cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Yutaka Taniyama and His Time Very Personal Recollections

To write about Taniyama's time, first I have to emphasize that it was the mid to late 1950s, and the situation was totally different from that of Japan today, to say nothing of the comparison with the United States or Europe, now or then. Pollution was not a household word in those days, and in fine weather one could see, from the center of Tokyo, Mt Fuji on the western horizon 70 miles away, with its snowed crown in the morning and silhouetted in the evening. The destruction and deprivation of wartime and the succeeding period were things of the past, but not forgotten. We were no longer hungry. The whole country was aspiring and hopeful, but still very poor. This was so in a collective sense and also on the individual level. Taniyama and his peers were no exception, though it may be said, in any country at any time, one is usually both ambitious and poor at the beginning of one's career. He was not particularly poorer than others, and I think he never had any great financial difficulties, yet his life was anything but comfortable, as it was for most of us at that time. At least, he enjoyed a fair portion of the universal poverty of the period.
Exchange Fields and Crystal Fields in CoO.Al2O3.SiO2 Glass: A Mössbauer Study

In an effort to understand more fully the remarkable low temperature properties of cobalt aluminosilicate glasses, Co-57 Mossbauer source experiments on two samples of concentrated CoO.Al2O3.SiO2 glass (17 and 25 at.% Co, respectively) were performed. These glasses exhibit a sharply peaked susceptibility at ∿5°K and ∿7°K, respectively, seeming to indicate the onset of long range antiferromagnetic order. However, the specific heat and the sound velocity do not show cooperative-type anomalies. It has previously been shown that these results may be understood qualitatively by assuming that below ∿50°K these glasses are divided into small magnetically ordered domains whose net moments relax in a superparamagnetic fashion. At room temperature the Mossbauer spectra consist of three sharp lines, indicating the presence of a well defined electric field gradient at the cobalt sites. Below ∿20°K the spectra are broadened dramatically by magnetic hyperfine fields as large as 48 Teslas. It will be shown that the Mossbauer spectra can be completely understood within the framework of the superparamagnetic domain model.
Testing blood donors for HIV: current controversies.

Despite an estimated risk of HIV infection from anti-HIV screened blood transfusions of less than one in 225,000 per unit, there continues to be strong pressure to implement additional donor screening and viral inactivation procedures. Decisions to implement such procedures must be based on analyses that incorporate accurate estimates of residual risk, and data-based projections for the reduction in risk that would result from each measure. Since the residual risk of HIV is primarily due to donations given in the infectious pre-seroconversion window, effort must be directed at: reducing donations by persons in this window; employing tests that narrow the window; and development and implementation of procedures that inactivate viral compartments that predominate during the window. Unfortunately, as the risk of HIV has declined to near-undetectable levels, the challenge of generating appropriate data to evaluate new measures, and thereby support rational policy decisions, has increased inversely. To meet th...
Assessing the relation between language comprehension and performance in general chemistry

Few studies have focused specifically on the role that language plays in learning chemistry. We report here an investigation into the ability of language comprehension measures to predict performance in university introductory chemistry courses. This work is informed by theories of language comprehension, which posit that high-skilled comprehenders hold a cognitive advantage over the low-skilled because of a heightened ability to inhibit contextually irrelevant details and utilize prior knowledge to effectively bridge conceptual gaps when comprehending new information. Over a two-year period, data on comprehension ability, math ability, prior chemistry knowledge, and course performance were obtained in multiple general chemistry courses. Regression analyses and hierarchical linear models (HLMs) were utilized to establish relationships between predictor variables and course performance and to determine if comprehension ability could potentially compensate for low prior knowledge, a phenomenon predicted by theories of comprehension ability. Results indicate that comprehension ability correlates with general chemistry performance; it also contributes comparable information about course performance when compared to math ability and prior knowledge. In addition, we found that comprehension skill partially compensates for deficits in prior knowledge. Therefore, efforts to prepare students for success in general chemistry should include both content and the development of language comprehension skill.
Assessment of malignancy for atypia of undetermined significance in thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsy evaluated by whole-slide image analysis

Atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) in thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has a low to intermediate incidence of malignancy, and objective criteria could allow for improved assessment of malignancy. Consecutive thyroid FNA AUS cases with surgical excision were selected. Whole-slide images (WSIs) were evaluated for basic criteria by image analysis, including total groups and nuclear/cytoplasmic (N/C) ratio. The 44 cases encompassed 23 benign and 21 malignant entities. Seventeen (81%) of 21 malignant cases and 11 (48%) of 23 benign cases had an N/C ratio of 0.50 or less. An N/C ratio of 0.50 or less had an odds ratio for malignancy of 4.64 (P = .03). A combined category of an N/C ratio of 0.50 or less and greater than 20 cell groups had an odds ratio for malignancy of 7.0 (P = .04). Establishing defined objective WSI criteria has the potential to provide an assessment of malignancy for AUS thyroid FNA cases.
Motion planning with sequential convex optimization and convex collision checking

We present a new optimization-based approach for robotic motion planning among obstacles. Like CHOMP (Covariant Hamiltonian Optimization for Motion Planning), our algorithm can be used to find collision-free trajectories from naA¯ve, straight-line initializations that might be in collision. At the core of our approach are (a) a sequential convex optimization procedure, which penalizes collisions with a hinge loss and increases the penalty coefficients in an outer loop as necessary, and (b) an efficient formulation of the no-collisions constraint that directly considers continuous-time safety Our algorithm is implemented in a software package called TrajOpt. We report results from a series of experiments comparing TrajOpt with CHOMP and randomized planners from OMPL, with regard to planning time and path quality. We consider motion planning for 7 DOF robot arms, 18 DOF full-body robots, statically stable walking motion for the 34 DOF Atlas humanoid robot, and physical experiments with the 18 DOF PR2. We also apply TrajOpt to plan curvature-constrained steerable needle trajectories in the SE(3) configuration space and multiple non-intersecting curved channels within 3D-printed implants for intracavitary brachytherapy. Details, videos, and source code are freely available at: http://rll.berkeley.edu/trajopt/ijrr.
The Machine in Me: An Anthropologist Sits among Computer Engineers

The Machine in Me: An Anthropologist Sits among Computer Engineers. Gary Lee Downey. New York: Routledge Press, 1998. xiii. 288 pp., notes, reference, index.
Thrombopoietin in normal and neoplastic stem cell development

It has been known for sometime that thrombopoietin acts on megakaryocytic progenitor cells to stimulate platelet production. It has recently been discovered that it also stimulates the self-renewal and expansion of normal murine and human haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by acting on its cognate receptor, the product of the myeloproliferative leukaemia ( c-MPL ) proto-oncogene. The c-MPL receptor may also play an important role in the development of human myeloproliferative disorders, essential thrombocythemia, myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera, cooperating with the dysregulated Janus kinase JAK2V 617 F.
Genetic factors in common disorders of female infertility

Female infertility results from a myriad of causes – genetic and nongenetic. Sometimes a genetic aetiology is clearly evident. In other disorders heritable tendencies exist, but the precise genetic aetiology remains obscure. In this communication we shall consider the genetics of selected common causes of female infertility: premature ovarian failure; leiomyomata; polycystic ovarian disease; endometriosis. Not discussed here are disorders of gonadal differentiation primarily causing gonadal failure and disorders of female internal ducts, both considered elsewhere by the author and colleagues. The current contribution inevitably mirrors these other publications.
A simple method to estimate threshold friction velocity of wind erosion in the field

[1] This study provides a fast and easy-to-apply method to estimate threshold friction velocity (TFV) of wind erosion in the field. Wind tunnel experiments and a variety of ground measurements including air gun, pocket penetrometer, torvane, and roughness chain were conducted in Moab, Utah and cross-validated in the Mojave Desert, California. Patterns between TFV and ground measurements were examined to identify the optimum method for estimating TFV. The results show that TFVs were best predicted using the air gun and penetrometer measurements in the Moab sites. This empirical method, however, systematically underestimated TFVs in the Mojave Desert sites. Further analysis showed that TFVs in the Mojave sites can be satisfactorily estimated with a correction for rock cover, which is presumably the main cause of the underestimation of TFVs. The proposed method may be also applied to estimate TFVs in environments where other non-erodible elements such as postharvest residuals are found.
Demonstration of GPS Automatic Dependent Surveillance of Aircraft Using Spontaneous Mode S Broadcast Messages

A new automatic dependent surveillance (ADS) system concept combining GPS-based positions with Mode S data communications is described. Several potential applications of this concept are presented, with emphasis on surface surveillance at airports. The navigation and data link performance are analyzed. Compact ADS position formats are included. The results of the first tests at Hanscom Field, demonstrating the feasibility of the spontaneous broadcast of ADS positions using Mode S messages, are presented. Test aircraft, vehicles, avionics equipment, and the ground system configuration are described. Avionics standards and GPS interface requirements are discussed. Multipath and airport surface coverage issues are addressed. Further testing in an operational environment is continuing at Logan Airport.
Synthesis, DNA binding and anti-leukemic activity of an aminoacyl nucleolipid.

Abstract The synthesis and characterization of a new class of DNA binding molecule exhibiting potent and selective anti-leukemic activity is described. The synthesis of an aminoacyl nucleolipid was developed from an efficient EEDQ coupling strategy, in which a series of seven bioconjugates were synthesized in yields of 53–78%. Guanosine bioconjugate 7 , was used as building block for the synthesis of a target aminoacyl nucleolipid 14 . Its GRP78 DNA binding affinity was confirmed by gel shift assay, CD spectroscopy, T m measurements and dynamic light scattering experiments. Moreover, in a single dose (10 μM) screen against a panel of 60 cancer cell lines, aminoacyl nucleolipid 14 was found to selectively trigger greater than 90% cell death in a SR human leukemia cancer cell line. The reported aminoacyl nucleolipid represents a useful model for a new class of DNA binding molecules for the development of potent and selective anti-cancer agents.
Reason and the Art of Living in Plato

In Book VI of the Republic, Plato begins his exploration of the principles in accordance with which the city must be governed if it is to be an enduring and autonomous embodiment of the various forms of excellence of which men, individually and collectively, arc (at least in approximation) capable. These principles have a two-fold status. In the first place, they must, if the city is to endure, be ‘objective’ in the sense that the distinction between truth and falsity is relevant to them and in the second place, they must be capable of being known, where ‘knowledge’ contrasts with that mere ‘belief’ or ‘opinion’ which, however true it may be, is, as lacking the support of rational insight, at the mercy of sophistical argument and the persuasive techniques of the orator.
Sodium Ions at Defect Sites at SiO2/Si Interfaces as Determined by X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is described in its application as a probe for studying defects such as sodium in SiO2 films. A general description is given of key experimental methods in XPS. New techniques are described for applying and monitoring a fixed bias at the surface of the oxide during the XPS measurement. These methods are shown capable of detecting extremely small Na and Cu concentrations in undoped samples (< 1011 cm?2). In deliberately Na-doped samples, five spectral peaks are distinctly observed and related to different defect states at the vacuum/SiO2 and SiO2/Si interfaces. By applying a bias-temperature stress during the XPS measurements, these peaks change in relative intensity and can be related to the motion of the Na+ ions between different states occurring at the two interfaces. An attempt is made to correlate the observations with previously reported models.
Responses of Female Oriental Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Protein and Host Fruit Odors in Field Cage and Open Field Tests

The attraction of female oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), to protein and host fruit odors was examined in field-cage and field experiments. In field-cage experiments, we examined how the physiological state of laboratory-cultured female oriental fruit flies affected their responses to protein (Nu-Lure) and fruit (orange) odors. Both mated and unmated, protein-fed females (10–12 d old) were more attracted to fruit odors than to protein odors, whereas mated, protein-deprived females (10–12 d old) and unmated, protein-fed females (2–3 d old) were equally attracted to fruit and protein odors. The combination of fruit and protein odors was less attractive to protein-fed females than fruit odors alone. Field tests were conducted to compare capture rates of wild oriental fruit flies in traps baited with commercially available protein baits, Nu-Lure, Trece A.M. Supercharger, and BioLure, and in traps baited with either fruit (orange) or Nu-Lure in a commercial guava orchard. Spheres baited with either Supercharger or BioLure captured more female oriental fruit flies than unbaited spheres when the lures were hung above spheres. Traps baited with Nu-Lure were more effective for capturing females than traps baited with orange puree in field tests.
Product Development Know-How: Trading Tactics for Strategy

The conventional wisdom in new product development and technology management is tactical and not strategic in nature. As a result, technology management and new product development remain segmented domains when they should be closely coupled, and neither manages to utilize the competitive potential of technological change. Based on a detailed study of over 2 dozen companies faced with technology challenges, 5 key elements of both technology management and new product development can be identified: 1. the assignment of management responsibilities, 2. the role of functional departments, 3. the nature of planning, 4. the means of protecting competitive advantage, and 5. the link between technology management and new product development. Management activity needed to affect change in these areas include: 1. greater involvement, 2. more attention given to the interfaces between the key functional areas of the business, and 3. applying the attitude that management's role is to help build capabilities.
Identifying Students With Mental Health Issues A Guide for Classroom Teachers

Child and adolescent mental health is a growing concern in schools. Students suffering from mental health conditions struggle in the school environment if their needs are not being met. Teachers pl...
Multiple Grammars and the Logic of Learnability in Second Language Acquisition.

The goal of this article is to enhance the technical description of multi-lingual speakers in terms of a theory of Multiple Grammars where more than one language utilizes a grammar. The challenge of V2 and its implications for interfaces from the perspective of the L2 learner is the focus. A number of constructions are considered including: Quotation, Topicaliation, Empty subjects and Objects, Expletives, and Subject- auxiliary inversoni.
Hydrophobic Polymeric Solvents for the Selective Absorption of CO2 from Warm Gas Streams that also Contain H2 and H2O

The hydrophobic polymers polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) and polypropyleneglycol dimethylether (PPGDME) may provide an alternative to physical solvents based on the hydrophilic polymer polyethyleneglycol dimethylether (PEGDME) for the precombustion capture of CO{sub 2} from the warm, high pressure stream that also contains H{2O and H2. PPGDME can be made with a linear repeat unit (PPGDMEl, poly(1,3-propanediol) dimethylether) or a branched repeat unit (PPGDMEb, poly(1,2-propanediol) dimethylether). The solubility of CO2 and H2 in each of the four solvents of specified average molecular weight (PEGDME 250, PDMS 550, PPGDMEl 678 and PPGDMEb 430) is determined between 25 and 120 °C at pressures to 10 MPa. CO2 is much more soluble in each solvent than H{sub 2}; however, the solubility of CO{sub 2} decreases as the solubility of H2 increases with increasing temperature. PPGDMEl 678 and PPGDMEb 430 are comparable CO2 solvents. PPGDMEl 678 absorbs less H{sub 2} than all the other solvents, while PPGDMEb 430 absorbs significantly more H2}. PDMS 550 is a very good CO2 solvent, absorbing more CO2 than all of the other solvents at all temperatures except for PEGDME 250 at 25 °C. PDMS 550 absorbs more H2 than all of the other solvents.
Abstract B44: Targeting Notch signaling with a dual Notch 2/3 antagonist, OMP-59R5, inhibits tumor growth and decreases cancer stem cell frequency in pancreatic cancer.

Clinical management of pancreatic cancer is challenging and in recent years has not been dramatically improved and this disease remains the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death. Dysregulated Notch2 and/or Notch3 activity has been associated with several human tumor types including pancreatic cancer. In this report, we describe the development of OMP-59R5, an antibody isolated originally by binding to Notch2 and subsequently found to also bind Notch3. OMP-59R5 potently blocks Notch2 and Notch3 signaling and inhibits the growth pancreatic cancer patient derived xenograft tumors, as a single agent and in combination with gemcitabine. The anti-tumor effects were associated with modulation of Notch target genes in tumor and stromal cells. Inclusion of OMP-59R5 delayed pancreatic tumor recurrence following termination of gemcitabine, correlated with an effect of anti-Notch2/3 in decreasing in cancer stem cell frequency and tumorigenicity. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that a subset of the stem cell gene sets and gene set related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transistion, EMT, was up-regulated in tumors by gemcitabine alone, but down-regulated by the combination of gemcitabine plus OMP-59R5 treatment. Findings from the present study suggest that agents that reduce cancer cell frequency may improve cancer treatment by delaying or preventing tumor recurrence, and reducing the metastatic spread of the disease. In particular, blocking Notch-mediated proliferation of bulk tumor cells and cancer stem cells may provide an attractive strategy for novel therapy in pancreatic cancer treatment. Citation Format: Wan-Ching Yen, Marcus Fischer, Aaron Sato, Min Wang, Ann M. Kapoun, John Lewicki, Austin Gurney, Timothy Hoey. Targeting Notch signaling with a dual Notch 2/3 antagonist, OMP-59R5, inhibits tumor growth and decreases cancer stem cell frequency in pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges; Jun 18-21, 2012; Lake Tahoe, NV. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B44.
Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia

A 59-year-old woman presented with pain, tingling and desquamation over bilateral palms and soles for 4 weeks, associated with inability to perform activities of daily living (ADL). She had received 5-fluorouracil, bevacizumab and irinotecan for metastatic colon cancer 6 weeks earlier. Examination revealed diffuse hyperpigmentation and blisters on palms and soles, and an ulcer over the right plantar surface (figures 1 and 2). A clinical diagnosis of grade 3 palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE) was made, and she was treated with topical emollients. Chemotherapy was held and she ultimately opted for hospice care. Figure 1 Volar aspect of bilateral …
Linear enamel hypoplasia in Schroeder Mounds (11HE177): A Late Woodland period site in Illinois.

Abstract Adults and subadults recovered from the Late Woodland period (∼A.D. 800–1100) Schroeder Mounds site (11HE177) from west-central Illinois who preserve permanent incisors and/or canines (N = 46) were examined for the presence of macroscopically visible linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) by case, by tooth type, number of hypoplastic defects by tooth type, and estimated developmental age of occurrence. The raw case frequency of LEH (16/46) is 34.8 percent. The Schroeder Mounds subadults (N = 15) have a higher case frequency (i.e., 60 percent versus 22.6 percent), number of stress episodes per tooth, and a longer developmental age range of hypoplastic defects than the adults. With no subsistence or settlement context, the Schroeder Mounds sample was compared to published (solely) adult LEH data from eight western Illinois sites segregable as either Middle (∼50 B.C.–A.D. 400) and Late Woodland period semi-sedentary forager-horticulturalists or Mississippian period (∼A.D. 1150–1250) sedentary (i.e., large aggregated village) maize-intensive agriculturalists. The adult Schroeder Mounds LEH patterns align with the Woodland samples with minor differences inclining the Schroeder sample toward a forager-farmer subsistence/settlement strategy. The Schroeder Mounds subadult patterns and prevalence may reflect factors that contributed toward their early death. Whether these factors can be framed by the subsistence/settlement system will require comparative data.
Baseline Survey on Prevalence and Behavioral Risk Factors of Hypertension among Residents of Shanshui District

[Objective]To know the prevalence of hypertension among residents of Shanshui district and its risk factors,make and adjust intervention strategy,provide scientific basis for prevention and control of hypertension.[Methods]2 of 6 community health service centers were selected by stratified random sampling,and residents older than 30 years from two community health service centers were sampled randomly.The questionnaires were filled by inspector with face-to-face inquiry,and the data were obtained by measuring blood pressure.The door-to-door interview and physical examination were performed by doctors who were trained.[Results]The total prevalence rate of hypertension among residents of Xi'nan and Leping communities in Shanshui district was 33.02%,and the prevalence rate of female (28.63%) was lower than that of male (38.69%) significantly (χ2=165.723,P0.01).The descriptive analysis showed that age,gender,overweight,obesity,smoking,family history,drinking and high salt intake were the risk factors of hypertension.[Conclusion]The prevalence of hypertension among residents in Shanshui district was high and the awareness rate was low.In order to reduce the prevalence of hypertension,the comprehensive measures of hypertension control and prevention should be adopted,and the awareness rate of hypertension risk factors and related knowledge among rural residents should be improved.
A distinctive interaction between memory and chronic daytime somnolence in asymptomatic APOE e4 homozygotes.

Study Objectives: To correlate memory measures with a trait measure of chronic daytime somnolence in cognitively normal individuals with different gene doses of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 allele, a common Alzheimer's disease susceptibility gene. Design: Cross-sectional, exploratory study of cognitive abilities in APOE e4 homozygotes (HMZ) (n=42), heterozygotes (HTZ), (n=42) and noncarriers (NC) (n=42) who are matched for age, gender, educational level, and family history of dementia. Setting: Tertiary care academic medical center Participants: Cognitively normal residents of Maricopa County, Arizona who are 30-70 years of age, genotyped for APOE, and have no history of a sleep disorder Interventions: N/A Measurements: Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and a battery of neuropsychological tests Results: Age, education, gender, and insomnia complaints did not significantly differ among groups. Despite normal baseline memory scores, memory declined with increasing ESS on all eight memory measures in the HMZ, two of eight in the HTZ, and one of eight in the NC. Differences between HMZ and NC on the slope of memory decline with increasing ESS reached statistical significance on two verbal memory measures, AVLT Long-Term Memory (p=0.048) and Percent Delayed Recall (p=0.035). Conclusions: Chronic daytime somnolence is associated with a distinctive decline in verbal memory in cognitively normal APOE e4 HMZ, a group at particularly high risk of Alzheimer's disease. Additional studies are needed to confirm these exploratory findings and to determine the effects of acute somnolence on cognition in these genetic subgroups.
Adoption Beyond Borders: How International Adoption Benefits Children, by Rebecca J. Compton,

This is one of the very best, most important books written on the plight of unparented children worldwide and the role international adoption can and should play for such children. It comes at a mo...
Clinical Utility of PET/CT Scanning in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Abstract Abstract 3903 The clinical utility of 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scans in the management of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has not been clearly defined. CLL cells typically have low FDG avidity and the addition of the PET component has not been shown to improve the utility of CT scans in the management of patients with CLL. However, patients with CLL are at increased risk of developing FDG avid complications including more aggressive lymphomas, other second malignancies, and infections for which FDG PET-CT scans are a useful imaging modality. We hypothesized that FDG PET-CT scans are sensitive tests for evaluation of these complications in patients with CLL. Patients and Methods: This observational study was performed with IRB approval. We studied all 4030 CLL patients seen at least once in the Division of Hematology at Mayo Clinic Rochester between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2011 using data prospectively collected into the Mayo Clinic CLL database. We reviewed the clinical and radiological records of the 272 (7%) patients who underwent 526 FDG PET-CT scans of the trunk during this time period to determine the indication for PET-CT scan, results of imaging, and the effects of the use of PET/CT scan on management. Results: Four hundred and seventy two (90%) of the 526 PET-CT scans were reported as abnormal. Of these, 78 (17%) scans were useful in directing a tissue biopsy of high FDG avidity lesions. Of the 37 (8%) positive PET-CT scans that facilitated the diagnosis of new complications of CLL, 21 (4%) scans led to a diagnosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma and 9 (2%) scans led to a diagnosis of a solid malignancy. The FDG component of 22 PET-CT scans done because of clinical suspicion of complications of CLL were negative, and thus useful in management of these patients. PET-CT scans showed progressive CLL in 138 (29%) studies but in these patients, the PET component of the scan did not provide additional information about the status of the patients' CLL compared to the CT component alone. Conclusions: FDG PET-CT scans are not of proven value in staging CLL or determining response to treatment. However, our data suggest that they could be of considerable value in evaluation for complications, especially more aggressive lymphomas, other cancers, and infections that complicate the course of CLL. Disclosures: Off Label Use: Phase I study using PGG beta glucan in CLL. Zent: Biothera: Research Funding; Genzyme: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKline: Research Funding.
Modeling and Analyses of Multi-Session Search Tasks

The information needs of search engine users vary in complexity, depending on the task they are trying to accomplish. Some simple needs can be satisfied with a single query, whereas others require a series of queries over a longer period of time. While search engines effectively satisfy many simple needs, searchers receive little support when their information needs span sessions. In this work, we propose methods for modeling and analyzing user search behavior that extends over multiple search sessions. We focus on two problems: (i) given a user query, identify all related queries from previous sessions that the user has issued, and (ii) given a multi-query task for a user, predict whether the user will return to this task in the future. We model both problems within a classification framework that uses features of individual queries and long-term user search behavior at different granularity. Experimental evaluation of the proposed models for both tasks indicates that it is possible to effectively model and analyze cross-session search behavior. Our findings have implications for improving search for complex information needs and designing search engine features to support cross-session search tasks.
Modern Pharmaceutical Regulations: Quality Assessment for Drug Substances

Abstract Question-based review (QbR) is a general framework for a science- and risk-based assessment of product quality. The separation of the drug substance review into the drug master file (DMF) Review Staff in Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) prompted the development of a QbR template for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) DMF review. With the reorganization to form the Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ), the QbR initiative became a joint effort among the suboffices that are involved in the API quality assessment and eventually led to the recent publication of MAPP 5015.10, Chemistry Review of QbR Submissions. The MAPP has two companion documents for the drug substance QbR and drug product QbR, respectively. This chapter will elaborate on the QbR for drug substance quality assessment.
An Answer Set Programming Framework for Reasoning About Truthfulness of Statements by Agents.

We propose a framework for answering the question of whether statements made by an agent can be believed, in light of observations made over time. The basic components of the framework are a formalism for reasoning about actions, changes, and observations and a formalism for default reasoning. The framework is suitable for concrete implementation, e.g., using answer set programming for asserting the truthfulness of statements made by agents, starting from observations, knowledge about the actions of the agents, and a theory about the "normal" behavior of agents.
At War with Itself: The DoD Law of War Manual's Tension between Doctrine and Practice on Target Verification and Precautions in Attack

The U.S. Department of Defense Law of War Manual (“Manual”) has sparked debate on U.S. interpretation of core duties under international humanitarian law (“IHL”), including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack. The December, 2016 revisions to the Manual have shifted the terrain of that debate. However, the debate persists. This Chapter argues the revised Manual highlights a debate between the Manual’s rich examples – which track IHL – and the Manual’s doctrinal assertions, which often clash with IHL norms. The Manual’s doctrine regarding precautions is flawed in two respects. First, the Manual subsumes precautions under the principle of proportionality, which addresses “excessive” collateral civilian harm. The Manual thus fails to acknowledge that precautions also play a role in the identification and verification of appropriate military targets. Moreover, the Manual asserts that the standard applicable to target identification and verification is mere good faith, not reasonableness. Neither doctrinal move meets the customary duty to employ “constant care” in reducing harm to civilians. This Chapter asserts that IHL’s constant care requirement entails what this Chapter calls “dynamic diligence.” Dynamic diligence mandates reasonable care in target identification and verification, as well as in assessment of collateral harm. It also demands ongoing learning from the mistakes that are endemic to the fog of war. The good news is that U.S. practice, revealed in the Manual’s examples, adheres closely to the contours of the dynamic diligence paradigm. For example, the U.S. uses human intelligence, computer modeling, satellite imaging, and legal advice to inform target selection. Moreover, the U.S. compiles no-strike lists that flag objects of historical or cultural importance or protected sites such as hospitals. When U.S. procedures fail to adequately protect civilians, as in the calamitous 2015 attack on a Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, the U.S. investigates and integrates “lessons learned” into its tactics, techniques, and procedures. The Manual’s doctrinal assertions thus part company with U.S. practice on precautions and standards governing target identification and verification. Because of this disconnect, the Manual fails to offer sufficient guidance to commanders or the lawyers who advise them. The Manual should heed its own examples, and revise its doctrinal assertions to reflect the dynamic diligence that U.S. practice customarily displays.
Melanchthon’s Rhetorics and the Order of Learning: A Case Study in Library Database Research

Order was a leitmotif in the philosophy of Wittenberg reformer Philip Melanchthon (1497–1560). In his writings on the liberal arts, he promoted a new “order of learning” to supplant scholastic traditions in grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Partly in response to social upheavals during the Reformation, he changed his view of the order of learning, as illustrated by comparison of his three principal writings on rhetoric, first published in 1519, 1521, and 1531. This essay examines the binding of these rhetorics into miscellanies (Sammelbande) by compiling lists of titles included in these miscellanies and suggests that such records reveal a shift in the reading of Melanchthon's work from an approach to rhetoric focused primarily upon eloquence to one focused more exclusively upon judgement.
pH and Surface Charge Switchability on Bifunctional Charge Gradients.

Multifunctionalized pH-sensitive silica gradients containing acidic and basic functional groups have been prepared to evaluate how the spatial arrangement of active sites on a surface influences the surface charge and pH switchability. The gradient surfaces were prepared using controlled rate infusion in such a manner that the individual gradients in the strong acid (sulfonic acid) and in the weak base (propylamine) align, whereas a gradient in the weakly acidic silanol groups opposes them. The relative amounts of the three species were varied by controlling the composition of the deposition solution, whereas the hydrophobicity of the underlying surface was set by using base layer-coated substrates prepared from either tetramethoxysilane or tetramethoxysilane/octyltrimethoxysilane mixtures. Results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm that aligned gradients are formed in both amine and sulfonic acid groups, and the relative amounts bound to the surface follow that expected from the solution compo...
Resilient Distributed Estimation Through Adversary Detection

This paper studies resilient multiagent distributed estimation of an unknown vector parameter when a subset of the agents is adversarial. We present and analyze a flag raising distributed estimator ( $\mathcal {FRDE}$ ) that allows the agents under attack to perform accurate parameter estimation and detect the adversarial agents. The $\mathcal {FRDE}$ algorithm is a consensus+innovations estimator in which agents combine estimates of neighboring agents (consensus) with local sensing information (innovations). We establish that, under $\mathcal {FRDE}$ , either the uncompromised agents' estimates are almost surely consistent, or the uncompromised agents detect compromised agents (with arbitrarily small false alarm probability) if and only if the network of uncompromised agents is connected and globally observable. Numerical examples illustrate the performance of $\mathcal {FRDE}$ .
Becoming A Leader

In thinking about the concept of leadership, many often fail to understand that it is an important aspect of an individual’s life. The skill sets of a leader are essential in building a career, caring for a family, and growing as a person. It should also be noted that attempting to become a leader could start at a young age. It may start when one is a student, whether in middle school, high school, in college or pursuing a career. Yet, the question remains, how do young individuals become leaders? In this chapter, we will consider mentor relationships, female constraints, individual passions, importance of confidence, essential leadership qualities, personality characteristics, political skills, and the significance of setting oneself apart.
The effect of various host species on the feeding performance of immature stages of the tick Hyalomma truncatum (Acari: Ixodidae)

In order to determine the effect of various hosts on the feeding performance of the tick Hyalomma truncatum, we used three mammalian species as hosts. Larvae and nymphs of H. truncatum were fed, under controlled laboratory conditions, on gerbils, guinea-pigs and rabbits. The larvae fed for 4.3±1.4 days on gerbils, 5.6±1.3 days on guinea-pigs and 4.7±1.2 days on rabbits. The mean weights of the larvae which fed on the rabbits, guinea-pigs and gerbils were 0.58± 0.09, 0.46±0.04 and 0.45±0.04 mg. respectively. The feeding periods of the nymphs on gerbils, guinea-pigs and rabbits were 7.9±1.3, 8.6±1.3 and 9.6±2.2 days respectively. The mean weights of the nymphs which fed on the gerbils, guinea-pigs and rabbits were 22.5±2.8, 19.7±1.3 and 15.8±1.4 mg, respectively. Hyalomma truncatum demonstrated a life cycle of a three-host tick on gerbils and guinea-pigs and of a two-host tick on rabbits. The evolutionary advantage of a two-host cycle over a three-host cycle in metastriate ticks is discussed.
Pleasure, pain, and prophylaxis: olfaction (the neglected sense).

Ladies and gentlemen, you stink! Each of you has a unique, genetically determined odor. Your aroma is so unique that a trained dog can trace your path, undistracted by the myriad of smells with which your spoor has been mixed. The structure of chemosensory communication is wonderfully ancient: coelenterates, nematodes, arthropods, and mammals, including humans, identify themselves and their biologic status by chemistry—the release of specific chemicals into the local environs (1). All living creatures from the simplest algae or amoeba to highly sophisticated human beings identify themselves by chemicals which are recognized by specialized cells that constitute the olfactory system. Each human being has a unique identifying odor linked to his or her histocompatibility genotype. One of my mentors in medicine, Lewis Thomas, suggested 20 years ago that a bloodhound's nose would be a more accurate method of selecting donors and recipients for organ transplantation than all of the laboratory testing. But no one has taken his suggestion seriously.
First-Order Reductions

First-order reductions are simple translations that have very little computational power of their own. Thus it is surprising that the vast majority of natural complete problems remain complete via first-order reductions. We provide examples of such complete problems for many complexity classes. All the complexity classes and descriptive languages studied in this book are closed under first-order reductions. Once we express a complete problem for some complexity class C in a language L, it will follow that L contains all queries computable in C.
Pesticide Applicator Training and Certification as a Factor in the Management of Pesticides

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the pesticide applicator training and certification as a factor in the management of pesticides. It was proposed at the 14th International Entomological Congress in Australia that training programs needed to be complete in terms of being nationwide and in terms of including appropriate aspects of pests, pesticides, equipment, application, and regulations to be successful. The U.S. Congress also passed a new pesticide law in 1972, which was designed to improve the control of pesticide use in terms of the environment and mankind while recognizing the need for ready availability of these vital tools of technology at the same time. The primary strategic step involved in developing training programs taught by entomologists and other specialists in pesticide use, leading to certification. Training programs in many states in the US started in late 1975 when financial support from the Federal Government was assured to supplement state funds.
Practical knowledge as knowledge of a normative judgment

According to one interpretation of Aristotle’s famous thesis, to say that action is the conclusion of practical reasoning is to say that an action is a judgment about what to do. A central motivation for the thesis so understood is that it explains the non-observational character of practical knowledge. If actions are judgments, then whatever explains an agent’s knowledge of the relevant judgment can explain her knowledge of the action. I call the approach to action that accepts Aristotle’s thesis so understood Normativism. There are many reasons to doubt Normativism. My focus in this paper is a pair of arguments that purport to show that a normative judgment could not constitute an event in material reality and also the knowledge of such a happening. Both highlight a putative mismatch between the natures of, on the one hand, an agent’s knowledge of her normative judgment and, on the other, her knowledge of her own action. According to these objections, knowledge of action includes (a) perceptual knowledge and (b) knowledge of what one has already done. But knowledge of a normative judgment includes neither. Hence knowledge of action cannot simply be knowledge of a normative judgment. I show why these arguments fail.
Founding Principles, Secular Skeptics, and Religious Freedom: Review of Kathleen A. Brady, the Distinctiveness of Religion in American Law: Rethinking Religion Clause Jurisprudence

This review essay evaluates Kathleen Brady’s provocative and original defense of the idea that religion remains special in modern liberal democracies, and deserves special constitutional treatment. While warmly commending this work, this essay also queries the author’s delicate non-originalist reading of original sources, her non-theological account of religious arguments, and her neglect of valuable international human rights sources in support of religious freedom for all.
Liquid digesta markers: A method for synthesis of crystallized chromium-EDTA and comparison of its degree of complexation with an uncrystallized preparation

Abstract Markers of liquid digesta are an essential tool for determination of in vivo nutrient digestibility and passage as they move with and mark passage of the liquid fraction through the gut. Such markers are ideally biologically and chemically unreactive so they do not affect the digesta or animal. Two issues encountered with the liquid marker chromium (III) (Cr) ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA; Cr-EDTA): 1) the Cr acetate·monohydrate required for preparation of the crystallized lithium salt of Cr-EDTA (Li·Cr-EDTA; Uden method; J. Sci. Food Agric. 31, 1980, 625–632) has become largely unavailable, and 2) as an ionic salt, the degree of complexation of Cr and EDTA in solution of an uncrystallized preparation of Cr-EDTA has not been evaluated. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to develop a method for preparing Li·Cr-EDTA using Cr (III) acetate hydroxide, and to compare the degree to which Cr is complexed with EDTA in solutions made with crystallized Li·Cr-EDTA and in preparations in which Cr-EDTA is not crystallized for purification (Binnerts method; Vet. Rec. 82, 1968. 470). The new Li·Cr-EDTA preparation method which uses Cr acetate hydroxide gave product yields of 901 to 870 g actual/kg theoretical which was similar to the 900 g actual/kg theoretical yield reported for the original Uden method. The Cr concentrations were 928–961 g actual/kg theoretical for the salt. Solutions of both the crystallized preparation of Li·Cr-EDTA and the liquid preparation of the Binnerts method gave visibly similar absorbance patterns at wavelengths from 300 to 750 nm and showed maximum light absorption at 541 nm, the reported wavelength of maximum absorption for Cr-EDTA. Comparison of absorbances at 541 nm to a Li·Cr-EDTA generated standard curve showed that uncrystallized Cr-EDTA produced with the Binnerts method gave a recovery of Cr in Cr-EDTA of approximately 993 g/kg, which did not differ from the 992 g/kg value for preparations of Li·Cr-EDTA; this indicates that Cr and EDTA for both preparation methods were almost completely complexed in solution. In conclusion, the new method for preparing Li·Cr-EDTA gave results comparable to the Uden method, and Cr and EDTA were ionically bound to a high degree and comparably in both the uncrystallized solution of the Binnerts method and solutions of crystallized Li·Cr-EDTA. Verification of the degree of Cr and EDTA complexation in Binnerts preparations can be accomplished with spectrophotometric comparison against a purified standard such as Li·Cr-EDTA.