cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimizing Statistical Information Extraction Programs over Evolving Text

Statistical information extraction (IE) programs are increasingly used to build real-world IE systems such as Alibaba, Cite Seer, Kylin, and YAGO. Current statistical IE approaches consider the text corpora underlying the extraction program to be static. However, many real-world text corpora are dynamic (documents are inserted, modified, and removed). As the corpus evolves, and IE programs must be applied repeatedly to consecutive corpus snapshots to keep extracted information up to date. Applying IE {\em from scratch\/} to each snapshot may be inefficient: a pair of consecutive snapshots may change very little, but unaware of this, the program must run again from scratch. In this paper, we present \crflex, a system that efficiently executes such repeated statistical IE, by recycling previous IE results to enable incremental update. We focus on statistical IE programs which use a leading statistical model, Conditional Random Fields (CRFs). We show how to model properties of the CRF inference algorithms for incremental update and how to exploit them to correctly recycle previous inference results. Then we show how to efficiently capture and store intermediate results of IE programs for subsequent recycling. We find that there is a tradeoff between the I/O cost spent on reading and writing intermediate results, and CPU cost we can save from recycling those intermediate results. Therefore we present a cost-based solution to determine the most efficient recycling approach for any given CRF-based IE program and an evolving corpus. We present extensive experiments with CRF-based IE programs for 3 IE tasks over a real-world data set to demonstrate the utility of our approach.
One-pass Tillage for Summer Fallow Under Arid Summer Conditions

Millions of acres of cropland with as low as 6 inches annual precipitation are used for production of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. Despite soil conservation advances, soil erosion continues to be a problem. This on-farm study analyzed seed-zone soil water under farmerimplemented fallow tillage practices to find out if very low-disturbance systems are possible. A low-disturbance, wide-blade undercutter sweep treatment was similar or superior to the farmer’s more intensive conventional tillage system. A subsequent test at four paired no-till-conventionally-tilled summer-fallow sites demonstrated that a single pass of an undercutter sweep in the no-till field could preserve seed-zone moisture comparable to the more intensive multiple-pass conventional tillage. Despite conventional wisdom, summer-fallow soil mulches do not need to be finely pulverized or repeatedly tilled to be effective.
Characterization of organic aerosols emitted from the combustion of biomass indigenous to South Asia

[1] Throughout South Asia biomass is commonly used as a fuel source for cooking and heating homes. The smoke from domestic use of these fuels is expected to be a major source of atmospheric particulate matter in the region and needs to be characterized for input in regional source apportionment models and global climate models. Biomass fuel samples including coconut leaves, rice straw, jackfruit branches, dried cowdung patties, and biomass briquettes manufactured from compressed biomass material were obtained from Bangladesh. The fuel samples were burned in a wood stove to collect and characterize the particulate matter emissions. The bulk chemical composition including total organic and elemental carbon, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium and chloride ions, and bulk elements such as potassium and sodium did not show conclusive differences among the biomass samples tested. Unique features, however, exist in the detailed organic characterization of the combustion smoke from the different sources. The organic compound fingerprints of the particulate matter are shown to be distinct from one another and distinct from North American wood fuels. Fecal stanols including 5b-stigmastanol, coprostanol, and cholestanol are found to be good molecular markers for the combustion of cowdung. Additionally, the patterns of methoxyphenols and plant sterols provide a unique signature for each biomass sample and are conducive as source apportionment tracers. INDEX TERMS: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801); 0345 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Pollution—urban and regional (0305); 0399 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: General or miscellaneous; 1699 Global Change: General or miscellaneous; KEYWORDS: biomass aerosol, molecular marker, organic
Genomic Epidemiology of BRCA1/BRCA2; Breast Cancer Associated Genes and Use of Electronic Health Record to Reduce the Escalating Cost of Treatment

This project reviewed gene mutations which are associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2. From epidemiological perspective, the escalating cost of breast cancer management is due to the aging phenomenon of the female cohort in United States population. Innovative genomic sequencing techniques could continue to augment gene mutations beside the BRCA1/BRCA2 and TP53, PTEN, ST11/LKB1, CDH1, CHEK2, and ATM among others. To reduce the escalating cost of breast cancer management, the application of pharmacogenomic techniques, use of electronic health record and the most appropriate software could be applied for both primary prevention and chemoprevention. Physicians and other clinicians must hone their skills in advanced Mendelian genetics to become proficient in using statistical risk analysis and the appropriate IT software to recommend primary prevention to at risk breast cancer patients.
Teaching the Use of Computers: A Case Study

A course on the use of computers in psychology and the other social sciences is described. The course included an introduction to computers and computing and units on word processing, data analysis, data acquisition, artificial intelligence, and computer-assisted instruction, simulation, and modeling. Each unit incorporated the application of an appropriate program. Students conducted independent research projects using the computer. They evaluated the course very positively, as did the instructor. The major problems encountered in teaching the course related to the diversity of students' backgrounds in computers and in statistics, and to the difficulty of separating technique from content in assigning grades.
Antigen-specific B cell memory : expression and replenishment of a novel B220(-) memory B cell compartment

The mechanisms that regulate B cell memory and the rapid recall response to antigen remain poorly defined. This study focuses on the rapid expression of B cell memory upon antigen recall in vivo, and the replenishment of quiescent B cell memory that follows. Based on expression of CD138 and B220, we reveal a unique and major subtype of antigen-specific memory B cells (B220−CD138−) that are distinct from antibody-secreting B cells (B220+/−CD138+) and B220+CD138− memory B cells. These nonsecreting somatically mutated B220− memory responders rapidly dominate the splenic response and comprise >95% of antigen-specific memory B cells that migrate to the bone marrow. By day 42 after recall, the predominant quiescent memory B cell population in the spleen (75–85%) and the bone marrow (>95%) expresses the B220− phenotype. Upon adoptive transfer, B220− memory B cells proliferate to a lesser degree but produce greater amounts of antibody than their B220+ counterparts. The pattern of cellular differentiation after transfer indicates that B220− memory B cells act as stable self-replenishing intermediates that arise from B220+ memory B cells and produce antibody-secreting cells on rechallenge with antigen. Cell surface phenotype and Ig isotype expression divide the B220− compartment into two main subsets with distinct patterns of integrin and coreceptor expression. Thus, we identify new cellular components of B cell memory and propose a model for long-term protective immunity that is regulated by a complex balance of committed memory B cells with subspecialized immune function.
A Study of k-Coverage and Measures of Connectivity in 3D Wireless Sensor Networks

In a wireless sensor network (WSN), connectivity enables the sensors to communicate with each other, while sensing coverage reflects the quality of surveillance. Although the majority of studies on coverage and connectivity in WSNs consider 2D space, 3D settings represent more accurately the network design for real-world applications. As an example, underwater sensor networks require design in 3D rather than 2D space. In this paper, we focus on the connectivity and k-coverage issues in 3D WSNs, where each point is covered by at least k sensors (the maximum value of k is called the coverage degree). Precisely, we propose the Reuleaux tetrahedron model to characterize k-coverage of a 3D field and investigate the corresponding minimum sensor spatial density. We prove that a 3D field is guaranteed to be k-covered if any Reuleaux tetrahedron region of the field contains at least k sensors. We also compute the connectivity of 3D k-covered WSNs. Based on the concepts of conditional connectivity and forbidden faulty sensor set, which cannot include all the neighbors of a sensor, we prove that 3D k-covered WSNs can sustain a large number of sensor failures. Precisely, we prove that 3D k-covered WSNs have connectivity higher than their coverage degree k. Then, we relax some widely used assumptions in coverage and connectivity in WSNs, such as sensor homogeneity and unit sensing and communication model, so as to promote the practicality of our results in real-world scenarios. Also, we propose a placement strategy of sensors to achieve full k-coverage of a 3D field. This strategy can be used in the design of energy-efficient scheduling protocols for 3D k-covered WSNs to extend the network lifetime.
The Impact of Human Rights Organizations on Naming and Shaming Campaigns

Given the myriad of human rights abuses that occur globally and daily, why are some nations on the receiving end of a substantial amount of international opprobrium, while others receive far less attention and condemnation? The authors contend that the increasing presence of human rights organizations in such states is the critical link between the local and the international. Increases in the number of such groups contributes significantly to the generation of Amnesty International urgent actions, one of the most-often-utilized tools in naming and shaming campaigns against human rightsabusingregimes.Theauthorsfindstrongsupportfornearlyalltheirhypotheses.
Release kinetics of polymeric prodrugs of pindolol (PDL)

Various type of pendant chain polymeric prodrugs of pindolol were synthesized and their release characteristics were evaluated. Non linear regression analysis of various mathematical models indicated a best fit was obtained in all cases by a concomitant zero and first order release pattern. The effect of load (w/w pindolol) and backbone (polymer type) were studied. An increase on load in the high molecular weight dextran (T - 70) resulted in a proportional increase in fraction of release exhibiting first order kinetics and a proportional decrease in the zero order rate constant. Across the three polymers studied, a polymer with a large first order fraction also had a large zero order rate constant and a faster overall release pattern.
From Counter-Insurgency to Narco-Insurgency: Vietnam and the International War on Drugs

If we have found we cannot be the world's policeman, can we hope to become the world's narc?In the January 1968 issue of the Washingtonian magazine, the son of the great American novelist John Steinbeck made his professional journalistic debut with the publication of a controversial article, “The Importance of Being Stoned in Vietnam.” John Steinbeck IV, who served as a roving correspondent for the Pacific Stars and Stripes, wrote that marijuana of a potent quality was grown naturally in Vietnam, sold by farmers at a fraction of the cost than in the United States, and could be obtained “more easily than a package of Lucky Strikes cigarettes.” He estimated that up to 75 percent of soldiers in Vietnam got high regularly. “The average soldier sees that for all intents and purposes, the entire country is stoned,” Steinbeck observed. “To enforce a prohibition against smoking the plant [in Vietnam] would be like trying to prohibit the inhalation of smog in Los Angeles.”2
Dysregulation in High-Anxious Female Prisoners: Attentionally Mediated?

Psychopathy is associated with specific information processing anomalies that hamper self-regulation (e.g., poor passive avoidance) in male offenders, but recent studies have found that anxiety—rather than psychopathy—appears to predict poor passive avoidance in female offenders. To clarify the association between attention and dysregulation in anxious offenders, this study used a computerized picture–word task to test 2 competing perspectives on how anxiety moderates attention to distracting cues in female inmates. The 3-pathway model (J. P. Newman & J. F. Wallace, 1993) hypothesizes that anxious individuals (identified as neurotic introverts) will show narrowed attention to relevant task cues and thus will show less interference due to irrelevant distractors. The second perspective, derived from substantial evidence that anxious individuals are vigilant to threat cues, suggests that neurotic introverts will show vigilance to irrelevant distractors only if they are threatening. Results suggest a synthesis between the two perspectives that clarifies both the attentional mechanisms involved in anxiety and their relation to dysregulation.
All-optical wavelength conversion based on periodic phase modulation in optical fibers

We demonstrate, for the first time, a simple wavelength converter based on periodic phase modulation in optical fibers, that offers good efficiency, and format- and bit-rate-independence. Conversion to more than 20 channels was demonstrated.
Miniaturized printed folded dipole antennas

A vertically folded dipole on a multi-layer circuit board is proposed. The two radiation arms are spread into two dielectric surfaces and connected through vias. It effectively reduces antenna area by half without decreasing the bandwidth. It also facilitates meandering the strip dipole and further reduces the antenna length. Examples are given to characterize the vertical two or three folded dipoles. The simulation results show that the use of more than two folded dipoles is beneficial to the antenna performance, but requiring additional metal layers and additional cost.
II. Analysis of the Agglutination Reactions Characteristic of the Rh System

Based upon our previous description of the agglutination reaction and the factors which influence it, we have attempted to analyze the agglutination reactions characteristic of the Rh system. From this analysis it appeared that the characteristic ability of the γ1 high molecular weight Rho (D) antibody to produce agglutination in saline is due to its ability to form a sufficient number of antigen-antibody reactions per cell of sufficient stability to provide a stable linkage between cells. The failure of the γ2 low molecular weight Rho (D) antibody to produce agglutination in saline is due to a marked disparity in the combining properties of the bivalent sites of the antibody molecule. Although one combining site is capable of a relative stable linkage with the Rho (D) antigen, the second site does not provide the stability necessary for linkage between cells. Antiglobulin serum provides the necessary linkage between two stably attached Rho (D) antibody molecules. The agglutination enhancement by enzymatic treatment of the red cells were found to have an effect due to the ability of such enzymes to increase the stability of the antigen-antibody complex, rather than to an “uncovering” of antigenic sites. The weak reactions associated with Rh (D) positive cells classified as Rho (Duu) would appear to have a basis similar to that found for the weakly reacting A subgroups, the weak agglutination reactions of such cells being contributed to by both a deficiency in the number of antigenic sites and the weakness of the union formed by such sites with antibody.
A probabilistic-based framework for infosec alert correlation

Deploying a large number of information security (INFOSEC) systems can provide in-depth protection for systems and networks. However, the sheer number of security alerts output by security sensors can overwhelm security analysts from performing effective analysis and taking timely response. Therefore, alert correlation is the core component in a security management system. Most of existing alert correlation techniques depend on a priori and hard-coded domain knowledge that lead to their limited capabilities of detecting new attack strategies. These approaches also focus more on the aggregation and analysis of raw security alerts, and build basic or low-level attack scenarios. This thesis focuses on discovering novel attack strategies with analysis of security alerts. Our framework helps security administrator aggregate redundant alerts, intelligently correlate security alerts, analyze attack strategies, and take appropriate actions against forthcoming attacks. In alert correlation, we have developed an integrated correlation system with three complementary correlation mechanisms. We have developed a probabilistic-based correlation engine that incorporates domain knowledge to correlate alerts that have direct causal relationship. We have developed a statistical analysis-based and a temporal analysis-based correlation engine to discover attack transition patterns in which attack steps do not have direct causal relationship in terms of security and performance measure but exhibit statistical and temporal patterns. We construct attack scenarios and conduct attack path analysis based on the correlation results. Security analysts are presented with aggregated information on attack strategies from the integrated correlation system. In attack plan recognition, we address the challenges of identifying attacker's high-level strategies and intentions as well as predicting upcoming attacks. We apply graph-based techniques to correlating isolated attack scenarios derived from low-level alert correlation based on their relationship in attack plans. We conduct probabilistic inference to evaluate the likelihood of attack goal(s) and predict potential upcoming attacks based on observed attack activities. We evaluate our algorithms using DARPA's Grand Challenge Problem (GCP) data sets and live traffic data collected from our backbone network. The results show that our approach can effectively discover novel attack strategies, provide a quantitative analysis of attack scenarios and identify attack plans.
Presidents And Health Reform: From Franklin D. Roosevelt To Barack Obama

The health care reforms that President Barack Obama signed into law in March 2010 were seventy-five years in the making. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. presidents have struggled to enact national health care reform; most failed. This article explores the highly charged political landscape in which Obama maneuvered and the skills he brought to bear. It contrasts his accomplishments with the experiences of his Oval Office predecessors. Going forward, implementation poses formidable challenges for Democrats, Republicans, and the political process itself.
Determination of in vivo velocity and endothelial shear stress patterns with phasic flow in human coronary arteries: a methodology to predict progression of coronary atherosclerosis.

Abstract Background Although the coronary arteries are equally exposed to systemic risk factors, coronary atherosclerosis is focal and eccentric, and each lesion evolves in an independent manner. Variations in shear stress elicit markedly different humoral, metabolic, and structural responses in endothelial cells. Areas of low shear stress promote atherosclerosis, whereas areas of high shear stress prevent atherosclerosis. Characterization of the shear stresses affecting coronary arteries in humans in vivo may permit prediction of progression of coronary disease, prediction of which plaques might become vulnerable to rupture, and prediction of sites of restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods To determine endothelial shear stress, the 3-dimensional anatomy of a segment of the right coronary artery was determined immediately after directional atherectomy by use of a combination of intracoronary ultrasound and biplane coronary angiography. The geometry of the segment was represented in curvilinear coordinates and a computational fluid dynamics technique was used to investigate the detailed phasic velocity profile and shear stress distribution. The results were analyzed with several conventional indicators and one novel indicator of disturbed flow. Results Our methodology identified areas of minor flow reversals, significant swirling, and large variations of local velocity and shear stress—temporally, axially, and cirumferentially—within the artery, even in the absence of significant luminal obstruction. Conclusions We have described a system that permits, for the first time, the in vivo determination of pulsatile local velocity patterns and endothelial shear stress in the human coronary arteries. The flow phenomena exhibit characteristics consistent with the focal nature of atherogenesis and restenosis. (Am Heart J 2002;143:931-9.)
Theory of the Faraday effect with weak laser pulses

The propagation of a weak optical pulse along the direction of an applied magnetic field in an atomic or molecular gas is investigated theoretically. When the Zeeman splitting is much smaller that the inhomogeneous linewidth σ, the Faraday rotation of the polarization plane depends linearly on optical depth and is independent of time for long pulses with tp ≫ σ−1 (as in the conventional Faraday effect) but depends linearly on time and is independent of optical depth for short pulses with tp ≪ σ−1; tp is the pulse duration. In the intermediate-pulse-width regime, frequency pushing causes the polarization plane to rotate at greater average speeds as the pulse propagates.
An Energy-Efficient Mobile Triangulation-based Coverage Scheme

In triangulation-based coverage, a group of three mobile sensor nodes (MSNs) position themselves to form an equilateral triangle. A larger area is covered with many such smaller triangles as three MSNs move from one triangle to another. Such a scheme has several applications in localization, 3D imaging and coordinated search operation. In this work, we introduce an efficient mobile traversal algorithm (MTA) that provides a triangulation-based coverage of a field that can be approximated as a rectangle. We analyze the MTA in terms of the MSNs' travel distance and time taken to complete the traversal process. The bounds derived are also useful in determining the amount of energy consumption by the MSNs.
Data cache sizing for embedded processor applications

We present a technique for determining the best data cache size required for a given memory-intensive application. A careful memory and cache line assignment strategy based on the analysis of the array access patterns effects a significant reduction in the required data cache size, with no negative impact on the performance, thereby freeing vital on-chip silicon area for other hardware resources. Experiments on several benchmark kernels performed on LSI Logic's CW4001 embedded processor simulator confirm the soundness of our cache sizing and memory assignment strategy and the accuracy of our analytical predictions.
Locality of turbulent cascades

In this paper we establish sufficient conditions for locality of turbulent cascades, by an exact analysis of the fluid equations. No assumptions of homogeneity or isotropy are invoked and the results apply to individual realizations with no resort to any statistical averaging. The only requirement is suitable regularity of the turbulent solutions of the fluid equations in the high Reynolds number limit, corresponding to Holder continuity but non-differentiability in space. We use a smooth filtering approach to resolve the turbulent fields both in space and in scale. We discuss several physical cascades to exemplify and clarify the analysis, including joint energy and helicity cascades in three space dimensions and the dual inverse energy cascade and direct enstrophy cascade in two dimensions.
Macromolecular Structural Elucidation with Solid-State NMR-Derived Orientational Constraints.

The complete structure determination of a polypeptide in a lipid bilayer environment is demonstrated built solely upon orientational constraints derived from solid-state NMR observations. Such constraints are obtained from isotopically labeled samples uniformly aligned with respect to the B0 field. Each observation constrains the molecular frame with respect to B0 and the bilayer normal, which are arranged to be parallel. These constraints are not only very precise (a few tenths of a degree), but also very accurate. This is clearly demonstrated as the back bone structure is assembled sequentially and the i to i+6 hydrogen bonds in this structure of the gramicidin channel are shown on average to be within 0.5 A of ideal geometry. Similarly, the side chains are assembled independently and in a radial direction from the backbone. The lack of considerable atomic overlap between side chains also demonstrates the accuracy of the constraints. Through this complete structure, solid-state NMR is demonstrated as an approach for determining three-dimensional macromolecular structure.
An extragonadal teratoma in a female cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis)

Extragonadal teratomas have not been reported in nonhuman primates. A female cynomolgus monkey, a vehicle control in an exploratory toxicity study, was necropsied. Microscopic examination of an extragonadal mass in the animal's craniodorsal retroperitoneum revealed a teratoma. This is the first report of an extragonadal teratoma in a nonhuman primate.
Regional Modeling of Ammonia Emissions from Native Soil Sources in California

Abstract The development of a new emissions inventory of ammonia volatilization from native soil sources (excluding direct emissions from fertilizer application sources) for the state of California is discussed. Because a comprehensive measurement dataset is currently lacking upon which to build a reliable emissions inventory for NH3 from native soil sources in California, an ecosystem modeling approach that is based on satellite remote sensing and other geographic datasets was used to develop a new estimate of statewide biogenic emissions rates of N-NH3. The NASA–Ames version of the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) ecosystem model is applied for soil nitrogen gas emissions at 8-km spatial resolution. The NASA–CASA model estimates seasonal patterns in carbon fixation, nutrient allocation, litterfall, soil nitrogen mineralization, and soil NH3 emissions. The general conditions and spatial patterns favoring soil NH3 volatilization from soils (high pH, low moisture) have been integrated in the NASA–CAS...
Development and assessment of a pediatric emergency medicine simulation and skills rotation: meeting the demands of a large pediatric clerkship

Objective : To implement a curriculum using simulation and skills training to augment a Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) rotation within a pediatric clerkship. Background : PEM faculty are often challenged with a high learner to teacher ratio in a chaotic clinical setting. This challenge was heightened when our pediatric clerkship’s traditional 1-week PEM rotation (consisting of 4 students completing four 8-hour ED shifts/week) expanded to 8 students every 2 weeks. We sought to meet this challenge by integrating simulation-based education into the rotation. Methods : Clerkship students from March to June 2012 completed our traditional rotation. Students between July and October 2012 completed the new PEM-SIM curriculum with 19 hours ED shifts/week and 16 hours/week of simulation/skills training. Pre/post-tests evaluated 1) medical management/procedural comfort (five-point Likert scale); and 2) PEM knowledge (15 multiple-choice questions). Results : One hundred and nine students completed the study (48 traditional, 61 PEM-SIM). Improvement in comfort was significantly higher for the PEM-SIM group than the traditional group for 6 of 8 (75%) medical management items ( p <0.05) and 3 of 7 (43%) procedures, including fracture splinting, lumbar puncture, and abscess incision/drainage ( p <0.05). PEM-SIM students had significantly more improvement in mean knowledge compared to the traditional group ( p <0.001). Conclusions : We have successfully integrated 16 hours/week of faculty-facilitated simulation-based education into a PEM rotation within our clerkship. This curriculum is beneficial in clinical settings with high learner to teacher ratios and when patient care experiences alone are insufficient for all students to meet rotation objectives. Keywords: pediatric clerkship; procedural training; simulation; overcrowding (Published: 30 November 2015) Citation: Med Educ Online 2015, 20: 29618 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v20.29618
Introducing NMR to a General Chemistry Audience: A Structural-Based Instrumental Laboratory Relating Lewis Structures, Molecular Models, and 13C NMR Data

This paper describes a first-year general chemistry laboratory that uses NMR spectroscopy and model building to emphasize molecular shape and structure. It is appropriate for either a traditional or an atoms-first curriculum. Students learn the basis of structure and the use of NMR data through a cooperative learning hands-on laboratory experience, and work in groups to assign names and structures to unknown compounds. This laboratory can be successfully run at a number of experimental levels, from students preparing their own NMR samples for analysis to running this as a dry laboratory with spectra provided by the instructor.
LIFE CYCLE AND STRUCTURE OF THE FISH DIGENEAN BRACHYPHALLUS CRENATUS (HEMIURIDAE)

Cystophorous cercariae from Retusa obtusa (Montagu) (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Retusidae) develop into adults of Brachyphallus crenatus (Rudolphi, 1802) Odhner, 1905 (Hemiuridae). The free-swimming cercariae were ingested by laboratory-reared Acartia tonsa Dana, and the cercarial body was injected into the hemocoel of the copepod. Two-week-old metacercariae held at 15 C were infective to stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus. The cercariae of B. crenatus are very similar to the cercariae of Hemiurus luehei Odhner, 1905, and Lecithocladium excisum (Rudolphi, 1819) Luhe, 1901 (Hemiuridae), which develop in closely related opisthobranch snails. Scanning electron microscopy of metacercariae and adults of B. crenatus revealed the annular plications of most of the external surface to be scalelike. The area surrounding the genital pore and the presomatic pit was densely plicated.
A Home Heating Model for Calculus Students

(1996). A Home Heating Model for Calculus Students. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 27, No. 5, pp. 394-397.
Effects of Vegetative Cover on the Population Dynamics of Meadow Voles

Twelve experimental patches of grassland varying in vegetative cover (reduced cover, enhanced cover, and control; n = 4 each) were live-trapped 4 May–22 October 1992 and 14 May–29 October 1993 to examine the effects of patch quality on the population dynamics and dispersal behavior of the meadow vole ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ). Although enhancing the litter component of vegetative cover did not increase population density or survivorship, reducing the amount of litter and biomass of the standing crop had detrimental effects on population dynamics of meadow voles during 1993, especially early in the growing season. Mean population densities and cumulative recruitment of voles were significantly greater in the control and enhanced-cover treatments compared to the reduced-cover treatment in 1993. Mean body mass of female voles was significantly greater in the enhanced-cover and control treatments compared to the reduced-cover treatment during both years of the investigation. In addition, survivorship of female voles from the founder populations was much higher in the control and enhanced-cover treatments compared to that in the reduced-cover treatment. Significantly greater mean population density and lower per capita dispersal in 1993 compared to 1992 were related to an increase in both components of cover (i.e., biomass of standing crop and litter). Results show the need to further examine the relationship of vegetative cover and food quality as components of habitat quality for small mammals.
Optical “Hyperspace”: Negative Refractive Index and Subwavelength Imaging in Anisotropic Media.

We develop a new approach to materials with negative refractive index and subwavelength imaging systems, based on anisotropic dielectric constant in planar and cylindrical geometries.The approach does not rely on magnetic resonance and leads to low losses and high tolerance to fabrication imperfections.
Registration of orthogonally oriented wide-field of view OCT volumes using orientation-aware optical flow and retina segmentation(Conference Presentation)

Patient motion artifacts are an important source of data irregularities in OCT imaging. With longer duration OCT scans – as is needed for large wide field of view scans or increased scan density – motion artifacts become increasingly problematic. Strategies to mitigate these motion artifacts are then necessary to ensure OCT data integrity. A popular strategy for reducing motion artifacts in OCT images is to capture two orthogonally oriented volumetric scans containing uncorrelated motion and subsequently reconstructing a motion-free volume by combining information from both datasets. While many different variations of this registration approach have been proposed, even the most recent methods might not be suitable for wide FOV OCT scans which can be lacking in features away from the optic nerve head or arcades. To address this problem, we propose a two-stage motion correction algorithm for wide FOV OCT volumes. In the first step, X and Y axes motion is corrected by registering OCT summed voxel projections (SVPs). To achieve this, we introduce a method based on a custom variation of the dense optical flow technique which is aware of the motion free orientation of the scan. Secondly, a depth (Z axis) correction approach based on the segmentation of the retinal layer boundaries in each B-scan using graph-theory and dynamic programming is applied. This motion correction method was applied to wide field retinal OCT volumes (approximately 80° FOV) of 3 subjects with substantial reduction in motion artifacts.
Analysis of the Optimizing Approach of Institution in Medical Device Adverse Event Monitoring Based on Risk Management

The risk and benefit of nedical devices need to be evaluated.In order to find the optimizing approach,the institution in medical device adverse event monitoring based on risk management has been analyzed in the way of the western dynamic game theory and related suggestion has been proposed.
Major ambulatory surgery of the otolaryngologic patient.

Many otolaryngologic procedures can be performed safely on an ambulatory basis. Complications can be minimized by careful patient and procedure selection. This article describes common procedures adaptable to outpatient surgery and addresses the surgeon’s added responsibility in this setting.
Influence of partitioning data by sex on genetic variance and covariance components for weaning weight in beef cattle

Heterogeneity of (co)variance components (VC) by sex is currently accounted for in national genetic evaluations for Simmental cattle. Parameters used in the national evaluation program are estimated from data split into male, female, and steer populations. Analyzing only male data does not account for selection on females, and vice versa. To determine the impact of selection, a Monte Carlo simulation was used, and estimates of VC for weaning weight were obtained when data were partitioned by sex. Weaning weight data were simulated using homogeneous VC for males and females for random and selected populations. Restricted maximum likelihood estimates were obtained for direct and maternal genetic and permanent and temporary environmental variances and genetic covariance between direct and maternal effects by analyzing complete or split data. Estimates differed (P <.01) from input values in data from selected populations split by sex, yielding a spurious heterogeneity of VC for sex. The heterogeneity was reduced in models using genetic groups but not completely removed. Splitting data by sex also influenced VC estimates in data simulated with heterogeneous VC for males and females.
The Political Thought of Revisionism

Revisionist political thought can be divided into four aspects. First, the revisionist historians inherited a Victorian institutional structure that was still very much in place in the early postwar period, where historians from Oxford and Cambridge enjoyed a privileged opportunity to join the ranks of the British government or the Civil Service. Second, revisionist historians were a significant presence in the discourse on the death or decline of political philosophy, which captured the imagination of Western intellectuals from the 1950s to the early 1970s. What is perhaps most surprising about the revisionists’ engagement in this discourse is their participation in the early debate on human rights. Third, it was not entirely clear in the early postwar era to the European intellectuals who had experienced World War II that the intellectual roots of authoritarianism and totalitarianism had been severed from the European mind by the Allies’ victory. That prompted a number of intellectuals, including the revisionist historians, to probe into the history of totalitarianism and authoritarianism.
Naval Hull Form Multicriterion Hydrodynamic Optimization for the Conceptual Design Phase

For a given set of ship design and operational criteria, there exists a trade-off between the ship's calm water powering performance and its seakeeping performance. Ship hulls that are designed for optimal powering performance can have poor seakeeping performance, and vice versa. It is typically not possible to obtain the global optimum for both of these objectives because of the competition between the powering and seakeeping performance functions and the design constraints. The set of globally nondominated solutions, or Pareto front, considering these competing criteria is searched for by navigating the multimodal search space using a multicriterion, population-based evolutionary algorithm optimization process. The optimization process uses a nontraditional objective function formulation that eliminates the need to tune the penalty function parameters for each new problem formulation and appears to provide a more thorough representation of the numerically approximated Pareto front. Results show that properly integrating this optimization process with the design criteria yields a set of hydrodynamically superior design solutions. The problem formulation and development is applicable to naval surface vessels and applied to a monohull frigate type example.
Two elements compact MIMO antenna with reconfigurable lower band and consistent high band for tablet applications

A 3G/4G planar compact inverted-F antenna (PIFA) antenna with reconfigurable lower band between 704MHz – 960MHz, and consistent high band between 1710MHz – 2690MHz has been designed and implemented for two elements multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna system on a tablet size ground plane. This antenna shows good performance for each reconfiguration state in the lower band and consistent higher band with nearly omnidirectional radiation patterns and acceptable ECC (envelope correlation coefficient) based on the radiated far-fields.
Efficient spatial coverage by a robot swarm based on an ant foraging model and the Lévy distribution

This work proposes a control law for efficient area coverage and pop-up threat detection by a robot swarm inspired by the dynamical behavior of ant colonies foraging for food. In the first part, performance metrics that evaluate area coverage in terms of characteristics such as rate, completeness and frequency of coverage are developed. Next, the Keller–Segel model for chemotaxis is adapted to develop a virtual-pheromone-based method of area coverage. Sensitivity analyses with respect to the model parameters such as rate of pheromone diffusion, rate of pheromone evaporation, and white noise intensity then identify and establish noise intensity as the most influential parameter in the context of efficient area coverage and establish trends between these different parameters which can be generalized to other pheromone-based systems. In addition, the analyses yield optimal values for the model parameters with respect to the proposed performance metrics. A finite resolution of model parameter values were tested to determine the optimal one. In the second part of the work, the control framework is expanded to investigate the efficacy of non-Brownian search strategies characterized by Levy flight, a non-Brownian stochastic process which takes variable path lengths from a power-law distribution. It is shown that a control law that incorporates a combination of gradient following and Levy flight provides superior area coverage and pop-up threat detection by the swarm. The results highlight both the potential benefits of robot swarm design inspired by social insect behavior as well as the interesting possibilities suggested by considerations of non-Brownian noise.
How Do Fiscal Shocks Affect the Macroeconomic Dynamics in the Bangladesh Economy

In this paper, we analyze the impact of fiscal shocks on the Bangladesh economy using structural vector autoregression (SVAR) methodology. The study uses quarterly data for the period 2003Q3 to 2015Q2. In this study, we follow the structural VAR approach of Blanchard and Perotti (2002). It relies on institutional information about the tax and transfer systems and the timing of tax collection to identify the automatic response of taxes and spending to economic activity as well as to infer fiscal shocks. The main finding of this paper is that positive government spending shocks in Bangladesh point towards an immediate positive effect on output. The effect becomes insignificant in the period following the shock. On the other hand, positive tax shocks indicate a negative effect on GDP. The effect again becomes statistically insignificant afterwards. The multipliers for both spending and tax shocks are typically small. Also the shock to government spending variable has a bigger impact on GDP than the tax revenue shock. Taking the above facts into account, one-off changes in government spending and taxes in Bangladesh appear to be short-lived and cannot be used to support economic activity.
Correction of severe spinopelvic mismatch: decreased blood loss with lateral hyperlordotic interbody grafts as compared with pedicle subtraction osteotomy.

OBJECTIVE Pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) provides extensive correction in patients with fixed sagittal plane imbalance but is associated with high estimated blood loss (EBL). Anterior column realignment (ACR) with lateral graft placement and sectioning of the anterior longitudinal ligament allows restoration of lumbar lordosis (LL). The authors compare peri- and postoperative measures in 2 groups of patients undergoing correction of a sagittal plane imbalance, either through PSO or the use of lateral lumbar fusion and ACR with hyperlordotic (20°-30°) interbody cages, with stabilization through standard posterior instrumentation in all cases. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective chart review of cases involving a lumbar PSO or lateral lumbar interbody fusion and ACR (LLIF-ACR) between 2010 and 2015 at the authors' institution. Patients who had a PSO in the setting of a preexisting fusion that spanned more than 4 levels were excluded. Demographic characteristics, spinopelvic parameters, EBL, operative time, and LOS were analyzed and compared between patients treated with PSO and those treated with LLIF-ACR. RESULTS The PSO group included 14 patients and the LLIF-ACR group included 13 patients. The mean follow-up was 13 months in the LLIF-ACR group and 26 months in the PSO group. The mean EBL was significantly lower in the LLIF-ACR group, measuring approximately 50% of the mean EBL in the PSO group (1466 vs 2910 ml, p 0.05), as was the preoperative PI-LL mismatch (33° in each group, p > 0.05) and the postoperative PI-LL mismatch ( 0.5). The total operative time and LOS were not significantly different in the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS This is the first direct comparison of the LLIF-ACR technique with the PSO in adult spinal deformity correction. The study demonstrates that the LLIF-ACR provides equivalent deformity correction with significantly reduced blood loss in patients with a previously unfused spine compared with the PSO. This technique provides a powerful means to avoid PSO in selected patients who require spinal deformity correction.
Quantifying charge trapping and molecular doping in organic p-i-n diodes

Organic p-i-n diodes enable the development of highly efficient organic devices such as organic light-emitting diodes. Understanding charge carrier trapping in these diodes is essential to comprehensively describe their electrical behaviors and increase their efficiency further. Here, a new bias stress protocol is developed to study charge trapping and the influence of trapping on molecular doping in organic p-i-n diodes. The results are discussed with the help of a novel analytical model, which is capable of quantifying the density of trapped charges and the doping efficiency from capacitance spectroscopy. We propose that this combined experimental/modeling approach is versatile and can lead to an advanced understanding of trapping in organic electronic devices.
Loss of slow-wave sleep.

A 40-year-old Hispanic American male, who weighed 165 lb and was 5’11” tall, consented to participate in a 3-day sleep protocol and was admitted to the UCLA General Clinical Research Center. The patient complained of fatigue during the day and difficulty initiating sleep, along with 3 to 4 awakenings per night. He denied snoring and having any difficulty breathing during sleep. A 2-week sleep diary confirmed his sleep-wake pattern. The patient also denied any history of head injury, epilepsy, or anoxia and the use of any over-the-counter or prescription medication use for the previous month. A diagnosis of current depression was ruled out, though he reported having been treated for depression with Paxil 2 years ago, when he took his last dose of Paxil. The patient reported alcohol consumption of 10 drinks per day, 12 days per month, with last his drink 18 days prior to study admission to the research center.
Cuppedo- and cappedophanes

The cuppedo- and cappedophanes described here are special cyclophanes whose structures are mainly based on a m-terphenyl framework in which substituents cause the outer two rings to be roughly perpendicular to the central ring. With cuppedophanes, two tethers link the outer rings, one in front of and one behind the central ring, to form a cup-shaped or concave molecule. Often some organic functionality is located within the cup, attached to C2, of the m-terphenyl moiety. With cappedophanes, an enclosed cavity is formed by attaching the cap via four tethers, two to each of the outer rings. Although there is a strong tendency to form self-filled rather than valuted cappedophanes, the latter can be obtained provided that the tethers are somewhat rigid and the 5′-position of the m-terphenyl moiety carries a bulky substituent. This methodology opens the way for the synthesis of cuppedo- and cappedophanes containing functionality within a well-defined cavity. Synthetic routes to these phanes are discussed in some detail, as are their NMR spectra, conformations, and selective reactions.