cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Iterative multiuser detection, macrodiversity combining, and decoding for the TDMA cellular uplink

A soft-input soft-output (SISO) multiuser detector (MUD) suitable for inclusion in iterative processing architectures is presented and applied to the detection of the coded time division multiple access (TDMA) cellular uplink. A SISO-MUD processor is located at each base station in the network, and adjacent base stations share information concerning the mobiles they serve. Because the MUD outputs are soft, they are suitable for postdetection macrodiversity combining. The combined signals are then passed to a SISO forward error correction (FEC) decoder, and the soft outputs are fed back to the multiuser detectors. Processing continues in an iterative fashion in accordance with the turbo principle. Simulation results are presented that indicate that use of such a scheme enables cellular systems to be overloaded with more than just one cochannel user per cell at the price of a minimal loss in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The proposed implementation assumes the availability of both perfect channel state information and a high capacity backhaul.
Review of accidents/injuries among emergency medical services workers in Baltimore, Maryland.

OBJECTIVES To characterize the types of occupational exposures and injuries reported by emergency medical service (EMS) workers. METHODS A blinded review of accidents/exposures among EMS workers employed by a Baltimore County fire department was conducted. Medical records for 1992 were reviewed. RESULTS Two hundred and twenty-six reports were filed by EMS workers (n = 197) employed by a large, urban fire department in 1992. The most commonly reported injuries were sprains (23%), strains (20%), and exposure to blood and body fluids (15%). The body site most commonly injured was the back (20%) followed by the respiratory system (10%). Most incidents were treated at the employee health clinic, and 13% of the incidents resulted in a hospital visit. Fifteen percent of the injuries resulted in more than seven lost work days. Most incidents were caused by stretcher mishaps, especially during transport of heavy patients. Walkway impediments (e.g., icy steps, wet leaves, broken and uneven pathways) also played an important role in creating slipping and tripping hazards. CONCLUSION These results suggest a variety of prevention strategies aimed at reducing accidents and exposures among EMS workers.
Unreconstructed Democracy: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Case for Reparations

W. E. B. Du Bois's observations about the links between Americans' unwillingness to acknowledge the legacies of slavery and the shortcomings of formal equality in the post-Reconstruction era anticipate the obstacles to racial justice in the “post-civil rights” era. His study of the “splendid failure” of Reconstruction indicates how a kind of willful national amnesia prevented black citizens from enjoying in fact the freedom and equality they were guaranteed by law. Arguing that the story of racial injustice is still importantly a story about memory's suppression, I use Du Bois's writings to explore the case for reparations as one element of a larger effort to expose the presence of the slave past and to undermine the continuing effects of slavery and Jim Crow. Memory—of what has been, of acts of commission or omission, of a responsibility abdicated—affects the future conduct of power in any form. Failure to adopt some imaginative recognition of such a principle merely results in the enthronement of a political culture that appears to know no boundaries—the culture of impunity.Wole Soyinka (1999)Earlier versions of this essay were presented at the 2000 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association in Washington, DC, the 2001 meeting of the Collegium for African American Research in Sardinia, Italy, and the 2002 Riker Seminar and Frederick Douglass Institute Seminar at the University of Rochester. I am grateful for the comments of all of the participants at those sessions, as well as for careful readings by Joshua Dienstag, Roxanne Euben, Frederick Harris, George Klosko, James Johnson, Joel Olson, George Shulman, Valeria Sinclair-Chapman, Jeffrey Tucker, and Stephen White.
THE ANONYMOUS MUSICA IN LEIPZIG, UNIVERSITÄTSBIBLIOTHEK, MS 1492: A NEW EDITION AND TRANSLATION

The article presents a new edition and English translation of the Latin music-theory treatise transmitted anonymously in Leipzig, Universitatsbibliothek, MS 1492, sometimes known as De musica et de transformatione specialiter , or simply the Sowa Anonymous (a reference to Heinrich Sowa's edition published in 1935). An introductory essay justifies the treatise's importance and gives reasons why a new edition is necessary. It also presents a complex case for dating the treatise to the eleventh century based on verbal and conceptual affinities with five other treatises of the era. The edition of the text is done to higher standards of orthographic accuracy than were observed in 1935 and corrects about twenty outright errors in Sowa's edition. It also includes the two embedded tonaries that Sowa omitted. The treatise is a crucial complementary witness to the state of music theory in the eleventh century.
Endoscopic forehead lifting using fixation sutures

Endoscopic brow and forehead lifting has become increasingly popular as both surgeons and patients alike search for techniques that reduce morbidity and recovery time, yet maintain the ability to achieve excellent results. Endoscopic, or endoscopically assisted brow and forehead lifts show great promise in the area of facial rejuvenation surgery. Though it will never completely replace the traditional open techniques, endoscopic brow lifting has a definite place in the armamentarium of the facial plastic surgeon owing to its decreased morbidity and excellent patient satisfaction. One problem around which major variations and techniques center is soft-tissue fixation of the elevated brow and forehead. A review of various techniques for suspension as well as the authors' preferred technique are presented.
Concentration of Prolactin, Growth Hormone and ACTH in Blood and Tumor of Rats with Transplantable Mammotropic Pituitary Tumors

Transplantable mammotropic pituitary tumors from Fisher rats during 9 transfers were lyophilized and assayed for prolactin, growth hormone and ACTH activity. Blood plasma from the same rats was also collected and assayed. Prolactin concentration in tumors averaged 3.5 units/g dry wt, which is 3 % of that in the normal pituitary. The plasma level was 1 unit/ml or 10 units/ g dry wt. This is more than 50 times the level in normal plasma. And the plasma powder was more potent than the tumor powder per unit of weight. Growth hormone concentration in tumors averaged 4 units/g dry wt, which is 14% of that in the normal pituitary. The plasma level was 30 mU/ml, which is 30 times the level in normal plasma. ACTH concentration in tumors averaged 7 units/g dry wt, which is 3 % of that in the normal pituitary. The plasma level was 60 mU/ml, which is 6,000 times that in normal human plasma. The ratio of total potency in the tumor to total potency in plasma was 62 for growth hormone, 36 for ACTH and only 1.2 for prola...
Political Context and the Consequences of Naming and Shaming for Human Rights Abuse

ABSTRACTDoes being named and shamed for human rights abuse influence the amount of foreign aid received by the shamed state? Recent research suggests that the impact of public censure may depend on the political relationship between donor and recipient. We argue that donors deriving a direct political benefit from the aid relationship (such as a military advantage or the satisfaction of a domestic political audience) will ignore or work against condemnation, but donors with little political interest in the recipient (who give aid for symbolic or humanitarian reasons) will punish condemned states. We also argue that the size of prior aid packages can be used as a holistic measure of the donor’s political interest in the aid relationship because mutually beneficial aid packages are subject to a bargaining process that favors recipients with more to offer. We find that condemnation for human rights abuse by the United Nations is associated with lower bilateral aid levels among states that previously received...
A Simple Panel Unit Root Test by Combining Dependent P-Values

This paper proposes a simple panel unit root test based on Zaykin et al.’s (2002) truncated product method. The test is powerful in cases where there are only a few large p-values, and is robust to a certain degree of cross-section dependence. Monte Carlo evidence shows good size and power properties relative to existing p-value combination tests. Unlike the previous tests, the new test allows to make stronger claims in the event of rejection of the null hypothesis. The proposed test is applied to a panel of 27 OECD real exchange rate series as well as to a group of inflation density forecasts in the SPF data.
CÓMO PROGRAMAR REFORZADORES: NAT SCHOENFELD y EL SISTEMA T-r

The temporal system of reinforcement schedules devised by Professor W, N. (Nat) Schoenfeld permitted the study of continuous relations among a wide variety of schedule effects. In addition, the system clearly separated the schedule rules from the behiavior being studied. Parametric exploration of purely temporal variables generated performances characteristic of ratio schedules as well as traditional interval schedules. The system was expanded to incorporate the intrusion of neutral or aversive as well as reinforcing stimuli into the behavioral stream, and thus encompassed a wide variety of traditionally disparate research topics, including Pavlovian relations between stimuli and reinforcers.
University Research in Structural Engineering

Different attitudes considered; analytical, experimental, and design research defined; writer's views illustrated by specific examples of each kind of research.
Radiation-Induced Droplet Breakup of Nano-Dispersed Coal-in-Water Colloidal Fuels

The use of Coal-in-Water Fuels (CWF) in boilers and gasifiers, as a substitute for the traditional fossil fuels, has attracted great interest recently. The idea is to suspend coal particles in water droplets and then inject them as a spray into a gasifier or boiler. The potential benefits of such fuels are lower emissions and higher combustion efficiency, in comparison to injecting coal particles into air or water steam directly. Nevertheless, there are few studies in the literature that have examined the evaporation and gasification behaviors of CWF colloidal fuels. Especially, droplet breakup (second atomization) can occur when the droplets are under intense thermal radiation. The goal of this paper is to understand the evaporation behavior of CWF droplets under intense thermal radiation. An experiment has been developed to quantify the mechanisms that are responsible for the radiation-induced droplet breakup of nano-dispersed coal-in-water colloidal fuels. It is speculated that radiation absorption by coal particles and the conduction heat transfer between the particles and the surrounding water molecules play a critical role in the explosive boiling behavior. The threshold radiation intensity required for explosion were measured and the droplet breakup processes were visualized. A theoretical model has also been developed to understand the effect of the particle material, size and concentration on the threshold radiation energy and the explosive boiling behavior.
Organ cultures in evaluation of antiviral drugs

Human embryonic trachea explants were the only organized tissue in which virus strains, causing colds in man, could be grown and in which the effect of antiviral drugs against cold virus strains can perhaps be assessed. Dog trachea explants could be readily infected with influenza viruses and parainfluenza 1 (Sendai) virus both by conventional methods or by virus aerosols. They can provide a suitable organ culture system for evaluation of antiviral drugs, especially against recent influenza A2 strains. Ferret trachea explants can be employed for antiviral drug evaluation against some influenza A and B or Sendai virus strains but variation in sensitivity between trachea explants from different ferrets is to be expected. Respiratory tissue explants from vervet monkeys, pigs, hamsters, rats and mice can provide tools for studies on the specific virus-cell interaction in organized tissue but did not meet the requirements presented as essential for antiviral drug testing in organ cultures.
Diurnal field patterns of honeydew sugar secretion by Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) nymphs on cotton

Honeydew secretion by nymphal field populations of silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring, on cotton was documented during 10-, 14-, or 24-h periods in the Imperial Valley, California. Honeydew drops were collected on water-sensitive paper by placing 5th main stem node leaves inside open-ended plastic bags with strips of paper. Honeydew drops were also collected directly on open-ended plastic bags placed on leaves, and honeydew sugars were analyzed using gradient anion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography. No consistent diurnal patterns of honeydew drop secretion emerged, but on 1 of the 4 d drop numbers were higher in the morning (0500-1100 hours) than in the afternoon and evening (1500-1900 hours), and drops were collected throughout one 24-h period. On 3 of the 4 d, higher quantities of honeydew sugars were collected in the morning (0500 hours) than in the evening (1500-1900 hours). Quantities and percentages of honeydew sugars ranked as follows: trehalulose > melezitose > sucrose > fructose > glucose. This ranking, with minor exceptions, did not change during the day (0500-1900 hours). Trehalulose accounted for approximately 30% of the total sugar mass in the honeydew. Honeydew sugar secretion and composition did not show a clear or consistent relationship with either leaf water potentials or temperatures.
Performance variation with SDC buffer layer thickness

Abstract The performance of anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells was investigated as the SDC buffer layer thickness was varied between ∼0.4 μm and ∼2.3 μm. The thickness of the buffer layer has a significant effect with the peak performance varying in magnitude by a factor of almost three. A peak power density of 1106 mW cm−2 was achieved at 800 °C and an optimal SDC buffer layer thickness of ∼1.5 μm. The performance variation was complex due to a balance between ohmic and polarization losses, triple phase boundary area, pin holes and interfacial reactions between the BSCF + SDC cathode, SDC buffer layer, and YSZ electrolyte. Understanding this variation is essential in order to compare two fuel cells having a different porous buffer layer thickness.
Phase angle for prognostication of survival in patients with advanced cancer.

9555 Background: Accurate survival prediction is essential for decision making in cancer therapies and care planning. Objective physiologic measures may improve the accuracy of prognostication. In ...
Rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation: association with acetaminophen and ethanol.

A 45-year-old man presented in acute shock due to fulminant disseminated intravascular coagulation. Despite supportive efforts, the patient died less than 24 hours later. Laboratory studies suggested rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure as the precipitating cause of the disseminated intravascular coagulation. Postmortem pathological examination of the kidney demonstrated acute tubular necrosis with prominent casts consistent with myoglobinuria. The patient had regularly consumed moderate amounts of ethanol for several years. Three weeks prior to his death, he began taking therapeutic amounts of acetaminophen daily for mild flu-like symptoms. Acetaminophen may precipitate rhabdomyolysis in chronic ethanol users.
Crystal structure of (E)-2-[(2-bromopyridin-3-yl)methyl-idene]-6-meth-oxy-3,4-di-hydro-naphthalen-1(2H)-one and 3-[(E)-(6-meth-oxy-1-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-naphthalen-2-ylidene)meth-yl]pyridin-2(1H)-one.

The title compounds C17H14BrNO2, (I), and C17H15NO3, (II), were obtained from the reaction of 6-meth­oxy-3,4-di­hydro-2H-naphthalen-1-one and 2-bromo­nicotinaldehyde in ethanol. Compound (I) was the expected product and compound (II) was the oxidation product from air exposure. In the crystal structure of compound (I), there are no short contacts or hydrogen bonds. The structure does display π–π inter­actions between adjacent benzene rings and adjacent pyridyl rings. Compound (II) contains two independent mol­ecules, A and B, in the asymmetric unit; both are non-planar, the dihedral angles between the meth­oxy­benzene and 1H-pyridin-2-one mean planes being 35.07 (9)° in A and 35.28 (9)°in B. In each mol­ecule, the 1H-pyridin-2-one unit participates in inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonding to another mol­ecule of the same type (A to A or B to B). The structure also displays π–π inter­actions between the pyridyl and the benzene rings of non-equivalent mol­ecules (viz., A to B and B to A).
Frequency-stabilized external-cavity diode lasers

Diode lasers are attractive sources for atomic spectroscopy because of their low cost, ease of operation, and reliability. However, their spectral characteristics are often inadequate for spectroscopic applications—some devices operate on multiple longitudinal modes, and most singlemode lasers have linewidths of tens to hundreds of megahertz, which are too large for many applications. One way of improving the spectral purity of these devices is to use strong feedback from a frequency-selective external cavity. In conjunction with antireflection coating of the output facet of the diode, this is sufficient to force single-mode, narrowband operation.
Administration of testosterone during the follicular phase increased the number of corpora lutea in gilts.

The effects of 0 (vehicle), 1, 10, or 100 mg of testosterone, administered on d 17 and 18 of the estrous cycle (d 0 = 1st d of estrus), on the number of preovulatory follicles on d 19 or the number of corpora lutea (CL) and blastocysts on d 11 of the subsequent cycle were examined in 82 gilts. The mean number of preovulatory follicles increased (P < .01) in a dose-dependent manner. Likewise, gilts that received 1, 10, or 100 mg of testosterone had more (P < .05) CL than gilts treated with vehicle. The mean number of blastocysts increased (P = .06) in gilts receiving 1 mg of testosterone but decreased (P < .05) in gilts treated with 10 mg of testosterone compared with gilts receiving vehicle. Similarly, recovery rates of blastocysts decreased (P < .05) in gilts treated with 10 or 100 mg of testosterone relative to gilts administered 0 or 1 mg of testosterone. Plasma concentrations of testosterone and estradiol increased (P < .05) 2 h following administration of 1 mg of testosterone on d 17 of the estrous cycle. These results indicate that although the 10- and 100-mg dosages of testosterone were detrimental to blastocyst survival, the 1-mg dosage increased synthesis of estradiol and the number of CL and d-11 blastocysts.
Wafer and/or chip bonding adhesives for 3D package

For 3D package application the demanded feature of chip bonding adhesive was discussed and the material was developed, which was wafer level process compatible NCF (Non conductive sheet). It should be high flowability for lamination on a bumped wafer surface without void, diced with wafer without deformation or sticking dust, transparent for alignment mark detection and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for the package thermal cycle durability. The nano particle dispersed and highly loaded NCF has been developed to satisfy the demanded characteristics. The CTE was 37°C/ppm and 1% weight loss temperature is higher than 350°C. The photosensitive NCF has been also developed. Bump top adhesive can be removed completely by photolithography before bonding process. It can wipe off the anxiety of adhesive residue between bump and pad. This material is also good for lamination and has high heat resistance of 1% weight loss temperature higher than 300°C.
Thrombin Induces Inositol Trisphosphate-Mediated Spatially Extensive Responses in Lung Microvessels.

Activation of plasma membrane receptors initiates compartmentalized second messenger signaling. Whether this compartmentalization facilitates the preferential intercellular diffusion of specific second messengers is unclear. Toward this, the receptor-mediated agonist, thrombin, was instilled into microvessels in a restricted region of isolated blood-perfused mouse lungs. Subsequently, the thrombin-induced increase in endothelial F-actin was determined using confocal fluorescence microscopy. Increased F-actin was evident in microvessels directly treated with thrombin and in those located in adjoining thrombin-free regions. This increase was abrogated by inhibiting inositol trisphosphate–mediated calcium release with Xestospongin C (XeC). XeC also inhibited the thrombin-induced increase in the amplitude of endothelial cytosolic Ca 2+ oscillations. Instillation of thrombin and XeC into adjacent restricted regions increased F-actin in microvessels in the thrombin-treated and adjacent regions but not in those in the XeC-treated region. Thus, inositol trisphosphate, and not calcium, diffused interendothelially to the spatially remote thrombin-free microvessels. Thus, activation of plasma membrane receptors increased the ambit of inflammatory responses via a second messenger different from that used by stimuli that induce cell-wide increases in second messengers. Thrombin however failed to induce the spatially extensive response in microvessels of mice lacking endothelial connexin43, suggesting a role for connexin43 gap junctions. Compartmental second messenger signaling and interendothelial communication define the specific second messenger involved in exacerbating proinflammatory responses to receptor-mediated agonists.
The Constitutionality of Administrative Patent Cancellation

Prepared for the Boston University JSTL Symposium “Bridging the Gap between the Federal Courts and the USPTO,” this article evaluates claims that adjudication of the validity of issued patents in the United States Patent and Trademark Office is unconstitutional. The constitutional challenges result from the expansion of administrative options to challenge and cancel issued patents in the America Invents Act of 2011 and have received favorable reception within the patent community and garnered at least some attention from the Federal Circuit and Supreme Court. This positive reception is surprising because the constitutional challenges are legally quite weak. Although the challenges contend that Article III prohibits administrative adjudication of issued patents, the Patent Office review procedures involve limited review of federal statutory rights in a specialized area of law within the Patent Office’s expertise and in furtherance of the Patent Office’s core regulatory objective in evaluating and issuing patent claims. Supreme Court precedent indicates that Congress can use its Article I powers to opt for administrative adjudication in such circumstances without any Article III barriers. This is confirmed by the fact that Article III courts retain significant power over patent validity issues, both on direct review from the Patent Office cancellation proceedings and through the parallel track for challenging patent validity in district court litigation. Nor is a challenge based on the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial likely to succeed, as the Supreme Court has indicated that in the administrative context the Seventh Amendment issue is subsumed by the Article III analysis. The Takings and IP Clauses also would not bar Patent Office adjudication and cancellation of issued patents (and have only been raised in passing). In sum, because the Patent Office review procedures for issued patents are well within the mainstream of modern administrative adjudication, a finding that administrative patent cancellation is unconstitutional would not just undo Congress’s policy choices for the patent system but would also threaten large swaths of the administrative state.
Allowing Shared Libraries While Supporting Hardware Isolation in Multicore Real-Time Systems

The desire to support real-time applications on multicore platforms has led to intense recent interest in techniques for reducing memory-related hardware interference. These techniques typically rely on mechanisms that ensure per-task isolation properties with respect to cache and memory accesses. In most prior work on such techniques, any sharing of memory pages by different tasks is defined away, as sharing breaks isolation. In reality, however, sharing is common. In this paper, one source of sharing is considered, namely, the usage of shared libraries. Such sharing can be obviated by statically linking libraries, but this solution can degrade schedulability by exhausting memory capacity. An alternative approach is proposed herein that allows library pages to be shared while preserving isolation properties. This approach is presented in the context of the MC2 framework and a schedulability-based evaluation of it is presented. Such an evaluation must necessarily consider memory-capacity limits. As a secondary contribution, this paper considers such limits for the first time in the context of MC2.
Structural Models in Marketing: Consumer Demand and Search

As marketers move away from being focused only on “local” effects of marketing activities, e.g., what happens when I change price by 1%, in order to better understand the consequences of broader shifts in policy, the need for structural models has also grown. In this chapter, I will focus on a small subset of such “structural models” and provide brief discussions of what we mean by structural models, why we need them, the typical classes of structural models that we see being used by marketers these days, along with some examples of these models. My objective is not to provide a comprehensive review. Such an endeavor is far beyond my current purview. Rather, I would like to provide a basic discussion of structural models in the context of the marketing literature. In particular, to keep the discussion focused, I will limit myself largely to models of demand rather than models of firm behavior.
Properties of advanced coupled-cluster Green's function

ABSTRACTWe present an extension of the analysis previously applied to the retarded part of the coupled cluster (CC) Green's function to its advanced part. In analogy to our earlier studies for the retarded part, we demonstrate that the advanced CC Green's function is expressed in terms of connected diagrams only, which is a direct consequence of algebraic form of equations satisfied by CC amplitudes. We also demonstrate that ω-derivatives of the advanced CC Green's function can be calculated analytically and can be expressed in terms of connected diagrams only. We analyse the structure of connected diagrams and the role of intermediate operators which satisfy electron affinity equation-of-motion CC-type conditions.
Redescription and Molecular Characterization of Placobdella nuchalis Sawyer and Shelley, 1976 (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae)

Placobdella nuchalis Sawyer and Shelley, 1976 was originally described based on specimens from Four Hole Swamp (type locality) and a stream near Ashepoo River in South Carolina, USA, and Merchant's Millpond and Nine Mile Creek in North Carolina, USA. Leeches collected during August 2014 and August 2015 from Four Hole Swamp (type locality) and Merchant's Millpond (paratype locality) facilitated a redescription and molecular characterization of Placobdella nuchalis. Two additional specimens of Placobdella nuchaliswere collected on 10 August 2014 from Nassawango Creek, Maryland, USA, representing a state distribution record. Placobdella nuchalis has a brownish green dorsum with a dark medial line interrupted three times by yellow-cream spots, a pair of paralateral rows of unpigmented papillae with adjacent dark green papillae, and a distinct discoid head. Molecular comparison of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (CO-I) sequence data from a specimen of Placobdella nuchalis from Four Hole Swamp (type locality) revealed a 94.5% similarity to a specimen collected from Merchant's Millpond (paratype locality) and 14.2% to 17.5% differences among other species of Placobdella.
In Situ Caging of Biomolecules in Graphene Hybrids for Light Modulated Bioactivity.

Remote and noninvasive modulation of protein activity is essential for applications in biotechnology and medicine. Optical control has emerged as the most attractive approach owing to its high spatial and temporal resolutions; however, it is challenging to engineer light responsive proteins. In this work, a near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive graphene-silica-trypsin (GST) nanoreactor is developed for modulating the bioactivity of trypsin molecules. Biomolecules are spatially confined and protected in the rationally designed compartment architecture, which not only reduces the possible interference but also boosts the bioreaction efficiency. Upon NIR irradiation, the photothermal effect of the GST nanoreactor enables the ultrafast in situ heating for remote activation and tuning of the bioactivity. We apply the GST nanoreactor for remote and ultrafast proteolysis of proteins, which remarkably enhances the proteolysis efficiency and reduces the bioreaction time from the overnight of using free trypsin to s...
The Rise of JavaScript

In this special issue of CiSE, we focus on a small sample of libraries and tools written in JavaScript that might interest scientists and engineers. Our goal is, of course, not to be exhaustive nor representative—given the huge and rapidly expanding field—but to spark the readers curiosity and show how certain tasks are remarkably easy in JavaScript.
Steampunk, Survivalism and Sex Toys: An Exploration of How and Why HCI Studies Peripheral Practices

In this chapter we describe a trend we have observed in 3rd-wave HCI research, which we are calling “peripheral practices research”. This form of research consists of primarily qualitative studies of niche, unusual, marginalized and/or highly specialized communities of practice that result in implications for HCI outside of that community. We describe how peripheral practices research serves three critical functions within HCI: (1) It introduces a diversity of perspectives into the field; (2) It identifies new approaches to existing problems and challenges; (3) It serves as a defamiliarizing lens on existing norms and assumptions within the field. We survey a broad and diverse selection of studies that engage with peripheral practices, and discuss four specific cases in more detail. By giving this mode of HCI research a name, we hope to see even more studies that look outside of the classical HCI domain for new ideas, new perspectives, and new values around technology.
Surgical Treatment of Diencephalic Arteriovenous Malformations

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the diencephalon are hazardous lesions. Rupture of an AVM in this location can lead to catastrophic intracranial hemorrhage and a devastating neurological picture. However, surgical therapy for these lesions poses a considerable risk to critical areas of the nervous system. The value of surgical treatment for diencephalic AVMs has therefore been controversial.
Immobilization of Enzymes by Reductive Alkylation

Reductive alkylation in which Schiff’s bases formed between an aldehyde and an amino group may be reduced with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) or sodium cyanoborohydride is a convenient and gentle method to specifically introduce alkyl groups into proteins at e-amino groups of lysine (1–4). We have used this reaction to couple enzymes to carbohydrate supports which had been oxidized with sodium metaperiodate (NaI04) including dextran-coated, controlled-pore glass (Dextran-CPG), Glycophase-CPG and Sepharose. These are neutral, hydrophilic supports with a highly porous structure. Glycophase-CPG is porous glass coated with a glyceryl silane (Glass≡Si(CH2)3OCH2CHOHCH2OH).
An average-reward reinforcement learning algorithm for computing bias-optimal policies

Average-reward reinforcement learning (ARL) is an undiscounted optimality framework that is generally applicable to a broad range of control tasks. ARL computes gain-optimal control policies that maximize the expected payoff per step. However, gainoptimality has some intrinsic limitations as an optimality criterion, since for example, it cannot distinguish between different policies that all reach an absorbing goal state, but incur varying costs. A more selective criterion is bias optimality, which can filter gain-optimal policies to select those that reach absorbing goals with the minimum cost. While several ARL algorithms for computing gain-optimal policies have been proposed, none of these algorithms can guarantee bias optimality, since this requires solving at least two nested optimality equations. In this paper, we describe a novel model-based ARL algorithm for computing bias-optimal policies. We test the proposed algorithm using an admission control queuing system, and show that it is able to utilize the queue much more efficiently than a gain-optimal method by learning bias-optimal policies.
Insights from a Stated Preference Experiment of Florida Residents: Role of Information and Incentives in Hurricane Risk Mitigation

AbstractFor decades, Florida residents have lost billions of dollars in property damage because of wind and wind-driven rainwater intrusion from tropical cyclones. Engineers and scientists have dem...
WalkSafe Keeps Walking for 15 Years: A Program Review

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death among children aged 5 to 14 years. The WalkSafe program was developed in response to the number of children admitted to Miami–Dade County, Florida...
The Influence of Parent and Parent-Adolescent Relationship Characteristics on Sexual Trajectories into Adulthood.

To examine sexual partner acquisition into young adulthood and to explore what characteristics of the adolescent family context might predict this change, we used growth curve modeling to examine data from a nationally representative sample of adolescents followed longitudinally over 13 years through young adulthood (N = 5385). Growth curve modeling allowed us to treat the outcome as a dynamic variable and to examine 10 potential predictors of change while accounting for the nested nature of the data. Six family characteristics emerged as predictors of mean number of partners and rate of partner acquisition, while accounting for three significant adolescent predictors. Living in a single-parent or blended family and general communication about sex predicted higher lifetime number of sexual partners in young adulthood. Parent religiosity, parent disapproval of adolescent engagement in sex, and parent–adolescent connectedness were predictive of lower lifetime number of sexual partners. By following participants into their late twenties and early thirties, we were able to detect changes in the impact of early family factors that are not apparent in studies restricted to adolescents and emerging adults. For example, parent education, parent disapproval, and parent–adolescent connectedness were associated with higher rates of partner acquisition at age 23, but faster deceleration in partner acquisition as time progressed. Communication about negative consequences of sex was not predictive, regardless of whether it was “on time” (before sexual intercourse) or not. These results reveal that parents have significant, and sometimes unexpected, influence on their children’s sexual behavior that persists well into adulthood.
Introduction and Theoretical Framework

The introductory chapter is divided into two main sections: the first explains why defeats in wars should be treated as a unique outcome worthy of research and then explores and evaluates the various strands of writings on defeats and their aftermath. The second section introduces the theoretical framework that explains why nations react to defeat the way they do. Concepts and variables are defined along with the mechanisms that operate to create a particular reaction to defeat. Defeats in wars are humiliating experiences; however, national humiliation does not necessarily trigger aggressive nationalism, it only creates a fertile ground for radicalization—which will be actualized only if it is filtered through three variables: national self-images, political parties, and international opportunities and threats.
Atovaquone: An Antiprotozoal Drug Suppresses Primary and Resistant Breast Tumor Growth by Inhibiting HER2/β-Catenin Signaling

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women. In the current study, we evaluated the anticancer effects of an antiprotozoal drug, atovaquone, against several breast cancer cell lines. Our results showed that atovaquone treatment induced apoptosis and inhibited the growth of all the breast cancer cell lines tested, including several patient-derived cells. In addition, atovaquone treatment significantly reduced the expression of HER2, β-catenin, and its downstream molecules such as pGSK-3β, TCF-4, cyclin D1, and c-Myc in vitro Efficacy of atovaquone was further evaluated in an in vivo tumor model by orthotropic implantation of two highly aggressive 4T1 and CI66 breast cancer cells in the mammary fat pad of female mice. Our results demonstrated that oral administration of atovaquone suppressed the growth of CI66 and 4T1 tumors by 70% and 60%, respectively. Paclitaxel is the first-line chemotherapeutic agent for metastatic breast cancer. We demonstrate that atovaquone administration suppressed the growth of 4T1 paclitaxel-resistant tumors by 40%. Tumors from atovaquone-treated mice exhibited reduced HER2, β-catenin, and c-Myc levels alongside an increase in apoptosis in all the three tumor models when analyzed by Western blotting, IHC, and TUNEL assay. Taken together, our results indicate that atovaquone effectively reduces the growth of primary and paclitaxel-resistant breast tumors. Atovaquone is already in the clinics with high safety and tolerability profile. Therefore, the findings from our studies will potentially prompt further clinical investigation into repurposing atovaquone for the treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer.
Intestinal parasites in gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans at mondika research site, Dzanga-Ndoki national park, Central African Republic

We report prevalences and eggs/protozoa per g (EPG; PPG) of helminths and protozoa in gorillas, chimpanzees, agile mangabeys, indigenous Ba'Aka and Bantu, and western researchers at a remote field site in the Central African Republic. We examined fecal samples for eggs, larvae, proglottids, cysts, amoeba, trophozoites, and flagellates. For helminths, strongylates were most prevalent, infecting 82–94% of nonhuman primates (NH) and 30–93% of human (H) groups, followed by ascaroids (14–88% NH; 0–15% H), and threadworms (0–22% NH; 0–29% H). For protozoa, Entamoeba histolytica (2–100% NH; 33–52% H) and trichomonads (11–88% NH; 0–54% H) were most prevalent. Among gorilla samples (n = 156) there were significant age/sex differences in EPG/PPG for strongylates, threadworms, Entamoeba histolytica, and trichomonads, with infants exhibiting the highest mean EPG/PPG for all parasites except trichomonads. Between group analyses revealed that the Ba'Aka had significantly higher mean EPG of strongylates, ascaroids and threadworms than all other primate groups, except the mangabeys. For Entamoeba histolytica, E. coli, Balantidium coli, and Iodamoeba butschlii, the agile mangabeys had significantly higher mean PPG than other groups; for trichomonads, the chimpanzees, and mangabeys had the highest mean PPG. Relative to other African ape sites, the gorillas and chimpanzees at Mondika appear to have high prevalences of intestinal parasites. This may be the result of the high proportion of swamp and seasonally flooded areas, which provide optimal viability for parasite eggs and ova. At Mondika, the significantly higher parasite levels of Ba'Aka probably result from more traditional methods of hygiene and lack of available medical treatment. All workers at research sites should be monitored and treated to minimize cross-transmission between humans and local fauna.
Rate and selectivity hysteresis during the carbon monoxide hydrogenation over promoted Co/MnOx catalysts.

While cobalt-based catalysts have been used in industrial Fischer-Tropsch synthesis for decades, little is known about how the dynamics of the Co-Co2C phase transformation drive their performance. Here we report on the occurrence of hysteresis effects in the Fischer-Tropsch reaction over potassium promoted Co/MnOx catalyst. Both the reaction rate and the selectivity to chain-lengthened paraffins and terminally functionalized products (aldehydes, alcohols, olefins) show bistability when varying the hydrogen/carbon monoxide partial pressures back and forth from overall reducing to carbidizing conditions. While the carbon monoxide conversion and the selectivity to functionalized products follow clockwise hysteresis, the selectivity to paraffins shows counter-clockwise behavior. In situ X-ray diffraction demonstrates the activity/selectivity bistability to be driven by a Co-Co2C phase transformation. The conclusions are supported by High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy which identifies the Co-Co2C transformation, Mn5O8 layered topologies at low H2/CO partial pressure ratios, and MnO at high such ratios. The question for the structure-reactivity relationship of cobalt-based catalysts for the carbon monoxide hydrogenation is as old as the reaction itself. Here the authors show kinetic hysteresis for a potassium-promoted cobalt-manganese oxide catalyst to be driven by the Co-Co2C phase transition.
Distance-Aware Competitive Spatiotemporal Searching Using Spatiotemporal Resource Matrix Factorization (GIS Cup)

Congested traffic wastes billions of liters of fuel and is a significant contributor to Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Although convenient, ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft are becoming a significant contributor to these emissions not only because of added traffic but by spending time on the road while waiting for passengers. To help improve the impact of ride sharing, we propose an algorithm to optimize the efficiency of drivers searching for customers. In our model, the main goal is to direct drivers represented as idle agents, i.e., not currently assigned a customer or resource, to locations where we predict new resources to appear. Our approach uses non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) to model and predict the spatio-temporal distributions of resources. To choose destinations for idle agents, we employ a greedy heuristic that strikes a balance between distance greed, i.e., to avoid long trips without resources and resource greed, i.e., to move to a location where resources are expected to appear following the NMF model. To ensure that agents do not oversupply areas for which resources are predicted and under supply other areas, we randomize the destinations of agents using the predicted resource distribution within the local neighborhood of an agent. Our experimental evaluation shows that our approach reduces the search time of agents and the wait time of resources using real-world data from Manhattan, New York, USA.
Mechanical Characterization of Biofilms by Optical Coherence Elastography (OCE) Measurements of Elastic Waves

Biofilms are biological materials composed of microbial communities encased in a self-produced extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). The viscoelastic properties of biofilms are related to the cross-link density in the EPS and ultimately the cohesiveness of biofilms. Accurate measurement of biofilm viscoelastic properties at the mesoscale remains a challenge. Rheological measurements, although being more common, provide only global properties, do not permit in-situ characterization, and are not amenable to complex sample geometries. To address these challenges, our work seeks to develop a nondestructive framework for characterizing biofilm viscoelastic properties using elastic wave propagation measured by the optical coherence elastography technique. The framework holds great potential to elucidate spatially varying mechanical properties and their correlation with sample morphology and composition.
Droplets and Aerosols in the Transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Aerosols and Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 With reference to a letter about the use of laser light scattering to visualize droplets that emanate during speech, this author describes the nature of aero...
Geometry of Sum-Difference Numbers.

We relate the factorization of an integer N in two ways as N = xy = wz with x + y = w − z to the inscribed and escribed circles of a Pythagorean triangle.
Curcumin attenuates autoimmunity and renal injury in an experimental model of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder with prevalent hypertension and renal disease. To avoid side effects of immunosuppressive drugs, alternative therapies are needed. Curcumin has been used in Eastern medicine for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This study tested whether oral curcumin administration attenuates autoimmunity and renal injury during SLE. Female NZBWF1 (model of SLE) and NZW/LacJ (control) mice were administered curcumin (500 mg kg-1 day-1 , oral gavage) for 14 days in two separate groups beginning at either 26 or 32 weeks of age. Body weight and composition were monitored throughout the study. Immune activity was assessed by spleen weight, circulating dsDNA autoantibodies, and B lymphocytes. Renal injury (albumin excretion, glomerulosclerosis, blood urea nitrogen (BUN)) was measured as a hemodynamic function (glomerular filtration rate (GFR), mean arterial pressure (MAP)) in conscious mice. Body weight and composition were maintained in curcumin-treated SLE mice, but decreased in vehicle-treated SLE mice. Curcumin-treated SLE mice had lower spleen weight and renal injury (glomerulosclerosis) compared to vehicle-treated SLE mice when treatment started at 26 weeks of age. When curcumin treatment started at 32 weeks of age, renal injury (glomerulosclerosis, BUN) was reduced in SLE mice compared to vehicle-treated SLE mice. GFR was reduced, and MAP was increased in vehicle-treated SLE mice compared to controls; however, these were not improved with curcumin. No significant changes were observed in curcumin-treated control mice. These data suggest that curcumin modulates autoimmune activity and may lessen renal injury in female mice with SLE.
Compressive Sensing-Based Missing-Data-Tolerant Fault Detection for Remote Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbines

Compared with traditional onsite wind turbine condition monitoring systems (CMSs), the remote CMSs can use better computational resources to process data with more advanced algorithms and, thus, can provide more advanced condition monitoring capabilities, but may suffer from a data loss problem, especially when wireless data transmission is used. To solve this problem, this article proposes a compressive sensing-based missing-data-tolerant fault detection method for remote condition monitoring of wind turbines. First, the condition monitoring signals collected from wind turbines are conditioned to increase their sparsity. Then, a compressive-sensing-based sampling algorithm is designed to sample the conditioned signals. The resulting data samples, called measurements of the conditioned signals are transmitted wirelessly during which some data samples are possibly lost. At the data receiving end, the conditioned signals are reconstructed from the received data samples, which might be incomplete, via a compressive-sensing-based signal reconstruction algorithm. Finally, spectrum analysis is performed on the reconstructed signals for wind turbine fault detection via fault characteristic frequency identification. The proposed method is validated for bearing fault detection of a Skystream 3.7 wind turbine and an Air Breeze wind turbine by using the data of a generator current signal collected from each wind turbine remotely while considering different data loss rates.