cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurement uncertainty and its connection with true value in the GUM versus JCGM documents

Abstract This paper discusses the concept of uncertainty in measurement and its connection with true value as defined in the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM), and three subsequent documents from the Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology (JCGM): JCGM 101 (GUM-S1), JCGM 104, and JCGM 200 (VIM3). An ordinary measurand is specified by its description. The GUM and the JCGM 200 explain that every ordinary measurand has a range of true values. The GUM requires that the measurand should be described in sufficient detail with the consequence that the range of its true values is small enough for it to be adequately characterized by a single scalar measured value with standard uncertainty. The concept of uncertainty in measurement as established by the GUM does not refer to the theoretical concepts of true value and error. So, it applies whether the measurand has a unique true value or a range of true values. The JCGM 101 has introduced a concept of uncertainty in measurement called a coverage interval with a stated coverage probability. The concept of a coverage interval requires the measurand to have a unique true value, so it does not apply to an ordinary measurand that has a range of true values. Most measurands of interest in metrology are ordinary measurands; therefore, the JCGM idea of a coverage interval is of little use.
The impact of two acquaintance rape prevention programs on cognitive elaboration in low and high hypermasculine men

Past research on the effectiveness of acquaintance rape prevention programs focused on changes in reported attitudes under the assumption that changed attitudes lead to changed behavior. However, this research was limited by the use of measures susceptible to social desirability effects and the lack of a theoretical foundation for attitude change. The current study used the Elaboration Likelihood Model (J. T. Petty & R. E. Cacioppo. 1986) as a theoretical foundation to guide the implementation of an innovative rape prevention program and the evaluation of attitude change. This experimental program used an interactive and non-confrontational format to propose a behavioral system that encouraged men to seek unambiguous sexual consent. This program was evaluated in comparison to a traditional rape prevention program that focused on rape statistics, rape myths, and consequences to victims using a didactic and more confrontational format. In addition, the current study investigated the relationship of hypermasculinitv with a range of rape-supportive attitudes and intentions, as well as the differential effectiveness of the programs with low and high hypermasculine men. Participants were 128 fraternity men who were randomly assigned to the two conditions. Results indicated that hypermasculinitv was positively correlated with rape myth acceptance and the intention to engage in sexually coercive behavior. Hypermasculinitv was negatively correlated with cognitive elaboration and intention to confront friends and family members who make sexist or rape supportive comments. The two rape prevention programs did not differ from each other in terms of cognitive elaboration. However, results indicated that participants in the traditional program were less
Structured linear reformulation of binary quadratically constrained quadratic programs

This paper presents a new linear reformulation to convert a binary quadratically constrained quadratic program into a 0–1 mixed integer linear program. By exploiting the symmetric structure of the quadratic terms embedded in the objective and constraint functions, the proposed linear reformulation requires fewer variables and constraints than other known O(n)-sized linear reformulations. Theoretical proof shows the proposed reformulation provides a tighter linearization for each quadratic term comparing to other known linear reformulations. Extensive numerical experiments support the superior computational efficiency of the proposed reformulation in terms of the running time and number of nodes explored.
The Relation of Pleasure to Judgment in Kant’s Aesthetics

In Kant’s theory, the judgment of beauty is an approving judgment; and it is a judgment whose ‘basis’ is the judge’s feeling of pleasure during his encounter with the object being judged beautiful. As is well known, although it may be much less well known what he means by this, Kant leads off §1 of The Critique of Judgment with this remark (5:203): In order to distinguish whether anything is beautiful or not, we refer the representation, not by the understanding to the object for cognition, but by the imagination (perhaps in conjunction with the understanding) to the subject and its feeling ofpleasure or pain. The judgment of taste is therefore not a judgment of cognition, and is consequently not logical, but aesthetical, by which we understand that whose determining ground can be no other than subjective 1
Lipoprotein(a) levels and risk of cardiovascular disease events in individuals with diabetes mellitus or prediabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study

Abstract Background and aims Diabetes increases risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Current guidelines do not recommend measuring lipoprotein(a), another ASCVD risk factor, in these individuals. We examined the association of lipoprotein(a) levels with incident ASCVD events in persons with and without diabetes or prediabetes. Methods Lipoprotein(a) and other ASCVD risk factors were measured at baseline (1996–1998) in the biracial Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study; participants without prevalent ASCVD (coronary heart disease or stroke) were monitored ∼15 years for incident ASCVD events. Results Of 9871 eligible participants (mean age 63 years; 5816 women; 2155 African Americans), 1543 had diabetes and 3615 had prediabetes. Cumulative ASCVD incidence rates (event/1000-person years) were higher in participants with diabetes (26%) or prediabetes (13%) than in nondiabetic individuals (10%, p Conclusions In this biracial cohort, elevated lipoprotein(a) levels in Caucasian individuals with diabetes or prediabetes were associated with further increased ASCVD risk. Adding lipoprotein(a) to traditional risk factors improved ASCVD risk prediction.
Are quantitative measures of visceral adiposity obtained after neoadjuvant chemoradiation associated with postoperative morbidity in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer

514Background: Body mass index (BMI) is an inconsistent predictor of surgical morbidity in cancer patients. Increased visceral obesity measured before neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NCR) has been asso...
Spinal Motor Circuit Synaptic Plasticity after Peripheral Nerve Injury Depends on Microglia Activation and a CCR2 Mechanism

Peripheral nerve injury results in persistent motor deficits, even after the nerve regenerates and muscles are reinnervated. This lack of functional recovery is partly explained by brain and spinal cord circuit alterations triggered by the injury, but the mechanisms are generally unknown. One example of this plasticity is the die-back in the spinal cord ventral horn of the projections of proprioceptive axons mediating the stretch reflex (Ia afferents). Consequently, Ia information about muscle length and dynamics is lost from ventral spinal circuits, degrading motor performance after nerve regeneration. Simultaneously, there is activation of microglia around the central projections of peripherally injured Ia afferents, suggesting a possible causal relationship between neuroinflammation and Ia axon removal. Therefore, we used mice (both sexes) that allow visualization of microglia (CX3CR1-GFP) and infiltrating peripheral myeloid cells (CCR2-RFP) and related changes in these cells to Ia synaptic losses (identified by VGLUT1 content) on retrogradely labeled motoneurons. Microgliosis around axotomized motoneurons starts and peaks within 2 weeks after nerve transection. Thereafter, this region becomes infiltrated by CCR2 cells, and VGLUT1 synapses are lost in parallel. Immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and genetic lineage tracing showed that infiltrating CCR2 cells include T cells, dendritic cells, and monocytes, the latter differentiating into tissue macrophages. VGLUT1 synapses were rescued after attenuating the ventral microglial reaction by removal of colony stimulating factor 1 from motoneurons or in CCR2 global KOs. Thus, both activation of ventral microglia and a CCR2-dependent mechanism are necessary for removal of VGLUT1 synapses and alterations in Ia-circuit function following nerve injuries.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Synaptic plasticity and reorganization of essential motor circuits after a peripheral nerve injury can result in permanent motor deficits due to the removal of sensory Ia afferent synapses from the spinal cord ventral horn. Our data link this major circuit change with the neuroinflammatory reaction that occurs inside the spinal cord following injury to peripheral nerves. We describe that both activation of microglia and recruitment into the spinal cord of blood-derived myeloid cells are necessary for motor circuit synaptic plasticity. This study sheds new light into mechanisms that trigger major network plasticity in CNS regions removed from injury sites and that might prevent full recovery of function, even after successful regeneration.
Uncovering Intentions to Exit Prostitution: Findings from a Qualitative Study

Exiting prostitution is a process for which we have little empirical understanding. This study provides evidence of a process-oriented theory of intentions to exit prostitution that operationalizes...
The Role of Attachment in Language Brokering and Psychological Well-being among College Students:

Emerging adult (EA), college students from immigrant families continue engaging in language brokering (LB), translating documents and other media for their parents, in ways that can affect their we...
Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Secondary to Delayed Type 1A Endoleak

An 83-year-old male presented to emergency room with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm following an endograft performed 13 years earlier. Endovascular repair with intentional coverage of left renal artery was performed. Patient developed postoperative renal failure and died 8 months later.
Chronic Pain After Hernia Repair

Hernia repair is one of the most common surgeries performed worldwide. Despite a technically successful procedure, patients may persist with or develop pain after a reparative procedure, known as chronic post-herniorrhaphy inguinal pain (CPIP). The rate of discomfort after inguinal hernia surgery varies from 0.2% to 10–15% in the reported literature (Donati et al., BMC Surg 13(Suppl 2):S19, 2013; Condon, Ann Surg 233(1):8, 2001). Multiple factors have been found to be associated with the development of chronic pain after the surgery. Most important factors associated with high incidence of chronic pain are nerve damage, poor pain control, and poor pain coping skill. Incidence of chronic pain has been reported anywhere from 15% to 53%. Overall reported incidence at 3 years after surgery is around 23–30% with 10% of patients reporting pain as severe. Many patients are debilitated by this condition. The chronic post-surgical pain is categorized as either neuropathic or non-neuropathic. The distinction is important for proper management but not easy. The pain control may require medication therapy and/or various interventional therapies. Neurectomy, along with re-repair of a recurrent hernia as well as possible mesh removal and/or tack removal, has been advocated by surgeons with varying results. Pain control in the early phases of recovery is important, as patients with higher postoperative pain scores early in recovery are likely to continue with chronic pain (Callesen et al., Br J Surg 86(12):1528–1531, 1999).
"Toxic" schools? How school exposures during adolescence influence trajectories of health through young adulthood.

Abstract A large body of research identifies the critical role of early-life social contexts such as neighborhoods and households in shaping life course trajectories of health. Less is known about whether and how school characteristics affect individual health and contribute to population health inequality. However, recent scholarship argues that some school environments are so stressful due to high levels of violence, disorder, and poverty that they may be “toxic” to student health, but this hypothesis has not been tested using population data. Integrating insights from the life course perspective and stress process model, we use rich longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 11,382), diverse markers of physiological functioning and psychological well-being, and multilevel regression models to examine whether and how school characteristics shape trajectories of physiological dysregulation and depressive risk from adolescence through early adulthood. Findings reveal that, across multiple measures of physiological functioning and psychological well-being, the social and structural characteristics of schools play an essential role in shaping health risk from adolescence through young adulthood—long after students left school. In particular, indicators of school-level violence and perceptions of safety and school social disconnectedness had especially strong associations with health risk in both the short- and long-term. School socioeconomic composition was also strongly associated with physiological dysregulation in young adulthood, net of individual and neighborhood socioeconomic exposures. Together, findings from this study suggest that school environments can serve as early-life stressors in the lives of young people that unequally shape health trajectories and contribute to broader patterns of health inequality.
Astronomy, Technology, and the Scientific Method: Reflections on the Astronomy Research Seminar at Stanford Online High School, Spring 2018

This article presents lessons learned and reflections on the scientific process from teaching two sections of the Astronomy Research Seminar at Stanford Online High School in Spring of 2018.
Commentary: Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy Case Series: Choosing the Correct Number of Fibers Depending on Lesion Size.

Background Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is being used for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Lesions can be treated using 1 or multiple LITT fibers depending on the preference of surgeons. Usually, more fibers are needed for coverage of larger tumors. Objective To investigate and analyze how tumor size affected the number of LITT fibers used. Methods This is a retrospective review of patients undergoing treatment of recurrent GBM. Patients were treated with up to 4 LITT fibers for adequate tumor coverage. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, length of stay, complications, and biopsy results were recorded. Results A total of 43 cases were treated using LITT, and of these cases, 31 consisted of contiguous lesions. We used more fibers to treat larger tumor volumes. On average, for each 5 cc of tumor volume, a fiber was added for proper coverage (P = .554). Complications and length of stay were similar across the groups (P = .378, P = .941). Conclusion LITT can be used for the treatment of recurrent GBM. For each 5 cc of tumor volume, a LITT fiber can be added to the treatment plan.
A Network Polypharmacological Approach to Combinatorial Drug Repurposing for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma

Abstract Despite five decades of clinical investigations, there is currently no effective treatment for children diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). We now understand that DIPGs share the same histone 3 mutation and fatal prognosis as other diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs), which led to the introduction of a new entity referred to as DMG, H3 K27M mutant. Indeed, therapeutics indicated for other brain neoplasms have proven ineffective for DIPGs. We posit that by using a polypharmacological approach to determine drug combinations that target distinct mechanistic pathways of DIPG, it is more likely that an efficacious treatment will be developed. We predict monodrug therapies using a link prediction model trained on various embeddings of a drug-disease regulatory network and physicochemical properties of small molecules and proteins. We validate the in silico predictions by performing cell viability assays on patient-derived cell cultures for notable therapeutics. Using FDA-approved drugs as a proxy for viability of a drug pair for combinatorial use, we develop a model to predict the synergism of the relationship between drug pairs. Finally, we calculate the transitive probability that a drug pair contains drugs that individually regulate DIPG, are blood-brain barrier penetrant, and the drug pair are suitable for combined use. We find only moderate agreement between computational predictions and experimental results for both monodrug and multidrug therapies, we believe due to the heterogeneity of the disease, the difficulties of modelling brain permeability, and an inherent literature bias in the knowledge graph. Such challenges need to be overcome to develop an efficacious therapy for this disease.
Versatile Surface Functionalization of Water-Dispersible Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Precisely Controlled Sizes

The synthesis of highly water-dispersible iron oxide nanoparticles with surface functional groups and precisely controlled sizes is essential for biomedical application. In this paper, we report a one-pot strategy for versatile surface functionalization. The iron oxide nanoparticles are first synthesized by thermal decomposition of iron(III) acetylacetonate (Fe(acac)3) in diethylene glycol (DEG), and their surfaces are modified by adding the surface ligands at the end of the reaction. The size of iron oxide nanoparticles can be precisely controlled in nanometer scale by continuous growth. This facile synthesis method enables the surface modification with different coating materials such as dopamine (DOPA), polyethylene glycol with thiol end group (thiol-PEG), and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) onto the iron oxide nanoparticles, introducing new surface functionalities for future biomedical application. From transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), the morphology and crystal structure are not changed during surface functionalization. The attachment of surface ligands is studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The surface functional groups are confirmed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). In correlation with the change of hydrodynamic size, PAA coated nanoparticles are found to exhibit outstanding stability in aqueous solution. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the functional groups are available for conjugating with other molecules such as fluorescent dye, showing potential biological applications. Lastly, the magnetic resonance phantom studies demonstrate that iron oxide nanoparticles with PAA coating can be used as T1 and T2 dual-modality contrast agents. Both r1 and r2 relaxivities significantly increase after surface functionalization with PAA, indicating improved sensitivity.
Ligand-Induced GPR110 Activation Facilitates Axon Growth after Injury

Recovery from axonal injury is extremely difficult, especially for adult neurons. Here, we demonstrate that the activation of G-protein coupled receptor 110 (GPR110, ADGRF1) is a mechanism to stimulate axon growth after injury. N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine (synaptamide), an endogenous ligand of GPR110 that promotes neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis in developing neurons, and a synthetic GPR110 ligand stimulated neurite growth in axotomized cortical neurons and in retinal explant cultures. Intravitreal injection of GPR110 ligands following optic nerve crush injury promoted axon extension in adult wild-type, but not in gpr110 knockout, mice. In vitro axotomy or in vivo optic nerve injury rapidly induced the neuronal expression of gpr110. Activating the developmental mechanism of neurite outgrowth by specifically targeting GPR110 that is upregulated upon injury may provide a novel strategy for stimulating axon growth after nerve injury in adults.
Phenotypic and Epigenetic Adaptations of Cord Blood CD4+ T Cells to Maternal Obesity

Pregravid obesity has been shown to disrupt the development of the offspring's immune system and increase susceptibility to infection. While the mechanisms underlying the impact of maternal obesity on fetal myeloid cells are emerging, the consequences for T cells remain poorly defined. In this study, we collected umbilical cord blood samples from infants born to lean mothers and mothers with obesity and profiled CD4 T cells using flow cytometry and single cell RNA sequencing at resting and following ex vivo polyclonal stimulation. We report that maternal obesity is associated with higher frequencies of memory CD4 T cells suggestive of in vivo activation. Moreover, single cell RNA sequencing revealed expansion of an activated subset of memory T cells with maternal obesity. However, ex vivo stimulation of purified CD4 T cells resulted in poor cytokine responses, suggesting functional defects. These phenotypic and functional aberrations correlated with methylation and chromatin accessibility changes in loci associated with lymphocyte activation and T cell receptor signaling, suggesting a possible link between maternal obesogenic environment and fetal immune reprogramming. These observations offer a potential explanation for the increased susceptibility to microbial infection in babies born to mothers with obesity.
Black lives matter in the cath lab, too! A proposal for the interventional cardiology community to counteract bias and racism.

Structural racism in the United States underlies racial disparities in the criminal justice system, in the healthcare system generally, and with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the year 2020, these inequities combined and magnified to such a degree that it left Black Americans and physicians caring for them questioning how much Black lives matter. Academic medical centers and the major cardiology organizations responded to a global call to end racism with bold statements and initiatives. Interventional cardiologists utilize advanced equipment to mechanically treat a wide spectrum of heart problems, yet this technology has not been applied in an equitable manner. Interventional therapies are often underutilized in Blacks, exacerbating healthcare disparities and contributing to the excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in these communities. Racial bias, whether intentional, unconscious, systemic, or at the individual level, plays a role in these disparities. Many in the interventional cardiology community aspire to take intentional steps to reduce the impact of bias and racism in our specialty. We discuss several proposals here and provide a "report card" for interventional programs to perform a self-assessment.
Outlier Detection using AI: A Survey.

An outlier is an event or observation that is defined as an unusual activity, intrusion, or a suspicious data point that lies at an irregular distance from a population. The definition of an outlier event, however, is subjective and depends on the application and the domain (Energy, Health, Wireless Network, etc.). It is important to detect outlier events as carefully as possible to avoid infrastructure failures because anomalous events can cause minor to severe damage to infrastructure. For instance, an attack on a cyber-physical system such as a microgrid may initiate voltage or frequency instability, thereby damaging a smart inverter which involves very expensive repairing. Unusual activities in microgrids can be mechanical faults, behavior changes in the system, human or instrument errors or a malicious attack. Accordingly, and due to its variability, Outlier Detection (OD) is an ever-growing research field. In this chapter, we discuss the progress of OD methods using AI techniques. For that, the fundamental concepts of each OD model are introduced via multiple categories. Broad range of OD methods are categorized into six major categories: Statistical-based, Distance-based, Density-based, Clustering-based, Learning-based, and Ensemble methods. For every category, we discuss recent state-of-the-art approaches, their application areas, and performances. After that, a brief discussion regarding the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of each technique is provided with recommendations on future research directions. This survey aims to guide the reader to better understand recent progress of OD methods for the assurance of AI.
After the Ballet

Imagine sleeping in the same bed with another woman. Any woman. Think of losing sight of all perspective, the bed tilting over like an ocean liner, the horizon sliding out the window like a sheet of glass. What if your wife left you tomorrow? Who would you have to tell about your wonderful experience? What if you never lose this need for sleep? All night you cannot speak something is going on in everybody else's room tonight, the bedsprings heating up like coils on the stove, a whole way of life going up in a mattress. And you are there and there and there and there.
A Finance Approach To Understanding Patterns Of Land Tenure

Economists and economic historians have generally understood different forms of land tenure as arrangements for the supply of labor. This paper suggests a different interpretation -- that land-tenure arrangements be understood rather as arrangements for the supply of financing. The cost and availability of financing depend on the arrangements available to ensure the providers of the financing a fair return on their investment. The paper argues that the different forms of land tenure may best be understood in the context of such arrangements -- as alternative ways of providing the family farm with the external financing that it requires. The discussion focuses on land-tenure arrangements in pre-industrial Europe, but the conclusions hold quite generally.
Kernel principal components are maximum entropy projections

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a very well known statistical tool. Kernel PCA is a nonlinear extension to PCA based on the kernel paradigm. In this paper we characterize the projections found by Kernel PCA from a information theoretic perspective. We prove that Kernel PCA provides optimum entropy projections in the input space when the Gaussian kernel is used for the mapping and a sample estimate of Renyi’s entropy based on the Parzen window method is employed. The information theoretic interpretation motivates the choice and specifices the kernel used for the transformation to feature space.
Fluctuating Nonlinear Oscillators: From Nano-Mechanics to Quantum Superconducting Circuits, edited by Mark I. Dykman. Scope: edited book. Level: postgraduate, researcher.

Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2012, 432 pp., £65.00 (hardback), ISBN: 978-0-19-969138-8. Rather unexpectedly, nonlinear oscillators have become quite a hot topic in condensed matter physics in t...
On-line Estimation of Reaction Rates in Batch Reactors

Very often one needs to know the current values of reaction rates in chemical reactors in order to control them effectively or in order to avoid unsafe operating conditions. ln this work state estimation techniques are used to estimate on-line reaction rates in well mixed isothermal batch reactors. The proposed scheme assumes the availability of on-line measurements of overall concentrations of the reactants, and the lack of knowledge on the reaction rate dependence with those concentrations. The state estimator used in this application is a Kalman filter based estimator. Relationships between the continuous and the discrete versions of the filter as well as a Laplace domain analysis were considered. The estimation scheme is applied to two examples of semi-continuous emulsion co-polymerization.
Experimental Design: Overview

This article is reproduced from the previous edition, volume 8, pp. 5090–5096, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd.
SIGNIFICANCE OF APOLIPOPROTEINS FOR STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND CLASSIFICATION OF PLASMA LIPOPROTEINS

Publisher Summary Historically, the present view of the chemical nature and physiological function of plasma lipoproteins evolved through three developmental phases, coinciding with and shaped by the availability of electrophoretic, ultracentrifugal, and immunologic methodologies. This chapter describes these events briefly and the growing recognition of apolipoproteins, as protein constituents essential for the structural integrity, functional specificity, and classification of plasma lipoproteins. Soluble plasma lipoproteins are recognized as a unique class of conjugated proteins. They form a polydisperse system of macromolecular complexes, consisting of neutral lipids and phospholipids, bound through noncovalent linkages to specific proteins called apolipoproteins. Exploration of the chemical nature of plasma lipoproteins characterized, among others, by the capacity to maintain water-insoluble lipids in a soluble form began almost a century ago, with the pioneering studies of Schulz, Nerking, and Shimidzu, who observed that complete extraction of plasma lipids by diethyl ether could only be achieved after prior proteolytic degradation of plasma proteins. During subsequent years, several investigators provided further evidence that plasma lipids are associated with proteins, by detecting both the neutral lipids and phospholipids, in globulin and albumin fractions isolated from serum or plasma by fractional precipitation, with concentrated salt solutions or dialysis against water. Another important discovery, resulting from these studies, was the finding that the protein moiety of the lipoprotein, differed from albumin and any other known globulin. These accomplishments established the constancy of composition and specificity of lipid-binding proteins as the major chemical criteria for defining lipid-protein interactions and provided the basis for further studies of their physical and chemical properties.
Ring Resonators and Circuits

Because of their advantages of low cost and easy fabrication, ring resonators are used in many applications such as filters, oscillators, mixers, baluns, hybrids, magic Ts, couplers, and antennas. In addition, they have been successfully used to measure the phase velocity and dispersion of a microstrip line. This article explains the basic field and circuit model analyses that can be used to investigate the characteristics of a ring resonator. On the basis of these analyses, ring resonators can be implemented and designed for different devices. The simple structure and high performance of a ring circuit fulfill the highly desired requirements of many modern wireless systems and other applications. Keywords: Indexing terms—ring resonators; field analyses; transmission-line models; ring filters; ring couplers and hybrids; ring antennas; ring oscillators
Interpersonal Violence: A Priority Issue for Health Education

Increasingly, interpersonal violence is recognized as a preventable cause of mortality and morbidity, affecting the health and wellbeing of millions of people in the United States each year. Howeve...
Prosorrhyncha: Heteroptera and Coleorrhyncha

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the Hemipteran suborder Prosorrhyncha. It comprises two groups, the Coleorrhyncha, family Peloridiidae, and the Heteroptera. Like all hemipterans, members of these two groups have elongated mouthparts for sucking fluids; unlike all other hemipterans, many heteropterans suck the fluids of animals — mostly of arthropods but in a few instances of vertebrates. Heteroptera contains 8 infraorders, 79 families, and about 38,000 described species. The families range from the very small, one species, to the very large (10,000 species), and heteropterans as a group live in all habitable (and many apparently uninhabitable) parts of the world, from deserts to forest canopies, and on and below the sea. Heteropterans feed on all parts of plants including on fungi and freshwater algae; some are sufficiently serious predators of pests to be biocontrol agents; and a few (bed bugs, triatomine bugs) feed on human blood. As a whole, Heteroptera is the most diverse of all hemimetabolous insect groups. Nevertheless, scientific community knows amazingly little about heteropteran biology and ecology.
Site and mechanical conditions for failure of skeletal muscle in experimental strain injuries

Failure in muscle strain injuries has been reported to occur within the muscle belly, at the myotendinous junction, or within muscle near the myotendinous junction. The goal of this investigation was to determine by electron-microscopic examination the site of lesion in whole muscle strained to failure. In addition, site and conditions for failure of stimulated and unstimulated muscle were compared. Frog semitendinosus myotendinous units with intact tendon-bone junctions were strained at physiological strain rates to failure. All failures occurred at or near the proximal myotendinous junction in both stimulated and unstimulated muscle. Stimulated muscle required approximately 30% more force and approximately 110% more energy to reach failure. Electron-microscopic examination of longitudinal sections of small bundles of fibers showed that unstimulated muscle failed within the muscle near the myotendinous junction. Failure occurred in a single transverse plane of each cell within Z disks. Other Z disks near the failure site displayed strains of several hundred percent. Stimulated muscle failed within the lamina lucida at the myotendinous junction in most fibers. No Z-disk strain was observed in those fibers. We conclude that the site of failure in muscle strain injuries varies with the state of activation of the cell at the time of injury. Furthermore, the data show that the breaking strength of the Z disk varied with muscle stimulation and indicate the existence of two load-bearing systems in parallel within Z disks.
Detection of foreign speakers' pronunciation errors for second language training-preliminary results

With the present generation of speech recognizers dealing with speaker-independent continuous speech and medium-sized vocabularies, the possibilities for their application are becoming larger, and yet some applications have not yet been tried, or have been tried with heavy constraints on the user, due to the expected poor recognition performance, and the lack of results to date in the domain of prosody has severely limited the use of that information. The author thinks that researchers may be overly pessimistic. She explores the possibility of using Carnegie Mellon University's SPHINX II recognizer and of obtaining correct prosody information in order to implement it in a system to aid in foreign language learning.
EVOLVE: adaptive specification techniques for object-oriented software evolution

The increased complexity of object oriented models necessitates the enhancement of adaptiveness and robustness of an object oriented design towards changing requirements. The understanding of what properties are critical for construction of an adaptive schema design becomes increasingly important in software evolution. We present two groups of techniques for enhancing the adaptiveness and the robustness of an object oriented design in anticipation of future requirement changes. The first group of techniques consists of a selection of adaptive schema style rules for achieving validity, minimality, extensibility and normality of a schema design. This set of style rules can be used as a means for validating quality of a schema, and for transforming an object oriented schema into a more robust style. The second group of techniques includes the use of propagation patterns and propagation pattern refinement for adaptive behavioral specification and abstraction.
Choosing an Appropriate Ensemble Classifier for Balanced Bioinformatics Data

Bioinformatics datasets contain a number of characteristics, such as noisy data and difficult to learn class boundaries, which make it challenge to build effective predictive models. One option for improving results is the use of ensemble learning methods, which involve combining the results of multiple predictive models into a single decision. Since we do not rely on a single model, we reduce the effect of any hidden bias which may reside in a single model. In this study, we investigate two ensemble learning methods, Select-Bagging and Random Forest, to find which one is better suited for classification of bioinformatics data. In addition, we examine how the choice of learning algorithms affects the classification results of the Bagging method. We conduct an empirical study using six ensemble classifiers (Random Forest and Select-Bagging utilizing five different classifiers) applied to 12 balanced datasets using three feature rankers along with four feature subset sizes. Based on our results, including statistical analysis, we recommend Random Forest as it is competitive with the best of the Select-Bagging classifiers, and does not require an additional choice of classifier, which can significantly affect classification performance. To our knowledge, this work is unique in terms of investigating the effectiveness of these two ensemble learning methods in the domain of bioinformatics as well as examining how the choice of classifier impacts classification results when using a Bagging-based ensemble learning method.
GeneSpeed Beta Cell: an online genomics data repository and analysis resource tailored for the islet cell biologist.

Objective. We here describe the development of a freely available online database resource, GeneSpeed Beta Cell, which has been created for the pancreatic islet and pancreatic developmental biology investigator community. Research Design and Methods. We have developed GeneSpeed Beta Cell as a separate component of the GeneSpeed database, providing a genomics-type data repository of pancreas and islet-relevant datasets interlinked with the domain-oriented GeneSpeed database. Results. GeneSpeed Beta Cell allows the query of multiple published and unpublished select genomics datasets in a simultaneous fashion (multiexperiment viewing) and is capable of defining intersection results from precomputed analysis of such datasets (multidimensional querying). Combined with the protein-domain categorization/assembly toolbox provided by the GeneSpeed database, the user is able to define spatial expression constraints of select gene lists in a relatively rigid fashion within the pancreatic expression space. We provide several demonstration case studies of relevance to islet cell biology and development of the pancreas that provide novel insight into islet biology. Conclusions. The combination of an exhaustive domain-based compilation of the transcriptome with gene array data of interest to the islet biologist affords novel methods for multidimensional querying between individual datasets in a rapid fashion, presently not available elsewhere.
Cellular, Biochemical, and Clinical Aspects of Wound Healing

ABSTRACT Background: The response to tissue injury requires the symphonious interaction of immune cells, keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells, which unite to regenerate the damaged epithelium. Recent insights have elucidated the cellular and molecular mechanisms required for wound healing and have raised the prospect of novel therapeutic targets. Methods: Review of the pertinent literature. Results: The initial inflammatory response leads to the influx of macrophages and neutrophils, which release cytokines, growth factors, and nitric oxide, and induce nearby keratinocytes to migrate across the wounded epithelium. This process, known as re-epithelialization, requires integrin-mediated activation of Rho-GTPases. The subsequent influx of fibroblasts and endothelial cells results in the production of tissue stroma and formation of new blood vessels, which lead to the generation of functional tissue. Importantly, disease states associated with impaired or excessive wound healing can be attributed...
Ethanol inhibition of NMDA currents in acutely dissociated medial septum/diagonal band neurons from ethanol dependent rats

Abstract The effect of acutely applied ethanol and the impact of chronic ethanol treatment, sufficient to induce tolerance and physical dependence, on N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor function were studied in acutely isolated neurons from the medial septum/diagonal band (MS/DB) of adult rats using whole cell, patch-clamp electrophysiology. There was a small positive correlation for capacitance and current amplitude activated by 100 μ M NMDA for all groups. Also, cell membrane capacitance was significantly smaller for Ethanol Dependent (∼80–84%) than either Naive or Control cells. Therefore NMDA-activated responses were normalized for capacitance (current density, pA/pF) across all three groups. NMDA-activated (30–1000 μ M) responses were significantly larger in cells from Control and Ethanol Dependent rats relative to those from Naives. In addition, estimated maximal responses were significantly larger for Ethanol Dependent cells, compared to either Control or Naive, respectively, while EC 50 s and slopes were not significantly different. Acute 60 mM ethanol significantly inhibited responses to 100 μ M NMDA in all three groups, however, mean ethanol inhibition was 12–25% smaller after ethanol dependence. There was no evidence of acute tolerance to ethanol inhibition for any group, but examination of patterns of inhibition for individual neurons showed a few cells were resistant to ethanol or exhibited progressive loss of ethanol inhibition. These results suggest that NMDA receptor function in acutely isolated MS/DB neurons is increased following in vivo chronic ethanol treatment, and shows resistance to acute ethanol inhibition suggesting NMDA receptor-mediated cellular tolerance.
Geometric Effects in Avalanche Models of Solar Flares: Implications for Coronal Heating

Observational inferences of the power-law frequency distribution of energy release by solar flares, and in particular its logarithmic slope αE, depend critically on the geometric relationship assumed to relate the observed emitting area A and the underlying emitting volume V. Recent results on the fractal nature of avalanches in self-organized critical models for solar flares indicate that this relationship is a power law V ∝ Aγ with index γ = 1.41(±0.04). We show that when proper account is made for the fractal geometry of the flaring volume, hitherto discrepant observational inferences of αE are brought in much closer agreement. The resulting values of αE lie tantalizingly close, but still below the critical value αE = 2.0, beyond which Parker's conjecture of coronal heating by nanoflares is tenable.
Stocking System Effects on Soil and Forage Characteristics, and Performance of Fall-Calving Cows Grazing Cool-Season GrassPastures (A Progress Report)

The effects of stocking densities of fall-calving Angus cattle grazing cool-season pastures on cow and calf performance; forage mass, quality, and botanical composition; soil carbon content and compaction; and grazing selectivity of cattle were evaluated. Two blocks of three 10-acre cool-season pastures, divided into 1-acre paddocks, were grazed by 10 fall-calving Angus cows by one of three stocking systems: rotational stocking (RS, low stocking density), strip stocking (SS, moderate stocking density), and mob stocking (MS, high stocking density). Pastures were grazed from mid-May through late September in 2010 (yr 1) and 2011 (yr 2). Cattle received a daily live forage dry matter (DM) allowance of 4.0 and 3.2% of cow body weight (BW) in yr 1 and 2, respectively. Cattle in RS pastures were moved to new paddocks after initial forage sward height, measured with a falling plate meter (8.8 lb/yd2), was reduced by 50% by measurement (yr 1), and after the estimated intake at 3.2% of cow BW/day (yr 2). Cattle in SS and MS pastures received strips containing 100 and 25% of the daily forage allowance one and four times per day, respectively. Cow BCS did not differ between treatments in any month of either year. Cow BW was greater in MS than RS and SS pastures in June of yr 2 and greater in RS than MS pastures in August of yr 2, but did not differ in any other months of either year. Birth weight and average daily gain (ADG) of live calves at the end of the trial did not differ between treatments in either year; however, there were fewer calves per cow in MS pastures at the termination of the trial in yr 2. Forage sward height did not differ between treatments in any month of either year. Rotational stocking decreased forage disappearance in yr 2 compared to strip or mob stocking. Forage disappearance was lower in RS than SS and MS pastures in May and June of both years and was greater in RS than SS pastures in September of yr 1, but did not differ in any other months. Forage botanical composition prior to grazing each year did not differ between years, but dead forage as a percent of total forage DM was lower in RS than SS and MS pastures in yr 2. Soil bulk density from 0-3 inches in yr 1, water infiltration rate into the soil in either year, and penetration resistance at depths of 0 and 3 inches in yr 2, did not differ between treatments in any month. Soil penetration resistance at 6 inches was greater in SS than RS and MS pastures in May, and was greater in MS than SS pastures in August. Grazing selectivity did not differ between treatments in yr 1. Results suggest that, at constant forage allocation, mob stocking does not affect cow or live calf performance, but may reduce the proportion of surviving calves. Mob stocking also does not affect forage mass, botanical composition, or soil compaction measures within the first two years of implementation.
Designed for Dry Feet

Katrina in 2005 and the flooding attributable to levee breaks, the Netherlands was one of the first countries to offer knowledge, expertise, and aid assistance to the Gulf region (Foek 2005). With much of their country beneath sea level, the Dutch have experienced similar disasters. A 1953 storm surge and flooding in the Netherlands killed 1,835 people and required temporarily evacuating 70,000 (24, 106-7). Robert J. Hoeksema's book, Designed for Dry Feet: Flood Protection and Land Reclamation in the Netherlands, describes the Dutch response to prevent the reoccurrence of such a disaster-the Delta Plan, a project to dam tidal estuaries and to construct a series of storm barriers-as well as the history and construction of their other flood protection and land reclamation efforts.
Fuzzy weighted median filters

Combining spatial and rank (SR) order information into filtering methods has been exploited in recent nonlinear filtering algorithms. Fuzzy ordering theory incorporates sample spread information into the SR ranking framework and develops the concepts of fuzzy ranking and fuzzy order statistic. In this paper, fuzzy concepts are utilized to generalize weighted median filters and optimization of the filter parameters is discussed. Simulation results show that the proposed fuzzy weight median (FWM) filter significantly outperforms its crisp counterpart and existing FWM techniques in the literature in image denoising and image zooming.
Why They Juice: The Role of Social Forces in Performance Enhancing Drug Use by Professional Athletes

Why do some athletes use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), while others opt not to use? Past research has focused on individual player attributes associated with PED use, but has left social factors unstudied. Utilizing novel datasets on PED use in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Major League Baseball (MLB), we explore the role that social forces play in PED use in pro sports. We find that PED use is concentrated in certain teams, that teams experience team-specific periods of heightened drug use, and that clean MLB players who transfer to a new team with PED users on it are more likely to begin using PEDs than those who transfer to a clean team. While we stress the limitations to the use of observational data on PED use (most significantly, false negatives), we take these findings to suggest that an athlete's decision to use PEDs is, to an important degree, determined by the immediate social environment.