cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Health Impact Assessment, Physical Activity and Federal Lands Trail Policy

Objectives The objectives of this paper are to describe the application of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) to inform trail decisions affecting a rural, under-resourced community and propose the routine integration of HIAs to enhance NEPA environmental assessments and environmental impact statements for trail decisions on federal lands. Methods Screening, scoping, assessment, recommendations, reporting, monitoring and evaluation are being used to examine the health impact of trail location and design. Results HIA recommendations are being integrated into the public lands National Environmental Protection Act process for planning access to a new segment of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. Potential users from a nearby rural New Mexico community and a region of almost one million may benefit from this HIA-informed planning. Conclusions HIA can be integrated into the policy and decision-making process for trails on public lands.
Terahertz Beams: Generation and Spectroscopy

TeraHertz beams of ultrafast pulses of far infrared (λ=40-1000μm, ν = 0.3x1012_ 7.5x1012Hz) radiation generated via the induced dipole of photogenerated charge within a strong electric field in semiconductors are an emerging spectroscopic technique which incorporates ultrafast optical pulse generation, optoelectronics, and far infrared techniques. Recent results obtained using the trap enhanced field (TEF){xc[1]} effect in the generation of THz beams demonstrate the extended frequency range of these sources and show their importance to time resolved infrared spectroscopy. The generation of collimated THz radiation within semi-insulating materials is dramatically improved by the extremely large field enhancement near the anode of an electrically biased metal/semi-insulator/metal structure. Our experimental results for semiinsulating GaAs establish an operational regime in which the applied potential is confined to a small region near the anode resulting from a space charge region which exists due to a dramatic change in the number of ionized EL2 traps. The effect, contrary to that observed in trap free or doped materials, is enhanced by optical injection of carriers near the anode, and can be exploited for the efficient generation of ultrafast THz radiation. Spectroscopy using THz beams allows both the static and dynamic properties, including refractive index, absorption, and photoconductivity, of materials and structures to be accurately measured. The energy range and time resolution of freely propagating subpsec THz pulses have not been previously available.
Lessons Learned From 30 Years Experience With Renewable Energy Technologies at Fort Huachuca, Arizona

Fort Huachuca, AZ, located 60 mi Southeast of Tucson, has had over 30 years of experience with various renewable energy systems. This session discusses lessons learned from the successes and failures in that experience, including: an indoor pool solar water heating system (installed 1980); a solar domestic hot water (DHW) system (installed 1981); a grid connected Photovoltaic system (installed 1982); transpired air solar collectors (Solarwalls,™ installed 2001); day-lighting (installed 2001); a 10-KW wind turbine (installed 2002); photovoltaic powered outdoor lighting (installed 1994); a prototype Dish/Stirling solar thermal electric generator (installed 1996); two 30-KW Building Integrated Photovoltaic systems (installed on new membrane roofs in 2009); and a 36-KW Photovoltaic system moved from the Pentagon in June 2009 and became operational November 2009 at Fort Huachuca. Also discussed is an experimental solar attic system (first installed in 2003 and now being fully monitored) that collects hot air in an attic, and via a heat exchanger and tank, produces solar DHW. This paper discusses system design, installation, metering, operation and maintenance, and also work in progress on the installation of commercial, off-the-shelf 3-KW Dish/Stirling solar thermal electric generators and solar thermal/natural gas-to-electric systems at a central plant. Discussions include biogas (methane from a wastewater digester) and biomass (wood chip boiler) being installed at a central heating/cooling plant.© 2010 ASME
Observations of Xanthomatosis in Chickens

Abstract XANTHOMATOSIS, a tumor-like condition affecting primarily the skin and wattles of chickens, apparently has increased in incidence in recent years. Nieberle (1949) reported a xanthoma in a parrot but failed to describe the condition. A localized lesion in a horse was reported by Nitsche (1930). Jarmai (1938) described a generalized case in a horse. The literature contains several reports in which xanthomatosis in humans was apparently related to hepatic involvement, as for example, jaundice (Stolzer, 1950) or hepatic damage (Chanutin and Ludewig, 1937). The first report of this condition in chickens was that of Peckham (1955). He observed the condition in two strains of White Leghorns in the same pen. There were equal numbers of strains A and B, but 40 percent morbidity occurred in the birds of Strain A, whereas, only 2 percent morbidity was observed in birds of Strain B. Birds of varying ages in adjoining pens were …
Genotypic diversity of Escherichia coli isolated from cecal content and mucosa of one- to six-week-old broilers

Escherichia coli is a component of the microbiota of the avian digestive tract and is also part of some of the defined cultures used for competitive exclusion of Salmonella. Of particular interest are E. coli that are able to associate with the cecal wall because they might be part of a barrier that block pathogens from attaching and possibly from gaining entrance to intestinal tissues. In this study, repetitive element (rep)-PCR using the BOXA1R primer was used to differentiate between E. coli isolates obtained from cecal content and mucus of 1- to 6-wk-old broiler chickens. Computer-assisted analysis of the fingerprint patterns obtained from the isolates indicated the presence of 2 major groups of patterns. Collectively these 2 groups consisted of 28 clusters of patterns that differed from each other by 30% or more (dissimilarity index of greater than or equal to 0.3) and were therefore designated as operational taxonomic units. The patterns obtained from isolates from birds aged 1 to 5 wk were distributed almost equally between the 2 major groups, but approximately 90% of the patterns from isolates obtained from 6-wk-old birds belonged to only 1 of the 2 groups. The diversity of the fingerprints indicates that cecal mucus is inhabited by several types of E. coli in individual birds and in the birds housed together. Evidence for the preferential localization of specific E. coli within the cecal mucosa was not found, and therefore a range of E. coli must be able to associate tightly with the cecal mucosa.
Experimental study on effect of total flavones in propolis on enhancment of mice′s immune function

Objective: To explore the effect of total flavones in propolis on enhancement of mice′s immune function.Methods:Total flavones in propolis were consecutively orally given to mice with the doses of 175,350 and 700 mg/kg of body weight for 30～35 days and then various immune indexes were determined.Results:Total flavones in propolis was capable of stimulating multiplication and transformation of mice′s spleen lymphocytes,promoting delayed hypersensitivity,increasing the quantity of antibody-producing cells,enhancing the level of serum hemolysin,promoting the expurgation effect and the phagocytic function of monocyte/macrophage and increasing the activity of natural killer.Conclusion:It is suggested that total flavones in propolis could enhance mice′s immune function.
Investigative analysis of secondary water supply in Lanzhou,2009

Objective:To investigate contaminated situation of some secondary water supply units in Lanzhou city,which aimed at supplying the positive elemental information for construction,manage and maintain mechanism of water supplying system.Methods:To explore the condition of the bacteria culture before disinfection and after disinfection by going the spot examines and random sampling.Results:Hardware configuration defects were found in 92 units through the investigate,which included the bigger volume of water storage tank,unreasonable product structure of pipeline laying,outdated materials painted inner surface.At the same time,the problem of no full-time management staff and professional training needed to be attentioned.Three indicators of total bacteria,coliform group and thermotolerant coliforms were increaseed from 23.3%,36.7%,78.6% to 97.8%,100%,100% after disinfection.Conclusion:Different shortages were existed in secondary water supply system in Lanzhou city,which influenced water quality security.
Crime and plural orders in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

For the past generation scholars have written about violence, crime, and conflict in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. While this scholarship has developed an extensive understanding of the problem of violence and criminal control of the city’s favelas it has not yet effectively engaged in a discussion of the implications of differential types of crime creating local security orders. Building on research in two different city regions in Rio de Janeiro, this article examines how different types of crime groups emerge from varied forms of social disorganization and contribute to particular models of social control and order. The article examines the varying relationships and exchanges built by drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro’s Zona Norte (Northern Zone) and milicias in the city’s Zona Oeste (Western Zone). The actions of these criminal organizations emerge from and promote orders that affect the lived political, social, and economic experiences of residents of favelas.
Modeling of milling processes via DEM, PBM, and microhydrodynamics

This chapter presents various modeling approaches used for the simulation and design of wet and dry milling processes in pharmaceutical industry. After introducing the milling process and its salient features, we report the state-of-the-art modeling techniques including microhydrodynamic models, discrete element method (DEM), and population balance model (PBM), and their integrated use in a multiscale framework. The discussion of theory is followed by two major cases studies: one on the application of a microhydrodynamic model to the preparation of poorly water-soluble drug nanosuspensions in a wet media mill and another on the application of a multiscale DEM–PBM approach to ball milling. The former case study demonstrates how microhydrodynamic models can guide the design of wet media milling processes, whereas the latter case study demonstrates how one can judiciously combine particle scale–ensemble scale–process scale models to simulate the evolution of particle size distribution during dry milling.
Hadronic Structure from Lattice QCD

I present some recent progress in lattice computations of moments of structure functions using domain wall fermions.
A Novel Measurement of the Rate of Spontaneous Mutations in Human Myeloid Cells.

The mutation rate (μ) is likely to be a critical parameter in leukemogenesis, but has not previously been measured in human myeloid cells. Using the PIG-A gene as a sentinel, we have recently measured the mutation rate in B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (BLCLs) and shown that it is elevated in cell lines derived from lymphoid malignancies. Here we have measured μ in normal human CD34+ cells derived from cord blood samples that have been transduced with an AML-ETO fusion gene, growing under the influence of cytokines. PIG-A is an X-linked gene essential for the synthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI). Due to X-inactivation in females and hemizygosity in males, a single mutation can produce the GPI (−) phenotype. From patients with PNH, it is known that a broad spectrum of mutations can inactivate PIG-A . Mutants do not express GPI-linked surface proteins such as CD55 or CD59 and do not bind to the FLAER reagent (which binds GPI directly), but do express transmembrane proteins (e.g. CD45). To measure the rate of new mutations in vitro , we first flow-sorted each culture to collect CD59(+) cells, in order to exclude pre-existing mutants. Then we expanded the collected cells over 3 weeks; using cell counts, we calculated population doublings in culture ( d ), which ranged from 5.1 to 7.4. Cells were then stained sequentially with biotinylated FLAER, murine anti-CD55 and anti-CD59 antibodies, rabbit anti-mouse PE and streptavidin-PE secondary conjugates, and CD45-FITC. Live cells were identified by forward and side scatter, propidium iodide exclusion, and expression of CD45. The mutant frequency ( f ) was calculated as the number of GPI (−) cells [which do not bind anti-CD55, CD59 or FLAER] divided by the total number of cells analyzed. An average of 1.2 million cells were analyzed to detect rare mutants. The mutation rate was calculated by the formula μ = f/d . Among 5 cultures derived from 2 different cord blood samples, the mean mutation rate was 12.4 × 10 −7 (range 5.1 to 21.4 × 10 −7 ) per cell division. This value is consistent with mathematical models of the mutation rates in human populations as well as our previous experimental determination of μ in BLCLs. We also analyzed 6 cell lines in which p53 had been disrupted by various methods, including shRNA, a dominant-negative p53 mutant, and introduction of HPV E6/E7. Overall, disruption of p53 resulted in a 30% increase in the mutation rate (p=.02). We conclude that spontaneous mutations in human myeloid cultures are rare but measurable and that disruption of p53 results in a modest increase in μ. We predict that the ability to measure this critical parameter in human hematopoietic cells will facilitate the investigation of the role of specific oncogene and tumor suppressor mutations in inducing hypermutability.
Multistakeholderism and Contestation in the Global Governance of the Information Society

Since the founding of the United Nations in 1945, the question of how to enable effective participation for individual citizens in its multiple and complex deliberative processes of global governance has posed a persistent problem. Scholars and practitioners alike have tried to confront these challenges, with practical solutions ranging from United Nations Associations and the “Major Groups” framework to scholarly solutions such as international regime theory to address the so-called Anarchy Problematique. The UN World Summit on the Information Society was critical in stimulating the participation of multiple civil society actors participating in these global governance processes via transnational networks. This chapter reviews the foundation for this wide-reaching book and concludes with an overview of the structure of the book.
Improving Efficiency Using Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing Methodology.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to increase efficiency in MR enterography using a time-driven activity-based costing methodology. Methods In February 2015, a multidisciplinary team was formed to identify the personnel, equipment, space, and supply costs of providing outpatient MR enterography. The team mapped the current state, completed observations, performed timings, and calculated costs associated with each element of the process. The team used Pareto charts to understand the highest cost and most time-consuming activities, brainstormed opportunities, and assessed impact. Plan-do-study-act cycles were developed to test the changes, and run charts were used to monitor progress. The process changes consisted of revising the workflow associated with the preparation and administration of glucagon, with completed implementation in November 2015. Results The time-driven activity-based costing methodology allowed the radiology department to develop a process to more accurately identify the costs of providing MR enterography. The primary process modification was reassigning responsibility for the administration of glucagon from nurses to technologists. After implementation, the improvements demonstrated success by reducing non-value-added steps and cost by 13%, staff time by 16%, and patient process time by 17%. The saved process time was used to augment existing examination time slots to more accurately accommodate the entire enterographic examination. Anecdotal comments were captured to validate improved staff satisfaction within the multidisciplinary team. Conclusions This process provided a successful outcome to address daily workflow frustrations that could not previously be improved. A multidisciplinary team was necessary to achieve success, in addition to the use of a structured problem-solving approach.
Factors Affecting the Obliteration Rate of Intracranial Aneurysms Treated with a Single Pipeline Embolization Device

Abstract Objective To evaluate the clinical and angiographic outcomes of intracranial aneurysm treatment using a single Pipeline Embolization Device (PED), and to evaluate the factors affecting aneurysm obliteration rate. Methods The demographic characteristics and anatomical features of 58 aneurysms in 47 patients treated with a single Pipeline embolization device were reviewed retrospectively. All aneurysms treated with one PED at a single center, and with follow-up angiograms of at least six months were included in this study. Results The overall rate of complete and near-complete occlusion was 84% (49/58) after a mean follow-up period of 18.3 months. The complete aneurysm obliteration rate was reduced when an arterial branch arose from the aneurysm neck; 13% (1/8) compared with 68% (34/50) for aneurysms without an arterial branch (P value: 0.0075). The overall complete and near-complete aneurysm occlusion rate was 90% (45/50) in aneurysms without an arterial branch arising from its neck. There was no statistically significant association between neck-width, aneurysm size, type, or history of prior coil embolization on obliteration rate. Conclusions Our data suggests that a single PED is sufficient to induce complete or near-complete obliteration of most aneurysms. The presence of a branching artery arising from the aneurysm neck is highly predictive of incomplete occlusion after treatment with a single PED.
Clinical outcomes following surgically repaired bucket-handle meniscus tears.

ABSTRACTObjectives: Meniscus tears are one of the most common knee injuries. Our goal is to investigate the failure rate for surgically repaired bucket-handle meniscus tears and compare clinical outcomes of repairs that failed versus those that did not, at a minimum 2-year follow-up interval.Methods: 51 patients were identified in this retrospective cohort study who experienced bucket-handle meniscus tears that were isolated or with concomitant ACL injury. Inclusion criteria included age range from 13–55 years, confirmed bucket-handle meniscus tear by MRI and intraoperatively, and at least two-years of post-operative follow-up following index repair. Demographic data and outcome surveys were collected at a minimum of two-years follow-up after repair.Results: Of the 51 patients that had a bucket-handle meniscal repair, 12 (23.5%) were defined as failures (return of symptoms alongside re-tear in the same zone of the repaired meniscus within two years of surgery). No demographic variables (age, sex, and BMI ...
Joe Gould’s Secret. By Joseph MitchellJoe Gould’s Teeth. By Jill Lepore

Dan Kerr penned an article titled “Allan Nevins Is Not My Grandfather: The Roots of Radical Oral History Practice in the United States” for a recent Oral History Review (43, no. 2 [2016]: 367-91). ...
Defying the stimulus: acquisition of complex onsets in Polish*

Behavioural findings indicate that English, Mandarin and Korean speakers exhibit gradient sonority sequencing preferences among unattested initial clusters. While some have argued these results support an innate principle, recent modelling studies have questioned this conclusion, showing that computational models capable of inducing generalisations using abstract phonological features can detect these preferences from lexical statistics in the three languages. This paper presents a computational analysis of the development of initial clusters in Polish, which arguably presents a stronger test of these models. We show that (i) the statistics of Polish contradict the Sonority Sequencing Principle (SSP), favouring sonority plateaus, (ii) models that succeed in the other languages do not predict SSP preferences for Polish and (iii) children nonetheless exhibit sensitivity to the SSP, favouring onset clusters with larger sonority rises.
Comparing Predictive Validity of JSORRAT-II and MEGA♪ With Sexually Abusive Youth in Long-Term Residential Custody:

This 6-year prospective study is the first to compare two psychometrically sound risk assessment tools for sexually abusive youth: JSORRAT-II and MEGA♪. Cross-validated on representative samples of over 500 youth, these measures have cutoff scores, allowing for a more exact assessment of risk. Study sample consisted of 129 male adjudicated adolescents housed in a secured residential treatment facility for sexually abusive youth. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that MEGA♪ Risk Scale was mildly predictive of sexual recidivism over a 6-year period (mean follow-up = 15.6 months)-area under the curve (AUC) = .67; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.52, 0.82]; p < .015. JSORRAT-II was not predictive (AUC = .57; 95% CI = [0.42, 0.72]; p < .297). The study contributes to scant literature on the most contemporary, statistically robust risk assessment tools for sexually abusive youth.
Upconversion Mechanisms in Semiconductor Core/Rod/Dot Nanostructures for High-Efficiency Photovoltaics

We use steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence to analyze the upconversion process in which carriers absorb multiple low-energy photons and emit higher-energy photons. We consider and compare core, core/rod, and core/rod/dot nanostructures.
The Migrant in Revolutionary Times: César Vega Herrera’s El ascensor (1968)

Written during the playwright’s migration to Lima and performed during the first years of the Velasco Alvarado dictatorship in Peru, El ascensor by Cesar Vega Herrera portrays the struggles that migrants face in forging new lives in Peru’s capital. El ascensor is absent from the existing debates on the Peruvian theatre of the 1960s and 1970s, making the work a forgotten piece of the nation’s theatre history. The play criticizes the revolutionary promises of the Velasco Alvarado dictatorship, and the epoch in general, and places them in contrast with the ignored material needs of the country’s migratory urban poor represented through the trials of its main character, Fortunato. This article includes a critical framework on the absurd and internal migration in Peru to highlight the play’s treatment of politics and migration in the country.
A Comparison of Secrecy Enhancing Techniques for Secure SWIPT System

Owing to the tendency of RF-powered wireless devices to be located closer to the RF sources in SWIPT systems, the secrecy performance of RF transmissions needs to be carefully studied. In this paper, we study the secrecy performance of a wireless network that is simultaneously transmitting information and power to information receivers (IRs) and energy receivers (ERs), respectively. Considering the ERs as potential eavesdroppers, we provide a generalized model that captures three popular secrecy enhancing techniques: (i) adding artificial noise (AN) to the transmitted signal, (ii) surrounding the information transmitters (ITs) with secrecy guard zones, and (iii) using directional beamforming towards the intended IRs. Assuming an interference- limited system, we use the proposed generalized model to derive the successful connection and the secrecy outage probabilities of the IR ($P_{\rm con}$ and $P_{\rm out}$, respectively) and the energy coverage probability ($P_{\rm energy}$) of the ER for each of the three techniques. We then study the influence of the guard zone radius, the AN power splitting ratio, and the beamwidth on these performance metrics. We focus on two parameter selection criteria: (i) minimizing $P_{\rm out}$ for given constraints on $P_{\rm con}$ and $P_{\rm energy}$, and (ii) maximizing $P_{\rm con}$ for given constraints on $P_{\rm out}$ and $P_{\rm energy}$. At lower densities of ERs, the results demonstrate the optimality of the GZ technique for the first selection criterion and the BF technique for the second selection criterion. At higher densities of ERs, however, the AN technique is shown to be optimal for both the selection criteria.
Seeing Is Believing — Foreword to Nicholas L. Georgakopoulos, Illustrating Finance Policy with Mathematica

Truth routinely manifests itself through mathematics. Just as law uses words to animate its enterprise, nature speaks through the language of mathematics. Through this volume, Illustrating Finance Policy with Mathematica, Nicholas L. Georgakopoulos enriches the Palgrave Macmillan, series, Quantitative Perspectives on Behavioral Economics and Finance, by demonstrating the mathematical underpinnings of law and finance in vivid, visual terms.
Robotic Total Gastrectomy with Lymphadenectomy

Robotic total gastrectomy is a safe, feasible, and oncologically sound surgical option for the treatment of gastric cancer located in the proximal portion of the stomach (cardia and proximal body) with or without involvement of the esophagogastric junction. The robotic approach provides patients with the advantages of minimally invasive surgery over traditional open operations, including smaller incisions, less blood loss, decreased pain, early recovery of gastrointestinal function, and shorter hospital stay. For the surgeon, the robotic technology offers improved operative visualization, increased dexterity and precision of instrumentation, and steady control of the camera during key steps in the procedure over conventional laparoscopy. In this chapter, we present a brief review and detailed description of the major steps in robotic total gastrectomy procedure with a modified D2 lymphadenectomy involving gastric resection; clearance of lymph node stations #1, #2, #3, #4sb/d, #5, #6, #7, #8a, #9, #11p, #11d, and 12a minus the splenic hilar dissection (#10); and intracorporeal esophagojejunal anastomosis.
Clinical Microbiology Is Growing Up: The Total Laboratory Automation Revolution

Background: Historically, culture-based microbiology laboratory testing has relied on manual methods, and automated methods (such as those that have revolutionized clinical chemistry and hematology over the past several decades) were largely absent from the clinical microbiology laboratory. However, an increased demand for microbiology testing and standardization of sample-collection devices for microbiology culture, as well as a dwindling supply of microbiology technologists, has driven the adoption of automated methods for culture-based laboratory testing in clinical microbiology. Content: We describe systems currently enabling total laboratory automation (TLA) for culture-based microbiology testing. We describe the general components of a microbiology automation system and the various functions of these instruments. We then introduce the 2 most widely used systems currently on the market: Becton Dickinson’s Kiestra TLA and Copan’s WASPLab. We discuss the impact of TLA on metrics such as turnaround time and recovery of microorganisms, providing a review of the current literature and perspectives from laboratory directors, managers, and technical staff. Finally, we provide an outlook for future advances in TLA for microbiology with a focus on artificial intelligence for automated culture interpretation. Summary: TLA is playing an increasingly important role in clinical microbiology. Although challenges remain, TLA has great potential to affect laboratory efficiency, turnaround time, and the overall quality of culture-based microbiology testing.
Comparing Front- and Rear-Junction GaInP Photovoltaic Devices Through Detailed Numerical and Analytical Modeling

Achieving record efficiencies in multijunction and spectrally split photovoltaics requires maximal performance in wide-bandgap top junctions. Recent advances in single-junction wide-bandgap GaInP photovoltaic devices have been driven by a rear-junction design, in which the p-n junction is placed near the back contact. This approach is the opposite of usual front-junction designs and is also counterintuitive since carriers are now generated further away from the space charge region. In this paper, we aim to understand the advantages and disadvantages of rear-junction designs from both numerical and analytic perspectives. This allows us to point out the tradeoffs between the two photovoltaic device configurations and to generically identify the parameters where the optimal configuration flips. This understanding explains the historical development of GaInP photovoltaic technology and helps predict the most promising paths toward further improvements. Our general approach may also aid in designing other thin-film photovoltaic devices.
On the Effectiveness of Standard Centrality Metrics for Interdependent Networks

This paper investigates the effectiveness of standard centrality metrics for interdependent networks (IDN) in identifying important nodes in preventing catastrophic failure propagation. To show the need for designing specialized centrality metrics for IDNs, we compare the performance of these metrics in an IDN under two different scenarios: i) the nodes with highest centrality of networks composing an IDN are selected separately and ii) the nodes with highest centrality of the entire IDN represented as one single network are calculated. To investigate the resiliency of an IDN, a threshold-based failure propagation model is used to simulate the evolution of failure propagation over time. The nodes with highest centrality are chosen and are assumed to be resistant w.r.t failure. Extensive simulation is conducted to compare the usefulness of standard metrics to stop or slow down the failure propagation in an IDN. Finally a new metric of centrality tailored for interdependent networks is proposed and evaluated. Also, useful guidelines on designing new metrics are presented.
Using Lecture Capture to Improve Online and In-Class Student Performance in Principles of Economics

The primary purpose of deploying a lecture capture method of course delivery is to enhance student performance in online classes. In this study, recordings of classroom lectures are available to students in online sections of the course, as well as those taking the class in face-to-face class sections. We examine the effects of viewing these recorded lectures on student performance in principles of economics courses (macro and micro) over the course of five years. The setting is a small regional university that serves an extensive rural area. The dataset consists of close to 700 students, 55% of which enrolled in online course sections. Course grades, as the dependent variable, are regressed on measures of personal characteristics and academic maturity, as well as use of the recorded lectures. Results indicate that online students who watch the recorded lectures earn course grades that are significantly higher than counterparts who do not. There is also evidence that students in the face-to-face course sections also benefit significantly from watching recorded lectures.
Deep-evasion: Turn deep neural network into evasive self-contained cyber-physical malware: poster

Deep Neural Network (DNN) based intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are becoming more and more popular across all aspects of our lives. Unfortunately, such a promising trend implies a dangerous feature that allows code to be mixed with data in DNN models and triggered by a targeted physical object without harming the DNN inference accuracy. In this work, we investigate such an emerging attack, namely "Deep-Evasion", turning DNN into evasive self-contained malware on CPS. We prototype "Deep-Evasion" on Nvidia Jetson TX2 embedded device and demonstrate a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack as our proof of concept. Experimental results show "Deep-Evasion" is feasible, reliable and scalable on CPS.
Area-of-Effect Softbots (AoES) for Asteroid Proximity Operations

This paper will provide an introduction and overview of Area-of-Effect Softbots (AoES), which are currently in development under a Phase 2 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) project. AoES are designed to operate in proximity to, and on the surface of, small asteroids to support mining and planetary defense missions. Their unique design and capabilities are dependent on the incorporation of soft, compliant, and lightweight materials. AoES have a large area-to-mass ratio which allows them to take advantage of the peculiarities of the dynamical environment around small asteroids. Specifically, AoES will use solar radiation pressure to sail to the surface of the target asteroid after being deployed at a safe altitude from a mothership around the asteroid. This capability and the associated control laws will be demonstrated, removing the need for propulsion systems. Furthermore, the large, flexible surface area allows for robustness with respect to uncertainty about the asteroid surface structure - it can provide flotation to prevent sinking into a very loose, dusty regolith, and also provide anchoring to the surface through natural and electroadhesion forces. The enabling technology that will allow the AoES design loop to close is a new class of soft actuators known as HASEL actuators. These actuators harness an electrohydraulic mechanism, whereby electrostatic forces generate hydraulic pressure to drive shape change in a soft fluid-filled structure. HASELs provide an extremely power- and mass-efficient mechanism for actuating the large flexible surface areas that are the essential components defining AoES. Current system design, requirements, and key tradeoffs will be discussed - with a particular focus on the actuation, mobility, anchoring, materials, and power sys-tems/components. The nominal mission profile and concept of operations for using AoES in an asteroid mining mission will be outlined.
Harnessing Stem Cell Potential for the Treatment of Erectile Function in Men with Diabetes Mellitus: From Preclinical/Clinical Perspectives to Penile Tissue Engineering.

Background According to the World Health Organization, more than 150 million people are diabetic, and this number will increase twofold by the year 2025. Diabetes-related complications affect all body organ systems, including the penis. Diabetes-induced Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is caused by neuropathy of the penile nerves and vasculopathy involving the smooth muscle and endothelium of the corpus cavernosum. Objective This study aims to present an overview of Stem Cell (SC) research in diabetic animal models of ED, focusing on the function, signaling, and niches that have a prominent role in the regeneration of cavernosal cells and penile tissues. We highlight common erectile pathologies caused by diabetes and review relevant preclinical trials. We also discuss paracrine mechanisms of various SC therapies involved in the repair of endothelial cells and cavernous nerves in these diabetic models. Methods A PubMed search was performed, with dates ranging from inception until Mar 31, 2019. Results This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of the various strategies that have been investigated for improving SC delivery methods, through preclinical literature and published clinical trials regarding ED in men with diabetes. Various cell-type applications have benefited erectile function in diabetic models of ED. Conclusion This review examines the progress and remaining challenges in diabetes-related SC research regarding ED. Moving forward, it is only with a combined effort of basic biology and translational work that the potential of SC-based therapies in diabetes in ED can be realized.
Evolution of Ionomer Morphology from Dispersion to Film: An in Situ X-ray Study

Ion-conducting polymers (ionomers) have been extensively studied in solution, as membranes and substrate-supported thin films for various electrochemical energy-conversion devices, including fuel c...
A Case Report of Adhesional Small Bowel Obstruction Caused by Extraintestinal Anisakiasis.

Abstract Background Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common diagnosis made in the emergency department (ED). We present a case with an unusual underlying cause of SBO: extraintestinal infection with an Anisakis roundworm. Case Report A healthy young woman with no prior abdominal surgery presented with epigastric abdominal pain, nausea, and anorexia 1 day after eating a raw oyster. Laboratory studies were significant for 14% eosinophilia. Initial abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed small bowel inflammation and small-volume ascites. After discharge home, she returned on day 14 of illness with a closed-loop SBO, to which she was predisposed by an adhesion formed in association with an eosinophilic abscess containing an Anisakis roundworm. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Anisakiasis is an uncommon cause of common symptoms with which patients may present to EDs. The diagnosis should be considered in patients presenting with abdominal pain and recent ingestion of raw seafood, with suspicion raised further by the presence of focal gastric or small bowel inflammation and ascites on abdominal CT. Extraintestinal anisakiasis can cause inflammation leading to intraabdominal adhesions, a sequela of which is small bowel obstruction. If suspicion for gastric or intestinal anisakiasis is high, treatment with endoscopic removal or albendazole may be initiated.
Preeclampsia, HELLP Syndrome, and Postpartum Renal Failure with Thin Basement Membrane Nephropathy: Case Report and a Brief Review of Postpartum Renal Failure.

A 36-year-old primigravida female from a birthing center was referred for elevated blood pressure to the hospital two days after normal spontaneous vaginal delivery with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. During this two-day period, she was experiencing persistent vaginal bleeding and lower abdominal pains for which she took six doses of 600 mg ibuprofen. Further laboratory evaluation reflected leukocytosis, anemia, thrombocytopenia, elevation of liver enzymes, and renal failure with hyperkalemia requiring emergent hemodialysis once in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). She was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome with underlying preeclampsia. A week later, due to hypertension controlled with medications and nonoliguric renal failure with no active urine sediments, a renal biopsy was indicated to direct management. The renal biopsy supported the diagnosis of diffuse severe acute tubulointerstitial nephritis with hypereosinophilia and thin basement membrane nephropathy (see figures). She was subsequently treated with high-dose steroids which resulted in the normalization of blood pressures and renal function returning to baseline. We report the first case of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis in an individual with thin basement membrane nephropathy secondary to postpartum complications.
Abstract 16534: Pulmonary Artery Tapering Pattern on Chest CT-Angiogram Predicts Phenotype of Pulmonary Hypertension

Introduction: Non-invasive methods to identify phenotype of pulmonary hypertension (PH) are essential to improve the diagnostic algorithm of PH. Hypothesis: Delayed tapering of pulmonary artery (PA...
Parisian Prowlers: Mapping Maldoror, Mervyn, and Lautréamont in Paris

This article focuses on the final 'chant' of Les Chants de Maldoror (1869) by the Comte de Lautreamont (Isidore Ducasse). In the enigmatic final scenes, Maldoror stalks and kills a young English ma...
Il tirocinio per gli studenti di Economia di Rimini: matching di volontà reciproche?

In Italy, internship has been added only recently to programs of study at universities. Notwithstanding its relevance in bringing university students closer to the world of work, internship does not easily succeed in its aims. Internship can be used inappropriately in many situations. Therefore, it is important to analyze in depth the experience of internship. In particular, the two subjects that are matched in internships have to be investigated: students and companies. The novel dataset used in the analysis is composed by information about students of Economics in Rimini and about the companies where they worked during the internship. Principal component analysis shows that there is a major component explaining the majority of the variability of the internship quality perceived by the student. The number of interns hired by a company is positively related to female students, front-office duties, a good evaluation in terms of interest and motivation of the internship and good relation with superiors in rank. Internship is not used as a substitute of seasonal/temporary work for firms that hire more interns. Interns that evaluate positively their experience are female and those having experienced a good relation with their superiors. A proper matching (i.e. a match between good students, in terms of marks, and good companies, in terms of number of interns, open-ended and fixed-term contracts) occurred with higher distances between residence and place of work and with a higher degree of overlapping between the sector of studies of the intern and the field of activities of the company.
Gut microbial communities from patients with anorexia nervosa do not influence body weight in recipient germ-free mice

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disorder that presents with profound weight dysregulation, metabolic disturbances, and an abnormal composition of gut microbial communities. As the intestinal...
“Alcohol is life, it’s part of us”: Examining the Everyday Experiences of Alcohol Use in Botswana

Efforts to control and regulate alcohol has recently gained steam in Botswana. Inspired by a public health perspective, the government of Botswana has recently increased the alcohol tax levy, reduced the hours of operation for bars and increased penalties for alcohol-related offences to control alcohol-related harm. While these reforms have been central to policymaking, and caused some controversy, not much is known about the everyday experiences of alcohol consumers in Botswana. Drawing from semi-structured interviews (n = 40) collected amongst drinkers over a five-year period, this paper examines the everyday use of alcohol in Botswana. The analysis demonstrates that alcohol use constitutes an important part of leisure and night-time economy (NTE) activities in Botswana. It is a functional social activity that is used by people to take time away from the routines and pressures of daily life. More importantly, it is pleasurable to people, enhances sociability, and partaken as a form of transaction between men and women in bars. There is need for policy makers to consider the embodied experiences of alcohol use when designing alcohol interventions in Botswana.
CWA In-Lieu Fee Mitigation: Project and Programmatic Risks

In 2008, after prompting by the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) issued a regulation governing compensatory mitigation under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The agencies’ primary goal was to improve the effectiveness of mitigation projects to offset the impacts of filling wetlands and streams. The 2008 Compensatory Mitigation Rule was also designed to level the playing field for the three types of mitigation providers: mitigation banks, in-lieu fee (ILF) programs, and permittee-responsible mitigation. After a decade of experience with this regulation, it is appropriate to reflect on its implementation. Although much has been written about mitigation banks, less attention (in the literature at least) has been paid to ILF programs and permittee-responsible mitigation. This Comment focuses on ILF programs.
Factors affecting the diameter of ring-shaped deposition patterns in inertial impactors having small S/W ratios

Inertial impactors are an important part of aerosol science where they are used to obtain particle size distributions in a wide range of practical and scientific applications. A shortcoming of thes...
Needs and Responses

The plight of orphans has long been a theme of myths and folk narratives but it is only recently that orphans have become the subject of global advocacy, as AIDS removes a generation of parents across the world. The UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS in 2001 included this among commitments made by participating countries: “By 2003, develop and, 2005, implement national policies and strategies to build and strengthen governmental, family and community capacities to provide a supportive environment for orphans and girls and boys infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, including by providing appropriate counselling and psychosocial support, ensuring their enrollment in school and access to shelter, good nutrition and health and social services on an equal basis with other children; and protect orphans and vulnerable children from all forms of abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination, trafficking and loss of inheritance” (UNAIDS, 2002).
Formal Operations and Language. A Comparison of Deaf and Hearing Adolescents

Abstract Un individu dont le savoir linguistique est tres pauvre peut-il atteindre le stade des operations formelles? Comment les operations formelles sont-elles liees au langage? Pour repondre a ces questions, on compare la performance d'un echantillon d'adolescents sourds a celle d'adolescents normaux de milieux socio-economiques differents. Dans une t[acaron]che de symbolisation logique, on constate de grandes differences: 28% des sujets sourds et 53% des sujets de milieu defavorise atteignent le stade formel apres 5 semaines d'entrainement, alors que 75% des sujets de la classe moyenne atteignent ce resultat apres une semaine d'entra[icaron]nement. Mais pour deux autres types de t[acaron]che, les performances sont comparables: dans une t[acaron]che de prediction probabiliste, 45% des adolescents sourds reussissent les operations formelles et dans une t[acaron]che de combinatoire, 76% reussissent. D'apres les donnees d'ensemble aussi bien que d'apres l'ětude des cas individuels, on constate que les ope...
Liquid crystal diplays using the hybrid alignment method

Keywords: liquid crystal ; silicon backplane ; hybrid-aligned nematic ; analog modulation ; high integration Reference EPFL-CONF-158467View record in Web of Science Record created on 2010-11-25, modified on 2017-05-10