cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Culture and control: A field study

Abstract This paper reports the results of an exploratory study comparing the perceptions of management control systems (MCS) which are held by U.S. and Japanese workers. It is argued that because of the shared values and norms present in the Japanese culture and the valuation of cooperation by that culture, the bureaucratic procedures will be fewer in Japanese firms. However, it is hypothesized that the Japanese workers will be as aware of the presence of the controls as their U.S. counterparts. Thus, the less bureaucratic MCS's will be perceived to be as explicit by Japanese workers as the more bureaucratic MCS is by U.S. workers. Subject to all the caveats for exploratory research, the findings are encouraging to those who argue that culture affects control.
Adaptive control of flexible structures using Residual Mode Filters

Flexible structures containing a large number of modes can benefit from adaptive control techniques which are well suited to applications that have unknown modeling parameters and poorly known operating conditions. In this paper, we focus on a direct adaptive control approach that has been extended to handle adaptive rejection of persistent disturbances. We extend our adaptive control theory to accommodate troublesome modal subsystems of a plant that might inhibit the adaptive controller. In some cases the plant does not satisfy the requirements of Almost Strict Positive Realness. Instead, there maybe be a modal subsystem that inhibits this property. This section will present new results for our adaptive control theory. We will modify the adaptive controller with a Residual Mode Filter (RMF) to compensate for the troublesome modal subsystem, or the Q modes. Here we present the theory for adaptive controllers modified by RMFs, with attention to the issue of disturbances propagating through the Q modes. We apply the theoretical results to a flexible structure example to illustrate the behavior with and without the residual mode filter.
Cortical neuroglia in experimental epilepsy.

Three different sites of aluminum hydroxide (alumina) application to sensorimotor cortex of monkey are compared: subdural, subarachnoid, and intracortical. The thin arachnoid membrane excludes subdural alumina from brain to prevent clinical or electrical seizures and histological changes. Subarachnoid alumina results in late onset of epilepsy (4–6 months), and seizures are often severe. This epileptic lesion spreads over the outermost cortex like an umbrella. Astrocyte reaction in the border zones results in thick pia-glial membranes, hypertrophied cells with increased filaments and microfilaments, greater number of processes, and increased numbers of cellular connections. The hypertrophic reaction is general in superficial cortex, but in deeper layers organized stripes or bands of giant hypertrophied astrocytes occur at depths where potassium electrode studies have shown increased potassium ions in extracellular spaces with seizures. Neuronal depopulation and neurofibrillary degeneration are not features of the subarachnoid model. Intracortical injections cause seizures in 6–8 weeks, but the lesions are an anatomical disarrangement. In addition to gliosis about the lesion, there are associated asymmetrically located stripes of reactive astrocytes far distant from the injection site. Astrocytes are thought to contribute to or cause the epileptic lesion. They appear to respond to the resulting hyperactivity in neurons, associated ion flux or transmitter release, by hypertrophic reaction in the epileptic focus.
Transition to reality: Preparing the student at Georgia Tech through an undergraduate sequence of optics laboratories

Optics is a field that deals with sources, components, and detectors. Its practice requires that students be familiar with many techniques from the simple measurement of the radius of curvature of a lens surface with a dial gauge spherometer to the analysis of figure errors of the same surface using a phase-shifting interferometer. In this article we describe the laboratory courses available to students in the Applied Optics program in the School of Physics, which is part of the Center of Optical Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The experiments and projects are intended to provide the student with experiences that will prepare them for work in optics after they graduate.
A captive-air irradiation study of the response of nitric acid and peroxyacetyl nitrate to ozone control strategies in Los Angeles

Abstract Outdoor smog chamber experiments were used to study the sensitivity of the yields of two important nitrogen-containing pollutants, nitric acid (HNO 3 ) and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) to changes in nonmethane hydrocarbon (HC) and nitrogen oxide (NO x ) concentrations in Los Angeles. The experiments were conducted at two sites in the Los Angeles Basin using eight chambers filled with morning Los Angeles air on 33 days. At least one chamber was unchanged and served as a control, while the initial HC and/or NO x concentrations were changed by 25–50% in up to seven chambers to simulate O 3 control strategies and to broaden the range of HC - NO x conditions studied. Empirical models that predict the maximum yields of HNO 3 and PAN were used to determine the response of these pollutants to three possible ozone control strategies. All three strategies (reductions in HC, NO x or both HC and NO x ) reduced PAN while only NO x reductions decreased HNO 3 . However, reducing NO x increased the HC reductions required to attain lower O 3 levels. Thus, there is a conflict between the O 3 and HNO 3 control strategies.
The decision-making value of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in patients seen in a referral center for suspected biliary and pancreatic disease.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability of MRCP to alter the differential diagnosis and to prevent diagnostic and/or therapeutic ERCP. The diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) for biliary and pancreatic disease is well documented. Some believe MRCP may prevent diagnostic ERCP or add useful information, however there are no reports of its impact on clinical management. METHODS: Consecutive patients referred for ERCP underwent clinic evaluation, then MRCP, and then ERCP. In Phase 1, the number of differential diagnoses and the perceived need for diagnostic ERCP were evaluated after each step by the endoscopist who performed the ERCP. In Phase 2, the process was repeated after presenting clinical information and MRCP results to different individual physicians: another endoscopist, a hepatologist, a radiologist, and a surgeon (all were blinded to ERCP results). RESULTS: Forty patients were enrolled. Clinical contexts were jaundice (19.7%), abnormal liver enzymes (42.6%), abdominal pain (11.5%), recurrent acute pancreatitis (11.5%), and suspected complications of chronic pancreatitis (14.7%). In Phase 1, adding MRCP information to diagnostic ERCP information did not change the mean number of differential diagnoses significantly and prevented no therapeutic ERCP. In Phase 2, adding MRCP to clinical information only (without ERCP) reduced the differential diagnosis significantly for the radiologist and the surgeon only and would have prevented ≤3% of diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP for all physicians. CONCLUSION: The value of MRCP information may be limited if patient selection is inappropriate and may differ in physicians depending on their speciality.
Meteor 1.3: Automatic Metric for Reliable Optimization and Evaluation of Machine Translation Systems

This paper describes Meteor 1.3, our submission to the 2011 EMNLP Workshop on Statistical Machine Translation automatic evaluation metric tasks. New metric features include improved text normalization, higher-precision paraphrase matching, and discrimination between content and function words. We include Ranking and Adequacy versions of the metric shown to have high correlation with human judgments of translation quality as well as a more balanced Tuning version shown to outperform BLEU in minimum error rate training for a phrase-based Urdu-English system.
Signal Superposition Coded Cooperative Diversity: Analysis and Optimization

The performance of a coded cooperative diversity system employing the Euclidean superposition of two BPSK- modulated signals is analyzed. For an example using a convolutional code on block fading channels, the results show excellent agreement with computer simulations. The analysis makes it possible to optimize the power allocation between the local and relay signals numerically, circumventing the need for time consuming Monte Carlo simulations.
Autonomous replication for high availability in unstructured P2P systems

We consider the problem of increasing the availability of shared data in peer-to-peer systems. In particular, we conservatively estimate the amount of excess storage required to achieve a practical availability of 99.9% by studying a decentralized algorithm that only depends on a modest amount of loosely synchronized global state. Our algorithm uses randomized decisions extensively together with a novel application of an erasure code to tolerate autonomous peer actions as well as staleness in the loosely synchronized global state. We study the behavior of this algorithm in three distinct environments modeled on previously reported measurements. We show that while peers act autonomously, the community as a whole will reach a stable configuration. We also show that space is used fairly and efficiently, delivering three times availability at a cost of six times the storage footprint of the data collection when the average peer availability is only 24%.
Defining Institutional Problems: A Heuristic Procedure

This essay explores heuristic uses of Kenneth Burke's pen tad of dramatistic terms for defining institutional problems. Answering questions about institutional problems arranged according to Burke's pentad, students learn to incorporate multiple perspectives into their problem statements provid ing with them a socially inclusive foundation for problem solving reports.
FEPI-MB: identifying SNPs-disease association using a Markov Blanket-based approach.

Background The interactions among genetic factors related to diseases are called epistasis. With the availability of genotyped data from genome-wide association studies, it is now possible to computationally unravel epistasis related to the susceptibility to common complex human diseases such as asthma, diabetes, and hypertension. However, the difficulties of detecting epistatic interaction arose from the large number of genetic factors and the enormous size of possible combinations of genetic factors. Most computational methods to detect epistatic interactions are predictor-based methods and can not find true causal factor elements. Moreover, they are both time-consuming and sample-consuming.
Dynamic Analysis and Control of a Stewart Platform Using A Novel Automatic Dierentiation Method

This paper presents a kinematic based Lagrangian approach to generate the equations of motion and design an adaptive control law for multi-body systems. This methodology is applied to dynamic analysis and controller design study for a Stewart platform. Novel means of utilizing automatic dierentiation are employed to generate and solve the equations of motion, using only high level geometric and kinematic descriptions of the system. Based on deriving and coding only the kinematic descriptions of the system, the nonlinear motion of the platform is solved automatically and the analyst is freed from deriving, coding, and validating the lengthy nonlinear equations of motion. Lyapunov stability theory and concepts from adaptive control are used to formulate a nonlinear feedback control law. The control law is of the model reference adaptive structure, designed to track a prescribed smooth trajectory. By designing an adaptive update rule for the system mass and inertia parameters, the tracking errors are proven to be asymptotically stable for arbitrary parameter errors. Also, a PID adaptive control law is designed to guarantee bounded stability in the presence of bounded disturbances. Numerical results are included to illustrate the performance of the algorithm in the presence of large parameter errors and external disturbance.
Isomer specificity of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA): 9E,11E-CLA

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) were identified in 1980's, since then it has been intensively studied due to its various beneficial health effects such as anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic, anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetic/obesity effects. Isomer specificity of a number of CLA isomers, especially predominant isomer 9Z,11E- and 10E,12Z-CLA, is now recognized. However, the less prevalent CLA isomers have not been well characterized. Recently, studies have reported the distinctively different effects of 9E,11E-CLA in colon cancer cells, endothelial cells, and macrophage cells compared to the rest of CLA isomers. In this review, various effects of CLAs, especially anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic effects, will be discussed with focusing on the isomer-specific effects and potential mechanism of action of CLA. At last, recent studies about 9E,11E-CLA in in vitro and animal models will be discussed.
Hybrid finite element methods for the numerical simulation of the sensor and actuator performance of composite transducers including the effect of fluid loading

The finite-element eigenmode approach is presented for the analysis of the dynamic performance of a composite transducer submerged in a fluid medium. The composite transducer is composed of periodically arranged piezoelectric rods in a polymer matrix. The Floquet theorem is applied to simplify the infinite domain problem to that involving a unit cell only. Numerical examples of the transmitting voltage response, electric conductance and transmission/reflection coefficient spectra for different volume concentrations of the piezoelectric phase in the composite transducers are given. Numerical results are also computed for 1-3 composite structures with different diameter-to-length values for the piezoelectric rods. >
A Synthesis of the Peer-Reviewed Differential Bundle Functioning Research

The purpose of this article was to present a synthesis of the peer-reviewed differential bundle functioning (DBF) research that has been conducted to date. A total of 16 studies were synthesized according to the following characteristics: tests used and learner groups, organizing principles used for developing bundles, DBF detection methods used, and types of bundles that indicated statistically significant DBF in the hypothesized direction on multiple occasions. The article concludes with a list of suggestions to individuals who conduct DBF research. For example, effect size guidelines should be established for interpreting the amount of DBF in bundles of items assessed with simultaneous item bias test (SIBTEST), given that it is the most commonly used DBF procedure. This would reduce our reliance on statistical significance testing. General effect size guidelines are needed as well as guidelines for special circumstances like small sample cases. Other useful suggestions are offered as well.
The Agfa Mayneord lecture: MRI of short and ultrashort T2 and T2* components of tissues, fluids and materials using clinical systems

A variety of techniques are now available to directly or indirectly detect signal from tissues, fluids and materials that have short, ultrashort or supershort T2 or T2* components. There are also methods of developing image contrast between tissues and fluids in the short T2 or T2* range that can provide visualisation of anatomy, which has not been previously seen with MRI. Magnetisation transfer methods can now be applied to previously invisible tissues, providing indirect access to supershort T2 components. Particular methods have been developed to target susceptibility effects and quantify them after correcting for anatomical distortion. Specific methods have also been developed to image the effects of magnetic iron oxide particles with positive contrast. Major advances have been made in techniques designed to correct for loss of signal and gross image distortion near metal. These methods are likely to substantially increase the range of application for MRI.
Reduction of communication delays in hypercube programs based on run time statistics

A method is presented for reducing communication delays in hypercube programs by attempting to reduce the number of intermediate nodes involved in interprocess communications. In general, the strategy is to observe a program's interprocess communication pattern during a number of executions. When enough observations have been made, a new mapping of processes to nodes is created. This new mapping is designed to move processes with high levels of stable interprocess communication as close to one another physically as possible. All further program executions then use the new process-to-node mapping, thereby increasing the overall speed of the program. Results from an implementation on the Intel iPSC/d5 are presented, and the overall cost effectiveness of the technique is discussed. >
Fully-polarimetric ground penetrating radar application

The ground penetrating radar (GPR) has broad applications in the fields of geology, civil engineering, archeology and military . It is usually used as a non-destructive inspection sensor for monitoring, inspecting and characterizing obscured objects by means of electromagnetic radiation, propagation and scattering. Unlike radars operated in the open air, the medium between the GPR and the target usually determines the performance instead of the target and the radar. The sensitivity of GPR applications is limited by clutter instead of noise or radar system. The increasing needs for better detection and discrimination capability have driven GPR users and researches to investigate the pattern and polarization characteristics of the GPR antenna designs. New GPR antenna designs were developed to provide improved sensitivity and stability. An example of fully-polarimetric GPR application that has not been seen previously is presented. Some important issues such as clutter sources, radiation patterns and propagation efficiency faced by the most GPR applications are also discussed.
Testing for Competition in the South Korean and Chinese Commercial Banking Markets

This paper examines market concentration and competition in the South Korean and Chinese commercial banking markets for the period of 1992–2008. This study empirically investigates whether changes in bank concentration have affected the degree of competition in the Korean and Chinese commercial banking industries by estimating the H statistic of the Panzar-Rosse model. We also used the Boone Indicator model to confirm the results from the Panzar-Rosse model. The Korean banking industry has been monopolistically competitive for the entire sample period while the Wald test of the H statistic shows competition in the Korean banking actually increased to the level of perfect competition during the crisis period temporarily. Compared to the banking industry of Korea and other countries, the Chinese banking industry is still highly concentrated and its level of competition is closer to oligopoly.
Protein ubiquitination and formation of polyubiquitin chains without ATP, E1 and E2 enzymes

Studying protein ubiquitination is difficult due to the complexity of the E1–E2–E3 ubiquitination cascade. Here we report the discovery that C-terminal ubiquitin thioesters can undergo direct transthiolation with the catalytic cysteine of the model HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase Rsp5 to form a catalytically active Rsp5∼ubiquitin thioester (Rsp5∼Ub). The resulting Rsp5∼Ub undergoes efficient autoubiquitination, ubiquitinates protein substrates, and synthesizes polyubiquitin chains with native Ub isopeptide linkage specificity. Since the developed chemical system bypasses the need for ATP, E1 and E2 enzymes while maintaining the native HECT E3 mechanism, we named it “Bypassing System” (ByS). Importantly, ByS provides direct evidence that E2 enzymes are dispensable for K63 specific isopeptide bond formation between ubiquitin molecules by Rsp5 in vitro. Additionally, six other E3 enzymes including Nedd4-1, Nedd4-2, Itch, and Wwp1 HECT ligases, along with Parkin and HHARI RBR ligases processed Ub thioesters under ByS reaction conditions. These findings provide general mechanistic insights on protein ubiquitination, and offer new strategies for assay development to discover pharmacological modulators of E3 enzymes.
Rethinking Nationality in the Context of Globalization

Globalization poses a significant challenge to the nation as a social form and consequently to theories that rely on nationality as a conceptual category. This article reviews a range of approaches to the conceptualization of nationality within mass communication, media theory, and cultural studies: mainstream nation-based theories, critical nation-based theories, relational theories, globalization theories, and contextualist theories. An analytical strategy is then proposed within which nationality is conceptualized as one particular logic among others that organize economic, political, technological, and cultural territories and flows. Processes of globalization are widely believed to be altering the forms and dynamics of human social relations and to challenge, especially, that central modern social form, the nation-state. However, theories of globalization are often predicated on the nation-state as an ontological ground or as a key unit of analysis. In other words, our thinking about globalization is shaped, at a fundamental level, by one of the most contested concepts in our analytical repertoire. Globalization therefore also constitutes a considerable challenge to social theory itself, requiring us to rethink the role played by nationality in our conceptual frameworks. Communication technologies, practices, and structures, which are fundamental to social organization itself, play a central role in globalization. Telecommunication infrastructures and information networks undergird global finance, production, and trade; global news media play a key role in international politics; and global advertising, news, and entertainment seem to have significant, if still widely debated, effects on popular culture around the world. Globalization therefore poses especially pressing questions to communication theory. 1 Communication theory, like social theory more broadly, has been shaped at a fundamental level by the conceptual frame of the nation. The nation has been understood—implicitly, and sometimes explicitly— as the container of society; as a consequence, it has often served as a container of our thought. If global, regional, and transnational processes are constituting a new social, economic, and technological landscape—
Fuzzy sets and personnel selection: discussion and an application

Advances have occurred in incorporating fuzzy sets into decision theory but these advances have not been applied to the personnel selection process. Rating data obtained from employment interview or performance appraisal settings may, in fact, be particularly appropriate for such a fuzzy decision approach since these data are subjective. One fuzzy set decision approach allowing for importance estimates of various dimensions of a decision (Yager, 1981) is described and applied to two sets of employment interview rating data.
Turkey’s Electric Energy Needs: Sustainability Challenges and Opportunities

In order to satisfy its electric energy demand for the next 20 years (440–484 TWh projected demand for year 2020), Turkey has embarked on a series of major investment programs involving energy generation and distribution. A wide variety of energy generation projects are being implemented or will be executed in the near future involving nuclear, coal-, and natural gas-fired thermoelectric plants, combined cycle plants, hydroelectric dams, geothermal plants, and wind and solar energy farms. The engineering and scientific communities along with decision makers at the technical, financial, and political level are facing both, huge challenges (e.g., reduce energy dependence, financial feasibility, environmental protection, social acceptance, and resources management) and a once in a lifetime opportunity for improvement of the Turkey’s social welfare and the environment for several generations. This paper presents a view of some of these challenges and opportunities along with a review of the energy–water nexus from a holistic life cycle perspective. Furthermore, it explores different scenarios of technology integration in order to improve the sustainability of the electric energy generation matrix by the sustainable use of available resources and minimization of the carbon and environmental footprint of energy generation.
Leo Szilard: scientist, activist, visionary

A pioneer in both the development of nuclear weapons and the movement against them, Leo Szilard put forth his own life as a model for the radically new assumptions and values demanded by the nuclear age.
Provenience Analysis of Obsidians from the Central Peten Lakes Region, Guatemala

A set of 296 obsidian artifacts from the lakes area of the Department of Peten, Guatemala, has been provenienced by X-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis. The obsidians come from socioeconomic contexts (primarily rural/domestic) and time periods—from the Middle Preclassic period, ca. 800 B.C., up to the time of Spanish contact, A.D. 1525—that have been poorly represented in previous Lowland provenience studies. Thus they provide new data on the acquisition and distribution of this important non-local commodity in the Maya Lowlands.
Detrimental Compounds and Effects

Even some edible mushroom species contain injurious compounds. Potentially procarcinogenic agaritine occurs in the genus Agaricus , gyromitrin, particularly in Gyromitra esculenta . Formaldehyde detected in shiitake mushrooms seems to be of natural origin and is not a cause for concern. Occurrence of nicotine in some mushrooms has not yet been elucidated. A decomposition product of coprine from Coprinus spp. induces alcohol intolerance. Some saprobic species can accumulate considerable levels of nitrates. Mushrooms can contain residues of various xenobiotics. Great attention has been focused on mushroom radioactivity. The natural radioactivity of mushrooms is higher than that of other vegetables due to the high level of potassium including radioactive isotope 40 K. Some ectomycorrhizal species have the ability to accumulate radiocesium after contamination following some disasters. Information on rhabdomyolysis, allergies, and adverse dermal and respiratory reactions in sensitive individuals is provided.
Prospective Study Indicating That Double-Antibody Radioimmunoassay Reduces the Incidence of Post-Transfusion Hepatitis B

Abstract This prospective study comprising 227 recipients illustrates that post-transfusion hepatis B infection probably would have been reduced considerably if a double-antibody radioimmunoassay (RIA-DA) method had been used to screen donor bloods for hepatitis B antigen (HBs Ag). In seven susceptible recipients (negative for HBs Ag and antibody to HBsAg) who received RIA-DA-positive blood alone clinical hepatitis B subsequently developed, or there was serologic evidence of exposure to hepatitis B virus. In contrast, a recently licensed solid-phase RIA technic (Ausria-125I) of comparable sensitivity failed to implicate a positive donor for five of these recipients, including two in whom clinical hepatitis B developed. Our RIA-DA procedure may be detecting additional antigenic determinants unrelated to HBs Ag. Anti-HBs detected in recipients before transfusion appears to offer protection from post-transfusion infection by hepatitis B virus. (N Engl J Med 290:1104–1109, 1974)
Correlation Studies of Fever And Hand-Foot-And-Mouth Disease(EV-71) Combined with Viral encephalitis

Objective: To study the correlation between fever and hand-foot-and-mouth disease(EV-71) combined with viral encephalitis,in order to provide guidance for early clinical diagnosis of severe HFMD.Meth-ods: retrospective study of 1097 HFMD patients hospitalized from March 2010 to November 2010,among which 425 patients were identified to be combined with viral encephalitis.374 patients accord with selected conditions.Correlation studies were made between fever and viral encephalitis.Results: Those who had had 39 ℃ fever for over two days and/or 38.5℃ for over three days were mostly infected with viral encephalitis,which is of vital sig-nificance for the early diagnosis of severe HFMD.Early venous transfusion of immunoglobulin proves to be effec-tive in prognosis for severe hand-foot-and-mouth disease.
Protein-calorie malnutrition, macronutrient supplements, and tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND Protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) is a risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) disease and may affect treatment outcomes. There is currently no recommended macronutrient intervention for improving the outcome of anti-tuberculosis treatment. METHODS We reviewed current literature on PCM and low body mass index (BMI) as risk factors for tuberculous infection and TB disease, and their effects on anti-tuberculosis treatment. We summarize clinical trials of macronutrient supplementation in the treatment of TB. RESULTS PCM is a well-established risk factor for TB disease; however, data on malnutrition and the risk of tuberculous infection are limited. Malnutrition is associated with an increased risk of mortality and relapse of active TB. Clinical trials of macronutrient supplementation during treatment confirm a 2-3 kg improvement in weight gain at 2 months, and may result in improvement in physical function, sputum conversion and treatment completion, but they have not been powered to assess effects on mortality or relapse. CONCLUSION Assessment of dietary intake, food security, and baseline BMI should be standard practice in anti-tuberculosis treatment, along with dietary counselling. As macronutrient supplementation may have modest benefits and is not associated with adverse events, patients with BMI values <18.5 kg/m(2) should be provided with balanced macronutrient supplementation whenever possible.
The Natural Kindness Approach

The Populationist approach to species reference articulated in Chapter 5 has a distinctly nominalist flavor. As such, it pulls against the realist stance on species. The task of this chapter will be to explain how to supplement Populationism with a certain picture of natural kinds that allows us to hold on to many—though not all—of our realist intuitions. That picture will be a revision and expansion of Richard Boyd’s Homeostatic Property Cluster (HPC) account of natural kinds.
Interplay between Entropy and Enthalpy in (Intramolecular) Cyclophane-Like Folding versus (Intermolecular) Dimerization of Diarylalkane Cation Radicals

Diarylpropane cation radicals are known to exist as folded cyclophane-like structures, as evidenced by the appearance of intervalence transitions in their optical spectra. Despite the expected enthalpic stabilization of cyclophane-like cation radicals of diarylpropanes by ∼350 mV, we demonstrate that only partial folding (∼50%) occurs due to the entropic penalty associated with restriction of conformational flexibility via the freezing of multiple free C–C bond rotors together with the strain in the folded cyclophane-like structure. This important demonstration of the interplay between enthalpy and entropy is deduced via a systematic study of various diarylalkane cation radicals with two- to five-methylene spacers using electrochemistry, optical spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and DFT calculations. We also show that diarylalkane cation radicals with greater than three methylene spacers cannot fold into cyclophane-like structures, as the entropic penalty for freezing increasing number of C–C bond roto...
Maestro: Orchestrating Concurrent Application Workflows in Mobile Device Clouds

A hybrid mobile/fixed device cloud that harnessessensing, computing, communication, and storage capabilities ofmobile and fixed devices in the field as well as those of computingand storage servers in remote datacenters is envisioned. Mobiledevice clouds can be harnessed to enable innovative applicationsthat rely on real-time, in-situ processing of sensor data collectedin the field. To support concurrent mobile applications on thedevice cloud, a robust distributed computing framework, calledMaestro, is proposed. The key components of Maestro are(i) a task scheduling mechanism that employs controlled taskreplication in addition to task reallocation for robustness and(ii) Dedup for task deduplication among concurrent workflows. Experimental evaluation via prototype testbed of Android-and Linux-based mobile devices as well as simulations is performedto demonstrate Maestro's capabilities.
Obfuscating poisson & Gaussian data using a rotation in the complex plane

A novel method of data masking is presented which allows Poisson and some Gaussian data sets to be altered without changing the overall probability density function. The method consists of multiplying each entry by a random complex exponential function, i.e. a rotation in the complex plane, and exchanging imaginary components between entries. The transformation preserves the properties of the data set, including all forms of entropy, while allowing correlations between individual members to be altered.
Does Gender of Administrator Matter? National Study Explores U.S. University Administrators' Attitudes About Retaining Women Professors in STEM.

Omnipresent calls for more women in university administration assume these women will prioritize using resources and power to increase female representation, especially in STEM fields where women are most underrepresented. However, empirical evidence is lacking for systematic differences in female versus male administrators’ attitudes. Do female administrators agree on which strategies are best, and do men see things differently? To answer this question, we explored United States college and university administrators’ opinions regarding policies, strategies, and structural changes in their organizations designed to increase women professors’ representation and retention in STEM fields. A comprehensive review of past research yielded a database of potentially-effective, recommended policies (e.g., increasing emphasis on teaching, service, and administration during promotion reviews; stopping the tenure clock for childbearing; providing on-campus childcare; couples-hiring; sharing tenure lines; having more women chair search committees; setting gender quotas for promotion). A survey based on these recommended policies was sent to provosts, deans, associate deans, and department chairs of STEM fields at 96 public and private research universities (formerly called R1s) across the U.S. These administrators were asked to rate the quality and feasibility of each recommended policy; 474 provided data, of which 334 contained complete numerical data used in the analyses, so our results are based on a large, geographically diverse group of administrators at research universities. Our data revealed that female administrators perceived the 44 strategies to be higher in quality overall than did male administrators--but not higher in feasibility--with 9 policies perceived differently when rated by women versus men administrators, after imposing conservative statistical controls. There was broad general agreement on the relative rankings of the 44 policies in terms of their perceived quality. Overall, our national survey of U.S. administrators supported the assertion that placing women in administrative roles creates greater emphasis on the importance of enacting policies to attract and retain women in STEM. Topics of disagreement between women and men regarding strategy quality are important focuses of future policy and planning, because female administrators may have insights into how to retain women professors that male administrators do not share.
Adult Male with Leg Swelling after a Fall Two Weeks Prior.

Author(s): Hoonpongsimanont, Wirachin; Akeel, Amal S.; Sahota, Preet K.; Lahham, Shadi; Helmy, Mohammad A.; Lotfipour, Shahram
Error Estimation and Error Reduction With Input-Vector Profiling for Timing Speculation in Digital Circuits

Timing analysis and timing closure are critical steps in digital circuit design. To ensure an error-free design, timing constraints are usually set-based upon the longest path delay from static timing analysis. However, a circuit could have dramatically different internal activity because of the variation of input workload. The path with the longest delay may not be active for certain input workloads, which would enable timing speculation for increased performance. This paper describes an approach to identify the greatest contributors of timing errors and mitigate those errors by replacing certain standard cells in the design. We evaluated our mitigation for several benchmark designs and demonstrated an error-free performance gain up to 37%. The entire design flow uses Synopsys electronic design automation tools and customized scripts, which can be adapted for other designs.
Poly(ethylene glycol) and Co-polymer Based-Hydrogels for Craniofacial Bone Tissue Engineering

Metallic implant materials are widely used for clinical applications but still could not achieve satisfactory functionalities for specific biomedical applications. Surface functionalizations are of particular interest to improve their surface bioactivity and provide other biofunctionalities for biomedical applications. Because of the excellent biological functions of calcium phosphate ceramics (CaPs), CaP coatings have been proposed and developed onto the surface of metallic implants to achieve improved osteointegration, corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties. This review firstly introduces the metallic biomaterials, important surface properties, and then elaborates the surface functionalization with CaP coatings for metallic biomaterials.
On canonical polyadic decomposition of overcomplete tensors of arbitrary even order

Decomposition of tensors into summation of rank one components, known as Canonical Polyadic (CP) decomposition, has long been studied in the literature. Although the CP-rank of tensors can far exceed their dimensions (in which case they are called overcomplete tensors), there are only a handful of algorithms which consider CP-decomposition of such overcomplete tensors, and most of the CP-decomposition algorithms proposed in literature deal with simpler cases where the rank is of the same order as the dimensions of the tensor. In this paper, we consider symmetric tensors of arbitrary even order whose eigenvalues are assumed to be positive. We show that for a 2dth order tensor with dimension N, under some mild conditions, the problem of CP-decomposition is equivalent to solving a system of quadratic equations, even when the rank is as large as O(Nd). We will develop two different algorithms (one convex, and one nonconvex) to solve this system of quadratic equations. Our simulations show that successful recovery of eigenvectors is possible even if the rank is much larger than the dimension of the tensor.1
Shelf-space optimization models in decentralized automated dispensing cabinets

Abstract We propose a mixed integer programming (MIP) model to help clinicians store medications and medical supplies optimally in space-constrained, decentralized Automated Dispensing Cabinets (ADCs) located on hospital patient floors. We also propose a second MIP model that addresses human errors associated with the selection of pharmaceuticals from floor storage, and not only selects the best set of medications for storage but also determines their optimal layout within the cabinet. To improve the computational performance of these MIP models, we investigate several valid inequalities and relaxations that allow us to solve large, real-world instances in reasonable times. These models are applicable to very general ADCs and are illustrated using real-world data from ADCs at hospitals. Our results indicate that using these models can significantly reduce the time spent by clinical staff on routine logistical functions, while making efficient use of limited space and decreasing risks associated with errors in the selection of medication.
Brain parcellation and connectivity mapping using wasserstein geometry

Several studies have used structural connectivity information to parcellate brain areas like the corpus callosum, thalamus, substantia nigra or motor cortex, which is otherwise difficult to achieve using conventional MRI techniques. They typically employ diffusion MRI (dMRI) tractography and compare connectivity profiles from individual voxels using correlation. However, this is potentially limiting since the profile signals (e.g. probabilistic connectivity maps) have non-zero values only in restricted areas of the brain, and correlation coefficients do not fully capture differences between connectivity profiles . Our first contribution is to introduce the Wasserstein distance as a metric to compare connectivity profiles, viewed as distributions. The Wasserstein metric (also known as Optimal Mass Transport cost or, Earth Mover’s distance) is natural as it allows a global comparison between probability distributions. Thereby, it relies not only on non-zero values but also takes into account their spatial pattern, which is crucial for the comparison of the brain connectivity profiles. Once a brain area is parcellated into anatomically relevant sub-regions, it is of interest to determine how voxels within each sub-region are collectively connected to the rest of the brain. The commonly used arithmetic mean of connectivity profiles fails to account for anatomical features and can easily over-emphasize spurious pathways. Therefore, our second contribution is to introduce the concept of Wasserstein barycenters of distributions, to estimate “average” connectivity profiles, and assess whether these are more representative of the neuroanatomy. We demonstrate the benefits of using the Wasserstein geometry to parcellate and “average” probabilistic tractography results from a realistic phantom dataset, as well as in vivo data from the Human Connectome Project.
North American Primitive Paleozoic Charophytes and Descendents

North American primitive Paleozoic charophytes consist of three orders: Chovanellales (proposed herein), Sycidiales, and Trochiliscales, disposed in three families (Chovanellaceae, Sycidiaceae, and Trochiliscaceae) and three genera, Chovanella, Sycidium, and Moellerina with seven species generically allocated as follows: Chovanella (1), Moellerina (4), and Sycidium (2). The fourth, and evolutionarily advanced order of charophytes, Charales, is represented in the Paleozoic by the sinistrally spiralled Middle Devonian Eochara (Family Eocharaceae) which gave rise to the Pennsylvanian Palaeochara (Palaeocharaceae) which subsequently gave rise to the Stellatocharaceae, new family, the ancestral stock of the clavatoraceids, and through the clavatoraceids to the lagynophoraceids. The porocharaceids, also derived from Eochara, are the stem from which the Mesozoic and Cenozoic charoideid and nitelloideid charophytes evolved.
The Hypotonic Miracle

Most mammalian and human cytogeneticists consider the introduction of the hypotonic solution pretreatment for chromosome preparations to be the turning point in vertebrate cytogenetics. Kottler (1974) called it the technical revolution. As many biological historians have commented, the fact that a hypotonie solution can spread metaphase chromosomes was observed by several investigators at least a couple of decades prior to its rediscovery (cf. Kottler, 1974). There were several reasons for the burial of this important discovery: 1. The discoverers, such as Eleanor Slifer (1934), were not chromosome cytologists. They found the chromosome spreading effect of hypotonie solution as a byproduct of other investigations. 2. They did not exploit the finding and publicize it by testing it on a variety of materials and publishing papers specifically dealing with the virtues of the technique. 3. Many scientists like to see techniques handed to them on a silver platter. Mammalian cytogeneticists were very complacent about their miserable preparations, as can be witnessed by their repeated claims of accuracy in counts of human chromosomes, which were either 47 or 48. Thus, a phenomenon noted by a grasshopper embryologist did not strike them as a possible way to improve their own work.
Examining the Association Between Quality and Productivity Performance in a Service Organization

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.] The positive relationship between productivity and quality management is examined. Quality management attributes determined to contributed most to productivity include completion of work in a timely fas..
Nonreciprocal Photonics Without Magneto-Optics

Optical isolators, which break the Lorentz reciprocity, are fundamental building blocks for regulating the flow of light. Here, we provide a brief perspective on the developments in nonmagnetic approaches to constructing optical isolators. We show that nonlinear optical isolators are fundamentally constrained by dynamic reciprocity and cannot completely reproduce functionalities of standard magneto-optical devices. We also show that complete optical isolation is achievable with dynamic modulation of refractive index. Moreover, the reciprocity-breaking in modulated systems is closely related to the concept of an effective gauge potential for photons. The use of such gauge potential points to a route toward novel nonreciprocal topological photonics physics as well as new capabilities for controlling the propagation of electromagnetic waves.
TCR signal strength controls the differentiation of CD4 + effector and memory T cells.

CD4+ T cell responses are composed of heterogeneous T cell receptor (TCR) signals that influence the acquisition of effector and memory characteristics. We sought to define early TCR-dependent activation events that control T cell differentiation. A polyclonal panel of TCRs specific for the same viral antigen demonstrated substantial variability in TCR signal strength, expression of CD25, and activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells and nuclear factor κB. After viral infection, strong TCR signals corresponded to T helper cell (TH1) differentiation, whereas T follicular helper cell and memory T cell differentiation were most efficient when TCR signals were comparatively lower. We observed substantial heterogeneity in TCR-dependent CD25 expression in vivo, and the vast majority of CD4+ memory T cells were derived from CD25lo effector cells that displayed decreased TCR signaling in vivo. Nevertheless, memory T cells derived from either CD25lo or CD25hi effector cells responded vigorously to rechallenge, indicating that, although early clonal differences in CD25 expression predicted memory T cell numbers, they did not predict memory T cell function on a per cell basis. Gene transcription analysis demonstrated expression clustering based on CD25 expression and enrichment of transcripts associated with enhanced T follicular helper cell and memory development within CD25lo effector cells. Direct enhancement of TCR signaling via knockdown of Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase 1, a tyrosine phosphatase that suppresses early TCR signaling events, favored the differentiation of TH1 effector and memory cells. We conclude that strong TCR signals during early T cell activation favor terminal TH1 differentiation over long-term TH1 and T follicular helper cell memory responses.