cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Query-based System for Automatic Invocation of Web Services

There is a critical need to design and develop tools that abstract away the fundamental complexity of XML based Web services specifications and toolkits, and provide an elegant, intuitive, simple, and powerful query based invocation system to end users. Web services based tools and standards have been designed to facilitate seamless integration and development for application developers. As a result, current implementations require the end user to have intimate knowledge of Web services and related toolkits, and users often play an informed role in the overall Web services execution process We employ a set of algorithms and optimizations to match user queries with corresponding operations in Web services, invoke the operations with the correct set of parameters, and present the results to the end user. Our system uses the Semantic Web and Ontologies in the process of automating Web services invocation and execution.
Constrained Concessions: Beneficent Dictatorial Responses to the Domestic Political Opposition

Do domestic institutions affect how dictators respond to their political opposition? In this paper, I argue that institutionalization is key to understanding whether dictators respond to domestic opposition groups with concessions. I present a nominal typology of dictatorial opposition movements, arguing that the manner in which the opposition is incorporated into the regime reveals important information about the types of concessions dictators will likely provide. Using a system of endogenous equations, I show that dictators buy off some types of domestic opposition with material concessions and liberalize when they face other types of opposition. Because dictators often make decisions facing environmental constraints, however, I also argue that financial conditions can limit a dictator’s ability to respond beneficently to the opposition.
Reducing radiation-hardened DigitalCircuit power consumption

Low-power radiation-hardened sequential digital circuits supporting multiple supply voltages, integrated logic, and a low standby power state are presented. By basing the design on proven radiation hard circuits, single event effects hardness is guaranteed. The circuit is based on differential cascode voltage switch logic, which provides an integral level shift and allows storage at the full supply voltage supported by the process, while allowing the combinatorial logic supply voltage to scale for power savings. When compared to a conventional master-slave flip-flop design, the proposed flip-flop design provides up to 80% energy reduction with logic operating at reduced voltage and speed. Fifty-percent energy reduction is obtained without compromising speed when operating with all circuits at maximum voltage.
NEW GENERA OF PALEOZOIC POLYPLACOPHORA (MOLLUSCA)

The opportunity to study some of de Koninck's (1883) type specimens from the Institut Royal de sciences Naturelle de Belgique (RMNS), specimens from the British Museum of Natural History (BMNH), and from the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (MCZ) has provided insight into the taxonomic relationships of some polyplacophoran taxa. It is evident that errors have occurred in relating various specimens to taxa which differ significantly. Two examples of this related to a Devonian species in Germany and a Permian species in the United States National Museum of Natural History (USNM) are clarified and illustrated. ### Class Polyplacophorade Blainville, 1816 Order Paleoloricata Bergenhayn, 1955 Suborder Chelodina Bergenhayn, 1943 Family Helminthochitonidae Van Belle, 1975 Genus Diadelochiton new genus Chiton corrugatus Sandberger and Sandberger, 1853–1855, p. 238, pl. 26, fig. 22, 22b, 22c, (not figs. 22a, d). #### Type species Diadelochiton recavus new species, monotypy. #### Diagnosis Intermediate plates strongly arched; anterior margin with deep jugal sinus; anterior two-thirds of jugal area depressed, bordered by sharp emarginations. #### Etymology Greek, diadelos, distinguishable plus chiton, tunic. #### Occurrence Devonian (Givetian) Stringocephalenkalk at Villmar and (Frasnian) reef complex at Winterberg, Germany. #### Discussion Sandberger and Sandberger (1853–1855, p. 238, pl. 16, fig. 22, 22a–d) described and illustrated Chiton corrugatus from the Stringocephalenkalk at Villmar, Germany. Previously, G. Sandberger (1842, p. 387, 399) had listed C. subgranosus (nomen nudum) which name he changed to C. corrugatus for unknown reasons. Dall (1882, p. 281) selected figure 22a of the Sandbergers for the type specimen of a new genus Probolaeum , type species C. corrugatus . The specimens illustrated in figure 22, 22c, and probably 22b by the Sandbergers are significantly different …
Combined effects of chemotherapy and interleukin 2 in the therapy of mice with advanced pulmonary tumors.

Abstract We have evaluated the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on the toxicity and antitumor benefit of therapy of established murine tumors by high-dose interleukin 2 (IL-2). Cyclophosphamide (Cy), doxorubicin, and bischloroethylnitrosourea were given to normal mice prior to IL-2 administration to test the effects of these agents on IL-2-induced toxicity. Cy at doses of 100 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg completely protected mice from a 100% lethal dose of IL-2, and doses of 50 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg allowed the administration of a median of 4.5 and 10.0 more doses of IL-2, respectively, before death from IL-2 toxicity occurred. Doxorubicin at 8 mg/kg and bischloroethylnitrosourea at 20 mg/kg did not impact on toxicity in IL-2-treated mice. In mice bearing pulmonary metastases of the weakly immunogenic MCA-105 sarcoma, IL-2 increased median survival time from 33 (no IL-2) to >60 days for all doses of IL-2 tested when combined with a single injection of Cy at 75 mg/kg ( P in vivo generated lymphokine-activated killer cells, but these lymphokine-activated killer cells are still lytic for fresh tumor targets in vitro . Thus, the mechanism of this synergy does not appear to involve stimulation of lymphokine-activated killer cell activity, but may in part involve reduction of tumor burden by the chemotherapeutic agent, an increase in susceptibility of tumor to cellular immune lysis, and/or a decrease in suppressor cell activity mediated by the chemotherapy.
Formal and Informal Continuing Education Activities and Athletic Training Professional Practice

Abstract Context: Continuing education (CE) is intended to promote professional growth and, ultimately, to enhance professional practice. Objective: To determine certified athletic trainers' partic...
Update: Growth of robotic missions systems engineering and program management costs

Previous analyses examined how recent changes affected the costs of systems engineering (SE) and program management (PM) in APL's robotic aerospace missions. 1,2
Severe Viral Infections and Primary Immunodeficiencies

The majority of viral infections acquired by nonimmunosuppressed individuals are asymptomatic or result in mild clinical manifestations. These individuals are able to mount effective immune responses that either clear the virus from the body or, for viruses that establish latency, maintain the virus in a dormant state. For individuals who are immunocompromised, because of a genetic immunodeficiency or immunosuppressive drug therapy, viral infections may result in life-threatening disease. Such patients present with infections that are severe, persistent, recurrent, or refractory to therapy and are usually caused by viruses of low virulence prevalent in the community. In this review, we discuss primary immunodeficiencies that predispose individuals to severe viral infections in the presence or absence of an increased susceptibility to severe disease with other pathogens. Primary immunodeficiency disorders can be divided into 2 broad categories: disorders caused by defects in the innate immune system (Toll-like receptors [TLRs], interferons [IFNs], natural killer [NK] cells) and those caused by defects in the adaptive immune system (lymphocyte-derived cellular and antibody responses). In the past, susceptibility to severe viral diseases has usually been attributed to deficient lymphocyte responses, especially CD8+ T-cell responses. However, susceptibility to severe viral diseases is encountered in primary immunodeficiency disorders with deficient innate and/or adaptive immune responses. Recently, primary immunodeficiencies due to mutations in signaling proteins in the innate immune system have been described [1]. Some of these mutations predispose individuals to severe pathogen-specific diseases; thus, despite the importance of these pathways for the control of multiple pathogens, individual cellular proteins can be important for the control of individual pathogens.
Experience-Based Top Management Team Competence and Sustained Growth

This paper develops and tests a model of multilevel experience-based top management team competence and its effects on a firm's capacity of entrepreneurial growth. The model incorporates the individual and additive effects of firm, team, and industry levels of managerial experience and the conflict effects of combining multiple levels of experience. Theoretical arguments are tested in a longitudinal sample of entrepreneurial firms from the medical and surgical instruments industry. The results indicate that founders' participation in the top management team and managers' past experience in the industry contribute to the competence of the team in seizing new growth opportunities. The results also show that, because of conflict effects, the positive effect of founders' participation in the management team on the rate of growth weakens as either the shared team-specific experience or industry-specific managerial experience in the team increases. For practitioners, the most important implication is that for sustained growth, entrepreneurial firms should learn to balance different levels of managerial experience in the top management team. One way to achieve this balance is to retain valuable founder resources in the team while avoiding high levels of shared team-specific experience and industry-specific managerial experience.
Embryonic heart rate in the early first trimester: what rate is normal?

Embryonic heart rates below 90 beats per minute at 6 to 8 weeks of gestation have been shown to be associated with a high likelihood of subsequent first trimester demise. The boundary between slow and normal heart rates has not been established, however, in that previous studies do not identify the heart rate for each gestational age at which prognosis plateaus. We evaluated sonograms of singleton pregnancies at 6 to 8 weeks to determine the relationship between heart rate and first trimester outcome in four gestational age subgroups: or = 100 beats per minute. At 6.3-7.0 weeks, prognosis improved up to 120 beats per minute, then plateaued. Heart rate norms could not be established at 7.1-8.0 weeks because of the small number of embryonic or fetal deaths in this age group; however, all embryos with heart rates below 110 beats per minute at 7.1-8.0 weeks died. We conclude that the lower limit of normal is 100 beats per minute up to 6.2 weeks' gestation and 120 bpm at 6.3-7.0 weeks.
Diboron complexes of binucleating bis(amidinate) ligands

Abstract The synthesis and X-ray crystal structures of the following bis(amidinate)-substituted boron halides are reported: 1,3-C6H4[C{N(SiMe3)}2BCl2]2 (3), 1,4-C6H4[C{N(SiMe3)}2BCl2]2 (4), 1,4-C6H4[C{N(SiMe3)}2B(Ph)Cl]2 (5), 1,4-C6H4[C{NCy}2BCl2]2 (6), and 1,4-C6H4[C{NCy}2B(Ph)Cl]2 (7). Compounds 3–5 were prepared by trimethylsilyl chloride elimination, while 6 and 7 were prepared via salt metathesis reactions of the appropriate dilithium bis(amidinates) with BCl3 or PhBCl2. The molecular structures of complexes 3, 5, and 6 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, along with that of the free bis(amidine) 1a.
Dexamethasone increases jejunal glutamine synthetase expression via translational regulation.

Abstract Glutamine provides energy and precursors for nucleotide biosynthesis for the gut mucosa, and it is essential for intestinal metabolism and function. During stress states, glutamine uptake of circulating and luminal glutamine may be diminished, but the ability of the gut mucosa to synthesize glutamine de novo in response to this decreased delivery remains undefined. Since the glucocorticoids play an important role in regulating interorgan glutamine metabolism during catabolic states, we hypothesized that these hormones induce the expression of gut mucosal glutamine synthetase (GS), the enzyme that catalyzes the intracellular biosynthesis of glutamine. Adult rats were treated with dexamethasone (DEX, 0.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally) or saline (controls). At various times after treatment (4, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours), jejunal mucosal GS-specific activity was assayed, and total RNA was extracted. GS transcripts were detected by Northern blot analysis, using a radiolabeled rat GS cDNA probe. Transcripts were quantitated by phospho-imaging and normalized to β-actin. An anti-GS polyclonal antibody was used to quantitate GS protein concentrations by Western blot analysis. The relative quantities of GS translated were measured using a cell-free protein-synthesizing system (reticulocyte lysate assay). Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and were considered statistically significant for p DEX increased GS activity by 45% 12 hours after administration. Western blot analysis revealed an increase in the concentration of the GS protein in the jejunum of DEX-treated animals. Northern blot analysis demonstrated no significant change in GS mRNA levels after DEX treatment, indicating the possibility of posttranscriptional regulation. In vitro translational experiments demonstrated that the quantity of GS translated was increased by 25% after the administration of DEX. These data suggest that glucocorticoids may increase jejunal mucosal GS levels by accelerating protein translation. This adaptive response could provide ghitamine for the gut mucosa during stress, when exogenous glutamine supplies may be rate limiting.
Promoting Healthcare Safety And Quality By Assessing Anticoagulation Education Process

We conducted a baseline study of warfarin patient education process by (1) assessing a healthcare facility’s current compliance with the education requirements for anticoagulation therapy, (2) assessing how effectively warfarin education was being provided in terms of patient’s knowledge and (3) identifying areas where process improvements were warranted. The facility is an acute care teaching hospital and a Level I Trauma Center with a pharmacist-managed outpatient anticoagulation clinic. We collected data from patients concerning (1) six warfarin knowledge domains (drug-nutrition interactions, drug-drug interactions, monitoring, drug information, dosing and adverse effects), (2) whether or not patients received warfarin education upon discharge and which healthcare professional provided this education (physician, pharmacist, nurse), (3) duration of warfarin therapy, (4) self-rated knowledge of warfarin, and (5) various demographics. Study results indicated the need to implement improvements to the education process to ensure that warfarin education is consistently and routinely provided to all patients prior to being discharged on warfarin with particular attention given to patients sixty years of age and older. Education provided should focus on drug-nutrition and drug-drug interactions, which were found to be areas of highest knowledge deficit. Improvements to the process of providing warfarin education at our hospital may additionally include implementation of a protocol to identify patients requiring education, and a standardized educational program with a pharmacist- managed warfarin discharge counseling service.
EPR Investigation of Defects in Boron Nitride thin Films

Defects in BN thin films, produced by reactive sputtering, were investigated by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) measurements. The EPR signals of films produced with up to 10% N2 in the argon discharge are consistent with films having a cubic structure, and becoming more ordered with nitrogen incorporation in the films. The concentration of spins is in the order of 1019 spins/g and they are attributed to nitrogen vacancies with an electron trapped in. Carbon incorporation changes the EPR signal and increases the concentration of spins significantly. This result is consistent with the notion that carbon doping stabilizes the electron in a nitrogen vacancy.
Influence of Hypochloremia upon the Convulsive Reactivity.

SummaryExperiments on rabbits and cats showed that hypochloremia increases the convulsive reactivity
Reflections on Communication and Sport: On Enjoyment and Disposition

In this essay, Arthur Raney reflects on how decades of media scholarship have explored the importance of affective dispositions toward teams and contest outcomes to viewer enjoyment of live televis...
Composite Structure With Superparamagnetic Writing Layer for Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording

In conventional heat-assisted magnetic recording media, the recording layer also acts as the storage layer. To minimize the effect of Tc variance, a new composite structure with a superparamagnetic writing layer is proposed to decouple the recording problem from the long-term storage issue. The thermal switching probability distribution (SPD) was calculated using $1~\textrm {nm}\times 1~\textrm {nm}\times 1~\textrm {nm}$ renormalized parameters of FePt. Analytical derivation and micro-magnetic simulation results both show the volume dependence of the SPD: $\textrm {Width}\boldsymbol {\propto } 1/({\mathrm{ Volume}})^{1/2} $ . The SPD of the composite structure designed in this paper has a full-width half-maximum of 44 K, which is 20% narrower than that found in an FePt recording layer subject to 3% Tc variance.
Introduction to the Special Issue: Defining Gender, Relationships, and Power

Limitations in our knowledge of women's lives are most strikingly revealed by social scientists' attempts to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Most psychological research studies Anglo middle- and upper-middle-class college students, to the detriment of our current need for knowledge of the populations of women most at risk for HIV/AIDS, who are non-Anglo, poor, and less educated. This special issue was initiated by the Task Force on Women and HIV of the Society for the Psychology of Women, Division 35 of the American Psychological Association. Our immediate objective was to present in a single issue a full range of current research practices and needs along with any exemplary innovations, and to identify the dilemmas facing investigators that might be blocking theory development. We hope to inspire, inform, and energize those whose contributions are most needed to advance theory and research that will be helpful to researchers and practitioners of HIV prevention and services. The long-range goal of this special issue is to stimulate innovative and useful theory development by gathering empirical work that challenges current theory and shows the role of culture.
Improving the security of wireless sensor networks in an IoT environmental monitoring system

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become a popular subject in the technology industry and will soon reach the popularity level of smartphones. With the rapid technological advancements of sensors, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has become the main technology for IoT. We investigated the security of WSNs in an environmental monitoring system with the goal to improve the overall security. We implemented a Secure Temperature Monitoring System (STMS), which served as our investigational environment. Our results revealed a security flaw found in the bootstrap loader (BSL) password used to protect firmware found in the MSP430 MCU. We demonstrated how the BSL password could be brute forced in a matter of days. Furthermore, to our knowledge we illustrated the first sample of how an attacker can reverse engineer firmware and obtain WSN cryptographic keys. Our sample provides a step-by-step procedure on how to reverse engineer MSP430 firmware. We contributed a solution to improve the BSL password and better protect firmware found in the MSP430 chips. The Secure-BSL software we contributed allows the randomization of the BSL password. Our solution guarantees brute force times in a matter of decades. The impractical brute force time assures the security of firmware and prevents future reverse engineering tactics. In addition, our Secure-BSL software supports two-factor authentication, therefore adding another layer of security. The two-factor authentication feature allows developers to specify a user-defined passphrase to further protect the MSP430 MCU. Our research serves as proof that any security implemented in a WSN environment is broken if an attacker has access to firmware found in sensor devices.
A Philosophical Analysis of Mao’s Theory of Dialectic

In this last chapter, we shall undertake a critique of Mao’s theory of dialectic as a whole. As our presentation showed, Mao’s theory of dialectic is dialectically structured both in form and in content. As to its form, it begins by affirming the universality of contradiction, then it affirms the particularity of contradiction, and concludes with the dialectic (i.e., transformationally) of contradiction. In content, universality, particularity and dialectic all deal with contradiction, though each from its own perspective. That is, universality reveals the general and comprehensive scope of contradiction which can be expressed in terms of “Reality-as-Contradiction” or “Contradiction-as-Reality”. Particularity reveals the unique characteristic of contradiction which can be expressed in terms of principal or non-principal ‘distinction’ or ‘specificity’. Dialectic reveals the dynamic nature and development of contradiction. Viewed from this perspective, universality, particularity and dialectic constitute the three ‘moments’ of contradiction, and hence also of Mao’s theory of dialectic, which are not mutually exclusive but complementary. In this context, our philosophical analysis begins with the first moment, universality, and moves to the second and third moments, particularity and dialectic, and concludes with a concrete example of dialectic, i.e., the dialectical development of Mao’s thought itself.
INDUSTRIAL USES OF EXPLOSIVE PRESSURE-FROM ROCK BLASTING TO METAL BONDING AND SYNTHETIC DIAMOND

Conventional and unconventional commercial uses of high pressures generated by detonation of chemical explosives are described. Recent basic research on factors affecting the performance of explosives in rock blasting are discussed. The mechanism and commercial applications of the explosion bonding process for metals are described. In particular, the jetting phenomenon and the processes responsible for bond zone formation are explained. Experimental results from pioneering research on the effect of explosive shock waves on ceramic powders are presented. Such powders are unusually responsive to sintering and explosive shocking may be a unique way of “cold-working” ceramics. One of the latest “constructive” commercial uses of explosive pressure, the manufacture of polycrystalline synthetic diamond, is described. This unique material has established itself firmly as a commercial specialty super abrasive.
SOME RECENT QUALITATIVE RESULTS ON MODELS BASED ON DIFFERENCE EQUATIONS

The noncontinuous effect of changes in the delays on the asymptotic behavior of multidelay difference equations is discussed, together with its implications on the use of such equations as models of dynamical systems. Theoretical results are illustrated by simple examples.
Simulation and measurement of gamma ray and annihilation photon imaging detectors

We have developed a simulation tool that model position sensitive gamma ray and annihilation photon detectors to realistically estimate the detector performance. The simulation is based on Monte-Carlo simulation code that calculates the probability of photoelectric or Compton interaction in a given detector geometry. The propagation of scintillation light of each interaction is simulated using DETECT2000. To approximate the actual signal response of a detector, the physical geometry of each position-sensitive photon detector is modeled. The simulation is tested using position sensitive PMTs with pixellated LSO and Na(Tl) crystals. Qualitatively, the simulated and measured flood images compared very well. Both show similar edge effects and resolved the same number of crystals (21/spl times/21 for LSO and 27/spl times/27 for NaI(Tl)) compared to the "ideal" position sensitive detector resolving 22/spl times/22 for LSO and 29/spl times/29 for NaI(Tl) crystals after energy gating is applied. An intrinsic spatial integral non-linearity (INL) of 1% (for simulation) and 1.4% (for measured data before gain correction) was calculated for NaI(Tl). For LSO less than 2.3% INL is obtained in both cases (??). The linearity match is expected to improve when more accurate detector model and gain correction are applied. A finite element method is used to model with good approximation a position sensitive avalanche photodiode (PSAPD) detector surface. A third or higher order polynomial fit is applied to to an electrical Finite Element Model of PSAPD detector and provided good match with measurement, including the generation of a similar pincushion distortion pattern.
Pediatric T-ALL but Not cALL Blasts Express Ligands for Siglec-7 Inhibiting NK Cell Mediated Lysis.

Abstract Changes in the glycosylation pattern of cell surface proteins occur during early stages of malignant transformation. These alterations in the glycan repertoire may contribute to numerous processes of tumor cell survival such as adhesion, migration and immune evasion. Sialic acid is the most common terminal carbohydrate moiety of glycan structures in humans binding to a family of eleven receptors termed sialic acid binding Ig-like lectins (siglecs). Siglecs are expressed on virtually all effector cells of the immune system and several members function as inhibitory receptors. Siglec-7 is known as an inhibitory receptor expressed by NK cells and T cells. Therefore, siglec-7 ligands may contribute to immune evasion of malignant cells. In order to analyze the expression of siglec-7 ligands by malignant cells, we cloned the extracellular domain of human siglec-7. The recombinant protein was expressed in 293 cells to allow glycosylation, which is supposed to be important for specificity. As the interaction of a single glycan and lectin is of low affinity, we tetramerized siglec-7 in analogy to MHC-tetramers to increase avidity. This strategy allowed for reliable use of siglec-7 fusion protein in flow cytometry. Analysis of PBMC from healthy donors revealed that siglec-7 ligands are expressed on all subpopulations of PBMC: expression was detected on CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells as well as on monocytes and NK cells. B cells could be subdivided into a positive and negative population after staining with siglec-7 tetramers. Subsequently, we analyzed primary lymphatic blasts from childhood leukemias. Interestingly, T-ALL blasts expressed ligands for siglec-7, whereas these ligands were absent from cALL blasts. As cALL blasts are known to be better targets for NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity than T-ALL blasts, we hypothesized that siglec-7 ligands on the surface of leukemic blasts inhibit NK cells. To test the functional relevance of siglec-7 ligand expression for NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity, we used soluble monomeric siglec-7 as competitive inhibitor in cytotoxicity assays. In these competition assays, NK cell-mediated specific lysis of leukemic cells increased roughly twofold in the presence of soluble siglec-7. These results show that engagement of inhibitory siglecs on the surface of effector cells might contribute to immune escape mechanisms of malignant cells. It underlines the function of siglec-7 as a non-MHC-specific inhibitory receptor on NK cells and the important role of altered glycans expression on malignant cells in tumor immunology.
Improved ice particle optical property simulations in the ultraviolet to far-infrared regime

Abstract To derive the bulk radiative properties of ice clouds, aircraft contrails and snow grains, which are fundamental to atmospheric radiative transfer calculations in downstream applications, it is necessary to accurately simulate the scattering of light by individual ice particles. An ice particle optical property database reported in 2013 (hereafter, TAMUice2013) is updated (hereafter, TAMUice2016) to incorporate recent advances in computation of the optical properties of nonspherical particles. Specifically, we employ the invariant imbedding T-matrix (II-TM) method to compute the optical properties of particles with small to moderate size parameters. Both versions use the Improved Geometric Optics Method (IGOM) to compute the optical properties of large ice crystals, but TAMUice2016 improves the treatment of inhomogeneous waves inside the scattering particles in the case where ice is absorptive such as at infrared wavelengths. To bridge the gap between the extinction efficiencies computed from the II-TM and the IGOM, TAMUice2016 includes spectrally dependent higher order terms of the edge effect in addition to the first order counterpart considered in TAMUice2013. Furthermore, the differences between TAMUice2013 and TAMUice2016 are quantified with respect to the computation of the bulk optical properties of ice clouds.
Simulation Studies on the Effects of the Censoring Distribution Assumption in the Analysis of Interval-Censored Failure Time Data

One problem researchers face when analyzing survival data is how to handle the censoring distribution. For practical convenience, it is often assumed that the observation process generating the censoring is independent of the event time of interest. This assumption allows one to effectively ignore the censoring distribution during the analysis, but it is clearly not always realistic. Unfortunately, one cannot generally test for independent censoring without additional assumptions or information. Therefore, the researcher is faced with a choice between using methods designed for informative or non-informative censoring without knowing the true nature of the censoring. This uncertainty creates a situation where the reliability of estimation and testing procedures is unknown as the assumptions are potentially violated. Fortunately, Monte-Carlo simulation methods can be very useful for exploring these types of questions under many different conditions. This chapter uses extensive simulation studies in order to investigate the effectiveness and flexibility of two methods developed for regression analysis of informative case I and case II interval-censored data under both types of censoring. The results of these simulation studies can provide guidelines for deciding between models when facing a practical problem where one is unsure about the informativeness of the censoring distribution.
Restrictions and limitations after pelvic floor surgery: what's the evidence?

Purpose of review A common concern regarding pelvic floor surgery is the relatively high risk of recurrence. In an effort to minimize this risk, many surgeons instruct their patients to avoid certain activities during the healing process so as not to damage the repair before proper healing has occurred. However, many of these restrictions have been historically based on little to no hard evidence. The purpose of this review is to present the latest evidence-based recommendations regarding restrictions and limitations after pelvic floor surgery. Recent findings The current review covers postoperative activities that could impact proper healing of a vaginal incision and of the strength of the reconstruction itself. It also looks at safety of the patient and those around her as she heals. Topics include pelvic rest, swimming, lifting exercising, working, and driving. Observational research suggests that many unavoidable activities of daily living may have as great, if not an even greater, risk of impacting the healing process than many of the modifiable activity restrictions that are commonly imposed on patients. This may explain why recent clinical trials show no greater problem with healing in patients randomized to less strict postoperative restrictions than the standard. Summary Although further research is necessary, it appears that patients are more satisfied with less strict postoperative limitations, and this less restrictive activity may not have any significant negative impact on the healing process.
Test of Time Award & Conjectures on the Future of SPLs

This talk has two parts: First, I briefly summarize and explain the paper "Feature Models, Grammars, and Propositional Formulas" and acknowledge many researchers who have contributed to this and related results over the last decade.Second, I convey my insights on how scientific knowledge progresses and matures, the bumps in the road that we are all experiencing now as a consequence, and the existential challenges ahead for many sub-disciplines in Software Engineering, including Software Product Lines.
Multitolerance in Distributed Reset

A reset of a distributed system is safe if it does not complete ``prematurely,'''' i.e., without having reset some process in the system. Safe resets are possible in the presence of certain faults, such as process fail-stops and repairs, but are not always possible in the presence of more general faults, such as arbitrary transients. In this paper, we design a bounded-memory distributed-reset program that possesses two tolerances: (1) in the presence of fail-stops and repairs, it always executes resets safely, and (2) in the presence of a finite number of transient faults, it eventually executes resets safely. Designing this multitolerance in the reset program introduces the novel concern of designing a safety detector that is itself multitolerant. A broad application of our multitolerant safety detector is to make any total program likewise multitolerant.
GPS BROADCAST ORBITS VERSUS PRECISE ORBITS: A COMPARISON STUDY

How accurate are the Global Positioning System (GPS) broadcast orbits? This question is important to the GPS community. The survey community, for example, would like to know if field processing of GPS baselines can be considered final. There is widespread belief that for accurate surveys (e.g., 1 ppm) post-processing with the precise ephemerides is required.
Remember, it is the Supreme Court that is Expounding: The Least Dangerous Branch and Popular Constitutionalism

This article undertakes critical analysis of the similarities between “popular constitutionalism” and The Least Dangerous Branch. It does so by focusing not on the book’s treatment of the counter-majoritarian problem but, rather, on the passive virtues discussion. In so doing it suggests that Alexander Bickel – at least, the Alexander Bickel who wrote The Least Dangerous Branch – was far more accepting of the US Supreme Court’s power of judicial review than the scholarly “obsession” (as it is sometimes referred to) with the counter-majoritarian problem might lead us to believe.
Attenuated Accumulation of Novel Fluorine (19F)-Labeled Bile Acid Analogues in Gallbladders of Fibroblast Growth Factor-15 (FGF15)-Deficient Mice.

Our work has focused on defining the utility of fluorine (19F)-labeled bile acid analogues and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify altered bile acid transport in vivo. In the current study, we explored the ability of this approach to differentiate fibroblast growth factor-15 (FGF15)-deficient from wild-type (WT) mice, a potential diagnostic test for bile acid diarrhea, a commonly misdiagnosed disorder. FGF15 is the murine homologue of human FGF19, an intestinal hormone whose deficiency is an underappreciated cause of bile acid diarrhea. In a pilot and three subsequent pharmacokinetic studies, we treated mice with two 19F-labeled bile acid analogues, CA-lys-TFA and CA-sar-TFMA. After oral dosing, we quantified 19F-labeled bile acid analogue levels in the gallbladder, liver, small and large intestine, and plasma using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Both 19F bile acid analogues concentrated in the gallbladders of FGF15-deficient and WT mice, attaining peak concentrations at appr...
Decentralized Authentication for Secure Cloud Data Sharing

Cloud data sharing is a prevalent topic these days due to its immense benefits. But regardless of this, industry is facing a huge setback due to deficiencies in present security frameworks. Achieving security becomes favorable if we put together a strong authentication mechanism. Authentication techniques as much random and complex they get are still breakable, so a truly random and strong technique is required. For this purpose, a new decentralized approach consisting of multiple authentication factors (username and password, biometrics and tokens) is being proposed for authentication which gives strong foundation of security and is difficult to break. The analysis showed significantly better comparative results.
Multi-Label Fake News Detection using Multi-layered Supervised Learning

Rapid spreading of misinformation is a growing worldwide concern as it has the capacity to greatly influence individual reputation and societal behavior. The consequences of unchecked spreading of misinformation can not only vary from political to financial but also effect global opinion for a long time. Thus, detecting fake news is important but challenging as the ability to accurately categorize certain information as true or fake is limited even in human. Moreover, fake news are a blend of correct news and false information making accurate classification even more confusing. In this paper, we propose a novel method of multilevel multiclass fake news detection based on relabeling of the dataset and learning iteratively. The proposed method outperforms the benchmark and our experiments indicate that profile of the source of information contributes the most in fake news detection.
Rapid photothermal actuation of light-addressable, arrayed hydrogel columns in a macroporous silicon membrane

This paper presents rapid photothermal actuation of light-addressable, arrayed hydrogel columns in a macroporous silicon membrane. Au nanorods are incorporated into thermo-responsive p-NIPAAm hydrogel to utilize surface plasmon-induced local heating by near-infrared light. By measuring optical transmission through the fabricated membrane structure with Au nanorod embedded hydrogel, we have demonstrated that photothermal actuation of hydrogel can be done in two-dimensional, pixel-like configuration with high spatial and temporal resolutions. Benefiting from the hydrogel volume confinement within micron-sized pores, we have achieved sub-second response time of hydrogel photothermal actuation and its repeatable photothermal actuation on highly localized illuminated area. Considering that each hydrogel column is confined within each pore and different wavelength of light can be used to induce photothermal actuation of hydrogel's deswelling characteristics by modifying physical dimensions of Au nanorods, it has a potential for optically-addressable, multiplexed drug release systems with rapid response time.
Incorporating super-operators in big-data query optimizers

The cost of big-data analytics is dominated by shuffle operations that induce multiple disk reads, writes and network transfers. This paper proposes a new class of optimization rules that are specifically aimed at eliminating shuffles where possible. The rules substitute multiple shuffle inducing operators (Join, UnionAll, Spool, GroupBy) with a single streaming operator which implements an entire sub-query. We call such operators super-operators.A key challenge with adding new rules that substitute sub-queries with super-operators is that there are many variants of the same sub-query that can be implemented via minor modifications to the same super-operator. Adding each as a separate rule leads to a search space explosion. We propose several extensions to the query optimizer to address this challenge. We propose a new abstract representation for operator trees that captures all possible sub-queries that a super-operator implements. We propose a new rule matching algorithm that can efficiently search for abstract operator trees. Finally we extend the physical operator interface to introduce new parametric super-operators.We implement our changes in SCOPE, a state-of-the-art production big-data optimizer used extensively at Microsoft. We demonstrate that the proposed optimizations provide significant reduction in both resource cost (average 1.7x) and latency (average 1.5x) on several production queries, and do so without increasing optimization time.
Olfactomedin 4 mediation of prostate stem/progenitor-like cell proliferation and differentiation via MYC

Olfactomedin 4 (OLFM4) is expressed in normal prostate epithelial cells and immortalized normal human prostate epithelial cells (RWPE1), but the identity of OLFM4-expressing cells within these populations and OLFM4's physiological functions in these cells have not been elucidated. Using single-cell RNA sequencing analysis, we found here that OLFM4 was expressed in multiple stem/progenitor-like cell populations in both the normal prostate epithelium and RWPE1 cells and was frequently co-expressed with KRT13 and LY6D in RWPE1 cells. Functionally, OLFM4-knockout RWPE1 cells exhibited enhanced proliferation of the stem/progenitor-like cell population, shifts stem/progenitor-like cell division to favor symmetric division and differentiated into higher levels PSA expression cells in organoid assays compared with OLFM4-wild RWPE1 cells. Bulk-cell RNA sequencing analysis pinpointed that cMYC expression were enhanced in the OLFM4-knockout RWPE1 cells compared with OLFM4-wild cells. Molecular and signaling pathway studies revealed an increase in the WNT/APC/MYC signaling pathway gene signature, as well as that of MYC target genes that regulate multiple biological processes, in OLFM4-knockout RWPE1 cells. These findings indicated that OLFM4 is co-expressed with multiple stem/progenitor cell marker genes in prostate epithelial cells and acts as a novel mediator in prostate stem/progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation.
Sulfurization as a promising surface passivation approach for both n- and p-type Si

Sulfur is demonstrated to be an effective and promising surface passivation element for both n- and p-type Si wafers after reacting in dilute hydrogen sulfide gas (2 - 6% in argon) at 550°C. Effective minority carrier lifetimes of > 2 ms and > 0.25 ms are achieved for n- and p-type Si wafers, respectively, comparable to the industry standard thermal oxide and atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide passivation level. Surface characterization by x-ray photoelectron and emission spectroscopy reveals that sulfur is primarily bonded in a sulfide environment.
Communicating mental health: History, contexts, and perspectives: edited by L. R. Lippert, R. D. Hall, A. E. Miller-Ott, & D. C. Davis, Lexington Books, 2020, 393 pp., $120 (hardback), $114 (e-book), ISBN-10: 1498578012, ISBN-13: 978-1498578011

The year 2020 brought the United States devastating natural disasters, civil unrest in the face of racial injustices, and a highly contested presidential election. All of this was in the midst of a...
Willingness to Pay and the Distribution of Risk and Wealth

Willingness to pay (WTP), most economists believe, is an appropriate benefits metric for government expenditure and regulatory policies that reduce risks to human life. It depends, however, on the distribution of risk and wealth. Currently, society's expenditures overemphasize concentrated risks, say after-the-fact treatment as opposed to prevention. A "dead-anyway" effect complements excess attention to intense interests in explaining this. Our normative criterion for spending on risk reduction is what a rational, albeit uninsured, individual confronting lotteries on future risks to life and wealth would choose for himself. This requires correcting WTP to eliminate the dead-anyway effect but continues to reflect that wealth enhances the utility of living.
Stochastic Methods in Investigation of Modern Networks

There are lots of methods to analyze complex network systems; one of them is to use the stochastic analysis. This approach is more accurate than others, and with its help, we can get the best solution of optimization (Bander and White, Transport Sci 36(2):218–230, 2002; Bertsekas, Dynamic programming and optimal control. Athena Scientific, Belmont, 1995). In the current article, we use Kolmogorov equation to find out the optimal parameters of the system in various conditions. It also helps us to predict the productivity of the networks and to build the self-defined networks with the ability to rebuilt or restore their operation automatically. To solve this problem, it is necessary to describe all possible conditions for the system with automatic rebuilding or restoring and without these characteristics. The important part of the research is to implement the graph theory and on its base to build the mathematical model of the whole system. Then, the methods of stochastic analysis using Kolmogorov equation solve the problem of the system elements productivity. At the end of this approach, we obtain the accurate probabilities for each condition. The significance of the method in such problems lies in the fact that we can create on its base the automatic algorithm for complex networks with the vast amount of conditions.
Molecular dynamic simulation of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane porphyrin molecules: Self-assembly and influence on morphology

Abstract Molecular dynamics was used to study the aggregation in water of three versions of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane porphyrin (POSSP) molecules. The POSSP molecules have different functional groups; POSSP-IB has one hepta-isobutyl POSS unit, POSSP-Ph has one hepta-phenyl POSS molecule, and POSSP-TIB has four hepta-isobutyl POSS units. Three control porphyrins (TPP, ATPP, TATPP) were also simulated in this study. The effects of the different substituents on the POSSP aggregation process and final morphology were investigated. It is observed that the isobutyl substituents in the POSS units drives the aggregation mainly through the hydrophobic effect. In the case of the phenyl POSS unit, the self-assembly process is also carried through the hydrophobic effect, but π-π and H-bonding interactions play a role too. The final morphology of the aggregates show that the porphyrins associated with POSSP-IB and POSSP-TIB are far apart from each other contrary to POSSP-Ph, which may have a major implication on the optical properties of these aggregates. This study provides valuable insights on the aggregation in water of POSSP molecules, which are a tunable platform to design novel functional materials.
Side effects of miscellaneous antibacterial drugs

Abstract This chapter provides a review of serious adverse effects associated with miscellaneous antibiotics, primarily derived from patient cases. Meta analyses and cohort studies were included as well. This review of miscellaneous antibacterial drug literature published from August 2020 to August 2021 covers tetracylines, eravacycline, tigecycline, fluoroquinolones, ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, nitrofurantoin, metronidazole, macrolides, azithromycin, erythromycin, clindamycin, vancomycin, colistin, aminoglycosides, and linezolid. Search engines included pubmed, google scholar, Lexicomp, Scopus, etc.