cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review Essay: Weaving Sociocultural Change and Cognitive Development Together Greenfield, Patricia Marks, Weaving Generations Together: Evolving Creativity in the Maya of Chiapas. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press, 2004. ISBN 1—930618—28—X (pbk)

In Weaving Generations Together, Greenfield describes a long-term project spanning two generations of mothers teaching their daughters how to weave. The author considers the economic and social changes that took place in the Mayan village of Nabenchauk between the 1970s and the 1990s, and explains how they affected weaving apprenticeship and the creative and cognitive processes involved in it. We sympathize with this situated analysis of learning, creativity and cognition, and applaud Greenfield's unique contribution to the understanding of human development under shifting socioeconomic circumstances. At the same time, we highlight the need to enrich the author's account in two distinct ways: (1) by favoring a developmental perspective to the study of changes in practices and psychological phenomena that involves the analysis of processes of transformation and not only the description of differences observed across time; and (2) by specifying the relationship between cultural practices and internal proces...
Remarks on ad hoc networking

This papers describes selected problems and solutions for ad hoc networking, namely, for networking in absence of a fixed infrastructure. All nodes of an ad hoc networks move freely and communicate with each other only if they are in each other transmission range (neighboring nodes). This implies that in case two nodes are not neighbors, in order for them to communicate they have to rely on the forwarding services of intermediate nodes, i.e., each node is a router and the communication proceeds in multi-hop fashion. In this paper we are concerned with three aspects of ad hoc networking. The problem of accessing the wireless channel, i.e., the problem of devising Media Access Control (MAC) protocols. The problem of grouping the nodes of the network so to obtain a hierarchical network structure (clustering). The problem of setting up an ad hoc network of Bluetooth devices, i.e., of forming a Bluetooth scatternet.
Sequential Plasmodium chabaudi and Plasmodium berghei Infections Provide a Novel Model of Severe Malarial Anemia

ABSTRACT Lack of an adequate animal model of Plasmodium falciparum severe malarial anemia (SMA) has hampered the understanding of this highly lethal condition. We developed a model of SMA by infecting C57BL/6 mice with P. chabaudi followed after recovery by P. berghei infection. P. chabaudi/P. berghei-infected mice had an initial 9- to 10-day phase of relatively low parasitemia and severe anemia, followed by a second phase of hyperparasitemia, more profound anemia, reticulocytosis, and death 14 to 21 days after infection. P. chabaudi/P. berghei-infected animals had more intense splenic hematopoiesis, higher interleukin-10 (IL-10)/tumor necrosis factor alpha and IL-12/gamma interferon (IFN-γ) ratios, and higher antibody levels against P. berghei and P. chabaudi antigens than P. berghei-infected or P. chabaudi-recovered animals. Early treatment with chloroquine or artesunate did not prevent the anemia, suggesting that the bulk of red cell destruction was not due to the parasite. Red cells from P. chabaudi/P. berghei-infected animals had increased surface IgG and C3 by flow cytometry. However, C3−/− mice still developed anemia. Tracking of red cells labeled ex vivo and in vivo and analysis of frozen tissue sections by immunofluorescence microscopy showed that red cells from P. chabaudi/P. berghei-infected animals were removed at an accelerated rate in the liver by erythrophagocytosis. This model is practical and reproducible, and its similarities with P. falciparum SMA in humans makes it an appealing system with which to study the pathogenesis of this condition and explore potential immunomodulatory interventions.
Gender difference in the prevalence of eating disorder symptoms.

Objective—This study examined gender differences in prevalence of eating disorder symptoms including body image concerns (body checking or avoidance), binge eating, and inappropriate compensatory behaviors. Method—A random sample of members (ages 18 to 35) of a health maintenance organization was recruited to complete a survey by mail or on-line. Items were drawn from the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Body Shape Questionnaire. Results—Among the 3,714 women and 1,808 men who responded, men were more likely to report overeating whereas women were more likely to endorse loss of control while eating. Although statistically significant gender differences were observe, with women significantly more likely than men to report body checking and avoidance, binge eating, fasting, and vomiting, effect sizes (“Number Needed to Treat”) were small to moderate. Conclusions—Few studies of eating disorders include men, yet our findings suggest that a substantial minority of men also report eating disorder symptoms.
Internal Revenue Service 990 Data: Fact or Fiction?:

This exploratory study examines the reliability and validity of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 990 data, an increasingly prevalent source of financial measures in the research of nonprofit organizations today. Correlations between selected financial measures taken from the IRS returns of 270 nonprofits and the identical measures gathered from the same organizations via mail questionnaire are examined, followed by examination of financial statements and interviews with participants in the accounting process from a subsample of the organizations. High correlations show the IRS 990 Returns to be a generally reliable source of financial data, although this varies by entry, organizational size, and NTEE category. The validity of this data, however, is questionable. The growing prevalence of expense shifting combined with a lack of rules, guidelines, and monitoring of internal expense allocations allows for increasing distortions in the financial picture portrayed by the IRS 990 Return.
Unequal Synthesis of Complementary Globin Chains of Human Fetal Hemoglobin by the Effect of l-O-Methylthreonine

Abstract Incorporation of radioactive amino acids into the α, β, and γ chains of human hemoglobin was studied with erythroid cells from newborn infants. When the cells were incubated in isoleucine-free medium together with l-O-methylthreonine, which is an antagonist of l-isoleucine, inhibition of γ chain synthesis occurred. The concomitant synthesis of α and β chains, which do not contain isoleucine, was not significantly affected. Inhibition of γ chain synthesis by as much as 90% had virtually no effect on the synthesis of complementary α chains, suggesting that the synthesis or release of α chains does not require prior synthesis of these non-α chains. As a result of the selective inhibition of synthesis of γ chains, cells incubated with the isoleucine antagonist synthesized a 2- to 3-fold excess of α chains over the total non-α chains. A major portion of the excess α chains was present in the cell lysates uncombined with hemoglobin, and had Sephadex gel filtration properties consistent with their being present as α dimers. When βa subunits were added to the lysates prior to Sephadex gel filtration, the excess α chain radioactivity appeared in the hemoglobin fraction, suggesting that the free α chains existed as completed globin-heme subunits which retained the capacity to combine with complementary subunits to form hemoglobin. When cells were incubated with l-O-methylthreonine and a radioactive amino acid in label-chase experiments, followed by 24-hour incubations, the excess radioactive α chains remained in the soluble cell fraction. This was in contrast with reported studies with β-thalassemia cells in which α chain precipitation was demonstrated during cell incubations in vitro. This difference appeared to be the result of intracellular exchange of the radioactive α chains with α chains of preexisting hemoglobin in the cells incubated with l-O-methylthreonine, a reaction which may be undetectable in β-thalassemia cells because of the presence of a preexisting pool of nonradioactive α chains in these cells.
HYPERGLUCAGONÆMIA AFTER BURNS

Abstract In eleven male patients with flame injury (all believed to be non-diabetic before injury) initial glucagon levels were increased despite administration of intravenous glucose. Values ranged from 185 to 662 pg. per ml. and averaged 327±42 pg. per ml. (mean±S.E.M.). They were significantly higher than the mean fasting levels in normal subjects (75 ±4 pg. per ml.). Insulin levels varied widely, but tended to be low in relation to the simultaneously measured blood-glucose level, which ranged from 95 to 205 mg. per 100 ml. In six patients the insulin/glucagon ratio was below 2'— i.e., the range observed in other catabolic states— despite the glucose infusion, while in ten patients it was below the levels normally attained during glucose administration. Among the survivors wound closure and weight stabilisation coincided with a rise in the insulin/glucagon ratio to or above normal. The findings suggest that the islets of Langerhans participate in the metabolic response to burns.
Liberty, Manners, and Politeness in Early Eighteenth-Century England

In the early eighteenth century, the language of politeness became a major fixture of English discourse. Centring on the term ‘politeness’ and consisting of a vocabulary of key words (such as ‘refinement’, ‘manners’, ‘character’, ‘breeding’, and ‘civility’) and a range of qualifying attributes (‘free’, ‘easy’, ‘natural’, ‘graceful’, and many others), the language was used to make a wide range of objects intelligible. Though the word ‘polite’ had been in the English language from at least the fifteenth century, denoting the state of being polished or neat in quite literal and concrete ways, the term entered on its significant career only in the mid-seventeenth century, when it began to convey the meanings of studied social behaviour of the sort inspired by and associated with princely courts. However, in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century, ‘politeness’ grew to cover a range of meanings, considerably freed from the initial association with courts. Several broad categories of usage of the term ‘polite’ are indicative: as a behavioural and moral standard for members of an elite (e.g. ‘polite gentlemen’, ‘polite ladies’, ‘polite society’, ‘polite conversation’); as an aesthetic standard for many kinds of human artifacts and products (e.g. ‘polite arts’, ‘polite towns’, ‘polite learning’, ‘polite buildings’); and as a way of generalizing about and characterizing society and culture (‘polite age’, ‘polite nation’, ‘polite people’). In the latter usage, ‘politeness’ was frequently deployed retrospectively as an attribute of classical civilizations. ‘Politeness’ helped recast the renaissance model of history, in which modernity was separated from its true ancestor, the ancient world, by the vast dark gulf of the middle ages: the ‘politest’ nations were ancient Greece and ancient Rome; the ‘politest’ ages, the spells of Hellenic and Roman creativity.
Reliability, Precision, Accuracy, and Validity of Posterior Shoulder Tightness Assessment in Overhead Athletes:

BackgroundPosterior shoulder tightness with subsequent loss of humeral internal rotation range of motion has been linked to upper extremity lesions in overhead athletes. A valid clinical assessment is necessary to accurately identify posterior shoulder tightness as a contributor to injury.PurposeTo describe a modified supine assessment of posterior shoulder tightness by establishing the reliability, precision, clinical accuracy, and validity of the assessment.Study DesignCohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.MethodsIntrasession, intersession, and intertester reliability and precision were established by comparing the commonly used side-lying assessment of posterior shoulder tightness and the described modified supine assessment. Clinical accuracy of both methods was obtained using an electromagnetic tracking device to track humeral and scapular motion. Construct validity was established by identifying posterior shoulder tightness in a group of overhead athletes (baseball pitchers and tennis playe...
Fault Tolerant Control for Nonlinear Systems: Sum-of-Squares Optimization Approach

In this paper, the fault tolerant control problem of nonlinear systems against actuator failures is considered. By representing the open-loop nonlinear systems in a state dependent linear-like polynomial form and implementing a special class of Lyapunov functions, the above problem can be formulated in terms of state dependent linear polynomial inequalities. Semidefinite programming relaxations based on the sum of squares decomposition are then used to efficiently solve such inequalities.
Detection of anovulation by heatmount detectors and transrectal ultrasonography before treatment with progesterone in a timed insemination protocol.

Abstract Our objective was to determine the accuracy of identifying noncycling lactating dairy cows before the application of a timed artificial insemination (AI) protocol [with or without progesterone supplementation via a controlled internal drug-release (CIDR) insert and 2 different timings of AI] by using heatmount detectors and a single ovarian ultrasound examination. At 6 locations in the Midwest, 1,072 cows were enrolled in a Presynch protocol (2 injections of PGF 2α 14 d apart), with the second injection administered 14 d before initiating the Ovsynch protocol (injection of GnRH 7 d before and 48h after PGF 2α injection, with timed AI at 0 or 24h after the second GnRH injection). Heatmount detectors were applied to cows just before the first Presynch injection, assessed 14 d later at the second Presynch injection (replaced when activated or missing), and reassessed at initiation of the Ovsynch protocol. Ovaries were examined for the presence of a corpus luteum (CL) by ultrasound before the initiation of treatment. Treatments were assigned to cows based on the presence or absence of a CL detected by ultrasound: 1) no CL + no CIDR; 2) no CL + CIDR insert for 7 d; and 3) CL present. Further, alternate cows within the 3 treatments were assigned to be inseminated concurrent with the second GnRH injection of Ovsynch (0h) or 24h later. Pregnancy was diagnosed at 33 and 61 d after the second GnRH injection. By using low ( 60%), whereas the single ultrasound examination incorrectly classified noncycling cows only 21% of the time. Conversely, cycling cows (progesterone ≥1 ng/mL) were correctly identified 70 to 78% of the time by heatmount detectors, but 85 to 92% were correctly identified by ultrasound. Overall accuracy of heatmount detectors and ultrasound was 71 and 84%, respectively. Application of progesterone to cows without a CL at the time of the first injection of GnRH reduced the incidence of ovulation but increased the proportions of pregnancies per AI at d 33 or 61 compared with nontreated cows without a CL at the onset of the Ovsynch protocol. Percentages of cows pregnant and pregnancy survival did not differ for cows having a CL before treatment compared with those not having a CL and treated with progesterone. Compared with no response, when a follicle ovulated in response to the first GnRH injection, percentage of cows becoming pregnant after the timed AI increased from 33.3 to 41.6%. Timing of AI at 0 or 24h after the second GnRH injection did not alter pregnancies per AI, but cows having luteal activity before treatment had improved pregnancies per AI compared with noncycling cows. We conclude that identifying noncycling cows by ultrasound was more accurate than by heatmount detectors. Subsequent progesterone treatment of previously cycling cows not having a CL at the onset of Ovsynch increased the proportion of pregnant cows, equal to that of cows having a CL but not treated with progesterone.
Temperature, Mg and Al interaction effects on grass tetany potential of ryegrass forage

Two annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) cultivars differing in Al sensitivity were grown in nutrient solution at pH 4.2 to assess the effects of temperature (10/6 and 22/18 °C day/night), Mg (0.1 and 1 mM) and Al solution concentrations (0, 3.7 and 74 μ M) on several factors influencing grass tetany potential of forage. Added Al depressed Mg and Ca shoot concentrations and increased shoot K/(Ca + Mg) equivalent ratio especially after prolonged treatment at higher temperature and lower Mg solution concentrations. These effects were more pronounced in the relatively Al-sensitive cultivar Wilo which appeared to be less Mg-efficient as well. Grass tetany potential will therefore be higher following a temperature rise if Al-sensitive ryegrass is grown in a medium containing low Mg and high Al levels.
An historical look at the SIGCSE conference

This special session will present an historical look at all past SIGCSE conferences, beginning with 2008. If possible, the conference chair, from each conference will present a brief synopsis of his/her conference. This synopsis may include a photo of the conference site, the number of attendees, the paper acceptance ratio, any special awards and the awardees, the "theme" of the conference, any special issues relevant at that conference, and one or two "interesting" events that occurred during that conference.
Telomere dysfunction cooperates with Werner deficiency to promote premature aging and cancer in mice

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 SY26-3 Mutational inactivation of the Wrn helicase gene causes Werner Syndrome (WS), an autosomal recessive disease characterized by premature aging, elevated genomic instability and increased cancer incidence. The capacity of enforced telomerase expression to rescue premature senescence of cultured human WS cells and the lack of a phenotype in Wrn deficient mice with long telomeres have implicated telomere attrition in WS pathogenesis. Here, we show that the varied and complex in vivo and cellular phenotypes of WS are precipitated upon exhaustion of telomere reserves in mice. In late generation mice doubly null for Wrn and the telomerase RNA component ( Terc ), telomere dysfunction elicits a classical WS premature aging syndrome typified by premature death, hair graying, alopecia, osteoporosis, type II diabetes, and cataracts. In addition, loss of Wrn promotes the activation of telomerase-independent mechanisms of telomere length maintenance and cooperates with p53 loss to initiate cancer. Our data establish that the delayed manifestation of the complex pleiotropic phenotypes of Wrn deficiency relates to critical telomere shortening.
Transport of digoxin-loaded polymeric nanoparticles across BeWo cells, an in vitro model of human placental trophoblast.

Background: Fetal arrhythmias can lead to fetal congestive heart failure and hydrops fetalis. Digoxin (the first-line treatment) has low transplacental permeability and high risk of maternal side effects. Biodegradable digoxin-loaded PEGylated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles may increase digoxin transport across BeWo b30 cell monolayers (an in vitro model of trophoblast in human placenta) by reducing the drug's interaction with P-gp. Results/methodology: The nanoparticles showed high encapsulation efficiency and sustained release over 48 h. Transport studies revealed significantly increased permeability across BeWo cell layers of digoxin-loaded nanoparticles when compared with free digoxin. P-gp inhibition also increased the permeability of digoxin, but not digoxin-loaded nanoparticles. Conclusion: This represents a novel treatment strategy for fetal cardiovascular disease which may improve maternal and fetal outcomes.
The Effects of Temperature and Age on Body Weight and Feed Efficiency of Broiler Chickens

Mixed sex, commercial broiler chickens were grown at three environmental temperatures: 15.6, 21.1, and 26.7 C. Starting at 35 days, body weights and feed conversions were measured at 3- to 5-day intervals to 55 days of age. Both body weights and feed conversions were linear with age over the time range indicated. The growth rates at 26.7 C were 6% less at 35 days and 10% less at 55 days than at 15.6 C. When equated for body weight differences, there was no difference in feed conversion between broilers grown at 21.1 and 26.7 C. Birds grown at 15.6 C consumed more feed per unit of weight than at the other two temperatures. At 49 days of age, the birds grown at 15.6 C required 16% more feed than those grown at 26.7 C; however, when weights were equated at 2000 g, those grown at 15.6 C required only 3% more feed than those grown at 26.7 C.
The Genus Halarachne (Acari: Halarachnidae), with the Description of a New Species from the Hawaiian Monk Seal

The parameters of the family Halarachnidae are discussed, with diagnoses of the subfamily Halarachninae and the 2 genera, Halarachne and Orthohalarachne , occurring in marine mammals. Halarachne laysanae , n. sp. is described from the Hawaiian Monk Seal, Monachus schauinslandi. Observations based on study of cotypes of Halarachne americana are recorded and the species is differentiated from others in the genus. Observations based on study of Halarachne halichoeri collected from the type-host, Halichoerus grypus , are recorded and compared with those for specimens loaned from various collections, including specimens identified as H. halichoeri by Oudemans and Vitzthum. The species is redefined and differentiated from the others of the genus. Halarachne taita and Halarachne erratica are synonymized under H. halichoeri. A redescription of Halarachne miroungae is given, based on Ferris' type series. Comments on intraspecific variation are based on newly recorded collections. A key is provided to identify females of the 4 species of Halarachne.
Overvoltage and Insulation Coordination of 1000kV AC Compact Transmission Line

One of the key technologies of 1000 kV UHV Compact Transmission line project is to limit overvoltage and to reasonably select insulation level.We researched the power frequency and switching overvoltage of the 1000 kV UHV compact transmission line with line length from 100 km to 500 km by means of EMTP on the basis of a project of UHV AC compact joint transmission line between two 500 kV power network.The front time of overvoltage of energizing unload line and single phase reclosing,and the α factor of phase-phase switching overvoltage are statistically analyzed,and the relationship of the front time and α factor to overvoltage amplitude is also analyzed.The 1ms front time of switching impulse and α=0.4 parameters can be used to test air clearance of full scale line tower.The insulation coordination results indicate that the phase-ground air clearances of tower window are controlled by switching overvoltage,the rated voltage of arrester can select 828 kV,the minimum phase to ground and phase-phase air clearance of tower window at attitude 1000 m area can select 7.5 m and 10.9 m respectively by strict consideration,the minimum phase to phase air clearance required by power frequency operation voltage and switching overvoltage at middle of line span can select 4.6 m and 9.7 m accordingly at attitude 1000 m area.
Selection of Multilevel Main Circuit Schemes of STATCOM for Transmission System

Because of its excellent reactive power output characteristics,fast response and small footprint,static synchronous compensator(STATCOM)has been more and more widely used in power system.At present,cascade multilevel converter and modular multilevel converter(MMC)are the most possible solutions of STATCOM for transmission system.A contrast study of two schemes is conducted in terms of equipment constitutes,control performance,grounding method and fault ride-through capability,and a conclusion is obtained that cascade scheme is more suitable than MMC scheme for STATCOM used in transmission system.
Managing thyroid dysfunction in the elderly. Answers to seven common questions.

PREVIEWWhat you know about thyroid disease in younger patients may not hold true for your elderly patients. The clinical presentation in older patients often differs from that in their younger counterparts, thus making diagnosis challenging. Knowing when and whom to screen for thyroid dysfunction is the key to appropriate management. In this article, Drs Mohandas and Gupta present the answers to seven common questions about diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease in elderly patients.
Painful Idiopathic Rigid Flatfoot in Children and Adolescents

Nine patients (13 feet) were identified whose primary complaints were of atraumatic-onset, chronic pain in the hindfoot exacerbated with increased activity and who had the diagnosis of idiopathic rigid flatfeet. Eight of 11 were greater than the 95th percentile in weight for their age. Exam under anesthesia showed moderate to significant improvement in hindfoot motion in 9 feet; 4 feet required fractional peroneal lengthenings. Only 5 of 11 patients have had sustained relief of pain and report unlimited activity level. Children and adolescents with painful idiopathic rigid flatfeet without known causation can have significant, persistent, disability and do not uniformly respond well to traditionally-described nonoperative Interventions.
Induction of a reproductive-specific cuticular hydrocarbon profile by a juvenile hormone analog in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis

Establishment and maintenance of the reproductive division of labor within social insect colonies relies on clear communication between nestmates. Fertile members convey their status to prevent others from becoming reproductively active. Recent findings in some basal termites indicate that cuticular hydrocarbon profiles may indicate reproductive state, but there is little evidence to show a direct link between reproductive status and hydrocarbon production—a prerequisite for an “honest” fertility signal. Here, we report that the putative signaling mechanism is influenced by juvenile hormone (JH), a primary regulator of gonadal development and activity in insects. Topical application of a JH-analog (pyriproxyfen) to reproductively inactive alates of the basal dampwood termite Zootermopsis nevadensis induced both females and males to express significantly more of a reproductive-specific hydrocarbon (6,9,17-tritriacontatriene). However, the JH-analog did not significantly enhance gonadal development or activity in treated termites beyond what is usually observed in maturing alates released from the inhibitory stimuli of their natal nest. These results suggest that a rise in JH following disinhibition drives the expression of reproductive-specific hydrocarbons, but that an individual’s hydrocarbon profile is not directly linked to its gonadal state. Rather than directly driving the expression of reproductive-specific hydrocarbons, the gonads may act indirectly through their influence on circulating JH.
Physical Telerehabilitation in Seniors with Mobility Limitation

A Home Automated Telemanagement (HAT) system for in-home physical telerehabilitation of seniors with mobility limitations was developed and tested. The HAT rehabilitation system was designed to allow patients with mobility limitations to complete an individualized physical therapy plan prescribed by a physical therapist and to allow for clinicians to monitor and assist with in-home rehabilitation. We conducted a 12 week study to assess the feasibility and patient acceptance of the system. Our results showed that home-based physical telerehabilitation is feasible in seniors with mobility limitations, and it can potentially improve patient functional status significantly. The participants of the study demonstrated a very high level of support for the home-based physical telerehabilitation program.
Neuroplasticity and Clinical Practice: Building Brain Power for Health.

The focus of this review is on driving neuroplasticity in a positive direction using evidence-based interventions that also have the potential to improve general health. One goal is to provide an overview of the many ways new neuroscience can inform treatment protocols to empower and motivate clients to make the lifestyle choices that could help build brain power and could increase adherence to healthy lifestyle changes that have also been associated with simultaneously enhancing vigorous longevity, health, happiness and wellness. Another goal is to explore the use of a focus in clinical practice on helping clients appreciate this new evidence and use evolving neuroscience in establishing individualized goals, designing strategies for achieving them and increasing treatment compliance. The timing is urgent for such interventions with goals of enhancing brain health across the lifespan and improving statistics on dementia worldwide.
Exploring Lexical Network Development in Second Language Learners.

This study explores how neural network models can simulate word production in second language (L2) learners. A neural network was trained to simulate L2 word production using a variety of word properties related to connectionist networks (hypernymy, polysemy, concreteness, and meaningfulness). The study demonstrates that a neural network can produce words to a similar degree as L2 learners. The findings are important for theories of L2 lexical growth and production.
Obesity Research in Occupational Safety and Health: A Mapping Literature Review

Obesity is an emerging health problem among the workforce. This review examined the published literature in the last decade presented in prominent human factors and occupational safety and health j...
On a fault-tolerant resource allocation scheme for revenue maximization in data centers

2011 has been the “Year of the Cloud” as organizations around the world have started migrating their services and applications to large-scale data center infrastructures. A large-scale data center experiences random failures of several hardware components every day. These hardware failures present challenging issues in providing reliable service to the end users. The notion of fault domains captures the effect of single hardware failures in data centers. In this paper, we use the concept of fault domains and investigate the problem of revenue maximization in fault-tolerant resource allocation in large data centers. We provide a novel formulation of the problem and prove that this problem is NP-complete. We provide optimal solution technique through Integer Linear Program formulation and present an efficient heuristic that produces near-optimal solution in a fraction of time required to compute the optimal. Through extensive experimentation, we prove the efficacy of our heuristics.
Surveillance in Patients With Esophageal Atresia/Tracheoesophageal Fistula

Esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) is a congenital aerodigestive anomaly with high survival rates after surgical repair. Care should now be focused on prevention of long-term complications using appropriate surveillance techniques. The incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is high in patients with EA/TEF. Consequences of untreated GERD include esophagitis, strictures, and Barrett esophagus. Subjective symptoms are an unreliable indicator of presence or severity of GERD, and therefore, diagnostic testing is needed to assess esophageal heath and monitor the effectiveness of anti-reflux treatment. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsy remains the primary surveillance tool, but is invasive and not without risks. Less-invasive modalities such as multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring to assess GERD appear to correlate strongly with esophageal histology and may provide sufficient information to guide treatment. EA/TEF patients face numerous challenges that need to be considered. Routine surveillance protocols and close monitoring are warranted to assess complications. Further research is needed to delineate the frequency of esophagogastroduodenoscopy versus less-invasive and promising modalities such as multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring.
Religious voters and the religious-secular cleavage since 1990

ABSTRACTMost studies of electoral behaviour in New Zealand do not pay much attention to the religious-secular cleavage. While a few studies noted a religious-secular cleavage prior to the adoption of proportional representation, most have assumed that such a divide since 1996 has been confined to the margins of electoral politics, with religious voters supporting smaller third parties over National. This article re-evaluates this conclusion using data from the New Zealand Election Study since 1990. The analyses show that, rather than supporting small third parties more clearly representing issues of concern to them, religious voters have voted largely for National in most elections as part of a religious-secular cleavage between National and Labour. Fluctuation in support for National among religious voters is tied to National’s electoral fortunes: religious voters have been more likely to support National when the party has been likely to form the next government, but more likely to cast votes for third ...
Comparative analysis of image formation techniques for FLGPR

This paper discusses the application of several image formation techniques to forward looking ground penetrating radar (FLGPR) data to observe if they improve target-to-clutter ratio. Specifically, regularized imaging with 𝐿1 and total variation constraints and coherence-factor filtered images are considered. The technical framework and software implementation of each of these image formation techniques are discussed, and results of applying the techniques to field collected data are presented. The results from the different techniques are compared to standard backprojection and compared to each other in terms of image quality and target-to-clutter ratio.
Accurate accident reconstruction in VANET

We propose a forensic VANET application to aid an accurate accident reconstruction. Our application provides a new source of objective real-time data impossible to collect using existing methods. By leveraging inter-vehicle communications, we compile digital evidence describing events before, during, and after an accident in its entirety. In addition to sensors data and major components status, we provide relative positions of all vehicles involved in an accident. This data is corroborated by observations provided by witness vehicles to rectify inconsistencies. Our application utilizes the mandatory form of VANET communication (beacons), making it non-obtrusive in terms of resource and bandwidth consumption.
optSelect: using agent-based modeling and binary PSO techniques for ensemble feature selection and stability assessment

ABSTRACT Motivation Recent studies have shown that the ensemble feature selection approaches are essential for generating robust classifiers. Existing methods for aggregating feature lists from different methods require use of arbitrary thresholds for selecting the top ranked features and do not account for classification accuracy while selecting the optimal set. Here we present a two-stage ensemble feature selection framework for finding the optimal set of features without compromising on classification accuracy. Methods and Results We present herein optSelect, a multi agent-based stochastic optimization approach for nested ensemble feature selection. Stage one involves function perturbation, where ranked list of features are generated using different methods and stage two involves data perturbation, where feature selection is performed within randomly selected subsets of the training data and the optimal set of features is selected within each set using the optSelect. The agents are assigned to different behavior states and move according to a binary PSO algorithm. A multi-objective fitness function is used to evaluate the classification accuracy of the agents. We evaluate the system performance using the random probe method and using five publicly available microarray datasets. The performance of optSelect is compared with single feature selection techniques and existing aggregation methods. The results show that the optSelect algorithm improves the classification accuracy compared to both individual and existing rank aggregation methods. The algorithm is incorporated into an R package, optSelect. Contact kuppal2@emory.edu
What Can a Cognitive Coding Framework Reveal about the Effects of Professional Development on Classroom Teaching and Learning

We investigated what a cognitive framework for measuring classroom teaching could reveal about (a) the impact of a professional development (PD) program on teaching practices and (b) the relationsh...
The Impact of Changing Norms on Creativity in Psychological Science.

The open science or credibility revolution has divided psychologists on whether and how the “policy” change of preregistration and similar requirements will affect the quality and creativity of future research. We provide a brief history of how norms have rapidly changed and how news and social media are beginning to “disrupt” academic science. We note a variety of benefits, including more confidence in research findings, but there are possible costs as well, including a reduction in the number of studies conducted because of an increased workload required by new policies. We begin to craft a study to evaluate the short- and long-term impacts of these changing norms on creativity in psychological science, run into some possible roadblocks, and hope others will build on this idea. This policy change can be evaluated in the short term but will ultimately need to be evaluated decades from now. Long-term evaluations are rare, yet this is the ultimate measure of creative scientific advance. Our conclusion supp...
Studies on Interactions of Epinephrine Neuronal Systems with other Neuronal Systems

Immunohistochemical techniques have proven to be useful in the identification and mapping of various monoaminergic neuronal systems. Phenylethanolamine-N-methyl transferase (PNMT), the enzyme which catalyzes the formation of epinephrine (E) (E forming enzyme; EC 2.1.1.28) has been localized in specific brain regions, providing the first morphological evidence for the existence of E neurons in the brain. The PNMT containing cell bodies have so far been located in two cell clusters, C1 and C2 cell groups of the reticular formation in the medulla oblongata. The PNMT positive terminals are mainly found in certain visceral afferent or efferent nuclei of the brain and spinal cord, in the ventral periventricular gray of lower brain stem and in certain nuclei of the hypothalamus (1, 2). The adrenergic innervation pattern suggests that central E neurons may be implicated in various functions of the CNS (e.g., neurohormone secretion, temperature regulation, food and water intake, modulation of blood pressure, respiration, regulation of sleep and wakefulness and certain types of behavior). Recent morphological and biochemical data suggests that interactions among different neurotransmitter systems occurs at various levels.
Development of a nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial consortium for surface stabilization of agricultural soils

Cyanobacteria are recognized as important colonizers and protectors of soil surfaces, particularly in biological soil crusts (BSCs) of arid and semiarid regions. Comparatively, little attention has been paid to the growth of cyanobacteria, algae, and moss on agricultural soils in more humid regions like eastern North America. Growth of soil surface consortia (SSCs) in agricultural fields is typically rapid and ephemeral yet recurrent, thereby differing from classical BSCs of semiarid regions and algal mats of aquatic systems. Naturally occurring or intentionally applied cyanobacteria to agricultural soils could thus provide renewable sources of carbon and nitrogen (N) and a means to improve soil resilience. Here, we describe a soil microcosm-based protocol to assess cyanobacteria for their ability to form SSCs using three criteria: reliability of serial transfers in N-free culture media, robust growth in soil microcosms, and resistance to detachment from soil particles subjected to water flushing. Screening of 100 enrichment cultures from local SSCs yielded three that exhibited robust growth on N-free solid media and consistent microscopic appearance as filamentous, heterocystous cyanobacteria. One enrichment (DG1) grew reliably in liquid N-free media and was selected for comparison with pure cultures of commercial strains of other heterocystous cyanobacteria. Growth and biomass density of DG1 and commercial strains on moist, N-limited soils were tracked using chlorophyll a measurements and water flush tests. Anabaena spp. grew faster on soil surfaces, but their 80-day SSCs did not adhere to soil as well as DG1 or Nostoc spp. in water flush tests. The ability of DG1 and Nostoc spp. to produce flocculated growth in liquid culture appeared to be associated with greater soil adherence. While Nostoc spp. formed stable SSCs in soil microcosms, they exhibited lower growth rates and biomass densities than DG1. Attempts to purify the cyanobacterial strain(s) from other bacteria in the DG1 enrichment were unsuccessful. Based on initial metagenomics analysis, the DG1 enrichment was a consortium containing at least six other bacterial genotypes but dominated by one or more closely related strains of Cylindrospermum spp. (Nostocaceae). The presence of bacterial associates did not interfere with rapid growth and high biomass density in soil microcosms, as well as SSC stability in water flush tests. The artificial SSCs formed by DG1 showed good potential for use as a renewable N source for agroecosystems.
The Tower of Babel in Parallel Computing

Parallel computing is a relatively new area of research and development. In spite of being young, parallel computing is already a fairly messy field. At times, I feel that the field is in such a state of confusion that we can hardly find a large group of people talking the same technical language. Parallel computation has attracted the work of a diverse community of scientists and engineers, but this cannot be the only reason for the present mess.
Guided Bayesian Optimization to AutoTune Memory-Based Analytics

There is a lot of interest today in building autonomous (or, self-driving) data processing systems. An emerging school of thought is to leverage the "black box" algorithm of Bayesian Optimization for problems of this flavor both due to its wider applicability and theoretical guarantees on the quality of results produced. The black-box approach, however, could be time and labor-intensive; or otherwise get stuck in a local minima. We study an important problem of auto-tuning the memory allocation for applications running on modern distributed data processing systems. A simple "white-box" model is developed which can quickly separate good configurations from bad ones. To combine the benefits of the two approaches to tuning, we build a framework called Guided Bayesian Optimization (GBO) that uses the white-box model as a guide during the Bayesian Optimization exploration process. An evaluation carried out on Apache Spark using industry-standard benchmark applications shows that GBO consistently provides performance speedups across the application workload with the magnitude of savings being close to 2x.
Network Traffic Prediction Based on Machine Learning Model

Network traffic engineering is of great significance to large-scale network planning and design, network resource management and network intrusion detection. Traffic modeling and prediction is an important part of network traffic engineering. The traditional traffic time series model is only suitable for analyzing stationary and special non-stationary processes, and it is difficult to describe the complex traffic behavior of large-scale networks. The idea of using support vector machine to estimate function is to select a non-linear mapping to map the sample vector from the original space to the high-dimensional feature space, and construct the optimal decision function in the high-dimensional feature space. The principle of structural minimization is used, the loss function is introduced, and the kernel function of the original space is used to replace the point product operation in the high-dimensional feature space for avoiding the complexity. In this paper, support vector machine (SVM) is used to predict network traffic. The network traffic is preprocessed, the parameters are dynamically adjusted, and then the network traffic is predicted. From the actual prediction results, this method has a good prediction effect.
Efficacy and Tolerability of Miltefosine in the Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.

Background Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected tropical disease causing an estimated 1 million new cases annually. While antimonial compounds are the standard of care worldwide, they are associated with significant adverse effects. Miltefosine, an oral medication, is United States (US) Food and Drug Administration approved to treat CL caused by Leishmania braziliensis, Leishmania guyanensis, and Leishmania panamensis. Evidence of efficacy in other species and side-effect profiles in CL has been limited. Methods Twenty-six patients with CL were treated with miltefosine at the US National Institutes of Health. Species included L. braziliensis (n = 7), L. panamensis (n = 5), Leishmania mexicana (n = 1), Leishmania infantum (n = 3), Leishmania aethiopica (n = 4), Leishmania tropica (n = 2), Leishmania major (n = 1), and unspeciated (n = 3). Demographic and clinic characteristics of the participants, response to treatment, and associated adverse events were analyzed. Results Treatment with miltefosine resulted in cure in 77 % (20/26) of cases, with cures among all species. Common adverse events included nausea/vomiting (97%) and lack of appetite (54%). Clinical management or dose reduction was required in a third of cases. Gout occurred in 3 individuals with a prior history of gout. Most laboratory abnormalities, including elevated creatinine and aminotransferases, were mild and normalized after treatment. Conclusions Our data suggest that miltefosine has good but imperfect efficacy to a wide variety of Leishmania species. While side effects were common and mostly mild to moderate, some resulted in discontinuation of therapy. Due to oral administration, broad efficacy, and manageable toxicities, miltefosine is a viable alternative treatment option for CL, though cost and lack of local availability may limit its widespread use.
Characterization of Posttranscriptional Modification in Nucleic Acids by Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Natural modification of DNA and RNA is a characteristic feature of nucleic acids from almost all biological sources [1, 2]. By far the greatest structural variety of modified nucleotides occurs in RNA, as summarized in Table 1, at sequence locations that tend to be highly conserved in each type of RNA. Considerable progress has been made in recent years in understanding the diversity of functional roles played by modification in RNA, based almost entirely on studies of transfer RNA (tRNA) [3, 4], in which 79 modified nucleosides have been reported (see Table 1) [2]. In general, tRNA modification serves to enforce and fine-tune structural parameters that are crucial to translation, such as maintenance of correct reading frame (e. g., [5]) codon choice (e. g., [6]) and thermal stabilization (e. g., [7]). However, much less is known about the structures and functions of modifications in ribosomal RNA (rRNA), in spite of accumulating evidence that rRNA plays a major role in peptide bond formation during protein synthesis on the surface of the ribosome [8]. The paucity of
Price Discrimination in Input Markets When Retailers Have Replacement Threats: Empirical Evidence

Price discrimination in input markets may be driven by differences in buyers’ (i) demands, (ii) costs, or (iii) ‘replacement threats,’ in which a buyer obtains favorable pricing by threatening to source an input from a competitor. I analyze the importance of differences in buyers’ replacement threats for explaining differences in terms of wholesale trade. The empirical application uses data from the U.S. yogurt market. I find that differences in replacement threats are an important determinant of inferred input-market price discrimination. Results suggest that ‘smaller’ buyers, i.e. retailers with fewer products offered and lower revenues in neighboring markets, benefit relatively more from profitable replacement threats.