cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Students' responses to the introduction of a digital laboratory guide in medical neuroscience.

This study investigated student acceptance of a digital laboratory guide in a medical neuroscience course. The guide was created in Macromedia™ Authorware 5.2 by transforming a text-based lab manual into a comprehensive multimedia program. Student attitudinal survey data indicated that the guide was used primarily as a study tool at home. Some 53% of students (primarily males) used the guide for independent study exclusively, while the remainder used it for both independent and group study; 87% of the class used the guide as a routine study tool rather than as a final review for examinations. Most students perceived that the guide increased their study efficiency and lab performance while decreasing their out-of-class study time in the lab. Female students were significantly more enthusiastic about the guide's impact on their study efficiency, lab performance and laboratory study time. Gender differences in student satisfaction with and use of instructional multimedia are discussed.
DIAGNOSTIC TESTING FOR HEARING LOSS IN INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN

An early, reliable diagnosis and description of hearing loss is essential in determining appropriate treatment to minimize potential developmental delays attributed to the loss. Objective assessment of auditory function is possible shortly after birth. Both objective and subjective measures of auditory status are used in a test battery approach to determine the type, degree, and configuration of the hearing loss. This paper reviews the diagnostic test procedures used to define the hearing capability of infants and young children. For the youngest infants electrophysiologic tests, primarily auditory evoked potentials, are used to estimate hearing sensitivity. Later behavioral audiometric measures based on operant conditioning techniques become the primary component of the test battery. Diagnostic audiologic assessment is an ongoing process that requires special equipment and expertise when directed to infants and young children.
Impact of Parental Health Problems on Children: Concepts, Methods, and Unanswered Questions

Described conceptual and methodological issues that arise in the design and analysis of data from studies of the impact of parental health problems on children. Researchers should consider how the functional effects, duration, and type of exposure of parental health problems affect children's psychological experience. Multiple pathways (e.g., parental modeling, family socialization practices, and genetic factors) that affect the transmission of psychological and/or health risk to children need to be considered. Important methodological issues in this area of research include sample selection and bias, confounding factors, and limited assessment of family influences. Future work should identify factors that enhance child and family resilience to the effects of parental health problems. Studies are also needed to develop and test interventions to reduce the psychological morbidity associated with parental health problems.
A covalent peptide inhibitor of RGS4 identified in a focused one-bead, one compound library screen

Regulators of G protein signaling (RGSs) accelerate GTP hydrolysis by Gα subunits and profoundly inhibit signaling by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The distinct expression patterns and pathophysiologic regulation of RGS proteins suggest that inhibitors may have therapeutic potential. We recently described a focused one-bead, one-compound (OBOC) library screen to identify peptide inhibitors of RGS4. Here we extend our observations to include another peptide with a different mechanism of action. Peptide 5nd (Tyr-Trp-c [Cys-Lys-Gly-Leu-Cys]-Lys-NH2, S-S) blocks the RGS4-Gαo interaction with an IC50 of 28 μM. It forms a covalent, dithiothreitol (DTT) sensitive adduct with a mass consistent with the incorporation of one peptide per RGS. Peptide 5nd activity is abolished by either changing its disulfide bridge to a methylene dithioether bridge, which cannot form disulfide bridges to the RGS, or by removing all cysteines from the RGS protein. However, no single cysteine in RGS4 is completely necessary or sufficient for 5nd activity. Though it has some RGS selectivity, 5nd appears to be a partially random cysteine modifier. These data suggest that it inhibits RGS4 by forming disulfide bridges with the protein.
Inhibition of voltage-gated K+ current in rat intrapulmonary arterial myocytes by endothelin-1

Although endothelin (ET)-1 is an important regulator of pulmonary vascular tone, little is known about the mechanisms by which ET-1 causes contraction in this tissue. Using the whole cell patch-cla...
Non-Linear Fracture Models for Discrete Crack Propagation

The proper fracture mechanics to be applied to crack propagation in concrete is determined by scale effects.
MobInsight: On Improving The Performance of Mobile Apps in Cellular Networks

It is well-known that the performance of Web-browsing as well as mobile applications (or apps) suffers on today's cellular networks. In this work, we perform a systematic measurement study of more than 50 popular apps and 2 cellular networks, and discover that while cellular networks have predictable latency, it is the path between exit points of cellular networks (e.g., GGSN) and cloud-servers that degrades apps performance. High latency and unpredictability over this path affects browsing and activity completion times of apps, worsening the performance by several magnitudes. Furthermore, we find that as the number of apps on mobile devices increases, cellular networks in turn suffer due to large number of active connections, primarily used for push notifications, experiencing heavy signaling overhead in the network. Towards accelerating the performance of apps and improving their operational efficiency, we envision an easy to deploy operator-managed platform, and study two architectural optimizations that sit at vantage points inside cellular networks: virtual app-server (vApp) and network-assisted, virtual push-notification server (vPNS). vApps improve apps' browsing experience while vPNSs take the burden of carrying periodic message off cellular networks. Using trace-driven simulations, we find that vApps can improve activity completion times by more than 3-fold, whereas vPNS can reduce the signaling load by a factor of 6 in cellular networks and reduce energy consumption by a factor of 2 on mobile devices.
Learning a Combined Model of Visual Saliency for Fixation Prediction

A large number of saliency models, each based on a different hypothesis, have been proposed over the past 20 years. In practice, while subscribing to one hypothesis or computational principle makes a model that performs well on some types of images, it hinders the general performance of a model on arbitrary images and large-scale data sets. One natural approach to improve overall saliency detection accuracy would then be fusing different types of models. In this paper, inspired by the success of late-fusion strategies in semantic analysis and multi-modal biometrics, we propose to fuse the state-of-the-art saliency models at the score level in a para-boosting learning fashion. First, saliency maps generated by several models are used as confidence scores. Then, these scores are fed into our para-boosting learner (i.e., support vector machine, adaptive boosting, or probability density estimator) to generate the final saliency map. In order to explore the strength of para-boosting learners, traditional transformation-based fusion strategies, such as Sum , Min , and Max , are also explored and compared in this paper. To further reduce the computation cost of fusing too many models, only a few of them are considered in the next step. Experimental results show that score-level fusion outperforms each individual model and can further reduce the performance gap between the current models and the human inter-observer model.
A TAXONOMIC STUDY OF PHILIPPINE PHLEBOTOMINES (DIPTERA: PSYCHODIDAE).

A key is provided for 24 species of Phlebotomus in the Philippines. Descriptions and illustrations are given for 16 new species from the islands of Mindanao, Cebu, Negros, Luzon and Palawan.
Trajectory Generation and Control Methodology for an Autonomous Ground Vehicle

The Overbot, originally designed to compete in the DARPA Grand Challenge, has been retasked as a testbed for autonomous vehicle research. A complete platform, the vehicle allows for development and validation of new control algorithms, actuators and sensors by allowing integration into an existing architecture. An overview of the vehicle is provided, describing the interaction of hardware and software. A new method is developed for manipulating spline-based paths in obstacle rich environments. The generated trajectories are forwarded to a new controller developed for the vehicle to follow the given paths. Various control techniques are tested on the vehicle and both the path planning and control are validated on a 600m offroad course.
A Study of Rhopalomyces Elegans in Pure Culture

The conidia and conidiophores of Rhopalomyces elegans Corda have been well-illustrated in the literature. Although a common and cosmopolitan fungus, it had not been grown in pure culture until recently (Ellis and Hesseltine, 1962). Corda (1839) first reported R. elegans from material collected in a Prague greenhouse. Later it was reported by Harz (1871), on a flower pot and rotting plant stem in Berlin; by Thaxter (1891), on vegetable and animal matter in Connecticut; by Massee and Salmon (1902), on hare dung and cat dung mixed with soil from Kew; by Boedijn (1927, 1958), on rotten coffee seeds in Sumatra, and on rotten branches and fruits from Java; by Rayss (1950), on Sepultaria arenosa from India; by Drechsler (1955), from Florida; and by Martin (1960), on dead wood from Iowa and Illinois. In this paper, it is reported from soiland dung-debris samples from Illinois, Iowa, Mexico City and the Gaspe Peninsula, Canada. As a start toward understanding the genus Rhopalomyces, the morphology, taxonomy and physiology of R. elegans, the type species, were investigated. The strains studied were isolated from either hay extract agar plates (Haynes et al., 1955) or 2% plain agar solution plates on which small amounts of the soil-debris samples were sprinkled. After incubation at ±25 C for 5 days to 6 weeks, 15-400 conidiophores (in the instance of strain NRRL 2980 an estimated 1500) arose from the debris, agar, aerial filaments of other fungi, and petri dish edge. Abundant bacteria and nematodes were present in all plates containing Rhopalomyces elegans; Arthrobotrys sp., Mucor sp. (Hiemalis section) and Mortierella sp.? frequently occurred; Piptocephalis cylindrospora and Pilobolus oedipus were each found once; and in three instances Streptomyces griseus had heavily parasitized the Rhopalomyces heads and conidiophores. 183
Ethics, qualitative research, and ethnography in virtual space.

L'article etudie les questions d'ethique soulevees par l'application des methodes qualitatives de recherche, en particulier de recherche ethnographique, dans l'environnement en ligne et les nouvelles communautes virtuelles. L'etude des interactions humaines sur l'internet met en jeu le principe du respect de la vie privee des participants, de l'anonymat et de la voix, ainsi que des questions d'exactitude dans la representation et de confiance.
Shock and vibration testing of digital micromirror devices (DMDs) for space-based applications

Digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are a mature commercial technology, with several potential applications in space-based instruments. In particular, DMDs are currently the only practical alternative to microshutter arrays as slit mask generators for space-based multi-object spectrometers (MOS). A DMD is an array of micromirrors which can be addressed individually and tilted into one of two states (+/- 12 w.r.t. the device plane), which makes it a very versatile binary light modulator. These devices are widely utilized in a variety of optical systems, especially projectors. Recently, the use of DMDs for ground-based multi-object spectrometers has been demonstrated. The compact size and small weight of DMDs makes them especially attractive for a space- based MOS, where the only current alternative is an array of microshutters. DMDs were originally designed for visible range applications; therefore the protective glass window they are supplied with does not have sufficient throughput in the UV or IR and has to be replaced. In this work, we describe the procedure by which we replaced the standard window with UV-grade fused silica, sapphire and magnesium fluoride. We performed initial shock and vibrational tests to evaluate the mechanical robustness of the re-windowed devices, to investigate the ability of these devices to survive launch conditions. We performed residual gas analysis to study the outgassing properties of the new DMDs and evaluate the ability of the new seals to protect the device. The tested devices show near-hermetic seals before and after the mechanical testing.
Editing a Photographically Reproduced Journal

This is not the formal paper that I have prepared. I will give it on Thursday as scheduled. These are a few extra informal remarks that I was asked to give at the last moment in this session on new techniques.
Tandem Queues (M/M/1: M/M/1)

This chapter considers a series of two systems where the arriving units are treated in one system and then in another system in a tandem way. This could be patients arriving to a medical center where the first system is filling out the paper and insurance forms, and the second system is receiving the medical attention. The probability on the number of units in the system, and the basic performance measures of the system are developed. Examples are presented.
Warfarin vs enoxaparin for deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis after total hip & total knee arthroplasty: a cost comparison.

Background Total joint replacements are high-risk procedures for development of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), therefore, routine pharmacological prophylaxis should be instituted in all cases. Cost-containment has become an important factor with the present changes in health care. This report presents an economic model for DVT prophylaxis after total hip and total knee arthroplasty (THA & TKA) that approximates closely to the current standards in orthopedic practice, and encourages the balance of clinical and economic considerations in patient care management. Methods A simplified cost-effectiveness (cost-minimization) analysis, from the consumer's perspective, between Warfarin and Enoxaparin for DVT prophylaxis after THA and TKA, for a total of 15 days, in both inpatient and outpatient settings was used. The costs of drugs, laboratory, and home care services were evaluated through surveying three different providers in each category and obtaining the mean value for each of the services supplied. All providers were located within the Louisville, KY, metropolitan area. Data collection took place in October 1996. Results The main outcome measure was the difference in cost between the two drugs when all factors associated with therapy were considered. The overall cost of DVT prophylaxis with Enoxaparin was somewhat less expensive ($925.38) when compared to Warfarin ($971.77). Conclusions Within the limitations of this study Enoxaparin was slightly more cost-effective than Warfarin for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after total hip and knee arthroplasty.
Effect of Particle Inertia in Particulate Density Currents

In this work we address the effect of particle inertia in particulate density currents. First we introduce a novel tow-fluid model based on the equilibrium Eulerian approach [6]. The resulting model captures very important physics of two-phase flows, such as preferential concentration and migration of particles down turbulence gradients (turbophoresis), which modify substantially the structure and dynamics of the flow. We solve the mathematical model with a highly accurate spectral code, capturing all the length and time scales of the flow. We present two-dimensional simulations in planar configuration for Grashof Gr=1.5×106. In the simulation results we observe the particles to migrate from the core of Kelvin—Helmholtz vortices shed from the front of the current and to accumulate in the current head, which affects the propagation speed of the front.
Acute and chronic effects of oxyhemoglobin on voltage-dependent ion channels in cerebral arteries

Voltage-dependent potassium (Kv) and calcium (VDCC) channels play an important role in the regulation of membrane potential and intracellular calcium concentration in cerebral artery myocytes. Recent evidence suggests VDCC activity is increased and Kv channel activity is decreased in cerebral arteries following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), promoting enhanced constriction. We have examined the impact of the blood component oxyhemoglobin on Kv and VDCC function in small (100–200 µm) diameter cerebral arteries. Acute (10min) exposure of oxyhemoglobin caused cerebral artery constriction and Kv current suppression that was abolished by tyrosine kinase inhibitors and a Kv channel blocker. Although short-term oxyhemoglobin application did not directly alter VDCC activity, five-day exposure to oxyhemoglobin was associated with enhanced expression of voltage-dependent calcium channels. This work suggests that acute and chronic effects of oxyhemoglobin act synergistically to promote membrane depolarization and increased VDCC activity in cerebral arteries. These actions of oxyhemoglobin may contribute to the development of cerebral vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Universal screening for mismatch repair deficiency in pancreatic cancer.

e16254Background: Microsatellite instability (MSI) and mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) are observed infrequently in pancreatic cancer (PC). Nevertheless, given the recent approval of anti-PD1/PDL...
Chemical Treatment to Reduce Turbidity in Pumped Construction Site Water

AbstractMany construction projects need to pump turbid water from borrow pits or other excavations into stilling basins or sediment filter bags prior to discharge. This study evaluated the effectiv...
Oxycodone-like discriminative stimulus effects of fentanyl-related emerging drugs of abuse in mice.

Abstract Background Fentanyl and its structurally related compounds have emerged as the most significant contributors to opioid overdose fatalities in recent years. While there is abundant information about the pharmacological effects of fentanyl, far less is known of its more recently abused analogs. The objective of this study was to determine whether fentanyl and several fentanyl-related substances would engender oxycodone-like responding in a mouse model of oxycodone discrimination. Oxycodone was selected as the training drug due to its high selectivity for mu opioid receptors. Compounds that elicited oxycodone-like responding in this procedure would likely evoke overlapping subjective experiences. Methods Adult male C57BL/6 mice were trained to discriminate 1.3 mg/kg oxycodone from vehicle in a food-reinforced, two-lever choice procedure. Generalization tests were conducted with fentanyl and the following fentanyl-related compounds: ocfentanil, 3-furanyl fentanyl, crotonylfentanyl, and valerylfentanyl. Results Fentanyl and each of its analogs completely generalized to the 1.3 mg/kg oxycodone discriminative stimulus and naltrexone pretreatment significantly decreased oxycodone-like responding for each compound. Rank order potency for engendering oxycodone-appropriate responding was ocfentanil > fentanyl > 3-furanyl fentanyl ≈ crotonylfentanyl > oxycodone > valerylfentanyl. Drug doses that evoked full substitution also significantly suppressed response rates compared to vehicle. Conclusions These results indicate that the discriminative stimulus, and by extension, the interoceptive and subjective effects of the tested fentanyl analogs, overlap with those of oxycodone. These observations consequentially support the prediction that they would also engender the likelihood for abuse similar to oxycodone. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled ‘New Vistas in Opioid Pharmacology’.
Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents in the Ivory Tower: Results From a Large-Scale Campus Survey:

Over the past few years, college campuses across the United States have conducted climate surveys primarily aimed at gleaning quantitative data on the extent and distribution of sexual assault, int...
A nomogram for predicting survival of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy: an editorial comment

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most aggressive malignancies which has a mortality nearly parallel to incidence. In the United States, for example, statistics from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program estimates 55,440 new cases of pancreatic cancer in the U.S. in 2018, with 44,330 estimated deaths (1). Based on data collected from 2008–2014, only 8.5% of patients survive 5 years or longer (1). It is widely held that a combination of surgical resection and systemic chemotherapy provides the optimal treatment for pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, only about 15–20% of patients present with resectable disease.
P206 I Tweet, You Tweet, We All Tweet About Listeria in Ice Cream

Background Forty-eight million Americans are affected by foodborne illnesses each year with over 3,000 deaths attributed to these illnesses indicating the need for accurate and timely communication of outbreaks and recalls. Objective To compare the frame of messages and source of tweets on Twitter from the Blue Bell Creameries listeria outbreak after the initial announcement of the foodborne illness outbreak in March 2015 and after the announcement of the recall of all Blue Bell products in April 2015. Study Design, Settings, Participants Tweets were gathered from ForSight and Crimson Hexagon using the key words “blue bell” and “listeria” or “recall.” Systematic random sampling was performed to analyze approximately 20% of tweets with the final sample size of 443 tweets from March 13-17, 2015 and 2,223 tweets from April 20-24, 2015. Measurable Outcome/Analysis A quantitative content analysis was performed to determine the source of the message, frame of the message, message sentiment, and use of web link in message. The Chi square statistical test was used to determine if there were any significant differences between the date ranges. A qualitative content analysis was performed in NVIVO to determine the most frequent words found in the tweets. Results A significant difference was found between the two date ranges between the frames of the tweets [x2 (6, N = 2,666) = 46.315, P Conclusion Social media could be a valuable communication avenue to communicate future foodborne illness outbreaks and food recalls. Funding None.
Morphological Immaturity of the Neonatal Organ of Corti and Associated Structures in Humans

Although anatomical development of the cochlear duct is thought to be complete by term birth, human newborns continue to show postnatal immaturities in functional measures such as otoacoustic emissions (OAEs). Some of these OAE immaturities are no doubt influenced by incomplete maturation of the external and middle ears in infants; however, the observed prolongation of distortion-product OAE phase-gradient delays in newborns cannot readily be explained by conductive factors. This functional immaturity suggests that the human cochlea at birth may lack fully adult-like traveling-wave motion. In this study, we analyzed temporal-bone sections at the light microscopic level in newborns and adults to quantify dimensions and geometry of cochlear structures thought to influence the mechanical response of the cochlea. Contrary to common belief, results show multiple morphological immaturities along the length of the newborn spiral, suggesting that important refinements in the size and shape of the sensory epithelium and associated structures continue after birth. Specifically, immaturities of the newborn basilar membrane and organ of Corti are consistent with a more compliant and less massive cochlear partition, which could produce longer DPOAE delays and a shifted frequency-place map in the neonatal ear.
A Proof of Two Conjectures Related to the Erdos-Debrunner Inequality

Erdos-Debrunner inequality, Areas, Extrema, p-th power mean. Abstract: In this paper we prove some results which imply two conjectures proposed by Janous on an extension to the p-th power-mean of the Erdos-Debrunner inequality relating the areas of the four sub-triangles formed by connecting three arbitrary points on the sides of a given triangle.
NEUROCARDIOGENIC SYNCOPE MASQUERADING AS REFRACTORY SEIZURES

Recurrent convulsions are associated with epileptic seizures. However, upto 20% patients with recurrent seizures have an occult cardiovascular etiology. A 42 year old male presented with recurrent seizures for 9 months. Serum tests, ECG, echo and brain MRI were normal. He was started on
Understanding Intergroup Conflict Complexity: An Application of the Socioecological Framework and the Integrative Identity Negotiation Theory

This research article used a controversial in‐progress conflict case story, namely the Citizenship Amendment Act in India, to illustrate the benefit of using a combined socioecological framework and integrative identity negotiation theory in explaining intergroup conflict complexity. The essay is structured in four sections. First, we present a highly controversial conflict case story of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that was recently passed in India. The real‐life case story is embedded in the nexus of multifaceted identity conflict and multileveled socioecological interpretations. Second, we introduce the socioecological (SE) framework and its essential principles and illustrative examples of the various levels of analysis. Third, we review selective assumptions of the integrative identity negotiation theory (IINT) and, together with the SE framework, analyze the CAA India case story with explanatory depth and multilevel insights. Fourth, we conclude with a summary and seven strategy recommendations that can be applied to managing polarized intergroup conflict complexity constructively.
An Integrated System Design and Safety Framework for Model-Based Safety Analysis

Safety analysis is often performed independent of the system design life cycle, leading to inconsistency between the system design and the safety artifact. Additionally, the process of generating safety artifacts is manual, time-consuming, and error-prone. As a result, safety analysis often requires re- work, is expensive, and increases system development time. Several model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approaches have been developed to automatically generate certain safety artifacts. However, these approaches only cover part of the system design and safety life cycle. To truly leverage the benefits of MBSE, system design must be undertaken together with safety analysis for the entire life cycle, and multiple safety artifacts must be generated from the same model. Moreover, MBSE approaches that require a model transformation between the system design and the safety model suffer from the inability to automatically reflect changes made to a safety artifact in the system and the safety model. This paper presents a framework to integrate the entire system design and safety life cycle using an MBSE approach. Both the system design and the safety data are captured in a single SysML model, from which safety artifacts such as failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) tables and fault trees are automatically generated. This framework ensures consistency between the system design and the safety analysis by requiring no model transformation, thus reducing the resources required for safety analysis. The proposed Integrated System Design and Safety (ISDS) framework comprises three phases that together cover the entire system design and safety life cycle. In this paper, the application of Phase 1 of the framework to a real-world case study is demonstrated.
Interaction between magnetic molecules and two ferromagnetic electrodes of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)

Abstract This paper focuses on Monte Carlo Simulations (MCS) to investigate the effects of variations in molecular exchange coupling strengths and nature between the magnetic molecules and ferromagnetic electrodes in cross-junction-shaped magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) based molecular spintronics devices (MTJMSD). To encompass a wide range of futuristic molecular spintronics devices, we systematically studied the effect of a magnetic molecule analog coupling with two ferromagnetic electrodes. We studied three cases when molecules established: (i) Ferromagnetic couplings with two ferromagnetic electrodes, (ii) Antiferromagnetic couplings with two electrodes, and (iii) Ferromagnetic coupling with one electrode and antiferromagnetic coupling with another electrode. We varied the strength and nature of exchange coupling to study the temporal and spatial propagation of molecular coupling impact on two ferromagnetic electrodes. Our results showed that in the cases when molecular coupling strength was ~ 10% of the ferromagnetic electrode’s Curie temperature, then 16 molecular analogs could influence the magnetic properties of 2,500 atoms above room temperature. This theoretical study is directly in agreement with the experimental observation of ~ 10,000 Single Molecular Magnet (SMM) channels controlling the magnetic and transport properties of microscopic cross-junction-shaped MTJ testbed above room temperature.
Le Coran et la culture grecque: re-thinking Senegalese Islamic discourse in the global context

The emergence of an Islamic discourse in West Africa by an African elite surely marks the beginning of what could be considered an important step toward filling a scholarly gap. In 2014, Professor ...
VoiSense: Harnessing Voice Interaction on a Smartwatch to Collect Sensor Data: Demo Abstract

Data collection is a major hurdle faced by the researchers, particularly in the field of wearable computing, as it requires significant amount of time and manual effort. Although wearable devices such as, smartwatches have sophisticated sensing capabilities today and are being popularly used by CPS researchers, collecting data from the sensors embedded on the smartwatch remains a challenging job. The fundamental limitation of the smartwatches is the small form factor, which makes it difficult for the user to input any data collection preferences or labels for the data collection. The existing apps/systems that takes such inputs manually from the user are therefore ineffective for the smartwatches. In this paper, we present the idea of using voice interaction capabilities of a smartwatch for conveniently collecting and labeling sensor data from the available sensing modalities. We present VoiSense, a voice interactive smartwatch based system which intelligently gathers the user preferences and data labels with voice interaction and facilitates convenient data collection without requiring any expertise or significant manual effort.
India's Patterns of Development: What Happened, What Follows

Abstract India has followed an idiosyncratic pattern of development, certainly compared with other fast-growing Asian economies. While the importance of services rather than manufacturing has been widely noted, within manufacturing India has emphasized skill-intensive rather than labor-intensive manufacturing, and industries with higher-than-average scale (though average firm size within industries is unusually small). Some of these distinctive patterns existed prior to the beginning of economic reforms in the 1980s, and stem from the idiosyncratic policies adopted after India's independence. These patterns have not changed despite reforms that have removed some policy impediments that contributed to India's distinctive path. We discuss the implications for India's future growth.
Complexation and redox chemistry of neptunium, plutonium and americium with a hydroxylaminato ligand

There is significant interest in ligands that can stabilize actinide ions in oxidation states that can be exploited to chemically differentiate 5f and 4f elements. Applications range from developing large-scale actinide separation strategies for nuclear industry processing to carrying out analytical studies that support environmental monitoring and remediation efforts. Here, we report syntheses and characterization of Np(IV), Pu(IV) and Am(III) complexes with N-tert-butyl-N-(pyridin-2-yl)hydroxylaminato, [2-(tBuNO)py]−(interchangeable hereafter with [(tBuNO)py]−), a ligand which was previously found to impart remarkable stability to cerium in the +4 oxidation state. An[(tBuNO)py]4 (An = Pu, 1; Np, 2) have been synthesized, characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption, 1H NMR and UV-vis-NIR spectroscopies, and cyclic voltammetry, along with computational modeling and analysis. In the case of Pu, oxidation of Pu(III) to Pu(IV) was observed upon complexation with the [(tBuNO)py]− ligand. The Pu complex 1 and Np complex 2 were also isolated directly from Pu(IV) and Np(IV) precursors. Electrochemical measurements indicate that a Pu(III) species can be accessed upon one-electron reduction of 1 with a large negative reduction potential (E1/2 = −2.26 V vs. Fc+/0). Applying oxidation potentials to 1 and 2 resulted in ligand-centered electron transfer reactions, which is different from the previously reported redox chemistry of UIV[(tBuNO)py]4 that revealed a stable U(V) product. Treatment of an anhydrous Am(III) precursor with the [(tBuNO)py]− ligand did not result in oxidation to Am(IV). Instead, the dimeric complex [AmIII(μ2-(tBuNO)py)((tBuNO)py)2]2 (3) was isolated. Complex 3 is a rare example of a structurally characterized non-aqueous Am-containing molecular complex prepared using inert atmosphere techniques. Predicted redox potentials from density functional theory calculations show a trivalent accessibility trend of U(III) < Np(III) < Pu(III) and that the higher oxidation states of actinides (i.e., +5 for Np and Pu and +4 for Am) are not stabilized by [2-(tBuNO)py]−, in good agreement with experimental observations.
Civic mandates for the ‘majority’: The perception of whiteness and open classroom climate in predicting youth civic engagement

Abstract: Informed by Critical Race Theory, this quantitative study supports civic educators in understanding the role of classroom climate and racial identity in students' civic engagement during a statewide middle school civics mandate (n = 4707). Findings reveal that students of color experience higher civic engagement and lower civic attitude scores than white-identifying peers, after controlling for school, classroom, and affluence indicators. Students' perception of whiteness (or perhaps majority status) appeared to correlate with positive civic knowledge and civic attitude, but relative civic inaction. These findings suggest differences in civic outcomes as early as middle school between white-identifying students and students of color. Such differences offer implications for civic education interventions that address not only effective instruction, but civic inequities, students’ perceived agency, and curricular content.
Long Lifetime of Bulk Luminescence Observed in Spectrosil Glasses Under Electron Bombardment

We have observed four bulk luminescence peaks from Spectrosil glasses stimulated by low energy electron bombardment in ultra-high vacuum. The lifetimes of these bands were measured by chopping the incident electron beam and measuring the fluorescence decay. It was found that one of them has a markedly long lifetime (2.1 ms) compared with the others (<10μs). After annealing at 500° C for one hour and pumping down overnight, characteristic spectral lines from OH*, H*, K*, a molecular band, and an unidentified line appeared at room temperature during electron irradiation. A possible mechanism for this long-lifetime luminescence will be discussed.
War, Aggression and Self-Defence: The course of war

The beginning of war War in the technical sense War in the technical sense starts with a declaration of war. A declaration of war is a unilateral and formal announcement, issued by the constitutionally competent authority of a State, setting the exact point at which war begins with a designated enemy (or enemies). Notwithstanding its unilateral character, a declaration of war ‘brings about a state of war irrespective of the attitude of the state to which it is addressed’. According to Article 1 of Hague Convention (III) of 1907 Relative to the Commencement of Hostilities: The contracting Powers recognize that hostilities between themselves must not commence without previous and explicit warning, in the form either of a declaration of war, giving reasons, or of an ultimatum with a conditional declaration of war. Article 1 explicitly mentions that reasons for a declaration of war must be given. But the causes of wars cannot be seriously established on the basis of a self-serving unilateral declaration. The main value of a declaration of war is derived from the fact that it pinpoints the precise time when a state of war enters into force. An ultimatum may take one of two forms: (i) a threat that, if certain demands are not complied with, hostilities will be initiated; (ii) a warning that, unless specific conditions are fulfilled by a designated deadline, war will commence ipso facto . Article 1 requires an ultimatum of the second type, incorporating a conditional declaration of war.
Decision tree performance enhancement using an artificial neural network implementation1

Abstract Decision tree classifiers represent a popular classification methodology that has been successfully used in many pattern recognition tasks. Noting many similarities between the tree classifiers and the multilayer perceptron classifiers, an artificial neural network based implementation of decision tree classifiers to enhance their performance is described here. Several issues related to decision tree classifiers are discussed and it is shown how these can be dealt with following the proposed implementation.
Optimized whole-blood assay for measurement of ZAP-70 protein expression.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by a clonal expansion of small lymphocytes commonly expressing cell surface markers (CD5 and CD19) that are consistent with a population of B lymphocytes. This unit describes a technique to measure ZAP-70 protein expression in whole-blood specimens from CLL samples. The protocols presented include an optimized fixation/permeabilization technique that allows labeling of cell surface markers and intracellular ZAP-70 protein with significantly improved signal-to-noise ratio, an optimized combination of antibodies-fluorophores to maximize ZAP-70 expression levels, standardized methodology for instrument setup, including compensation, to improve inter- and intra-laboratory reproducibility, and a method to index ZAP-70 protein expression levels to internal positive and negative cell populations. Residual normal T and B cells function as internal positive and negative controls. These are used to index ZAP-70 protein expression levels in the CLL population. Keywords: chronic lymphocytic leukemia; ZAP-70; B lymphocytes; whole-blood assay; immunoglobulin heavy chain V-region (IgVH)
Specific dermatoses of pregnancy and their treatment

The specific dermatoses of pregnancy represent a diverse group of intensely pruritic dermatoses, occurring only in the puerperal state. The relative rarity of these conditions, the often variable clinical appearance, and the lack of definitive diagnostic tests have led to confusion regarding the appropriate diagnosis and management of the specific dermatoses of pregnancy. Herein we review the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of five dermatoses occurring during pregnancy: pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy, atopic eruption of pregnancy, pemphigoid gestationis, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, and pustular psoriasis of pregnancy.
Endothelin-Mediated Changes in Gene Expression in Isolated Purified Rat Retinal Ganglion Cells.

PURPOSE A growing body of evidence suggests that the vasoactive peptides endothelins (ETs) and their receptors (primarily the ETB receptor) are contributors to neurodegeneration in glaucoma. However, actions of ETs in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of ETs on gene expression in primary RGCs. METHODS Primary RGCs isolated from rat pups were treated with 100 nM of ET-1, ET-2, or ET-3 for 24 hours. Total RNA was extracted followed by cDNA synthesis. Changes in gene expression in RGCs were detected using Affymetrix Rat Genome 230 2.0 microarray and categorized by DAVID analysis. Real-time PCR was used to validate gene expression, and immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting to confirm the protein expression of regulated genes. RESULTS There was more than 2-fold upregulation of 328, 378, or 372 genes, and downregulation of 48, 33, or 28 genes with ET-1, ET-2, or ET-3 treatment, respectively, compared to untreated controls. The Bcl-2 family, S100 family, matrix metalloproteinases, c-Jun, and ET receptors were the major genes or proteins that were regulated by endothelin treatment. Immunocytochemical staining revealed a significant increase in ETA receptor, ETB receptor, growth associated protein 43 (GAP-43), phosphorylated c-Jun, c-Jun, and Bax with ET-1 treatment. Protein levels of GAP-43 and c-Jun were confirmed by immunoblotting. CONCLUSIONS Expression of key proteins having regulatory roles in apoptosis, calcium homeostasis, cell signaling, and matrix remodeling were altered by treatment with endothelins. The elucidation of molecular mechanisms underlying endothelins' actions in RGCs will help understand endothelin-mediated neurodegenerative changes during ocular hypertension.
Do star formation rates of galaxy clusters depend on mass? Blue/late-type fractions and total star formation rates of 115 galaxy clusters as a function of cluster virial mass

There has been plenty of observational evidence of cluster galaxy evolution such as the Butcher–Oemler effect and the decrease in S0 fraction with increasing redshift. As a modern version, the redshift evolution of total star formation rate (SFR) in clusters has been actively debated recently. However, these studies of redshift trend have been always hampered by the possible mass dependence; due to the observational selection effects, clusters found at higher redshift inevitably tend to be more massive and luminous than local counterparts. Consequently, one has to correct for the mass trend before interpreting the redshift trend. As an attempt to break this degeneracy, we investigate the mass dependence of blue/late-type fractions and total SFR of 115 clusters at z≤ 0.09 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that none of the blue/late-type fractions, total SFR and total SFR normalized by cluster mass show significant dependence on cluster virial mass. The scatter is much larger at each cluster mass than a possible trend. Our results indicates that physical mechanisms that depend on cluster mass (such as the ram-pressure stripping) are not likely to be solely responsible for cluster galaxy evolution. Our results also provide an excellent low-redshift comparison sample for future high-redshift cluster SFR studies.
Low Trans Hydrogenation

Publisher Summary Although hydrogenation has been the technology of choice for fat formulation for many years, recent concerns over the health and nutrition of Trans Fatty Acids (TFA) have had a profound effect on the edible oil industry. Therefore, this chapter discusses several strategies that have been used to achieve TFA reduction. The hydrogenation of edible oils in batch systems have been carried out under selective conditions that favor reduction of polyenoic acids over monoenoic acids. Typically, selective conditions include high temperatures, low pressure, moderate agitation, and low catalyst loadings. These conditions favor high trans acids formation. On the other hand, non-selective conditions including lower temperatures, higher pressures, increased agitation, and higher catalyst loadings tend to suppress trans isomer formation.
An experiment in applying knowledge-based software engineering technology

Presents the results of an experiment at applying knowledge-based software engineering technology to hardware/software co-design. The Reacto verification system, developed by the Kestrel Institute, was used to create a high-level, formal-based interface to VHDL which can effectively model both hardware and software design components. In addition to the theorem proving and simulation capabilities already provided to Reacto, extensions were made to incorporate time constraints, and compiler-based language mappings for generating VHDL from Reacto specifications were defined. Our experimental results clearly indicated the complimentary nature and benefits of developing high-level, formally defined interfaces between languages like Reacto and VHDL. >
Dual wavelength interferometric technique for simultaneous temperature and concentration measurements in liquids.

This paper evaluates the application of a dual frequency interferometric technique for simultaneous temperature and concentration measurements in liquids. All of the measurements were made using the classical Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a tunable laser light source. Measurements were made in a stably stratified aqueous salt water column heated from below. Interferograms were acquired at two laser light source wavelengths: λ1 = 476.5 nm and λ2 = 514.5 nm. It has been demonstrated that dual wavelength interferometric techniques have limited applications in liquids. The technique was found to yield satisfactory results for test conditions corresponding to a combination of low temperature and high concentration gradients. For other test conditions, the measured errors were large due to inadequate separation in the light source wavelengths.
Separation of mast cells by centrifugal elutriation

Summary Mast cells can be separated from others in rat peritoneal washings by centrifugal elutriation with a purity comparable to that obtained by density gradient centrifugation. The principal of elutriation (countercurrent centrifugation) is to separate particles, having different sedimentation rates, suspended in a centripetal flow, balanced by the opposing centrifugal force. The yield of mast cells compared to the number in the original suspension was practically 100% under some conditions. An advantage of elutriation is that gradient material need not be removed from the fraction separated. The ability of the elutriation process to handle large volumes of cell suspensions in a continuous flow system would be advantageous for large-scale work.