cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Context-aware resource management in multi-inhabitant smart homes a Nash H-learning based approach

A smart home aims at building intelligence automation with a goal to provide its inhabitants with maximum possible comfort, minimize the resource consumption and thus overall cost of maintaining the home. 'Context awareness' is perhaps the most salient feature of such an intelligent environment. Clearly, an inhabitant's mobility and activities play a significant role in defining his contexts in and around the home. Although there exists an optimal algorithm for location and activity tracking of a single inhabitant, the correlation and dependence between multiple inhabitants' contexts within the same environment make the location and activity tracking more challenging. In this paper, we first prove that the optimal location prediction across multiple inhabitants in smart homes is an NP-hard problem. Next, to capture the correlation and interactions of different inhabitants' movements (and hence activities), we develop a novel framework based on a game theoretic, Nash H-learning approach that attempts to minimize the joint location uncertainty. The framework achieves a Nash equilibrium such that no inhabitant is given preference over others. This results in more accurate prediction of contexts and better adaptive control of automated devices, leading to a mobility-aware resource (say, energy) management scheme in multi-inhabitant smart homes. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework is capable of adaptively controlling a smart environment, thus reducing energy consumption and enhancing the comfort of the inhabitants.
The neural basis of social influence and attitude change

Human attitudes and preferences are susceptible to social influence. Recent social neuroscience studies, using theories and experimental paradigms from social psychology, have begun to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying how others influence our attitudes through processes such as social conformity, cognitive inconsistency and persuasion. The currently available evidence highlights the role of the posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) in social conformity and cognitive inconsistency, which represents the discrepancy between one's own and another person's opinion, or, more broadly, between currently inconsistent and ideally consistent states. Research on persuasion has revealed that people's susceptibility to persuasive messages is related to activation in a nearby but more anterior part of the medial frontal cortex. Future progress in this field will depend upon the ability of researchers to dissociate underlying motivations for attitude change in different paradigms, and to utilize neuroimaging methods to advance social psychological theories of social influence.
Preferences and Biases in Educational Choices and Labour Market Expectations: Shrinking the Black Box of Gender

Standard observed characteristics explain only part of the differences between men and women in education choices and labor market trajectories. Using an experiment to derive students’ levels of overconfidence, and preferences for competitiveness and risk, this paper investigates whether these behavioral biases and preferences explain gender differences in college major choices and expected future earnings. In a sample of high ability undergraduates, we find that competitiveness and overconfidence, but not risk aversion, is systematically related with expectations about future earnings: individuals who are overconfident and overly competitive have significantly higher earnings expectations. Moreover, gender differences in overconfidence and competitiveness explain about 18% of the gender gap in earnings expectations. These experimental measures explain as much of the gender gap in earnings expectations as a rich set of control variables, including test scores and family background, and they are poorly proxied by these same control variables, underscoring that they represent independent variation. While expected earnings are related to college major choices, the experimental measures are not related with college major choice.
Impact fracture of glass-flake reinforced polypropylene

The impact resistance of glass-flake reinforced polypropylene was analyzed over a wide range of loading rates and glass-flake concentrations. It was found that the dynamic fracture toughness, Kd, of the composite is strongly rate-dependent. When impact velocity is increased, Kd first decreases, attains a minimum value, and then increases with impact speed. The increase in Kd with loading rate is attributed to the blunting effect at the crack tip, induced by adiabatic heating. The addition of glass flakes substantially increases the dynamic fracture toughness of polypropylene. The increase in Kd with glass-flake content is also more pronounced when the loading rate is increased. The blunting effect was found to increase with glass-flake concentration up to 30 percent by weight, leading to a stronger increase in Kd with glass-flake content from 0 to 30 percent. Above 30 percent, the blunting effect diminishes with concentration.
Virtual Reality Interfaces for Visualization and Control of Remote Vehicles

The Autonomy and Robotics Area (ARA) at NASA Ames Research Center has investigated the use of various types of Virtual Reality-based operator interfaces to remotely control complex robotic mechanisms. In this paper, we describe the major accomplishments and technology applications of the ARA in this area, and highlight the advantages and issues related to this technology.
Modeling the functioning of YtvA in the general stress response in Bacillus subtilis

The blue-light photoreceptor YtvA activates the general stress response (GSR) of Bacillus subtilis by activating a large protein complex (the stressosome). We have constructed a model for the YtvA's photocycle, and derived an equation for the fraction of YtvA in the light-induced signaling state at a given light intensity. The model was verified experimentally in vitro on wild type YtvA and on an R63K mutant with faster recovery kinetics. Application of the model to the activation of the GSR at various light intensities in vivo revealed that the GSR is more sensitive to light than would be expected based on YtvA's in vitro kinetics. These results were confirmed with the R63K mutant and a slower-recovering V28I mutant. Additionally, we have demonstrated the presence of a near-UV-light-induced branching reaction that converts the signaling state of YtvA to the dark state. Extension of the model with this reaction shows that it does not contribute significantly to the in vivo blue-light response. The model represents an important step towards a complete systems biology model of the GSR.
Evolutionary routes to joint-female nesting in birds

Cooperative breeding systems in birds vary widely in terms of group composition and degree of reproductive skew among male and female group members. A new classification scheme based on different combinations of male and female skew is proposed. A review of cooperative species reveals a fundamental dichotomy between low-skew joint-female species on the one hand, and joint-male and high-skew helper species on the other. All cooperative joint-female systems are characterized by male-biased incubation, whereas either gender (but usually females) may perform the majority of incubation in non–joint-female systems. Male incubation is thus a necessary, but not a sufficient, precursor for the evolution of communal laying. Other characteristics of joint-female systems, such as mating system, group composition, and nestling developmental mode, differ greatly. Three evolutionary scenarios for the evolution of male incubation and joint laying are outlined: (1) large body size relative to egg size, which enables the successful incubation of more eggs than a single female can lay (e.g., ratites and magpie goose); (2) energetically costly egg laying, incubation, and nestling care, coupled with adaptations permitting incubation of very large clutches (e.g., anis); and (3) cooperative polyandry in lineages with male-biased incubation (e.g., woodpeckers and gallinules). All three scenarios presume that an incubating male resource increases the selective pressure on females to lay joint clutches. Available evidence for the origin and maintenance of the critical precursors, constraints, and adaptations are summarized and shown to be absent in non–joint-laying species. These factors and conditions affect the critical parameters of the skew models in ways that are predicted to result in low reproductive skew.
Densification of Carbon Nanotube Bundles for Interconnect Application

We demonstrated a post-growth processing method to increase the site density of carbon nanotube (CNT) bundles, a critical step towards CNT interconnect for use in future ICs. CVD-grown CNT bundles are immersed in an organic solvent, then withdrawn from the liquid bath by solvent evaporation, and consequently compacted. The CNT site density is increased 5~25 times. Influences of bundle structure parameters on densification are discussed and the interconnect implementation of densified CNTs is presented.
Immunobiology of Acute Leukemia

Acute leukemias are commonly defined as the expansion of immature cells that are derived from rare transformed hematopoietic progenitor cells, termed the leukemic stem cells (LSC) or leukemia-initiating cells (LIC), which have the capacity of self-renewal, a defining characteristic also of normal hematopoietic stem cells [1]. As an alternative to originating in a primitive stem cell, leukemias may be derived from transformation of a committed progenitor cell, and, to date, there are well-characterized examples for both concepts among leukemia subtypes. In addition to loss of long-term repopulating potential, also the phenotypic features of the LSC blast cell progeny that invade the bone marrow and the peripheral blood of leukemia patients are different from those of the LSC and typically characterized by different morphology (FAB classification) and antigen profiles. Most interestingly, while the phenotypes of blast cell populations differ based on distinct molecular aberrations, the antigen expression patterns of LSCs for these various subtypes of leukemias, at least in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), are very similar [2].
Fundamentals of Fourier Analysis and Stochastic Processes

The sampling theorem is traditionally expressed in the language of Fourier analysis. Stochastic processes are used to analyze the effects of uncertainty on the interpolation process and, in certain cases, are used as signal models. This chapter contains a brief overview of the fundamentals of Fourier analysis and stochastic processes. The material in this chapter is prerequisite for material in the remainder of the book. Except for an isolated application in Section 3.5, however, stochastic processes are not used until Chapter 5.
Meniscal lesions and chronic anterior cruciate ligament deficiency. Meniscal tears occurring before and after reconstruction

We examined the menisci in 47 patients at the time of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Twenty-one patients had abnormal menisci at a mean of 34 months after injury, but there was no difference between the Lysholm scores of patients with intact or damaged menisci. Eleven patients had a new meniscal injury between reconstruction and review at a mean of six years later; only 15 patients had both menisci intact nine years after injury. If pivot shift had been cured, the incidence of meniscal injury was reduced, but remained higher than normal. If pivot shift returned after reconstruction there was a significantly higher incidence of meniscal injury. Meniscal lesions appear to be the result of instability and not the cause.
Vibrational Spectroscopy of the CCl4 ν1 Mode: Effect of Thermally Populated Vibrational States

In our previous article on CCl4 in this Journal, we presented an investigation of the fine structure of the symmetric stretch of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) due to isotopic variations of chlorine in C35Clx37Cl4–x. In this paper, we present an investigation of the contributions from both the v = 0 to v = 1 excitation and the v = 1 to v = 2 excitation. We report the calculation of spectral contributions from excited state vibrational transitions (hot bands). All calculations and discussion are appropriate for the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory as either an independent dry lab or a supplement to a pre-existing vibrational spectroscopy lab.
Changing climate increases discharge and attenuates its seasonal distribution in the northeastern United States

Abstract Study region The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest is well-established as a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site for climate change and anthropogenic impacts studies on hydrological processes. It is located at the headwater regions of the Merrimack Watershed, the fourth largest basin in New England, USA. The watershed is mostly forested (67%) with some developed regions (16%). Study focus We assessed the scale-dependency of streamflow response to climate variation, river regulation, and development for dry, average, and wet years using long-term precipitation and discharge records. New hydrological insights for the region The effects of basin scale were limited to discharges with exceedance probability less than 15% and greater than 60% and were expressed as lagged discharge in large sub-basins and earlier discharge in small catchments. Annual discharge responded to increases in annual precipitation but not to river regulation or land development. In general, the temporal trends showed less discharge in dry and greater discharge in wet hydrologic flow classes.
Redoop: Supporting Recurring Queries in Hadoop.

The growing demand for large-scale data analytics ranging from online advertisement placement, log processing, to fraud detection, has led to the design of highly scalable data-intensive computing infrastructures such as the Hadoop platform. Recurring queries, repeatedly being executed for long periods of time on rapidly evolving high-volume data, have become a bedrock component in most of these analytic applications. Despite their importance, the plain Hadoop along with its state-of-art extensions lack built-in support for recurring queries. In particular, they lack efficient and scalable analytics over evolving datasets. In this work, we present the Redoop system, an extension of the Hadoop framework, designed to fill in this void. Redoop supports recurring queries as firstclass citizen in Hadoop without sacrificing any of its core features. More importantly, Redoop deploys innovative window-aware optimization techniques for recurring query execution including adaptive window-aware data partitioning, window-aware task scheduling, and inter-window caching mechanisms. Redoop retains the fault-tolerance of MapReduce via automatic cache recovery and task re-execution support. Our extensive experimental study with real datasets demonstrates that Redoop achieves significant runtime performance gains of up to 9x speedup compared to the plain Hadoop.
Arsenic speciation in rice cereals for infants.

The aim of this study was to conduct a survey of arsenic (As) content in rice cereals for infants. The analysis was based on the FDA Elemental Analysis Manual (EAM 4.11). An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) was used to determine total As. Due to the different toxicities of the chemical forms of arsenic, the ICP-MS coupled to a high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) was used to perform As speciation. The total and speciated arsenic was determined in 31 different infant rice cereals sold in U.S. supermarkets. The mass fraction of total inorganic As (iAs; sum of arsenite As(III) and arsenate As(V)) concentrations ranged between 55.5 ± 1.3 and 158.0 ± 6.0 μg/kg. The average total arsenic and iAs concentrations in infant rice cereal were 174.4 and 101.4 μg/kg, respectively. There was no substantial difference in iAs levels between organic and conventional rice cereals. The mixed-grain rice cereal contained the least total (105 μg/kg) and inorganic arsenic (63 μg/kg). The major detect...
Development of Novel 3D Scaffolds With Embedded Core-Shell Nanoparticles for Nerve Regeneration

Neural tissue engineering has emerged as a promising alternative to address various nerve injuries. Particularly, advancement in both 3D biomimetic scaffold fabrication strategies and nanotechnology has inspired this field into a new era. In this study, we fabricated a novel 3D biomimetic scaffold, which has tunable porous structure and embedded core-shell nanoparticles with neurogenic factor delivery system, using stereolithography (SL) based 3D printing and core-shell electrospraying techniques. Our results indicated that scaffolds with higher porosity significantly improve PC-12 neural cell adhesion compared to ones with smaller porosity. Furthermore, scaffolds embedded bovine serum albumin (BSA) containing nanoparticles showed an enhancement in cell proliferation relative to bared control scaffolds. In addition, confocal microscopy images illustrated that the scaffold with nerve growth factor (NGF) nanoparticles increased the length of neuritis and directed neurite extension of PC-12 cells along the fiber. The results in this study demonstrate the potential of this 3D scaffold in improving neural cell function and nerve growth.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Predicted molecular signaling guiding photoreceptor cell migration following transplantation into damaged retina

To replace photoreceptors lost to disease or trauma and restore vision, laboratories around the world are investigating photoreceptor replacement strategies using subretinal transplantation of photoreceptor precursor cells (PPCs) and retinal progenitor cells (RPCs). Significant obstacles to advancement of photoreceptor cell-replacement include low migration rates of transplanted cells into host retina and an absence of data describing chemotactic signaling guiding migration of transplanted cells in the damaged retinal microenvironment. To elucidate chemotactic signaling guiding transplanted cell migration, bioinformatics modeling of PPC transplantation into light-damaged retina was performed. The bioinformatics modeling analyzed whole-genome expression data and matched PPC chemotactic cell-surface receptors to cognate ligands expressed in the light-damaged retinal microenvironment. A library of significantly predicted chemotactic ligand-receptor pairs, as well as downstream signaling networks was generated. PPC and RPC migration in microfluidic ligand gradients were analyzed using a highly predicted ligand-receptor pair, SDF-1α – CXCR4, and both PPCs and RPCs exhibited significant chemotaxis. This work present a systems level model and begins to elucidate molecular mechanisms involved in PPC and RPC migration within the damaged retinal microenvironment.
Abstract 2804: The thiazolidinedione pioglitazone enhances the cancer preventive activity of the rexinoid LG100268 in Her2/neu induced breast cancer

Two major unresolved issues for breast cancer prevention are the lack of effective preventive agents for estrogen receptor (ER)-negative disease and the potential toxicity of long-term pharmacologic treatment. The ability of retinoid X receptor (RXR)-selective retinoids (rexinoids) to inhibit breast cancer formation independently of ER-status was previously demonstrated in various preclinical models. The goal of our study was to identify ideal druggable targets for the synergistic amplification of the cancer preventive effect of synthetic rexinoids and test the efficacy of a low-dose combination treatment in vivo. We identified the nuclear hormone receptors essential for rexinoid-dependent growth suppression by a high throughput siRNA screen of mammary epithelial cells. Knock-down of ELP, COUP-TF II, GR, TR2, VDR and PPARgamma partially reversed the anti-proliferative effect of the rexinoid bexarotene. Conversely, expression profiling showed that the largest fraction of genes up-regulated by the synthetic rexinoid LG100268 represented regulators of lipid metabolism and putative target genes of the RXR partner receptor PPARgamma. Combination dose-response experiments showed that the PPARgamma agonist pioglitazone was synergistic with low doses (100-300 nM) of LG100268. Long-term daily treatment of MMTV-ErbB2 mice with LG100268 (25 mg/kg) or pioglitazone (20 mg/kg), or their combination resulted in a significant delay of tumor formation, while serum triglyceride levels were not significantly elevated by the combination. Suppression of cell proliferation measured by reduced Ki67 staining was enhanced by the addition of pioglitazone, in both lesions and intact mammary epithelium, while pioglitazone also increased the frequency of cells containing cleaved caspase 3. Furthermore, pioglitazone treatment was associated with a marked induction of microvesicle formation in the adipose issue. These data suggest that the combination of LG100268 and pioglitazone, while potentially targeting the same heterodimer, can invoke distinct biological processes resulting in more effective cancer prevention than achieved by either agent alone, and may be an effective strategy for the prevention of ER-negative breast cancer. Citation Format: Ivan P. Uray, Jennifer M. Rodenberg, Yun Zhang, Jamal L. Hill, Powel H. Brown. The thiazolidinedione pioglitazone enhances the cancer preventive activity of the rexinoid LG100268 in Her2/neu induced breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2804. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2804
An Analysis of Shoulder Loading Differences for Simulated Industrial Task Performance between Injured and Non-Injured Subject Populations

Detailed characterization of differences in motions between injured and non-injured populations has not been widely studied. These motion differences may have an impact on physical loading of injured populations performing work tasks. This study included analysis of tasks performed by three populations: control, spinal cord injured, and low back pain. Shoulder loading was examined for goal-directed simulated sagittal and lateral plane work tasks through calculation of maximum external dynamic shoulder moments. The significant main effects in determining shoulder moments included: type of task performed (one or two-handed load movement), horizontal distance to target, vertical height of target, and population membership. There was also a significant interaction effect between population and task type. This study establishes that both task requirements and injury status quantitatively effect shoulder loading, particularly for lateral motions, and suggests that ergonomists should consider factors beyond task...
Why do secondary peaks occur in experimental active controllers of thermoacoustic instability

Experimental investigations of active control of thermoacoustic instabilities (for example, [1]-[10]) have demonstrated that the dominant thermoacoustic instability can be suppressed, but secondary peaks at different frequencies which were not excited in the uncontrolled combustor appear. In this paper, we carry out an analytical investigation of some of the experimental controllers proposed in the literature using a physically-based model of an actively controlled combustor with laminar flame kinematics, linear acoustic dynamics with coupling between the acoustic modes, and actuation using end-mounted loudspeakers, and explain the origin of secondary peaks observed in these studies. We argue that secondary peaks are created while using these controllers due to resonant coupling between various mechanisms in the combustor that are distinct from those responsible for thermoacoustic resonance and mechanisms in the controller other than those that enable suppression of thermoacoustic instability. The analog electronic circuitry in the controller tend to provide a phase compensation over a wide range of frequencies and not just at the isolated (unstable) frequency, and hence can initiate resonances by coupling with various mechanisms present in the combustor. Such phenomena clearly underscore the need for an active control design which accounts for the combustor dynamics over a range of frequencies with the goal of obtaining the desired performance over this entire range.
Abstract P5-04-14: The covalent JNK inhibitor, JNK-IN-8, synergizes with lapatinib to cause cell death in basal-like breast cancer cell lines

Basal-like and claudin-low breast cancers have the worst prognosis and represent 15-20% of breast cancers diagnosed each year. Endocrine and molecularly targeted therapies, such as trastuzumab, are ineffective due to lack of ER expression or HER2 amplification in the tumors. They also have a high frequency of p53 mutations, low BRCA1 expression and high EGFR expression. Our lab has shown that high expression of JNK2 in human basal-like breast cancers leads to significantly decreased disease-free survival. JNK2 also promotes basal-like tumor progression in mice by increasing EGFR-mediated migration through facilitating internalization of EGFR, upregulating EMT gene expression and promoting metastasis. The ATP-competitive JNK inhibitor SP600125 has been commonly used by researchers to elucidate JNK-specific mechanisms, but this inhibitor was found to have high affinity to many other intracellular kinases. A new JNK inhibitor, JNK-IN-8, has been developed that binds covalently to all three JNK gene products and is more selective than the SP600125 compound (Zhang, et al. 2012). Using this inhibitor, we have found that basal-like breast cancer cell lines can become sensitized to lapatinib. This combination is synergistic and causes apoptotic cell death, while as single agents at these concentrations, these drugs have little effect on cell viability. Treatment with either lapatinib or JNK-IN-8 decreases transcriptional activity of NF-κB significantly, but combination of the two drugs reduces NF-κB activity to an almost negligible amount compared to vehicle treatment. Combination treatment also led to a 6-fold increase in ROS production that may be activating apoptosis. We hypothesize that inhibition by both JNK-IN-8 and lapatinib cause independent decreases in NF-κB activation that, when combined, cause a synergistic decrease in NF-κB-mediated survival mechanisms. Use of the JNK-IN-8 inhibitor with lapatinib in humans may increase survival in patients with basal-like or claudin-low breast cancers. Zhang, T. et al. "Discovery of potent and selective covalent inhibitors of JNK". Chem Biol. 2012 Jan 27;19(1):140-54. Citation Format: Ebelt ND, Van Den Berg CL. The covalent JNK inhibitor, JNK-IN-8, synergizes with lapatinib to cause cell death in basal-like breast cancer cell lines. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-04-14.
Cluster subdivision towards power savings for randomly deployed WSNs — An analysis using 2-D spatial poisson process

We propose to use a 2-dimensional (2-D for short) spatial Poisson process to model a WSN with randomly deployed sensors, and use the model to analyze a scheme that subdivides the clusters of a WSN to achieve an overall power savings. We assume no knowledge of how the sensors are spread in the sensing area, and hence need a statistical process to describe the distribution of all sensors. Assuming the 2-D spatial Poisson distribution, a comprehensive analysis is performed to estimate the power savings brought about by the proposed subdivision. Using hexagon as the shape of the cluster, the analysis shows that the subdivision scheme can yield significant savings in overall power consumption of sensors in the cluster.
Effect of charge localization on the in vivo optical imaging properties of near-infrared cyanine dye/monoclonal antibody conjugates

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores show superior in vivo imaging properties than visible-light fluorophores because of the increased light penetration in tissue and lower autofluorescence of these wavelengths. We have recently reported that new NIR cyanine dyes containing a novel C4′-O-alkyl linker exhibit greater chemical stability and excellent optical properties relative to existing C4′-O-aryl variants. In this study, we synthesized two NIR cyanine dyes with the same core structure and charge but different indolenine substituents: FNIR-Z-759 bearing a combination of two sulfonates and two quaternary ammonium cations, and FNIR-G-765 bearing a combination of two sulfonates and two guanidines, resulting in zwitterionic charge with distinct cationic moieties. In this study, we compare the in vitro and in vivo optical imaging properties of monoclonal antibody (mAb) conjugates of FNIR-Z-759 and FNIR-G-765 with panitumumab (pan) at antibody-to-dye ratios of 1:2 or 1:5. One-to-five conjugation of pan-to-FNIR-G-765 was not successful due to aggregate formation during the conjugation reaction. Conjugates of both dyes to pan (2:1) demonstrated similar quenching capacity, stability, and brightness in target cells in vitro. However, FNIR-Z-759 conjugates showed significantly lower accumulation in the mouse liver, resulting in higher tumor-to-liver ratio. Thus, FNIR-Z-759 conjugates appear to have superior in vivo imaging characteristics compared with FNIR-G-765 conjugates, especially in the abdominal region. Moreover, from a chemistry point of view, mAb conjugation with FNIR-Z-759 has an advantage over FNIR-G-765, because it does not form aggregates at high dye-to-mAb ratio. These results suggest that zwitterionic cyanine dyes are a superior class of fluorophores for conjugating with mAbs for fluorescence imaging applications due to improving target-to-background contrast in vivo. However, zwitterionic cyanine dyes should be designed carefully, as small changes to the structure can alter in vivo pharmacokinetics of mAb–dye conjugates.
AFM report to Coastline Optic

This report briefly outlines results from AFM on Coastline plano-plano fused silica substrate serial number 1.0-FS-PL-3356 to establish if high spatial frequency roughness meets requirements.
Der unberechenbare Kunde: Wie paradoxes Einkaufsverhalten unsere Konsumlandschaft verändert und die Standortentwicklung darauf reagieren kann

Konsum pragt nicht nur unseren Alltag, er wirkt heute mehr denn je auf Einzelhandelsstandorte, sei es in historischen Innenstadten, in Einkaufszentren oder auf der grunen Wiese. Mittlerweile wird es aber immer schwieriger, das Einkaufsverhalten mit Methoden des klassischen Zielgruppenmarketings zu beschreiben. Mehr noch: Der hybride Konsument ist durch sein teils paradoxes Einkaufsverhalten fur das Standortmanagement fast nicht mehr greifbar. In diesem Beitrag werden die aktuellen Konsumtrends und deren Auswirkungen beschrieben: Anhand von zwei methodischen Fallbeispielen (Clusteranalyse, Konsumtagebuch) wird dabei deutlich, wie sich das geanderte Kaufverhalten auf die Einzelhandelslandschaft auswirkt und wie das Standortmanagement darauf reagieren kann.
Facile removal of tosyl chloride from tosylates using cellulosic materials, e.g., filter paper

Abstract Excess tosyl chloride used in the tosylation of alcohols is quickly and easily removed by reacting it with cellulosic materials, e.g., filter paper, and filtering.
Empathy in schizophrenia: A meta-analysis of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index.

Abstract Empathy is a complex construct, thought to contain multiple components. One popular measurement paradigm, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), has been used extensively to measure empathic tendencies in schizophrenia research across four domains: empathic concern, perspective-taking, personal distress, and fantasy. However, no recent meta-analysis has been conducted for all four factors of this scale. The goal of this meta-analysis was to examine self-reported empathic tendencies for each factor of the IRI in people with schizophrenia as compared to healthy controls. A literature search revealed 32 eligible schizophrenia studies. The Hedges' g standardized difference effect size was calculated for each component using a random effects meta-analytic model. Compared to healthy controls, schizophrenia samples reported significantly reduced tendencies for empathic concern, perspective-taking, and fantasy, but significantly greater tendencies for personal distress. Duration of illness significantly moderated the results for perspective-taking such that those with a longer duration exhibited greater deficits; percent female significantly moderated the results for personal distress such that samples with more females exhibited reduced effect sizes. Future work is needed to examine the impact of heightened personal distress on the empathic tendencies and abilities of those with schizophrenia, including the possible role of emotion regulation.
Empirical Findings on International Arbitration: An Overview

This chapter surveys the existing empirical literature on international arbitration. It seeks to be thorough but does not claim to be comprehensive. The chapter focuses on quantitative rather than qualitative empirical studies, and covers studies both of international commercial arbitration and international investment arbitration. Part I describes empirical research on the use of arbitration to resolve transnational disputes — in particular, the extent to which parties use arbitration clauses in international contracts, why they do so, and the frequency of international commercial and investment arbitration proceedings. Part II examines arbitral procedures, and Part III considers the applicable law in international commercial arbitration. Part IV looks at the demographics of international arbitrators, with emphasis on their diversity (or lack thereof), and arbitrator decisionmaking, in particular potential biases of party-appointed arbitrators, whether arbitrators make compromise awards, and the psychological aspects of arbitrator decisionmaking. Part V looks at the controversy over studies of outcomes in investment arbitrations. Finally, Part VI examines empirical studies of compliance with and enforcement of international arbitration awards, while Part VII considers their precedential effect, if any.
Carbon molecular sieve membranes aim to cut energy use in hydrocarbon separations

In the USA, scientists working at multinational oil and gas company Exxon Mobil Corp and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed what they claim is a potentially revolutionary technology that could significantly reduce the amount of energy and emissions associated with manufacturing plastics.
The Nodulin 26 Intrinsic Protein Subfamily

Nodulin intrinsic proteins (NIPs) represent a land plant-specific subfamily of the major intrinsic protein/aquaporin superfamily. NIPs are named for the first member of the family discovered, soybean nodulin 26 of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing root nodules. Evolutionarily, NIPs appear in early nonvascular and vascular land plant lineages, with the family undergoing substantial diversification and sub-functionalization during subsequent evolution of seed plants. Structurally, most NIPs can be divided into three “pore” families based on the composition of amino acids comprising the predicted aromatic-arginine selectivity region of the channel pore. Functionally, two of these families (NIP II and NIP III) serve as channels for metalloid nutrients (boric acid and silicic acid respectively), while the biological role of NIP I channels remains more open. Biochemical functions for NIP proteins are diverse, with transport selectivities ranging from metalloid hydroxides to glycerol, lactic acid, urea, and hydrogen peroxide. Some NIPs retain their aquaporin function, while others have lost this signature activity of the aquaporin family. In the present chapter, the evolutionary origins, structural and functional properties, and potential biological functions, particularly beyond their roles as metalloid facilitators, are reviewed.
Dimensions in the Bat algorithm with adaptive position update (APU-BA) for short Fiber Bragg grating optimal design

Based on our work [1] we present a study for dimensions (number of FBG sections) in our novel APU-BA. C-band single-wavelength, and eye-safe dual-wavelength Triangular Spectrum Fiber Bragg Gratings (TS-FBG) of chosen lengths are considered. Setting the dimensions in APU-BA (and any swarm-based optimization algorithm) is critical. Optimum number of dimensions is reported.
Developing and testing a comprehensive tool to assess family meetings: Empirical distinctions between high- and low-quality meetings.

Abstract Background The heterogeneity with regard to findings on family meetings (or conferences) suggests a need to better understand factors that influence family meetings. While earlier studies have explored frequency or timing of family meetings, little is known about how factors (such as what is said during meetings, how it is said, and by whom) influence family meeting quality. Objectives: (1) To develop an evaluation tool to assess family meetings (Phase 1); (2) to identify factors that influence meeting quality by evaluating 34 family meetings (Phase 2). Materials and methods For Phase 1, methods included developing a framework, cognitive testing, and finalizing the evaluation tool. The tool consisted of Facilitator Characteristics (i.e., gender, experience, and specialty of the person leading the meeting), and 22 items across 6 Meeting Elements (i.e., Introductions, Information Exchanges, Decisions, Closings, Communication Styles, and Emotional Support) and sub-elements. For Phase 2, methods included training evaluators, assessing family meetings, and analyzing data. We used Spearman's rank-order correlations to calculate meeting quality. Qualitative techniques were used to analyze free-text. Results No Facilitator Characteristic had a significant correlation with meeting quality. Sub-elements related to communication style and emotional support most strongly correlated with high-quality family meetings, as well as whether “next steps” were outlined (89.66%) and whether “family understanding” was elicited (86.21%). We also found a significant and strong positive association between overall proportion scores and evaluators' ratings ( r s = 0.731, p Conclusions We filled a gap by developing an evaluation tool to assess family meetings, and we identified how what is said during meetings impacts quality.
Workers not Paid for Sick Leave after Implementation of the New York City Paid Sick Leave Law

This study examined factors associated with being paid for sick leave after implementation of the New York City (NYC) paid sick leave law. A random sample of NYC residents was surveyed by telephone multiple times over a 2-year period. Participants (n = 1195) reported socio-demographics, awareness of the law, income, work hours per week, and payment for sick time off work. In the year after implementation of the law, part-time workers were significantly more likely to attend work while sick than full-time workers (relative risk = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.1, 1.4). Seventy percent of workers who missed work due to illness (n = 249) were paid for sick leave. Part-time workers, respondents not aware of the benefit (30% of workers), and workers without a college degree were the least likely to be paid for sick days. More than one third (37%) of persons not paid for sick leave worked in retail, food service, or health care. Although 70% of respondents were paid for sick leave after implementation of the law, part-time workers and workers with low education were least likely to access the benefit and more likely to work while sick. The disparity in paid sick leave may have public health consequences as many persons not paid for sick leave had occupations that carry a high risk of disease transmission to others.
Knock Three Times... [Turnstile]

Carefully coordinating operations on a computer's processor cores to create certain frequencies of electrical signals, their malware can electrically generate a pattern of magnetic forces powerful enough to carry a small stream of information to nearby devices. The team went so far as to build an Android app they call ODINI, named for the escape artist Hany Houdini, to catch those signals using a phone's magnetometer, the magnetic sensor that enables its compass and remains active even when the phone is in airplane mode.
Fibrinogen adsorption to biomaterials

Fibrinogen (Fg) adsorption is an important mechanism underlying cell adhesion to biomaterials and was the major focus of the author's research career. This article summarizes our work on Fg adsorption, with citations of related work as appropriate. The molecular properties of Fg that promote adsorption and cell adhesion will be described. In addition, the adsorption behavior of Fg from buffer, binary solutions with other proteins, and blood plasma will be discussed, including the Vroman effect. Studies of platelet adhesion to surfaces preadsorbed with blood plasmas selectively deficient in Fg, vitronectin (Vn), fibronectin (Fn), or von Willebrand's factor (vWf) will be reviewed. These studies clearly showed a major role for Fg in platelet adhesion under static conditions and both Fg and vWf for adhesion from flowing suspensions, but no significant role for Vn or Fn. However, it was also shown that platelet adhesion was poorly correlated with the total amount of adsorbed Fg, but very well correlated with the binding of antibodies specific to the cell binding domains of Fg. A brief overview of nonfouling surfaces for prevention of Fg adsorption will be given. A more extensive discussion of structural changes in Fg after its adsorption is included, including changes detected with both physicochemical and biological methods. A short discussion of the state of the art of structural determination of adsorbed proteins with computational methods is also given. A final section identifies Fg adsorption as the single most important event determining the biocompatibility of implants in soft tissue and in blood. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 2777-2788, 2018.
Realizing Travel Malls: A Logic Programming Based Approach

The vision of a Travel Mall, if fully realized, would allow the tourism industry to come to grips with the potential of the advances in information and communication technologies as well as the needs and demands of customers in this new age. In order to realize this vision, certain issues need to be addressed; that of information integration is crucial. We have presented an architecture for a travel mall that tackles this problem and addresses all the important issues. We outline how our approach exploits an extension of logic programming.
The protective role of cytotoxic T cells and interferon against coronavirus invasion of the brain

MHV-A59 causes focal acute encephalitis, acute hepatitis, and chronic demyelination while MHV-2 causes acute hepatitis and no brain involvement. The difference in organ tropism between these two closely related MHVs is not related to the ability of these viruses to grow in brain cells since both viruses grow equally well in primary glial cell cultures derived from neonatal mouse brains. We postulated therefore that the ability of the virus to stimulate certain host immunological factors may be important for protection of the brain against invasion and replication of the virus. In this study we performed preliminary experiments to investigate the potential role of two host factors in protection of the brain against MHV invasion: cytotoxic T cells and interferon.
An Organ Model for HIV Infection of the Blood-Brain Barrier

Neurologic complications are a common symptom in HIV-seropositive patients.1,2 These neurologic disorders can occur at different frequencies and involve both the peripheral and central nervous systems. Between 10–25% of AIDS-related complex (ARC) or AIDS patients present with central nervous system (CNS) symptoms.3–5 Approximately 50% of these individuals will develop an encephalopathy during the terminal phase of the disease.2–5 Initial neurologic symptoms consist of impaired memory and concentration as well as behavioral and motor disorders.1,4–6 The neurologic abnormalities progress to a subcortical dementia termed AIDS dementia complex (ADC).5 While ADC has been the subject of intense study by many groups, the cause of the disease process is unknown.
A Study of Physical Limitation of Reactive Power Output Capability of Modern PV Inverters

With the increased penetration of photovoltaic (PV) systems, PV inverters with smart features are proposed to provide grid support functionalities similar to conventional power plants. One smart feature is to use PV inverters to inject static and dynamic reactive power to support the grid voltage. Various reactive power control strategies have been studied and very fast and precise control has been demonstrated. However, the physical limitation for reactive power output capability has not been comprehensively discussed. Due to the difference in semiconductor operation when injecting real or reactive power, the output capability for reactive power is also different from active power's. In this paper, the maximum reactive power capability of three popular PV inverter topologies, i.e. 2-level full bridge, 3-level Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) and T-type Neutral Point Clamped (TNPC) are studied and compared. It is found that the reactive power capability of PV inverters is typically higher than the real power capability. This feature is very useful for gird voltage support functionality of smart PV inverters. Based on the results, a new apparent power constraint model is proposed to aid the reactive power dispatch controller.
Lifetime renormalization of weakly anharmonic superconducting qubits. I. Role of number nonconserving terms

The dynamics of a weakly anharmonic superconducting qubit in a complex electromagnetic environment is generally well described by an effective multimode Kerr Hamiltonian at sufficiently weak excitation. This Hamiltonian can be embedded in a master equation with losses determined by the details of the electromagnetic environment. Recent experiments indicate, however, that when a superconducting circuit is driven with microwave signals populating the system with sufficiently high excitations, the observed relaxation rates appear to be substantially different from expectations based on the electromagnetic environment of the qubit alone. This issue is a limiting factor in the optimization of superconducting qubit readout schemes. We claim here that an effective master equation with drive-power-dependent parameters is an efficient approach to model such quantum dynamics. In this sequence of papers, we derive effective master equations, whose parameters exhibit nonlinear dependence on the excitation level of the circuit as well as the electromagnetic environment of the qubit. We show that the number nonconserving terms in the qubit nonlinearity generally lead to a renormalization of dissipative parameters of the effective master equation, while the number conserving terms give rise to a renormalization of the system frequencies. Here, in Paper I, we consider the excitation-relaxation dynamics of a transmon qubit that is prepared in a certain initial state, but is not driven otherwise. A unitary transformation technique is introduced to study the renormalization of (i) qubit relaxation due to coupling to a generic bath and (ii) Purcell decay. Analytic expressions are provided for the dependence of the nonlinear dissipative terms on the details of the electromagnetic environment of the qubit. The perturbation technique based on unitary transformations developed here is generalized to the continuously driven case in Paper II [A. Petrescu et al., Phys. Rev. B 101, 134510 (2020)].