cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recent progress in interfacial toughening and damage self‐healing of polymer composites based on electrospun and solution‐blown nanofibers: An overview

In this article, we provide an overview of recent progress in toughening and damage self-healing of polymer-matrix com- posites (PMCs) reinforced with electrospun or solution-blown nanofibers at interfaces with an emphasis on the innovative processing techniques and toughening and damage self-healing characterization. Because of their in-plane fiber architecture and layered struc- ture, high-performance laminated PMCs typically carry low interfacial strengths and interlaminar fracture toughnesses in contrast to their very high in-plane mechanical properties. Delamination is commonly observed in these composite structures. Continuous poly- mer and polymer-derived carbon nanofibers produced by electrospinning, solution blowing, and other recently developed techniques can be incorporated into the ultrathin resin-rich interlayers (with thicknesses of a few to dozens of micrometers) of these high-per- formance PMCs to form nanofiber-reinforced interlayers with enhanced interlaminar fracture toughnesses. When incorporated with core-shell healing-agent-loaded nanofibers, these nanofiber-richened interlayers can yield unique interfacial damage self-healing. Recent experimental investigations in these topics are reviewed and compared, and recently developed techniques for the scalable, continuous fabrication of advanced nanofibers for interfacial toughening and damage self-healing of PMCs are discussed. Develop- ments in the near future in this field are foreseen. V C 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2225-2237, 2013
Identification of cis Elements in the Cardiac Troponin T Gene Conferring Specific Expression in Cardiac Muscle of Transgenic Mice

To investigate the underlying mechanism regulating cardiac gene expression, transgenic mice carrying the rat cardiac troponin T proximal promoter (-497 bp from the transcriptional start site) fused to a LacZ or chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene were analyzed. The LacZ expression pattern throughout development was very similar to that of the endogenous cardiac troponin T gene. Within this promoter, a high degree of sequence homology was found at 2 sites, modules D (-335 to -289 bp) and F (-249 to -209 bp). Both regions contain at least a TCTG(G/C) direct repeat and an A/T-rich site, whereas only the F module has a muscle enhancer factor 2 (MEF2)-like motif. No significant decrease in CAT transgene expression was observed when only the MEF2 core sequence was mutated. However, when the MEF2 core sequence and its flanking TCTGG site were mutated (Mut5), CAT transgene expression was significantly decreased in the heart, and ectopic expression of the transgene was also observed. When mutations were introduced into this promoter to destroy all upstream TCTG(G/C) direct repeats in the D module (MutD), CAT expression remained cardiac specific, but the expression level was dramatically decreased. Relaxation of cardiac-specific transgene expression became even more severe in transgenic mice carrying double mutations (Mut[D+5]). In addition, CAT activity in the heart was nearly abolished. These results suggest that D and F modules have an additive function in determining the level of expression in the heart and only the F module confers cardiac-specific expression.
Synthesis of Star Polymer Architectures with Site-Isolated Chromophore Cores

We report the synthesis of star polymers with site-isolated chromophores obtained by nitroxide-mediated polymerization and reversible addition−fragmentation chain transfer techniques through the “arm first” method. Linear polymer precursors such as α-alkoxyamine-terminated polystyrene (PS) and thioester-terminated poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were prepared followed by the addition of fluorescent divinyl cross-linkers derived from the fluorene and thiophene families. We first synthesized organic soluble star polymers containing hexyl-functionalized fluorene and thiophene cross-linkers with PS. Second, ethylene oxide (EO)-functionalized fluorene cross-linkers were incorporated into PAA linear precursors to give water-soluble star polymers with site-isolated chromophore core units. The photoluminescence increased significantly while the emitting wavelength corresponded with highly dilute, nonconjugated chromophores in solution. This effect is indicative for a highly localized concentration of chomophores in the ...
Teaching Critical Appraisal: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Outcomes Trial in Undergraduate Osteopathic Medical Education

Context Critical appraisal is an important skill for medical students. A proposed curriculum may be an effective teaching tool. Objective: To determine whether the teaching of critical appraisal can be successfully introduced into an osteopathic clinical clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology. Design: Osteopathic medical students (N=77) were assigned by lottery to one of eight rotation groups during their clinical clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology. Four of these rotation groups received instruction in critical appraisal (study group; received evidence-based medicine [EBM] curriculum; n=38); the other four rotation groups did not (control group; received non-EBM; n=39). The ability of the study EBM group to critically analyze the literature was compared with that of the control (non-EBM) group on the basis of results of a multiple-choice examination. Setting: The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Osteopathic Medicine clinical clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology. Results: The median scores for critical analysis were 41 for the control group and 64 for the study group. This difference was statistically significant (P<.001). Conclusion: The teaching of critical appraisal can be successfully introduced into a clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology.
The Relation Between Role Constructions and Adjustment Among Stepfathers

The purpose of this study was to assess the relations between stepfathers' constructions of their role as stepfathers and several dimensions of their adjustment. Thirty-nine stepfathers who resided with stepchildren between the ages of 10 and 18 completed a series of self-report measures assessing their perceptions of the stepfather role and their perceived adjustment in several individual, stepfather, marital, and family domains. Positive stepfather outcomes were related to (a) stepfathers' perceptions that they frequently engage in parenting behaviors and that they should engage in these behaviors; (b) small discrepancies between perceived role behavior and standards of how one should behave as a stepfather, particularly with respect to the warmth dimension of parenting; and (c) role clarity. Implications for theory modification and future research are discussed.
Algorithm 640: Efficient calculation of frequency response matrices from state space models

On decrit des sous-programmes efficaces pour calculer les matrices de reponse en frequence liees aux modeles d'espace d'etat dans la theorie de la commande
Mentors, models and clients: using the professional engineering community to identify and teach engineering genres

The Writing Program faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), developed a unique three-quarter writing sequence for College of Engineering freshmen. These students write a variety of engineering documents: design proposals, project management plans, status reports, instructions, poster papers, etc. The genres in the sequence, their identification, and their teaching result from outreach to the engineering community. Although this curriculum benefits from a three-quarter sequence, the methods used are applicable to shorter courses in academic and industry settings. This curriculum may be of interest to industry professionals who recruit or who wish to contribute to undergraduate engineering curriculum innovations.
Constructing Retrospective Gridded Daily Precipitation and Temperature Datasets for the Conterminous United States

Abstract This paper presents and evaluates a method for the construction of long-range and wide-area temporal spatial datasets of daily precipitation and temperature (maximum and minimum). This method combines the interpolation of daily ratios/fractions derived from ground-based meteorological station records and respective fields of monthly estimates. Data sources for the described implementation over the conterminous United States (CONUS) are two independent and quality-controlled inputs: 1) an enhanced compilation of daily observations derived from the National Climatic Data Center digital archives and 2) the Parameter–Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) maps. The results of this study show that this nonconventional interpolation preserves the spatial and temporal distribution of both the PRISM maps (monthly, topography-sensitive patterns) and the original daily observations. Statistics of a preliminary point comparison with the observed values at high-quality and independent refe...
Anastomotic Leak and the Loop Ileostomy: Friend or Foe?

Anastomotic disruption is an uncommon but morbid complication of colon and rectal surgery. This study was designed to evaluate the use of proximal diversion and surgical drainage as an alternative to anastomotic resection in the operative management of patients with anastomotic complications. A retrospective chart review was undertaken of all patients on the colon and rectal surgery service at an academic medical center requiring operative intervention for an anastomotic complication between 1998 and 2005. Demographic data, operative management, morbidity, and mortality were collected and analyzed for each patient. Twenty-seven patients with anastomotic leaks were included in the study. Nineteen patients were managed with proximal diversion and surgical drainage, six patients had resection of their anastomosis and creation of an end colostomy, and two patients were treated by primary reanastomosis. There was 0 percent mortality. Sixty-three percent of the patients treated with proximal diversion had restoration of intestinal continuity vs. 33 percent of the patients who had the anastomosis resected. Of the 13 patients treated with proximal diversion who underwent fluoroscopic evaluation, 92 percent were normal without evidence of persistent leak or stricture. Based on this retrospective study, proximal diversion without resection of the anastomosis seems to be a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of anastomotic complications. Sepsis is well controlled with limited mortality and there is a high rate of anastomotic salvage. Prospective studies are needed to further delineate the optimal management for this complicated patient population.
The use of skin sparing mastectomy in the treatment of breast cancer: The Emory experience.

Abstract Introduction: Long-term follow-up of the use of skin sparing mastectomy (SSM) in the treatment of breast cancer is presented to determine the impact of local recurrence (LR) on survival. Methods: 565 cases of breast cancer were treated by SSM and IBR from 1/1/1989–12/31/1998. The AJCC pathological staging was Stage 0 175 (31%), Stage I 135 (23.9%), Stage II 173 (30.6%), Stage III 54 (9.6%), Stage IV 8 (1.4%), recurrent 20 (3.5%). Forty-one patients received postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy. Results: Thirty-one patients developed a LR during the follow-up including five who received adjuvant radiation. The distribution of LR stratified by cancer stage was Stage 0 1 (3.2%), Stage I 5 (16.1%), Stage II 17 (54.8%), Stage III 6 (19.4%), and recurrent 2 (6.5%). The overall LR was 5.5%. Isolated LRs were treated with surgical resection and radiation therapy if not previously administered. Twenty-four patients (77.4%) developed a systemic relapse and 7 (22.6%) patients remained free of recurrent disease at a mean follow-up of 78.1 months. The cancer stage of those remaining disease free was Stage 0 1, Stage I 4, and Stage II 2. Conclusions: LR of breast cancer after SSM is not always associated with systemic relapse.
Evolutionary Planner/Navigator: operator performance and self-tuning

Based on evolutionary computation concepts, the Evolutionary Planner/Navigator (EP/N) represents a new approach to path planning and navigation. Since its first version, the development of the EP/N system has been an ever living "evolution" process itself: much new development and further research has been carried out to fulfil the EP/N promise of being able to (1) accommodate different optimization criteria; (2) achieve both near-optimality of paths and high planning efficiency, (3) be flexible to changes, and (4) be robust to uncertainties. A more important promise of the EP/N is its ability for performance self-tuning to adapt to different task environments, mostly through the adaptiveness of its genetic operations. The paper introduces a methodology to measure the overall performance of the EP/N operators and demonstrates how such a measure, called "performance index" for each operator, can be used to make the EP/N adaptive.
A microfluidic-based hydrodynamic trap: design and implementation

We report an integrated microfluidic device for fine-scale manipulation and confinement of micro- and nanoscale particles in free-solution. Using this device, single particles are trapped in a stagnation point flow at the junction of two intersecting microchannels. The hydrodynamic trap is based on active flow control at a fluid stagnation point using an integrated on-chip valve in a monolithic PDMS-based microfluidic device. In this work, we characterize device design parameters enabling precise control of stagnation point position for efficient trap performance. The microfluidic-based hydrodynamic trap facilitates particle trapping using the sole action of fluid flow and provides a viable alternative to existing confinement and manipulation techniques based on electric, optical, magnetic or acoustic force fields. Overall, the hydrodynamic trap enables non-contact confinement of fluorescent and non-fluorescent particles for extended times and provides a new platform for fundamental studies in biology, biotechnology and materials science.
An Advanced Shell Theory Based Tire Model

Abstract The objective of this paper is to investigate a class of general tire models that provides results suitable for usage in vehicle dynamics. Tire models currently used for vehicle dynamic analyses are overly simplistic (springs, a spring and damper combination or semi‐elastic substance) or based on curve fits of experimental data. In contrast, the tire models used by major tire companies are extremely complex with solutions possible only by finite element analysis. Between these two extremes exists the potential for an elasticity based shell theory tire model. Micro‐mechanics and composite laminate theories provide an integrated approach to the macroscopic behavior of the tire carcass and the tread support plies. This methodology has the capability of including centrifugal and friction forces. Finite difference methods are applied that produce reliable and accurate solutions of the tire response.
A Local Resource for Advising Applicants to Clinical Psychology Graduate Programs

Undergraduates planning to apply to graduate school in clinical psychology have few resources for identifying suitable programs. Published sources are limited and uneven in their coverage of topics that may be important to applicants. Visits and interviews can be helpful but expensive and difficult to arrange. This article describes a procedure for polling departmental graduate students and faculty who have personal knowledge of programs. This procedure does not obviate the need for other sources of information, but it makes informal information more readily available. As an additional benefit, the survey involves the support of faculty and graduate students for undergraduates.
Immunoabsorption in an Extracorporeal Plasma Perfusion System: In Vitro Studies

A rechargeable plasma perfusion system developed to remove IgG immunoglobulins is described. Partially purified protein A was covalently bonded on two separate carriers, Sepharose 6MB and carboxyl acrylic beads. Plasma from a patient with IgG multiple myeloma was perfused through the Sepharose-protein A column, and this resulted in a maximum removal of 177% of the estimated removal capacity of the column. Plasma from the same source was perfused through the acrylic bead-protein A column and yielded an average of 220% of the estimated removal capacity of the column. In addition, plasma from a normal subject and from six patients with various autoimmune diseases was perfused through the Sepharose-protein A column, and varying percent removal was obtained. A detailed procedure for covalent coupling of purified protein A to carboxylated acrylic beads is also given.
Students’ Motivations for Considering a Career in Music Performance

The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons why undergraduate music majors pursue a career in music performance. The authors surveyed music majors at seven institutions and asked them abou...
Physiology and biology of neuromuscular transmission in health and disease

The introduction of powerful and contemporary research techniques has allowed for an increasingly detailed understanding of neuromuscular transmission. The classic model of nerve signaling to muscle using acetylcholine has been well described. Newer discovery points toward a more complex signaling system with adaptive receptor physiology and a multifaceted action response scheme for muscle relaxants. Although adding complexity, these newer discoveries help align experimentally derived knowledge with clinical observations. In this review, new concepts relative to neuromuscular transmission in health and disease are discussed, including a detailed discussion of acetylcholine and acetylcholine receptor physiology. Recent elucidations of the pathophysiologic responses to neuromuscular injury and its clinical implications are also detailed.
Sound analysis using MPEG compressed audio

There is a huge amount of audio data available that is compressed using the MPEG audio compression standard. Sound analysis is based on the computation of short time feature vectors that describe the instantaneous spectral content of the sound. An interesting possibility is the calculation of features directly from compressed data. Since the bulk of the feature calculation is performed during the encoding stage this process has a significant performance advantage if the available data is compressed. Combining decoding and analysis in one stage is also very important for audio streaming applications. In this paper, we describe the calculation of features directly from MPEG audio compressed data. Two of the basic processes of analyzing sound are: segmentation and classification. To illustrate the effectiveness of the calculated features we have implemented two case studies: a general audio segmentation algorithm and a music/speech classifier. Experimental data is provided to show that the results obtained are comparable with sound analysis algorithms working directly with audio samples.
Farm Land Reform is Necessary and Emergent in China

This thesis analyzes theoretically and practically the farm land reform and tendency of in China. It first reviews the current hot spots and situation in China, as well as its recent changes, demonstrates the emergent needs for China to reform its farm land regulation to accordance with its long term economic and social transition. It also explains that, from different perspectives, the balancing conflicts emerged between different value choices during this process and gives advices to provide possible solution as a core: Reform of the Land Transfer System.
Application of Pectic Enzymes to Maceration of Plant Tissues for Microscopic Study

A new method of maceration of relatively soft plant parts, such as petioles, fruits, and fruit skins, which depends upon the treatment of the material with pectic enzyme solutions is described. The commerical preparation Pectinol W, (manufactured by Rohm and Haas Co., Washington Square, Philadelphia S, Pa.) as well as pectic enzymes secreted by growing Aspergillus species upon pectin-containing media were effective in macerating a variety of plant materials.
The Impact of Auditory and Visual Experience with Wind Turbines on Support for Wind Production and Proximity-Based Opposition

ABSTRACTCommunity acceptance is a key factor contributing to the outcome of wind power deployment efforts. This study considers the views of an experientially informed subset of the public: individuals living in select Washington and California counties that have active wind farms. We divide respondents into two groups based on a qualitative measure of their proximity—those who can see or hear turbines from their homes and those who cannot—and empirically examine the effect that exposure has on the support expressed for wind farms at different proposed locations. We find that negative perceptions of aesthetics and fear of property value reductions are major determinants of opposition. However, all else equal, those currently living near turbines are more sympathetic toward them, feeling that turbines are more attractive and less disturbing than those who live farther away. We propose four possible explanations for this phenomenon: familiarity, rationalization, desensitization, and economics.
Sensitivity of laser speckle contrast imaging to flow perturbations in the cortex

Laser speckle contrast imaging has become a ubiquitous tool for imaging blood flow in a variety of tissues. However, due to its widefield imaging nature, the measured speckle contrast is a depth integrated quantity and interpretation of baseline values and the depth dependent sensitivity of those values to changes in underlying flow has not been thoroughly evaluated. Using dynamic light scattering Monte Carlo simulations, the sensitivity of the autocorrelation function and speckle contrast to flow changes in the cerebral cortex was extensively examined. These simulations demonstrate that the sensitivity of the inverse autocorrelation time, [Formula: see text], varies across the field of view: directly over surface vessels [Formula: see text] is strongly localized to the single vessel, while parenchymal ROIs have a larger sensitivity to flow changes at depths up to 500 μm into the tissue and up to 200 μm lateral to the ROI. It is also shown that utilizing the commonly used models the relate [Formula: see text] to flow resulted in nearly the same sensitivity to the underlying flow, but fail to accurately relate speckle contrast values to absolute [Formula: see text].
Health Benefits of Traditional Culinary and Medicinal Mediterranean Plants.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the health benefits of traditional culinary and medicinal plants of the Mediterranean region. The Mediterranean diet is mentioned to be rich in fruits and vegetables, monounsaturated fatty acids and olive oil and the diet has a negative association with incidence of metabolic syndrome that contributes to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Mediterranean plants are believed to prevent or cure a wide range of ailments based on their bioactive components that can exert anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic or anti-diabetic activities. A table is presented that gives a list of Mediterranean plants and their health benefits as well as brief accounts of the medicinal use of the plants and includes rosemary, licorice, chamomile and olive oil among others. The consumption of olive oil has a strong correlation with reduced hypertension, cancers of the prostate, breast and colon. It highlights the mechanism of action of the bioactive components and the molecular targets derived from these plants.
TripleFCA: FCA-Based Approach to Enhance Semantic Web Data Management

There has been a recent explosion in data as the number of RDF triples increases. With this increase, RDF datasets and their graph relationships become more complex. Accordingly, there is a need to store and handle these huge volumes of triples with highly desired scalability. Therefore, we attempt in this paper to bridge the gaps of the current RDF storage methods in RDBMS by combing the strengths and most sophisticated database physical models with the inferencing techniques that ontology and Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) support. We, thus, aim at analyzing and narrowing the gap between a state-of-the-art method by developing an RDF storage model based on ontologies with the help of FCA clustering solutions for speed and high scalability. Hence, we have proposed a new framework, TripleFCA, to maximize the information retrieval benefits and improve the query response time of RDF triple storages. Our evaluation shows that TripleFCA decreases major bottlenecks of property-table, one of the state-of-the-art RDF storage methods into RDBMS, and yields a much better performance thanks to the benefits of combining ontology and FCA over RDF storage. Our results also demonstrate the weaknesses of property-table and how they can be mitigated.
Using microporous polytetrafluoroethylene thin sheets as a flexible solar diffuser to minimize sunlight glint to cameras in space

An innovative design of using microporous PTFE thin sheets as a solar diffuser for MLI blankets or mechanical structure has been developed. It minimizes sunlight or stray-light glint to cameras when it is incident on these components in space. A microporous black PTFE thin sheet solar diffuser has been qualified for flight at NASA GSFC and installed to the TAGSAM arm MLI, OCAMS PolyCam sunshade MLI and SamCam motor riser MLI in the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission to meet the SamCam camera BRDF requirement.
Hypothyroidism and Chromosome 21 Deletion

A 12-year-old mentally retarded girl with a large deletion of the long arm of chromosome 21 and congenital hypothyroidism is reported from the Department of Clinical Genetics and Pediatrics, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
The Strange History of the American Quadroon: Free Women of Color in the Revolutionary Atlantic World. By Emily Clark. (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2013. Pp. 279. $35.00.)

In an effort to demystify the “strange world” of the American “quadroon,” mixed‐race women of color thought to be one‐quarter African, the author disentangles these women from their symbolic functi...
Stem Cell Considerations for the Clinician

"Although there is ample evidence that beneficial results can be obtained from the use of mesenchymal stem cells, several questions regarding their use remain to be answered. For many of these questions, preclinical models will be helpful, but the task of evaluating and implementing these findings for orthopaedic patients falls onto the shoulders of clinical researchers. Evaluation of these questions is a daunting, but such a challenge fits the concept of personalized medicine in today's medicine."
String analysis for side channels with segmented oracles

We present an automated approach for detecting and quantifying side channels in Java programs, which uses symbolic execution, string analysis and model counting to compute information leakage for a single run of a program. We further extend this approach to compute information leakage for multiple runs for a type of side channels called segmented oracles, where the attacker is able to explore each segment of a secret (for example each character of a password) independently. We present an efficient technique for segmented oracles that computes information leakage for multiple runs using only the path constraints generated from a single run symbolic execution. Our implementation uses the symbolic execution tool Symbolic PathFinder (SPF), SMT solver Z3, and two model counting constraint solvers LattE and ABC. Although LattE has been used before for analyzing numeric constraints, in this paper, we present an approach for using LattE for analyzing string constraints. We also extend the string constraint solver ABC for analysis of both numeric and string constraints, and we integrate ABC in SPF, enabling quantitative symbolic string analysis.
Observation of shallow anisotropy on local earthquake records at the Garner Valley, Southern California, downhole array

Abstract We study very shallow ( S -wave anisotropy effects on local earthquake seismograms recorded by a vertical array of accelerometers at Garner Valley (Southern California). Using seismic events recorded by sensors buried at depth in the crystalline bedrock (220 m), in weathered crystalline rocks (22 m), and in sediments (15, 6, and 0 m), we analyze the S -wave vertical travel times and polarizations at different depths. Hodograms plotted for horizontal components at S onset exhibit a clear linear and constant polarization independent of both earthquake location and mechanism. This alignment varies with depth and is N 325° ± 13° at 220 m while N 25° ± 20° at 22, 15, 6, and 0 m. (a) For the deep propagation (>220 m), the S -wave direction of polarization at 220 m is identical to the observation obtained on a crystalline outcrop at the KNW USGS stations, 7 km away. Studies conducted on this site concluded to a rock fabric anisotropy due to the alignment of minerals and/or microcracks along the lineation direction. (b) For the shallow ( S fast - S slow travel-time delays roughly correspond to half the dominant period of the signal, and the subsurface linear polarization is interpreted as a degenerated ellipse. The north ± 20° anisotropy fast axis coincides with the maximum horizontal compressive stress associated with the San Andreas fault system. The shallow anisotropy extension corresponds to slow velocities associated with altered granite. It suggests either a stress-induced anisotropy due to pore/crack deformation in an altered (e.g., hydrothermally) medium, or the superposition of two crystalline units having different lineation directions. These data show that in presence of slow 0- to 200-m subsurface layers, shallow anisotropy strongly affects the earthquake surface records in the usual frequency range, below 30 Hz, used in short-period seismology.
Stochastic Approximation Procedures

The optimization of stochastic systems involves solutions of random equations. Maxima and minima of random functions are also needed in many applications. In numerical optimization procedures, extensive use of recursive and iterative procedures is made. The convergence properties provide the inherent quality and usefulness of the procedure. When numerical solutions of random equations are obtained, it is the stochastic convergence of the procedure that becomes important. For example, the Newton–Raphson procedure provides in the deterministic case an iterative scheme for finding roots of an equation in terms of a recursive relation. The real impetus to the topic of stochastic approximation was given by Robbins and Monro (1951), who provided a recursive procedure for finding the root of a random equation and showed that their procedure converges in probability to the true root of the equation. Large numbers of researchers contributed to the further development of stochastic approximation. These procedures have been applied to various situations such as time series prediction, process control, and statistical bioassay.
An Ambition to Give: Gertrude Cox’s Institution Building at Home and Abroad

Gertrude Cox (1900–1978), first chair of North Carolina State University’s Department of Experimental Statistics, worked as a consultant for the Ford Foundation to Cairo University’s Institute of Statistical Studies and Researches in 1964. This chapter will analyze the developments that led her there as well as her contribution to that project in order to uncover some unexplored ground in the history of women in American science and in the history of statistics. It will document Cox’s commitment to serving her professional community and highlight some qualities of Cox’s approach to her work that enabled her to accomplish what other colleagues tried unsuccessfully to do.
Percolator: Scalable Pattern Discovery in Dynamic Graphs

We demonstrate \perco, a distributed system for graph pattern discovery in dynamic graphs. In contrast to conventional mining systems, Percolator advocates efficient pattern mining schemes that (1) support pattern detection with keywords; (2) integrate incremental and parallel pattern mining; and (3) support analytical queries such as trend analysis. The core idea of \perco is to dynamically decide and verify a small fraction of patterns and their instances that must be inspected in response to buffered updates in dynamic graphs, with a total mining cost independent of graph size. We demonstrate a( the feasibility of incremental pattern mining by walking through each component of \perco, b) the efficiency and scalability of \perco over the sheer size of real-world dynamic graphs, and c) how the user-friendly \gui of \perco interacts with users to support keyword-based queries that detect, browse and inspect trending patterns. We demonstrate how \perco effectively supports event and trend analysis in social media streams and research publication, respectively.
A Galois Connection in the Social Network

SummaryThis article shows that if “knowing” is a symmetric relation, then the set of people who know all of the people who know all of the people who know everyone in S coincides with the set of people who know everyone in S. In symbols this becomes K(K(K(S))) = K(S). This fact fits into the broader context of Galois connections between partially ordered sets.
Minimizing prostate cancer admissions via enhanced outpatient care: A model for savings.

46Background: Hospitalization is a major contributor to cost in oncology. Minimizing avoidable admissions can lead to substantial savings. Methods: We studied Medicare claims data from 160 admissions for prostate cancer (PCa) patients from 1/2012 to 5/2015. Admissions with the lowest 50th percentile of charges were assessed for being potentially avoidable by 2 independent chart reviews; remaining admissions were assumed to be unavoidable due to medical complexity. Common admitting diagnoses were targeted by theoretical care pathways designed to minimize avoidable admissions via expedited outpatient follow-up. We compared the cost of the avoidable admissions to that of implementing 3 such pathways then estimated the financial impact. Results: Total cost for all 160 admissions was $1,979,200. 25% of these admissions, accounting for $494,800, were deemed potentially avoidable. Our model exchanged each of these admissions for a routine clinic visit which led to an estimated $464,800 in savings, or a 23% impro...
‘Stabilising the Balkans’: A Review of Welcome to the Desert of Post-Socialism: Radical Politics After Yugoslavia, edited by Srećko Horvat and Igor Štiks

This review essay discusses Welcome to the Desert of Post-Socialism: Radical Politics After Yugoslavia . This volume, edited by Srecko Horvat and Igor Stiks, critiques a reductive neoliberal narrative regarding the Balkans in relation to Western Europe by examining the disastrous consequences of the transition of post-socialist countries to capitalism. The volume provides a critical engagement with socialist Yugoslavia and an affirmation of the possibilities of radical anti-capitalist struggles. This review examines the critique of transition politics by focusing on concepts of stability, racism and questions of temporality.
Gender differences in Five Factor Model personality traits in an elderly cohort

In college and adult samples, women score higher then men on the Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits of Neuroticism and Agreeableness. The present study assessed the extent to which these gender differences held in a sample of 486 older adults, ranging in age from 65 to 98 (M = 75, SD = 6.5), using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory. Mean and Covariance Structure models testing gender differences at the level of latent traits revealed higher levels of Neuroticism (d = .52) and Agreeableness (d = .35) in older women than older men. The consistency of these findings with prior work in younger samples attests to the stability of gender differentiation on Neuroticism and Agreeableness across the lifespan. Gender differences on these traits should be considered in personality research among older, as well as middle age and younger adults.
A Blueprint for Engineering Education in the 21 st Century

It is an established fact that the overall welfare of any society directly depends upon the level of contribution and productivity of each of its members. In modern times, however, it has also beco.me clear that the engineering know-how of a society further amplifies the productivity of its other members trough innovation and technology. Therefore, contributions of engineers are, the backbone of an economy in today’s complex world. However, in a closed loop system in which technological advancements trigger complexities of life in social patterns which, in turn, requires technological tools to cope with them, we find that a graduate engineer’s period of active participation in the professional life keeps shrinking. There are a few in the profession who, by genius and innovation, keep advancing the frontiers of technology while the majority left behind, find it difficult to cope with. At the same time over the last couple of decades, we have witnessed that technological revolutions in information processing, computing, communications and AI [Artificial Intelligence] have turned geo-political boundaries in to lines in the sand. As educators, the challenges we face now are not only the initial education at the Bachelor’s degree level, in a given geopolitical confine, but also to design an education system for life-long productivity of engineers within a global framework. Since engineering is application of scientific knowledge to solve societies’ real-life problems, hands-on education and training is essential in this profession. Though in this respect it parallels the medical and legal profession, the education system of engineers does not come close to the education system of doctors and lawyers. This paper, using a systems approach, presents life-long engineering education as a multi-loop control system with the student engineer as the "plant" and the four institutions as the controllers and feedback elements, as portrayed in the block diagram [Fig. 3]. These four institutions being: The Government, The Professional Society, The University and, The Industry. After introduction, a set of roles and responsibilities of these institutions are developed based on this model. A scenario, seven years from now, of engineering education system based on this approach is described.
ALERT: Adding a Secure Layer in Decision Support for Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)

With the ever-increasing popularity of LiDAR (Light Image Detection and Ranging) sensors, a wide range of applications such as vehicle automation and robot navigation are developed utilizing the 3D LiDAR data. Many of these applications involve remote guidance - either for safety or for the task performance - of these vehicles and robots. Research studies have exposed vulnerabilities of using LiDAR data by considering different security attack scenarios. Considering the security risks associated with the improper behavior of these applications, it has become crucial to authenticate the 3D LiDAR data that highly influence the decision making in such applications. In this paper, we propose a framework, ALERT (Authentication, Localization, and Estimation of Risks and Threats), as a secure layer in the decision support system used in the navigation control of vehicles and robots. To start with, ALERT tamper-proofs 3D LiDAR data by employing an innovative mechanism for creating and extracting a dynamic watermark. Next, when tampering is detected (because of the inability to verify the dynamic watermark), ALERT then carries out cross-modal authentication for localizing the tampered region. Finally, ALERT estimates the level of risk and threat based on the temporal and spatial nature of the attacks on LiDAR data. This estimation of risk and threats can then be incorporated into the decision support system used by ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System). We carried out several experiments to evaluate the efficacy of the proposed ALERT for ADAS and the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
RORγ regulates the NLRP3 inflammasome

RAR-related orphan receptor γ (RORγ) is a nuclear receptor that plays an essential role in the development of T helper 17 (Th17) cells of the adaptive immune system. The NLRP3 inflammasome is a component of the innate immune system that processes interleukin (IL)-1β into a mature cytokine. Elevated activity of the NLRP3 inflammasome contributes to the progression of an array of inflammatory diseases. Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) isolated from RORγ-null mice displayed reduced capacity to secrete IL-1β, and they also displayed a reduction in Nlrp3 and Il1b gene expression. Examination of the promoters of the Il1b and Nlrp3 genes revealed multiple putative ROR response elements (ROREs) that were occupied by RORγ. RORγ inverse agonists were effective inhibitors of the inflammasome. RORγ inverse agonists suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/ATP-stimulated IL-1β secretion and expression of Il1b and Nlrp3 in BMDMs. Additionally, the ability of the RORγ inverse agonists to suppress IL-1β secretion was lost in Nlrp3-null macrophages. The potential for targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome in vivo using RORγ inverse agonists was examined in two models: LPS-induced sepsis and fulminant hepatitis. Pharmacological inhibition of RORγ activity reduced plasma IL-1β as well as IL-1β production by peritoneal macrophages in a model of LPS-induced sepsis. Additionally, RORγ inverse agonists reduced mortality in an LPS/d-galactosamine-induced fulminant hepatitis mouse model. These results illustrate a major role for RORγ in regulation of innate immunity via modulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activity. Furthermore, these data suggest that inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome with RORγ inverse agonists may be an effective method to treat NLRP3-associated diseases.
Legal Pluralism, Customary Law and Women’s Rights

This article examines the challenges legal pluralism poses in legal systems, especially in relation to conflicts between customary norms and the Bill of Rights and the need to contextualise customary law in order to resolve the need to adapt it to changing societal needs and values. The article focuses on African customary law, African legal systems and womenâ€™s rights because it is a burning issue in Africa and was the subject-matter in several of the cases that came before the South African Constitutional Court during the time Justice Ngcobo was on the Court. Cases involving conflicts between customary law and gender rights are not unique to South Africa. These are issues that have engaged African courts and those elsewhere in the world. In Africa, the coexistence of customary law and received law is as old as colonial rule. Like all other systems of law, customary law has been influenced by various other forces in an ever-changing world. The article focuses on customary law and womenâ€™s rights. Justice Ngcoboâ€™s approach to resolving conflicts between customary law and the Bill of Rights in constitutions is instructive and makes a significant contribution to the jurisprudence in this area of the law. In his opinions on customary law, especially in the Bhe case, he implores us to look at the social context in which customary rules originated and, before discarding them, to examine the possibility of developing them to meet the changing needs and circumstances of society.
Altered Intracellular Calcium Homeostasis and Arrhythmogenesis in the Aged Heart

Aging of the heart is associated with a blunted response to sympathetic stimulation, reduced contractility, and increased propensity for arrhythmias, with the risk of sudden cardiac death significantly increased in the elderly population. The altered cardiac structural and functional phenotype, as well as age-associated prevalent comorbidities including hypertension and atherosclerosis, predispose the heart to atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. At the cellular level, perturbations in mitochondrial function, excitation-contraction coupling, and calcium homeostasis contribute to this electrical and contractile dysfunction. Major determinants of cardiac contractility are the intracellular release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum by the ryanodine receptors (RyR2), and the following sequestration of Ca2+ by the sarco/endoplasmic Ca2+-ATPase (SERCa2a). Activity of RyR2 and SERCa2a in myocytes is not only dependent on expression levels and interacting accessory proteins, but on fine-tuned regulation via post-translational modifications. In this paper, we review how aberrant changes in intracellular Ca2+ cycling via these proteins contributes to arrhythmogenesis in the aged heart.
Ground Testing of 2μm Triple-Pulse IPDA Lidar for Carbon Dioxide and Water Vapor Measuremets

A triple-pulse, 2-μm, Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) lidar was developed at NASA Langley Research Center. This active remote sensing instrument provides a technique for measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide and water vapor simultaneously and independently. A 2-μm high-energy pulsed laser is incorporated for the IPDA transmitter, which provides high signal-to-noise ratio measurements using a commercial direct detection system. This results in a high-precision measurement capability for the low troposphere weighted-average column dry-air volume mixing ratio of the gases. Recent IPDA ground testing indicated carbon dioxide and water vapor measurements sensitivities of 8% and 14%, respectively and biases of 0.1%. However, using the R30 centerline position for the on-line enhances the CO 2 measurement sensitivity to 0.6%.
Electronic medical documentation: Attitudes and trends among PAs in outpatient settings.

OBJECTIVE To quantify PA attitudes about electronic-assisted documentation in the outpatient setting. METHOD Survey data were collected from PAs to determine the documentation method used to record outpatient encounters. For clinicians using electronic-assisted documentation, information on the documentation style (including format of documentation, accuracy of generated encounters, and overall readability of encounters) was quantitatively measured. RESULTS 129 PAs completed the survey and met the inclusion criteria of documenting outpatient encounters using an electronically assisted format. A statistically significant shift (P < .001) in documentation style from free-text formatted entries to structured data entry was seen as the volume of daily patient encounters increased. A statistically significant (P < .001) decrease in both accuracy and readability was noted with encounters using a structured data entry format. CONCLUSION In outpatient settings, a volume-dependent shift to structured data element documentation despite self-assessed deficiencies in both accuracy and readability was noted. This shift has the potential to negatively affect the integrity of medical documentation and raises patient safety concerns.
Caste, Race, and Abjection: An Essay on Sub-humanity:

This article discusses continuities between the discourse of caste in ancient India, the racialization constitutive of the Enlightenment, and a similarly exclusionary, overdetermined conception of ...