cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE MEANS MAY BE A COAL

Policy analysts, especially those with an economics orientation, tend to talk in terms of goals that deal with (1) effectiveness in achieving benefits, (2) efficiency in achieving them at low costs, and (3) equity or equality of benefits and costs across various groups. Lay people and also policy analysts with a political science background often supplement those substantive goals with procedural ones that emphasize (1) public participation, (2) predictability of decisions, and (3) procedural fairness that facilitates proving one is deserving of benefits or innocent of wrongdoing. Those procedural goals are often sought even at the expense of the substantive goals, not just as means to scoring higher on the substantive goals. Examples can be given for each procedural goal. The notion of procedures as goals-in-themselves should be distinguished from controversies over transcendentalism-pragmatism, incrementalism- rationalism, and other social value controversies.
Child care setting affects salivary cortisol and antibody secretion in young children

Summary Elevated afternoon levels of cortisol have been found repeatedly in children during child care. However, it is unclear whether these elevations have any consequences. Because physiologic stress systems and the immune system are functionally linked, we examined the relationship between salivary cortisol concentration and antibody secretion across the day at home and in child care, and their relationships with parent-reported illnesses. Salivary antibody provides a critical line of defense against pathogens entering via the mouth, but little is known about its diurnal rhythm in young children or the effect of different environmental contexts. Saliva samples were taken at approximately 10:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on two child care and two home days in a sample of 65 3–5-year-old children attending very high quality, full time child care centers. Results indicated that (1) a rising cortisol profile at child care, driven by higher afternoon levels, predicted lower antibody levels on the subsequent weekend, (2) higher cortisol on weekend days was related to greater parent-reported illness, and (3) a declining daily pattern in sIgA was evident on weekend and child care days for older preschoolers, but only on weekend days for younger preschoolers. The results suggest that elevated cortisol in children during child care may be related to both lowered antibody levels and greater illness frequency.
Distributed surveillance and reconnaissance using multiple autonomous ATVs: CyberScout

The objective of the CyberScout project is to develop an autonomous surveillance and reconnaissance system using a network of all-terrain vehicles. We focus on two facets of this system: 1) vision for surveillance and 2) autonomous navigation and dynamic path planning. In the area of vision-based surveillance, we have developed robust, efficient algorithms to detect, classify, and track moving objects of interest (person, people, or vehicle) with a static camera. Adaptation through feedback from the classifier and tracker allow the detector to use grayscale imagery, but perform as well as prior color-based detectors. We have extended the detector using scene mosaicing to detect and index moving objects when the camera is panning or tilting. The classification algorithm performs well with coarse inputs, has unparalleled rejection capabilities, and can flag novel moving objects. The tracking algorithm achieves highly accurate (96%) frame-to-frame correspondence for multiple moving objects in cluttered scenes by determining the discriminant relevance of object features. We have also developed a novel mission coordination architecture, CPAD (Checkpoint/Priority/Action Database), which performs path planning via checkpoint and dynamic priority assignment, using statistical estimates of the environment's motion structure. The motion structure is used to make both preplanning and reactive behaviors more efficient by applying global context. This approach is more computationally efficient than centralized approaches and exploits robot cooperation in dynamic environments better than decoupled approaches.
Practical benefit-cost analysis for alcoholism programs.

Benefit-cost analysis is an economic evaluation methodology which can readily be applied to the analysis of small individual alcoholism programs as well as to large alcoholism service delivery systems. Computational examples are given using information routinely collected at intake and follow-up by the Oklahoma management information system. Only minor modifications are required for programs using NIAAA's National Alcoholism Program Information System (NAPIS). Suggestions are made for improving the validity of the benefit estimates. The potential information gain through the use of benefit-cost analysis is demonstrated in worked examples.
Human Rights and Duties to Alleviate Environmental Injustice: The Domestic Case

To the degree that citizens have participated in, or derived benefits from, social institutions that have helped cause serious, life-threatening, or rights-threatening environmental injustice (EIJ)...
Radical Change Revisited: Dynamic Digital Age Books for Youth

Radical change, a theory described in my 1999 book, Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age, was developed in the mid-1990s. It serves as a lens through which to examine, explain, and ultimately, use contemporary literature for youth growing up in the Digital Age. It identifies changes in forms and formats, perspectives, and boundaries in this body of literature—all changes related to the interactivity, connectivity, and access of the Digital Age (see Figure 1).
Gossip on the Playground: Changes Associated With Universal Intervention, Retaliation Beliefs, and Supportive Friends

Relational forms of aggression are known to increase during the middle school years. To date, the majority of efficacy studies of elementary school-based programs have focused on the reduction of p...
Asymmetric Information, Mediation, and Conflict Management

This article examines mediation in conflicts using both a game-theoretic model and a quantitative analysis. The game-theoretic model suggests that mediator effectiveness rests primarily on the ability of third parties to provide critical information about the disputants' reservation points. The empirical analysis finds that mediation that targets asymmetric information is a highly effective form of conflict management. Moreover, the results suggest that mediation outperforms other forms of third-party intervention, including those that entail coercion. Both the model and quantitative analysis indicate that impartial mediators will generally outperform biased ones. Along with providing new information on conflict management, the quantitative analysis also has broader implications for IR theory. The results provide empirical support for the rationalist claim that asymmetric information is one of the root causes of war.
A reevaluation of the mathematical models for simulating single-channel and whole-cell ionic currents.

We have developed a technique that allows for the simulation of both single-channel and whole cell ionic currents given any arbitrary first-order kinetic scheme for the conformational states of an ion channel. The procedure is based on the solution of the master equation, which, in turn, is a general expression for a Markov process. The solution is expressed in terms of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the kinetic system and the system's deviation from equilibrium. Our derived expression provides a general recipe for the calculation of whole-cell currents. By further manipulation of this expression, we show how conditional probabilities are derived that can be used for the simulation of single-channel currents. We discuss computer implementation of the results so that complicated kinetic schemes can be solved numerically. Finally, we demonstrate the procedure by providing a worked example of a simple model of activation followed by inactivation.
A scalable mobile host protocol for the internet

This paper describes a new Mobile IP protocol supporting wide area network. This protocol named Scalable Mobile IP lSMIPr allows any mobile host to move inside a large-scale area while being transparently connected to the Internet using its permanent IP address. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Occupational Interstitial Lung Diseases.

Objective:Evidence-based diagnostic and treatment guidelines for occupationally related interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) have been developed and are summarized herein.Methods:Comprehensive literature reviews were conducted with article abstraction, critiquing, objective grading, and evidence table
Case Study #6: Robotic Manipulator Control Design

Chapter 11 presents the design of nonlinear controllers for a two-link robot based on Hamiltonian Surface Shaping and Power Flow Control (HSSPFC). HSSPFC is demonstrated to be an extension of controlled Lagrangians, energy-balancing, and energy-shaping by developing necessary and sufficient conditions for stability of a class of nonlinear systems, Hamiltonian natural systems, based on the recognition that the Hamiltonian is stored exergy. The nonlinear dynamic stability constraint is shown to be equivalent to the Melnikov number for heteroclinic orbits. HSSPFC is used to design nonlinear regulator and tracking controllers with defined stability boundaries including limit cycles. Also, the minimum energy state controller of energy-balancing is demonstrated to be a maximum entropy state controller based on HSSPFC. Numerical simulations are presented for the tracking controller design.
Surgical problems among survivors

Remarks from a symposium organized by the Council for a Livable World Education Fund and the Physicians for Social Responsibility on ‘The medical consequences of nuclear weapons and nuclear war.’
Educational Attainment and Mortality in the United States: Effects of Degrees, Years of Schooling, and Certification

Researchers have extensively documented a strong and consistent education gradient for mortality, with more highly educated individuals living longer than those with less education. This study contributes to our understanding of the education-mortality relationship by determining the effects of years of education and degree attainment on mortality, and by including nondegree certification, an important but understudied dimension of educational attainment. We use data from the mortality-linked restricted-use files of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) sample (N=9,821) and Cox proportional hazards models to estimate mortality risk among U.S. adults. Results indicate that more advanced degrees and additional years of education are associated with reduced mortality risk in separate models, but when included simultaneously, only degrees remain influential. Among individuals who have earned a high school diploma only, additional years of schooling (beyond 12) and vocational school certification (or similar accreditation) are both independently associated with reduced risks of death. Degrees appear to be most important for increasing longevity; the findings also suggest that any educational experience can be beneficial. Future research in health and mortality should consider including educational measures beyond a single variable for educational attainment.
Characteristics of high-energy channel sandstone and its exploration significance:A case from Xujiahe Formation in Yuanba area

The calcarenaceous sandstone reservoirs in the 3rd member of the Xujiahe Formation in the Yuanba area are lithologic ones featured by source and reservoir coexistence,high migration efficiency,favorable accumulation condition and overall gas-bearing capacity. Reservoirs mainly develop in the high-energy channel sandstones of braided river delta. The calcarenaceous high-energy channel sandstones in the 3rd member of the Xujiahe Formation in the northwestern Yuanba area are characterized by low GR( smooth box-like or toothed box-like gamma curves),high resistance,high carbonate debris content,low quartz content,and wide spread of dissolution pores and cracks. The big thickness of calcarenaceous high-energy channel sandstones provides the basement for the enrichment of natural gas in the 3rd member of the Xujiahe Formation. Near source,high carbonate debris content,high compression strength and high dissolution degree are the keys for the enrichment of natural gas in the 3rd member of the Xujiahe Formation. The explorations of calcarenaceous sandstone reservoirs in the 3rd member of the Xujiahe Formation should be focused on the near-source and high-energy channel sandstones with thick calcareous debris sandstone,high calcareous content and low quartz content.
PROMIS Physical Function Computer Adaptive Test Compared With Other Upper Extremity Outcome Measures in the Evaluation of Proximal Humerus Fractures in Patients Older Than 60 Years

Objectives:To compare the PROMIS Physical Function Computer Adaptive Test (PROMIS PF CAT) to commonly used traditional PF measures for the evaluation of patients with proximal humerus fractures.Design:Prospective.Setting:Two Level I trauma centers.Patients/Participants:Forty-seven patients older tha
Effects of Diamide Insecticides on Predators in Soybean.

Predatory arthropods can be important for preventing insect pests from reaching damaging levels in soybean. However, the predator community can be compromised when pest control strategies include the application of broad-spectrum insecticides. The use of selective insecticides such as diamides could conserve predators while still providing necessary pest control. We evaluated two selective diamide insecticides, chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide, and a broad-spectrum insecticide, lambda-cyhalothrin in combination with chlorantraniliprole, for impact on predators in soybean. We applied insecticides to field plots and documented predator abundance prior to and up to 3 wk postapplication using sticky card, beat sheet, and sweep net sampling methods. In sweep net samples, total predator abundance in plots treated with the selective insecticides was not significantly different from untreated control plots. For beat sheet samples, there were no significant differences in the abundance of total predators on any day postapplication between the selective diamide insecticides or the untreated control, but abundance decreased after application of lambda-cyhalothrin + chlorantraniliprole and did not recover. For sticky cards, there were no differences in predator abundance among treatments on any day postapplication. Over all, results showed that there were no significant differences in the abundance of total predators, Anthocoridae, Araneae, or Geocoridae after application of flubendiamide or chlorantraniliprole compared with the untreated control for up to 3 wk after application. All insecticides significantly decreased populations of lepidopteran pests compared with the untreated control, but only lambda-cyhalothrin + chlorantraniliprole reduced predatory arthropod abundance.
Integrating software data loaders into ATE systems

The Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) concept has been adopted into several new military and commercial aircraft programs such as the F-22, F-35, Airbus 380, and Boeing 787. The goal of the IMA concept is to reduce the number and varieties of hardware computing modules and to increase the portability of avionics software. The IMA concept is currently being driven by industry initiatives such as the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACETM) Consortium. It can also be seen in new industry standards such as ARINC 653 which defines an avionics application standard software interface. As a result of the adoption of the IMA concept, new avionics hardware modules are becoming increasingly generic, multipurpose, and reconfigurable based on the loaded software applications. Therefore, the automated test equipment (ATE) used to support maintenance and service of these new avionics systems must consider the use of standard approaches for handling loadable avionics software such as ARINC 615 and 615A software data loaders. This paper provides a brief technical overview of IMA systems and ARINC software data load protocols. It also explores strategies for integrating software data loaders into ATE systems that are required to support IMA based Units Under Test.
Time Interval Between Cover Crop Termination and Planting Influences Corn Seedling Disease, Plant Growth, and Yield

Experiments were established in a controlled-growth chamber and in the field to evaluate the effect of the length of time intervals between winter rye cover crop termination and corn planting on corn seedling disease, corn growth, and grain yield in 2014 and 2015. Rye termination dates ranged from 25 days before planting (DBP) to 2 days after planting (DAP) corn in the field and from 21 DBP to 1 DAP in controlled studies. Results were similar in both environments. In general, shorter intervals increased seedling disease and reduced corn emergence, shoot growth, and grain yield of corn following winter rye compared with corn planted 10 or more days after rye termination or without rye. Incidence of Pythium spp. increased with shorter intervals (less than 8 DBP); incidence of Fusarium spp. was not consistent between runs and experiments. In 2014, in the 1-DAP treatment, number of ears and grain yield were reduced (P = 0.05 and 0.02, respectively). In 2015, all termination intervals reduced plant population, number of ears, and yield (P = 0.01), with the 2-DBP treatment causing the biggest decrease. A 10- to 14-day interval between rye termination and corn planting should be followed to improve corn yield following a rye cover crop.
The influences of participation and moderation on the development of a sense of virtual community

Sense of virtual community SOVC is an important indicator of website satisfaction and leads to higher levels of trust online and website use. More than 1,000 online users were surveyed about their activities in web forums, particularly how they view and interact with comments at the end of news stories. Overall internet participation and gender are the key predictors of how important an individual will report SOVC is and how much SOVC individuals report experiencing. The study also suggests that the development and enforcement of norms on an online comment forum is important to SOVC. Moderation of web interactions is shown to have a significant impact on whether an individual finds virtual community important. Findings suggest that the management of online forums is important to the development of SOVC - individuals in the study who favoured forums that were less restricted also reported experiencing lower levels of virtual community.
Chronic airway inflammation provides a unique environment for B cell activation and antibody production.

Background B cells play many roles in health and disease. However, little is known about the mechanisms that drive B cell responses in the airways, especially in humans. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory disease of the upper airways that affects 10% of Europeans and Americans. A subset of CRS patients develop nasal polyps (NP), which are characterized by type 2 inflammation, eosinophils and group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2). We have reported that NP contain elevated levels of B cells and antibodies, making NP an ideal system for studying B cells in the airways. Objective We sought to determine the mechanisms that drive B cell activation and antibody production during chronic airway inflammation. Methods We analyzed B cells from NP or tonsil, or after ILC2 co-culture, by flow cytometry. Antibody production from tissue was measured using Luminex assays, and the frequency of antibody-secreting cells by ELISpot. Formation of B cell clusters was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Expression of genes associated with B cell activation and class switch recombination was measured by qRT-PCR. Results NP contained significantly elevated frequencies of plasmablasts, especially those that expressed the extra follicular marker Epstein-Barr virus-induced protein 2 (EBI2), but significantly fewer germinal center (GC) B cells compared to tonsil. Antibody production and the frequency of antibody-secreting cells were significantly elevated in NP, and there was evidence for local class switch recombination in NP. Finally, ILC2s directly induced EBI2 expression on B cells in vitro. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Our data suggest there is a unique B cell activation environment within NP that is distinct from classic GC-mediated mechanisms. We show for the first time that ILC2s directly induce EBI2 expression on B cells, indicating that ILC2s may play an important role in B cell responses. B cell-targeted therapies may provide new treatment options for CRSwNP. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The rings with identity whose additive subgroups are one-sided ideals

ABSTRACTLet R be a ring with identity. Then {0} and R are the only additive subgroups of R if and only if R is isomorphic (as a ring with identity) to (exactly) one of {0}, Z/pZ for a prime number p. Also, each additive subgroup of R is a one-sided ideal of R if and only if R is isomorphic to (exactly) one of {0}, Z, Z/nZ for an integer n ≥ 2. This note could find classroom use in a first course on abstract algebra as enrichment material for the unit on ring theory.
Intangible Delicacies: Production and Embarrassment in International Settings

The intention of the author of this article is to worry away at the limits of the concept of intangible culture. In pursuing this line of critique, he wonders how an international organization such as UNESCO, which is not only composed of nation-states but depends on their cooperation to get its work done, can address the status of cultural practices that are central to national self-recognition but that these nation-states do not want to admit to each other. These are the practices that he associates with the concept of “cultural intimacy” – the “dirty laundry” that every nation-state confronts, denies, and yet, for the most part, guiltily enjoys. The space of cultural intimacy includes all those aspects of cultural and social life that are locally recognized but externally suppressed. In virtually every country, there are deeply embedded and widely popular practices that do not seem to conform to a largely Western-inspired and globally dominant canon of respectability. These practices arguably represent the most intractable challenge to formal, state-led representations of culture.
High frequency transformer design for modular power conversion from medium voltage AC to 400V DC

The paper presents a high frequency modular medium voltage AC (4160 VAC and 13.8 VAC) to low voltage DC (400 VDC) power conditioning system block (PCSB) that are scalable so that they can be used for micro grids of different scale (several-hundred kW to multi-MW). The modular approach is intended to result in higher-volume, lower-cost, less-loss power electronics building blocks that service many applications, such as DC data center and electric vehicle charge station. In this paper, a 225kW, 500 kHz PCSB is demonstrated to direct converter 4160 VAC to 400V DC for a DC date center. WBG power devices and CLLC resonant converter are used to minimize switching related loss at high frequency. The high frequency transformer of CLLC resonant converter is one of the key elements for the proposed modular approach. This paper will focus on high frequency transformer design to realize high-voltage-isolation, high-efficiency and high-density at the same time. Based on a split winding transformer structure, transformer insulation material and dimension parameters are determined referring to insulation standard. Transformer magnetic loss model is reviewed based on which loss design trade-off is carefully analyzed. Finally a 500 kHz transformer prototype has been developed and demonstrated with 30kV isolation capability, whole CLLC resonant converter holds 98% peak efficiency and 48 W/in3 power density.
Coherence factor for rough surface clutter mitigation in forward-looking GPR

We employ a near-field coherence factor for rough surface clutter mitigation in forward-looking ground penetrating radar imagery. The coherence factor is first used to generate a “coherence map” of the region of interest (ROI). Then, a pixel-by-pixel multiplication of a tomographic image of the ROI with the coherence map is performed to generate an enhanced image. Electromagnetic modeled data of shallow buried targets is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
The Epidemiology, Evolution, and Treatment of KPC-Producing Organisms

The purpose of this review is to investigate the evolution and epidemiology of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing organisms and the current and future treatment options for infections caused by KPC-producing isolates. The emergence of resistance in Enterobacteriaceae producing carbapenemases globally has increased the challenges in treating infections caused by these organisms. One of the prominent mechanisms of resistance is the production of KPC enzymes. Infections caused by organisms producing KPCs have limited treatment options and are associated with poor clinical outcomes. The rapid rise of KPC-producing organisms necessitated the use of drugs with pharmacokinetic and toxicity limitations, including polymyxins, tigecycline, fosfomycin, and aminoglycosides. The availability of new beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations that are effective against KPC-producing organisms represent an advance in safety and efficacy. Several agents are currently being studied that have activity against KPC-producing organisms and appear to represent promising additions to our armamentarium. KPC-producing organisms cause infections with high morbidity and mortality. Limited treatment options are available, though new therapies have been developed. Pipeline agents are likely to have a place in therapy for the treatment of infections caused by KPC-producing isolates.
The Psychiatrist’s Role in Evaluating Psychic Injury

The role of stress as a determinant of psychiatric symptomatology is well documented.1 Variables related to an individual’s preexisting biological and psychological vulnerabilities will, of course, play a key role in determining if he is damaged by a particular stress. But a recent stress itself is usually a partial and necessary cause of most emotional disorders. The law is not designed to provide remedies for individuals who may be damaged by the ordinary stresses of everyday life. It has, however, paid considerable attention to damage created by the behavior of individuals who are at fault and stress another person, either intentionally or through negligent conduct.
Metabolic and Clinical Significance of the Lipoprotein Family Concept

Plasma lipoproteins represent a unique and complex system of macromolecular compounds, the principal function of which is to transport lipids throughout the organism and to deliver them to various cellular sites for utilization either as fuel or as structural components. Due to the presence of protein moieties (apolipoproteins) plasma lipoproteins are charged macromolecules and behave in the electric field as simple proteins. However, due to the presence of lipid constituents (neutral lipids, phospholipids and glycosphingolipids) plasma lipoproteins possess relatively low hydrated densities and behave in the gravitational field more as lipids than as simple proteins. The electrophoretic mobility and hydrated density have been utilized as the most important operational criteria for characterizing and classifying plasma lipoproteins. The application of zonal electrophoresis to plasma lipoproteins showed the presence of at least four major lipid-stained bands at the origin, and in the pre-β, β- and α1-positions (1). Gofman and his coworkers (2) developed a preparative procedure for ultracentrifugal fractionation of plasma lipoproteins and observed a discontinuous distribution of lipoprotein particles along a density gradient ranging from 0.92 to 1.21 g/ml.
Tribological performance of MoS2B2O3 compacts

A recent investigation suggests that selected oxides perform well as additives in molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) because of their ability to soften at asperity contacts with the result that the solid lubricant can attain and retain a preferred tribological orientation. This research determined the effectiveness of boric oxide (B2O3), when used as an additive in MoS2, for substrate temperatures ranging from 21°C to 316°C. This range was used to allow the asperity contact temperature to vary below and above the softening point of B2O3. It was found that a moderate friction coefficient and high wear, which is attributed to the additive acting abrasively, occurred when the asperity contact temperature was well below the softening point of the oxide. When the asperity contact temperature neared the softening point of the oxide, the friction coefficient increased dramatically and wear volume was reduced. It is postulated that B2O3 acted adhesively at the interface resulting in a higher coefficient of friction, and wear decreased due to an attainment of a preferred orientation by the MoS2. For asperity contact temperatures significantly above the softening point of B2O3, the friction coefficient returned to about the same value as for temperatures below the softening point. It is speculated that wear continued to increase moderately because of localized melting of the B2O3, permitting the MoS2 to be removed from the interface. These observations support a hypothesis that an additive, such as boric oxide, can soften as the asperity contact temperature approaches the softening point temperature of the additive so that the overall tribological conditions may be improved resulting in reduced interfacial wear. Significant changes in temperature, load or sliding velocity would, of course, dramatically alter the wear characteristics observed at the interface.
Chronic Mesh Infections

Chronic mesh infection can occur after acute infection or may present with an indolent course. The risk of infection and the associated immune response can vary with each mesh bioprosthesis. Treatment usually requires mesh excision, although mesh salvage has been reported.
Allergic contact dermatitis to nasturtium.

A 38-year-old woman developed acute contact dermatitis of her hands after gardening. Patch tests with portions of nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and watercress (Nasturtium officinale) and to allyl, benzyl, and phenyl isothiocyanates produced positive reactions. Oil of mustard (isothiocyanate) was the sensitizing agent in nasturtium that was reponsible for the patient’s allergic contact dermatitis.
Quantitative Analysis of Thoracoabdominal Asynchrony in Pediatric Polysomnography.

Study Objectives:Objective measurements of thoracoabdominal asynchrony (TAA), such as average phase angle (θavg), can quantify airway obstruction. This study demonstrates and evaluates use of θavg ...
Direct PV Integration to MMC Based Point to Point HVDC Link

Increasing demand for energy has been growing very fast. Photovoltaic systems are good solution to provide energy since it is environmentally friendly, and it has zero variable cost. On the other hand, High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) is gaining importance to transfer power from one grid to another. Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) has made a great contribution for the development of HVDC since it is modular, scalable and cost-effective. Traditional HVDC system consists of two terminals. However, in the case of an unbalanced condition, HVDC lose stability, and it is a challenge to re-run the system if an MMC is built with high number of capacitors. In this study, large-scale PV plant is used as a backup terminal if a fault occurs on one of the grids, and one of the terminals is lost. The system has been built and tested on Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) with the help of FPGA based MMC support unit.
Afraid of one afraid of all: When threat associations spread across face-types.

AbstractFear can be acquired for objects not inherently associated with threat (e.g. birds), and this threat may generalize from prototypical to peripheral category members (e.g. crows vs. penguins). When categorizing people, pervasive stereotypes link Black men to assumed violence and criminality. Faces with Afrocentric features (prototypical) are more often associated with threat and criminality than non-Afrocentric (peripheral) faces regardless of whether the individual is Black or White. In this study, using a priming paradigm, threat associations related to negative racial stereotypes were tested as a vehicle for spreading fear across face-type categories. Results showed more negative than positive judgments for White face targets but only when the prime was primarily non-Afrocentric (i.e. Eurocentric). Black face targets were judged more negatively than positively regardless of prime. This suggests some cognitive processes related to threat generalizations of objects extend to complex social categories.
The Health Status of Veteran Employees Compared to Civilian Employees in Veterans Health Administration

Introduction Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is undergoing changes in the practice of health care focusing on approaches that prioritize veteran well-being. Given transformation efforts, opportunities exist to enhance the health and well-being of patients and employees alike - a significant proportion of whom are veterans. To date, differences in health status between veteran and civilian employees within VHA have not been examined. Materials and methods Data from an annual organizational census survey with health promotion module conducted in 2015 were analyzed to estimate the prevalence of health risk behaviors, mental health, and chronic health conditions by veteran status within genders (n = 86,257). To further examine associations by gender between veteran status and health measures controlling for covariates, multivariate logistic regression analyses were utilized. Results Prevalence estimates generally indicated veterans have worse health status and health risk behaviors than their civilian counterparts. Results from multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated many significant associations between veteran status and health by gender controlling for other important demographic variables and a total comorbidity score. Compared to civilian employees within respective genders, both male and female veteran employees have increased odds of being a current smoker. Both male and female veteran employees have decreased odds of physical inactivity compared to civilian employees. For mental health and chronic health conditions, there are several conditions that veteran employees have increased odds for when compared to civilian employees of like gender; these include low back problems, arthritis, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. Conclusions Veteran employees in VHA have worse health status than their civilian counterparts on a number of measures of health risk behaviors, mental health, and chronic health conditions. Given current organizational priorities aimed at cultural transformation, the present time is an optimal one to work collaboratively to enhance the health and well-being services that are available for patients and employees alike. All employees, particularly our unique population of veteran employees, will benefit from such an approach.
Platform-Agnostic Language to Map Control Primitives to SCADA Communication Protocols

Simulations are a useful tool for developing and testing security solutions for SCADA systems. However, these simulations can require significant modifications to reflect proposed changes in the system, such as a change in register structure or communication protocol. This paper presents a specification language that can be used to allow the communication protocol within a simulation to be easily modified by allowing key details such as packet and register structure to be modified outside of the simulation's code.
Pain-related anxiety promotes pronociceptive processes in Native Americans: bootstrapped mediation analyses from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Introduction Evidence suggests Native Americans (NAs) experience higher rates of chronic pain than the general US population, but the mechanisms contributing to this disparity are poorly understood. Recently, we conducted a study of healthy, pain-free NAs (n = 155), and non-Hispanic whites (NHWs, n = 150) to address this issue and found little evidence that NAs and NHWs differ in pain processing (assessed from multiple quantitative sensory tests). However, NAs reported higher levels of pain-related anxiety during many of the tasks. Objective The current study is a secondary analysis of those data to examine whether pain-related anxiety could promote pronociceptive processes in NAs to put them at chronic pain risk. Methods Bootstrapped indirect effect tests were conducted to examine whether pain-related anxiety mediated the relationships between race (NHW vs NA) and measures of pain tolerance (electric, heat, ischemia, and cold pressor), temporal summation of pain and the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR), and conditioned pain modulation of pain/NFR. Results Pain-related anxiety mediated the relationships between NA race and pain tolerance and conditioned pain modulation of NFR. Exploratory analyses failed to show that race moderated relationships between pain-related anxiety and pain outcomes. Conclusion These findings imply that pain-related anxiety is not a unique mechanism of pain risk for NAs, but that the greater tendency to experience pain-related anxiety by NAs impairs their ability to engage descending inhibition of spinal nociception and decreases their pain tolerance (more so than NHWs). Thus, pain-related anxiety may promote pronociceptive processes in NAs to place them at risk for future chronic pain.
A short proof that all linear codes are weakly algebraic-geometric using Bertini theorems of B. Poonen

Abstract In this paper we give a simpler proof of a deep theorem proved by Pellikan, Shen and van Wee that all linear codes are weakly algebraic-geometric using a theorem of B. Poonen.
The Courage of Piety: Civil Solidarity and the Dead in International Migration

This chapter tells the story of coroner Sonia Bermudez from a northern coastal town in Colombia. Since the early 1980s, Bermudez has taken care of the unclaimed or unnamed dead processed by her office as well as the dead of poor families that were earlier unceremoniously disposed of in mass graves. She has attended to their bodies, built the coffins on her own dime, and clandestinely buried them on municipal terrain, risking disciplinary sanctions or more. With the Venezuelan migration emergency, the fate of Venezuelan migrants dying in Colombia under the most destitute circumstances has fallen into the cracks of the policy instruments devised by Colombian authorities, international agencies, and civil society, almost exclusively designed to meet the needs of the living. Bermudez has tried to fill that gap. The chapter explores how she has stepped up within a socio-cultural context that defies the practice of civil piety.
Metabolomics Analysis of Aspirin's Effects in Human Colon Tissue and Associations with Adenoma Risk.

Although substantial evidence supports aspirin9s efficacy in colorectal cancer chemoprevention, key molecular mechanisms are uncertain. An untargeted metabolomics approach with high-resolution mass spectrometry was used to elucidate metabolic effects of aspirin treatment in human colon tissue. We measured 10,269 metabolic features in normal mucosal biopsies collected at colonoscopy after approximately 3 years of randomized treatment with placebo, 81 or 325 mg/day aspirin from 325 participants in the Aspirin/Folate Polyp Prevention Study. Linear regression was used to identify aspirin-associated metabolic features and network analysis was used to identify pathways and predict metabolite identities. Poisson regression was used to examine metabolic features associations with colorectal adenoma risk. We detected 471 aspirin-associated metabolic features. Aside from the carnitine shuttle, aspirin-associated metabolic pathways were largely distinct for 81 mg aspirin (e.g., pyrimidine metabolism) and 325 mg (e.g., arachidonic acid metabolism). Among aspirin-associated metabolic features, we discovered three that were associated with adenoma risk and could contribute to the chemopreventive effect of aspirin treatment, and which have also previously been associated with colorectal cancer: creatinine, glycerol 3-phosphate, and linoleate. The last two of these are in the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway, which was associated with 81 mg aspirin treatment and provides precursors for the synthesis of eicosanoids from arachidonic acid upstream of cyclooxygenase inhibition by aspirin. Conversely, carnitine shuttle metabolites were increased with aspirin treatment and associated with increased adenoma risk. Thus, our untargeted metabolomics approach has identified novel metabolites and pathways that may underlie the effects of aspirin during early colorectal carcinogenesis.
The stories we tell, the reputations we form: Narrative identity and person perception

Abstract We explored the degree of consensus and accuracy in observers’ ratings of targets’ traits and autobiographical narratives. Targets narrated life high, low, and turning points and reported their personality traits. The conceptual content of these stories had previously been quantified. Here, groups of observers provided ratings of targets’ traits, knowability (how well the observer felt they ‘knew’ the target), and story conventionality, after reading each narrative. Observers exhibited consensus in perceptions of traits, knowability, and story conventionality. These ratings corresponded with targets’ self-ratings of traits, to a modest degree. The knowability of narrators did not moderate this relation, nor did key scene type. The conceptual content of targets’ narratives partially accounted for the relation between observer-reported and target-reported traits.
Client Selection in Federated Learning: Convergence Analysis and Power-of-Choice Selection Strategies

Federated learning is a distributed optimization paradigm that enables a large number of resource-limited client nodes to cooperatively train a model without data sharing. Several works have analyzed the convergence of federated learning by accounting of data heterogeneity, communication and computation limitations, and partial client participation. However, they assume unbiased client participation, where clients are selected at random or in proportion of their data sizes. In this paper, we present the first convergence analysis of federated optimization for biased client selection strategies, and quantify how the selection bias affects convergence speed. We reveal that biasing client selection towards clients with higher local loss achieves faster error convergence. Using this insight, we propose Power-of-Choice, a communication- and computation-efficient client selection framework that can flexibly span the trade-off between convergence speed and solution bias. We also propose an extension of Power-of-Choice that is able to maintain convergence speed improvement while diminishing the selection skew. Our experiments demonstrate that Power-of-Choice strategies converge up to 3 × faster and give 10% higher test accuracy than the baseline random selection.
Preliminary Studies of the Effects of Semiconductor Reagents on Polymers Containing Fluorine and of Trace Metallic Leachate from Molded Fluorocarbon Resin

Traces of undesired materials in semiconductor devices are a serious processing deficiency and their elimination is widely sought. To this end, the effects of semiconductor reagents on discs molded from commercial materials of construction—perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) fluorocarbon resin and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)—were assessed by measuring retained physical properties and by analytical microscopic inspection. At the National Bureau of Standards, Center for Analytical Chemistry, ultrapure nitric acid was stored, in a class 10 environment, in a container molded from PFA, and the level of leachable selected trace metallics was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, flame emission spectrometry with repetitive optical scanning, and isotope dilution spark source mass spectrometry. The results from the exposure tests indicated that PVDF was significantly affected in the exposures; PFA was essentially unaffected. The amounts of leachable metallics from PFA were at or below low part-per-bi...
Rotten and Possessed: Control and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice as Models of Outmersive Game Design

Control (Remedy Entertainment) and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory) demonstrate the potential for game design that defies expectations of immersive gameplay and embodied avatars. Building on game scholarship that recognizes 'immersion' as a "double-axis of incorporation" [8] consisting of a "complex interplay of actual and virtual worlds as perceived through a dually embodied player" [26,p. 73], we can see how these games achieve powerful moments of coattention through outmersive game design-deliberately alienating the player from an embodied avatar experience. Outmersion,a term coined by Gonzalo Frasca, offers a broader categorization for games that procedurally engender "critical distance" by directing player attention to and outside of the game itself [16]. This article uses close-play to explore how the characters of Jesse Faden in Control and Senua in Hellblade make use of the 'coinhabited avatar' trope-in which the avatar is possessed by non-player entities. This article identifies shared outcomes in the outmersive design of these characters, namely that they: 1) directly invoked the player 2) complicated the player's place in the avatar body 3) deceived the player 4) took agency from the player and 5) referenced game structures directly. Through outmersion, these games created provocative moments of player attention and reflection, simultaneously interrogating assumptions of power, rules, and embodiment. This article advocates for further exploration of outmersive game and interactive narrative design to challenge dominant presumptions about player-avatar interactions.
Deep learning convolutional neural network (DLCNN): unleashing the potential of 18 F-FDG PET/CT in lymphoma.

This perspective briefly reviewed the applications of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the clinical management of lymphoma and the need for lesion segmentation in those applications. It discussed the limitations of existing segmentation technologies and the great potential of using deep learning convolutional neural network (DLCNN) to accomplish automatic lymphoma segmentation and characterizations. Finally, the authors shared perspectives on the technical challenges that need to be addressed to fully unleash the potential of DLCNN and 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of lymphoma.