistent with the in vitro studies. The more stable a lanthanide complex is, the lower its exchange with HA in vitro will be, and the lower its combined bone plus liver uptake and higher its urinary excretion will be in vivo. This investigation indicates that the in vivo stability can be determined by a screening method that measures the degree of exchange from the lanthanide chelate with hydroxyapatite (HA) and its serum stability.
What is Sino‐Tibetan? Snapshot of a Field and a Language Family in Flux

Sino-Tibetan is one of the great language families of the world, containing hundreds of languages spoken by over 1 billion people, from Northeast India to the Southeast Asian peninsula. The best-known languages in the family are Chinese, Tibetan, and Burmese. Although the existence of the family has been recognized for nearly 200 years, significant progress in reconstructing the history of the family was not achieved until the latter half of the twentieth century. In recent decades, this progress has accelerated, thanks to an explosion of new data and new approaches. At the same time, a number of interesting controversies have emerged in the field, centered on such issues as subgrouping and reconstruction methodology.
Probability Calculations for Turbulent Jet Flows with Mixing and Reaction of NO and O3

Abstract Calculations are performed for non-premixed, chemically reacting axisymmetric and plane jets involving NO and O3. The jet carries NO diluted with N2 into the stagnant surrounding containing traces of O3 in the carrier gas N2. The concentrations of the reactants and products are determined from Monte Carlo solutions of the joint PDF equation of two scalars (Shvab-Zeldovich variables). The hydrodynamics are determined from the continuity equation, time averaged momentum equations and a two-equation model for turbulence. In order to compare the Monte Carlo calculations and to estimate the effects of concentration fluctuations on the reaction rate, finite-difference calculations were made on the averaged transport equations for the same two Shvab-Zeldovich variables, with neglect of second-order effects on the reaction rate. It is noted that for the passive scalar (first Shvab-Zeldovich variable) mean transport calculations are advantageous, where the joint PDF formulation has the advantage of closin...
An asymptotic behavior of QR decomposition

Abstract The m-th root of the diagonal of the upper triangular matrix Rm in the QR decomposition of AXmB = QmRm converges and the limit is given by the moduli of the eigenvalues of X with some ordering, where A , B , X ∈ C n × n are nonsingular. The asymptotic behavior of the strictly upper triangular part of Rm is discussed. Some computational experiments are discussed.