cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An axiomatic approach for result diversification

Understanding user intent is key to designing an effective ranking system in a search engine. In the absence of any explicit knowledge of user intent, search engines want to diversify results to improve user satisfaction. In such a setting, the probability ranking principle-based approach of presenting the most relevant results on top can be sub-optimal, and hence the search engine would like to trade-off relevance for diversity in the results.In analogy to prior work on ranking and clustering systems, we use the axiomatic approach to characterize and design diversification systems. We develop a set of natural axioms that a diversification system is expected to satisfy, and show that no diversification function can satisfy all the axioms simultaneously. We illustrate the use of the axiomatic framework by providing three example diversification objectives that satisfy different subsets of the axioms. We also uncover a rich link to the facility dispersion problem that results in algorithms for a number of diversification objectives. Finally, we propose an evaluation methodology to characterize the objectives and the underlying axioms. We conduct a large scale evaluation of our objectives based on two data sets: a data set derived from the Wikipedia disambiguation pages and a product database.
Another person's eye gaze as a cue in solving programming problems

Expertise in computer programming can often be difficult to transfer verbally. Moreover, technical training and communication occur more and more between people who are located at a distance. We tested the hypothesis that seeing one person's visual focus of attention (represented as an eyegaze cursor) while debugging software (displayed as text on a screen) can be helpful to another person doing the same task. In an experiment, a group of professional programmers searched for bugs in small Java programs while wearing an unobtrusive head-mounted eye tracker. Later, a second set of programmers searched for bugs in the same programs. For half of the bugs, the second set of programmers first viewed a recording of an eyegaze cursor from one of the first programmers displayed over the (indistinct) screen of code, and for the other half they did not. The second set of programmers found the bugs more quickly after viewing the eye gaze of the first programmers, suggesting that another person's eye gaze, produced instrumentally (as opposed to intentionally, like pointing with a mouse), can be a useful cue in problem solving. This finding supports the potential of eye gaze as a valuable cue for collaborative interaction in a visuo-spatial task conducted at a distance.
Lifestyle Segmentation Variables as Predictors of Home-Based Trips for Atlanta, Georgia, Airport

This research investigated the influence of demographic and socio-economic factors on air travel demand by using a unique data set purchased from a credit-reporting agency. Linear regression models based on lifestyle segmentation variables were used to predict air passenger trips for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. The study focused on predicting trips that originated from or terminated at residences in Atlanta's 13-county metropolitan area. The lifestyle regression models were compared with regression models based on income, because the latter were similar to the regression models currently used by the Atlanta Regional Commission to predict home-based airport passenger trips. The results provide directional evidence for using lifestyle clusters over income groups in predicting airport passenger trips. The evidence suggests that alternative data sources with adequate information for lifestyle segmentation can improve airport passenger models. The discussion points out the nee...
Safety optimization: a combination of fault tree analysis and optimization techniques

We present a new form of quantitative safety analysis -safety optimization. This method is a combination of fault tree analysis (FTA) and mathematical optimization techniques. With the use of the results of FTA, statistics, and a quantification of the costs of hazards, it allows to find the optimal configuration of a given system with respect to opposed safety requirements. Furthermore, the system may not only be examined for safety, but usability as well. We illustrate this method on a real-world case study: the height control system of the Elbtunnel in Hamburg. Safety optimization showed some significant problems in trustworthiness of the system, yielded optimal values for configuration of free parameters and showed possible modifications to improve the system.
Adaptation of photoacoustic fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for studying the thermal oxidation of nylon 66 at 150°c correlated to mechanical properties

Oven aged tensile bars of heat stabilized, glass reinforced nylon 66 material were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy using a photoacoustic detector. Flat weighed scrapings were removed from tensile bars whose tensile strength, elongation, impact, molecular weight, and thermal properties had previously been measured. Using the amide I band of nylon 66 as an internal standard, the thermal oxidation of nylon was followed using a commercially available photoacoustic detector. The infrared absorbance spectra demonstrate the formation of carbonyl stretching vibrations due to the thermal oxidation of nylon with a band center at 1713 cm−1 whose width at half height is 40 cm−1. The difference infrared spectra support reaction mechanisms dealing with an Initial increase in the degree of polymerization followed by transamidation reactions with subsequent formation of an α, β unsaturated carbonyl species and chain scissioning. By using data related to the percent retention of certain physical properties which had also been measured on these tensile bars, subtractive infrared spectroscopy yielded additional fundamental information regarding nylon 66 degradation. Consequently, nylon products being used in underhood automotive applications are currently being investigated for thermal oxidative degradation using this rapid and relatively non-destructive photoacoustic FTIR technique for durability considerations.
Tolerance and toxicity of primary radiation therapy in the management of seropositive HIV patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Objectives/Hypothesis To report tolerance and toxicity of radiotherapy (RT) with or without chemotherapy in HIV seropositive patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Methods This is a single institution retrospective study of 73 HIV seropositive patients with SCCHN treated from January 1997 through 2010. Stages I, II, III, and IV were 8%, 10%, 24%, and 58%, respectively. The median age at RT, HIV diagnosis. and the duration of HIV seropositive were 51 (32–72), 34 (25–50), and 11 (6–20) years, respectively. Patients were treated definitively with RT alone (35%) or concurrent chemo-RT (65%). Median dose of 70 Gy (66–70) was delivered to the gross disease. Median duration of treatment was 52 (49–64) days. Fifty patients (70%) were on HAART. Results RT± chemotherapy induced acute toxicity was: median weight loss 20 pounds (6–40), 100% developed dysgeusia and xerostomia (grades 1–3). Acute mucositis and dysphagia/odynophagia grades ≤2 and 3 were 83% and 17%, respectively. Treatment breaks in excess of 10, 7, and 3 days were found in 5%, 13%, and 15% of patients, respectively. With a median follow-up of 4 years (2–12) the RT ±chemotherapy induced late dysphagia and xerostomia grades >2 were 26% and 23% of patients, respectively. Conclusion Our data show that primary RT ±chemotherapy for HIV seropositive SCCHN is less tolerated compared to the historical data for SCCHN without HIV. Level of Evidence 2b.
The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Perceptions of Organizational Performance

In 590 for-profit and nonprofit firms from the National Organizations Survey, we found positive associations between human resource management (HRM) practices, such as training and staffing selectivity, and perceptual firm performance measures. Results also suggest methodological issues for consideration in examinations of the relationship between HRM systems and firm performance.
A new radiation-resistant plastic scintillator

A radiation-resistant plastic scintillator has been developed to withstand the high radiation dose regions that will be present in the proposed SSC and LHC accelerators. The base is a highly transparent and radiation resistant polysiloxane plastic. This has been doped with a variety of radiation resistant fluors. The resultant scintillators have been shown to be highly resistant to /sup 60/Co gamma radiation for doses of 10 megarad. >
Factors that Predict Cancer Recurrence and Death from Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

The purpose of this chapter is to present an overview of the variables that predict cancer recurrence and death from cancer in patients with DTC. This information compliments the discussion in the chapter on long-term recurrence and mortality rates and the discussion of the AJCC staging system. Table 1 is modified from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer. Table 2 summarizes the results of Cox regression analysis on a large group of patients with reliable long-term follow-up.
Teaching Law Students to Self-Critique and to Develop Critical Clinical Self Awareness in Performance

This article describes a feedback model designed to engage law students in a rigorous and routinized analysis of lawyering performance. The feedback model is intended to empower law students to take leadership in the exploration of their strengths and weaknesses and to internalize an effective approach to their ongoing professional development throughout their future years of law practice. The author explores the factors that contribute to feedback failure. The author then presents the core principles of learning theory that are the basis for the structured feedback model. The feedback model is then presented, exploring each of the stages. Finally, the model's strengths are identified and potential drawbacks are discussed.
Abstract 158: PPAP2B Expression Regulates the Development of Atherosclerosis

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in both men and women worldwide. The bioactive lipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) accumulates in human atheroma compared to levels in healthy control tissue. LPA can be degraded by the membrane protein lipid phosphate phosphatase 3 (LPP3), encoded by the gene PPAP2B. Noncoding polymorphisms in PPAP2B associate with CAD risk, and gene expression analysis indicates that individuals possessing the risk allele exhibit lower levels of PPAP2B mRNA in leukocytes and vascular cells. We hypothesize that decreased LPP3, as a result of low PPAP2B expression, accelerates experimental atherosclerosis. Murine models of tissue specific LPP3 knockdown were generated using the Cre-Lox system driven by either the MX-1 promoter (MX-1Δ) or the smooth muscle cell specific SM22 promoter (SM22Δ) in mice on the atherogenic LDLr -/- background. Following 12 weeks on Western diet, knockdown of LPP3 in both the MX-1Δ and the SM22Δ mice resulted in significantly more atherosclerosis by en face analysis compared to LPP3-fl/fl littermate controls. LPA content determined using LC/MS/MS tended to be higher in the proximal aortas of MX-1Δ and SM22Δ knockdown mice compared to controls. Significantly higher macrophage gene expression was observed in the MX-1Δ mice while IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the SM22Δ mice compared to controls. Finally, targeting LPP3 expression in the MX-1Δ, but not the SM22Δ, mice resulted in significantly higher circulating levels of LPA compared to controls. These results are consistent with accelerated atherosclerosis in LPP3 knockdown mice and suggest a protective role for LPP3 in CAD. Increased vascular LPA content, as a consequence of decreased LPP3 expression, may promote the infiltration of monocyte/macrophages into lesions as well as exacerbate inflammation to accelerate the development of CAD. Our findings provide mechanistic insight into the genome wide association studies that linked genetic variation in PPAP2B with risk of CAD and focus attention on the LPA/ LPP3 signaling nexus as a novel therapeutic strategy to prevent atherosclerosis.
Deformation of oriented high density polyethylene shish-kebab films

Decrystallization is defined as the mechanically induced reduction and reorganization of the crystalline phase. The decrystallization of oriented high density polyethylene (HDPE) was observed here by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A special drawing technique was used to form thin films with an idealized, highly oriented, shish-kebab morphology. These oriented films were uniaxially elongated at room temperature along or perpendicular to the chain direction, and then viewed by TEM. The use of such a well defined initial morphology reduced the deformation of polyethylene as a whole to that of three structural elements: long shish crystals, chain folded kebabs, and the non-crystalline phase. The non-uniform deformation characteristic of spherulitic film, in which the elongation direction is parallel to lamellar normals in one region and perpendicular to them in another, was thus avoided. High strain transformed the shish-kebab morphology into filaments which were generally non-crystalline and of uniform diameter, with occasional crystalline remnants within them. Upon decrystalliz ation, internal “defects” were generated within crystallites, facilitating subsequent yielding. Stressed kebabs decrystallized and fed into the shish core. “Defect” generation also resulted in a reduction in crystal thickness along the chain direction, indicating that such a reduction can occur in the absence of thermally induced melting. Crystals underwent <001) crystal shear and chain slip, reducing crystal width, as well as martensitic transformation to the monoclinic crystalline form. No subsequent recrystallization was detected by darkfield studies. The influence of the initial shish-kebab morphology of undeformed films on the growth of crazelike structures was discussed.
Influence of Restricted Food Intake on Cardiac Glycogen Mobility.

SummaryCardiac glycogen mobility was compared in swimming rats that had a history of ad libitum feeding with rats placed on a restricted intake for 6 months. Swimming, nonfasted rats (fed ad libitum) demonstrated cardiac glycogenolysis in both residual and TGA fractions, whereas fasted animals in this group exhibited significant glycogenolysis in the TCA fraction of the left ventricle only. Rats with the restricted intake demonstrated no glycogenolysis in either glycogen fraction of the right or left ventricle after the swimming period. This lack of glycogenolysis did not appear to be due to somewhat limited quantities of glycogen available in the animals on restricted intake.
High Pressure Raman and X-ray Diffraction Study of [121] Tetramantane

We investigated the effect of pressure on the structure and bonding of [121] tetramantane up to 20 GPa via in situ angle-dispersive synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy in diamond anvil cells (DACs). A phase transition from the starting monoclinic P21/n structure to a triclinic P1 structure was observed beginning at 13 GPa. Upon decompression, the transition pressure showed large hysteresis. After fully releasing pressure, [121] tetramantane was found to recover into a different polymorph from the starting phase. Continuous changes of the vibration modes associated with the CCC bending and CC stretching regions suggest that this phase transition was induced by the intramolecular level distortions and modifications in the molecular packing. These results provide guidance for understanding the inter- and intramolecular interactions in diamondoids under pressure and shed light on the possibility of using pressure as a tuning parameter for synthesizing higher diamondoids.
Adaptive Algorithmic Hybrids for Human-Level Artificial Intelligence

The goal of this chapter is to outline the attention machine computational framework designed to make a significant advance towards creating systems with human-level intelligence (HLI). This work is based on the hypotheses that: 1. most characteristics of human-level intelligence are exhibited by some existing algorithm, but that no single algorithm exhibits all of the characteristics and that 2. creating a system that does exhibit HLI requires adaptive hybrids of these algorithms. Attention machines enable algorithms to be executed as sequences of attention fixations that are executed using the same set of common functions and thus can integrate algorithms from many different subfields of artificial intelligence. These hybrids enable the strengths of each algorithm to compensate for the weaknesses of others so that the total system exhibits more intelligence than had previously been possible.
Nyssa-like fossil pollen: A case for stabilizing nomenclature

This paper has peculiarities that warrant comment. It was not written as a "standalone" paper but was merely a draft chapter in a much larger review work on Nyssa that Dick began as a sequel to his recent "Comprehending Cornus" (Eyde, 1988). This gives a clue why this paper is bibliographically rich. Only a few weeks before he died, Dick asked me to excise this chapter and move it forward as co-author. It was in better shape than many submitted papers so I saw nothing more than an editorial role. He said, "It's your decision". Although Dick saw three drafts of this amputated chapter, he did not have the time or energy to polish the prose to the crystalline standard of which he was capable. He could only ameliorate my clumsy efforts. His last annotations were made the day before he died and I was amazed at what he caught. As Schopf, Jansonius, Traverse, and others have tried to point out, the nomenclature of plant fossils sometimes slips into an error that Linnaeus solved by separating names (binomials) from descriptions. The error is making names function as more than only a "handle", to also express a characterization or classification. In the fullness of time, the characterization is found to be faulty or the classification is discarded. Under priority, however "inappropriate", names cannot simply be abandoned.
Long Time Dynamics of the Transverse Ising Model–Comparison with Data on LiTbF4

We use the continued fraction formalism (CFF) to obtain the zz- component of the dynamical spin pair correlations of a transverse Ising model (TIM) in 2D at T = ∞ for the first time. Our calculations suggest that the correlation function decays algebraically at long times as t−α, 1.5 Tc, an induced moment ferromagnet.
Nonlinear vibration energy harvesting based on variable double well potential function

Converting ambient mechanical energy to electricity, vibration energy harvesting, enables powering of the low-power remote sensors. Nonlinear energy harvesters have the advantage of a wider frequency spectrum compared to linear resonators making them more efficient in scavenging the broadband frequency of ambient vibrations. To increase the output power of the nonlinear resonators, we propose an energy harvester composed of a cantilever piezoelectric beam carrying a movable magnet facing a fixed magnet at a distance. The movable magnet on the beam is attached to a spring at the base of the beam. The spring-magnet system on the cantilever beam creates the variable double well potential function. The spring attached to the magnet is in its compressed position when the beam is not deflected, as the beam oscillates, the spring energy gradually releases and further increases the amplitude of vibration. To describe the motion of the cantilever beam, we obtained two coupled partial differential equations by assuming the cantilever beam as Euler-Bernoulli beam considering the effect of the moving magnet. Method of multiple scales is used to solve the coupled equations. The cantilever beam with the two magnets is a bi-stable system. Making one magnet movable can create internal resonance that is explored as a mechanism to increase the frequency bandwidth. The effect of system parameters on the frequency bandwidth of the resonator is investigated through numerical solutions. This study benefits vibration energy harvesting to achieve a higher performance when excited by the wideband ambient vibrations.
Psychological distress in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease

Background Psychological factors play a role in a variety of gastrointestinal illnesses, including esophageal diseases. The role of psychological factors in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is not known. The purpose of this study was to determine if psychological distress is present in patients with reflux disease. Methods We performed psychological assessments in 51 patients with documented gastroesophageal reflux disease and in 43 age-matched controls using a battery of instruments. Results Patients with reflux differed from controls on scales of depression, somatization, anxiety, and intensity of reporting symptom distress. However, a secondary analysis revealed that it was a subset of reflux patients (30%) that accounted for the differences between the two groups. Conclusions These results suggest that although most patients with GERD are psychologically similar to patients without GERD, a subset of psychologically distressed patients are more likely to be found among patients with GERD. They suffer from general psychological distress rather than a specific psychiatric disorder. This psychological factor could affect the clinical manifestations of reflux disease in these individuals. Recognition and management of psychological distress in this subgroup may aid in the management of reflux disease.
O10.2 Trichomonas vaginalis nucleic acid clearance following treatment of hiv negative women

Background Rescreening women for Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) post treatment is important as repeat infections are common, ranging from 5%–31%. Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) too soon after treatment may result in false positive results due to detection of remnant TV nucleic acids. The goal of this study was to determine the rate of false positive NAAT results at weeks 1–4 post treatment completion using culture as the gold standard. Methods Women attending an STI clinic in New Orleans who were InPouch culture positive and treated with metronidazole (MTZ) were included. Participants were scheduled for 4 weekly follow up visits beginning one week post-treatment completion. They provided self-obtained vaginal swabs (SOVS) and information regarding sexual exposure at each visit. SOVS were tested using InPouch culture and the Gen-Probe AptimaTV (GPATV) assay which targets ribosomal RNA. Women who were culture positive at follow-up were considered re-infected/treatment failure and were not followed further. Results 39 women were InPouch+ at baseline and were followed. Of these, 3 (7.7%) were InPouch TV+ at follow-up (1 at 1 week and 2 at 2 weeks) and reported no sexual exposure. Thus, these women were considered to be treatment failures and were no longer followed. Of the remaining cases, 5/29 (17.2%) were GPATV+ at the 1 week follow up visit, and 1/34 (2.9%) was GPATV+ at 2 weeks. The six positive women denied vaginal sexual re-exposure. None of the women were InPouch TV culture positive at any of the follow up visits and no woman was GPATV+ at 3 and 4 weeks post treatment. Conclusions These data demonstrate that TV ribosomal RNA is cleared from the vagina by 3 weeks post completion of successful MTZ treatment and that the GPATV assay can be relied on as a test-of-cure at this point and beyond. Disclosure Drs Martin and Taylor have served as consultants for Hologic Inc.
Power delivery impedance impact of power gating schemes

Optimal power performance balance is critical for high performance microprocessors. This paper addresses different microprocessor power gating architectures and their impact to power performance trade-offs considering AC and DC metrics. It is shown that package resource allocation is critical to ensuring effectiveness of expensive die capacitance used for mitigating voltage droop. Power delivery impedance including the effect of power gating architecture and package resources is analyzed in detail to provide design guidelines. Experimental data from Intel® VI generation Core™ processor is presented for validation.
Expression of G-Protein Signaling Components in Adult Mammalian Neurons by Microinjection

Although methods for expressing foreign proteins in clonal cell lines are well established, mature neurons remain a difficult preparation for the introduction of foreign genes. Microinjection is a reliable method for producing robust targeted expression in neurons that has advantages over conventional transfection/infection methodologies. Here, I describe procedures for expressing signaling proteins in adult rat sympathetic neurons by direct microinjection of cRNA and cDNA into the cytoplasm and nucleus, respectively. The methods are applicable to a wide variety of peripheral and central neuron preparations, as well as clonal cell lines.
A comprehensive analysis of the correlation between maximal clique size and centrality metrics for complex network graphs

Abstract We seek to identify one or more computationally light-weight centrality metrics that have a high correlation with that of the maximal clique size (the maximum size of the clique a node is part of) - a computationally hard measure. In this pursuit, we compute three well-known measures of evaluating the correlation between two datasets: Product-moment based Pearson's correlation coefficient, Rank-based Spearman's correlation coefficient and Concordance-based Kendall's correlation coefficient. We compute the above three correlation coefficient values between the maximal clique size and each of the four prominent node centrality metrics (degree, eigenvector, betweenness and closeness) for random network graphsand scale-free network graphs as well as for a suite of ten real-world network graphs whose degree distribution ranges from random to scale-free. We also explore the impact of the operating parameters of the theoretical models for generating random networks and scale-free networks on the correlation between maximal clique size and the centrality metrics.
Air Force One: Popular (Non)fiction in Flight

This chapter begins with a discussion of the 1997 film Air Force One and its novelization to interrogate the relationship between fictional and nonfictional narratives about the famous US presidential aircraft. How, Schaberg asks, do the fictions of this aircraft abet and merge with the nonfictional object, the actual plane? The chapter employs Foucault’s concept of “governmentality” to analyze the Boeing Corporation’s 2005 “product description” of the plane as both the material symbol and a site of centrally controlled power. It concludes with an analysis of a set of more recent, unofficial, narratives about Air Force One to argue that this plane—as object and text—signals a new epoch in which power elides both space and time.
Kinetic Models of Oxygen Thermochemistry Based on Quasi-Classical Trajectory Analysis

Recent progress in state-resolved kinetic models of thermal relaxation and dissociation of oxygen based on high-fidelity transition rate coefficients is presented. Specifically, three types of collisions encountered in high-temperature flows are discussed: O2–O, O2–N, and O2–N2. For these molecular systems, the thermal relaxation times and dissociation rate coefficients, obtained from extensive trajectory simulations, are compared with existing experimental data. A new set of calculations for O2–N2 on an ab-initio potential energy surface is presented. Accuracy of multitemperature models is assessed based on comparison with the solution of master equations. Recommendations for adjustable parameters employed in multitemperature models are provided.
Speech recognition with automatic punctuation.

We present a method of speech recognition with automatic punctuation based on a combination of acoustic and lexical evidence. In the recognizer vocabulary, punctuation marks are treated as word entries. By assigning the acoustic baseforms of silence, breath, and other non-speech sounds to punctuation marks, and using a properly processed N-gram language model, unpronounced punctuation marks of various types (commas, periods, etc.) appear naturally in the recognizer output. This technology can be used in dictation systems to improve usability, in commercial broadcast transcription systems to reduce editing time, and in information retrieval systems to provide phrasing information to facilitate natural language understanding.
Integrative Medicine for Gastrointestinal Disease

Gastrointestinal conditions are prevalent in the population and account for significant morbidity and health care costs. Patients with gastrointestinal conditions use integrative medicine. There is growing evidence that integrative medicine approaches can improve symptoms and affect physiology and disease course. This article reviews data on some common and well-studied approaches, including mind-body therapies, acupuncture, diet, probiotics, and dietary supplements and herbs. Although clear recommendations can be made for some conditions, in others there are challenges in translating these findings owing to small study size, lack of standardization, and trial heterogeneity.
Dominic II: meta-level control in iterative redesign

This paper describes the meta-level control system of a program (Dominic) for parametric design of mechanical components by iterative redesign. We view parametric design as search, and thus Dominic is a hill climbing algorithm. However, from experience with Dominic we concluded that modeling engineering design as hill climbing has several limitations. Therefore, a need for meta-level control knowledge exists. To implement meta-level control, we have taken the approach of dynamically modifying the way hill climbing is performed for this task, rather than requiring the addition of domain-specific control knowledge. We have identified the limitations of hill climbing, constructed various generic hill climbing strategies, and developed a meta-strategy to guide the application of the strategies. The program monitors its own performance for unproductive efforts and selects among different strategies to improve its performance as it designs. This meta-level control significantly improves the performance of the program over the performance of an earlier version.
Reading Across the Curriculum at an Urban Community College: Student and Faculty Perspectives on Reading

ABSTRACTResearch indicates that there has been a decline in college reading over the past decades, yet few studies have been conducted at community colleges. The aim of this exploratory study was to gain a broad view of what reading across the curriculum looks like at one urban community college from the perspectives of students and faculty. A survey was administered to students to gather information on their reading practices, beliefs, and attitudes. A second survey was distributed to full-time faculty to gather information on assignments, practices, and beliefs regarding reading. Findings indicate that many students do not complete assigned readings. Further, women students spend more time on reading and attend class more often having completed assigned reading than men. There are discrepancies between students’ and faculty’s assessments of students’ reading abilities, whether reading is essential to course success and between the kinds of readings commonly assigned and those students enjoy reading. The...
Inquire for iPad: a biology textbook that answers questions

Textbooks are increasingly moving into the digital realm, which presents an opportunity for them to evolve from providing the reader with a static, linear experience, into an interactive application that can adapt to a student as well as to specific learning goals. As a step in this direction, we present Inquire: Biology, an electronic textbook that provides question-answering capability.
Airway Obstruction Caused By Iron Pill Aspiration: An Interventional Pulmonology Approach To Prevent Surgery

Iron Pill Aspiration (IPA) is a challenging medical condition that requires prompt management to prevent detrimental outcomes. One of the most serious complications of IPA is airway inflammation which commonly leads to severe obstruction. Airway complications may require surgical intervention including the resection of the affected lung. Prompt recognition and management of IPA can reduce the risk of airway complications and may prevent the need of a surgical intervention. Bronchoscopic management entails the use of flexible and rigid bronchoscopes along with balloon bronchoplasty, ablation of the inflammatory tissue causing obstruction and airway stenting. In this report, we describe a case of severe airway obstruction secondary to iron pill aspiration with favourable outcome following bronchoscopic multimodalities intervention including temporary airway stenting.
In the Name of Executive Success: An Examination of First Name Popularity and Executive Compensation

Research has shown that the nature of an individual’s name can have a significant effect on their success in life. In this study, we examine if these implications persist among top executives of co...
Hammersley-Chapman-Robbins lower bounds on pole and residue estimates from impulse response data

The estimation of nonrandom pole and residue parameters from impulse-response data is studied. Specifically, the Hammersley-Chapman-Robbins lower bound (HCRB) on the estimation error variance is analyzed for single-input single-output systems with multiple but distinct poles. The HCRB is compared with the widely used Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRB) in examples. The HCRB is found to be significantly tighter than the CRB when noise levels are high compared to the impulse response signal, while the bounds become close for small noise levels (equivalently, large residues).
Diagnostic Potential of Neural Exosome Cargo as Biomarkers for Acute Brain Injury.

Objective Neuronal exosomes purified from peripheral blood samples have been proposed as diagnostic tool in the setting of acute brain injury but never tested clinically. We hypothesized that exosome protein biomarkers would change over time following acute hypoxic brain injury and would predict response to therapy. Methods Synaptopodin (SYNPO), an actin-associated protein present in postsynaptic spines, was evaluated as a potential biomarker as well as: synaptophysin, neuron-specific enolase, and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase. A secondary analysis was performed on neonatal samples collected at 8, 10, and 14 h after the initiation of therapeutic-controlled hypothermia for acute hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (n = 14). Neuronal exosomes were purified from serum and protein levels were quantified using standard ELISA methods. The primary study outcomes were length of stay (LOS), discharge on seizure medication (DCMED), and composite neuroimaging score (NIS). Results The slope of change in neuronal exosome SYNPO between 8 and 14 h appeared to be the most promising biomarker for all three clinical study outcomes. SYNPO was highly correlated with LOS (-0.91, P < 0.001). SYNPO increased in 6/8 without DCMED and was worse or neutral in 5/5 with DCMED (P = 0.02). All four neonates with an abnormal NIS had neutral or decreasing SYNPO (P = 0.055). Other candidate biomarkers were not associated with outcomes. Interpretation This report provides the first clinical evidence that neural exosomes turn over rapidly enough in the peripheral circulation to be used as a "troponin-like" test following acute brain injury. Optimal sampling and biomarkers likely vary with type of brain injury.
China’s Slowdown and Rebalancing : Impacts on Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper explores the economic impacts of two related tracks of China’s expected transformation, that is, economic slowdown and rebalancing away from investment toward consumption. It estimates the spillovers for the rest of the world with a special focus on Sub-Saharan African countries. By 2030, an average 1 percent annual slowdown of China’s GDP is expected to result in 1.1 percent GDP decline in Sub-Saharan Africa and a 0.6 percent global slowdown relative to past trends. However, if China’s transformation also entails substantial rebalancing, the negative income effects of the economic slowdown could be offset through higher overall imports by China and positive terms-of-trade effects for its trading partners. Slowdown and rebalancing in China is estimated to increase GDP by 4.7 percent for Sub-Saharan Africa and by 4.8 percent for the global economy. China’s transformation is also estimated to reduce poverty, but the extent depends on country in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
Do Achievement Factors Change across Development? An Investigation with the KTEA-3.

Theories of reading and writing development suggest that the factor structure of achievement batteries could change across development. As a result, it is important to test achievement batteries fo...
Advanced Biaxial Cruciform Testing at the NIST Center for Automotive Lightweighting

Modeling of sheet metal forming operations requires mechanical properties data at very large tensile strains and various biaxial strain paths. Typically these data are developed along strain ratio paths that are linear and monotonic, but actual forming strain paths are nonlinear and not necessarily monotonically increasing. A unique planar-biaxial testing facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been designed to address non-linear strain paths and other long standing measurement needs. The system uses a combination of four independently controlled hydraulic actuators, with either displacement, force, or strain feedback control, to deform the material, while measurements of the material response is accomplished through a unique combination of digital image correlation and X-ray diffraction. Results of commissioning tests are presented for displacement and force control along different axes. The system was able to deform the sample in the elastic and plastic regimes. The results show the difference between the displacement and strain paths followed, as well as some unexpected behavior (e.g. buckling). Other expanded system capabilities for future use are briefly described.
Effects of Green Tea and EGCG on IL-8 Inflammatory Responses in LPS and TNF-α-Induced, Differentiated HT-29 Human Colon Cancer Cells

Colon cancer incidence has been linked to inflammation and lifestyle factors, including diet. Green tea (GT) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the main flavonoid component of GT, have been rep...
Pattern Recognition Methods for Fermentation Database Mining

Abstract By incorporating wavelet decomposition and trend analysis information from historical fermentation process data into decision tree searches, distinguishing features in the signals are exposed. Following the rules generated by the decision tree, fermentation process yields can be optimized in future nins. At the same time, the most important variables are identified, thus limiting the amount of information that need be collected during each run.
Female Parliamentary Representation in Islamic Countries

Islamic heritage is one of the cultural factors cited in the literature as being detrimental to women 's political participation. Having a Muslim population does not aflect women's participation in national parliaments equally, however. Across countries with predominately Muslim citizenries, the percentage of women in the national legislature varies considerably. The literature on women's political participation identijies three main determinants of the percentage of women in parliament: structural, institutional, and cultural factors. This paper examines the role of these three determinants on the percentage of women in national legislatures of Islamic countries. This study expands on the literature with an additional hypothesis, that the use of Islamic law by a country in its legal system will negatively aflect the percentage of women members of parliament.
Electrical stimulation in the clinical management of the neurogenic bladder.

Apres une etude chez le chien des diverses modalites de stimulation de la vessie on passe a l'homme: rappel sur l'anatomie des nerfs sacres et honteux, stimulation des racines sacrees, troubles graves neuropathiques de la miction, traitement de la spasticite
Introduction: Plasmonics and its Building Blocks

An overview of the field of plasmonics is presented that describes its historical development and the surface excitations that underlie it, namely surface plasmon polaritons and localized surface plasmons. Recent theoretical and experimental developments concerning these excitations are described, together with discussions of applications in which they have been employed and applications for which they have been proposed but which have not yet been realized.
“So … who is your audience?”

To whom, if anyone, are the writings of philosophers of science relevant? There are three potential groups of people: Philosophers, Scientists, and Interested Citizens, within and beyond the academy. I argue that our discipline is potentially relevant to all three, but I particularly press the claims of the Interested Citizens. My essay is in dialogue with a characteristically insightful lecture given thirty years ago by Arthur Fine. Addressing the Philosophy of Science Association as its president, Fine argued that general philosophy of science was dead, and that all the action lay in the philosophy of the special sciences. I try to identify what was correct about Fine’s diagnosis, while supplementing his message by describing fruitful projects that have since emerged. I also hope to share his subversive spirit.
pNeRF: Parallelized Conversion from Internal to Cartesian Coordinates

The conversion of polymer parameterization from internal coordinates (bond lengths, angles, and torsions) to Cartesian coordinates is a fundamental task in molecular modeling, often performed using the Natural Extension Reference Frame (NeRF) algorithm. NeRF can be parallelized to process multiple polymers simultaneously, but is not parallelizable along the length of a single polymer. A mathematically equivalent algorithm, pNeRF, has been derived that is parallelizable along a polymer's length. Empirical analysis demonstrates an order-of-magnitude speed up using modern GPUs and CPUs. In machine learning-based workflows, in which partial derivatives are backpropagated through NeRF equations and neural network primitives, switching to pNeRF can reduce the fractional computational cost of coordinate conversion from over two-thirds to around 10%. An optimized TensorFlow-based implementation of pNeRF is available on GitHub.
An empirical investigation of how and why developers rename identifiers

Renaming is vital to software maintenance and evolution. Developers rename entities when their original names no longer fit their behavioral role within the program. This may happen if the entity's original name was of poor quality or if the system has evolved such that the original name needs to be updated to reflect some of this evolution. In the end, the reason for the rename ultimately falls under increasing understandability and comprehension. Because comprehension is so important, and identifiers are the primary way developers comprehend code, it is critical to understand empirically how and why identifier names evolve. Armed with an understanding of these two facets of identifier evolution, researchers will be able to train algorithms to recognize, recommend, or even automatically generate high-quality identifier names. We present an empirical study of how method, class and package identifier names evolve to better understand the motives of their evolution. The empirical validation involves a set of 524,113 rename refactorings, performed on 3,795 Java systems. In a nutshell, our findings demonstrate that most rename refactorings narrow the meaning of the identifiers for which they are applied. Further, we analyze commit messages to contextualize these renames.
Towards a task-driven framework for multimodal fatigue analysis during physical and cognitive tasks

This paper outlines the development of a task-driven framework for multimodal fatigue analysis during physical and cognitive tasks. While fatigue is a common symptom across several neurological chronic diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), cerebral palsy (CP) and others, it remains poorly understood, due to various reasons, including subjectivity and variability amongst individuals. Towards this end, we propose a task-driven data collection framework for multimodal fatigue analysis, in the domain of MS, combining behavioral, sensory and subjective measures, while users perform a set of both physical and cognitive tasks, including assessment tests and Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).
Transplant and Pregnancy

Following renal transplantation, women of childbearing age may experience a return of fertility, and thus both pregnancy and contraception become an important part of the management of female kidney transplant recipients. In light of higher maternal and fetal risks during pregnancy, it is imperative to optimize allograft function and to modify immunosuppression prior to conception in renal transplant recipients. The following chapter will discuss conception planning, pregnancy outcomes, and medical management of the pregnant transplant recipient, highlighting the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to care.
Plant microbiome-dependent immune enhancing action of Echinacea purpurea is enhanced by soil organic matter content.

We previously demonstrated that extracts from Echinacea purpurea material varied substantially in their ability to activate macrophages in vitro and that this variation was due to differences in their content of bacterial components. The purpose of the current study was to identify soil conditions (organic matter, nitrogen, and moisture content) that alter the macrophage activation potential of E. purpurea and determine whether these changes in activity correspond to shifts in the plant-associated microbiome. Increased levels of soil organic matter significantly enhanced macrophage activation exhibited by the root extracts of E. purpurea (p < 0.0001). A change in soil organic matter content from 5.6% to 67.4% led to a 4.2-fold increase in the macrophage activation potential of extracts from E. purpurea. Bacterial communities also differed significantly between root materials cultivated in soils with different levels of organic matter (p < 0.001). These results indicate that the level of soil organic matter is an agricultural factor that can alter the bacterial microbiome, and thereby the activity, of E. purpurea roots. Since ingestion of bacterial preparation (e.g., probiotics) is reported to impact human health, it is likely that the medicinal value of Echinacea is influenced by cultivation conditions that alter its associated bacterial community.
Decoding the 5′ nucleotide bias of PIWI-interacting RNAs

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are at the center of a small RNA-based immune system that defends genomes against the deleterious action of mobile genetic elements (transposons). PiRNAs are highly variable in sequence with extensive targeting potential. Their diversity is restricted by their preference to start with a Uridine (U) at the 5' most position (1U-bias), a bias that remains poorly understood. Here we uncover that the 1U-bias of Piwi-piRNAs is established by consecutive discrimination against all nucleotides but U, first during piRNA biogenesis and then upon interaction with Piwi's specificity loop. Sequence preferences during piRNA processing also restrict U across the piRNA body with the potential to directly impact target recognition. Overall, the uncovered signatures could modulate specificity and efficacy of piRNA-mediated transposon restriction, and provide a substrate for purifying selection in the ongoing arms race between genomes and their mobile parasites.