cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examining Teachers’ Perceptions of Social-Emotional and Behavioral Referral Concerns

Although a number of empirical studies have investigated the nature of school-based referrals, predominant focus has been on referrals for psychoeducational evaluation, and social-emotional and behavioral concerns have typically been too broadly defined to provide insight into the specific problems encountered. This study aimed to identify the range of social-emotional and behavioral concerns for which teachers sought assistance from school-based intervention teams. Responses received from 154 classroom teachers nationwide indicated that defiance was the most common reason for referral, followed by inappropriate physical behavior, aggression, and social/relational problems. Referrals due to concerns with externalizing problems and attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-related behaviors were significantly more common at the elementary level, whereas those related to internalizing problems were more prevalent in secondary schools. The most common outcome was a request for formal assessment, followed clos...
Dichotomous Role of the Macrophage in Early Mycobacterium marinum Infection of the Zebrafish

In tuberculosis, infecting mycobacteria are phagocytosed by macrophages, which then migrate into deeper tissue and recruit additional cells to form the granulomas that eventually contain infection. Mycobacteria are exquisitely adapted macrophage pathogens, and observations in the mouse model of tuberculosis have suggested that mycobacterial growth is not inhibited in macrophages until adaptive immunity is induced. Using the optically transparent and genetically tractable zebrafish embryo-Mycobacterium marinum model of tuberculosis, we have directly examined early infection in the presence and absence of macrophages. The absence of macrophages led rapidly to higher bacterial burdens, suggesting that macrophages control infection early and are not an optimal growth niche. However, we show that macrophages play a critical role in tissue dissemination of mycobacteria. We propose that residence within macrophages represents an evolutionary trade-off for pathogenic mycobacteria that slows their early growth but provides a mechanism for tissue dissemination.
Are There Real Interdecadal Variations in Marine Low Clouds

Abstract The dominant interdecadal signal in normalized frequency of occurrence of cumulonimbus reported by volunteer observing ships is globally uniform over the period 1952–92 over all ocean areas between 40°S and 50°N. Globally uniform signals in both normalized frequency of occurrence and amount-when-present also dominate interdecadal variations for other low cloud types. This pattern is inconsistent with plausible physical mechanisms and is apparently due to slow changes in observational practice. Eight ocean weather ships with approximately fixed positions also reported gradual changes in low cloud occurrence frequencies between 1952 and 1969 that were similar in pattern for all eight ships, but for most cloud types these variation patterns differed markedly from those at nearly collocated volunteer observing ships. These apparently spurious variations make it difficult to identify real interdecadal variations in marine clouds from ship observations. However, over the tropical Indian Ocean and centr...
Social Work's Relation to National Development in Developing Nations

■ The requirements of national development programs often conflict with basic assumptions of the Ameritan model of professional social work. Questions have been raised in developing nations about the relevance for national development programs of either social work technical assistance or social work education based on this model. In this paper, the author discusses the nature of national development, the role of the social work—social welfare and community development models in a development program, the options and constraints for social work in developing nations, and the implications for training personnel In such nations. ■
Demonstration of postovulatory sphincter action by the isthmus of the rabbit oviduct.

Doughnut-shaped, carbon-impregnated rubber microtransducers calibrated to measure changes in diameter are used to demonstrate the occurrence of a sphincter action in the isthmus of the rabbit oviduct following human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)-induced ovulation. The postovulatory constricture of the isthmus is temporal and coincides with the period when ova are retained in the oviduct. The mean change in diameter of transducers positioned within the lumen of the isthmus in rabbits treated with HCG are significantly different from mean changes observed in nontreated control rabbits when tested at B-hour intervals over a 104-hour period. The difference is due to a statistically significant decrease in transducer diameter which occurs between 16 and 56 hours post-HCG injection. Treatment with exogenous estrogen in combination with HCG enhances both the magnitude and duration of this constricture. Significant differences occur between Band 104 hours. Pretreatment with progesterone prior to HCG-induced ovulation completely blocks the constricture of the isthmus. Both oviducts exhibit identical responses following HCG-induced ovulation. Sphincter action is not confirmed to a small localized segment of the isthmus but occurs over a wide area.
Design and Development of a Fully Automated Assembly Solution for Optical Backplane Interconnection Circuits

The paper presents the design and development of a new robotized assembly system of optical backplanes in high-capacity ICT (Information and Communication Technology) apparatus, mainly used for switching stations and distribution networks. The optical backplane solution consists of several optical fiber ribbons positioned on a planar backplane according to an innovative and optimized full-mesh layout where the overall optical interconnection is partialized into a plurality of different independent sub-circuits. Each optical interconnection sub-circuit consists of optical fiber ribbons with standardized optical and mechanical interfaces and customized components that have to be carefully and precisely assembled in order to achieve connections with low optical power losses. The paper describes the method and the main devices and tools conceived for the automatic assembly of optical interconnection sub-circuits, highlighting the critical aspects and the proposed solutions towards the automatized assembly of the whole optical backplane.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Multifoci Justice and Negative Workplace Behaviors: A Review and Theoretical Synthesis

This paper introduces an organizing framework that elaborates the theoretical underpinnings of negative workplace behavior (NWB), while also helping to clarify the mechanisms by which employees dir...
What Does the Shipley-2 Measure for Children and Adolescents? Integrated and Conjoint Confirmatory Factor Analysis With the WISC-IV

We used integrated and conjoint confirmatory factor analysis of Shipley-2 and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) data to investigate constructs measured in the Shipley-2 for children and adolescents. We also estimated Shipley-2 composite reliability at the subtest level rather than the item level. The three Shipley-2 subtests for the most part measured what was described in the manual, although Block Patterns measured visual spatial ability in addition to fluid ability and Abstraction was best considered a measure of psychometric g. The g factors derived from the WISC-IV and Shipley-2 were similar but not identical. Internal reliability estimates for Shipley-2 composites that were based on correlations between the subtests were substantially lower than those based on the items. Last, based on WISC-IV derived g factors, 37% to 53% of the variance in Shipley-2 composites was explained by g. Some of the reliable variance in the Shipley-2 composites was due to something specific that the subtests had in common not explained by psychometric g.
A Study on Cluster Controlling of Small Hydropower Station

In view of the costs,security,economic and labor intensity of operators in small hydropower stations,the technology of cluster controlling which leads the development mainstream of small hydropower,including remote control,remote measure,remote communication,remote adjust and remote monitor,is introduced.Also,the design principle,basic structure,system function,etc.are depicted here.Finally,the structure and function of several mainstream cluster controlling systems are explored.
Barbiturate inhibition of calcium uptake by depolarized nerve terminals in vitro.

The effect of barbiturates on 45Ca uptake by pinched-off presynaptic terminals (synaptosomes) from rat brain has been examined. Calcium uptake is stimulated by depolarizing agents (potassium, veratridine, or gramicidin D), and this extra uptake is inhibited by sodium pentobarbital; 0.4-0.5 mM pentobarbital reduces the extra uptake by 50%. Sodium thiopental is also effective and, at a concentration of 0.2 mM, reduces the potassium-stimulated calcium uptake by about 50%. In one experiment, 0.9 mM sodium phenobarbital exhibited little inhibitory effect on calcium uptake. Two other central depressants, ethanol (100 mM) and chloroform (3-12 mM), had no significant effect on the potassium-stimulated calcium uptake. The inhibitory action of pentobarbital did not appear to involve competition between the barbiturate and external calcium. Also, the calcium entry which was promoted by raising internal and lowering external sodium was only slightly reduced by pentobarbital; this indicates that the inhibitory action of pentobarbital is limited primarily to the calcium entry triggered by depolarizing agents. The data are compatible with the idea that pentobarbital and thiopental may interfere with transmitter release and synaptic transmission by reducing the depolarization-triggered calcium entry in presynaptic terminals.
Soybean Meal Processing and Utilization

Publisher Summary Extracted soybean flakes normally exit a continuous extractor with a residual hexane content of 29% to 35% hexane on an “as is” basis. This chapter discusses the removal and recovery for reuse of the residual hexane, and the cooking, drying, cooling, and sizing of the extracted meal as required for its principal end use in livestock feeds. Desolventizing processes for other uses of the extracted flakes, such as in edible products or industrial uses, are also discussed in the chapter. The desolventizing section of the extraction process is one of the more dangerous spots in the process because the solids leave the enclosed solvent-handling area and enter a process area not designed for solvent vapors. The principal market for toasted soybean oil meal is incorporation into livestock feeds as the principal source of protein. The dominance of soybean oil meal is due to its high nutritional value and favorable cost of production.
A Review of "Introduction to Information Behaviour"

There will always be literature in the library field that covers best practices, technology integration, and case studies. There has been an explosion of literature related to information literacy,...
Growth effect of banks and microfinance: Evidence from developing countries

Abstract We compare lending from microfinance institutions to that from traditional banks and examine their respective effects upon economic growth. Using a panel of 85 developing countries over the period 2002–2013 and the system-GMM estimator, we find that microfinance loans raise growth. We do not find strong evidence that bank loans raise growth. There is, however, some evidence that bank loans do increase investment, whereas microfinance loans do not appear to do so. These results suggest that microfinance loans are not primarily invested as physical capital, but could still augment total factor productivity, whereas banks may have been financing non-productive investments.
Homoclinic tangles in the DIII-D tokamak from the map equations in natural canonical coordinates*

ABSTRACTTrajectories of magnetic field lines are a 1½ degree of freedom Hamiltonian system. The unperturbed separatrix and the perturbed separatrix in a divertor tokamak are fundamentally different. Magnetic asymmetries cause the separatrix to form extremely complicated structures known as homoclinic tangles. After each toroidal circuit, the perturbed separatrix manifolds meet in a fixed poloidal plane and intersect to form homoclinic tangle in order to preserve the topological invariants. This tangle becomes extremely complicated as the magnetic field lines take more and more toroidal turns. This effect is most pronounced near the X-point. The homoclinic tangles of the DIII-D tokamak separatrix from the magnetic perturbation representing the peeling-ballooning modes are studied. The homoclinic tangles can have important implications for the edge physics in divertor tokamaks.
Target detection in high-resolution 3D radar imagery

Recently, the Stalker system has been developed as a high-resolution three-dimensional radar imaging system for the detection of concealed roadside explosive hazards. This system has shown considerable capability in distinguishing between true targets and false alarms using conventional processing techniques such as RX filtering on 2D projections of the data. In this paper, we develop an extension of these methods for use with 3D radar imagery. We show several different prescreening approaches for automatically marking potential target locations and describe an evaluation program called the Tiger scorer. We tested our approach on data collected at an arid U.S. Army test site.
Gluon amplitudes as 2 d conformal correlators

Recently, spin-one wave functions in four dimensions that are conformal primaries of the Lorentz group $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$ were constructed. We compute low-point, tree-level gluon scattering amplitudes in the space of these conformal primary wave functions. The answers have the same conformal covariance as correlators of spin-one primaries in a $2d$ CFT. The Britto--Cachazo--Feng--Witten (BCFW) recursion relation between three- and four-point gluon amplitudes is recast into this conformal basis.
Polyvictimization Experiences and Depression Among Youth Living in Foster Care

Current research indicates that violence against youth contributes to adverse psychological outcomes but has yet to focus on violence against youth while living in foster care and the associated psychosomatic changes over time. Multilevel modeling regression was used to analyze self-reported depression for a sample of 354 youth living in foster care from one Midwestern state. The present study found that changes in depression levels over time among the foster care youth who experienced polyvictimization, compared to the youth who experienced child maltreatment alone, were conditional upon gender and varied significantly by race. Policy implications are discussed.
Characteristics and spending patterns of high cost, non-elderly adults in Massachusetts.

Abstract Background Given that health care costs in Massachusetts continue to grow despite great efforts to contain them, we seek to understand characteristics and spending patterns of the costliest non-elderly adults in Massachusetts based on type of insurance. Methods We used the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database (APCD) from 2012 and analyzed demographics, utilization patterns and spending patterns across payers (Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, and private insurers) for high cost patients (those in the top 10% of spending) and non-high cost patients (the remaining 90%). Results We identified 3,712,045 patients between the ages of 18–64 years in Massachusetts in 2012 who met our inclusion criteria. Of this group, 8.5% had Medicaid fee-for-service, 11.1% had Medicaid managed care, and 80.3% had private insurance. High cost patients accounted for 65% of total spending in our sample. We found that high cost patients were more likely to be older (median age 48 vs 40, p Conclusions & implications We used 2012 claims data from Massachusetts to examine characteristics and spending patterns of the state's costliest patients based on type of insurance. Providers and policymakers seeking to reduce costs and increase value under delivery system reform may wish to target the Medicaid population.
A Reference Model Architecture for Intelligent Hybrid Control Systems

Abstract The Real-time Control System (RCS) is an intelligent systems architecture that integrates continuous and discrete control concepts in a hierarchically layered net of hybrid control nodes, In each node, wscreteevents sequence tasks anda feedback loop is closed at a cycle rate much faster than the dynamics of the process being controlled. At successively lower levels in the hierarchy, the rate of events and the feedhack loop bandwidth increases by about an order of magnitude per level. RCS has been used in designing a numher of hyhrid control applications, most recently a four-axis machining center at the General Motors Powertrain plant in Pontiac, Michigan.
Abstract 085: Anti-Inflammatory Treatment Reverses The Age-Related Increase In Catecholamine Biosynthetic Enzyme Tyrosine Hydroxylase And NYP In The Adrenal Medulla

Aging is associated with both elevated blood pressure and decreased baroreceptor sensitivity. These have been attributed to increased sympathetic nerve activity with age. One marker of sympathoactivation is protein levels of tyrosine hydoxylase (TH) in the adrenal medulla (AM), and TH levels markedly increase with age. There is also an increase in inflammation with age. To test the hypothesis that increased inflammation with age contributes to the elevated TH levels in the AM, we examined treatment with the anti-inflammatory agents, indomethacin (10 mg/kg, BID) or rosiglitazone (1 mg/kg, BID) on TH synthesis in F344 rats of three ages, 5, 12, 18 months. In addition, NPY, a peptide that is synthesized and co-released with catecholamines in the AM, as well as angiotensin II receptor subtypes, AT1 and AT2 protein levels were assessed in the AM following the anti-inflammatory treatments. Indomethacin and rosiglitazone were administered orally as part of a frozen strawberry treat for 16 days. Although there were no changes in TH or NPY levels between the 5 mo and 12 mo old control animals, TH and NPY were elevated by 27% and 45% (P
Application of Superconductors to Motors and Generators

The development of high-field superconducting wire, suitable for fabrication into windings for electric machines, presents the opportunity for significant improvements in rotating electric machines. Previously copper and iron have been the obvious materials to use. In the evolution of the machines since the turn of the century, the most significant changes have been in the insulations and the coolants. Metallurgical improvements have also improved the performance of the magnetic circuits of the machines.
Foreign Bodies in the Airway: Endoscopic Methods

Airway foreign body (FB) retrieval is synonymous with the birth of interventional pulmonology and bronchology. Once known to be a condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality, the advent of rigid bronchoscopy and other advanced bronchoscopic techniques has drastically improved outcomes related to FB aspiration. Patients that present with acute FB aspiration (hours/days after event) usually present with minimal signs of airway inflammation, while patients with retained FBs tend to have many associated complications such as severe airway inflammation, granulation tissue, bronchial stenosis, and/or post-obstructive pneumonia. The decision to use rigid and/or flexible bronchoscopy should be guided by the patient’s clinical presentation, FB features, and presence of inflammatory sequelae. The interventional pulmonologist has a multitude of techniques and instruments at his/her disposal to successfully manage the retrieval of FBs. Adequate knowledge and training combined with the ability to treat potential adverse events is required to ensure patient safety and to obtain the best outcome.
Albumin as a prognostic marker for ulcerative colitis

AIM To evaluate the role of albumin at the time of ulcerative colitis (UC) diagnosis in predicting the clinical course of disease. METHODS Nationwide cohort of patients with newly diagnosed UC in the Veterans Affairs health care system was identified and divided into two categories: hypoalbuminemia (i.e., ≤ 3.5 gm/dL) or normal albumin levels (i.e., > 3.5 gm/dL) at the time of UC diagnosis. The exposure of interest was presence of hypoalbuminemia defined as albumin level ≤ 3.5 g/dL at the time of UC diagnosis. Patients were then followed over time to identify the use of ≥ 2 courses of corticosteroids (CS), thiopurines, anti-TNF medications and requirement of colectomy for UC management. RESULTS The eligible study cohort included 802 patients, but 92 (11.4%) patients did not have their albumin levels checked at the time of UC diagnosis, and they were excluded. A total of 710 patients, who had albumin levels checked at time of UC diagnosis, were included in our study. Amongst them, 536 patients had a normal albumin level and 174 patients had hypoalbuminemia. Patients with hypoalbuminemia at diagnosis had a higher likelihood of ≥ 2 courses of CS use (adjusted HR = 1.7, 95%CI: 1.3-2.3), higher likelihood of thiopurine or anti- TNF use (adjusted HR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.23-2.40) than patients with normal albumin level at diagnosis. There was a trend of higher likelihood of colectomy in hypoalbuminemic patients, but it was not statistically significant (Adjusted HR = 1.7, 95%CI: 0.90-3.25). CONCLUSION Hypoalbuminemia at disease diagnosis can serve as a prognostic marker to predict the clinical course of UC at the time of diagnosis.
Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Infections and Lead Extraction: Are Patients With Renal Insufficiency Special?

See Article by Barakat et al The implantation of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) for the treatment of bradyarrhythmia and tachyarrhythmia has increased significantly during the past 30 years.1,2 Along with the increase in CIED implantation has been a steady and at times disproportional rise in device-related infections.3,4 Among Medicare beneficiaries between 1990 and 1999, there has been an increase in CIED-related infections from 0.94 to 2.11 per 1000,5 which has been validated in other cohorts.6,7 On the basis of the National Hospital Discharge Survey between 2004 and 2006, there was a 57% increase in CIED infections along with a steady rise in the prevalence of patients undergoing CIED implantation who have end-organ failure and diabetes mellitus.4 Known risk factors for CIED infection have been well established in multiple studies to include diabetes mellitus, generator replacement, anticoagulation use, multiple lead insertion, and renal dysfunction. The latter have been found to be one of the strongest risk factors (odds ratio 4.8).8,9 Among CIED patients with bacteremia, the most common organism is Staphylococcus aureus ,10 …
Dynamic stroke risk scores of atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with a nearly fivefold increased risk of ischemic stroke, and that 1 in 5 cases of stroke can be attributed to this arrhythmia (1-3). Stroke prevention is a major priority in the clinical management of AF.
Determinants of the Global Prices of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods:

Background:A therapy based on ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) in outpatient settings is considered the gold standard in the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in children younger than 5 ye...
UGV with a distributed electric driveline: Controlling for maximum slip energy efficiency on stochastic terrain

Abstract Energy saving has been a prominent concern of ground vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturers and research agencies for decades. The search for technological advances that can increase energy efficiency of vehicles has been a relentless quest. The framework of research on energy efficiency improvements has been considerably extended after the introduction of fully electric vehicles with electric motors that individually drive each wheel, i.e., In-Wheel Motors (IWM). Although incoming IWM vehicles can significantly decrease driveline power losses and, thus, improve vehicle energy efficiency compared to conventional mechanical driveline systems, one technical problem related to the vehicle-tire-terrain interaction needs to be addressed in fully electric terrain vehicles. These vehicles are still lacking strategies to manage power distribution between the drive wheels, which are not connected by a driveline system anymore, with the purpose to minimize slip power losses at all tires and maximize vehicle slip energy efficiency. Inappropriate power delivered to each of the wheels, which run in different stochastic terrain conditions, can deteriorate slip energy efficiency of a vehicle with four individually driven wheels. The research work presented in this article addresses the problem of wheel power distribution for an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) with four IWMs. The goal of this study was to analytically establish and determine conditions for the wheel power split that corresponds to the maximum slip efficiency of the IWM UGV, design a control algorithm that implements the conditions, and verify the effectiveness of the control in experimental research of the vehicle on deformable terrain. The article presents a terramechanics-based IWM UGV mathematical modeling that integrates both vehicle, electric-motor, and wheel dynamics with stochastic soil characteristics. The control algorithm is based on the inverse dynamics approach to control the wheel angular velocity to overcome stochastic terrain load torque and to satisfy a required program of UGV motion given by a UGV velocity profile. Each wheel angular velocity is controlled by varying the wheel torque using a control-by-acceleration principle that provides each wheel with the required angular velocity and the tire rolling radius in the drive mode. Experimental research work, including lab tests at the UAB Vehicle and Robotics Engineering Lab and soil bin experiments of the IWM UGV at the USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Lab, was conducted to validate the analytical models and control algorithm. It was found that maximum IWM UGV slip energy efficiency is achieved if the electric motors are controlled to provide the same tire slippages at all four wheels by zeroing the kinematic discrepancy between the theoretical linear velocities of the wheels. At this condition, the total electric current drawn by all four DC motors was minimum. The maximum IWM UGV slip energy efficiency of 89.3% was achieved at a mean tire slippage value of 11.1% on Norfolk Sandy Loam (NSL) soil.
Residues in raw and processed foods resulting from post-harvest insecticidal treatments.

The application of pesticides1 such as fumigants and contact insecticides to post-harvest raw and processed foods is a common practice. Fumigants have been used for many years whereas the application of contact insecticides (protectants, sprays, aerosol vaporizers) for the control of stored-product insects is of relatively recent origin. Fumigants are applied to eliminate infestations already present while protectants, mostly admixed with grain, are used to prevent insect infestation from occurring during the storage period. Some of the common fumigants used are methyl bromide, ethylene dibromide, hydrocyanic acid, carbon tetrachloride, ethylene dichloride, and carbon disulphide. The most common protectants used are malathion and Pyrethrins plus piperonyl butoxide. Dried fruits, nuts, grains, and cereal products are subject to infestation by many species of insects and consequently in storage require some insecticidal treatment, whereas post-harvest residues of fresh fruits and vegetables are generally limited to quarantine treatments.
Rescher’s Logic of Preference and Linguistic Analysis

Professor Rescher ranks along with Henrick von Wright and S. Hallden as one of the pioneers in the attempt to evolve a logicized semantics of preference. Though influenced by von Wrights’s ideas concerning states of affairs and how these are useful in explaining certain formal implications between preferences, it is Rescher who introduces the method of attaching numerical units of merit to possible world state descriptions reflecting preferences. His aim in doing this is to arrive at purely formal distinctions between various expressions of preferring. Thus, preference-principles are found by Rescher to have the same rigor as that of arithmetical truths, since they are considered apart from any particular or synoptic contexts.
Engineering Design: Representation and Reasoning

Contrary to popular mythology, the designs of favorable products and successful systems do not appear suddenly, or magically. This second edition of Engineering Design demonstrates that symbolic representation and related problem-solving methods, offer significant opportunities to clarify and articulate concepts of design to lay a better framework for design research and design education. Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides a substantial body of material concerned with understanding and modeling cognitive processes. This book adopts the vocabulary and a paradigm of AI to enhance the presentation and explanation of design. It includes concepts from AI because of their explanatory power and their utility as possible ingredients of practical design activity. This second edition has been enriched by the inclusion of recent work on design reasoning, computational design, AI in design, and design cognition, with pointers to a wide cross section of the current literature.
A statistical framework for detecting mislabeled and contaminated samples using shallow-depth sequence data

Researchers typically sequence a given individual multiple times, either re-sequencing the same DNA sample (technical replication) or sequencing different DNA samples collected on the same individual (biological replication) or both. Before merging the data from these replicate sequence runs, it is important to verify that no errors, such as DNA contamination or mix-ups, occurred during the data collection pipeline. Methods to detect such errors exist but are often ad hoc, cannot handle missing data and several require phased data. Because they require some combination of genotype calling, imputation, and haplotype phasing, these methods are unsuitable for error detection in low- to moderate-depth sequence data where such tasks are difficult to perform accurately. Additionally, because most existing methods employ a pairwise-comparison approach for error detection rather than joint analysis of the putative replicates, results may be difficult to interpret. We introduce a new method for error detection suitable for shallow-, moderate-, and high-depth sequence data. Using Bayes Theorem, we calculate the posterior probability distribution over the set of relations describing the putative replicates and infer which of the samples originated from an identical genotypic source. Our method addresses key limitations of existing approaches and produced highly accurate results in simulation experiments. Our method is implemented as an R package called BIGRED (Bayes Inferred Genotype Replicate Error Detector), which is freely available for download: https://github.com/ac2278/BIGRED .
Active Sensing for Markov Chain Tracking

Motivated by the need for energy-efficient operation in distributed tracking systems, the problem of active sensing for tracking a Markov chain is considered. A collection of wireless sensors form a multi-hop network, and collaboratively estimates the process at each node via measurements made locally and the messages received from neighbouring nodes. The trade-off is between the number of active sensors and the mean-squared error in the estimates averaged over the sensors, in presence of computing and communication constraints. To this end, a low-complexity, distributed sensor subset selection algorithm for tracking a Markov chain is proposed. The algorithm artfully blends three key tools: Gibbs sampling for sensor subset selection, stochastic approximation to meet the sensor activation constraint, and Kalman-consensus filtering for process estimation. The algorithm is numerically evaluated against natural competing algorithms, and is observed to yield significant improvement in the error performance despite using limited side information.
Translation from Problem to Code in Seven Steps

Students in introductory programming courses struggle with how to turn a problem statement into code. We introduce a teaching technique, "The Seven Steps," that provides structure and guidance on how to approach a problem. The first four steps focus on devising an algorithm in English, then the remaining steps are to translate that algorithm to code, test the algorithm, and debug failed test cases. This approach not only gives students a way to solve problems, but also ideas for what to do if they get stuck during the process. Furthermore, it provides a way for instructors to work examples in class that focus on the process of devising the code - instructors can show how to come up with the code, rather than just showing an example. We describe our experience with this technique in several introductory programming courses - both in the classroom and online.
Repressive agent defections: How power, costs, and uncertainty influence military behavior and state repression:

Leaders are incentivized to repress in the face of mobilized dissent. However, leaders are unable to repress alone and rely on repressive agents, who can shirk the order and weaken the leader’s con...
A Calorie-Restricted DASH Diet Reduces Body Fat and Maintains Muscle Strength in Obese Older Adults.

This study examined the effect of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet containing lean red meat on measures of body composition and muscle strength in a cohort of obese adults 65 and older; 36 males (n = 15) and females (n = 21) consumed 1800 kcal/day for 12 weeks under controlled feeding conditions. The study diet included daily intakes of 126 g of meat. Measures of body composition and muscle strength were obtained at weeks 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were provided every day for 12 weeks, and equal portions of meat were distributed at each meal. Significant effects of the study diet were detected across time for total body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, body fat percentage, absolute fat mass (AFM), and blood pressure such that a decrease (p 0.05) throughout the study. These findings suggest that the DASH diet has the potential to be a tool to preserve muscle strength while reducing fat mass in obese older adults.
Minnesota landowners’ trust in their department of natural resources, salient values similarity and wildlife value orientations

Due to extensive land conversion over the last century, much of the native prairie pothole ecosystem has been converted to agricultural or other human uses. The prairie pothole ecosystem is found in the northern plains of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. Because most of the land in this region is privately owned and used for agricultural production, most impacts to wildlife habitat are the result of decisions by individual landowners. Landowner trust in natural resource management agencies is important for agencies to effectively accomplish their mission. We measured the nature (competence and fairness) and level of trust that western Minnesota landowners have in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MnDNR) and landowners’ wildlife value orientations (WVO). Landowners rated MnDNR slightly higher in competence than fairness; however, these two dimensions were strongly correlated. We developed a MnDNR trust scale (six items) and a three-cluster model dividing landowners along the MnDNR trust scale, which we named Negative (28%), Neutral (43%), and Positive (29%). We provide evidence supporting the salient values similarity (SVS) model that states people have trust in agencies holding similar values; landowners reporting greater importance for wildlife consideration when making land-use decisions also reported greater trust in the MnDNR. In addition, mutualist landowners had the highest trust in the MnDNR and utilitarian landowners the lowest level of trust, which is opposite of the trust relationship reported for the general public with state wildlife agencies. Based on the SVS model, our results suggest that mutualist landowners perceive greater congruence with MnDNR goals related to wildlife habitat compared to utilitarian landowners.
Serum Concentrations of Emerging Vitamin D Biomarkers and Detection of Prevalent High-Risk HPV Infection in Mid-adult Women.

Background: Vitamin D has potential immunomodulating benefits in infection. One prior population-based cross-sectional study showed a protective association between serum concentrations of 25(OH)D and high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) detection. Additional biomarkers present at different stages along the vitamin D metabolic pathway may more completely characterize vitamin D status but have not yet been evaluated in relation to hrHPV infection. Methods: Stored sera from women aged 30–50 years (N = 404) enrolled in an HPV natural history study from 2011–2012 were tested for 25(OH)D and 4 novel vitamin D biomarkers: 1,25(OH)2D, 24,24(OH)2D3, free vitamin D, and vitamin D–binding protein. Cross-sectional associations between vitamin D serum concentrations and cervicovaginal hrHPV detection were estimated using logistic regression. Results: 25(OH)D serum concentrations were not associated with hrHPV. After adjusting for age, race, season, education, oral contraceptive use, smoking status, body mass index, and serum concentrations of calcium and phosphate, each 1 ng/mL increase in 24,25(OH)2D3 was nearly statistically significantly associated with higher likelihood of hrHPV detection [aOR = 1.22; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.97–1.52]. No significant associations were observed for other biomarkers. Conclusions: 25(OH)D serum concentrations were unassociated with prevalent hrHPV. Higher levels of one novel biomarker, 24,25(OH)2D3, were positively associated with hrHPV, an unexpected finding. Impact: Inconsistent with previous findings of a protective association between 25(OH)D and prevalent hrHPV infection, these results suggest serum concentrations of 4 vitamin D biomarkers are unassociated with detection of hrHPV in mid-adult women.
Cerebral microvascular and microstructural integrity is regionally altered in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

To measure regional brain microvascular and microstructural changes in childhood-onset SLE (cSLE) using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) at multiple b values and investigate relationships of those measures with neurocognitive function and disease activity. In this cross-sectional, case-control study, vascular volume fraction, effective diffusion, parenchymal diffusion, and blood flow parameters were regionally compared in cSLE patients and matched healthy controls. These markers of microvascular and microstructural integrity were derived by diffusion-weighted brain MRI and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) modeling. Formal neurocognitive testing was completed focused on the domains of attention, visuoconstructional ability, working memory, and psychomotor speed. Test scores and measures of disease severity were regressed against regional microvascular integrity parameters among cSLE patients. Formal cognitive testing confirmed normal cognitive ability among all cSLE patients included in the analysis (n = 11). Nevertheless, reduction in blood volume fraction coincided with increased effective diffusion and flow parameters in cSLE patients vs. controls in posterior brain regions including the cuneus and precuneus. Regional microvascular measures correlated (|r| = 0.54–0.66) with neuropsychiatric scores and disease activity among cSLE patients. There is imaging evidence, using IVIM, of degraded microvascular integrity in cSLE patients with normal cognitive ability. The observed regional changes correspond with posterior vascular border zones. These outcomes appear consistent with regional gray matter volume loss previously observed in cSLE patients with overt neurocognitive deficits, supporting the notion that adverse vascular changes precede loss of cognitive ability in cSLE. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the findings of this initial study.
Congruence of Frequency-Dependent Spatial Coherence Between Linear Frequency-Modulated Pulses and Conventional Pulses

Adaptive transmit frequency selection, filtering, and frequency compounding all offer the ability to improve target conspicuity by balancing the effects of imaging resolution, signal-to-clutter ratio, and speckle texture, but the use of pilot pulses at a series of individual frequencies to calculate image quality at each interrogable frequency restricts real-time implementations. We propose the use of linear frequency-modulated transmissions, also known as chirps, to interrogate frequency-dependent trends in spatial coherence, a well validated measure of signal quality, for the purpose of monitoring image quality to more efficiently perform these adaptive strategies. These measurements of spatial coherence are compared to those acquired by individually transmitted conventional pulses over a range of frequencies. Experimental results in porcine and human liver tissue models indicate that chirps replicate the mean coherence in a region-of-interest. Results also show that prediction accuracy improves with chirp length. Furthermore, chirps are able to predict frequency-dependent decreases in coherence in both porcine abdominal and human liver models. This work indicates that the use of chirps is a viable strategy to improve the efficiency of variable frequency coherence mapping, thus presenting an avenue for real-time implementations for frequency-based adaptive imaging strategies.
Millimetro: mmWave retro-reflective tags for accurate, long range localization

This paper presents Millimetro, an ultra-low-power tag that can be localized at high accuracy over extended distances. We develop Millimetro in the context of autonomous driving to efficiently localize roadside infrastructure such as lane markers and road signs, even if obscured from view, where visual sensing fails. While RF-based localization offers a natural solution, current ultra-low-power localization systems struggle to operate accurately at extended ranges under strict latency requirements. Millimetro addresses this challenge by re-using existing automotive radars that operate at mmWave frequency where plentiful bandwidth is available to ensure high accuracy and low latency. We address the crucial free space path loss problem experienced by signals from the tag at mmWave bands by building upon Van Atta Arrays that retro-reflect incident energy back towards the transmitting radar with minimal loss and low power consumption. Our experimental results indoors and outdoors demonstrate a scalable system that operates at a desirable range (over 100 m), accuracy (centimeter-level), and ultra-low-power (
Effects of ocean acidification on young-of-the-year golden king crab (Lithodes aequispinus) survival and growth

Ocean acidification, a reduction in the pH of the oceans caused by increasing CO2, can have negative physiological effects on marine species. In this study, we examined how CO2-driven acidification affected the growth and survival of juvenile golden king crab (Lithodes aequispinus), an important fishery species in Alaska. Juveniles were reared from larvae in surface ambient pH seawater at the Kodiak Laboratory. Newly molted early benthic instar crabs were randomly assigned to one of three pH treatments: (1) surface ambient pH ~ 8.2, (2) likely in situ ambient pH 7.8, and (3) pH 7.5. Thirty crabs were held in individual cells in each treatment for 127 days and checked daily for molting or death. Molts and dead crabs were photographed under a microscope and measured using image analysis to assess growth and morphology. Mortality was primarily associated with molting in all treatments, differed among all treatments, and was highest at pH 7.5 and lowest at ambient pH. Crabs at pH 7.5 were smaller than crabs at ambient pH at the end of the experiment, both in terms of carapace length and wet mass; had a smaller growth increment after molting; had a longer intermolt period. Carapace morphology was not affected by pH treatment. Decreased growth and increased mortality in laboratory experiments suggest that lower pH could affect golden king crab stocks and fisheries. Future work should examine if larval rearing conditions affect the juvenile response to low pH.
Consumer Acquisition for Recommender Systems: A Theoretical Framework and Empirical Evaluations

We study the problem of consumer acquisition in recommender systems, by considering a marketplace where a recommender system provider offers personalized incentives to encourage consumer participation. We investigate a model of consumer acquisition that accounts for several key market dynamics, including the value that a consumer contributes to the recommender system, the cost of participation (e.g., privacy loss), as well as the value that a consumer can derive from the system due to network externality created by existing consumers. Importantly, our model enables the recommender system provider to maximize its utility by optimizing the sequence of consumer acquisitions. While solving the consumer acquisition model is computationally prohibitive when there is a large number of consumers, we propose a heuristic algorithm that can obtain near-optimal solutions efficiently. We evaluate the performance of our model on two real-world datasets. We find that our model can properly identify and incentivize "high value" consumers, whose early participation can accelerate the performance improvement of the recommender system and bring significant utility to the system provider both directly and via accumulated network externality. Our work contributes to the design of market mechanisms that facilitate effective consumer acquisition in recommender systems.
Family, Traditions, and Customs

Through participant narratives, in this chapter, family, the main socialization force of Ethiopian culture, is examined with particular attention to traditions and customs. Our participants reveal that family acts as a major socialization force in both Ethiopia and the U.S. Additionally, findings reveal that traditions and customs are crucial to cultural preservation in Ethiopian culture. The importance of family and understanding one’s cultural heritage and customs emerges as major findings.
Field-specific cultural capital and persistence in college majors

Abstract We investigate the possibility that Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital, ways of being that facilitate assimilation to the dominant culture, is field-specific in its manifestation and intergenerational transmission. We focus on a field of central economic and academic interest: STEM. Data on around 13,000 undergraduates from the large nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 indicate that parents' STEM-specific cultural capital positively contributes to youth's selection of and persistence in STEM majors in the form of parents' STEM education. We find that transmission is enacted through youths' field-specific institutionalized cultural capital (e.g., STEM grades and test scores), field-specific embodied cultural capital (e.g., STEM attitudes), and characteristics of their educational institutions (e.g., four-year rather than two-year college). This study contributes to the theory of cultural capital by examining cultural capital through a field-specific lens, and then specifically elucidating how it is expressed and transmitted within that field.