cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Network Science of Teams: Characterization, Prediction, and Optimization

Teams are increasingly indispensable to achievements in any organization. Despite the organizations' substantial dependency on teams, fundamental knowledge about the conduct of team-enabled operations is lacking, especially at the social, cognitive and information level in relation to team performance and network dynamics. Generally speaking, the team performance can be viewed as the composite of its users, the tasks that the team performs and the networks that the team is embedded in or operates on. The goal of this tutorial is to (1) provide a comprehensive review of the recent advances in optimizing teams' performance in the context of networks; and (2) identify the open challenges and future trends. We believe this is an emerging and high-impact topic in computational social science, which will attract both researchers and practitioners in the data mining as well as social science research communities. Our emphasis will be on (1) the recent emerging techniques on addressing team performance optimization problem; and (2) the open challenges/future trends, with a careful balance between the theories, algorithms and applications.
Between Encounter and Release: Animal Presences in Two Contemporary American Poems

This chapter considers two poems that foreground a speaker’s intimacy or identification with another animal, discussed through the language of positioning. The speakers stand either in proximity to or at a distance from the animals they discuss. These encounters are ended or suspended through gestures of release from positions negotiated through (with or against) ontological category differences used to separate humans and animals. However, far from signaling the speaker’s willingness to give up on relating to or willingness to give into vague celebrations of difference, these gestures are supported by processes of self-scrutiny that acknowledge the precarity of relating.
Recognizing loss of open forest ecosystems by tree densification and land use intensification in the Midwestern USA

Forests and grasslands have changed during the past 200 years in the eastern USA, and it is now possible to quantify loss and conversion of vegetation cover at regional scales. We quantified historical (ca. 1786–1908) and current land cover and determined long-term ecosystem change to either land use or closed forests in eight states of the Great Lakes and Midwest. Historically, the region was 35% grasslands (31 million hectares), 38% open forests of savannas and woodlands (33 million hectares), and 25% closed forests (22 million hectares). Currently, the region is about 85% land use (76 million hectares), primarily agriculture, and 15% closed forests (12 million hectares). Land use intensification removed 75% of open forests, while 25% of open forests have densified to closed forests without low severity disturbance to remove understory trees. Historical forest ecosystems included a gradient of oak savannas and woodlands with open midstories (50 to 250 trees/ha), along with closed old growth forests. Open forests have become dense (200 to 375 trees/ha) and are cut frequently, resulting in the extremes of closed canopy forests and clearcut openings across forested landscapes. We demonstrated that forests have transitioned from a historically wide gradient in canopy closure to either dense young closed forests with clearcut openings or to various land uses (agriculture, grazing, residential and commercial land development). The historical abundance of open forest ecosystems, composed of both forest and grassland layers, often is not recognized, and thus, these forests are undervalued for conservation and management.
Seedling establishment in different microsites on Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA

On the volcanically devastated Pumice Plain of Mount St. Helens, plant species colonized microsites differentially. Peak colonization did not occur in the same microsites as peak establishment and growth. In addition, observed microsite colonization patterns differed between years. Two studies were conducted. The first assessed seedling establishment and growth from seeds sown at different microsites. The second assessed colonization into four microsite types that were constructed on the Pumice Plain. Hypochaeris radicata was the most common species to survive when the same number of seeds of four species were planted; however, Anaphalis margaritacea was the most common colonizer of microsites. Microsites with the largest biomass plants in the first study generally had the highest colonization in the second study. Sites that do not possess features to trap seeds, such as flats and ridges, are not opportune places for a plant to grow since there is little microclimatic or substrate amelioration. Thus, flat microsites had low biomass in the establishment experiment due to the lack of amelioration and contained few plants in the colonization experiment due to a lack of seed trapping mechanisms. These results show that in the primary successional landscape of Mount St. Helens microsites are critical to revegetation dynamics. Changes in the pattern of microsite colonization between years emphasizes the dynamic nature of the landscape and the important influences of climate, substrate amelioration and seed rain to plant establishment.
Japanese Encephalitis Virus

This chapter discusses the Japanese Encephalitis virus, which belongs to the Togaviridae family. This virus usually causes subclinical infections in humans but sometimes neurological signs leading to death. In swine, abortion and neonatal deaths are predominant signs of this disease. Clinical signs of this virus occur in horses. The hosts to the Japanese Encephalitis virus are man, pigs, horses, and birds. Apparently, the disease is restricted to the Orient, but no studies outside the area are readily apparent. It occurs periodically in epidemic form in the Orient. Mosquitoes feed on pigs, but wild birds contribute to perpetuation of the endemicity. Vaccines are available for the disease. Human transplacental infections as well as transovarial transmission in mosquitoes have been recorded. The diagnostic techniques for the disease are haemagglutination inhibition, virus neutralization, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A solid-phase radioimmunoassay and the radial hemolysis-in-gel technique also have been developed to diagnose the disease.
A Gut Feeling: A Hypothesis of the Role of the Microbiome in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurologic disorder characterized by hyperactivity/impulsivity and/or inattentiveness, with genetic and environmental factors contributing to the disorder. With the growing recognition of the microbiome's role in many neurological disorders, the authors propose that it may also be implicated in ADHD. Here, we describe several evolving areas of research to support this hypothesis. First, a unique composition of gut bacteria has been identified and linked to behaviors in ADHD. Second, our research found an increased incidence of 2 gastrointestinal symptoms (constipation and flatulence) in children with ADHD, as compared to controls. Finally, emerging data may be interpreted to suggest that immune dysregulation in ADHD be associated with an altered microbiome, low-grade inflammation, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Although more studies are needed to elucidate exact mechanisms and causality, we propose that an altered microbiome, gastrointestinal symptoms, and immune dysregulation may be associated with the ADHD phenotypes.
Measurements of the Static and Dynamic NMR Susceptibilities of Superfluid 3He-B Using an R-F Biased Squid

Using an R-F biased SQUID, the temperature dependent susceptibility of superfluid 3He-B has been measured both statically and via a pulse technique in a field of 309 gauss and in a pressure range 26.5 to 18 bar. In 3He-B the dynamic susceptibility as determined using pulsed SQUID NMR agrees with the theoretical predictions for the BW state. However, the static susceptibility measured, using the same R-F biased SQUID and pick up coil, is significantly smaller than the dynamic susceptibility.
Clinical Efficacy of Drug-Eluting Stents in Diabetic Patients: A Meta-Analysis

Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare estimates for revascularization and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization) in diabetic patients treated with paclitaxel- and sirolimus-eluting stents (PES and SES). Background Outcomes in diabetic patients treated with PES and SES have not been adequately evaluated. Methods We searched MEDLINE/EMBASE from January 2002 to February 2007 and identified abstracts/presentations from this period at major cardiology conferences. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and registries were included if data for diabetic patients treated with PES or SES were available. Point estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed as summary statistics. Results In RCTs (13 trials; n = 2,422) similar point estimates for target lesion revascularization (TLR) (PES: 8.6%, 95% CI 6.5% to 11.3%; SES: 7.6%, 95% CI 5.8% to 9.9%) and MACE (PES: 15.4%, 95% CI 12.4% to 19.1%; SES: 12.9%, 95% CI 8.5% to 19.2%) were observed. In head-to-head trials (4 RCTs), no difference in the likelihood of TLR (PES vs. SES) was observed (odds ratio [OR] 1.37, 95% CI 0.64 to 2.9, p = 0.42). In registries (16 registries; n = 10,156), point estimates for target vessel revascularization (TVR) (PES: 5.8%, 95% CI 3.9% to 8.5%; SES: 7.2%, 95% CI 4.6% to 11.2%) and MACE (PES: 10.1%, 95% CI 7.3% to 13.8%; SES: 11.9%, 95% CI 8.6% to 16.4%) were also similar. In registries reporting outcomes with both stents (8 registries for TVR and 7 registries for MACE), the likelihood of TVR (PES vs. SES) (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.10, p = 0.15) and MACE (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.01, p = 0.056) were nonsignificantly lower with PES. Conclusions This analysis of over 11,000 diabetic patients treated with drug-eluting stents demonstrates single-digit revascularization rates. Furthermore, revascularization and MACE estimates are similar with both PES and SES.
Management to Optimal Parameters: Euboxia?

The critical care management of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) has undergone major advancements over the last several decades. Improved evidence-based research has allowed us a greater understanding of the pathophysiology and parameters that impact outcomes. Despite this, much uncertainty still remains, and further studies should be performed to identify ways to optimize parameters to achieve the best outcomes for TBI patients.
Simulated wind turbine emissions: Results from additional human response testing

Previous data (Nelson et al., ASA 2017) indicated that healthy human adult participants experienced few symptoms from re-created wind turbine sound and infrasound emissions. That report included more than fifty subjects ages 21–73 years who attended to audible and infrasound signals generated from a wind turbine, recorded at 300 meters and re-created in a laboratory. Stimuli consisted of modulated and unmodulated audible turbine sound at 50 dB SPL, as well as natural and peak-enhanced turbine infrasound at an overall level of approximately 85 dB SPL (peaks up to 100 dB SPL). Participants were tested for their postural stability, detection, and ratings of audible and infrasound emissions randomly presented in one-minute exposure intervals in the laboratory. Very few and minor adverse effects had been noted to date, mostly ear fullness or pressure. Healthy participants showed no evidence of any change in postural sway in the presence of infrasound for the group tested. We have recently begun testing of participants who either a) live near turbines and complain of adverse effects, or b) who have symptoms of dizziness/imbalance as reported to their ENT specialist. Results from postural sway, sound quality judgments, and pre- and post-exposure symptoms will be reported from some of these participants. [Work supported by Xcel Energy RDF14.]
Abstract P177: The Roles of Estrogen-Related Receptor Alpha in Cardiometabolic Control

The estrogen-related receptor alpha (Esrra) is an orphan nuclear receptor with strong homology to estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), whereas it exhibits estrogen-independent constitutive transcriptiona...
DLK1, Notch Signaling and the Timing of Puberty.

The factors that trigger human puberty are among the central mysteries of reproductive biology. Several approaches, including mutational analysis of candidate genes, large-scale genome-wide association studies, whole exome sequencing, and whole genome sequencing have been performed in attempts to identify novel genetic factors that modulate the human hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis to result in premature sexual development. Genetic abnormalities involving excitatory and inhibitory pathways regulating gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion, represented by the kisspeptin (KISS1 and KISS1R) and makorin ring finger 3 (MKRN3) systems, respectively, have been associated with sporadic and familial cases of central precocious puberty (CPP). More recently, paternally inherited genetic defects of DLK1 were identified in four families with nonsyndromic CPP and a metabolic phenotype. DLK1 encodes a transmembrane protein that is important for adipose tissue homeostasis and neurogenesis and is located in the imprinted chromosome 14q32 region associated with Temple syndrome. In this review, we highlight the clinical and genetic features of patients with CPP caused by DLK1 mutations and explore the involvement of Notch signaling and DLK1 in the control of pubertal onset.
Extending the Lifetime of Coarse-Grained Runtime Reconfigurable FPGAs by Balancing Processing Element Usage

Contemporary coarse-grained runtime reconfigurable architectures (CGRRAs) are increasingly sensitive to aging effects such as Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI). To address this, we propose a reliability-aware floorplanner for CGRRAs based on a mixed Linear Programming (LP) and Integer Linear Programming (ILP) method that extends the Mean Time to Failure (MTTF) of CGRRAs by balancing processing element (PE) usage. We use this as the basis of a design space explorer that generates a variety of configurations, trading off PE displacement vs. MTTF. On average, a 2.4× improvement in MTTF was obtained for an average critical path delay increase of under 2 percent (although most benchmarks had no delay increase) compared to the default lifetime unaware floorplan.
Association of serum iron and response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC).

723Background: ICIs have improved survival in mRCC patients (pts), yet response rates (RR) to these treatments are variable. Biomarkers predictive of response to ICIs may improve outcomes for mccRC...
Physics-Based Checksums for Silent-Error Detection in PDE Solvers

We discuss techniques for efficient local detection of silent data corruption in parallel scientific computations, leveraging physical quantities such as momentum and energy that may be conserved by discretized PDEs. The conserved quantities are analogous to “algorithm-based fault tolerance” checksums for linear algebra but, due to their physical foundation, are applicable to both linear and nonlinear equations and have efficient local updates based on fluxes between subdomains. These physics-based checksums enable precise intermittent detection of errors and recovery by rollback to a checkpoint, with very low overhead when errors are rare. We present applications to both explicit hyperbolic and iterative elliptic (unstructured finite-element) solvers with injected memory bit flips.
A Dream Deferred: African American Women’s Diminished Socioeconomic Returns of Postponing Childbearing from Teenage to Adulthood

Background: Brookings Institution has identified postponing childbirth from teenage to adulthood as a major strategy that is needed for upward social mobility of women. However, according to the Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs), the associations between aspirations, investments, behaviors, and socioeconomic position (SEP) may be diminished for marginalized groups such as African Americans. Objective: To extend the existing knowledge on the MDRs, the current study had two aims: First to compare White and African American women for the association between postponing childbearing to adulthood and SEP in a national sample of American women. Second, to test correlates of postponing childbearing to adulthood and SEP at birth with long term outcomes 15 years later when the child was 15 years old. Methods: For this longitudinal study, data came from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study (FFCWS), a national longitudinal prospective study in the United States (US) that followed an ethnically diverse sample of women from childbirth for 15 years from 1998 to 2016. For the first aim, this study included 2679 women composed of 723 Whites and 1956 African Americans. For the second aim, among 1842 individuals who had available data 15 years later, we measured various economic, behavioral, and mental health outcomes when the child was 15 years old. For aim 1 we ran linear regression. Postponing childbearing to adulthood was the independent variable. The dependent variable, SEP (poverty) was treated as a continuous measure with higher score indicating more poverty. Confounders included marital status and delivery characteristics. For the aim 2, we ran Pearson correlation test (exploratory analysis) to test if baseline SEP correlates with future outcomes. Results: Postponing childbearing from adolescence to adulthood was associated with higher SEP in adulthood, net of all confounders including marital status and education. We found a significant interaction between postponing childbearing from adolescence to adulthood and race on SEP, suggesting that the economic reward of postponing childbearing may be weaker for African American women than for White women. Conclusions: Although postponing the age at childbirth is a recommended strategy for women who wish to maximize their chance of upward social mobility, this strategy may be associated with smaller economic returns for African American women than White women. The results can also be interpreted as MDRs in investments in terms of a postponing childbearing. In a fair society, the same investment should be similarly rewarded across diverse racial groups. In the reality, however, the US society differently rewards White and African American women who postpone childbearing. Research should explore the roles of social stratification, blocked opportunities, and concentrated poverty in explaining the unequal return of such an investment for African American and White women.
Jointly Learning Multi-view Features for Human Action Recognition

Classical methods of multi-view human action recognition focus on constructing similar feature between each view so that videos under different view can be classified identically. However, the features from a certain action under different views are variable especially when the view changes sharply. Using the similarity from different views solely can’t get a desirable result. In this paper we proposed a joint learining model for jointly learning features from different views. Our model explores the shared information of an action under different views and the specific information of an action under a certain view. The combination of the shared and specific information shows a distinguishable feature. The features from different views show are reconstructed by a linear projection matrix so that they can show a same structure. To obtain a optimal solution under a certain convergence, the model consists of a three-step iterative optimization process. The effectiveness of our method has been verified on WVU dataset.
Trends in the Surgical Management and Outcomes of Complicated Peptic Ulcer Disease.

BackgroundOlder data indicate that less patients undergo surgery for complicated peptic ulcer disease (PUD). We evaluated contemporary trends in the surgical management and outcomes of patients wit...
A Staged Migration to Europe: Özdamar's Perikizi and Transgenerational Trauma

Jocelyn Aksin’s research is based in Turkish-German studies with a focus on transnational memory. She has published on the role of Turkish newspapers in Die Brucke vom Goldenen Horn and Bitteres Wasser by Emine Sevgi Ozdamar, and received her Ph. D. from Washington University in St. Louis in 2014 with a dissertation on representations of memory in Turkish-German novels by Zafer Senocak, Aras Oren, Feridun Zaimoglu, and Emine Sevgi Ozdamar. Jocelyn began studying Turkish as a graduate student in the German program at Washington University, and was awarded a fellowship from the American Research Institute in Turkey for advanced Turkish language study at Bogazici University (Bosphorus University). After spending nearly eight years in Istanbul where she completed her dissertation and worked as a language teacher, Jocelyn relocated to Greensboro, N.C. and joined the German Program at UNCG as a lecturer in 2018.
Cross-Sectional Study Using Virtual Reality to Measure Cognition

Dual-task research is limited in its transferability to authentic contexts because laboratory conditions do not replicate real-world physical activity and decision-making scenarios. Creating valid, reliable methodologies to assess physiological and behavioral responses under varying physical and cognitive demands using virtual reality (VR) environment addresses this limitation. This study determined the feasibility of using VR to investigate the effects of dual-tasking on healthy young adults' cognitive performance. Three dual-tasking conditions (i.e., standing, preferred-paced walking, and fast-paced walking, each with blocked congruent and incongruent tasks) were developed. Using a within-subjects, randomized design, thirty-two young adults (17 female, mean age = 21.03 ± 2.86) were randomly assigned to a starting condition but experienced all three conditions. Physiological responses of heart rate (HR) and accelerometry data measured energy expenditure as the physical demand. Behavioral responses of reaction time and error rate quantified cognitive performance. Results indicated that (a) each condition verified independent physiological and behavioral responses; (b) reaction time and error rate during preferred walking or fast-paced walking dual-tasking conditions was significantly lower than standing condition; and surprisingly, (c) congruent tasks showed lower reaction time than the incongruent tasks. These findings suggest that it is feasible to use VR to assess the effects of dual-task conditions. Specifically, walking can optimize the motor-cognitive dual-task performance, compared to standing. These findings may be attributed to the dose-response effects of exercise intensity. Future studies should incorporate advanced technology such as the VR exercise.
Reading with the senses in Victorian literature and science: by David Sweeney Coombs, Charlottesville, U of Virginia P, 2019, 240pp., $39.50 (hardcover), ISBN: 9780813943428

From its opening paragraph, David Sweeney Coombs’s Reading with the Senses in Victorian Literature and Science explores the mechanics of reading to suggest new ways of thinking about Victorian lite...
Fertility and the Daughter-to-Son-Ratio During China’s (More-than) One-Child Policy

I empirically characterize China’s One-Child Policy as an individually tailored, age-specific pricing system allowing women to have more than one child. I exploit within-woman variation to find that a 1% increase in the price of a permit to have a second or third child decreased the number of daughters per household by 0.19%, but had a negligible effect on the number of sons. Despite this inelastic response, the policy impacted fertility through large permit prices. The total fertility rate and average daughter-to-son ratio were 1.5 and 0.8 in 2000. Without the policy, these values would been have 2.2 and 0.9.
Cognitive deficits 3 to 6 years before dementia onset in a population sample: the Honolulu-Asia aging study.

Objective: To determine the type of cognitive deficits occurring 3 to 6 years before onset of dementia in a population sample. Design: A prospective study in which cognitive deficits in participants who had incident dementia at the 6-year follow-up were examined at baseline and 3 years. Setting: Honolulu, Hawaii. Participants: Three thousand seven hundred thirty-four Japanese-American men aged 71 to 93 at baseline. At the 6-year follow-up, there were 52 incident cases of dementia, and 1,559 controls. Measurements: The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) and a questionnaire on subjective memory problems were administered at baseline. Dementia was assessed at baseline and at 3-year and 6-year follow-ups. Results: Subjects who had incident dementia at 6-year follow-up, had showed deficits 3 to 6 years earlier in the CASI domain of episodic memory and in the questionnaire covering subjective memory problems. Up to 3 years before onset, there was worsening of the episodic memory deficit from baseline and new deficits in language, verbal fluency, and orientation. Conclusion: Cognitive deficits and awareness of memory problems are frequently present several years before dementia onset. The predictive value of these deficits is not large enough to allow earlier diagnosis of dementia, but information about such deficits may be useful as criteria for mild cognitive impairment.
Deconstructing Privilege : Teaching and Learning as Allies in the Classroom

Foreword: Teaching about Privilege: Transforming Learned Ignorance into Usable Knowledge Peggy McIntosh Introduction 1 Beyond Diversity and Whiteness: Developing a Transformative and Intersectional Model of Privilege Studies Pedagogy Kim A. Case Part I: Transformative Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning about Privilege 2 Pedagogy for the Privileged: Addressing Inequality and Injustice without Shame or Blame Tim Wise, Kim A. Case 3 Deconstructing Privilege When Students Resist: The Journey Back into the Community of Engaged Learners Kim A. Case, Elizabeth R. Cole 4 Teaching Social Justice Ally Development among Privileged Students Paul B. Perrin, Srya Bhattacharyya, Daniel J. Snipes, Rebecca R. Hubbard, Martin Heesacker, Jenna M. Calton, Ruperto M. Perez, Jill Lee-Barber 5 "Colorblindness is the New Racism:" Raising Awareness about Privilege Using Color Insight Margalynne J. Armstrong, Stephanie M. Wildman Part II: Intersectional Privilege Studies Pedagogy 6 Teaching Privilege through an Intersectional Lens Abby L. Ferber, Andrea O'Reilly Herrera 7 Intersectionality and Paradigms of Privilege: Teaching for Social Change Cerri A. Banks, Susan M. Pliner, Morgan B. Hopkins 8 Recognizing Privilege by Reducing Invisibility: The Global Feminisms Project as a Pedagogical Tool Desdamona Rios, Abigail J. Stewart 9 Intergroup Dialogue Pedagogy: Teaching about Intersectional and Under-examined Privilege in Heterosexual, Christian, and Jewish Identities Adrienne B. Dessel, Johanna C. Masse, Lauren T. Walker Part III: Privilege in the Classroom: Strategies and Applications 10 Are We Queer Yet? Addressing Heterosexual and Gender-Conforming Privilege Markie L.C. Blumer, Mary S. Green, Nicole L. Thomte, Parris M. Green 11 Class Action: Using Experiential Learning to Raise Awareness of Social Class Privilege Wendy R. Williams, Kala J. Melchiori 12 Teaching the Taboo: Walking the Tightrope of Christian Privilege Kim A. Case, Mike McMullen, Beth Hentges 13 Blazing the Trail: Teaching the Privileged about Privilege Lisa F. Platt
Mechanical and Metabolic Design of the Muscular System in Vertebrates

The sections in this article are: 1 An Integrative and Absolute Approach to Adaptation and Design 1.1 Caveats and Potential Limitations of the Approach 1.2 Science and Semantics of Adaptation and Design 1.3 Organization of the Chapter 2 Components of the Mechanical System 2.1 Molecular Level 2.2 Cellular Level 2.3 Organ Level/Anatomical Level 3 Design Constraints of the Mechanical System 3.1 Design Constraint 1: Myofilament Overlap 3.2 Design Constraint 2: V/Vmax for Maximum Power Production 3.3 Design Constraint 3: Setting of Kinetics of Force Generation and Muscle Relaxation 3.4 Final Considerations about Mechanical Design Constraints 4 Components of the Metabolic System 4.1 Molecular/Enzyme Level 4.2 Cellular Level 4.3 Organ Level 4.4 System Level 5 Emergent Design Principles of the Metabolic System 5.1 Molecular/Enzyme Level—Design Constraint 1: ATP Demand Is a Function of Contractile Speed 5.2 Cellular Level—Design Constraint 2: Maximum Oxygen Uptake of Skeletal Muscle Mitochondria Is a Constant Function of Mitochondrial Inner-Membrane Surface Area 5.3 Organ Level—Design Constraint 3: Oxygen Conductance through the Tissue Must Be Set to Meet the ATP Demand 5.4 System Level—Design Constraint 4: The Capacities of the Most Phenotypically Plastic Structures Will Be “Just Adequate” to Match the Maximum Oxidative Requirements of the Muscles 5.5 Final Considerations about Metabolic Design Constraints 6 Mechanical and Metabolic Design of the Muscular System 6.1 Design for Power Generation 6.2 Design for Steady Terrestrial Locomotion 6.3 Design for Sound Production 6.4 Design for Heat Production 7 Conclusion: Principles of Design
A BOOK REVIEW: A DEAFENING SILENCE?: THE MUTE ECHOING BACK

"Batang-bata ka pa at marami ka panglKailangang malaman at intindihin sa mundo/Van ang totoolNagkakamali ka kung akala rno nalAng buhay ay isangmumunting paraiso lamang." Translation: You're still too young and you have a lot of things / to know and understand (about) the worldlfhis is the truthlYou're mistaken when you thinklLife is but a small paradise.) Thus runs a Filipino song entitled, "Batang-BatakaPa" (You're TooYoung"), sung by a famous '70s trio. Adults tell young ones that they have a lot to learn about the world and they are still too young to mind all the cares in the world. They're too young to know that unlike what they think, life is not a paradise
OVERCONVERGENCE AND ZEROS OF SEQUENCES OF RATIONAL FUNCTIONS

In the present paper we consider sequences of rational functions with a bounded number of free poles converging uniformly with a maximum geometric cate to a holomorphic function on a regular set, and we examine the limiting distribution of the Zeros and its relations with the phenomenon of overconvergence. Our results further extend the well known classical theory of overconvergence and the zeros of sections of Taylor series.
Cysteine string protein is required for calcium secretion coupling of evoked neurotransmission in drosophila but not for vesicle recycling.

The entire deletion of the cysteine string protein (CSP) gene causes a temperature-sensitive (ts) block of evoked neurotransmission in Drosophila . CSP has been found to interact in vitro with the clathrin-uncoating ATPase HSC70, suggesting a potential role of CSP in vesicle recycling. Using FM1-43 imaging, we analyzed whether the ts block of neurotransmission in csp mutants is caused by a defect in vesicle exocytosis or vesicle recycling. We determined that FM1-43-labeled synaptic boutons of csp mutant neuromuscular junctions fail to destain at 32°C after K+ depolarization, and that FM1-43 dye uptake cannot be evoked by K+ stimulation at 32°C. However, when we stimulated dye uptake independent of depolarization by using black widow spider venom (BWSV), we observed endocytotic uptake of FM1-43. This suggests that endocytosis exhibits no primary ts defect. In addition, we found no ts defect of vesicle recycling at 32°C that would correlate with the ts block of neurotransmission. We also discovered that BWSV and the calcium ionophore calcimycin stimulate FM1-43 destaining and quantal release in csp mutants at 32°C when depolarization fails to evoke any response. The wild-type-like, calcimycin-induced response in csp null mutants indicates that some aspect of the depolarization-dependent calcium signaling pathway must be impaired, either calcium entry, calcium action, or both. Collectively, our results indicate that the csp mutation affects calcium secretion coupling of evoked exocytosis but not vesicle recycling. This supports the hypothesis that CSP links synaptic vesicles to calcium secretion coupling.
Fuzzy clustering in data mining for telco database marketing campaigns

Fuzzy methods have been applied to data mining and to databases of customer information for marketing. This paper explores fuzzy clustering approaches to telecommunications database marketing. Fuzzy clustering methods can be used to mine telco customer and prospect databases to gain residential and business customer market share. Four key fuzzy enhancements to traditional database marketing are developed in this paper. First, customers often have significant membership values in more than one distinct fuzzy cluster and can be considered in a natural manner for hybrid or multiple contacts in a given marketing campaign. Second, fuzzy clustering outcomes are shown to be dependent on the particular offer or marketing message. Third, there are differences in clustering outcomes over time, as various offers and treatments are successively presented to consumers, and as products and tastes change. This evolution of fuzzy clusters can be used to help understand customer loyalty and to extract a more optimal lifetime economic relationship value. Fourth, in the longer run, formal procedures can be suggested involving intuitive fuzzy-based clustering metrics for continuous process improvement, to support increasingly flexible and opportunistic campaign management.
Review of Ursula King’s Book: Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies throughout the Ages

Technology offers the attraction for hot new inventions, and these can even seduce our nature into accepting change for changes's sake. And confronted with secular pretense and it is easy to miss the subtleness of mystical experience altogether. Ursula King's "The Christian Mystics" provides an account of this other activity that is possible to miss. The alternative activity cannot be dismissed easily seeing that King catalogues the life of numerous mystics, from early Christians (e.g., Clement of Alexandria, Origen) to those contemporary mystics (e.g., Simone Weil, Thomas Merton). You can find this book at Amazon: Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies throughout the Ages .
An association between pulmonary hypertension and impaired lung function in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Summary Rationale Infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) can develop pulmonary hypertension (PH) from decreased number and abnormal muscularization of pulmonary arteries. Normally pulmonary vascular growth and remodeling parallel airspace growth and alveolarization, which exhibits a wide morphologic variation in CDH. Aim To assess whether infants with CDH and PH have greater abnormalities in infant pulmonary function testing (IPFT) compared to those without PH. Methods We reviewed results of IPFTs and echocardiograms performed on infants with CDH from 2004 to June 2011. Lung volumes, forced flows and tidal mechanics were standardized according to available reference values. Comparisons between infants with and without PH were performed using linear regression, adjusting for potential confounders. Main Results Sixty-six infants were included; 18 had PH and 48 did not. Z-score values for functional residual capacity (FRC), residual volume (RV), FRC/total lung capacity (TLC), and RV/TLC were significantly higher in infants with CDH and PH compared to those without PH. Z-score values for forced flows including forced expiratory volume in the first 0.5 sec (FEV0.5) and FEV0.5/forced vital capacity were significantly lower in infants with CDH and PH compared to those without PH. For 29 infants studied on ≥2 occasions, the slopes of FRC, RV, and TLC versus length were significantly higher in those with persistent PH compared to those without. Conclusions Infants with CDH and persistent PH demonstrate greater airspace overdistension with growth compared to those without. Therapies that modify disrupted pulmonary vascular and alveolar formation could potentially improve future care of these patients. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2015; 50:672–682. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Syndromes of Acute Left Ventricular Failure

The syndrome of acute left ventricular failure, manifesting as pulmonary edema and/or cardiogenic shock, occurs in many different clinical settings, has many different causes, and variable treatmen...
Communication Skills Instruction Utilizing Interdisciplinary Peer Teachers: Program Development and Student Perceptions

Lack of curricular time, faculty time, and funding are potential limitations for communication skills training in dentistry. Interdisciplinary collaboration amongst health care faculties could address these limitations. This article describes the development, implementation, and student perceptions of a communication skills program in dentistry. The program has four components: Knowledge, Observation, Simulation, and Experience (KOSE) and spans over the second and third years of dental school. KOSE allows students to obtain knowledge of and observe effective communication skills and practice these skills in the simulated and nonsimulated environment. A key feature of KOSE is the utilization of fourth-year medical and dental students as peer teachers. Evaluation of KOSE was geared toward student perceptions. Cross-sectional data were gathered via written surveys from 143 learners (second- and third-year dental students) in 2006–07. Students perceived the ability to recognize effective communication, demonstrated awareness of their communication strengths and weaknesses, and reported that skills gained were transferable to actual patient care. Interdisciplinary collaboration was a feasible way to address the lack of resources in the development of a communications skills program, which was perceived to be worthwhile by learners.
The `smaller' the school, the better? the Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) program in US high schools:

Given the widening achievement gap between whites and students of color in US schools, Small Learning Communities have emerged as a reform measure claimed to boost achievement in general and among ...
A simple box model for the annual cycle of partitioning of semi-volatile organic compounds between the atmosphere and the earth's surface

Abstract A box model is developed to describe why the gas-phase concentrations of certain semi-volatile organic compounds (SOCs) can exhibit annual cycles that peak in the summer. Decreasing partitioning to materials at the Earth's surface with increasing temperature ( T ) is invoked to account for the summer increase. The gas-surface partition coefficients is formulated as K m ≅ K m e Qm/RT . Within a given compound class, K m is assumed to be largely independent of both compound and T ; the compound dependence in K m is found in the enthalpy of desorption from surface materials, Q m (kJ mol −1 ). For SOCs whose summer concentrations are only somewhat larger than their winter concentrations, the model predicts that the summer concentrations can give a direct estimate of q/V , the total mass of readily exchangeable SOC per unit volume of the box. The annual cycle in the gas-phase concentration for such a compound can then be analysed in search of best-fit values for Q m for the compound, and K m for the compound class. The model can then be applied to less volatile SOCs in search of their best fit values of q/V . Multiplication of the q/V values by the effective height of the troposphere gives the readily exchangeable mass per unit area of the box, q/a . Multiplication of the q/a values by an estimate of the area of the box in turn gives estimates of q . The model is applied for the first time using the data of Hoff et al. (Envir. Sci. Technol. 26 , 266–275, 1992) for samples collected at Egbert, Ontario, from July 1988 to September 1989. Highly preliminary estimates of q/V and q/a for a latitude range involving Egbert are obtained for α-HCH, p , p '-DDT, o , p '-DDT, p , p '-DDE, PCB-52 and PCB-101.
First-principles study of the hexahalogenotechnetate(IV) ions TcX62- [X = Cl, Br]

Abstract We report all-electron scalar relativistic calculations of the structural and electronic properties of the octahedral hexahalogenotechnetate(IV) ions TcX 6 2 - [X = Cl, Br] using spin-polarized density functional theory. The calculated bond distances are in good agreement with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data available for salts of hexachloride and hexabromide technetate ions. Molecular-orbital analysis shows the importance of the hybridization between Tc 4 d orbitals and p orbitals of the ligands. Normal modes of vibration of the hexachloride and hexabromide complexes of Tc and Re have also been computed and assessed by comparison with spectral data for salt crystals of technetate/rhenate complex ions.
Stable heavy pentaquark states

Abstract If the Θ+(1540) is interpreted as a bound state of a s quark and two (ud) diquarks in a relative P-wave, then it is very likely that there exist pentaquark states with a heavy antiquark, b or c , and two “light” diquarks in a relative S-wave which are stable against strong decays. We make a mass estimate for exotic states of this type and discuss their weak decays. Isospin relations are constructed which test their flavor quantum numbers.
Spectral fingerprinting and classification by location of origin of natural waters by multidimensional fluorescence

Multidimensional fluorescence is employed as an analytical tool for analyzing natural waters. Excitation-Emission Matrices (EEMs) are shown to contain spectral profiles of natural fluorophores as well as polyaromatic pollutants. A database of date-ordered EEMs was established to investigate fluorescence properties of several rivers and estuarial sites in the Boston area. Multiway Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (NPLS-DA) regression models were constructed with calibration data from each sample site for classification of future test data to geographic origin. Parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis resolved the pure component spectra for longitudinal and seasonal characterization studies. Time Resolved Excitation Emission Matrix (TREEM) spectroscopy exhibits extraction of further spectral information with the addition of a fluorescence decay time dimension. Location characterization of port waters by fluorescence fingerprinting is demonstrated. This spectroscopic technique shows promise as a regulatory tool for fingerprinting ships' ballast water to determine its harbor of origin. A deployable instrument for in situ analysis is proposed.
Youth voices: connections between history, enacted culture and identity in a digital divide initiative

The design of educational experiences is often mediated by historical, institutional, and social conceptions. Although these influences can initially shape the way that educational opportunities are created and implemented, this preliminary form has the potential to reorganize. In this paper, we illustrate how history shows its presence in the ways that instructors systematically arrange a technology course for urban youth. This original approach to the course inhibits youth participation. Incrementally, however, the cultural enactments of instructors and students lead to a reorganization of activity. Through highlighting history and examining the intersection of culture, we provide insight into the ways in which adolescents of color become successfully engaged in learning technology. We focus our study by asking how co-existence and the dialectic of structure and agency play a role as youth develop an identity as a technology user. Further, this emergent learning design affords outsiders a unique view of the educational and contextual experiences of these youth. Our illustration of how history, enacted culture and identity mediate the emergent learning design stems from a grounded theory approach to analyzing video, interview and artifact data in this after-school technology course.
Problems with Perturbation Treatments of Anharmonic Nuclear Oscillations

Microscopic expressions are obtained for the coefficients in the angular momentum expansion ${E}_{I}={a}_{2}(\frac{1}{2}I)+{a}_{4}{(\frac{1}{2}I)}^{2}+\ensuremath{\cdots}$ of the energies of quasirotational members of quadrupole vibrational bands. Some limitations on the applicability of perturbation treatments of anharmonic corrections to the random-phase approximation are noted.
Kids First:: How Public Libraries Can Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century

Trends in computer and telecommunications technol‐ogy are likely to push the public library out of its traditional markets — providing recreational reading and information for adults — sometime in the next century. If the public library is not to become marginalized, it needs to begin to move aggressively to develop services which address the educational needs of children and youth. Historical indifference to the needs of children and youth must be overcome, and public libraries must make kids their highest priority.
Anhydrous partial melting of an iron-rich mantle II: primary melt compositions at 15 kbar

Primary melt and coexisting mineral compositions, at increasing degrees of partial melting at 15 kbar, were determined for an iron-rich martian mantle composition, DW. The composition of primary melts near the solidus was determined with basalt-peridotite sandwich experiments. In order to evaluate the approach of the liquids to equilibrium with a DW mantle assemblage, experiments were also performed to establish the liquidus mineralogy of the primary melts. Primary melt compositions produced from an iron-rich mantle are more picritic than those produced from an iron-poor mantle. By increasing the iron content of a model mantle composition (decreasing the mg#, where mg# = atomic [Mg/(Mg+Fe2+)*100]), picritic and komatiitic magmas result at lower percentages of melting and at temperatures closer to the solidus than in an iron-poor mantle. Terrestrial iron-rich primitive volcanics may be the partial melting products of iron-rich, mg# ≥80, source regions. The DW partial melting results support the conclusion of previous authors that the parent magmas of the SNC (shergottites, nakhlites, chassignites) meteorites were derived from a source region that had been previously depleted in an aluminous phase.
ADULTS VIEW THEIR CHILDHOOD BEREAVEMENT EXPERIENCES

This study sought to determine if depression is an inevitable outcome of childhood bereavement experiences , as the Freudians believed , or if children can experience healthy mourning , as Bowlby predicted . In an application of Q methodology , 43 adults parentally bereaved as children sorted statements about childhood bereavement experiences and outcomes in adulthood . Debriefing interviews followed . Four distinct types of experience emerged through factor analysis: appreciation , frustration , enmeshment , and ambivalence . Depression was not found to be an inevitable outcome , and Bowlby's prediction that certain positive family factors can influence a child toward healthy mourning during childhood were corroborated . Salient factors contributing to healthy childhood mourning included positive relationships between the child and both parents , ample emotional and psychological support from the surviving parent , and open and honest communication with the child about the death and its impact on the fam...