cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accountable Game Design: Structuring the Dynamics of Student Learning Interactions

Game-based classroom activity is intended to leverage students' interest and motivation to play, and to provide safe contexts for supporting students' academic learning. However, a basic criticism of many games currently used in classroom settings is that they can fail to meaningfully embody academic content. A more subtle concern is that cognitive and social dynamics emerging from the structuring and enactment of poorly designed games may compromise students' affective disposition and, so, undermine their learning opportunities. Using the case of classroom games designed for mathematical learning, I propose to examine how certain structural dynamics of a learning activity such as the rules and protocol for interaction, choice of media, or criteria for success may influence student interest, engagement, and eventual learning outcomes. This theoretical article reviews cognitive, developmental, and game-related literature in order to develop a rationale for accountable design—an approach that considers how ...
Detection of Broadly Distributed Sodium Channel Alleles Characteristic of Insect Pyrethroid Resistance in West Nile Virus Vector Culex pipiens Complex Mosquitoes in the United States

ABSTRACT West Nile virus (WNV) has emerged as a health threat to the North American population since its initial outbreak in New York City in 1999. Culex (Culex) pipiens complex mosquitoes have been considered to play the primary role in the enzootic maintenance and transmission of WNV in North America. The voltage-gated sodium channel (NaCh) gene contains pyrethroid resistance-associated mutations in the coding region in many insect species. However, the knowledge of potential NaCh mutations was minimal in Culex. Seeking pyrethroid resistance alleles in Culex, we evaluated a transect along the east coast of the United States with an NaCh-based genotyping tool that amplified a portion of the transcribed sequence containing kdr mutations and the intron immediately downstream of the mutation site. Three genotypes that are typically associated with pyrethroid resistance in insects have been identified in Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes in this study: susceptible wild type kds, the classical knock-down resis...
Training the Client to Be Empathetic

The assumption that the nature of the relationship between the therapist and client is an important factor in the therapeutic process and outcome has led to much theoretical speculation and research on possible relationship variables that may have therapeutic relevance. The assumed importance of empathy on the part of the therapist has led to efforts to ensure empathetic characteristics by focusing on empathy training for the therapist. However, while much has been written about the importance of the nature and degree of empathy of the therapist, there has been little focus on the empathetic characteristics of the client. Further, there has been little discussion and research on the necessity of training the client to have appropriate empathy, which will facilitate relief of presenting symptoms and increase quality of life. Orlinsky and Howard (1986) did not find any studies where client empathy was included within a process outcome study. There are a number of therapeutic values in having the client be appropriately empathetic in daily living. The result of empathy training should lead to improving the human condition, not only of the one being trained, but also of many others who come into contact with the client. The advantages of teaching empathy to the client can include the following: 1. Clients will: be better able to predict the responses of others increase tolerance toward others reduce aggression toward others 2. Empathy training will: help in conflict resolution help therapy be more effective help reduce objectionable behaviors such as teasing of others lead to action in helping others, for example, charity, food donated, money donated, giving car rides, taking care of the sick promote maturity and self-differentiation
Vocational Education Course Taking and Post–High School Employment of Youth With Emotional Disturbances:

Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2 (NLTS2) were used to examine the patterns of career and technical education (CTE) course taking in high school by students receiving special e...
How Tradeoffs Shrink Attribute Hierarchy

Why do people sometimes struggle with decisions that once seemed relatively simple? This research suggests that comparing options leads people to lose sight of which decision attributes are important. Although the difference between important and unimportant attributes is often clear in the abstract, the act of making tradeoffs highlights what people must forgo on one attribute in exchange for a gain on another, which increases the perceived importance of trivial attributes in particular. This causes the variance in perceived importance across attributes to shrink, blurring the distinction between important and unimportant attributes. Four experiments demonstrate this phenomenon, explore the underlying mechanism, and show how it leads to increased choice difficulty and dissatisfaction with the choice experience.
An Investigation of Mood States in Women Taking Oral Contraceptives

Longitudinal studies with psychological interviews and tests were performed to investigate emotional changes in 72 women (under age 35) taking oral contraceptives. The analysis was based on patients at the Boston Lying-In Hospital (BLI 28) and at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (PBBH 44). Most women at BLI had 5 or more children; most at PBBH had 1 or more children. 79% of the BLI sample were 26 or older; 61% of the PBBH sample were 25 or under. The former hospital administered Enovid (5 mg) or Enovid-E (2.5 mg); the latter hospital administered Enovid-E (2.5 mg or 5 mg). After preliminary examination of results it was considered justifiable to analyze the data for both groups together. During therapy the patients as a group perceived themselves as in nondepressive states. Psychiatrists detected depression in some patients but too infrequently to change the mean depression scores. Most instances of depression were linked to the disillusionment of women expecting unreasonable benefits such as cure of frigidity or end of marital conflict with pill use. Religion amount of education and number of children had no observable effect on the depression scores. No evidence for depression arising from religion-related guilt in Catholic women was found. Sedative-like effects which occurred in a few patients need further investigation. 5 case histories are detailed.
Approximate saturation of ρ-π superconvergence relations

The supercovergent, double spin-flip, sum rule for ρ-π scattering is saturated att=0, together with its first derivative att=0. The particles corresponding to the two lowest multiplets of the rest symmetryU6⊗U6⊗O3 are used in the saturation. Where possible, experimental values for masses and coupling constants are inserted. A bound is obtained for the ratio ofd-wave tos-wave coupling for the A1→ρπ decay. The effect of higher resonances is considered briefly, and the consistency of the saturation with the related current algebra sum rules is discussed.
Topographic and Geologic Controls on Soil Variability in California’s Sierra Nevada Foothill Region

Author(s): Beaudette, DE; O'Geen, AT | Abstract: We evaluated the feasibility of quantitative soil mapping in two catenas established on different lithologies (metavolcanic and granitic) in the Sierra Foothill Region of California. Indices of landform and microclimate were extracted from a 1-m elevation model. Variation in soil "character" (clay content, pH, color, cation-exchange capacity [CEC], and Feo/Fed) was partitioned across variables associated with terrain shape and microclimate, lithologic variability, and sampling depth. The potential for using digital elevation models (DEM)-derived indices of terrain shape to predict spatial patterns in soil properties varied greatly between our two experimental catenas. Terrain shape accounted for 4% (metavolcanic site) to 30% (granitic site) of variance in soil properties, while lithology accounted for 14% (metavolcanic site) to 22% (granitic site) of variance in soil properties. Sample depth accounted for 3% (metavolcanic site) to 12% (granitic site) of variance in soil properties. At the metavolcanic site, variability in lithology contributed more to soil variation than terrain shape, which makes digital soil modeling efforts a challenge in these regions. Up to 66% of the variance in soil properties was explained at the granitic site when considering terrain, lithology, sample depth, and associated interactions of these variables. Variance proportions can provide insight into the relative importance of soil-forming factors and is a useful tool when evaluating the efficacy of digital soil mapping projects.
Christian Science: A Case Study of the Social Psychological Aspect of Secularization

NE of the reactions to such mythical concepts as "the group mind" which dominated social psychological theory in an earlier era was to shift the focus of analysis from the group to the individual. As a result, contemporary research in this area is usually concerned either with the impact of social and cultural factors on the individual or on the role of the individual in the social process. However, for the sociologist, who is interested primarily in collective phenomena, there remains the problem of dealing with the psychological structure of groups.' In other words, groups differ and can be typed not only in terms of their social structure-in the sense of characteristic normative and status systems-but also in terms of what Heberle has recently termed their social psychological texture-in the sense of the predominating type of motivation which informs the social relationships involved.2 This report deals with but one aspect of a larger study which sought to describe, in strictly sociological terms, the career of Christian Science from its relatively inchoate beginnings (around 1866) to its present status as a highly respected and formally organized religious group.' The nature of the change taking place during this span of years can be most generally described as a matter of secularization, the tendency of sectarian religious movements and groups to become both part of and like "the world."4 The focus of the present paper is on the social psychological aspect of the secularization process. It aims at the empirical validation of the general hypothesis that the larger, more heterogeneous, older, and more powerful a group becomes, the more will its psychological structure change from that of an emotional to a rational association.5 It will consider in turn: (1) the conceptual apparatus, (2) the sources and nature of the data, (3) the methods of analysis, and (4) the results.
Corpus luteum function after follicle aspiration for oocyte retrieval

Follicle aspiration for in vitro fertilization is associated with a statistical disruption of the luteal phase. The severity of the disruption seems to be in relation to the vigorousness and the number of aspirations and therefore the number of granulosa cells that are dislodged from the membrana granulosa layer. Although the statistical importance of this disruption from a biologic point of view does not seem to be significant, as measured by the length of the luteal phase, an analysis of individual cases must be made in order to determine the frequency with which a biologically significant luteal defect may be produced. At the present time, it seems that the fewer the granulosa cells removed at aspiration, the less the luteal disruption will be. The effect of the surgical trauma and anesthesia that should be constant throughout the series is discounted as an important factor in inducing luteal dysfunction.
Takeovers: The Controversy and the Evidence

The market far corporate control that has arisen in the last two decades is generating large benefits for shareholders and for the economy as a whole. The corporate control market generates these gains by loosening control over vast amounts of resources and making it possible for those resources to move more quickly to their highest-valued use. This occurs through: takeovers, both hostile and friendly; divestitures; spinoffs; liquidations; leveraged buyouts; and going private transactions. We are seeing a normal healthy market in operation, both on the takeover side and on the divestiture side. The total benefits have been huge as reflected in gains of 535 billion to stockholders of acquiring and acquired firms in approximately the 50 largest takeovers in the last four years. Since takeovers are investments taken under great uncertainty, it is not surprising that, as in every investment activity, not all ventures are successful. Those who criticize takeovers and mergers by pointing to those that fail are missing the point. On average, takeovers create value through increased efficiencies of various types.
Interprofessional Collaborative Practice: An Oral Health Paradigm for Women

Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPC) is paramount to the future of oral health education. As such, it is critical that today's health care education continues to expand its curriculum to promote oral health as an essential component in the IPC approach to women's health. This article explores models that can be implemented using an IPC framework to foster better approaches in the delivery of care to female patients.
Subjective attitudes and counterstance contingency

Across languages, SUBJECTIVE ATTITUDE VERBS (SAVs), such as English find , differ from ordinary doxastic attitude verbs (such as English believe ) in that they require their complement to be subjective in a particular way. The goal of this paper is to develop a semantics for SAVs that predicts this fact but also captures the finer-grained differences between find -type SAVs and consider -type SAVs that make the former more restrictive than the latter. We propose that in terms of their core, at issue content, SAVs are just like believe in expressing a doxastic attitude towards the prejacent. They differ in that they introduce a presupposition that their prejacent is contingent with respect to a distinct set of discourse alternatives that we label COUNTERSTANCES : alternative common grounds that differ only in decisions about how to resolve semantic underdetermination. The larger theoretical significance of our proposal is that it supports a characterization of 'subjective language' as an essentially pragmatic, context-sensitive phenomenon, which does not correlate with semantic type (pace Saebo¸) but derives from speakers' recognition of the possibility of counterstance.
A convex optimization approach to design of information structured linear constrained controllers

In this paper we consider the synthesis of sparse stabilizing static state feedback controllers subject to state and control constraints. The presence of information constraints renders this problem generically NP-hard. However, as we show in the paper, a convergent sequence of tractable convex relaxations with optimality certificates can be obtained by transforming the problem into a polynomial optimization form. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is illustrated with a numerical example.
Performance modeling and optimization for on-chip interconnects in cross-bar ReRAM memory arrays

Performance modeling and optimization for on-chip interconnects in resistive RAM (ReRAM) arrays are presented for two memory design technologies of 1T1R and cross-bar arrays. Different memristor characteristics, cell structures and subarray design schemes are investigated to minimize the overall delay and energy-delay product.
Thermoviscoelastic Properties of Phenolic Resin/Polymeric Isocyanate Binder Systems

Thermoviscoelastic properties of phenolic resin/polymeric isocyanate binder systems (i.e., ISOCURE Parts I and II) are reported. The effects of blend composition and the reaction between the binders on these properties of the systems are also considered. The viscous properties of binders and their blends were measured using computer-controlled rotational viscometers (Brookfield HBDV-II+ viscometer and HAAKE Rotovisco 12 rheometer in the cone-and-plate mode). The elastic properties of the phenolic urethane polymer (the blend composition) were measured by means of a modified jet thrust technique based on measuring the thrust of a liquid jet. Although both binders are Newtonian liquids, their blends exhibit viscoelastic non-Newtonian fluid flow behavior. The viscosity of the blends increases both with time and with an increasing Part I content and may reach comparatively high values at high values of either parameter. This behavior is explained as a result of the rubbery nature of the phenolic urethane polymer, which was produced as a product of reaction between Part I and Part II. The use of the jet thrust method allowed determination of the relaxation time of various blends at different shear rates.
Searching for Patterns in Imbalanced Data

The prime motivation for pattern discovery and machine learning research has been the collection and warehousing of large amounts of data, in many domains such as life sciences and industrial processes. Examples of unique problems arisen are situations where the data is imbalanced. The class imbalance problem corresponds to situations where majority of cases belong to one class and a small minority belongs to the other, which in many cases is equally or even more important. To deal with this problem a number of approaches have been studied in the past. In this talk we provide an overview of some existing methods and present novel applications that are based on identifying the inherent characteristics of one class vs the other. We present the results of a number of studies focusing on real data from life science applications.
Digital Restriction Enzyme Analysis of Methylation (DREAM) by Next Generation Sequencing Yields High Resolution Maps of DNA Methylation.

Abstract 567 Methylation of CpG dinucleotides in DNA is a key epigenetic feature important for × chromosome inactivation, silencing of retrotransposons and genomic imprinting. DNA methylation undergoes complex changes in leukemia, most notably methylation of CpG islands at promoters and associated gene silencing. The direct comparison of epigenomes in normal and neoplastic blood cells will likely increase our understanding of the complex pathology of leukemia. We have developed a digital restriction enzyme analysis of methylation (DREAM) for quantitative mapping of DNA methylation with high resolution on the genome-wide scale. To perform the analysis, genomic DNA is sequentially digested with a pair of enzymes recognizing the same restriction site (CCCGGG) containing a CpG dinucleotide. The first enzyme, SmaI, cuts only at unmethylated CpG and leaves blunt ends. The second enzyme, XmaI, is not blocked by methylation and leaves a short 59 overhang. The enzymes thus create methylation-specific signatures at ends of digested DNA fragments. These are deciphered by next generation sequencing. Methylation levels for each sequenced restriction site are calculated based on the numbers of DNA molecules with the methylated or unmethylated signatures. Using the DREAM method and sequencing on the Illumina Gene Analyzer II platform, we analyzed DNA methylation in a normal adult blood sample. We acquired 32.5 million sequence tags; of these, 16.6 million were mapped to SmaI/XmaI sites unique in the human genome. With a threshold of minimum 5-fold coverage, we obtained quantitative information on the DNA methylation level of 85,171 CpG sites (23% of all genomic SmaI/XmaI sites) in 21,240 genes. The accuracy of DREAM methylation data was validated by a strong correlation with the bisulfite pyrosequencing analysis of 49 genes (R=0.83) and of spiked in plasmid DNA. In normal blood, methylation was strikingly bimodal with 39% sites showing methylation levels below 5% and 28% sites being hypermethylated at levels >95%. Methylation was largely absent within CpG islands (CGI) and more prevalent outside (non-CGI). Close to transcription start sites (within 500 bp), methylation >75% was found only in 0.65% of CGIs compared to 14% in non-CGIs (P 2 kb), methylation >75% was found in 24% of CGIs compared to 72% of non-CGIs (P Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
IL‐5‐stimulated eosinophils adherent to periostin undergo stereotypic morphological changes and ADAM8‐dependent migration

SummaryBackground IL-5 causes suspended eosinophils to polarize with filamentous (F)-actin and granules at one pole and the nucleus in a specialized uropod, the “nucleopod,” which is capped with P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1). IL-5 enhances eosinophil adhesion and migration on periostin, an extracellular matrix protein upregulated in asthma by type 2 immunity mediators. Objective Determine how the polarized morphology evolves to foster migration of IL-5-stimulated eosinophils on a surface coated with periostin. Methods Blood eosinophils adhering to adsorbed periostin were imaged at different time points by fluorescent microscopy, and migration of eosinophils on periostin was assayed. Results After 10 minutes in the presence of IL-5, adherent eosinophils were polarized with PSGL-1 at the nucleopod tip and F-actin distributed diffusely at the opposite end. After 30-60 minutes, the nucleopod had dissipated such that PSGL-1 was localized in a crescent or ring away from the cell periphery, and F-actin was found in podosome-like structures. The periostin layer, detected with monoclonal antibody Stiny-1, shown here to recognize the FAS1 4 module, was cleared in wide areas around adherent eosinophils. Clearance was attenuated by metalloproteinase inhibitors or antibodies to disintegrin metalloproteinase 8 (ADAM8), a major eosinophil metalloproteinase previously implicated in asthma pathogenesis. ADAM8 was not found in podosome-like structures, which are associated with proteolytic activity in other cell types. Instead, immunoblotting demonstrated proteoforms of ADAM8 that lack the cytoplasmic tail in the supernatant. Anti-ADAM8 inhibited migration of IL-5-stimulated eosinophils on periostin. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Migrating IL-5-activated eosinophils on periostin exhibit loss of nucleopodal features and appearance of prominent podosomes along with clearance of the Stiny-1 periostin epitope. Migration and epitope clearance are both attenuated by inhibitors of ADAM8. We propose, therefore, that eosinophils remodel and migrate on periostin-rich extracellular matrix in the asthmatic airway in an ADAM8-dependent manner, making ADAM8 a possible therapeutic target.
Note to the Student: How to Study and Discuss Cases

This technical note, written for students, gives a first "how to do it" introduction to studying by the case method. The note argues that success follows from a combination of good attitude, good "infrastructure," and good execution. This could be distributed along with a course syllabus or advance materials and was written with the objective of helping students more quickly achieve levels of effective preparation and discussion.
Abstract 862: Atypical protein kinase c inhibitors can repress epithelial to mesenchymal transition (type III) in malignant melanoma

Melanoma is a type of cancer occurs in melanocytes. Approximately 90% of melanoma occurs in skin (cutaneous melanoma) but can rarely arise from the mucosal surfaces or areas which neural cells migrate. Examples are eye, intestine and mouth [Eur. J. Cancer, 69: 39-42 (2016)]. 76,380 of new cases and 10,130 number of deaths are expected in 2016 in the USA due to melanoma [http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/melan.html (11/05/2016)]. Atypical PKCs contains two structurally and functionally distinct isozymes in human which are PKC-ι (iota) and PKC-ζ (zeta). They are believed to be involved in cell cycle progression, tumorigenesis, cell survival and cell migration. We believe that atypical PKCs play an important role in cell motility of melanoma by involving the signaling pathways which induces EMT-type III (Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition). In normal melanocytes, PKC-ζ was found in low levels and PKC-ι was not detected. But both proteins are detected in very high levels in malignant melanoma [Melenoma Res. 12:201-209 (2002)]. In the current study, we have investigated the effects of novel atypical PKC inhibitors [4-(5-amino-4-carbamoylimidazol-1-yl)-2, 3-dihydroxycyclopentyl] methyl dihydrogen phosphate (ICA-1) which is specific to PKC-ι and 8-hydroxy-1, 3, 6-naphthalenetrisulfonic acid (Compound-50) which is specific to PKC-ζ on the cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell migration of two malignant melanoma cell lines (SK-MEL-2 and MeWo) compared to a normal melanocyte cell line (PCS-200-013). We showed that both inhibitors can decrease the levels of total and phosphorylated levels of PKC-ζ and PKC-ι. Furthermore, both inhibitors increased the levels of E-cadherin and decreased the levels of Vimentin which is a mesenchymal marker associated with EMT. Treatments with inhibitors altered the levels of CD44, a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell-cell interactions, cell adhesion, migration and tumor cell homing during metastasis. These results suggest that both PKC-ι and PKC-ζ are involved in signaling pathways which upregulate EMT and which can be effectively suppress using ICA-1 and Compound-50. Furthermore we established that treatment with ICA-1/Compound-50 induced apoptosis as shown by increasing Caspase-3 levels and decreasing Bcl-2 levels. Citation Format: Wishrawana Sarathi Ratnayake, Mildred Acevedo-Duncan. Atypical protein kinase c inhibitors can repress epithelial to mesenchymal transition (type III) in malignant melanoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 862. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-862
Kinin Actions in the Human Airways: Modulation by Allergic Inflammation

Publisher Summary Research in the past decade has focused renewed interest in the potential role of kinins in airway diseases. The correlation between kinin generation and symptoms of inflammation, together with the demonstration that administration of kinins to the airway mucosa can induce relevant symptoms, provides strong circumstantial support for a role for kinins in the pathogenesis of allergic airway diseases, such as asthma. The effects of kinins in the airways, and the mechanisms by which they exert their actions, clearly vary depending upon the presence of inflammation in the airways. Although a growing body of evidence implicates activation of sensory nerves as an important component of kinin effects in inflamed airways, the components of inflammation that modify the response of these sensory nerves, the mechanisms by which neuronal responsiveness alters and the degree of selectivity of neuronal activation to bradykinin are all topics that require further delineation. Finally, the importance of kinins as mediators of various allergic and inflammatory airway diseases remains to be established definitively.
Damage Localization from the Image of Changes in Flexibility

A recently introduced theorem on the localization of damage from changes in flexibility is reviewed. The theorem states that the image of the change in the flexibility matrix resulting from damaged is a basis for the influence lines of the stress resultants at the damaged locations. The theorem is the dual of the damage locating vector theorem, which states that the vectors in the kernel lead to stress fields that are zero over closed regions that contain the damage. Extension of the theorem to cases where flexibility matrices cannot be extracted from vibration data is realized by replacing the flexibility change with a surrogate. Performance of the image based localization approach is examined in simulations and in an experimental setting.
An Expedition on Alkali and Alkaline‐Earth Isocyanurate Hydrates: Structure Elucidation, Thermogravimetry, and Spectroscopy

Several alkali and alkaline earth (iso)cyanurates were synthesized by simple aqueous acid-base reactions and aqueous salt metathesis reactions, respectively, yielding nine new structure types. Single-crystals could be grown and the crystal structures of Rb[H2C3N3O3]·H2O-I, Rb[H2C3N3O3]·H2O-II, Cs[H2C3N3O3]·0.5H2O, Sr[H2C3N3O3]2·4H2O, Ba3[H2C3N3O3]2[HC3N3O3]2·4H2O, Ca[HC3N3O3]·3.5H2O, Sr[HC3N3O3]·3H2O, Sr[HC3N3O3]·2H2O, and Sr2[C3N3O3]OH were elucidated by single-crystal XRD. Rb3[H2C3N3O3]3[H3C3N3O3]·4H2O, Cs[H2C3N3O3]·0.5H2O, and Sr[HC3N3O3]·2H2O were synthesized as phase pure, crystalline powders and were further characterized by powder XRD, FT-IR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry. Sr[HC3N3O3]·2H2O was shown to be an air- and water-resistant, cheap and easily obtained precursor for the phase-pure synthesis of Sr3[C3N3O3]2, a promising SHG material, and Sr[NCN]. Moreover, an interesting dependence of the polymeric anion structure from its protonation degree was observed.
Old School Graphics

(2008). Old School Graphics. Math Horizons: Vol. 15, Mathematics and the Performing Arts, pp. 25-27.
Triangle-free graphs with no six-vertex induced path

Abstract The graphs with no five-vertex induced path are still not understood. But in the triangle-free case, we can do this and one better; we give an explicit construction for all triangle-free graphs with no six-vertex induced path. Here are three examples: the 16-vertex Clebsch graph, the graph obtained from an 8-cycle by making opposite vertices adjacent, and the graph obtained from a complete bipartite graph by subdividing a perfect matching. We show that every connected triangle-free graph with no six-vertex induced path is an induced subgraph of one of these three (modulo some twinning and duplication).
MIMIMAX CONTROLLERS FOR LTI PLANTS UNDER l1-BOUNDED DISTURBANCES

A currently popular controller design technique for linear time-invariant (LTI) systems is H∞ -optimization, which involves the minimization of the H∞ -norm of a certain transfer function matrix. When formulated in the time domain, using state space description, this optimum design problem can be shown to be equivalent to a linear-quadratic differential game, and this formulation provides a convenient set-up for also studying finite-horizon versions of the original infinite-horizon problem. In this differential game, the minimizer is the controller and the maximizer is the unknown disturbance which is subject to an L2 energy constraint. The performance of interest is the upper value of the differential game, with the controller achieving that value called the minimax controller. In this paper, we formulate such a differential game problem which arises in the context of disturbance rejection, but in the discrete time and under l1-bounded disturbances. We study the derivation of the minimax controller associated with the game, as well as the characterization of the worst-case disturbance. We show, in the context of a two-stage design problem, that the saddle point of the game involves a random disturbance, unless the initial state exceeds a certain threshold. Another feature of the solution is that the minimax controller is generally not unique, with the linear feedback controller being outperformed by nonlinear and/or memory controllers, locally or regionally.
The legality of drug-testing procedures for pregnant women.

It is unconstitutional--and unethical--for physicians to participate in evidence-gathering against pregnant women suspected of being addicted to illegal substances without informing them of their constitutional rights or gaining their informed consent. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Citizenhelper-adaptive: expert-augmented streaming analytics system for emergency services and humanitarian organizations

There is an increasing amount of information posted on Web, especially on social media during real world events. Likewise, there is a vast amount of information and opinions posted about humanitarian issues on social media. Mining such data can provide timely knowledge to inform disaster resource allocation for who needs what and where as well as policies for humanitarian causes. However, information overload is a key challenge in leveraging this big data resource for organizations. We present an interactive user-feedback based streaming analytics system `CitizenHelper-Adaptive' to mine social media, news, and other public Web data streams for emergency services and humanitarian organizations. The system aims to collect, organize, and visualize the vast amounts of data across various user and content-based information attributes using the adaptive machine learning models, such as intent classification models to continuously identify requests for help or offers of help during disasters. This demonstration shows the first application of transfer-active learning methods for time-critical events, when there is an availability of abundant labeled data from past events but a scarcity of the sufficient labeled data for the ongoing event. The proposed system provides a user interface to solicit expert feedback on the predicted instances from pretrained models and actively learns to improve the models for efficient information processing and organization. Finally, the system regularly updates the predicted information categories in the visualization dashboard. We will demo CitizenHelper-Adaptive system for case studies in both mass emergency events and humanitarian related topics such as gender violence using datasets of more than 50 million Twitter messages and news streams collected between 2016 and 2018.
Low-Temperature Operation of Green, Blue and UV InGaN/GaN Multiple-Quantum-Well Light-Emitting Diodes

Absract: Temperature-dependent electroluminescence (EL) of InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with peak emission energies ranging from 2.3 eV (green) to 3.3 eV (UV) has been studied over a wide temperature range (5-300 K). As the temperature is decreased from 300 K to 150 K, the EL intensity increases in all devices due to reduced nonradiative recombination and improved carrier confinement. However, LED operation at lower temperatures (150-5 K) is a strong function of In ratio in the active layer. For the green LEDs, emission intensity increases monotonically in the whole temperature range, while for the blue and UV LEDs, a remarkable decrease of the light output was observed, accompanied by a large redshift of the peak energy. The discrepancy can be attributed to various amounts of localization states caused by In composition fluctuation in the QW active regions. Based on a rate equation analysis, we find that the densities of the localized states in the green LEDs are more than two orders of magnitude higher than that in the UV LED. The large number of localized states in the green LEDs are crucial to maintain high-efficiency carrier capture at low temperatures.
On the development of powder spreadability metrics and feedstock requirements for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing

Abstract Existing powder feedstock metrics for powder bed fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing (AM) are related to packing efficiency and flowability, and newer techniques, such as powder rheometry and dynamic avalanche testing, have received recent attention in the literature. To date, however, no powder characterization technique is able to predict the spreadability of AM feedstock. In fact, no such spreadability metrics exist. This study endeavored to establish viable powder spreadability metrics through the development of a spreadability testing rig that emulates the recoating conditions present in commercial PBF AM systems. As no metrics for spreadability currently exist, four potential metrics were evaluated in a 3∙23 split plot experimental design. These four metrics were: (1) the percentage of the build plate covered by spread powder, (2) the rate of powder deposition, (3) the average avalanching angle of the powder, and (4) the rate of change of the avalanching angle. Three samples of gas atomized, Al-10Si-0.5 Mg PBF powder representing differing degrees of quality were used as the levels of the powder quality input variable. As no powder quality metrics have been shown to be indicative of powder spreadability in PBF, various bulk powder characteristics were used as the powder quality indicator during ANOVA. Of the four metrics tested, the average avalanching angle, while statistically dependent of the powders angle of repose, showed poor correlation with experimental data. The remaining three metrics, however, were all found to have a statistically significant dependence on the angle of repose. Increasing the angle of repose resulted in significantly worse powder spreading, i.e. poor build plate coverage and powder clumping, as measured by the viable spreading metrics. Other processing parameters, such as the recoating speed and the recoater blade material were shown to also influence the spread quality.
Age Differences across Adulthood in Interpretations of Situations and Situation–Behaviour Contingencies for Big Five States:

In the last two decades, a burgeoning literature has begun to clarify the processes underlying personality traits and momentary trait–relevant behaviour. However, such work has almost exclusively i...
The cerebral circulation and cerebrovascular disease II: Pathogenesis of cerebrovascular disease

In this paper, we review the cerebral circulation and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) with an overview of the major types of CVD pathogenesis. These, as categorized here, are as follows: occlusive injury intrinsic to blood vessels, occlusive injury extrinsic to blood vessels, cerebral hypoperfusion, and cerebral hemorrhage. Following an overview of each of these categories, we conclude with a discussion of cerebral edema to illustrate how the pathological origins we covered can progress clinically. The content of this paper sets the stage for the detailed, clinically oriented discussion of stroke with which our series culminates in its subsequent Part III.
Mechanisms and Robots

In which we apply the fundamentals to some model problems closer to reality than we have seen so far….
Enhancing Social Attention Using Eye-Movement Modeling and Simulated Dyadic Social Interactions

Humans learn what information is important and interesting in the world by observing and interacting with other agents. Given the important function of social attention (i.e., looking where others are looking, being motivated to engage with others, and attending to social information), the author proposes the use of eye-tracking technology to assess and guide the social attention of typically developing children and children with autism spectrum disorder, both of whom may benefit from learning systems designed to improve social attention. The result is the development of an Eye-Movement Modeling (EMM) intervention designed to enhance social attention by tracking and guiding the visual attention of users in real time during simulated dyadic social interactions. The design and implications of the EMM intervention will be discussed.
Modular Multilevel Converter Switching Frequency Harmonics Analysis and Suppression Through Cell Voltage Control

This paper investigates the impact of reference's bias on the high frequency voltage spectrum for the modular multilevel converters (MMC). Analytical solution of the voltage spectrum under carrier Phase Shifted Pulse Width Modulation (PSPWM) is derived using double Fourier integral analysis. The distribution of the switching frequency voltage harmonics is found to be directly related to the ratio between the dc-link voltage and the cell voltage. A control method utilizing this phenomenon is thereby proposed to suppress switching frequency harmonics in the Differential Mode Voltage (DMV) and Common Mode Voltage (CMV). Cell voltage control trade-offs considering different cell numbers, different ac voltages, 3rd harmonics injection, and cell voltage stress are also investigated. The analysis and control method are validated through experiments on a 1.25 megawatt MMC testbed.
Quantification of ongoing APOBEC3A activity in tumor cells by monitoring RNA editing at hotspots

APOBEC3A is a cytidine deaminase driving mutagenesis, DNA replication stress and DNA damage in cancer cells. While the APOBEC3A-induced vulnerability of cancers offers an opportunity for therapy, APOBEC3A protein and mRNA are difficult to quantify in tumors due to their low abundance. Here, we describe a quantitative and sensitive assay to measure the ongoing activity of APOBEC3A in tumors. Using hotspot RNA mutations identified from APOBEC3A-positive tumors and droplet digital PCR, we develop an assay to quantify the RNA-editing activity of APOBEC3A. This assay is superior to APOBEC3A protein- and mRNA-based assays in predicting the activity of APOBEC3A on DNA. Importantly, we demonstrate that the RNA mutation-based APOBEC3A assay is applicable to clinical samples from cancer patients. Our study presents a strategy to follow the dysregulation of APOBEC3A in tumors, providing opportunities to investigate the role of APOBEC3A in tumor evolution and to target the APOBEC3A-induced vulnerability in therapy.
Factor Structure of the Self-Report Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire in a Diverse U.S. Sample

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a widely used mental health screening instrument developed in the United Kingdom that measures five proposed factors. U.S. research, however, historically supports a slightly different three-factor solution. The present study reports results using both principal factor analysis (PFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on data from multiple waves of an ongoing mental health project in middle school aged children. PFA analyses suggested three, five and six-factor solutions with substantial cross-loadings from items. CFAs showed alternative five and six-factor solutions fit well when items guided by the initial PFA were allowed to cross-load. Neither the original five-factor nor popular three-factor models fit well without allowing cross-loading items. These data suggest that popular SDQ three and five-factor model may have variable fit in certain U.S. populations.
Antigone in Hertfordshire: Moral Conflict and Moral Pluralism in Forster’s Howards End

This paper uses E. M. Forster’s novel Howards End to help articulate what I describe as a moral pluralist approach to moral conflict. Moral pluralism, I argue here, represents a way of responding to the moral conflicts we encounter in our lives, rather than the mere acknowledgment of their inevitability, as suggested by value pluralists like Isaiah Berlin. The tragic view of moral conflict epitomized by Sophocles’ Antigone and endorsed by most theories of value pluralism, tells us that we must choose between moral commitments and reconcile ourselves to the moral regrets that inevitably follow from moral choice. The moral pluralist view, in contrast, suggests that we should seek means, however imperfect, of satisfying conflicting moral commitments and minimizing causes for moral regret. That view, I argue, drives the words and actions of Forster’s heroine in Howards End, Margaret Schlegel. Confronted with a battle between a willful patriarch and a self-righteous sister, a conflict that maps neatly onto the central conflict in Sophocles’ tragedy, Margaret refuses to take sides without refusing to make moral choices. And in doing so, she comes to exemplify an unexpected kind of moral heroism.
The SAGA chromatin-modifying complex: the sum of its parts is greater than the whole

There are many large protein complexes involved in transcription in a chromatin context. However, recent studies on the SAGA coactivator complex are generating new paradigms for how the components of these complexes function, both independently and in concert. This review highlights the initial discovery of the canonical SAGA complex 23 years ago, our evolving understanding of its modular structure and the relevance of its modular nature for its coactivator function in gene regulation.
Optimizing Identification of People Living with HIV from Electronic Medical Records: Computable Phenotype Development and Validation.

Background Electronic health record (EHR)-based computable phenotype algorithms allow researchers to efficiently identify a large virtual cohort of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients. Built upon existing algorithms, we refined, improved, and validated an HIV phenotype algorithm using data from the OneFlorida Data Trust, a repository of linked claims data and EHRs from its clinical partners, which provide care to over 15 million patients across all 67 counties in Florida. Methods Our computable phenotype examined information from multiple EHR domains, including clinical encounters with diagnoses, prescription medications, and laboratory tests. To identify an HIV case, the algorithm requires the patient to have at least one diagnostic code for HIV and meet one of the following criteria: have 1+ positive HIV laboratory, have been prescribed with HIV medications, or have 3+ visits with HIV diagnostic codes. The computable phenotype was validated against a subset of clinical notes. Results Among the 15+ million patients from OneFlorida, we identified 61,313 patients with confirmed HIV diagnosis. Among them, 8.05% met all four inclusion criteria, 69.7% met the 3+ HIV encounters criteria in addition to having HIV diagnostic code, and 8.1% met all criteria except for having positive laboratories. Our algorithm achieved higher sensitivity (98.9%) and comparable specificity (97.6%) relative to existing algorithms (77–83% sensitivity, 86–100% specificity). The mean age of the sample was 42.7 years, 58% male, and about half were Black African American. Patients' average follow-up period (the time between the first and last encounter in the EHRs) was approximately 4.6 years. The median number of all encounters and HIV-related encounters were 79 and 21, respectively. Conclusion By leveraging EHR data from multiple clinical partners and domains, with a considerably diverse population, our algorithm allows more flexible criteria for identifying patients with incomplete laboratory test results and medication prescribing history compared with prior studies.
Learning to Identify Treatment Relations in Clinical Text

In clinical notes, physicians commonly describe reasons why certain treatments are given. However, this information is not typically available in a computable form. We describe a supervised learning system that is able to predict whether or not a treatment relation exists between any two medical concepts mentioned in clinical notes. To train our prediction model, we manually annotated 958 treatment relations in sentences selected from 6,864 discharge summaries. The features used to indicate the existence of a treatment relation between two medical concepts consisted of lexical and semantic information associated with the two concepts as well as information derived from the MEDication Indication (MEDI) resource and SemRep. The best F1-measure results of our supervised learning system (84.90) were significantly better than the F1-measure results achieved by SemRep (72.34).