cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Random sampling: Its effect on spectral density

There are sampled-data systems of interest in which the sampling intervals are random variables. An example is a track-while-scan radar with a non-ideal blip scan ratio. In the statistical design of such systems it may be necessary to compute the spectral density of a random signal at the output of a random sampler. If the sampling intervals are independent, this spectral density may be determined from a complex convolution integral which, in many cases of practical interest, is easily evaluated in closed form by the method of residues. Consider a sampler which ideally operates periodically but actually misses samples with some probability. For this case the following result is obtained: the spectral density at the output of the non-ideal sampler is unchanged by replacing the non-ideal sampler by an ideal (periodic) sampler and adding to its output uncorrelated white noise of specified spectral density. When this result is used in the statistical design of a track-while-scan extrapolator it is found that the miss probability profoundly affects the system design. Neglect of this factor may, in fact, result in systems which are unstable in the mean square. This paper is to be published in the Proceedings of the First IFAC Moscow Congress by Butterworth Scientific Publications in 1960.
Phase-locked interferometry for automatic mask alignment in projection printers

This paper describes a mask alignment technique for a projection printer in which the mask-to-wafer offset is determined interferometrically by a phase-locked method. The alignment patterns used in this method are cross grids which are illuminated with a He–Ne laser beam. By diffraction and interference a harmonic intensity signal is obtained whose phase is representative for the relative displacement of mask and wafer. Phase modulation and fine alignment are done with a tiltable glass plate driven by a galvanometric scanner. The total alignment operation including registration and fine alignment is controlled by a PC. With a registration precision in the nanometer region and cycle times below 0.3 s, this method is particularly suited for each field alignment in projection steppers. Results of theoretical and experimental investigations are discussed.
Preservice Technology Integration through Collaborative Action Communities

Building on a successful field-based preservice program aimed at effective strategies for teaching diverse urban youth, the University of Houston is instituting an action research process to actively collaborate with Houston-area school districts to establish networked learning communities of university faculty, preservice teachers, and school-based educators to support the development of future teachers. The College has specific plans to restructure its required one semester, three-credit-hour technology course to a series of three, one-credit-hour technology sections tied directly to methods courses to allow students to develop appropriate content methods-based technology proficiencies. Field-based students will work with identified mentor teachers who use technology in real classrooms, and students will compile and maintain electronic portfolios throughout their preservice experience. Virtual field experiences of exemplary teaching will be brought to campus-based students and unique campus resources to field-based students in the form of traditional and online video collections. To ensure that all members of our learning community are effectively prepared for appropriate inclusion of technology in content methods courses, faculty and students will participate in a comprehensive support model of classroom instruction, workshops, and field-based experiences with the aid of a cadre of trained Technology Fellows.
Design and characterization of an and-or-inverter (AOI) gate for QCA implementation

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) offers a new computing paradigm in nanotechnology. The basic logic elements of this technology are the inverter and the majority voter. In this paper, we propose a novel complex and universal QCA gate: the And-Or-Inverter (AOI) gate, which is a 5 input gate consisting of 7 cells. This paper presents a detailed simulation-based analysis of the AOI gate as well as the characterization of QCA defects and study of their effects at logic level. Design implementations using the AOI gate are compared with the conventional CMOS and the majority voter-based QCA methodology. Testing of the AOI gate at logic level is also addressed, unique testing features of designs based on this complex gate have been investigated.
Distortion of Price Discount Perceptions: The Right Digit Effect

We use four experiments to examine consumers' processing of comparative regular and sale price information in advertisements. Consistent with our hypothesized right digit effect, we find that, when consumers view regular and sale prices with identical left digits, they perceive larger price discounts when the right digits are “small” (i.e., less than 5) than when they are “large” (i.e., greater than 5). As a result, they may attribute greater value and increased purchase likelihood to higher-priced, lower-discounted items. We examine alternate processing explanations for this right digit effect, as well as the moderating impact of price presentation format.
Coronary arterial spasm: culprit or bystander?

The role of coronary arterial spasm in the production of angina pectoris has long been of interest.1-3 The progress in our understanding of this phenomenon seems to follow the typical evolution of the philosophical process: (1) thesis, (2) antithesis, and (3) synthesis. The “thesis” was developed in the 19th century and prevailed until the earlier part of the 20th century. It can best be summarized by a quotation from Sir William Osler? “Spasm or narrowing of a coronary artery or even of one branch, may so modify the action of a section of the heart that it works with disturbed tension, and there are stretching and strain sufficient to arouse painful sensations . . . . I do not know of any better explanation of angina1 pain.” The “antithesis” followed shortly after, in the early 1950’s. The recognition of the association of angina with atheromatous narrowing of coronary arteries,4 and later the failure to find coronary spasm with any significant frequency in the extensive number of coronary angiograms performed during the last 2 decades, focused attention on organic obstruction of the coronary arteries as the basic pathophysiologic mechanism underlying angina pectoris. The spasm theory was dead. There was doubt that spasm may play any role in ischemic heart disease. In classic angina pectoris with demonstrable obstructive atheromatous lesions, the pathophysiology of the chest pain is reasonably well understood.ll When ischemia occurs during exercise at a time when the oxygen demands are increased and cannot be met by a commensurate increase in coronary blood flow because of coronary arterial obstruction, the logic is sound and convincing. However, when ischemia occurs at rest with no apparent increase in oxygen demand, an alternate mechanism should be looked for. Prinzmetal et a1.12 speculated that the attacks of myocardial ischemia in their cases of variant angina not precipitated by effort or emotion could have been the result of “temporary increased tonus of a large narrowed coronary artery.” Since then, Prinzmetal’s variant angina has been found in several patients with minimal nonobstructive coronary artery disease or even normal coionaries,13-15 thus supporting the speculation that spasm may be necessary to explain the ischemia. In addition, several recent reports have described angiographic evidence of coronary arterial spasm in Prinzmetal’s variant angina.5-g In one case spasm was seen with the naked eye during operation.14
Racial and socioeconomic disparities in nutrition behaviors: targeted interventions needed.

Abstract Objective To compare dietary knowledge, behaviors and self-efficacy of black middle school students of low socioeconomic status with their white counterparts of higher socioeconomic status. Design Cross-sectional, school-based survey. Setting Large metropolitan area in the United States. Participants Middle school students (1,208 of low socioeconomic and 978 of higher socioeconomic status). Main Outcome Measures Dietary behaviors, dietary knowledge, and dietary self-efficacy were assessed by questionnaire. Analysis Differences between black students of low socioeconomic status and white students of higher socioeconomic status in the above variables. Results Black students of low socioeconomic status scored significantly lower than did white students of higher socioeconomic status on several of the variables. They were more likely to consume empty calorie food, meat, and fried food and less likely to eat fruit, vegetables, dairy products, and grains; they were less knowledgeable about dietary variables; and they had significantly lower self-efficacy regarding their ability to change dietary habits. Conclusions and Implications The results of this study suggest that black students of low socioeconomic status should be targeted for early intervention related to dietary behaviors. This age group is amenable to change, and interventions designed specifically for them may result in lifetime reductions in risk of morbidity and mortality.
Growth of Trypanosoma cruzi in human heart tissue cells and effects of aminonucleoside of puromycin, trypacidin and aminopterin.

SYNOPSIS. Development of a suitable tissue cell system for the growth of T. cruzi required the production of infective metacyclic trypanosomes and tissues which these forms could infect. Human heart was selected from a range of serially-cultured tissue cell lines as the most suitable for intracellular growth. Most metacyclic forms occurred when the growth medium had an initial pH of 7.2 and the cultures were gassed with 5% CO2/95% air before closure and then incubated at 33 C. During the first 4 days of incubation ∼ 10% of tissue cells in cultures were infected with 1–5 leishmanial forms of T. cruzi. During the next 4 days, the number of infected cells about doubled and many contained 10 or more leishmanias. The effects of drugs were studied on this 2nd 4-day period of incubation. The aminonucleoside of puromycin affected growth of the intracellular but not the extracellular parasites whereas trypacidin had the opposite effect, inhibiting growth of the extracellular but not the intracellular forms. Aminopterin inhibited the growth of both extracellular and intracellular forms. The selective effects of the aminonucleoside of puromycin against intracellular forms might be due to it being metabolized by the host cells to a more active trypanocide. A method for isolating intracellular forms of T. cruzi from the tissue cells is described. Dihydrofolate reductase activity was found in these preparations and in similar preparations of the culture and blood forms. The reductase was sensitive to inhibition by aminopterin and a 2, 4-diaminopyrimidine.
Plant Defenses and Predation Risk Differentially Shape Patterns of Consumption, Growth, and Digestive Efficiency in a Guild of Leaf-Chewing Insects

Herbivores are squeezed between the two omnipresent threats of variable food quality and natural enemy attack, but these two factors are not independent of one another. The mechanisms by which organisms navigate the dual challenges of foraging while avoiding predation are poorly understood. We tested the effects of plant defense and predation risk on herbivory in an assemblage of leaf-chewing insects on Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) that included two Solanaceae specialists (Manduca sexta and Leptinotarsa decemlineata) and one generalist (Trichoplusia ni). Defenses were altered using genetic manipulations of the jasmonate phytohormonal cascade, whereas predation risk was assessed by exposing herbivores to cues from the predaceous stink bug, Podisus maculiventris. Predation risk reduced herbivore food intake by an average of 29% relative to predator-free controls. Interestingly, this predator-mediated impact on foraging behavior largely attenuated when quantified in terms of individual growth rate. Only one of the three species experienced lower body weight under predation risk and the magnitude of this effect was small (17% reduction) compared with effects on foraging behavior. Manduca sexta larvae, compensated for their predator-induced reduction in food intake by more effectively converting leaf tissue to body mass. They also had higher whole-body lipid content when exposed to predators, suggesting that individuals convert energy to storage forms to draw upon when risk subsides. In accordance with expectations based on insect diet breadth, plant defenses tended to have a stronger impact on consumption and growth in the generalist than the two specialists. These data both confirm the ecological significance of predators in the foraging behavior of herbivorous prey and demonstrate how sophisticated compensatory mechanisms allow foragers to partially offset the detrimental effects of reduced food intake. The fact that these mechanisms operated across a wide range of plant resistance phenotypes suggests that compensation is not always constrained by reduced food quality.
Gender, Ethnicity, Psychosocial Factors, and Quality of Life Among Severely Overweight, Treatment-Seeking Adolescents

Objective To examine gender and ethnic differences in psychosocial functioning among 100 (78% African American and 59% girls) treatment-seeking overweight 11- to 18-year-old adolescents. Self-esteem was examined as a potential mediator of the association between weight-related teasing and quality of life (QOL). Methods Adolescents completed measures evaluating self-esteem, dietary habits, teasing, and QOL. Results Few racial or gender differences were found. Mean QOL was similar to that reported in another study examining treatment-seeking overweight adolescents and substantially lower than what has been reported for non-treatment-seeking overweight adolescents. Self-esteem partially mediated the association between teasing and QOL. Conclusions Severely overweight adolescents of both genders and diverse ethnicities face significant stigmatization and manifest poor overall psychosocial functioning, which is negatively associated with QOL. Furthermore, self-esteem appears to partially mediate the negative relationship between teasing and QOL.
Induction of cardioprotection by small netrin-1-derived peptides

We have shown that netrin-1 induces potent cardioprotection via extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2)-dependent endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)/NO activation. The present...
Evaluation of cryoprobe deployment precision with body surface and in situ templates.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the precision of cryoprobe targeting with a surface template, an in situ template (on the target organ), or a combined approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fourteen participants placed five 17 G cryoprobes into porcine kidneys in a laparoscopic trainer using a surface template (group 1), an in situ template (group 2) or a combination of the two templates (group 3). The distance from the ideal probe placement was measured both on the anterior and posterior aspect of the kidney. The sequence of attempts was randomized. The distances were compared across the three groups using anova with the adjustment for multiple comparisons. RESULTS The mean distance from the ideal probe placement was 1.58 cm (anterior) and 1.81 cm (posterior) in group 1, 0.05 cm and 0.39 cm in group 2, and 0.07 cm and 0.22 cm in group 3, respectively. The placement of the probes was significantly more accurate in groups 2 (P < 0.001 anteriorly and P < 0.002 posteriorly) and 3 (P = 0.001 anteriorly and P < 0.001 posteriorly) compared with group 1. There was no significant difference between groups 2 and 3. CONCLUSION In this in vitro model, the use of internal or combined internal and external templates allows for significantly more precise deployment of 17-G cryoprobes than a standard external template alone.
Polyesters from 2,6-dihydroxy-9,10-dihydro-9,10-ethanoanthracene and 2,6-dihydroxyanthracene

High molecular weight, film-forming, amorphous polyesters have been prepared from 2,6-dilydroxy-9,10-dihydro-9,10-ethanoanthracene with adipic, sebacic, dodecanoic, isophthalic, 4,4′-oxybibenzoic, 2,6-naphthoic, 4,4′-bibenzoic, and terephthalic acid. Thermal elimination of ethylene from these polymers has yielded the corresponding polyesters from 2,6-dihydroxyanthracene which were of high molecular weight, film forming, and crystalline.
A new safety event reporting system improves physician reporting in the surgical intensive care unit.

Background Medical errors are common, and physicians have notably been poor medical error reporters. In the SICU, reporting was generally poor and reporting by physicians was virtually nonexistent. This study was designed to observe changes in error reporting in an SICU when a new card-based system (SAFE) was introduced. Study design Before implementation of the SAFE reporting system, education was given to all SICU healthcare providers. The SAFE system was introduced into the SICU for a 9-month period from March 2003 through November 2003, to replace an underused online system. Data were collected from the SAFE card reports and the online reporting systems during introduction, removal, and reimplementation of these cards. Reporting rates were calculated as number of reported events per 1,000 patient days. Results Reporting rates increased from 19 to 51 reports per 1,000 patient days after the SAFE cards were introduced into the ICU (p≤ 0.001). Physician reporting increased most, rising from 0.3 to 5.8 reports per 1,000 patient days; nursing reporting also increased from 18 to 39 reports per 1,000 patient days (both p≤0.001). When the SAFE cards were removed, physician reporting declined to 0 reports per 1,000 patient days (p=0.01) and rose to 8.1 (p=0.001) when the cards were returned, similar to nursing results. A higher proportion of physician reports were events that caused harm compared with no effect (p Conclusions A card reporting system, combined with appropriate education, improved overall reporting in the SICU, especially among physician providers. Nurses were more likely to use reporting systems than were physicians. Physician reports were more likely to be of events that caused harm.
Applications of Multi-Attribute Utility Theory: Comments

We would like to consider the review paper by Patrick Humphreys in the context of two other review papers on the same subject, the papers by Huber (1974) and by von Winterfeldt and Fischer (1975), and we intend to show that substantial progress in the applicability of multiattribute utility theory is represented by this sequence of papers.
Application of Forebody Strakes for Directional Stability and Control of Transport Aircraft

A brief overview of a cooperative NASA/Boeing research effort, Strake Technology Research Application to Transport Aircraft (STRATA), intended to explore the poetntial of applying forebody strake technology to transport aircraft configurations for directional stability and control at low angles of attack, is presented. As an initial step in the STRATA program, an exploratory wind-tunnel investigation of the effect of fixed forebody strakes on the directional stability and control characteristics of a generic transport configuration was conducted in the NASA Langley 12-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel. Results of parametric variations in strake chord and span, as well as the effect of strake incidence, are presented. The use of strakes for yaw control is also discussed. Results emphasize the importance of forebody/fuselage crossflow in influencing strake effectiveness. Strake effectiveness is also seen to be directly related to its span, but less sensitive to chord, a very short-chord strake with sufficeient span can have a significant effect.
Demand Response and Advanced Metering

Demand response - changing prices to reduce consumption at peak demand - creates value when it encourages electricity consumers to reduce load at peak times by either curtailing energy-using activities or shifting them to off-peak times. Load that is reduced during times when the power system has encountered critical conditions (in the form of higher prices on wholesale markets or stress from supply insufficiency) will carry greater value than load that is reduced during normal times.
Professional Choices in a Once and Future World

L ast November the human population of the world reached seven billion. When I was born (1929) the world had about two billion people. By the time I earned my PhD (1959) there were three billion. There were 3.7 billion in 1970 when I was appointed dean, and about 5.2 billion when I retired (1990). In the next genera- tion the population will reach eight billion. During my lifetime the world population almost quadrupled. The habitable area decreased. Increasing human density, unequal population distribution, and natural resource values will dictate that land care professionals are destined to work in a conflict zone between haves and have-nots. DOI: 10.2458/azu_rangelands_v34i1_box
Advancing the science of adolescent tobacco use cessation

OBJECTIVE To examine how science is advancing in order to address adolescent tobacco use cessation. METHODS Review of the published scientific literature from 1995 to September 2000 and National Cancer Institute youth tobacco cessation research portfolio. RESULTS Because of methodological limitations, results of behavioral interventions are inconclusive. Two studies have been published evaluating the nicotine patch for adolescent smoking cessation, though neither employed a randomized, placebo-control design. Both of these studies found the nicotine patch to be ineffective. CONCLUSIONS Although much is known about youth tobacco use, additional research is needed to find answers to best help youth to quit smoking.
Molecular layer deposition of an organic-based magnetic semiconducting laminate.

Organic-based magnets are intriguing materials with unique magnetic and electronic properties that can be tailored by chemical methodology. By using molecular layer deposition (MLD), we demonstrate the thin film fabrication of V[TCNE: tetracyanoethylene]x, of the first known room temperature organic-based magnet. The resulting films exhibit improvement in surface morphology, larger coercivity (80 Oe), and higher Curie temperature/thermal stability (up to 400 K). Recently, the MLD method has been widely studied to implement fine control of organic film growth for various applications. This work broadens its application to magnetic and charge transfer materials and opens new opportunities for metal–organic hybrid material development and their applications in various multilayer film device structures. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of the multilayer V[TCNE]x as a spin injector combining LSMO, an standard inorganic magnetic semiconductor, for spintronics applications.
Blood coagulation in burn injury.

SummaryCoagulation studies were performed in 35 consecutive burn patients and in scald burned rats. Between 3 and 10 days after injury, patients exhibited hyperfibrinogenemia, thrombocytosis, and elevated fibrin-fibrinogen split product (FSP) titers. Fibrinogen and (FSP) titers were identical in surviving and nonsurviving patients. A similar response occurred in burned rats, but was preceded in the first hours after injury by evidence of intravascular coagulation. We conclude that elevated FSP titers in the burned patient are not a reflection of classical intravascular coagulation or primary fibrinolysis, but may reflect early local intravascular coagulation in the burn wound, and later a nonspecific or “acute phrase reactant” response.
Evidence for a Vitamin D3-Induced Calcium-Binding Protein in New World Primates

SummaryThe evidence presented indicates that two species of new world monkeys, the cebus and the squirrel, are capable of synthesizing an intestinal calcium-binding factor in response to vitamin D3 supplementation. Vitamin D3 increased the calcium-binding activity of supernatant fluid of intestinal homogenates. The binding activity was partially purified by gel filtration chromotography. Acrylamide gel electrophoresis also showed a unique protein-staining band in the fluid from vitamin D3-treated monkeys which was not present in the untreated animals. The monkey binding factor appears analogous to the vitamin D-induced calcium-binding proteins identified in other species.
Performance on the Defense Automated Neurobehavioral Assessment across controlled environmental conditions

Neurocognitive assessment tools (NCAT) are commonly used to screen for changes in cognitive functioning following a mild traumatic brain injury and to assist with a return to duty decision. As such, it is critical to determine if performance on the Defense Automated Neurobehavioral Assessment (DANA) is adversely affected by operationally-relevant field environments. Differences in DANA performance between a thermoneutral environment and three simulated operationally-relevant field environments across the thermal stress continuum were calculated for 16 healthy U.S. Navy service members. Practice effects associated with brief test-retest intervals were calculated within each environmental condition. There were no significant differences between the simulated environmental conditions suggesting that performance on the DANA Brief is not impacted by thermal stress. Additionally, there were no significant differences in performance within each simulated environmental condition associated with repeated administrations.
Vector Analyzing Power in the \({}^3He(\vec d,{}^3He)np\) Reaction

During the past decade, substantial investigations of polarization effects have been made in the three-nucleon system1). The polarization in nucleon-deuteron elastic scattering has received the principal attention of both the experimental and theoretical effort, while the study of such effects in the breakup reaction has received very little attention. The exact three-body calculations using the Faddeev equations have shown a remarkably good agreement with the proton and deuteron analyzing powers in p-d elastic scattering1). However, in the breakup channel the theoretical calculations2) have been restricted to the use of nucleon-nucleon S-wave forces and, therefore, cannot predict any polarizations. Until recently experimental measurements of polarization effects in the breakup reaction had yielded values which were very small or consistent with zero3). The first evidence of significant polarizations was seen by Rad et a1.4,5) in their measurements of the vector analyzing power Ay for the transition to the np final state interaction (FSI) region. The \({}^1H(\vec d,p)np\) and \({}^2H(\vec p,p)np\) reactions, studied at the same center-of-mass energy, showed not only significant values of the vector analyzing powers, but also a definite similarity of its angular distribution with that of the elastic channel.
Risk factors for increased resource utilization and critical care complications in patients undergoing hepaticojejunostomy for biliary injuries.

Background This project aimed to study resource utilization and surgical outcomes after hepaticojejunostomy (HJ) for biliary injuries utilizing data from ACS NSQIP.
Symbol and Allegory

The product of the synthesising Aufhebung of imagination is a symbol, a poem, a work of art, an aesthetic Logos — which can in turn generate further imaginative activity. Imagination, the ‘idealising Power’, connects reason and understanding, the ordinary faculty of sensory and conceptual knowledge, in the form of mediating symbols. Reason is the source of ideas, immediate but not sensuous truths, ‘having their evidence in themselves’ (Rays. Misc., 286). What is the relation between the ineffable idea, the object or product of reason, and the symbol created by imagination? Symbol may be defined as the form in which ideas are communicated in the fallen world, as the mode of existence for idea.
Biodegradation of Carbamates

A carbofuran-metabolizing Pseudomonas sp. was investigated for its capability to degrade some other toxic carbamates and its effectiveness as a decontaminant for carbamate-polluted water samples. The organisms degraded both aldicarb and carbaryl. It also decontaminated carbofuran-fortified water samples from various sources in the absence of additional nutrients under laboratory conditions. This microorganism harbored several plasmids which may be involved in the degradation of carbamates. Pseudomonas sp. may potentially be used for biological treatment of wastewater and groundwater.
Real-Time Studies of Iron Oxalate-Mediated Oxidation of Glycolaldehyde as a Model for Photochemical Aging of Aqueous Tropospheric Aerosols

The complexation of iron(III) with oxalic acid in aqueous solution yields a strongly absorbing chromophore that undergoes efficient photodissociation to give iron(II) and the carbon dioxide anion radical. Importantly, iron(III) oxalate complexes absorb near-UV radiation (λ > 350 nm), providing a potentially powerful source of oxidants in aqueous tropospheric chemistry. Although this photochemical system has been studied extensively, the mechanistic details associated with its role in the oxidation of dissolved organic matter within aqueous aerosol remain largely unknown. This study utilizes glycolaldehyde as a model organic species to examine the oxidation pathways and evolution of organic aerosol initiated by the photodissociation of aqueous iron(III) oxalate complexes. Hanging droplets (radius 1 mm) containing iron(III), oxalic acid, glycolaldehyde, and ammonium sulfate (pH ∼3) are exposed to irradiation at 365 nm and sampled at discrete time points utilizing field-induced droplet ionization mass spectr...
Gene Expression Profiling in Human Lung Cells Exposed to Isoprene-Derived Secondary Organic Aerosol

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) derived from the photochemical oxidation of isoprene contributes a substantial mass fraction to atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The formation of isoprene SOA is influenced largely by anthropogenic emissions through multiphase chemistry of its multigenerational oxidation products. Considering the abundance of isoprene SOA in the troposphere, understanding mechanisms of adverse health effects through inhalation exposure is critical to mitigating its potential impact on public health. In this study, we assessed the effects of isoprene SOA on gene expression in human airway epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) through an air–liquid interface exposure. Gene expression profiling of 84 oxidative stress and 249 inflammation-associated human genes was performed. Our results show that the expression levels of 29 genes were significantly altered upon isoprene SOA exposure under noncytotoxic conditions (p < 0.05), with the majority (22/29) of genes passing a false discovery rate thr...
IDM 2017: Workshop on Interpretable Data Mining -- Bridging the Gap between Shallow and Deep Models

Intelligent systems built upon complex machine learning and data mining models (e.g., deep neural networks) have shown superior performances on various real-world applications. However, their effectiveness is limited by the difficulty in interpreting the resultant prediction mechanisms or how the results are obtained. In contrast, the results of many simple or shallow models, such as rule-based or tree-based methods, are explainable but not sufficiently accurate. Model interpretability enables the systems to be clearly understood, properly trusted, effectively managed and widely adopted by end users. Interpretations are necessary in applications such as medical diagnosis, fraud detection and object recognition where valid reasons would be significantly helpful, if not necessary, before taking actions based on predictions. This workshop is about interpreting the prediction mechanisms or results of the complex computational models for data mining by taking advantage of simple models which are easier to understand. We wish to exchange ideas on recent approaches to the challenges of model interpretability, identify emerging fields of applications for such techniques, and provide opportunities for relevant interdisciplinary research or projects.
Varela and Contemporary Psychoanalysis, an Epistemological Gesture: From Representations to Co-emergence

ABSTRACTThis paper intends to articulate common epistemological elements between Francisco Varela’s and Contemporary psychoanalytic relational-intersubjective theories. These shared elements could be described as a common epistemological gesture, the overcome of a reductionist and dualist paradigm, instead giving away to a paradigm of complexity. In both perspectives, a phenomenological and close to experience philosophical reflection is incorporated, which can account the human experience as an irreducible and valid source of knowledge. In Varela’s theory, the notion of embodiment permit to conceive the mind as natural endowment of the body. In Contemporary psychoanalytic theories, nature of human experience is conceive as intrisically social, proposing a “two person” psychology and the intersubjective model. Finally, in line with both currents and in a preliminary way, I propose the notion of co-emergency, seeking to overcome different forms of dualisms like internal/external, subject/world, I/Other, et...
Iodine and Mammary Cancer

While iodine has been found in lower prechordates, no identifiable physiologic influence of the element is recognized until the level of amphibians. Organified iodine is required for the metamorphosis of the tadpole to the adult frog. Iodinated compounds are essential to growth and development of most vertebrates, and iodine levels temper these metabolic changes.
Circular vs. angular servicescape: “Shaping” customer response to a fast service encounter pace

Abstract Although a fast service encounter pace might increase revenues for the service provider, its consequences on customer satisfaction and repatronage can be detrimental. To address this gap, the present study proposes a novel sensory marketing strategy (i.e., using shape cues) to soften customers' negative reactions to a fast-paced service encounter. Specifically, we examine the interplay of physical servicescape cues (shape: circular vs. angular) and social servicescape cues (busyness: non-busy vs. busy) on customer satisfaction. The findings suggest that in busy settings, angular shape cues increase customer satisfaction through perceived competence of the service provider. Conversely, in non-busy settings, circular shape cues enhance customer satisfaction via warmth perceptions. These findings highlight an innovative sensory approach in managing customer evaluations of experiential consumption as well as communicating brand personalities through the servicescape.
A Skin Color Guide

The following poem from an anonymous author is about a calf walking through woods. A point about skin color will be made. This and other poems are used because how we often deal with skin color can be, at times, better noticed with poetry than with non-fiction prose.
Proteomic analysis of proteome and histone post-translational modifications in heat shock protein 90 inhibition-mediated bladder cancer therapeutics.

e16030Background: Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a chaperone for many proteins integral development of cancer, making inhibition of HSP90 an attractive strategy for cancer treatment. However, lit...
Influence of job assignment on melanoma (MEL) incidence in commercial aircrew.

e21058Background: Commercial cabin and cockpit aircrews are at increased cutaneous MEL risk. Occupational and social factors have been invoked to explain this. However, the two groups work in on-bo...
Nova: Diffused Database Processing Using Clouds of Components [Vision Paper]

Nova proposes a departure from today’s complex monolithic database management systems (DBMSs) as a service using the cloud. It advocates a server-less alternative consisting of a cloud of simple components that communicate using high speed networks. Nova will monitor the workload of an application continuously, configuring the DBMS to use the appropriate implementation of a component most suitable for processing the workload. In response to load fluctuations, it will adjust the knobs of a component to scale it to meet the performance requirements of the application. The vision of Nova is compelling because it adjusts resource usage, preventing either over-provisioning of resources that sit idle or over-utilized resources that yield a low performance, optimizing total cost of ownership. In addition to introducing Nova, this vision paper presents key research challenges that must be addressed to realize Nova. We explore two challenges in detail.
Efficacy of an ambulance ventilation system in reducing EMS worker exposure to airborne particles from a patient cough aerosol simulator

The protection of emergency medical service (EMS) workers from airborne disease transmission is important during routine transport of patients with infectious respiratory illnesses and would be cri...
The "License as Tax" Fallacy

Intellectual property licenses are commonly portrayed as a “tax” that limits access to technology assets, thereby stunting innovation by intermediate users and inflating prices for end-users. This presumptively skeptical view motivated postwar antitrust’s proliferation of per se rules against a wide array of licensing practices and, more recently, has driven recent Supreme Court decisions on IP licensing and enforcement actions by competition regulators in the U.S. and other commercially significant jurisdictions that would effectively rewrite licensing arrangements in wireless communication markets. Renewed skepticism toward IP licensing, and associated judicial and regulatory interventions, overlook the fact that IP licenses typically play an enabling rather than exclusionary function by mitigating expropriation risks that would otherwise frustrate transactions between the holders of complementary specialized IP and non-IP assets. These transactions support a robust innovation ecosystem by facilitating value-creating exchanges of knowledge assets, promoting the division of labor among innovation and production specialists, and lowering entry costs for firms that excel in innovation but lack capital-intensive production and distribution capacities. Illustrative evidence is drawn from paradigm transactional structures that illustrate the principal enabling functions of IP licensing arrangements in content and technology markets.
An Alternative Casting Technique to Improve the Creep Resistance of Cast INCONEL Alloy 740H

The increasing performance requirements of power plant designs, such as advanced-ultra supercritical (A-USC), require the use of Ni-based superalloys to replace high-strength, ferritic-martensitic steels for components subjected to temperatures above 898 K (625 °C) and for austenitic stainless steels components at temperatures above 973 K (700 °C). To date, commercial Ni-based superalloy INCONEL 740H has been shown to be appropriate for use in A-USC power plants as boiler components in a wrought product. However, large complex components in boilers as well as other casings in the turbine and valve chest require castings of a thick-wall nature. Using the alloy in its cast form would be significantly valuable in terms of range of component size, geometry and complexity. Previous investigations revealed short creep lives from cast INCONEL alloy 740H. In this investigation, an alternative casting route that utilized a melt procedure resulting in a fine-grain casting, and in conjunction with a computationally optimized homogenization heat treatment, not only controlled the grain size and grain boundary structure but minimized chemistry variability and segregation. A primarily equiaxed and homogenous grain size distribution was obtained from this approach with better repartition of M23C6 carbides along the grain boundaries. Furthermore, better than 38 pct increase was obtained for this material in comparison to the creep life obtained from the best performing conventionally cast material. More importantly, the fine-grain homogenized (FGH) casting route resulted in the Larson–Miller plot for this material that coincided with that of wrought alloy 740. At low creep stresses (with a test still in progress), the FGH casting is resulting in higher values of the LMP than the wrought alloy.
Organizational aspects of pediatric anesthesia and surgery between two waves of Covid-19.

BACKGROUND: The initial wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has hit Italy, and Lombardy in particular, with violence, forcing to reshape all hospitals' activities; this happened even in pediatric hospitals, although the young population seemed initially spared from the disease. "Vittore Buzzi" Children's Hospital, which is a pediatric/maternal hospital located in Milan (Lombardy Region), had to stop elective procedures-with the exception of urgent/emergent ones-between February and May 2020 to leave space and resources to adults' care. We describe the challenges of reshaping the hospital's identity and structure, and restarting pediatric surgery and anesthesia, from May on, in the most hit area of the world, with the purpose to avoid and contain infections. Both patients and caregivers admitted to hospital have been tested for Sars-CoV-2 in every case. METHODS: Observational cohort study via review of clinical charts of patients undergoing surgery between 16th May and 30th September 2020, together with SARS-CoV -2 RT-PCR testing outcomes, and comparison to same period surgeries in 2019. RESULTS: An increase of approximately 70% in pediatric surgeries (OR 1.68 [1.33-2.13], P < .001) and a higher increase in the number of surgeries were reported (OR 1.75 (1.43-2.15), P < .001). Considering only urgent procedures, a significant difference in the distribution of the type of surgery was observed (Chi-squared P-value < .001). Sars-CoV-2-positive patients have been 0.8% of total number; 14% of these was discovered through caregiver's positivity. CONCLUSION: We describe our pathway for safe pediatric surgery and anesthesia and the importance of testing both patient and caregiver.
Artificial Light at Night Alters the Physiology and Behavior of Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)

Human population growth and its associated effects on the environment contribute to the rapid decrease of biodiversity worldwide. Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an anthropogenic pollutant that is increasing with the spread of urbanization and may contribute to biodiversity declines. ALAN alters the migration patterns of birds, communication in frogs, and impacts reproduction, behavior, and physiology of multiple other taxa. However, most of the studies on ALAN are based on terrestrial systems, and overall, the effects of ALAN on freshwater organisms are poorly understood. We investigated how ALAN affects the physiology, behavior, and reproduction of a widespread, tolerant species of freshwater fish. Gambusia affinis are small livebearing fish often found in urban streams. We exposed groups of female G. affinis to either a natural light cycle or a constant 24-hour light cycle (ALAN) in the laboratory for 60 days. In another experiment, we exposed female G. affinis to the same treatments in outdoor mesocosms for 32 days. We found that exposure to ALAN lowered glucose levels in the brain and decreased swimming activity, but had no effect on cortisol release rates, reproduction, survival, or growth. This research is strengthened by measuring multiple metrics in response to ALAN and by incorporating both a field and laboratory component which confirm similar results. These results suggest that this tolerant species of fish may behaviorally adjust to ALAN rather than modulate their endocrine stress response.
A phase II trial cohort of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in patients (Pts) with recurrent/metastatic salivary gland cancers (R/M SGCs).

6002Background: R/M SGCs are a diverse group of malignant neoplasms arising from the major or minor salivary glands and have no standard treatment. The impact of combining PD-1/CTLA-4 checkpoint bl...
Pilot Randomized Trial of an Expressive Writing Intervention to Reduce Sexual HIV-Transmission Risk and Substance Use Among Emerging Adult Gay and Bisexual Men

This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of expressive writing to reduce HIV-related sexual risk taking and symptoms of drug dependence among emerging adult gay and bisexual men (EAGBM) through linguistic mechanisms involving use of words associated with cognitive processing (e.g., think, cause), positive emotion (e.g., love, nice), and negative emotion (e.g., hurt, shame). Between 2014 and 2015, EAGBM (n = 78; aged 18–29) completed a baseline survey and were randomized to complete three 15-min expressive writing or equivalent control-group writing sessions and follow-up assessments 2 months post-baseline. EAGBM in the expressive writing condition utilized significantly more positive emotion, negative emotion, and cognitive processing words. Path model results indicated the intervention condition resulted in significant reductions in symptoms of drug dependence and frequency of condomless anal sex (CAS) through paths mediated by positive emotion words, and significant increases in CAS through a path mediated by negative emotion words.
A biohybrid strategy for enabling photoredox catalysis with low-energy light

Summary Natural systems drive the high-energy reactions of photosynthesis with efficient and broadband energy capture. Transition-metal photocatalysts similarly convert light into chemical reactivity, and yet suffer from light-limited operation and require blue-to-UV excitation. In photosynthesis, both light capture and reactivity have been optimized by separation into distinct sites. Inspired by this modular architecture, we synthesized a biohybrid photocatalyst by covalent attachment of the photosynthetic light-harvesting protein R-phycoerythrin (RPE) to the transition-metal photocatalyst tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) ([Ru(bpy)3]2+). Spectroscopic investigation found that absorbed photoenergy was efficiently funneled from RPE to [Ru(bpy)3]2+. The utility of the biohybrid photocatalyst was demonstrated via an increase in yields for a thiol-ene coupling reaction and a cysteinyl-desulfurization reaction, including recovered reactivity at red wavelengths where [Ru(bpy)3]2+ alone does not absorb.
CanariCam: The GTC´s Multimode Mid-Infrared Camera for Day One

We describe the general features of CanariCam, the mid-infrared camera for the GTC. CanariCam will provide outstanding sensitivity in four different science modes of operation: diffraction-limited imaging, moderate resolution grating spectroscopy, dual-beam polarimetry, and coronography.
A General Linkage Method for the Detection of Major Genes

Extending a method previously proposed specifically for sib-pair data, a general method is suggested to detect linkage between a trait locus and a marker locus when the genetic mechanism underlying the trait is unknown. The method consists essentially of regressing the squared trait difference between a pair of relatives on the proportion of genes they share (or are estimated to share) identical by descent at the marker locus. This regression is expected to be -2(1-2θ)2σ a 2 , where θ is the recombination fraction between the two loci and σ a 2 is the additive genetic variance due to the trait locus. It is suggested that a transformation be used to better approximate normality, and the likelihood ratio criterion used to test the null hypothesis that no linked trait locus exists. The method is extended to dichotomous traits and disease traits with variable age of onset, and to linkage with multiple markers. The method is computationally fast, but has little power if 0 is not close to 0 or if σ a 2 is small.