cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of Cone-beam Computed Tomographic Image Interpretation by Endodontists and Endodontic Residents.

Abstract Introduction Limited field cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging has become a modality frequently used by endodontists to evaluate the teeth and surrounding tissues of their patients. Accurate image interpretation is vital to obtain needed treatment information as well as to discern coincidental findings that could be present. The goal of this study was to determine the accuracy of CBCT volume interpretation when performed by endodontists and endodontic residents. Methods Eighteen deidentified limited field CBCT scans were obtained and evaluated by an oral and maxillofacial radiologist and an endodontist experienced in reading CBCT images. Their collective findings were combined as the “gold standard” of interpretation for this investigation. Using standard CBCT software, 4 practicing endodontists and 5 second-year endodontic residents evaluated each scan and recorded any notable findings and whether or not each scan warranted referral to a radiology specialist. Their interpretations were then compared with the gold standard to determine accuracy and any significant differences among the groups. Results The overall accuracy was 58.3% for endodontists and 64.3% for residents. Paired t tests showed no statistically significant differences in accuracy between the 2 groups for findings in teeth or in bone, but residents were significantly better for maxillary sinus findings. Endodontists agreed with the gold standard 38.9% of the time and residents 49.8% of the time on necessity of referral. The Cohen kappa coefficient showed moderate agreement between the groups. Conclusions Endodontists and residents had similar accuracy in CBCT scan evaluation. More training and experience are warranted for both groups in order to maximize image assessment accuracy.
What Do Economically Costly Signals Signal?: a Life History Framework for Interpreting Conspicuous Consumption

Compared to women, men have a greater tendency to make conspicuous wealth displays and typically make greater contributions in non-somatic provisioning. Male resource displays often predict future paternal resource investments; however, some conspicuous displays may function as mating effort at the cost of investment potential. Men who tend to make such displays may have less interest in long-term relationship investment and commitment and greater interest in short-term sexual relationships. Undergraduates read descriptions of two men purchasing automobiles with the same budget. One man purchased a new car for the sake of reliability (frugal investment); the other purchased a used car and allocated the remaining funds to conspicuous display features (new paint, larger wheels, louder sound system). Participants rated each character on life history characteristics, relationship interests, and relationship attractiveness. Participants rated the man who invested in flashy display higher on mating effort, lower on parental investment, higher on interest in brief sexual affairs, lower on interest in long-term committed romantic relationships, higher in attractiveness to women for brief sexual affairs, and lower in attractiveness to women for long-term committed romantic relationships, compared to the man with a frugal investment strategy. Participants demonstrated an intuitive understanding that some male conspicuous displays can indicate faster life history strategies. Human male luxury displays associated with high mating effort life histories may mimic the properties of male secondary sexual characteristics across species, and these displays may be more prevalent in environments fostering faster life histories.
Teaching around the world for 106 days: my Semester at Sea experience

Traveling and teaching around the world for 106 days sounds adventurous or even romantic. The Semester at Sea (SAS) program introduces students to many different cultures through coursework and intensive in-country experiences with the aim of cultivating global citizenship. From the collaborative learning atmosphere that results from the unique relationships developed outside the classroom to the deep learning that occurs when students must put what they have theorized in class into practice in foreign countries. The SAS experience is more than the sum of its ports; it is like living on another campus for a semester and the interplay of varied shipboard and port experiences influence students toward a more comprehensive global perspective. This paper will describe the overview of SAS program and share my experience as a faculty member teaching for SAS program.
Breast cancer metastasis to the bladder: a literature review.

Given the prevalence of breast cancer and the mortality associated with metastatic disease, it is imperative for physicians to not only be aware of common sites but also of rare metastatic destinations such as the bladder. A postmenopausal woman with a medical history of stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma, oestrogen receptor/progesterone receptor positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative, in remission for 9 years, presented to her primary care physician with concerns of increased urinary urgency, frequency and incontinence. The patient underwent cystoscopy with biopsy of an area of granulation tissue. Biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma consistent with breast primary. The common sites of metastases from breast cancer are lung, bone and liver. This case is unique where breast cancer was found to metastasise to the bladder. It is important for physicians to consider further investigation when a breast cancer survivor develops urinary symptoms even without haematuria.
The Gravitational Waves That Bathe the Earth: Upper Limits Based on Theorists' Cherished Beliefs

On the basis of our cherished beliefs about the structure of the Universe and the theory of gravitation, we derive theoretical upper limits on the strengths of the gravitational waves that bathe the Earth. Separate limits are presented, as functions of frequency, for waves from extragalactic sources and for waves from inside our own galaxy; and in each case, for discrete sources (bursters, transient sources, and monochromatic sources) and for a stochastic background due to unresolved sources. An observation of gravitational waves exceeding these limits would be disturbing (and exciting), since it would require a modification of one or more generally accepted assumptions about the astrophysical universe or the nature of gravity.
On Syzygy Street: The City and Planning in Analogy1:

A city is an identity in manifold presentations or profiles, some of which are reviewed here. Why and how do cities and planning allow for so many differing and apparently incompatible analogies (a...
Consumer engagement: the role of social currency in online reviews.

We explore the interplay between social currency (SC) and consumer engagement on social networks. We use text analyses based on both human coding and machine learning asisted sentiment analysis on ...
Global information literacy: a content analysis of three journals

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to perform a content analysis of information literacy specific journals to determine what contributing countries and predominant themes are represented in the field leading to a global understanding of information literacy. Design/methodology/approach The data for this study were collected through a content analysis of journal article publication information, titles, abstracts and keywords in three journals: Communications in Information Literacy (the USA), Journal of Information Literacy (the UK) and Nordic Journal of Information Literacy in Higher Education (Norway) from 2012 to 2017. Findings The USA contributed the most to the literature, though the top information literacy themes were addressed by each of the 18 countries that contributed articles to the journals under study. Some themes emerged that suggest the existence of a common global discourse around shared information literacy concepts, including themes related to information literacy theory and practice. Practical implications The shared information literacy themes can be used to help solidify a global understanding of information literacy. Originality/value This study fills a gap in the content analysis of information literacy journals by identifying themes that demonstrate a shared global understanding of information literacy.
Why Efficiency: A Research Agenda for an Explanatory Account of Default Rules as Choreographers and a Tentative Concept of Regulatory Contractualization

This essay is an exercise that fitted into a broader research work the author conducted for her own PhD dissertation. At that time, doctoral researchers at the European University Institute were challenged to think thoroughly about methodology in law. I accepted that challenge. As a consequence, this essay was first and foremost an attempt to conciliate law and economics from the spectrum of game theory. In this essay, I argue that existing default rules often fail to either protect shareholders from collective action problems inside private limited liability companies, or that they prevent shareholders from being able to unload their shares when desired. In other words, the weakness of particular corporate default rules is two-sided. Here, I focus mainly on the first side, that is to say, I address the collective action problem. This is demonstrated with the model of shareholders’ coordination I present herein. With this model, I illustrate how a collective action problem can force shareholders to sell lower than their total valuation of the company because they believe others will sell and, thus, they will lose power over the company’s future policies. At the end, I propose solutions that are meant to stimulate discussion about which design of default rules is more likely to overcome ownership problems deriving from the inefficiency of transfer of shares in private limited liability companies (PLLCs) – the most commonly used private units of economic development.
A C-Terminal Exosite of von Willebrand Factor Domain A2 Interacts with ADAMTS13 Spacer Domain To Accelerate Substrate Cleavage.

ADAMTS13 is a plasma metalloproteinase that limits platelet-rich thrombi by cleaving von Willebrand factor (VWF) at the Tyr 1605 -Met 1606 bond in the A2 domain. A minimal substrate that consists of GST linked to VWF residues Asp 1596 -Arg 1668 with a C-terminal 6×His tag (GST-VWF73) is cleaved rapidly by plasma ADAMTS13. Further removal of Glu 1660 -Arg 1668 , which comprises a predicted C-terminal α-helix (GST-VWF64) markedly reduced the rate of cleavage, suggesting this helix comprises an exosite for substrate recognition. By amino acid sequencing, ADAMTS13 was shown to cleave the Tyr 1605 -Met 1606 bond of GST-VWF64. Truncation of ADAMTS13 after certain structural domains had different effects on substrate cleavage. After removal of the GST moiety by proteolysis, the kinetic constants for cleavage of VWF73 and VWF64 were determined for several recombinant ADAMTS13 variants using a quantitative MALDI-MS assay (Table). Comparison of the specificity constants ( k cat / K m ) shows that ADAMTS13 truncated after the spacer domain (construct MDTCS) cleaved VWF73 ~20-fold faster than did a similar enzyme without the spacer domain (construct MDTC). In contrast, both MDTCS and MDTC cleaved VWF64 slowly at a rate similar to the cleavage of VWF73 by MDTC. Most of the variation in cleavage rates was explained by differences in K m , suggesting that the spacer domain recognizes an exosite at the C-terminus of VWF73 that is missing from VWF64. Cleavage of VWF73 yields a C-terminal product (cVWF63). Purified cVWF63 (7.5 μM) inhibited MDTCS activity toward VWF73 or VWF64 (1.5 μM) by »90%, but did not inhibit MDTC, suggesting that the exosite of VWF73 or cVWF63 interacts directly with the spacer domain. Moreover, cVWF63 inhibited the cleavage of multimeric VWF by full-length ADAMTS13 and MDTCS up to 80%, but did not inhibit MDTC. The selective effects of deleting the ADAMTS13 spacer domain and Glu 1660 -Arg 1668 of the VWF domain A2 suggest that the C-terminal exosite of the VWF A2 domain accelerates substrate cleavage by binding specifically to the ADAMTS13 spacer domain.
SAMMI: A semi-Automated tool for the visualization of metabolic networks

Summary Here we present a browser-based Semi-Automated Metabolic Map Illustrator (SAMMI) for the visualization of metabolic networks. While automated features allow for easy network partitioning, navigation, and node positioning, SAMMI also offers a wide array of manual map editing features. This combination allows for fast, context-specific visualization of metabolic networks as well as the development of standardized, large-scale, visually appealing maps. The implementation of SAMMI with popular constraint-based modeling toolboxes also allows for effortless visualization of simulation results of genome-scale metabolic models. Availability and implementation SAMMI has been implemented as a standalone web-based tool and as plug-ins for the COBRA and COBRApy toolboxes. SAMMI and its COBRA plugins are available under the GPL 3.0 license and are available along with documentation, tutorials, and source code at www.SammiTool.com. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Regenerative Rehabilitative Medicine for Joints and Muscles

The purpose of this paper was to review regenerative medicine treatments for joints and muscles. There is level 1 evidence supporting the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Few studies have investigated the efficacy and safety of bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), microfragmented fat (MF), and placental and amniotic product (PAP) injections for OA. Preliminary studies have not found a benefit of PRP injections for acute muscle injury. No studies have been performed evaluating the therapeutic effect of BMAC, MF, or PAP injections for muscle injuries. Based upon the currently available research, PRP injections for OA provide more significant pain relief and functional improvement than placebo or hyaluronic acid and are more effective in the knee than in the hip. There is insufficient evidence to determine whether BMAC, MF, or PAP injections are safe or efficacious for the treatment of OA or whether any regenerative medicine injection is safe or effective for muscle injuries.
The Impact of Commercial Parking Utilization on Cyclist Behavior in Urban Environments

Abstract With growing freight operations within the United States, there continues to be a push for urban streets to accommodate trucks during loading and unloading operations. Currently, many urban locations do not provide loading and unloading zones, which results in trucks parking in places that can obstruct roadway infrastructure designated to vulnerable road users (e.g., pedestrians and cyclists). In an effort to understand the implications of these truck operations, a bicycle simulation experiment was designed to evaluate the impact of commercial vehicle loading and unloading activities on safe and efficient bicycle operations in a shared urban roadway environment. A counter-balanced, factorial design was chosen to explore three independent variables: commercial vehicle loading zone (CVLZ) sizes with three levels (no CVLZ, Min CVLZ, and Max CVLZ), courier position with also three levels (No courier, behind the truck, beside the truck), and loading accessories (Acc) with two levels (no Acc, and with Acc). Cyclist’s velocity and lateral position were used as performance measures. Data were obtained from 48 participants (24 women) resulting in 864 observations in 18 experimental scenarios. Linear Mixed-Effects Models (LMM) were developed to examine the effect of each independent variable level on bicyclist performance. Results from LMM model suggest that loading zone size had the greatest effect on cyclist’s divergence. Additionally, when the courier was walking beside the truck, cyclist’s velocity significantly dropped to almost one m/sec in compared when the courier located behind the truck. The presence of accessories had the lowest influence on both velocity and lateral positions of cyclists. In the no CVLZ scenarios, the delivery vehicle was parked at the bike lane, therefore; cyclists had to choose between using the travel lane or the sidewalk. About one-third of participants decided to use the sidewalk. These findings could support better roadway and CVLZ design guidelines, which will allow our urban street system to operate more efficiently, safely, and reliably for all users.
Electrodynamics and Radiation Reaction

The self force of electrodynamics is derived from a scalar field. The resulting equation of motion is free of all of the problems that plague the Lorentz Abraham Dirac equation. The age-old problem of a particle in a constant field is solved and the solution has intuitive appeal.
Recasting the Disney Princess in an Era of New Media and Social Movements

In seeking to “critique the works created during Disney’s second revival” and “[examine] the political economy of a major global company and brand (p. 5)”, this collection of analyses takes the reader on a journey from the personal impact of representation to the in-depth critique of what they say about the communities depicted.
Change on Earth through the Eyes of an Economist: A Synopsis

This essay examines the present in light of the past; it also examines the past in light of the present. The present is the phenomenon of modern technical change and economic growth; the past is the original physical endowment of the Earth and the billions of years of subsequent evolution. The link is that both past and present are the result of the remixing of the original endowment of the Earth – the material and forces that have shaped biological evolution from jellyfish to humans and physical evolution from an uninhabitable world to machine learning. The essay argues that what we know as technical change is but the most recent chapter in the long account of evolution that has transformed both the biological and physical worlds. However, this argument rests on our ability to expand substantially the boundaries of our conventional understanding of evolution and those of technical change, enabling both to view change in the physical and biological worlds as interactive, symmetric and therefore invention-neutral. The essay sets the stage for exploring various implications of this perspective, including the consequence of ideas rather than genes emerging as the fundamental driver of evolution.
Genes with specificity for expression in the round cell layer of the growth plate are enriched in genomewide association study (GWAS) of human height.

Human adult height reflects the outcome of childhood skeletal growth. Growth plate (epiphyseal) chondrocytes are key determinants of height. As epiphyseal chondrocytes mature and proliferate, they pass through three developmental stages, which are organized into three distinct layers in the growth plate: (i) resting (round), (ii) proliferative (flat), and (iii) hypertrophic. Recent genomewide association studies (GWASs) of human height identified numerous associated loci, which are enriched for genes expressed in growth plate chondrocytes. However, it remains unclear which specific genes expressed in which layers of the growth plate regulate skeletal growth and human height. To connect the genetics of height and growth plate biology, we analyzed GWAS data through the lens of gene expression in the three dissected layers of murine newborn tibial growth plate. For each gene, we derived a specificity score for each growth plate layer and regressed these scores against gene-level p values from recent height GWAS data. We found that specificity for expression in the round cell layer, which contains chondrocytes early in maturation, is significantly associated with height GWAS p values (p = 8.5 × 10-9 ); this association remains after conditioning on specificity for the other cell layers. The association also remains after conditioning on membership in an "Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) gene set" (genes known to cause monogenic skeletal growth disorders, p < 9.7 × 10-6 ). We replicated the association in RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data from maturing chondrocytes sampled at early and late time points during differentiation in vitro: we found that expression early in differentiation is significantly associated with p values from height GWASs (p = 6.1 × 10-10 ) and that this association remains after conditioning on expression at 10 days in culture and on the OMIM gene set (p < 0.006). These findings newly implicate genes highlighted by GWASs of height and specifically expressed in the round cell layer as being potentially important regulators of skeletal biology. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Use of Commercially Available Fiber Optic Components in Emerging Space Laser Communications Applications: Optimizing Performance, Cost, and Reliability

This paper summarizes recent work in developing space laser communications hardware at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, describing how state-of-the-art fiber optic components provide performance and reliability in emerging lasercom system designs.
Health, Wealth, and Voting Trajectories in Later Life.

OBJECTIVES Much of what we know about voting behaviors is based on cross-sectional comparisons of voters at different ages. This study draws on a unique linkage between the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study and state voter files to characterize voting trajectories in later life and explore their determinants. METHODS Using sequence analysis, we identify five voting typologies based on turnout and voting methods over eight biennial elections. Using multinomial logistic and Poisson regressions, we examine the role of physical, cognitive, and mental health and wealth in shaping enfranchisement and civic participation at older ages. RESULTS Health and wealth are both positively associated with voter turnout, but the negative impact of poor health on voting declines with increasing wealth. Voting at the polls and early voting are more common among healthier older adults, whereas absentee voting is more common among older voters who are more affluent, less healthy, or both. Among those less wealthy, absentee methods mitigate the impact of poor health for previously active voters, but do not compensate for a lower turnout rate. In addition to physical and cognitive limitations, emotional difficulties and depression reduce turnout, particularly among the least wealthy. DISCUSSION In this sample of older, largely white, primarily Midwestern committed voters, civic participation at older ages is shaped by individual experiences with wealth and health across the life course as well as political structures that facilitate or restrict the ability of individuals to consistently participate in elections.
Correcting an Orbit

A least-squares solution from numerous observations or normal places is tedious when done by hand, and particularly when repeated iterations are needed, as it often happens. Differential corrections were not often applied in pre-computer times. Little attention was also given to the development and application of briefer methods of correction (in comparison to the extensive and often unsuccessful efforts to find the solution directly in one step). As the calculation of corrections — differentially or equivalent — is now considered a standard procedure, the representation of data in an acceptable orbit can reach higher quality standards. A word of warning may be in order that even the easily programmed differential corrections are not a schematic computing exercise. An apparently ample set of data is frequently unfavorably distributed, leaving one or two elements (or an element combination) weakly determined. A few discordant observations may suffice to impair the representation over all the the rest of the orbit, or even cause the corrections to diverge. Such incidents are hard to foresee, and have to be remedied in the course of computation by revising the weights, or by limiting the number of corrections computed in one step in a preliminary orbit. Even if empirical variations of elements are deemed sufficient, it is usually worthwhile to compute the differential normal equations in both coordinates; they will show if, and which, further revisions are indicated. The importance of complete data should again be emphasized; the entire run of residuals is the paramount check on errors, and the information from radial velocities — if available — should also not be forgotten.
Stress and Satisfaction Among Juvenile Correctional Workers: A Test of Competing Models

Abstract During the past three decades, there have been increasing investigations of correctional employees' reactions to their work, especially in terms of job-related stress and satisfaction. The vast majority of this research, however, has been conducted in adult facilities. To help address this limitation in the literature, we use a secondary dataset to examine the levels and sources of work stress and job satisfaction among 195 juvenile correctional workers from across the state of Ohio. The results revealed that, overall, these workers experienced moderate to high amounts of job stress and satisfaction. Levels of work stress varied significantly based on work-related variables, while both individual and work-related variables were important in predicting levels of job satisfaction.
But, isn't that cheating? [collaborative programming]

Can university computer science students benefit from collaborative programming? The author discusses his experiences with a class he taught at the University of Utah which set out to study pair programming in an educational setting. The class, an Active Server Pages (ASP) web programming class, consisted of 20 juniors and seniors. The students were very familiar with programming, but not with the web programming languages learned and used in the class. Each student was paired with another student to work with for the entire semester. Tests were, however, taken individually. They understood that the idea was not to break the class project into two pieces and integrate later. The idea was to work together (almost) all the time on one product. These requirements were stated in the course announcement and were re-stated at the start of the class. Most skeptically, but enthusiastically, embarked on making the transition from solo to collaborative programming. The consensus of the class was very, very positive about the technique. Making the transition to pair programming involves breaking down some personal barriers beginning with the understanding that talking is not cheating. Pair programming has the potential of changing how programming classes are taught in order to benefit the students' learning experience.
What Defaults Can Do That Hierarchies Can't

This paper extends existing work on the use of default information to describe planning hierarchies in two ways. First, we present a completeness result showing that all hierarchical planners can be described using defaults. Second, we show that if the planning hierarchy is situation-dependent, the default description is likely to have substantial computational advantages over a more conventional approach.
From the Great Depression to the Great Recession: (Non-)Lawyers Practicing Law

In most American jurisdictions, a practitioner of legal services must have a license to practice law. However, history illustrates that economic recessions increase demand to deregulate the legal profession and allow non-lawyers to provide legal services. This article is a defense of licensing requirements for legal services, because the rule of law is too important to a civilized democracy to let it be undermined by quick judgments in the shadows of bad economies. Ultimately, legal services will be governed- by courts, legislatures, a licensed bar, or the free market. However, due to the critical nature of the rule of law in our society, the licensed bar which is bound by ethical duties and minimum competencies, is in the best position to regulate.
The Use and Abuse of Philosophy for Life

John McCumber’s new book takes up the current professional crisis in the discipline of philosophy and traces it back to a series of fateful philosophical distinctions that have resulted in an oppressively substantialist (“ousiodic”) disposition and, in so doing, have rendered philosophy pernicious. When humankind thrives, philosophy wanes, but when philosophy thrives, humankind generally wanes. In reviewing McCumber’s timely and important work, I also reflect on philosophy’s current crisis of relevance, both in itself and with reference to this journal.
Heat Transfer Issues in Thin-Film Thermal Radiation Detectors

The Thermal Radiation Group at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has been working closely with scientists and engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center to develop accurate analytical and numerical models suitable for designing next generation thin-film thermal radiation detectors for earth radiation budget measurement applications. The current study provides an analytical model of the notional thermal radiation detector that takes into account thermal transport phenomena, such as the contact resistance between the layers of the detector, and is suitable for use in parameter estimation. It was found that the responsivity of the detector can increase significantly due to the presence of contact resistance between the layers of the detector. Also presented is the effect of doping the thermal impedance layer of the detector with conducting particles in order to electrically link the two junctions of the detector. It was found that the responsivity and the time response of the doped detector decrease significantly in this case. The corresponding decrease of the electrical resistance of the doped thermal impedance layer is not sufficient to significantly improve the electrical performance of the detector. Finally, the "roughness effect" is shown to be unable to explain the decrease in the thermal conductivity often reported for thin-film layers.
Bank credit and debt, income, and causality: The Sims test on measures of credit

Abstract By employing the Sims test this study examines the exogeneity, or casual ordering, of bank credit and two measures of debt from the US Federal Reserve Flow of Funds Accounts. Evidence presented here suggests that Bank Credit and Funds Raised by Private Domestic Nonfinancial Sectors are not appropriate targets. The Sims test of causality clearly indicates undirectional causality running from Total Funds Raised by Private Domestic Nonfinancial Sectors to spending.
A Temporal-Spatial Flow Control Protocol for ABR in Integrated Networks

Many end-to-end feedback flow control protocols experience the rate oscillations caused by latency phase shift (LPS). This problem comes from time-varying bandwidth and non-zero feedback latency. A temporal flow control (TFC) protocol called MTS (Multiple-Time-Scale) was proposed to significantly reduce the oscillations in our earlier publication [2]. In this paper, the class of temporal flow control is further studied and a fundamental theorem relating LPS rate oscillations to the ratio of feedback latency to available bandwidth window duration is proved. The MTS protocol is generalized and two propositions showing the advantages of the generic MTS protocol is proved. Simulation results show MTS significantly improves network performance in terms of stability, throughput and cell loss. In particular, MTS smoothens the output traffic very effectively, thus further reducing the traffic fluctuations.
Busting Out: Iranian Public Opinion toward the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

This article seeks to explore Iranian popular opinion on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the determinants of Iranian attitudes. Using data from a 2008 survey of 710 Iranians administered by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), we find that that an important minority of Iranians (10 percent in 2006 and 14 percent in 2008) would prefer Iran withdraw from the NPT. Our statistical analysis shows that Iranians who fear a U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and distrust the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are more likely to want to quit the NPT. Thus we argue that those who do not trust other nations are most likely to oppose the NPT.
The MOOC Phenomenon: Who Takes Massive Open Online Courses and Why?

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have commanded considerable public attention due to their sudden rise and disruptive potential. But there are no robust, published data that describe who is taking these courses and why they are doing so. As such, we do not yet know how transformative the MOOC phenomenon can or will be. We conducted an online survey of students enrolled in at least one of the University of Pennsylvania’s 32 MOOCs offed on the Coursera platform. The student population tends to be young, well educated, and employed, with a majority from developed countries. There are significantly more males than females taking MOOCs, especially in BRIC and other developing countries. Students’ main reasons for taking a MOOC are advancing in their current job and satisfying curiosity. The individuals the MOOC revolution is supposed to help the most — those without access to higher education in developing countries — are underrepresented among the early adopters.
Dynamic group support in LANMAR routing ad hoc networks

In mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) mobile nodes are often organized into groups with different tasks and, correspondingly, different functional and operational characteristics. In particular, nodes in the same group have coordinated motion. The coordinated motion pattern considerably simplifies the mobility management and allows efficient and scalable routing. In this paper, we propose an efficient scheme to discover the group identifier of a given destination. Our scheme utilizes the underlying landmark ad hoc routing protocol (LANMAR) routing structures. In our scheme, when a communication is scheduled, the source queries the landmarks for destination group information. The newly retrieved group information is then used in normal LANMAR routing operations. Caches are used for retrieval optimization and for search overhead reduction. In contrast to the on-demand flood-search scheme, our new approach only generates a few unicast search packets to landmarks instead of flooding the whole network. The main advantages are that less search overhead is incurred by our scheme and as a result, there is no need to introduce into the system a separate distributed hashing based peer-to-peer look up scheme or a centralized name server. Simulation results show that LANMAR with group discovery outperforms a typical on-demand search scheme.
Gender and Justice in Susan Glaspell’s “A Jury of her Peers”

At the heart of Susan Glaspell’s classic short story “A Jury of Her Peers” (1917), there stands a question, by intent, a rhetorical question that is at once clearly inane and remarkably telling, at once humorously ironic and profoundly troubling. The question is posed casually by one of the story’s three male characters, Mr. Hale, who is reacting to another man’s request that the two women present at the scene of a murder keep an eye out for significant clues. Mr. Hale’s question: “But would the women know a clue if they did come upon it?” (359).2I call Mr. Hale’s question here a “reaction” rather than a “reply” for a good reason. The fact is that Hale is asking a rhetorical question whose answer is, it would seem, perfectly obvious to those present, men and women alike, and so it comes as no surprise that no one even attempts to address his question. Given our current sensibilities, Hale’s question would not go unanswered today, nor could an artist spin such a line into his or her fiction without being heavy-handed indeed. In 1917, the year of the story’s publication, however, sensibilities concerning women’s social roles and, therefore, their abilities and intellect, were quite different from those of our own time. The cultural subtext that runs beneath the story contains a variety of provocative narrative details: that, in 1917, women were allowed to vote in state elections in only eleven states; that the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote in national elections, had yet to be ratified; that women had few guaranteed legal right, including the rights to own property and even guardianship of their own children; that, for the most part, women were not admitted to law schools, nor were they allowed to serve on juries in many states. In general, women were seen as incapable of making judgments beyond the pale of home and hearth.
Mediators of lipid A modification, RNA degradation, and central intermediary metabolism facilitate the growth of Legionella pneumophila at low temperatures.

Legionella pneumophila is an aquatic bacterium that is also the agent of Legionnaires’ disease pneumonia. Since L. pneumophila is transmitted directly from the environment to the lung, it is important to understand how legionellae survive at low temperatures. To identify genes that are needed for L. pneumophila growth at low temperature, we screened a population of mutagenized legionellae for strains that are specifically impaired for growth at 17°C. From the 7,400 mutants tested, 11 displayed defects ranging from ca. 10-fold to a complete inability to grow at the low temperature. PCR and sequence analysis were then utilized to identify the genes whose loss had compromised growth. The proteins thereby implicated in low-temperature growth included components of the type II secretion system (LspE, LspG, LspH), a lipid A biosynthetic enzyme (LpxP), a ribonuclease (RNAse R), an RNA helicase (CsdA/DeaD), TCA cycle enzymes (citrate synthase), enzymes linked to fatty acid (FadB) or amino acid (aspartate aminotransferase) catabolism, and two putative membrane proteins that were, based upon their sequences, unlike previously characterized proteins. Given the magnitude of their mutant’s defect, the aspartate aminotransferase, RNA helicase, and one of the putative membrane proteins were the factors most critical for L. pneumophila low-temperature growth. Thus, L. pneumophila not only employs some of the same processes and factors as other bacteria do in order to survive at low temperatures (e.g., LpxP, CsdA), but it also appears to possess novel modes of cold adaptation.
Constrained reconstruction of complex waveforms

We consider the reconstruction of the complex transmission coefficients of screens from their projected wave fields. The technique that we use in order to recover the screen complex transmission coefficient is to solve iteratively a system of linear equations that relate the screen to the observed data. We are interested in the special case in which we have detailed a priori knowledge about the distance of the object. In this instance we constrain the solution such that the reconstructed screen conforms to a real positive function. We explicitly formulate the wave equation and demonstrate that a substantial increase in noise immunity and/or resolution enhancement of the recovered function obtainable by using this method.
Elution of low molecular weight solutes from viable cells of Saccharomyces bisporus

Previous work has shown that high molecular weight compounds were released from Saccharomyces bisporus by β-mercaptoethanol, 2 M KCl, 0.5 M KCl and osmotic shock without affecting viability of the cells. In this current experiment, it was shown that low molecular weight compounds were also eluted when cells were treated in sequence with the same reagents. Alanine, glutamate, serine, an unidentified amino acid, glucose, glycerol, and arabitol were all eluted by each of the first three reagents. The osmotic shock eluate contained a larger number and quantity of amino acids than the first three eluates but, otherwise, the compounds in this eluate were the same. One hundred percent of the cellular glycerol and 65–70% of the total amounts of the other above mentioned solutes were released by the 4 eluting treatments. A hot water treatment was needed to extract the remainder of these solutes. The hot water extract also contained almost all the cellular proline. It was suggested that the elutable solutes are contained by cells in compartments (or vesicles) whose membranes are accessible to the eluting reagents without affecting the plasmalemma.
Lysosomal carboxypeptidase B from rabbit lung purification and characterization.

Abstract Lysosomal carboxypeptidase B has been purified from rabbit lung acetone powder by acid precipitation and ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by further purification on Sephadex G-100, DEAE-Sephadex, Organomercurial-Sepharose, preparative isoelectric focusing, Sephadex G-75, and carboxymethyl-Sephadex. This procedure resulted in a homogeneous preparation as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 4.5, 8.3 and with sodium dodecyl sulfate. This enzyme has a molecular weight of 52,000, is composed of two subunits of approximately equivalent molecular weight, and is a glycoprotein with a carbohydrate content estimated to be 10% by weight. The amino acid composition is also reported. The enzyme is active on two synthetic substrates, α- N -benyoyl- l -arginineamide and hippuryl- l -arginine. With these two substrates, respectively, lysosomal carboxypeptidase B has pH optima of 5.7 and 5.0, temperature optima of 40 and 50 °C, and K m values of 10 and 16 m m . With each substrate, the enzyme requires the presence of a reducing agent for maximal activity and is inhibited to the same extent with several inhibitors. The most potent inhibitors were leupeptin and antipain at low concentrations (1 μ m ). Iodoacetate and Ac-(Ala) 3 -Ala-chloro-methyl ketone also inhibited at higher concentrations (10 μ m ). However, compounds such as leucyl-chloromethyl ketone, bestatin, pepstatin, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, soybean trypsin inhibitor, and α-1-antitrypsin did not inhibit. When tested with peptides as substrates, this proteinase exhibited strong carboxypeptidase activity on the tetrapeptide, ThrProArgLys, and on angiotensin I, AspArgValTyrIle HisProPheHisLeu, liberating Lys, and Leu, respectively. Substance P (containing 11 amino acids plus a C-terminal amide group) was virtually inactive as a substrate for this enzyme. However, with oxidized insulin B chain as substrate, lysosomal carboxypeptidase B exhibited significant carboxypeptidase and endopeptidase activities.
Functional and structural characteristics of photoreceptor cells rescued in RPE-cell grafted retinas of RCS dystrophic rats.

Abstract In this study retinas of pink-eyed 26 day-old RCS dystrophic rats were injected with normal, melanotic retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells into the subretinal space. The areas containing underlying photoreceptor cells were subsequently investigated by electron microscopy at 60 days and light microscopy immunocytochemistry at 60 and 120 days. Retinal regions containing viable RPE-cell grafts exhibited melanin-contained RPE cell transplants attached to Bruch's membrane and containing shed rod outer segments (ROS). Also, the ROS of these photoreceptor cells exhibited a normal-appearing structural relationship with apical membrane projections of these RPE cells. The debris zone, prominent in retinas of 60 day-old RCS dystrophic rats, was much reduced in RPE-cell grafted regions. By at least 3 months after RPE transplantation, immunostaining for Na+,K+-ATPase was demonstrated along inner segments (IS) of photoreceptor cells in grafted regions, as was also shown in control retinas, but not in non-grafted regions. Opsin immunostaining in RPE-cell grafted regions and in control retinas was detected along ROS and rod inner segments (RIS) and at the periphery of cell bodies in the outer nuclear layer. This study has shown that transplanted normal RPE cells in retinas of RCS dystrophic rats appear to have normal functional and structural characteristics at least three months after transplantation. Furthermore, the rescued PRC's exhibited a normal distribution of and immunostaining density for the membrane-bound enzyme Na+,K+-ATPase and the photopigment opsin.
Hierarchical optimization and control of a power system

A massive transformation of the power grid is undergoing towards the smart grid concept. Devices such as smart meters, inverter interfaced power devices, energy storage, power electronics equipment, smart appliances and other controllable devices are being incorporated in the power grid. Thus, a need has emerged to be able to control, monitor, and exploit the benefits associated with these controllable devices. In this paper, an infrastructure for optimization, control, and operation of the power system is proposed to formulate an advanced energy management system (EMS). The proposed infrastructure allows for an accurate and fast monitoring and operating of the power system over the short time planning period. Basically, the concept of distributed monitoring and control via a hierarchical structure is used to achieve these goals. A communication infrastructure consisting of advanced metering devices, satellite receivers, and data concentrators (DC), is proposed to support the EMS functions of the future. The main enabling technologies that facilitate the implementation of the proposed infrastructure are: (a) new communication infrastructure and (b) distributed state estimation (DSE). The main function of the communication infrastructure is to gather the system synchronized and non-synchronized data, process them in Data Concentrators and create streaming data into the DSE. The DSE processes the data for the purpose of providing the real time model of the system at speeds of 60 times per seconds. The real time model provided by the DSE is used to perform the optimization and determine the controls for the power system in an autonomous fashion.
Gas Separation by a Continuous Membrane Column

Abstract The continuous membrane column provides a revolutionary new separation technique. In gaseous diffusion the continuous membrane column is used to separate as highly concentrated products both the most permeable and least permeable gases from a feed mixture of any composition. The main features of the column are countercurrent enrichment, high reflux and minimal backmixing. The new method eliminates the need for numerous interstage compressors and extensive product stream recycling found in conventional gaseous diffusion cascades. Experiments are carried out for systems of C02-O2, O22-N2 (air), and CO2-N2 mixtures using continuous membrane columns made out of silicone rubber membrane. Also, a theoretical model is developed to interpret the experimental data. The agreement between theory and experiment is excellent. The maximum degree of separation can be achieved at total reflux. It is experimentally verified that the maximum degree of enrichment attainable by a conventional method can easily be ex...
Program by design: TeachScheme/ReachJava (abstract only)

Program by Design is a new name for the comprehensive introduction to programming at all levels that began with TeachScheme/ReachJava. This unconventional introductory computing curriculum covers both functional and the object- oriented program design in a systematic design-based style, enforcing test-first design from the beginning. The Bootstrap curriculum makes programming and algebra exciting for children ages 11-15. Special libraries support the design of interactive graphics-based games, musical explorations, client-server and mobile computing.We invite you to come and meet those who have used the curriculum, learn about new additions, libraries, bring in your experiences with the curriculum, show your projects, or ask questions about how it works and how you can use it.This work is sponsored by two NSF DUE CCLI grants: Redesigning Introductory Computing: The Design Discipline, Grant #00618543, and Integrating Test Design into Computing Curriculum from the Beginning, Grant #0920182.
On explicit exact solutions for the Lienard equation and its applications

Abstract In this Letter, a kind of explicit exact solutions to the Lienard equation is obtained, and the applications of the results to the nonlinear Schrodinger equation and the Pochhammer–Chree equation are presented.