cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward Effective Robot--Child Tutoring: Internal Motivation, Behavioral Intervention, and Learning Outcomes

Personalized learning environments have the potential to improve learning outcomes for children in a variety of educational domains, as they can tailor instruction based on the unique learning needs of individuals. Robot tutoring systems can further engage users by leveraging their potential for embodied social interaction and take into account crucial aspects of a learner, such as a student’s motivation in learning. In this article, we demonstrate that motivation in young learners corresponds to observable behaviors when interacting with a robot tutoring system, which, in turn, impact learning outcomes. We first detail a user study involving children interacting one on one with a robot tutoring system over multiple sessions. Based on empirical data, we show that academic motivation stemming from one’s own values or goals as assessed by the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A) correlates to observed suboptimal help-seeking behavior during the initial tutoring session. We then show how an interactive robot that responds intelligently to these observed behaviors in subsequent tutoring sessions can positively impact both student behavior and learning outcomes over time. These results provide empirical evidence for the link between internal motivation, observable behavior, and learning outcomes in the context of robot--child tutoring. We also identified an additional suboptimal behavioral feature within our tutoring environment and demonstrated its relationship to internal factors of motivation, suggesting further opportunities to design robot intervention to enhance learning. We provide insights on the design of robot tutoring systems aimed to deliver effective behavioral intervention during learning interactions for children and present a discussion on the broader challenges currently faced by robot--child tutoring systems.
On the Microscopic Origin of Negative Capacitance in Ferroelectric Materials: A Toy Model

We present a simple, physical explanation of underlying microscopic mechanisms that lead to the emergence of the negative phenomena in ferroelectric materials. The material presented herein is inspired by the pedagogical treatment of ferroelectricity by Feynman and Kittel. In a toy model consisting of a linear one-dimensional chain of polarizable units (i.e., atoms or unit cells of a crystal structure), we show how simple electrostatic interactions can create a microscopic, positive feedback action that leads to negative capacitance phenomena. We point out that the unstable negative capacitance effect has its origin in the so called “polarization catastrophe” phenomenon which is essential to explain displacement type ferroelectrics. Furthermore, the fact that even in the negative capacitance state, the individual dipole always aligns along the direction of the local electrical field not opposite is made clear through the toy model. Finally, how the “ $S$ ”-shaped polarization vs. applied electric field curve emerges out of the electrostatic interactions in an ordered set of polarizable units is shown.
On the effect of microstructure on the torsional response of AA7050-T7651 at elevated strain rates

Abstract A torsional split Hopkinson bar has been implemented to observe strain rate effects in the material response of aluminum alloy 7050-T7651. The material, received in the form of 32 mm thick plates, has been tested in the as received condition and also in the as friction-stir welded (FSW) condition. Microstructural observations have been performed using optical microscopy, revealing a fine, equiaxed structure of small grains in the FSW nugget material and an elongated and markedly larger grain structure in the as-received material condition, typical of rolled, un-recrystallized plate. Quasi-static tensile and high rate torsional testing reveal lower yield and flow stresses in the FSW material when compared to the base metal. Testing further demonstrates the presence of appreciable rate dependence in both material states. The present work is also indicative of an increased work hardening rate in the FSW material, while the base metal exhibits only minimal work hardening. The increased propensity for work hardening and decreased mechanical strength in the FSW material is found to be the primary difference between the two material states.
Patients’ reactions to a decision aid about lung cancer screening with low-dose spiral computed tomography: An uncontrolled trial.

1564 Background: Results from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) and a recent ASCO-supported systematic review concluded that screening with low-dose spiral computed tomography (LDCT) reduces...
Cooperative Grasping and Transport Using Multiple Quadrotors

In this paper, we consider the problem of controlling multiple quadrotor robots that cooperatively grasp and transport a payload in three dimensions.We model the quadrotors both individually and as a group rigidly attached to a payload. We propose individual robot control laws defined with respect to the payload that stabilize the payload along three-dimensional trajectories. We detail the design of a gripping mechanism attached to each quadrotor that permits autonomous grasping of the payload. An experimental study with teams of quadrotors cooperatively grasping, stabilizing, and transporting payloads along desired three-dimensional trajectories is presented with performance analysis over many trials for different payload configurations.
Roadway Safety Management in Small Municipalities

Roadway safety management consists of network screening, diagnosis, countermeasure selection, economic appraisal, prioritization, and safety effectiveness. Application of the safety management proc...
Guaranteed Obstacle Avoidance for Multi-Robot Operations With Limited Actuation: A Control Barrier Function Approach

This letter considers the problem of obstacle avoidance for multiple robotic agents moving in an environment with obstacles. A decentralized supervisory controller is synthesized based on control barrier functions (CBF) that guarantees obstacle avoidance with limited actuation capability. The proposed method is applicable to general nonlinear robot dynamics and is scalable to an arbitrary number of agents. Agent-to-agent communication is not required, yet a simple broadcasting scheme improves the performance of the algorithm. The key idea is based on a control barrier function constructed with a backup controller, and we show that by assuming other agents respecting the same CBF condition, the supervisory control algorithm can be implemented decentrally and guarantees obstacle avoidance for all agents.
Ordering and Structural Transformations in LayeredK x CrO 2 for K‑Ion Batteries

The success of K-ion battery technology will rely on the development of robust cathode materials that can incorporate and shuttle high amounts of K reversibly. Recent experimental work has demonstr...
Predicting site-specific storm wave run-up

Storm wave run-up causes beach erosion, wave overtopping, and street flooding. Extreme runup estimates may be improved, relative to predictions from general empirical formulae with default parameter values, by using historical storm waves and eroded profiles in numerical runup simulations. A climatology of storm wave run-up at Imperial Beach, California is developed using the numerical model SWASH, and over a decade of hindcast spectral waves and observed depth profiles. For use in a local flood warning system, the relationship between incident wave energy spectra E(f) and SWASH-modeled shoreline water levels is approximated with the numerically simple integrated power law approximation (IPA). Broad and multi-peaked E(f) are accommodated by characterizing wave forcing with frequency-weighted integrals of E(f). This integral approach improves runup estimates compared to the more commonly used bulk parameterization using deep water wave height $$H_0$$ and deep water wavelength $$L_0$$ Hunt (Trans Am Soc Civ Eng 126(4):542–570, 1961) and Stockdon et al. (Coast Eng 53(7):573–588, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2005.12.005 ). Scaling of energy and frequency contributions in IPA, determined by searching parameter space for the best fit to SWASH, show an $$H_0L_0$$ scaling is near optimal. IPA performance is tested with LiDAR observations of storm run-up, which reached 2.5 m above the offshore water level, overtopped backshore riprap, and eroded the foreshore beach slope. Driven with estimates from a regional wave model and observed $$\beta _f$$ , the IPA reproduced observed run-up with $$<30\%$$ error. However, errors in model physics, depth profile, and incoming wave predictions partially cancelled. IPA (or alternative empirical forms) can be calibrated (using SWASH or similar) for sites where historical waves and eroded bathymetry are available.
Nearly Got Shot Dead, and He Didn’t Get His Little Check Yet: Workers, Crime, and Law and Order in New York City, 1962-1970:

Historians have conducted important research on the rise of law-and-order politics in New York City, where anxieties over women’s freedoms, political battles over police oversight, and crime impact...
Impact of oral anticoagulant choice for the secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism on the risk of inpatient bleeding.

Background Randomized trials suggest that direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are at least as effective as warfarin for primary treatment of VTE and that bleeding risk may be lower for some DOACs relative to warfarin. However, there is very little information regarding potential bleeding risks for DOACs versus warfarin in secondary prevention of VTE. Objective The aim of this study was to compare rates of bleeding events resulting in inpatient admissions between individuals taking apixaban, rivaroxaban, and warfarin for secondary prevention of VTE during the period 2013-2017. Methods We used the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database and Medicare Supplemental and Coordination of Benefits Database (IBM Watson Health, Ann Arbor, MI) to establish a retrospective cohort. Initial venous thrombolism events were defined from medical claims, and follow-up for this cohort began 6 months after the initial event. Bleeding events resulting in inpatient admission were identified from claims data over the subsequent year of secondary prevention. Results A total of 69 264 individuals were identified for the cohort, with 567 bleeding events. The crude rate of bleeding was highest among warfarin users (1.47/100 person-years; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-1.74) and lower among those on either apixaban (1.00/100 person-years; 95% CI, 0.65-1.54) or rivaroxaban (0.84/100 person-years; 95% CI, 0.66-1.08). In multivariable adjusted Cox models, those on apixaban (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80; 95% CI, 0.50-1.29) and rivaroxaban (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.59-1.09) had somewhat lower rates of bleeding events relative to those on warfarin. Conclusions We found modest evidence of decreased risk of bleeding for apixaban and rivaroxaban. These estimates were relatively imprecise.
National Trends in Pediatric Admissions for Diabetic Ketoacidosis, 2006–2016

Background and objectives Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) rates in the United States are rising. Prior studies suggest higher rates in younger populations, but no studies have evaluated national trends in pediatric populations and differences by subgroups. As such, we sought to examine national trends in pediatric DKA. Methods We used the 2006, 2009, 2012, and 2016 Kids' Inpatient Database to identify pediatric DKA admissions among a nationally representative sample of admissions of youth ≤20 years old. We estimate DKA admission per 10 000 admissions and per 10 000 population, charges, length of stay (LOS), and trends over time among all hospitalizations and by demographic subgroups. Regression models were used to evaluate differences in DKA rates within subgroups overtime. Results Between 2006 and 2016, there were 149 535 admissions for DKA. Unadjusted DKA rate per admission increased from 120.5 (95% CI, 115.9-125.2) in 2006 to 217.7 (95% CI, 208.3-227.5) in 2016. The mean charge per admission increased from $14 548 (95% CI, $13 971-$15 125) in 2006 to $20 997 (95% CI, $19 973-$22 022) in 2016, whereas mean LOS decreased from 2.51 (95% CI, 2.45-2.57) to 2.28 (95% CI, 2.23-2.33) days. Higher DKA rates occurred among 18- to 20-year-old females, Black youth, without private insurance, with lower incomes, and from nonurban areas. Young adults, men, those without private insurance, and from nonurban areas had greater increases in DKA rates across time. Conclusions Pediatric DKA admissions have risen by 40% in the United States and vulnerable subgroups remain at highest risk. Further studies should characterize the challenges experienced by these groups to inform interventions to mitigate their DKA risk and to address the rising DKA rates nationally.
Asiatic Aspie: Millennial (ab)use of Asperger’s Syndrome:

Instead of artistic or poetic license in general, millennial novelists and filmmakers have been taking a particular kind of “aspic license” in their use or abuse of Asperger’s Syndrome for characterization and plot. A mental disability turns out to enable lead characters in their respective pursuits, as in the British TV comedy Doc Martin (2004-2013) and Mai Jia’s Chinese spy thriller Decoded (2002). Doc Martin associates Aspie with Asiatic, both betokening the Other, the opposite to neurotypicals and Western universalism. When the mystique of Orientalized Aspies in Western texts morphs into that of their doppelganger of Occidentalized Aspies in Eastern texts, qualitative changes occur. Whereas Asiatic Aspies in the West don the Asiatic like the emperor’s new clothes, skin-deep and stylized, Asiatic Aspies in the East flaunt Asperger’s Syndrome like an imported luxury to boost the value of the East.
Spectroscopic evidence for the control of respiration prior to phosphorylation in hamster brown fat cells.

Abstract The cytochromes in hamster brown fat cells were identified by trapped steady state spectra using liquid nitrogen. Simultaneous measurements of oxygen consumption and cytochrome b changes at 430 – 410 nm were made. Using the above techniques, fatty acids, released from triglyceride stores by norepinephrine, have been shown to have a dual function: (a) provision of substrate for oxidative breakdown; (b) regulation of energy transfer for control of respiration. The second function has been shown to operate mainly prior to the incorporation of inorganic phosphate in the oxidative phosphorylation sequence by experiments with oligomycin. Summarized are studies on other systems which suggest that fatty acids exert their effect on energy coupling at the same level at which uncoupling agents act. Experiments with succinate and α-glycerol phosphate as substrates are presented and discussed with reference to either differential extent or tightness of coupling at Sites I, II, and III along the respiratory chain, or both of these factors.
Repetitive acute intermittent hypoxia differentially affects CD11b+ cell phenotypes after C2 spinal hemisection (713.6)

Inflammation is a hallmark of spinal cord injury (SCI), mediated in part by CD11b+ resident microglia (MG) and infiltrating macrophages (MP). Although neuroinflammation is well-characterized at the...
Poverty amid Plenty in the New India

India has one of the fastest growing economies on earth. Over the past three decades, socialism has been replaced by pro-business policies as the way forward. And yet, in this 'new' India, grinding poverty is still a feature of everyday life. Some 450 million people subsist on less than $1.25 per day and nearly half of India's children are malnourished. In his latest book, Atul Kohli, a seasoned scholar of Indian politics and economics, blames this discrepancy on the narrow nature of the ruling alliance in India that, in its new-found relationship with business, has prioritized economic growth above all other social and political considerations. This thoughtful and challenging book affords an alternative vision of India's rise in the world that its democratic rulers will be forced to come to grips with in the years ahead.
Learning at the Speed of Light: A New Type of Optical Neural Network

Most, if not all, optical hardware-based neural networks are slow during the neural learning phase. This limitation has been not only a speed bottleneck, but it has contributed to the lack of wide-spread use of optical neural systems. We present a novel solution --- Optical Fixed-Weight Learning Neural Networks. Standard neural networks learn new function mappings by the changing of their synaptic weights. However, the Fixed-Weight Neural Networks learn new mappings by dynamically changing recurrent neural signals. The (fixed) synaptic weights of the FWL-NN implement a learning "algorithm" which adjusts the recurrent signals toward their proper values.
Flexible information retrieval: some research trends

In this paper some research trends in the field of Information Retrieval are presented. The focus is on the definition of flexible systems, i.e. systems that can represent and manage the vagueness and uncertainty which is characteristic of the process of information searching and retrieval. In this paper the application of soft computing techniques is considered, in particular fuzzy set theory.
Predictors of family caregivers' life satisfaction after traumatic brain injury at one and two years post-injury: a longitudinal multi-center investigation.

Objective: To determine predictors of family caregiver life satisfaction at one and two years after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Prospective collaborative longitudinal study of 336 family members caring for individuals with TBI participating in the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) designated TBI Model Systems of Care (TBIMS). Survivors' medical and demographic information was obtained from the TBIMS database. Follow-up interviews were completed with both survivors and family caregivers at 1 year and 2 years post injury. The primary outcome variable, caregiver life satisfaction, was measured with the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results: Repeated measures ordinal logistic regression showed that survivors' functional status at discharge, drug use, and neurobehavioral problems were significant predictors of family caregivers' life satisfaction at 1 and 2 years post injury. Conclusions: Family members of individuals with TBI often experience reduced life satisfaction in the first 2 years following their relatives' TBI. Psychiatric and neurobehavioral problems, such as drug use and depression, as well as motor dysfunction in survivors may be important contributors to decreased life satisfaction among their caregivers.
Enhancement of bacterial infections in mice by Newcastle disease virus.

This report describes an attempt to define the factors which incite secondary bacterial pneumonias. Groups of mice were given bacteria intraperitoneally and, at various intervals, Newcastle disease virus intravenously. There was an increase in the number of deaths and in the rates of death in these groups, when compared with a control group which was given only bacteria. These results were obtained with Streptococcus pneumoniae (Diplococcus pneumoniae), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enteritidis ser. typhimurium. Newcastle disease virus increased the mortality rate of mice with bacterial infections when the two agents were given within 24 hr.
Skippy: Enabling Long-Lived Snapshots of the Long-Lived Past

Decreasing disk costs have made it practical to retain long- lived snapshots, enabling new applications that analyze past states and infer about future states. Current approaches offer no satisfactory way to organize long-lived snapshots because they disrupt the database in either short or long run. Split snapshots are a recent approach that overcomes some of the limitations. An unsolved problem has been how to support efficient application code access to arbitrarily long-lived snapshots. We describe Skippy, a new approach that solves this problem. Performance evaluation of Skippy, based on theoretical analysis and experimental measurements, indicates that the new approach is effective and efficient.
Autotuning of Digital Deadbeat Current Controllers for Grid-Tie Inverters Using Wide Bandwidth Impedance Identification

By injecting a wide-bandwidth small-amplitude test sequence into the inverter's pulsewidth-modulated control signal and by utilizing digital network analyzer techniques, an accurate estimation of the inverter's output inductance can be obtained without external equipment and under realistic operating conditions, which is important given the nonlinear characteristics of commonly used powdered iron cores. This knowledge can be then leveraged to tune the inverter's digital deadbeat controller for optimal performance, i.e., reaching the desired reference in n switching cycles, where n is the order of the system. A pseudorandom-binary-sequence-based injection sequence is chosen for its wideband spectral content. Experimental results demonstrate the improvement in the output-current total harmonic distortion obtainable with the proposed approach.
Lifetime and quenching rates for the H2 continuum

Abstract When measured down to low pressures, the radiation processes of the H 2 continuum have proved to be unexpectedly complex, involving at least two states. The lifetime of the 3 Σ g state is found to be 26 nsec, with a resonance exchange cross-section of 2 × 10 −14 cm 2 to some side state and a quenching cross section of 4.8 × 10 −16 cm 2 .
Assessing subglacial processes from diatom fragmentation patterns

Reconstructing the size and glacial style of past ice-sheet advances requires interpreting complex glacial sedimentary facies. We use diatoms, a major component of Antarctic continental shelf deposits, to infer the physical conditions under which these deposits were emplaced. The degree of diatom fragmentation and the presence of diatoms of varying stratigraphic age in glacial sediments provide means to qualitatively gauge glacial mixing and transport. Here we report an experimentally calibrated index of diatom fragmentation that provides a simple but objective method of assessing the degree of subshearing imparted on marine glacial sedimentary deposits. By using a ring-shear device to subject diatomaceous sediment to stresses comparable to those beneath the Ross ice streams, we quantitatively assess patterns of diatom comminution resulting from compaction and from progressive shear stress. Elongate pennate diatoms are found to break disproportionately to discoid centric diatoms when subjected to shear stress; thus, a simple ratio of unbroken centric to pennate diatoms provides a reliable gauge of past shearing. Comparison of ring-shear results with a suite of previously analyzed sediments that represent a variety of glacial, glacial-marine, and hemipelagic settings of the Ross Sea and subglacial Ross Embayment demonstrates that this index can be employed for estimating relative subglacial stresses in this setting.
Pendimethalin Wash‐Off from Cover Crop Residues and Degradation in a Loessial Soil

Tillage and cover crops affect soil biological, chemical and physical properties that control the fate of herbicides in soil. Effects of conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT) and either native winter annual vegetation, hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) or wheat (Triticum aestivum) on degradation of pendimethalin [N‐(1‐ethylpropyl)‐3,4‐dimethyl‐2,6‐dinitrobenzenamine] were investigated. Effect of pendimethalin sorption on residues of these cover crops on subsequent washoff by simulated rain was also examined. Surface (0 to 3 cm) Gigger soil (fine‐silty, mixed thermic Typic Fragiudalfs) from triplicate plots of each tillage by cover crop combination under long‐term cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) were fortified with pendimethalin (10 nmole g− 1), incubated (25 ± 1°C) for 7, 21, 42, and 63 d, extracted and analyzed for pendimethalin by HPLC. Degradation was generally faster in NT than CT soil. Within tillage treatments, degradation was faster under native vegetation and wheat cover than under vetch. First‐orde...
Calnexin Association Is Not Sufficient to Protect T Cell Receptor α Proteins from Rapid Degradation in CD4+CD8+ Thymocytes

During T cell development, assembly of the mutisubunit T cell receptor (TCR) complex is regulated by the differential stability of newly synthesized TCRalpha molecules, having a half-life of approximately 20 min in immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes compared with >75 min in mature T cells. The molecular basis for TCRalpha instability in CD4+CD8+ thymocytes is unknown but has been postulated to involve abnormalities in N-glycan processing and calnexin assembly as perturbation of these pathways markedly destabilizes TCRalpha proteins in all other T cell types examined. Here, we compared the processing of TCRalpha glycoproteins and their assembly with calnexin and calreticulin chaperones in CD4+CD8+ thymocytes and splenic T cells. These studies show that TCRalpha glycoproteins synthesized in CD4+CD8+ thymocytes were processed in a similar manner as those made in splenic T cells and that TCRalpha proteins stably associated with calnexin in both cell types. Interestingly, however, TCRalpha association with the calnexin-related molecule calreticulin was decreased in CD4+CD8+ thymocytes compared with splenic T cells. Finally, TCRalpha degradation in CD4+CD8+ thymocytes was impaired by inhibitors of proteasome activity, which was correlated with stabilization of calnexin.TCRalpha complexes. These data demonstrate that calnexin association is not sufficient to protect TCRalpha proteins from rapid degradation in CD4+CD8+ thymocytes, suggesting that additional components of the quality control system of the endoplasmic reticulum operate to ensure the proper folding of nascent TCRalpha glycoproteins.
International Trade and Protection of the Environment: The Continuing Search for Reconciliation

Before 1991, the relationship between the protection of the environment and international trade was an arcane specialty that attracted little attention. In 1971 the GATT Council established a Working Group on Environmental Measures and International Trade. This group did not even meet for over twenty years. Everything changed with the decision in the Tuna/Dolphin I case, in which a GATT dispute resolution panel declared a United States embargo on tuna caught by fishing methods causing high dolphin mortality to be illegal. The Tuna/Dolphin I decision produced an explosion of rhetoric in both learned journals and the popular press. It was also a very interesting clash of very different “cultures,” trade specialists versus environmentalists. At die outset, neither group knew much about the other. Now, however, the legal and political issues have been identified and ventilated, mutual understanding has increased, and the process has begun to reconcile two values that are absolutely essential to the well-being of mankind: protection of the environment and international free trade.
Left subclavian artery coverage during thoracic endovascular aortic repair: A single-center experience

Objective This study was conducted to determine the results of left subclavian artery (LSA) coverage during thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Methods We retrospectively reviewed the results of 308 patients who underwent TEVAR from 1999 to 2007. The LSA was completely covered in 70 patients (53 men, 13 women), with a mean age of 67 years (range 41-89). Elective revascularization of the LSA was performed in 42 cases, consisting of transposition (n = 5), bypass and ligation (n = 3), or bypass and coil embolization (n = 34). Mean follow-up was 11 months (range, 1-48 months). The χ 2 test was used for statistical analysis. Results Indications for treatment included aneurysm in 47, dissection in 16, transection in 4, pseudoaneurysm in 2, and right subclavian aneurysm in 1, with 47 elective and 23 emergency operations. Aortic coverage extended from the left common carotid artery (LCCA) to the distal arch (n = 29), middle thoracic aorta (n = 9), or celiac artery (n = 32). Operative success was 99%. The 30-day mortality was 4% (intraoperative myocardial infarction, 1; traumatic injuries, 1; visceral infarction, 1). No paraplegia developed. The stroke rate was 8.6%; no strokes were related to LSA coverage because there were no posterior strokes. Stroke rates between the revascularization (7%) and non-revascularization (11%) groups were not significantly different ( P = .6). All but one patient fully recovered by 6 months. No left arm symptoms developed in patients with LSA revascularization. All bypasses remained patent throughout follow-up. One complication (2%) resulted in an asymptomatic persistently elevated left hemidiaphragm, likely related to phrenic nerve traction. Left upper extremity symptoms developed in five (18%) patients without LSA revascularization. Two required LSA revascularization, one of which was for acute limb-threatening ischemia. No permanent left upper extremity dysfunction or ischemia developed in any patient. Conclusion Zone 2 TEVAR with LSA coverage can be accomplished safely in both elective and emergency settings and with and without revascularization (with the exception of a patent LIMA-LAD bypass). Nevertheless, overall stroke rates are higher compared with all-zone TEVAR. Staged LSA revascularization and even urgent revascularization may be necessary but can be performed without long-term detriment to the left arm.
Electrical Properties of Frozen Ground at VHF near Point Barrow, Alaska

Electrical properties of frozen ground were measured using radio frequency interferometry (RFI) in the very high frequency (VHF) radiowave band. Ice-rich organic silts and sandy gravel of variable ice content were investigated during early April of both 1979 and 1980. Frequencies between 10 and 150 MHz were used but best results were obtained at VHF between 40 and 100 MHz. Surface impedance and magnetic-induction techniques were also used to obtain a separate control on vertical inhomogeneity. Soil samples were tested for organic and water content. The dielectric constants determined for the ice-rich organic silts ranged from 4.0 to 5.5 while the sands and gravels were about 5.1. Dielectric loss was due to dc conduction and was very low for the silts but significant for the sandy gravel. The higher values for the sandy gravel were most likely due to higher concentrations of salt that are reported to exist in the old beach ridges in this region. All the RFI measurements are believed to be indicative of only the first few meters of the ground although the radiowaves could penetrate to tens of meters. Inconsistencies from year to year show that the RFI method at VHF may often be too dependent upon the idealizations of the theoretical model upon which it is based.
Energy balance, insulin‐related genes and risk of colon and rectal cancer

Energy balance, or the ability to maintain body weight by balancing energy intake with energy expenditure, appears to be important in the etiology of colon cancer. One possible mechanism whereby energy balance may be associated with colorectal cancer is through its association with insulin. In our study, we evaluate the interaction between polymorphisms in 4 genes thought to be involved in insulin-related functions and components of energy balance with risk of colorectal cancer. Data from 2 population-based case-control studies of colon and rectal cancer conducted in Utah and Northern California were used to evaluate associations between body mass index (BMI), physical activity, energy intake and sucrose-to-fiber ratio and a CA repeat polymorphism of the IGF1 gene, the A/C polymorphism at nucleotide -202 of the IGFBP3, the G972R polymorphism of the IRS1 gene and the G1057D polymorphism of the IRS2 gene. A total of 1,346 incident colon cancer cases and 1,544 population-based controls and 952 incident rectal cancer cases and 1,205 controls were available for analysis. Inconsistent associations were identified between BMI, physical activity, energy intake and insulin-related genes. The 192/192 IGF1 genotype was associated with significant reduction in colon cancer risk among those with high physical activity (odds ratio [OR] 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.39-0.83; p interaction 0.01). Although there was no significant pattern of interaction between either BMI or energy intake and polymorphisms assessed, specific sources of energy did appear to be more related to colon cancer risk in the presence of specific IRS2 and IGF1 genotypes. A high sucrose-to-fiber ratio increased risk of colon cancer in men who had the IRS2 DD genotype and among men who did not have the 192/192 IGF1 genotype. In summary, these data support the importance of components of energy balance in risk of colorectal cancer. Obesity, physical activity and energy intake appear to alter risk of colorectal cancer; however, the risk appears to be minimally influenced by genetic variants evaluated.
Functional reconstitution of ion channels from Paramecium cortex into artificial liposomes

Toward isolating channel proteins from Paramecium, we have explored the possibility of functionally reconstituting ion channels in an artificial system. Proteins from Paramecium cortex reconstituted with soybean azolectin retained several channels whose activities were readily registered under patch clamp. The most commonly encountered activities were three: (i) a 71-pS cation channel that opens at all voltages unless dior trivalent cations were added to close them, (ii) a 40 pS monovalent cation channel, and (iii) a large-conductance channel that prefers anions and exhibits many subconductance states. These channels survived mild detergent treatments without observable functional alterations. The possible origin of these channels from internal membranes, the possible role of 71-pS channel in internal Ca2+ release, and the prospects of their purification are discussed.
IL-16- and Other CD4 Ligand-Induced Migration Is Dependent upon Protein Kinase C

Abstract Human interleukin-16, previously known as lymphocyte chemoattractant factor, is a CD4+T cell competence growth factor initially described as a chemo- tactic factor for CD4+cells. The interaction between IL-16 and its receptor CD4 leads to an increase in intracytoplasmic calcium and inositol trisphosphate. Because of the association of intracellular shifts in protein kinase C (PKC) enzyme activity with production of these secondary messengers and the participation of PKC in transducing certain receptor-mediated migratory signals, we investigated the role of PKC in the CD4-mediated migratory response by IL-16. Recombinant IL-16 induces rapid translocation of PKC from the cytosol to the membrane in three separate CD4+cell types: normal blood T cells, SUPT1 cells, and THP1 cells. PKC inhibitors H7, calphostin C, chelerythrine, and bisindolylmaleimide completely block IL-16-induced lymphocyte migration as well as the motile response induced by HIV-1 gp120 and anti-CD4 antibodies. Taken together, these data suggest a role for PKC in CD4-mediated migratory responses.
Room temperature electrodeposition of aluminum antimonide compound semiconductor

Abstract AlSb is a group III–V compound semiconductor material that is conventionally grown by high temperature processes such as Czochralski and Bridgman methods. Development of a method to synthesize AlSb at room temperature will be more economical to help modulate the electronic properties. In this investigation, a pulsed potential electrodeposition method using a room temperature molten salt system (aluminum trichloride, AlCl 3 /1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium chloride, EMIC) with an addition of SbCl 3 is discussed. The potential pulse parameters were established by carrying out cyclic voltammetry at different concentrations of SbCl 3 and with varying molar ratios of AlCl 3 /EMIC. Stoichiometric AlSb deposits were obtained from an acidic AlCl 3 /EMIC (1.5:1 molar ratio) melt containing 4 × 10 −3 mol/l of SbCl 3 onto an ordered TiO 2 nanotubular template. The AlSb compound was predominantly amorphous in as-deposited condition and annealing at 350 °C for 2 h in argon transformed into crystalline phase. The AlSb deposit showed a high resistivity in the order of 10 9 Ω-cm and a defect concentration of 10 16 cm −3 which was attributed to presence of carbon. The deposits obtained from a basic melt (0.67:1 molar ratio of AlCl 3 /EMIC) were enriched with antimony.
Adjustment of the surgical nomogram for surgery on slipped extraocular muscles.

Purpose A slipped muscle is an underdiagnosed complication of strabismus surgery. Surgery necessitates intraoperative diagnosis, measurement, and resection of the empty sheath. We analyzed the results of empty sheath surgery for slipped medial and lateral rectus muscles in a large cohort of patients. Methods Eighty-five patients who underwent empty sheath surgery at a secondary referral center by a single strabismologist were included in the study. We retrospectively analyzed the preoperative and postoperative change in angle of deviation 6 weeks after surgery. All cases were reoperations in which an unexpected or unsatisfactory outcome followed primary surgery. Consecutive exotropias with slipped medial rectus muscles were noted in 68 patients. There were 17 esotropia cases with lateral rectus muscles slip, of which 2 were consecutive exotropias that became consecutive esotropias. Bilateral medial rectus muscle slips were found in 6 patients with consecutive exotropias. Adjustable suture surgery was performed in 27 patients. Results Resection of the empty sheath of the slipped medial or lateral rectus muscle with advancement to the original site of insertion was done in all cases; in addition, the antagonist muscle was recessed only if it was tight. The total muscle advancement was calculated in millimeters from the total amount of sheath resected, muscle advanced, and the antagonist recessed. The greater the preoperative deviation, the more surgical muscle advancement was required and the greater the change in postoperative angle of deviation. Mean change in angle of deviation was 3.13Δ for each millimeter of muscle advancement (median = 3.00, SD = 1.72). Conclusions The diagnosis of slipped muscle should be confirmed during strabismus surgery. The empty sheath was measured, resected, and the muscle advanced to the original site of insertion. An approximate 3Δ change in angle of deviation was observed for every millimeter of muscle of advancement. For very large and very small deviations, surgeons should modify this to an accustomed measurement dictated by their experience.
PREDICTION OF REMAINING SERVICE LIFE OF BRIDGE DECKS USING MACHINE LEARNING

This paper demonstrates that it is feasible to use either the k-nearest-neighbor instance-based learning (IBL) technique or the inductive learning (IL) technique for engineering applications in classification/prediction problems such as estimating remaining service life of bridge decks. It is shown that IBL is more efficient than IL: The best achieved percentages of correctly classified instances are 50% as generated by k-nearest-neighbor IBL and 41.8% when generated by the C4.5/IL learning algorithm. From a machine learning (ML) standpoint both these values are considered low, but this is attributed to the fact that the deterioration model used to compute the remaining service life turned out to be inadequate. It is based on a methodology developed under the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) for life-cost analysis of concrete bridges relative to reinforcement corrosion. Actual bridge deck surveys were obtained from the Kansas Department of Transportation that include the type of attributes needed for the SHRP methodology. The experimentation with the ML algorithms reported here also describes the experience one may go through when faced with an imperfect model, or with incomplete data or missing attributes.
Past, present and future challenges of revenue management, pricing and scheduling

On May 20–22 2013, the AGIFORS Revenue Management and Pricing and the AGIFORS Scheduling and Strategic Planning study groups met in Miami, Florida. Don Casey, Vice President of Revenue Management at American Airlines, presented the keynote address. Casey discussed the importance of communication among the revenue management, pricing and scheduling groups and outlined his thoughts on forces in the industry that have shaped some of the priorities and resulted in innovation in these groups over the past 15 years.
Numerical modeling of the climatic circulation in the Black Sea with the help of the Mellor–Yamada 2.5 parametrization

We compute the model climatic temperatures fields and the fields of currents and levels for the Black Sea by using the Mellor–Yamada 2.5 parametrization in the numerical nonlinear hydrodynamic model. The comparison with the results of previous calculations shows that the largest quantitative deviations are observed for the winter-spring period under the conditions of intense wind. The model reproduces the main elements of the circulation of waters in the Black Sea: the cyclonic gyre, the Rim Current flowing along the continental slope, the Sevastopol and Batumi anticyclones, and mesoscale eddies near the Caucasian coast and in the regions of the sea neighboring with Cape Kaliakra, Sinop, and the Bosporus Strait.
Investigation of photosensitizing dyes for pathogen reduction in red cell suspensions.

Despite recent advances in blood safety by careful donor selection and implementation of infectious disease testing, transmission of viruses, bacteria and parasites by transfusion can still rarely occur. One approach to reduce the residual risk from currently tested pathogens and to protect against the emergence of new ones is to investigate methods for pathogen inactivation. The use of photosensitizing dyes for pathogen inactivation has been studied in both red cell and platelet blood components. Optimal properties of sensitizing dyes for use in red cell suspensions include selection of dyes that traverse cell and viral membranes, bind to nucleic acids, absorb light in the red region of the spectrum, inactivate a wide range of pathogens, produce little red cell photodamage from dye not bound to nucleic acid and do not hemolyze red cells in the dark. Early research at the American Red Cross focused on the use of a class of dyes with rigid structures, such as the phenothiazine dyes, beginning with the prot...
In silico zebrafish pattern formation

Mutations that affect pattern formation in the zebrafish have been widely studied over the past few decades, leading to speculations as to the mechanism by which stripes, spots and other skin patterns are formed. Recent in silico developments in modeling of cellular dynamics now permit explicit analysis of how cells migrate and interact, and we describe here an in silico simulation that appears to reproduce many of the surface patterns previously reported in zebrafish. We find that many observed zebrafish patterns are necessarily associated with expression of repulsive as well as attractive cellular ligands, and we make predictions for the detailed effects of changes in expression of these ligands.
Multi-node wireless energy charging in sensor networks

Wireless energy transfer based on magnetic resonant coupling is a promising technology to replenish energy to a wireless sensor network (WSN). However, charging sensor nodes one at a time poses a serious scalability problem. Recent advances in magnetic resonant coupling show that multiple nodes can be charged at the same time. In this paper, we exploit this multi-node wireless energy transfer technology and investigate whether it is a scalable technology to address energy issues in a WSN. We consider a wireless charging vehicle (WCV) periodically traveling inside a WSN and charging sensor nodes wirelessly. Based on charging range of the WCV, we propose a cellular structure that partitions the two-dimensional plane into adjacent hexagonal cells. We pursue a formal optimization framework by jointly optimizing traveling path, flow routing, and charging time. By employing discretization and a novel Reformulation-Linearization Technique (RLT), we develop a provably near-optimal solution for any desired level of accuracy. Through numerical results, we demonstrate that our solution can indeed address the charging scalability problem in a WSN.
Information effects on decision-making

This paper summarizes the results of an experiment dealing with the effects of initial information and feedback on goal-setting and performance of the competing individuals. Three hypotheses were examined:. 1) More information will result in more accurate levels of goal-setting and decision-making. 2) The goals set at a given time are a function of previous goals, previous success in achieving the goals and learning experience about the environment. 3) The rate of learning of participants with less information will be higher than those with more information. The subjects were 48 graduate business students in six groups, eight individuals in each. There were four distinct types of initial information and feedback, so that every two persons of the eight in each group received one of the four information and feedback types. The results tend to support, in part, hypotheses 1 and 3. No support was found for hypothesis 2.
Tryptophan hydroxylase activity and synaptosomal uptake of serotonin in discrete brain regions after midbrain raphe lesions: correlations with serotonin levels and histochemical fluorescence.

Abstract We have found an excellent correlation between serotonin (5-HT) levels and the levels of tryotophan hydroxylase activity and synaptosomal uptake of 5-HT in discrete brain regionsin the rat. After electrolytic destruction of the midbrain RN, each of the above levels was reduced similary in a given brain region. These results indicate that the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase and the uptake mechanism for 5-HT are predominantly, if not uniquely, associated with terminals of the raphe system. We also report a clear visualization of axons and terminals of the raphe neurons by histochemical fluorescence methods in animals pretreated with both l -tryptophan and a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. In agreement with the biochemical data, yellow fluorescent axons and nerve terminals were greatly diminished throughout the forebrain after placement of lesions in the midbrain RN.
852 THROMBOCYTOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH SICKLE CELL ANEMIA AND PNEUMONIA

Alterations in platelet function in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) may contribute to vaso-occlusive crises. Since thrombocytosis may further enhance thrombotic tendencies, we investigated the occurrence rate, magnitude and adverse effects of thrombocytosis in children with SCA and pneumonia. In 37 patients, 47 episodes of pneumonia were evaluated. Platelet counts in 7 patients rose to greater than 1 × 106/mm3 and in 16 patients to ≥750,000/mm3. The mean platelet count began to rise on the fifth day. From day 7 to day 21 the average platelet count was greater than twice the average count on admission and during asymptomatic periods. There were no platelet aggregation abnormalities detected initially or after the development of thrombocytosis. The mean platelet volumes, determined on an electronic particle counter, also remained constant. Only one patient had a painful crisis during the duration of post-pneumonia thrombocytosis. His painful crisis resolved despite a continued rise in platelet count. Although thrombocytosis following pneumonia in patients with SCA is common, the risk of related vaso-occlusive sequelae appears low and anti-platelet therapy does not appear warranted.