cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cultural algorithms: modeling of how cultures learn to solve problems

Previous work on real-valued function optimization problems had shown that cultural learning emerged as the result of meta-level interaction or swarming of knowledge sources, "knowledge swarms" in the belief space. These meta-level swarms induced the swarming of individuals in the population space, "cultural swarms". The interaction of these knowledge source produced emergent phases of problem solving that reflected a branch and bound algorithmic process. We apply the approach to a real-world problem in engineering design. We observe the emergence of these same features in a completely different problem environment. We conclude by suggesting the emergent features are what give cultural systems their power to learn and adapt.
Distribution and Abundance of Fire Ant Decapitating Flies (Diptera: Phoridae: Pseudacteon) in Three Regions of Southern South America

Abstract The distribution and abundance of fire ant decapitating flies (Diptera: Phoridae: Pseudacteon Coquillett) were studied in three regions of southern South America, primarily from September 2002 to September 2004. A total of 2,421 flies belonging to 14 Pseudacteon species were found at 51% of the 662 fire ant mounds examined at 125 collecting sites. Flies occurred in a variety of habitats at altitudes from sea level to 2,280 m. Pseudacteon obtusus Borgmeier (large form) was found at the highest altitude and at the most western longitude. Flies were active between 16 and 37°C, 20 and 90% RH, and 0 and 11.6 km/h wind speed. Pseudacteon curvatus Borgmeier showed the highest abundance and one of the broadest geographical distributions. Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier, P. litoralis Borgmeier, the large form of P. obtusus, P. nudicornis Borgmeier, and P. nocens Borgmeier also were widely distributed. These species seem to be the most generalized within saevissima-group. Pseudacteon solenopsidis Schmitz w...
Phosphatidylcholine Does Not Affect Peritoneal Transport of Intact Rabbits

Ultrafiltration and solute transport during 60-min peritoneal dialyses of normal rabbits with intraperitoneal administration of phosphatidylcholine were compared to control values. The ultrafiltrat...
Respiration in Clinical Psychophysiology

Clinical psychophysiology is concerned, for the most part, with psychological, psychophysiological, and neuromuscular disorders that cause pain, or impair health or function, or are likely to do so in the future. It is not uncommon to find that their etiology is vague, and they may span an astonishing range of disorders, such as cardiovascular (e.g., angina, hypertension), cardiac (e.g., arrhythmias), digestive (e.g., gastritis, ulcers, colitis), pulmonary (e.g., hyperventilation, asthma), psychiatric (e.g., depression, anxiety, panic, phobias, sexual dysfunction), neurological (e.g., migraine, poststroke or other trauma), insomnia, and many more.
Concordance Rate for the Identification of Distant Entrance Gunshot Wounds of the Back by Experienced Forensic Pathologists Examining Only Images of Autopsies.

The images of 66 gunshot entrance wounds with a defect on the back, a bullet in the body, hemorrhage along the wound track, and logical certainty that it was an entrance wound were collected from the files of a moderately busy medical examiner's office. Participants numbering 22 board-certified forensic pathologists viewed a single digital archival image of each of the 66 entrance wounds randomly mixed with 74 presumptive exit wounds to determine whether they were entrance or exit wounds. The concordance rate for correctly identifying the 66 logically known entrance wounds was 82.8% with a range from 58% to 97%. This pilot study was conducted to provide an evidence-based approach to the interpretation of the direction of gunshot wounds by reviewing pathologists with access only to archival photographs, and it is not a measure of the accuracy to distinguish entrance from exit wounds when given all of the circumstances.© 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Language: en
The effect of media and temperature on the storage of Chlamydia trachomatis

Four media, Eagle's minimal essential medium with 10% fetal bovine serum (MEM/FBS), tryptic soy broth (TSB), 2-SP, and 4-SP, were compared for their ability to maintain the viability of Chlamydia trachomatis at 4 degrees C, -20 degrees C, -70 degrees C, and -176 degrees C (liquid nitrogen) over a 1-week period. 2-SP maintained viability of C. trachomatis to the greatest extent for all of the time intervals and temperatures examined. Therefore, in an attempt to further stabilize the viability of C. trachomatis, 2-SP was supplemented with various concentrations of bovine serum albumin (BSA) or fetal bovine serum (FBS). For the times and temperatures examined, 2-SP supplemented with 20% or 40% FBS or 5% BSA preserved infectivity to a greater extent than unsupplemented 2-SP. In some supplemented media, up to 65% of the infectivity was preserved after one week of storage at -176 degrees C, whereas only 0-3% of infectivity remained when stored in unsupplemented media at -20 degrees C and 4 degrees C, respectively. Therefore, supplementation of 2-SP with FBS or BSA can prolong the survival of chlamydia, which is critical in the transportation and storage of clinical specimens. In addition, storage for prolonged periods of time should be at -70 degrees C or lower temperatures.
Unified Theoretical Framework for Realizing Diverse Regimes of Strong Coupling between Plasmons and Electronic Transitions

Strong coupling between light and quantum mechanical transitions historically observed in atomic optics is now being realized in the solid state using plasmon resonances. Recent experiments on hybrid plasmonic/excitonic systems have reported varied observations such as excitonic splitting, asymmetric line shapes, and dips in scattering spectra. Here, we unite these seemingly disparate empirical observations under a single theoretical framework, illustrating that the same generalized hybrid system allows access to diverse forms of coupling between plasmons and molecular transitions. Simply by modifying the damping rate of the plasmon resonance, it is possible to transition from one regime of coupling to another (e.g., from Rabi splitting to Fano interference). Common experimental handles such as size, shape, and nature of the metal can be varied to tune the regime of coupling, as shown by electrodynamic simulations. We also show that strong coupling can be achieved using simple nanostructure configurations...
INCORPORATION OF ARSENIC INTO COCK SPERM.

Arsenicals have been shown to stimulate growth and improve feed efficiency in broilers and to improve laying hen performance. Although Pope and Schaible (1) reported that arsanilic acid exerts a sparing action on the protein requirement of breeding hens and layers when egg production was the criterion, small amounts did not improve hatchability or fertility in breeding chickens. Excess arsenic has been shown to be toxic to chickens. The position of arsenic in the periodic table would suggest that it has some chemical properties which are similar to phosphorus, and therefore, could replace phosphorus in some compounds. Since P32I4 or phosphate-P32 is readily incorporated into the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of cock sperm in amounts allowing its detection (2) it was decided to use radioactive Arsenic (As76) and also stable arsenic in mineralization studies with cock sperm to determine if arsenic was incorporated into the DNA of sperm.Experimental. Ten sexually active New Hampshire cocks selected from a grou...
Substantial bulk photovoltaic effect enhancement via nanolayering

Spontaneous polarization and inversion symmetry breaking in ferroelectric materials lead to their use as photovoltaic devices. However, further advancement of their applications are hindered by the paucity of ways of reducing bandgaps and enhancing photocurrent. By unravelling the correlation between ferroelectric materials' responses to solar irradiation and their local structure and electric polarization landscapes, here we show from first principles that substantial bulk photovoltaic effect enhancement can be achieved by nanolayering PbTiO3 with nickel ions and oxygen vacancies ((PbNiO2)x(PbTiO3)(1-x)). The enhancement of the total photocurrent for different spacings between the Ni-containing layers can be as high as 43 times due to a smaller bandgap and photocurrent direction alignment for all absorption energies. This is due to the electrostatic effect that arises from nanolayering. This opens up the possibility for control of the bulk photovoltaic effect in ferroelectric materials by nanoscale engineering of their structure and composition.
Effects of pidotimod on help T cell subsets of children in vitro

Objective: To explore the effects of pidotimod on T cell subsets of children. Method: Neonatal cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) and peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) of children with bronchiolitis were isolated to investigate the effects of pidotimod. The level of IL-4, IFN-γ, IL-10和IL-12 in supernatant were detected by ELISA. Results: Pidotimod significantly down-regulated IL-4 secretion of CBMC induced by PHA, and up-regulated IL-12 p40 and p70 production induced by LPS. Moreover, pidotimod increased IFN-γ production from PBMC of children with bronchiolitis. Pidotimod alone could induce relatively higher IL-12 p70 (135±44 pg/ml, n=9) and lower IL-10 (52±16 pg/ml, n=9) production. Conclusion: Pidotimod could regulate the balance of Th1/Th2. The mechanism of Pidotimod might relate to its impact on antigen presenting cell to induce IL-12.
The case for a role for postprandial glucose monitoring in diabetes management

Strategies for the management of diabetes have evolved considerably over the last few years. We have moved from an era where glycemic control was aimed primarily at avoiding the symptoms associated with hyperglycemia (polyuria, polydipsia, weight loss, and fatigue) to an era where the primary objective is to attain near normal glycemic control in an effort to prevent or delay the microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes. This switch in emphasis--and the parallel developments in pharmacologic agents and lifestyle intervention techniques--translates into greater attention to glycemic control in the postprandial state. An important role for postprandial glucose monitoring with therapy aimed at achieving postprandial glucose targets is suggested by teleologic argument, biochemical information, epidemiologic study, and limited clinical trial data.
A Cluster Analysis of the Co-occurrence of Alcohol Consumption and Depressive Symptoms

This study will use cluster analysis to empirically derive the patterns of alcohol consumption and depression symptoms among these respondents by forming segments of respondents with similar alcohol use, depression symptoms, and socio-demographic characteristics among veterans and non-veterans. The empirical work of this study is based on the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Because the choice of clustering variables includes a combination of nominal, ordinal, and interval-ratio scaled measures, a two-step clustering within SPSS was employed to segment individuals based on drinking frequency (treated as a continuous variable), age (treated as continuous variable), depression symptoms (likert scores), sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, and veteran status (dichotomies). Findings suggest that alcohol use and depression co-occur more commonly than expected. Individuals with more frequent manifestation of depressive symptoms tend to consume more alcohol. To mitigate the negative consequences of alcohol use and depression, there remains a pressing need for there remains a pressing need for an integrated treatment of both alcohol use and depression that simultaneously treat these two disorders.
Analysis of alternating impedance electromagnetic bandgap (AI-EBG) structure by transmission line network method

This paper presents an efficient analysis of alternating impedance electromagnetic bandgap (AI-EBG) structure using transmission line network (TLN) method. The AI-EBG structure has shown excellent noise suppression in realistic mixed-signal systems. However, there is no efficient way to get dispersion diagram of the AI-EBG structure for a fast design process. Transmission line network (TLN) method has been applied to get the dispersion diagram of the AI-EBG structure for the first time. The analytic equation for the dispersion diagram of the AI-EBG structure has been driven successfully. Compared with full-wave solvers, this method is extremely faster and produces quite accurate results.
GC-MS Profiling of Triterpenoid Saponins from 28 Quinoa Varieties (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Grown in Washington State.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) contains 2 to 5% saponins in the form of oleanane-type triterpenoid glycosides or sapogenins found in the external layers of the seeds. These saponins confer an undesirable bitter flavor. This study maps the content and profile of glycoside-free sapogenins from 22 quinoa varieties and 6 original breeding lines grown in North America under similar agronomical conditions. Saponins were recovered using a novel extraction protocol and quantified by GC–MS. Oleanolic acid (OA), hederagenin (HD), serjanic acid (SA), and phytolaccagenic acid (PA) were identified by their mass spectra. Total saponin content ranged from 3.81 to 27.1 mg/g among the varieties studied. The most predominant sapogenin was phytolaccagenic acid with 16.72 mg/g followed by hederagenin at 4.22 mg/g representing the ∼70% and 30% of the total sapogenin content. Phytolaccagenic acid and the total sapogenin content had a positive correlation of r2 = 0.88 (p < 0.05). Results showed that none of the varieties we ...
Entomopathogenic Nematodes Combined with Adjuvants Presents a New Potential Biological Control Method for Managing the Wheat Stem Sawfly, Cephus cinctus (Hymenoptera: Cephidae)

The wheat stem sawfly, (Cephus cinctus Norton) Hymenoptera: Cephidae, has been a major pest of winter wheat and barley in the northern Great Plains for more than 100 years. The insect’s cryptic nature and lack of safe chemical control options make the wheat stem sawfly (WSS) difficult to manage; thus, biological control offers the best hope for sustainable management of WSS. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have been used successfully against other above-ground insect pests, and adding adjuvants to sprays containing EPNs has been shown to improve their effectiveness. We tested the hypothesis that adding chemical adjuvants to sprays containing EPNs will increase the ability of EPNs to enter wheat stems and kill diapausing WSS larvae. This is the first study to test the ability of EPNs to infect the WSS, C. cinctus, and test EPNs combined with adjuvants against C. cinctus in both the laboratory and the field. Infection assays showed that three different species of EPNs caused 60–100% mortality to WSS larvae. Adding Penterra, Silwet L-77, Sunspray 11N, or Syl-Tac to solutions containing EPNs resulted in higher WSS mortality than solutions made with water alone. Field tests showed that sprays containing S. feltiae added to 0.1% Penterra increased WSS mortality up to 29.1%. These results indicate a novel control method for WSS, and represent a significant advancement in the biological control of this persistent insect pest.
Personalization in the Context of Relevance-Based Visualization

In this talk, I will review our research attempts to implement different kinds of personalization in the context of relevance-based visualization. The goal of this research stream is to make relevance-based visualization adaptive to user long-term goals, interests, or prospects rather just responsive to short term immediate needs such as query terms. I will present four personalized relevance-based visualization systems: Adaptive VIBE, TalkExplorer, SetFusion, and IntersectionExplorer, For each system, I will present its idea, some evaluation results, and lessons learned.
The role of TRAIL in fatigue induced by repeated stress from radiotherapy

Fatigue is one of the most common and debilitating side effects of cancer and cancer treatment, and yet its etiology remains elusive. The goal of this study is to understand the role of chronic inflammation in fatigue following repeated stress from radiotherapy. Fatigue and non-fatigue categories were assessed using ≥ 3-point change in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue questionnaire (FACT-F) administered to participants at baseline/before radiotherapy and one year post-radiotherapy. Whole genome microarray and cytokine multiplex panel were used to examine fatigue-related transcriptome and serum cytokine changes, respectively. The study included 86 subjects (discovery phase n = 40, validation phase n = 46). The sample in the discovery phase included men with prostate cancer scheduled to receive external-beam radiotherapy. A panel of 48 cytokines were measured and the significantly changed cytokine found in the discovery phase was validated using sera from a separate cohort of men two years after completing radiotherapy for prostate cancer at a different institution. Effects of the significantly changed cytokine on cell viability was quantified using the MTT assay. During the discovery phase, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and TRAIL decoy receptor, TNFRSF10C (TRAIL-R3), were significantly upregulated in fatigued (≥3-point decrease from baseline to 1yr-post radiotherapy) subjects (n = 15). In the validation phase, TRAIL correlated with fatigue scores 2yrs post-radiotherapy. TRAIL caused selective cytotoxicity in neuronal cells, but not in microglial and muscle cells, in vitro. Late-onset inflammation directed by TRAIL may play a role in fatigue pathogenesis post-repeated stress from irradiation.
Backflow-free catheters for efficient and safe convection-enhanced delivery of therapeutics

Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is an invasive drug delivery technique used to target specific regions of the brain for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases while bypassing the blood-brain barrier. In order to prevent the possibility of backflow, low volumetric flow rates are applied which limit the achievable drug distribution volumes from CED. This can render CED treatment ineffective since a small convective flow produces narrow drug distribution inside the treatment region. Novel catheter designs and CED protocols are needed to improve the drug distribution inside the treatment region. This is especially important when administering toxic chemotherapeutics which could adversely affect other organs if backflow occurred and these drugs entered the circulating blood stream. In order to help elucidate the causes of backflow and to design backflow-free catheters, we have studied the impact that microfluid flow has on deformable brain phantom gels experimentally as well as numerically. We found that fluid injections into porous media have considerable effects on local transport properties such as porosity and hydraulic conductivity. These phenomena not only alter the bulk flow velocity distribution of the microfluid flow due to the changing porosity, but significantly modify flow direction and even volumetric flow distribution due to induced local hydraulic conductivity anisotropy. These studies led us to the development of novel backflow-free catheters with safe volumetric flow rates up to 10 µL/min. The catheter designs, numerical simulations and experimental results are described throughout this article.
Further Questions about the Measurement and Conceptualization of Backcountry Encounter Norms

(1992). Further Questions about the Measurement and Conceptualization of Backcountry Encounter Norms. Journal of Leisure Research: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 86-92.
BSpeak: An Accessible Voice-based Crowdsourcing Marketplace for Low-Income Blind People

BSpeak is an accessible crowdsourcing marketplace that enables blind people in developing regions to earn money by transcribing audio files through speech. We examine accessibility and usability barriers that 15 first-time users, who are low-income and blind, experienced while completing transcription tasks on BSpeak and Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Our mixed-methods analysis revealed severe accessibility barriers in MTurk due to the absence of landmarks, unlabeled UI elements, and improper use of HTML headings. Compared to MTurk, participants found BSpeak significantly more accessible and usable, and completed tasks with higher accuracy in lesser time due to its voice-based implementation. In a two-week field deployment of BSpeak in India, 24 low-income blind users earned rupee 7,310 by completing over 16,000 transcription tasks to yield transcriptions with 87% accuracy. Through our analysis of BSpeak's strengths and weaknesses, we provide recommendations for designing crowdsourcing marketplaces for low-income blind people in resource-constrained settings.
Effect of PD medication on disease progression as measured by rate of change in MDS_UPDRS in PPMI study (P2.042)

Objective: To characterize the effect of PD medication on disease progression as measured by rate of change in MDS_UPDRS in PPMI study. Background: PPMI is an ongoing observational study that enrolled 423 treatment-naive (within 2 years of diagnosis) PD subjects. By 1 and 3 years, up to 55% and 78% of subjects, respectively, started PD medication. We analysed the rate of change in MDS-UPDRS total score (Part I, II, III total) prior to, and (6 to 21 months) on PD medication. Design/Methods: Data was download from the PPMI website in June 2017. 386 PD subjects were included in the analyses. Only practically-defined “off” condition data were used for visits after starting PD meds. Change in MDS-UPDRS was estimated from a mixed effects model for repeated measures. Demographics and baseline disease characteristics data were also examined. Results: As of the download date, 90 subjects remained treatment naive; 68, 106 and 118 had begun treatment with dopamine agonists, Levodopa and MAO-B inhibitors. Baseline demographics were similar across groups; age, baseline total MDS-UPDRS scores and H&Y score were slightly higher in the Levodopa group. Table 1 shows the estimated rate of change in the MDS-UPDRS prior to and after starting PD meds. Conclusions: Patients who started PD medication in PPMI had a higher rate disease progression in the year prior to starting PD medication, and Levodopa-treated subjects had slightly more severe disease at study entry. The rate of change in MDS-UPDRS on medication was lower compared to prior to starting medication. Potential explanations for this observation will be discussed. Disclosure: Dr. Xiao has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cedarbaum has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Biogen. Dr. Yang has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Biogen.
THE SUPERSONIC WIND TUNNEL INSTALLATIONS AT PEENEMUNDE AND KOCHEL AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE AERODYNAMICS OF ROCKET-POWERED VEHICLES

ABSTRACT The goal in 1937 was to build an aerodynamic-ballistic research institute to provide all aerodynamic, stability and heat transfer data needed for development of rocket-powered vehicles. Design and construction of the supersonic wind tunnel, with 40cm x 40cm test-section, is described, which was operational at Peenemunde in 1939 and moved to Kochel in 1943. Seven wind tunnel Laval nozzles, ranging up to Mach number 5, were in use. Their theory, design and construction is outlined and their wave patterns are illustrated. Detailed measurements of their flow parameters are shown. Results are presented for two groups: for vehicles without wings such as the A4; and for vehicles with wings including delta wings such as the “Glider A9” or the “Wasserfall.” The influence of exhaust jet on drag and stability is discussed.
Management of Women with Inherited BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations

Prospective validation of strategies to reduce mortality and morbidity in women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutations is needed. There are no randomized controlled trials of different screening or prevention strategies for either breast or ovarian cancer risk reduction in high-risk women. Most studies of cancer risk reduction in women with BRCA1/2 mutations have relatively short follow-up, and few have overall mortality as an endpoint. However, there may be substantial benefits for women with BRCA1/2 mutations when an individualized evidence-based prevention strategy is provided by a team with experience in managing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer risk [1].
In search of stable visible light absorbing photocatalysts: gold nanoclusters §

Photochemical reactions are beginning to play an important role in the synthesis of complex organic molecules. The impetus to employ light initiated photoreactions as a synthetic tool derives from the fact that these reactions require no reagents except light. The abundance of sunlight has prompted the chemists to search for the visible light absorbing sensitizers (catalysts) to initiate the desired reactions. Our goal in this context is to develop stable and readily available catalysts that would function under sunlight. In this manuscript, we present the results of our experiments with gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) as a visible light absorbing catalysts. AuNCs absorb and emit in the visible region, soluble in water and transfers electron to suitable acceptors. Employing a series of acceptors we found that excited AuNC can transfer one electron to any acceptor whose reduction potential is above −1.1 eV. In the excited state, AuNC does not accept electrons. Also, it did not serve as an energy transfer sensitizer even with molecular oxygen. We are optimistic that AuNP and AuNC could be developed into a stable and water-soluble visible light absorbing photocatalysts to perform useful photoreactions. SYNOPSIS In the context of visible light photocatalysis gold nanoclusters upon light, absorption was found to transfer electron to acceptors whose reduction potential is above −1.1 eV. AuNC has limited value as electron transfer sensitizers in photochemical reactions.
Pastoral Theology in a “Barthian” Key:

The article offers theological criteria for engaging in dialogue between theology and the sciences that secures the integrity of each discipline. It delineates the disparate sources of knowledge ga...
[The history of child and adolescent psychiatry in Austria : Essay about a long development].

The history of child and adolescent psychiatry in Austria is very short - it was established first in 1975, finally it achieved the status of a seperate specialisation in 2007. In earlier years the name of this specialty was used under the guise of scientific interest for malpractice and child abuse or child murder during the times of the 2nd World War.But also, the development after 1945 showed how long abviant ideas could survive. During the last decade CAP showed a formidable development, quality and support of patient care improved significantly. Also the scientific development and education in CAP improved. The Austrian Society for CAP developed - although exclusively privately run - into a professional and scientific society, which ist respected by politicians and society.
More on Max Flow

The Max Flow-Min Cut Theorem gives an algorithm for finding a flow with maximum value in a given network as long as the capacities are rational numbers. This algorithm was first published in 1956 by Ford and Fulkerson [34].
Escalation of Commitment in Entrepreneurial Action: Relying on Your Own or Others’ Judgement

Entrepreneurship is particularly vulnerable to escalation of commitment. New ventures often initiate new product development under uncertainty which dissipates only after entrepreneurs invest time,...
Digging through the roots of addiction: Understanding the causes that underlie the insidious problem of substance use disorders (SUDs)

Abstract This issue features a selection of articles that explore mechanisms of processes that contribute to behaviors that are associated with addiction. We have identified selected articles which focus on the mechanisms underlying maladaptive consumption and affective dysregulation. In addition to the articles within this issue, we highlight the necessity of inclusive study design and acknowledgement of individual drug vulnerabilities.
A Narrative Literature Review of the Identity Negotiation of Bilingual Students Who Are Labelled ESL.

English as a second language or ESL instruction is said to be for students who have moved to the United States (or Canada) from another country and temporarily need assistance in learning the English language. However, statistically, a vast majority of ESL students in the United States were born in the US and are US citizens. When students are labelled as ESL and placed in this tract of alternative education, there is an othering process going on. This narrative literature review questions how do these ESL students negotiate their own identity. It is shown that ESL students are socialized into a deficit model, placed in classrooms where the discourse is hegemonic and are placed in location of constant power play where the system is set up against them.
Exploring the Impact of Simple Explanations and Agency on Batch Deep Reinforcement Learning Induced Pedagogical Policies

In recent years, Reinforcement learning (RL), especially Deep RL (DRL), has shown outstanding performance in video games from Atari, Mario, to StarCraft. However, little evidence has shown that DRL can be successfully applied to real-life human-centric tasks such as education or healthcare. Different from classic game-playing where the RL goal is to make an agent smart, in human-centric tasks the ultimate RL goal is to make the human-agent interactions productive and fruitful. Additionally, in many real-life human-centric tasks, data can be noisy and limited. As a sub-field of RL, batch RL is designed for handling situations where data is limited yet noisy, and building simulations is challenging. In two consecutive classroom studies, we investigated applying batch DRL to the task of pedagogical policy induction for an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), and empirically evaluated the effectiveness of induced pedagogical policies. In Fall 2018 (F18), the DRL policy is compared against an expert-designed baseline policy and in Spring 2019 (S19), we examined the impact of explaining the batch DRL-induced policy with student decisions and the expert baseline policy. Our results showed that 1) while no significant difference was found between the batch RL-induced policy and the expert policy in F18, the batch RL-induced policy with simple explanations significantly improved students’ learning performance more than the expert policy alone in S19; and 2) no significant differences were found between the student decision making and the expert policy. Overall, our results suggest that pairing simple explanations with induced RL policies can be an important and effective technique for applying RL to real-life human-centric tasks.
Recent Advances in Blood-Based Biomarkers of Remote Combat-Related Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is highly prevalent among service members and Veterans (SMVs) and associated with changes in blood-based biomarkers. This manuscript reviews candidate biomarkers months/years following military-associated TBI. Several blood-based biomarkers have been investigated for diagnostic or prognostic use to inform care years after military-associated TBI. The most promising include increased levels of plasma/serum and exosomal proteins reflecting neuronal, axonal and/or vascular injury, and inflammation, as well as altered microRNA expression and auto-antibodies of central nervous system markers. Diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of remote TBI outcomes remain in the discovery phase. Current evidence does not yet support single or combination biomarkers for clinical diagnostic use remotely after injury, but there are promising candidates that require validation in larger, longitudinal studies. The use of prognostic biomarkers of future neurodegeneration, however, holds much promise and could improve treatments and/or preventive measures for serious TBI outcomes.
Keg Registration Laws, Alcohol Consumption, and Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities Among Adolescents.

Objective:This study investigated the effect of keg registration laws on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the United States.Method:The 1993–2013 data from Youth Risk Be...
Origins of anisotropic transport in the electrically switchable antiferromagnet Fe 1 / 3 NbS 2

Recent experiments on the antiferromagnetic intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{1/3}{\mathrm{NbS}}_{2}$ have demonstrated reversible resistivity switching by application of orthogonal current pulses below its magnetic ordering temperature, making ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{1/3}{\mathrm{NbS}}_{2}$ promising for spintronics applications. Here, we perform density functional theory calculations with Hubbard $U$ corrections of the magnetic order, electronic structure, and transport properties of crystalline ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{1/3}{\mathrm{NbS}}_{2}$, clarifying the origin of the different resistance states. The two experimentally proposed antiferromagnetic ground states, corresponding to in-plane stripe and zigzag ordering, are computed to be nearly degenerate. In-plane cross sections of the calculated Fermi surfaces are anisotropic for both magnetic orderings, with the degree of anisotropy sensitive to the Hubbard $U$ value. The in-plane resistance, computed within the Kubo linear response formalism using a constant relaxation time approximation, is also anisotropic, supporting a hypothesis that the current-induced resistance changes are due to a repopulating of antiferromagnetic domains. Our calculations indicate that the transport anisotropy of ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{1/3}{\mathrm{NbS}}_{2}$ in the zigzag phase is reduced relative to stripe, consistent with the relative magnitudes of resistivity changes in experiment. Finally, our calculations reveal the likely directionality of the current-domain response, specifically, which domains are energetically stabilized for a given current direction.
Private Equity & Industries in Transition: Debt, Discharge & Sam Gerdano

Since the advent of the internet, the retail business model has been in flux. Brick and mortar stores that sold a “shopping experience” continue to lose ground to online retailers. The industry is in transition. All of these bankruptcies seemed to have followed a similar path toward liquidation. A private equity firm would purchase the retailer, ostensibly to save it. It is always risky to draw empirical conclusions by looking at the firms that end up in bankruptcy court, but failures seemed more common than successes. The puzzle was, that this predominance of failures did not appear to dissuade investors. Is it possible that the private equity firms were succeeding while the businesses were failing? If so, how? It seemed that there were two competing and irreconcilable micro-stories with macro implications: the private equity/market discipline story and the industry in transition story. The choice between them has consequences for how the law ought to regulate investment in troubled businesses and supervise debtors in bankruptcy. This essay considers the relative plausibility of these two stories, and evaluates the Stop Wall Street Looting Act of 2019 in light of these considerations.
Feuding, arbitration, and the emergence of an independent judiciary

Anthropologists, historians, and political economists suggest that private violence—feuding—provides order and enforces agreements in the absence of a state. We ground these accounts in a series of formal models that shows the relationship between feuding, informal arbitration, and formal judicial resolution. Feuding enables cooperation by deterring exploitative behavior, but its ability to do so is conditioned by two credible commitment problems that affect both militarily weak and strong actors. These commitment problems can be partially ameliorated through arbitration, even in the absence of coercive authority, by providing information that makes the wronged party’s threat to feud more credible. Transitioning to a formal, coercive justice system, however, represents a qualitative change to the nature of disputing—a change that can be universally beneficial. We therefore provide a new explanation for the creation of independent courts rooted in the logic of dispute resolution and illustrate this explanation with reference to the creation of the Imperial Chamber Court of the Holy Roman Empire.
Aspirationssyndrom

Die Aspiration fester oder flussiger Materialien perioperativ ist eine seltene, aber schwerwiegende Komplikation, die zum akuten Lungenversagen fuhren kann. Zur Risikostratifizierung und Vermeidung hilft die Kenntnis der pradisponierenden Risikofaktoren und Krankheiten. Die Narkoseeinleitung bei potenziell nicht nuchternen Patienten erfolgt als „rapid sequence induction“ (RSI). Bei beobachteter Aspiration ist schnelles und umsichtiges Handeln wichtig. Ein vorbereiteter Arbeitsplatz und ein geschultes Team konnen den Schaden minimieren. Kenntnisse der Pathophysiologie und Mikrobiologie bei Aspiration sind Voraussetzungen fur die richtige Therapie. Eine perioperative Aspiration impliziert eine verlangerte Beobachtung mit respiratorischem Monitoring des Patienten im Aufwachraum oder auf der Intensivstation. Die Behandlung der Pneumonitis ist supportiv, wahrend bei Pneumonie zusatzlich eine antiinfektive Therapie erforderlich ist, die sich an den Risikofaktoren des Patienten, den Umstanden der Aspiration und dem zu erwartenden Keimspektrum orientiert.
Single-Entity Status Must Pass Legal Test

This article/editorial looks at the legal issues that would emerge under Section 7 of the Clayton Act if the Arena Football League teams attempted to merge into a single-entity league.
The case for a ‘one health’ approach to combating vector-borne diseases

(Published: 29 May 2015) Citation: Infection Ecology and Epidemiology 2015, 5: 28132 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/iee.v5.28132
The Rise of Deferred Tax Assets in Japan: The Case of the Major Japanese Banks

This paper describes the role that accounting for deferred taxes has played in the ongoing financial crisis among the major Japanese banks, as dramatized most vividly by the recent collapse of Resona Bank. I argue that deferred tax accounting: (1) has been used by the Japanese Government, including bank regulators, to help give the major banks collectively the appearance of financial well-being in spite of their economic difficulties, and (2) that managers of these banks have used deferred tax accounting to bolster their banks' regulatory capital levels when their economic circumstances deteriorate. I present evidence that is generally consistent with these arguments, supporting economists' views that accounting has played a role in helping the Japanese Government to postpone the politically difficult task of reforming the major banks.
A 16-bit current sample/hold circuit using a digital CMOS process

In current-mode circuits clock feedthrough from sampling switches is a major source of error. While this error can be reduced to only an offset in switched-capacitor circuits, it produces more severe nonlinearities in switched-current designs. If the input is held constant over several cycles, clock feedthrough errors can be significantly reduced, but for a dynamic input, the ultimate solution has been to use a large sampling capacitor and small-switches. We propose a method of building a highly accurate oversampling current-mode sample/hold circuit using feedback architectures. First, second, and third-order feedback structures are proposed and simulated, with the results showing increased precision as oversampling ratio increases. A 16-bit current sample/hold circuit using a standard digital 2 /spl mu/m CMOS process is presently being designed and fabricated. >
Viral transduction of renin rapidly establishes persistent hypertension in diverse murine strains

Mice provide a unique platform to dissect disease pathogenesis, with the availability of recombinant inbred strains and diverse genetically modified strains. Leveraging these reagents to elucidate the mechanisms of hypertensive tissue injury has been hindered by difficulty establishing persistent hypertension in these inbred lines. ANG II infusion provides relatively short-term activation of the renin-angiotensinogen system (RAS) with concomitant elevated arterial pressure. Longer-duration studies using renin transgenic mice are powerful models of chronic hypertension, yet are limited by the genetic background on which the transgene exists and the exposure throughout development. The present studies characterized hypertension produced by transduction with a renin-coding adeno-associated virus (ReninAAV). ReninAAV mice experienced elevated circulating renin with concurrent elevations in arterial pressure. Following a single injection of ReninAAV, arterial pressure increased on average +56 mmHg, an increase that persisted for at least 12 wk in three distinct and widely used strains of adult mice: 129/S6, C56BL/6, and DBA/2J. This was accomplished without surgical implantation of pumps or complex breeding and backcrossing. In addition, ReninAAV mice developed pathophysiological changes associated with chronic hypertension, including increased heart weight and albuminuria. Thus ReninAAV provides a unique tool to study the onset of and effects of persistent hypertension in diverse murine models. This model should facilitate our understanding of the pathogenesis of hypertensive injury.
Library Leadership that Creates and Sustains Innovation

The pace of change in libraries is daunting. In order to meet patron demands and effectively compete among the wide numbers of choices users have in order to meet information needs, libraries are constantly required to reinvent themselves. Conflicting with this practical need for change is the library purpose of maintaining order and structure to a body of knowledge. Whether an academic, special or public library, this requirement for order and predictability is oftentimes at odds with industry-level pressures that influence, shape and change the way libraries meet user needs. If libraries wish to remain competitive and viable they must positively navigate these changes while remaining true to their mission of knowledge preservation by innovating. Such innovation is dependent upon leadership. Since not all leadership is suited to the task of provoking or fostering innovation, transformational leadership is offered as the ideal in which library leaders should strive. The following article will first examine change, creativity and innovation in the information industry generally and libraries particularly. It will then consider the different types of leadership based upon trait-based views (autocratic, democratic, laissezfaire and charismatic) as well as those grounded in power-exchanges (transactional and transformational) with specific emphasis on the impact each leadership type has upon innovation. Finally, a discussion of how library transformational leaders can foster climates of sustainable innovation is shared.
Fragile: a case study for evoking specific emotional responses

Designers and artists often seek to evoke specific, nuanced sets of emotional responses [1], but attempting to predict the reaction of a given target audience can be daunting. As a first step, it is helpful to create prototypical systems of objects and interactions in order to observe whether or not participants express certain intended emotional responses. The insight gleaned from such explorations can then be applied to future work in which the crafting of a particular experience is desired. This paper documents such an exploration, which took place in the form of an immersive, interactive environment. The environment, entitled "Fragile" included delicate movable lamps that rewarded the user with a combination of ambient sounds based on the lamps' positioning on a host object. [2]
An edge-based data structure for two-dimensional finite element analysis

The introduction of engineering work stations has made it possible for an analyst to describe a two-dimensional finite element model and view its response in a real-time, interactive graphical environment. This interactive environment puts severe performance restrictions on finite element programs. The programs must be able to respond to an analyst's request in a reasonable amount of time. The traditional finite element data structures cannot provide the required performance. This paper introduces a new application of an existing data structure, the winged-edge, which can provide the required performance. The winged-edge data structure is described, with particular emphasis given to its use for finite element analysis. The implementation of the data structure in a fracture analysis program is discussed and a number of examples of its use are presented.
Improved Fast Dual Gradient Methods for Embedded Model Predictive Control

Abstract Recently, several authors have suggested the use of first order methods, such as fast dual ascent and the alternating direction method of multipliers, for embedded model predictive control. The main reason is that they can be implemented using simple arithmetic operations only. In this paper, we present results that enable for significant improvements when using fast dual ascent for embedded model predictive control. These improvements rely on a new characterization of the set of matrices that can be used to describe a quadratic upper bound to the negative dual function. For many interesting formulations, it is shown that the provided bound cannot be improved and that it is tighter than bounds previously presented in the literature. The improved quadratic upper bound is used in fast dual gradient methods as an approximation of the dual function. Since it better approximates the dual function than previous upper bounds, the convergence is improved. The performance enhancement is most significant for ill-conditioned problems. This is illustrated by a numerical evaluation on a AFTI-16 aircraft model where the algorithm outperforms previous proposals of first order methods for embedded control with one to three orders of magnitude.
Genetic algorithm application in a machine scheduling problem

In this paper, we address an n-job, single machine scheduling problem with an objective to minimize the flow time variance. We propose heuristic procedure based on Genetic Algorithms with the potential to address more generalized objective function such as weighted flow time variance. The development and implementation of the algorithm is supported with an extensive literature review and statistical analysis of the results. Some general guidelines to select the parameter values of the genetic algorithm are also developed using an experimental design approach.
Loeffler's endocarditis presenting as mitral and tricuspid stenosis

Abstract Loeffler's endocarditis characteristically produces cardiac dysfunction by the combined effects of endocardial fibrosis with restriction to diastolic inflow and intracavitary thrombosis with partial cavity obliteration. Although valve dysfunction may complicate this condition, it is rarely of primary hemodynamic significance. This report describes an unusual case in which mitral and tricuspid stenosis were the primary cardiac lesions. Because of the critical nature of the valve stenosis, surgical intervention was attempted despite evidence of left ventricular involvement. This case suggests than when significant valve dysfunction complicates Loeffler's endocarditis, surgical revision may be undertaken with at least temporary amelioration of the valve disorder and without apparent adverse effect on the underlying disease process.