cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Attitudes of Young Adults to Prenatal Screening and Genetic Correction for Human Attributes and Psychiatric Conditions

With recent advances in DNA technology, questions have arisen as to how this technology should be appropriately used. In this article, results obtained from a survey designed to elicit attitudes of college students to prenatal testing and gene therapy for human attributes and psychiatric conditions are reported. The eleven hypothetical disease phenotypes included schizophrenia, alcoholism, tendency toward violent behavior, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression requiring medical treatment, obesity, involvement in "dangerous" sports activities, homosexuality, borderline normal IQ (80-100), proportional short stature, and inability to detect perfect pitch. Most students supported prenatal genetic testing for psychiatric disorders and behavior that might result in harm to others (i.e., tendency towards violent behavior) and found prenatal genetic testing for human attributes less desirable. However, the lack of unilateral agreement or disagreement toward any one condition or attribute suggests the potential difficulties ahead in the quest for guidelines for the application of new technologies available to manipulate the human genome.
Movement and Habitat Use of Yearling and Juvenile Lake Sturgeon in Black Lake, Michigan

Abstract Information about the distribution, movement, and home ranges of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens was incomplete in the Great Lakes region; therefore, the objective for this study was to determine habitat selection and the extent of movement by two life stages of lake sturgeon in Black Lake, Michigan. Ultrasonic transmitters were surgically implanted into yearling (age-1) and juvenile (age-5–13) lake sturgeon. The yearling lake sturgeon implanted with transmitters averaged 36.04 cm total length (TL) and 207.2 g, while the juvenile lake sturgeon tracked during this survey averaged 97.23 cm TL. Previous studies of movements and habitat use by lake sturgeon have noted distinct areas of use by groups of adult lake sturgeon in riverine environments. In contrast to these findings, yearling and juvenile lake sturgeon in the present study used individual areas of activity. Comparisons between our study and studies conducted in lotic environments suggest that core areas of activity for groups of lake st...
An analysis of virtual circuits with parallel links

Computer networks supporting virtual circuits deliver packets at the destination in the same sequence as they are received at the source. But packets may arrive at the destination out of sequence if the source is connected to the destination by multiple links. Consequently, in addition to queueing delay and service time (transmission delay) the packets suffer a resequencing delay. The sum of the queueing delay, service time, and resequencing delay is called the total delay. Assuming a Poisson stream of packets, a two-stage hyperexponential service time distribution and m equal capacity links connecting the source to the destination, the distribution and expected value of resequencing delay are derived here. With numerical examples it is shown that the mean total delay decreases very rapidly with the number of links m. The mean queueing delay increases rapidly with the mean service time, and the mean resequencing delay increases slowly with the mean service time. >
Formation mechanisms of polar and non-polar amorphous oxide-semiconductor interfaces

Abstract The formation mechanisms of polar and nonpolar interfaces were investigated by density-functional theory molecular dynamics simulations of the atomic structure of the a-Al 2 O 3 /Ge(1 0 0)(2 × 1) and a-ZrO 2 /Ge(1 0 0)(2 × 1) interfaces. The a-Al 2 O 3 /Ge interface demonstrates strong chemical selectivity resulting in interface bonding exclusively through Al–O–Ge bonds. The a-ZrO 2 /Ge interface has both Zr–O–Ge and O–Zr–Ge bonds. The a-ZrO 2 /Ge junction creates a much less polar interface with lower deformation and intermixing than a-Al 2 O 3 /Ge consistent with experimental measurements. In both cases, the interface polarity is determined by the stoichiometry of the interface bonding as opposed to charged defect formation.
A standard for software documentation

While there is no universally recognized standard for software documentation, there is a standard for documenting engineering and scientific software. Developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Nuclear Society (ANS) in 1995, it is called the ANSI/ANS 10.3-1995 Standard for Documentation of Computer Software. The standard provides a flexible, robust framework for documentation needs. One of its goals is to encourage better communication between developer and user and to facilitate effective selection, usage, transfer, conversion and modification of computer software. The standard is not a rigid set of specifications but a guide that can apply to most software projects intended for internal or external use. While the standard cannot cover all documentation problems, it is a good starting point, even for the most complex software. Similarly, while the standard provides recommendations for documenting scientific and engineering software, it doesn't offer guidance for online monitoring, control or safety systems, and doesn't specifically address the unique requirements of consumer-oriented software. As a general guideline for clear, well-organized documentation, however, the ANSI/ANS 10.3-1995 standard can serve as a place for developers to begin a documentation methodology. The standard is fairly comprehensive, and it allows for individual developer differences and unique software documentation problems.
X-ray binary formation in low-metallicity blue compact dwarf galaxies

X-rays from binaries in small, metal-deficient galaxies may have contributed significantly to the heating and reionization of the early universe. We investigate this claim by studying blue compact dwarfs (BCDs) as local analogues to these early galaxies. We constrain the relation of the X-ray luminosity function (XLF) to the star-formation rate (SFR) using a Bayesian approach applied to a sample of 25 BCDs. The functional form of the XLF is fixed to that found for near-solar metallicity galaxies and is used to find the probability distribution of the normalisation that relates X-ray luminosity to SFR. Our results suggest that the XLF normalisation for low metallicity BCDs (12+log(O/H) < 7.7) is not consistent with the XLF normalisation for galaxies with near solar metallicities, at a confidence level of 1-5E-6. The XLF normalisation for the BCDs is found to be 14.5 +/- 4.8 (M_solar^-1 yr), a factor of 9.7 +/- 3.2 higher than for near solar metallicity galaxies. Simultaneous determination of the XLF normalisation and power law index result in estimates of q = 21.2^+12.2_-8.8) (M_solar^-1 yr) and alpha = 1.89^{+0.41}_{-0.30}, respectively. Our results suggest a significant enhancement in the population of high-mass X-ray binaries in BCDs compared to the near-solar metallicity galaxies. This suggests that X-ray binaries could have been a significant source of heating in the early universe.
Presentation of the Pojeta Award of the Paleontological Society to John and Mary Lou Pojeta

I am tempted to ask for a show of hands (but I won't) from those of you whose first memories of a GSA meeting involve seeing John and Mary Lou sitting at a table in front of the doorway to the Paleo Society Short Course. Their presence confirmed without a doubt that you had arrived in the right place in the vast network of monotonous convention center hallways and seemingly identical room numbers. Among my earliest memories of coming to these huge meetings as a graduate student was immense relief at seeing the Pojetas either at the Short Course or the Paleontological Society exhibits booth, which they have both “manned” single-handedly, times two, for many years. They would greet everyone warmly with a smile and a little joke or a useful piece of late-breaking information about the meeting, while very cleverly trying to get each and every person to buy a Short Course volume, or two or three, convincing them that the extra pounds in their luggage on the trip back home would absolutely be worth it when they finally had a chance to sit down and read through the volume. But seriously, and most importantly, the Pojetas' special gift to the Society is their ability to make everyone feel welcome and part of the community of professional paleontologists. Their unwavering support of the society, and service to the society, is legendary, and greatly, greatly appreciated. The Pojeta Award was established this year, to recognize exceptional professional or public service by individuals or groups in the field of paleontology, for the benefit of the field of paleontology, above and beyond that …
Ordinary or Peculiar Men? Comparing the Customers of Prostitutes With a Nationally Representative Sample of Men:

Recent media attention implies that prostitution seeking is widespread, an “ordinary” aspect of masculine sexual behavior. Other accounts suggest that customers are “peculiar,” characterized by distinct qualities, perversions, or psychological impairments. Using the nationally representative General Social Survey (GSS), this study demonstrates that prostitution seeking is relatively uncommon. Only about 14% of men in the United States report having ever paid for sex, and only 1% report having done so during the previous year. Furthermore, this study dissects whether customers are ordinary or peculiar by comparing a new sample of active customers who solicit sex on the Internet with an older sample of arrested customers, a sample of customers from the GSS, and a nationally representative sample of noncustomers. The customers of Internet sexual service providers differed greatly from men in general and also from other customers. The remaining samples of customers differed slightly from noncustomers in gener...
The Doctoral Degree in Special Education: Contributions to Speech-Language Pathology

There are many pathways to the doctoral degree. In this article, I will address one perspective from my own experience seeking a PhD as a speech-language pathologist in the field of special educati...
Acute interactions between cytokines and alcohol on ACTH and corticosterone secretion in the rat.

Possible interactions between alcohol (EtOH) and interleukins (ILs) were studied in intact and adrenalectomized (ADX) rats. In intact animals, administration of 0.3 or 0.65 g EtOH/kg 30 min to 4 hr earlier did not cause measurable changes in plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels measured immediately before acute intravenous injection of IL-1β or endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS)], and did not interfere with the ability of either treatments to increase ACTH secretion. Administration of 1.5 g EtOH/kg, on the other hand, resulted in elevated plasma ACTH and corticosterone 30 min later, and significantly decreased the magnitude of the ACTH response to IL-1β in both intact and ADX rats. When administered 4 hr before the cytokine, however, 1.5 g EtOH/kg did not alter the responsiveness of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to IL-1/3. Studies of the reverse paradigm were conducted in rats injected with LPS, a means of increasing endogenous IL-1 levels. Intraperitoneal administration of alcohol 4 hr later resulted in measurably blunted ACTH release by intact rats, but not ADX animals. We conclude that when prior alcohol administration does not result in elevated ACTH levels at the time of IL-1 injection, no alteration in the HPA axis' response to the cytokine is observed. As we have shown in other experiments that circulating levels of corticosterone were temporarily increased by all doses of alcohol used in the present study, these results suggest that steroid feedback did not play a major role in modulating the ability of IL-1β to activate the HPA axis. In contrast, prior exposure to endotoxin 4 hr earlier blunted the subsequent effect of an acute injection of alcohol. This effect was probably mediated through corticosteroid feedback, because it was absent in ADX rats. Thus the order in which alcohol and cytokines are administered, and/or the time frame that separates the two treatments, appears to be important in determining whether these stimuli can influence each other's ability to activate the HPA axis.
Habitat segregation and interactive effects of multiple predators on a prey assemblage

1. In a field experiment we examined the interactive effects of two common predators of zooplankton, bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) and Chaoborus spp. on the growth rate and habitat use of three congeneric prey species (Daphnia). Bluegill and Chaoborus both consume Daphnia, but bluegill also prey on Chaoborus. The prey species, Daphnia pulicaria, D. rosea and D. retrocurva, differed in body size and vertical distribution. We expected the largest species, D. pulicaria, to be most vulnerable to fish predation and the smallest species, D. retrocurva, to be most vulnerable to Chaoborus predation. 2. As we expected, the population growth rate of D. pulicaria was significantly reduced by fish. However, Chaoborus also significantly reduced the growth rate of this species. No significant interaction effect was detected, indicating that the effect of these predators was additive. The growth rates of D. rosea and D. retrocurva were significantly reduced by Chaoborus, but a significant interaction effect indicated that the effect of Chaoborus was stronger in the absence of fish than when fish were present. Therefore the impact of Chaoborus and fish on D. rosea and D. retrocurva was non-additive. The interactive effect of the two predators on D. retrocurva was greater in magnitude than on D. rosea. 3. In the absence of predators, the three Daphnia species showed no differences in mean habitat depth between day and night. Both predators significantly affected diel habitat use of D. pulicaria and D. rosea. Fish caused both of these Daphnia species to move deeper during the day, whereas Chaoborus caused Daphnia to move into shallower water at night. Daphnia retrocurva tended to migrate upwards at night in all predator treatments, but no significant differences in migration were observed among the predator treatments. The effects of predators on habitat use were not interactive for any prey species. 4. Our results suggest that body size, habitat use and the diel migratory response to predators are important factors mediating the interactive effects of multiple predator types on zooplankton.
A hybrid MoM/FDTD approach for an efficient modelling of complex antennas on mobile platforms

The use of a hybrid method of moments (MoM)/finite difference time domain (FDTD) method can be effective for solutions of electromagnetic propagation problems, which are intractable for single numerical methods. This paper presents a rigorous, hybrid full-wave analysis of effects pertinent to vehicular multi-antenna system performance for wireless communication applications. For a fast solution of such complex electromagnetic problems essential for an efficient design and optimisation of high performance antennas under the influence of mobile platforms, MPI-based parallelization strategies are developed. Applications where the combined MoM/FDTD simulation of wire antennas mounted on a vehicle sheds light into the impact on the antenna performance are provided.
Rapid Disruption of an Astrocyte Interaction With the Extracellular Matrix Mediated by Integrin α6β4 During Focal Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion

Background and Purpose Integrins participate in cerebral microvascular integrity and signaling during focal ischemia/reperfusion. The integrin subunits α1, α6, and β1 are distributed identically on normal cerebral microvessels. Studies in epithelium indicate that integrin α6β4, which interacts with laminin-5 in the basal lamina/extracellular matrix, is unique. This study describes the exact location of α6, β4, and α6β4 and that their responses in focal cerebral ischemia are relevant to astrocyte-matrix interactions. Methods The effect of middle cerebral artery occlusion and subsequent reperfusion on the microvascular expression of α6β4 and laminin-5 in regions of cellular injury (dUTP incorporation) was examined in 15 nonhuman primates. Well-characterized antibodies against human α6, β4, α6β4, laminin-5 and laminin-1, endothelial CD31, and vascular markers were measured with computerized video imaging and laser confocal microscopy. Results Integrin α6β4 was localized on astrocytes where it connects with the extracellular matrix at the astrocyte-vessel interface. It represented 59.3±16.4% of α6 antigen in cerebral microvessels <100 μm in diameter. By 2 hours of ischemia, the significant reduction in α6 expression (2 P <.001) was accompanied by decreases in β4/laminin-5 (0.76±0.03 to 0.20±0.09; 2 P =.001) and α6β4/laminin-5 (0.73±0.18 to 0.25±0.11; 2 P =.001) in the region of dUTP incorporation. Parallel changes in laminin-5 and laminin-1 were less pronounced and coincided by 24 hours. Conclusions This is the first description of a potential role of integrin α6β4 in the brain, where it mediates astrocyte-matrix interactions. The dramatic disappearance of α6β4 relative to its ligands reflects early loss of integrity between the astrocyte and the vessel wall in selected microvessels in response to ischemia.
Shocks, Expectancy Revision, and the De-escalation of Protracted Conflicts: The Israeli-Palestinian Case*

This article introduces an evolutionary framework for the de-escalation of protracted conflicts. Key variables are political shocks, expectancy revision, policy entrepreneurship, third-party pressure, and reciprocity. The model is tested in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian case, 1979-98. A quantitative assessment is made with the use of Middle East KEDS data as well as a qualitative assessment of the intervening impact of shocks on the expectations and strategies of key decisionmakers. The results show that while shocks by themselves did not always change the expectations and strategies of the Palestinian and Israeli leaderships, their combined influence with entrepreneurship, third-party pressure, and reciprocity did indeed improve the frequency of Israeli and Palestinian agreements in the long term. In fact, the joint effect of shocks and entrepreneurship appears to play a crucial first step in the overall deescalation process. In addition, shocks had important intervening effects for both sides by reducing major institutional constraints that paved the way for an initial political settlement reached in the 1993 Oslo Accords. Finally, the results suggest that without political shocks, inertia overrides the inclination of decisionmakers to pursue new, risky policies that could undermine their political positions.
Preliminary attempts to fertilize human oocytes matured in vitro

Abstract Attempts were made to fertilize human oocytes after their maturation in culture. Initial attempts using washed spermatozoa showed that the great majority of eggs were unfertilized and that the spermatozoa failed to traverse the zona pellucida, probably because of lack of capacitation. Therefore, attempts were made to capacitate human spermatozoa by placing them in the reproductive tract of a rabbit, culturing them with pieces of human endosalpinx, taking them from cervical mucus, or transferring them with oocytes into the Fallopian tubes of estrous rabbits or hormonally primed monkeys. The incidence of fertilization remained very low after these treatment. Very few of the transferred human eggs were recovered from the monkeys.
A randomized trial of a pain management intervention for adults receiving substance use disorder treatment

Background and Aims Chronic pain is difficult to treat in individuals with substance use disorders and, when not resolved, can have a negative impact on substance use disorder treatment outcomes. This study tested the efficacy of a psychosocial pain management intervention, ImPAT (improving pain during addiction treatment), that combines pain management with content related to managing pain without substance use. Design Single-site, parallel-groups randomized controlled trial comparing ImPAT to a supportive psychoeducational control (SPC) condition; follow-up assessments occurred at 3, 6 and 12 months. Setting The Ann Arbor VA Substance Use Disorder treatment program, USA. Participants Veterans Health Administration patients {n = 129; mean [standard deviation (SD)], age = 51.7 (9.5); 115 of 129 (89%) male; ImPAT (n = 65); SPC (n = 64)}. Intervention ImPAT combines principles of cognitive–behavioral therapy and acceptance-based approaches to pain management with content related to avoiding the use of substances as a coping mechanism for pain. The SPC used a psychoeducational attention control treatment for alcoholism modified to cover other substances in addition to alcohol. Measurements Primary: Pain intensity over 12 months; secondary: pain-related functioning, frequency of alcohol and drug use over 12 months. Findings Primary: randomization to the ImPAT intervention versus SPC predicted significantly lower pain intensity {β [standard error (SE)] = −0.71 (0.29); 95% confidence interval (CI) = −1.29, −0.12}; secondary: relative to the SPC condition, those who received ImPAT also reported improved pain-related functioning [β (SE) = 0.27 (0.11); 95% CI = 0.05, 0.49] and lower frequency of alcohol consumption [β (SE) = −0.77; 95% CI = −1.34, −0.20]. No differences were found between conditions on frequency of drug use over follow-up. Conclusions For adults with pain who are enrolled in addictions treatment, receipt of a psychological pain management intervention (improving pain during addiction treatment) reduced pain and alcohol use and improves pain-related functioning over 12 months relative to a matched-attention control condition.
Genetic Fuzzy Approach for Control and Task Planning Applications

Genetic fuzzy is applied to two benchmark problems, the inverted double pendulum and the task assignment for cooperating UAVs classified as the polygon visiting multiple traveling salesman problem (PVMTSP). GA is used to define the membership functions and the rule base for the FIS that is used for solving the two benchmark problems. In this paper, we propose a genetic fuzzy controller to control an inverted double pendulum. We also show the effectiveness of the controller even when subjected to noise. For the PVMTSP, we propose a method of genetic fuzzy clustering that would be specific to MTSP problems and hence more efficient compared to k-means and c-means clustering. We also discuss how well our algorithm scales for increasing number of targets. The results are compared for two different polygon sizes.
Relative Abundance of Stable Fly and House Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Pupal Parasites (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae; Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) on Confinement Dairies in California

Four dairies in southern California were sampled weekly from April 1987 through June 1988 to determine the distribution and relative abundance of stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), and house fly, Musca domestica L., pupal parasites. Seven parasite species represented ≍90% of the parasites recovered from stable fly and house fly pupae, and included Spalangia endius Walker, Spalangia cameroni Perkins, Spalangia nigroaenea Curtis, Muscidifurax raptor Girault and Sanders, Muscidifurax zaraptor Kogan and Legner, Urolepis rufipes (Ashmead), and Aleochara spp. U. rufipes had not been previously recorded to parasitize these hosts in California. Most of the U. rufipes recoveries were between April and June. The relative abundance of parasites recovered from stable flies and house flies on four southern California dairies varied slightly for some species, but the overall rate of parasitism only ranged from 13.4 to 19.9%. A limited number of stable fly and house fly pupal collections from dairies in central California revealed a much lower proportion of S. cameroni and a higher proportion of S. endius , when compared with southern California dairies. The majority of stable fly and house fly pupae sampled at four southern California dairies were associated with pure manure substrates. There was no significant difference between the relative abundance of parasites recovered from stable fly pupae sampled from manure, manure plus hay, or wet-hay substrates. Significantly fewer S. nigroaenea and significantly more M. zaraptor were recovered from house fly pupae developing in brewer's grain when compared with manure, manure plus hay, and wet-hay substrates. In pupal samples which contained both stable flies and house flies, S. cameroni was recovered significantly more often from stable fly pupae. In general, there were no significant differences between stable fly and house fly in parasitism by the seven parasite species.
A New Species of Nycteriglyphus (Acari: Rosensteiniidae) from Guano of Leptonycteris nivalis (Chiroptera: Phyllostomatidae)

Nycteriglyphus texanus n. sp. is described from guano of the Mexican long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris nivalis , from Big Bend National Park, Texas. This mite species was abundant in a cave roost and is the first nycteriglyphine reported from guano of a pollen-nectar feeding bat.
MACROSEGREGATION DURING DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF ALLOYED SEMICONDUCTOR CRYSTALS WITH A TRANSVERSE MAGNETIC FIELD

This paper presents a model for the unsteady species transport during bulk growth of alloyed semiconductor crystals with a transverse magnetic field. During growth of alloyed semiconductors such as germanium-silicon (GeSi) and mercury-cadmiumtelluride (HgCdTe), the solute’s concentration is not small so that density differences in the melt are very large. These compositional variations drive compositionally-driven buoyant convection, or solutal convection, in addition to thermally-driven buoyant convection. These buoyant convections drive convective transport which produces nonuniformities in the concentration in both the melt and the crystal. This transient model predicts the distribution of species in the entire crystal grown in a transverse magnetic field. This paper presents results of concentration in the crystal and in the melt at several different times during crystal growth.
Glycoprotein C of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Prevents Complement-Mediated Cell Lysis and Virus Neutralization

Glycoprotein gC1 of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) binds complement component C3b. To determine if gC1 modifies the interaction of complement with virus-infected cells or cell-free virus, ns-1, a mutant HSV-1 strain that does not express gC1 at the cell surface and does not bind C3b, was compared with its parental strain, NS. Cells infected with the gC1 mutant were more susceptible to cytolysis mediated by antibody and complement or complement alone. The gC1 or gD1 genes were expressed in mammalian cells under the control of an inducible promoter. Cells induced to express gC1 resisted complement cytolysis, while cells expressing gD1 did not. gC1 modified cytolysis of virus-infected or -transfected cells by blocking alternative complement pathway activation. gC1 also modified complement-dependent virus neutralization, which was mediated by inhibiting the classical complement pathway. These results indicate a protective role for gC1 on the virion and at the cell surface.
Are rural hospitals "strategic"?

This article focuses on strategic management of rural hospitals from an evolutionary perspective, using logistic regression models to examine the environmental/organizational pressures that induced rural hospitals to be more active in strategic changes (high changers versus low changers) in two 5-ye
Extracellular lipase production by fungi from sunflower seed

ABSTRACTTwo hundred and twenty-three lyophilized isolates of fungi representing 91 species from sunflower seed were revived and grown in lipase medium with and without emulsified sunflower oil. Lip...
Inter-Firm Managerial Social Ties, IT Supplier Selection and IS Complexity

By combining the theoretical lenses of social embeddedness, agency problem, and inter-firm relationship formation, this study investigates the impact of focal firms’ inter-firm managerial social ties (IMST) on the firms’ selection of IT suppliers and the consequences of such IT supplier selection. We use a dyad-level analysis to examine how IMST may drive a focal firm to select an individual IT supplier and use a firm-level analysis to examine how social connections through IMST may affect focal firms’ choices of IT suppliers that influence their organizational IS complexity. Our findings suggest that, at the dyad-level, IMST between a focal firm and an IT supplier significantly increases the firm’s likelihood and intensity of using this supplier. Furthermore, firms socially connected with more IT suppliers through IMST tend to use more IT suppliers in total. Our results also show that for firms possessing broader social connections with more IT suppliers and more diversified IMST, the increase of their total IT suppliers is associated with a greater escalation of their organizational IS complexity, suggesting a potential agency problem in socially driven IT supplier selection. The study generates important implications that contribute to multiple streams of research on social embeddedness, IT supplier selection, and IS complexity.
A complex landscape of inequity in access to urban parks: A literature review

This article reviews the growing environmental justice literature documenting access to urban parks across socioeconomic and ethnic groups. The extensive public health and sustainability benefits of parks, combined with the long history of discrimination against people of color in the United States and elsewhere, motivate an update of the literature on access to parks. Although a few reviews showed evidence of inequity in park provision, no previous review fully conceptualized and analyzed different components of access to parks. To address this gap, I conducted an analytical literature review focusing on three groups of parameters: park proximity, park acreage, and park quality. Based on a sample of 49 empirical studies mostly focusing on cities in developed countries, my review shows fairly inconclusive findings for park proximity, but striking inequities for park acreage and park quality. Low socioeconomic and ethnic minority people have access to fewer acres of parks, fewer acres of parks per person, and to parks with lower quality, maintenance, and safety than more privileged people. These demographic inequities often reflect geographical divides between inner-cities and suburbs. These findings are particularly concerning for public health because large, high-quality, well-maintained, and safe parks can better foster physical activity and its associated benefits than small parks with few amenities. Also, identifying inequities in access to parks based on proximity, acreage or quality can help develop targeted landscape planning strategies to address specific inequities.
Immune Dysregulation in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of an autoimmune nature. Antigen-presenting cells activate CD4+ T-helper cells in the periphery, which leads to the activation of autoreactive proinflammatory T-helper Th1 and Th17 cells, which then initiate damage to central nervous system (CNS) white matter. B cells and monocytes are then also activated. A dysregulated immune system perpetuates the immune response. Immune mechanisms associated with progressive forms of MS are less well understood and appear to involve the local innate immune response in the CNS and neurodegeneration triggered by the initial inflammatory response.
Food Lipids : Chemistry, Nutrition, And Biotechnology, Third Edition

Maintaining the high standards that made the previous editions such well-respected and widely used references, Food Lipids: Chemistry, Nutrition, and Biotechnology, Fourth Edition provides a new look at lipid oxidation and highlights recent findings and research. Always representative of the current state of lipid science, this edition provides 16 new chapters and 21 updated chapters, written by leading international experts, that reflect the latest advances in technology and studies of food lipids.New chapters Analysis of Fatty Acid Positional Distribution in Triacylglycerol Physical Characterization of Fats and Oils Processing and Modification Technologies for Edible Oils and Fats Crystallization Behavior of Fats: Effect of Processing Conditions Enzymatic Purification and Enrichment and Purification of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Conjugated Linoleic Acid Isomers Microbial Lipid Production Food Applications of Lipids Encapsulation Technologies for Lipids Rethinking Lipid Oxidation Digestion, Absorption and Metabolism of Lipids Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Health Brain Lipids in Health and Disease Biotechnologically Enriched Cereals with PUFAs in Ruminant and Chicken Nutrition Enzyme-Catalyzed Production of Lipid Based Esters for the Food Industry: Emerging Process and Technology Production of Edible Oils Through Metabolic Engineering Genetically Engineered Cereals for Production of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids The most comprehensive and relevant treatment of food lipids available, this book highlights the role of dietary fats in foods, human health, and disease. Divided into five parts, it begins with the chemistry and properties of food lipids covering nomenclature and classification, extraction and analysis, and chemistry and function. Part II addresses processing and food applications including modification technologies, microbial production of lipids, crystallization behavior, chemical interesterification, purification, and encapsulation technologies. The third part covers oxidation, measurements, and antioxidants. Part IV explores the myriad interactions of lipids in nutrition and health with information on heart disease, obesity, and cancer, with a new chapter dedicated to brain lipids. Part V continues with contributions on biotechnology and biochemistry including a chapter on the metabolic engineering of edible oils.
Coca-Cola and the Fight against the Global Obesity Epidemic

Coca-Cola, the century-old iconic brand associated with bringing happiness and harmony, is facing an ethical and financial dilemma as it attempts to balance its corporate needs with those of society. The soft drink industry as a whole, and Coke in particular, has received harsh criticism for contributing to the global obesity epidemic. Rising health concerns among consumers have resulted in a continuous decline in soda consumption in some key international markets. Considered one of the leading global brands and among the most admired corporations, Coca-Cola claims it supports the fight against obesity, sponsoring campaigns, research, and initiatives to promote physical activities. However, critics assert the company has used deception and undue influence to dismiss the harmful effects of soda, similar to the tactics of the tobacco industry. Forced to respond to mounting criticism, Coca-Cola must navigate between meeting shareholder demands and maintaining its reputation as a socially responsible organization. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adaptive Dipole Model Based Disturbance Compensation in Nonlinear Magnetic Position Systems

The nonlinear magnetic model of an oscillating ferromagnetic object can be used for accurate real-time estimation of its position. This is useful for piston position estimation in a number of automation and performance improvement applications involving hydraulic actuators, pneumatic cylinders, and internal combustion engines. A significant challenge to magnetic field based position estimation comes from disturbances due to unexpected ferromagnetic objects coming close to the sensors. This paper develops a new disturbance estimation method based on modeling the magnetic disturbance as a dipole with unknown location, magnitude, and orientation. A truncated interval unscented Kalman filter is used to estimate all the parameters of this unknown dipole, in addition to estimating piston position from nonlinear magnetic field models. Experimental data from a pneumatic actuator are used to verify the performance of the developed estimator. Experimental results show that the developed estimator is significantly superior to a linear magnetic field model based disturbance estimator. It can reliably estimate piston position and the unknown dipole parameters in the presence of a variety of unknown disturbances.
Feature Constrained Multi-Task Learning Models for Spatiotemporal Event Forecasting

Spatial event forecasting from social media is potentially extremely useful but suffers from critical challenges, such as the dynamic patterns of features (keywords) and geographic heterogeneity (e.g., spatial correlations, imbalanced samples, and different populations in different locations). Most existing approaches (e.g., LASSO regression, dynamic query expansion, and burst detection) address some, but not all, of these challenges. Here, we propose a novel multi-task learning framework that aims to concurrently address all the challenges involved. Specifically, given a collection of locations (e.g., cities), forecasting models are built for all the locations simultaneously by extracting and utilizing appropriate shared information that effectively increases the sample size for each location, thus improving the forecasting performance. The new model combines both static features derived from a predefined vocabulary by domain experts and dynamic features generated from dynamic query expansion in a multi-task feature learning framework. Different strategies to balance homogeneity and diversity between static and dynamic terms are also investigated. And, efficient algorithms based on Iterative Group Hard Thresholding are developed to achieve efficient and effective model training and prediction. Extensive experimental evaluations on Twitter data from civil unrest and influenza outbreak datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed approach.
Comments on “A physical model and constitutive equations for complete characterization of S-N fatigue behavior of metals”

Abstract In a recent paper published in Acta Materialia [Ravi Chandran, Acta Materialia 121 (2016) 85–103], the author assumed that crack initiates instantaneously to a size proportional to the applied stress minus the fatigue endurance limit over the range between the fatigue limit and the ultimate strength of the material. However, this relationship has never been proven experimentally. It contradicts to the understanding of fatigue crack nucleation from accumulation of persistent slip bands, which is a process, not an instantaneous event, as supported by numerous experimental observations. Therefore, the proposed S-N curve relationship based on instantaneous “crack initiation” should not be deemed as a “physical model”.
Intuition in Design: Reflections on the Iterative Aesthetics of Form

Curious to reflect on the factors contributing to the internal decision-making processes of intuitive design, a reflective study was established to systematically examine and document the practice of intuition while performing an iterative aesthetic task. Autoethnographic techniques were used to document the reflective practices that occurred over numerous iterations spanning several weeks of activity. Our analysis concludes with a summary of reflections on how intuition informs judgment in design cognition. We examine four dimensions of intuition in design - efficiency, inspiration, curiosity, and insight - and the reflective and sensory inputs that drive intuitive speculation and impulse.
Mathematical explanation and indispensability

This paper discusses Baker’s Enhanced Indispensability Argument (EIA) for mathematical realism on the basis of the indispensable role mathematics plays in scientific explanations of physical facts, along with various responses to it. I argue that there is an analogue of causal explanation for mathematics which, of several basic types of explanation, holds the most promise for use in the EIA. I consider a plausible case where mathematics plays an explanatory role in this sense, but argue that such use still does not support realism about mathematical objects.
Exploring user interface challenges in supporting activity-based knowledge work practices

The venerable desktop metaphor is beginning to show signs of strain in supporting modern knowledge work. Traditional desktop systems were not designed to support the sheer number of simultaneous windows, information resources, and collaborative contexts that have become commonplace in contemporary knowledge work. Even though the desktop has been slow to evolve, knowledge workers still consistently manage multiple tasks, collaborate effectively among colleagues or clients, and manipulate information most relevant to their current task by leveraging the spatial organization of their work area. The potential exists for desktop workspaces to better support these knowledge work practices by leveraging the unifying construct of activity. Semantically-meaningful activities, conceptualized as a collection of tools (applications, documents, and other resources) within a social and organizational context, offer an alternative orientation for the desktop experience that more closely corresponds to knowledge workers' objectives and goals. In this research, I unpack some of the foundational assumptions of desktop interface design and propose an activity-centered model for organizing the desktop interface based on empirical observations of real-world knowledge work practice, theoretical understandings of cognition and activity, and my own experiences in developing two prototype systems for extending the desktop to support knowledge work. I formalize this analysis in a series of key challenges for the research and development of activity-based systems. In response to these challenges, I present the design and implementation of a third research prototype, the Giornata system, that emphasizes activity as a primary organizing principle in GUI-based interaction, information organization, and collaboration. I conclude with two evaluations of the system. First, I present findings from a longitudinal deployment of the system among a small group of representative knowledge workers; this deployment constitutes one of the first studies of how activity-based systems are adopted and appropriated in a real-world context. Second, I provide an assessment of the technologies that enable and those that pose barriers to the development of activity-based computing systems.
The role of anisometropia in the development of accommodative esotropia.

PURPOSE: To determine if anisometropia increases the risk for the development of accommodative esotropia in hypermetropia. METHODS: Records of all new patients with a refractive error of > or = +2.00 (mean spherical equivalent [SE] of both eyes) over a 42-month period were reviewed. Three hundred forty-five (345) patients were thus analyzed to determine the effect of anisometropia (> or = 1 diopter [D]) on the relative risk of developing esodeviation and of requiring surgical correction once esodeviation was present (uncontrolled deviation). RESULTS: Anisometropia (> or = 1 D) increased the relative risk of developing accommodative esodeviation to 1.68 (P or = 1 D) increased the relative risk for esodeviation to 7.8 (P or = 3 D. This difference was significant (P = .016). In patients with esotropia and anisometropia (> or = 1 D), the relative risk for an uncontrolled deviation was 1.72 (P or = 3 D. Although amblyopia and anisometropia were closely associated, anisometropia increased the relative risk of esodeviation to 2.14 (P 1 D) is a significant risk factor for the development of accommodative esodeviation, especially in patients with lower overall hypermetropia (< 3 D). Anisometropia also increases the risk that an accommodative esodeviation will not be fully eliminated with hypermetropic correction.
Risk Management Applications to Dam Safety Activities within the Bureau of Reclamation

Historical practice of dam designers has been to provide for failure loading events from static loads, earthquakes and floods. The general practices differed somewhat for large and small dams and Federally and privately designed dams. Some ways individual existing dams now determined to be deficient for some loading conditions may be managed is discussed. The dam failures occurring in the 1970’s, technology advances, and organizational activities have defined the national scope of deficient dams and brought national attention to the problem.
Purple VLC: Accelerating Visible Light Communication in Room-Area through PRU Offloading

Embedded VLC (Visible Light Communication) has attracted significant research attention in recent years. A reliable and robust VLC system can become one of the IoT communication technologies for indoor environment. VLC could become a wireless technology complementary to existing RF-based technology but with no RF interference. However, existing low cost indicator-type LED based VLC platforms have limited throughput and reliability. In this work, we introduce a new embedded VLC platform that can achieve 100 kbps aggregate throughput at a distance of 6 meters, which is 6-7x improvement over state-of-the-art. Our design combines I/O offloading in computation, concurrent communication with polarized light, and full-duplexing to offer more than 99% link reliability at a distance of 6 meters.
The Complexity Myth: The Opposite of Science

This chapter focuses on teachers and their relationships with students. Education reformers espouse a belief in the central role of the teacher; presumably under the tutelage of an effective, highly-qualified teacher, students will meet proficiency standards. But reformers frequently invoke complexity-for-complexity’s sake in the assessment of teachers at the expense of an appreciation for the actual complexity of the student-teacher relationship. These impossible expectations result in shortages of qualified teachers rather than improved classroom instruction prompting desperate school districts to hire foreign teachers—sometimes illegally. Asserting that teachers should be perfect the moment they begin teaching, relating to each student in the exact way that each student needs at all times is willful ignorance. The expectation of instant perfection for teachers is an example of the kind of magical thinking characteristic of children. It is ironic that many adults engage in childish thinking on how teachers should educate children, especially given that the goal is to transition children into thinking like adults.