cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear force fields: a distributed system of control primitives for representing and learning movements

Electrophysiological studies have suggested the presence of a modular structure in the output stages of the motor system. In this structure, independent modules are connected to specific groups of muscles and generate nonlinear fields of force acting upon the controlled limbs. This paper explores the computational consequences of this structure in the framework of multivariate approximation. Movements are generated through the selection of independent modules and through the vectorial superposition of their output fields. It is shown that complex joint motions of a multisegmental mechanism may be obtained by determining a set of time-independent parameters which scale the amplitude of each module's field. In addition, optimization results suggest that a system of such modules may evolve to improve the execution of smooth movements of the mechanism's endpoint across the whole workspace. The observed improvements generalize beyond the set of movements used to guide the optimization. These findings indicate that a rich repertoire of behaviors may be learned by adapting a system of force fields obtained from the combination of multiple viscoelastic actuators.
The Perceived Effectiveness of the Officer Certification Requirement under Sarbanes-Oxley

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 brought about sweeping changes that were meant to improve corporate reporting in the United States and to restore investor confidence following some of the largest business failures in US history. This study examines one requirement of this legislation, the certification of the financial statements by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) by surveying stakeholder constituent groups to determine whether this new requirement is effective in accomplishing the goals established by Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This is accomplished by using Cameron's strategic constituencies model to test seven research questions developed from the current literature which provides various points of view regarding the appropriateness of the CEO/CFO certification. Based on the results of these tests, we see that there are significant differences among the perceptions of the constituent groups as to the effectiveness of this requirement.
A systematic tradeoff analysis for conflicting imprecise requirements

The need to deal with conflicting system requirements has become increasingly important over the past several years. Often, these requirements are elastic in that they can be satisfied to a degree. The overall goal of this research is to develop a formal framework that facilitates the identification and the tradeoff analysis of conflicting requirements by explicitly capturing their elasticity. Based on a fuzzy set theoretic foundation for representing imprecise requirements, we describe a systematic approach for analyzing the tradeoffs between conflicting requirements using the techniques in decision science. The systematic tradeoff analyses are used for three important tasks in the requirement engineering process: (1) for validating the structure used in aggregating prioritized requirements, (2) for identifying the structures and the parameters of the underlying representation of imprecise requirements and (3) for assessing the priorities of conflicting requirements. We illustrate these techniques using the requirements of a conference room scheduling system.
The V1-V2-V3 complex: quasiconformal dipole maps in primate striate and extra-striate cortex

The mapping function w = k log(z + a) is a widely accepted approximation to the topographic structure of primate V1 foveal and parafoveal regions. A better model, at the cost of an additional parameter, captures the full field topographic map in terms of the dipole map function w = klog[(z + a)/(z + b)]. However, neither model describes topographic shear since they are both explicitly complex-analytic or conformal. In this paper, we adopt a simple ansatz for topographic shear in V1, V2, and V3 that assumes that cortical topographic shear is rotational, i.e. a compression along iso-eccentricity contours. We model the constant rotational shear with a quasiconformal mapping, the wedge mapping. Composing this wedge mapping with the dipole mapping provides an approximation to V1, V2, and V3 topographic structure, effectively unifying all three areas into a single V1-V2-V3 complex using five independent parameters. This work represents the first full-field, multi-area, quasiconformal model of striate and extra-striate topographic map structure.
Generation of a short optical pulse of arbitrary shape and phase variation

It is shown that the problem of generating an optical pulse of arbitrary shape and phase may be reduced to the problem of producing an arbitrary spectral filter. This generalizes the short-pulse generation techniques, which are based on the laser breakdown switch, as the active element. We examine the extent to which any desired filter may be realized in practice, and some examples are given.
Potential Triggers of MS

MS is an immune mediated disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by demyelination, axonal damage and neurologic disability. The primary cause of this CNS disease remains elusive. Here we will address our current understanding of the role of viruses as potential environmental trig- gers for MS. Virus infections can act peripherally (outside the CNS) or within the CNS. The association of viral infections with demyelinating disease, in both animals and humans, will be discussed, as will the potential contributions of peripheral infection with Torque Teno virus, infection outside of and/or within the CNS with Epstein-Barr virus and infection within the CNS with Human Herpesvirus 6 to MS. An experimental animal model, Theiler's murine enceph- alomyelitis virus infection of susceptible strains of mice is an example of viral infections of the CNS as a prerequisite for demyelination. Finally, the proposi- tion that multiple virus infections are required, which first prime the immune system and then trigger the disease, as a model where infections outside of the CNS lead to inflammatory changes within the CNS, for the development of a MS-like disease is explored.
High-performance noise-robust asynchronous circuits

This paper presents the development of a prototype high-performance asynchronous standard-cell library based on the static single-track full buffer family. It focuses on the design choices and challenges that mitigate sensitiveness to noise, including transistor sizing and wire spacing rules. Post-layout simulation results demonstrate its robustness to noise while achieving a peak cycle time of 5.7 FO4 delays.
Wired patients: implantable microchips and biosensors in patient care.

After decades of specialization within the sciences, the development and application of implantable microchips and biosensors are now being made possible by a growing convergence among seemingly disparate scientific disciplines including, among others, biology, informatics, chemistry, and engineering. This convergence of diverse scientific disciplines is the basis for the creation of new technologies that will have significant medical potential. As of today, implantable microchips and biosensors are being used as mental prostheses to compensate for a loss of normal function, to remotely monitor patients' vital signs, to control the delivery of medications, and to communicate with geographically distant healthcare professionals and the outside environment.
Habitat preferences of generalist predators in reduced-tillage corn.

Habitat preferences of generalist predators were evaluated by comparing their abundance among four reduced-tillage corn systems which differed in the degree of soil disturbance, quantity and struct...
Combination therapy with nebivolol/amlodipine is superior to metoprolol/amlodipine in the control of cuff and 24-hr ambulatory blood pressure

New-onset diabetes (NOD) associated with antihypertensive medications is controversial. A 2007 network meta-analysis included 22 clinical trials reported through 15 SEP 06. Since then, data from 14 more trials (e.g., TRANSCEND, PRoFESS, ONTARGET, NAVIGATOR) have been published and one retracted (Kyoto), resulting in a total of 17,235 subjects with NOD (from a total of 217,820 at risk). Meta-analyses were performed using the network technique of Lumley (Stat Med. 2002;21:2313-24) and the traditional Bayesian method (WINBUGS Version 1.4.1, non-informative priors, 99,000 iterations, 1000 burn). For each therapy, the number of new cases of incident diabetes/number at risk (number of trials) were: Placebo: 4879/52,700 (18); Diuretic: 1422/28,786 (15); Beta-blocker: 3043/43,084 (16); Calcium channel blocker (CCB): 3204/47,928 (18); Angiotensin converting-enzyme (ACE)-inhibitor: 2564/40,534 (13); Angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB): 4099/44,459 (16). These numbers reflect ‘‘double-counting’’ for the 6 trials that included more than 2 arms (AASK, ALLHAT, COPE, MRC-E, ONTARGET, STOP-Hypertension 2). The incoherence value (u) for the network meta-analysis was 0.048. The results were:
Genomic Epidemiology of USA300 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in an Urban Community

BACKGROUND In a community, it is unknown what factors account for transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We integrated whole genome sequencing (WGS) and epidemiologic data to identify factors associated with MRSA transmission networks in an urban community. METHODS WGS was performed on colonizing USA300 MRSA isolates from 74 individuals within 72 hours of admission to a public hospital in Chicago, IL. Single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were used to reconstruct the phylogeny of sequenced isolates, and epidemiologic data was overlaid to identify factors associated with transmission networks. RESULTS The maximum within-patient SNV difference for an individual with multisite colonization was 41 SNVs, with no systematic divergence among body sites. We observed a minimum of 7 SNVs and maximum of 153 SNVs between isolates from different individuals. We identified 4 pairs of individuals whose isolates were within 40 SNVs of each other. Putting our isolates in the context of previously sequenced USA300 isolates from other communities, we identified a 13-member group and two 4-member groups that represent samples from putative local transmission networks. Individuals in these groups were more likely to be African American, to be human immunodeficiency virus-infected, to reside in high detainee release areas, and to be current users of illicit drugs. CONCLUSIONS Using WGS, we observed potential transmission networks in an urban community and that certain epidemiologic factors were associated with inclusion in these networks. Future work with contact tracing and advanced molecular diagnostics may allow for identification of MRSA "epicenters" in the community where interventions can be targeted.
Is it Time for a Writing Audit

This article details methods that law firms employ to evaluate whether they are doing all that they can to develop the writing skills of their attorneys.
Davidson and Prior on Indirect Quotation

Since Davidson’s views on indirect quotation are intimately connected with his views on direct quotation (as was also the case with Frege), we begin this discussion with a comparison of Prior and Davidson on direct quotation.
Thermally Stable N2-Intercalated WO3 Photoanodes for Water Oxidation

We describe stable intercalation compounds of the composition xN(2)·WO(3) (x = 0.034-0.039), formed by trapping N(2) in WO(3). The incorporation of N(2) significantly reduced the absorption threshold of WO(3); notably, 0.039N(2)·WO(3) anodes exhibited photocurrent under illumination at wavelengths ≤640 nm with a faradaic efficiency for O(2) evolution in 1.0 M HClO(4)(aq) of nearly unity. Spectroscopic and computational results indicated that deformation of the WO(3) host lattice, as well as weak electronic interactions between trapped N(2) and the WO(3) matrix, contributed to the observed red shift in optical absorption. Noble-gas-intercalated WO(3) materials similar to xN(2)·WO(3) are predicted to function as photoanodes that are responsive to visible light.
Gaps in Timely Access to Care Among Workers by Disability Status: Will the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Reforms Change the Landscape?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is salient for workers with a disability because of their significant health care needs, relatively low incomes, and the complex interactions among work, federal disability benefits, and eligibility for public health insurance. Using data from the 2006–2010 National Health Interview Surveys, in this study, we document the characteristics and health insurance profiles of workers with a disability and consider the extent to which these factors are correlated with the ability to access adequate and timely health care. We find significantly higher rates of reported difficulties accessing timely health care for cost-related and structural reasons among employed adults with self-reported health conditions limiting the ability to work than among their non-work-limited peers, even after controlling for personal characteristics and health insurance coverage. The findings suggest that although the ACA will improve access to health insurance, it remains to be seen...
Study on Selection for Arrester Disconnector and Its Application Method

This paper firstly states selection method for arrester disconnector in aspects of action performance,electrical performance tolerance and mechanical performance.By combining correspondent standard requirements and practical operation experience,it analyzes installation and application method for distribution network arrester and gapless line arrester disconnector.At last,it concludes correct selection and application method for disconnector and points out that it is necessary to consider performance requirement,system grounding way,working principles and environmental conditions for installation and application of the disconnector when selecting.Meanwhile,it is required not to affect insulation of the equipment after action of the disconnector.
El zorro de arriba y el zorro de abajo: Ciudad, Post-desarrollismo y “Buen Vivir” en el universo narrativo de José María Arguedas .

Tomando como locus la compleja realidad social, politica, etnica, cultural y por ende urbanistica de la ciudad peruana de Chimbote, en su novela El zorro de arriba y el zorro de abajo, el tambien peruano Jose Maria Arguedas pareciera intuir el advenimiento de una cierta y sutil opresion epistemologica que el discurso post-desarrollista podria ejercer sobre modelos alternativos y contra-hegemonicos no-occidentales latinoamericanos como lo son el “Buen Vivir”, el Sumak Kawsay y el Suma Qamana, y que luchan por ser vistos y pensados como conceptos autonomos, capaces de identificar sus propios problemas y generar sus propias soluciones. Paralelo, pues, a la teleologia urbanistica impulsada por una liquida mentalidad occidental desarrollista, Arguedas ofrece tambien un Chimbote portador de las semillas de su propia emancipacion. Con todo y eso, el valor de esta novela no consiste tanto en su habilidad para plantear dicha emancipacion, como si para desglosar la amenaza que un posible apadrinamiento de estos conceptos perifericos por parte del post-desarrollismo representaria para dichas iniciativas. En suma, Arguedas ofrece un texto imprescindible para la aprehension de los diferentes retos y dificultades que los conceptos de Buen Vivir, el Sumak Kawsay y el Suma Qamana habran de afrontar en los proximos decenios.
A novel, cost-effective, multi-point Thomson scattering system on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment (invited)

A novel, cost-effective, multi-point Thomson scattering system has been designed, implemented, and operated on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment. Leveraging advances in Nd:YAG lasers, high-efficiency volume phase holographic transmission gratings, and increased quantum-efficiency Generation 3 image-intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) cameras, the system provides Thomson spectra at eight spatial locations for a single grating/camera pair. The on-board digitization of the ICCD camera enables easy modular expansion, evidenced by recent extension from 4 to 12 plasma/background spatial location pairs. Stray light is rejected using time-of-flight methods suited to gated ICCDs, and background light is blocked during detector readout by a fast shutter. This ∼103 reduction in background light enables further expansion to up to 24 spatial locations. The implementation now provides single-shot Te(R) for ne > 5 × 1018 m−3.
A new control technique for achieving wide constant power speed operation with an interior PM alternator machine

A new flux weakening control algorithm is presented for achieving wide constant power operation with an interior permanent magnet (IPM) synchronous machine operating as an alternator. The algorithm is designed to initiate flux weakening only when necessary by recognizing the threshold conditions for current regulator saturation, making the algorithm inherently adaptive to changes in the inverter bus voltage. A 6 kW 42 V automotive integrated starter/alternator (ISA) using a direct-drive IPM machine serves as the target application for this development. Simulation results show that the new algorithm is capable of delivering very good static and dynamic bus regulation characteristics over a 10:1 engine operating speed range. Tests are presently under way to confirm these performance predictions using a prototype IPM starter/alternator system.
Non-Detection of Enteroviruses in Shellfish Collected from Legal Shellfish Beds in Massachusetts

Eighty-five samples of shellfish (50 soft shell clams, 21 hard shell clams and 14 oysters) were examined for the presence of human enteric viruses. In addition, bacterial contamination levels, both fecal coliform and standard plate count, were determined. Seventy-five samples were harvested from open shellfish areas and 10 samples from restricted shellfish areas during seasonal opening. Enteroviruses were not detected in any of the samples tested. In contrast, 33 (30 from open beds and 3 from restricted areas) of 82 shellfish samples had levels of bacterial contamination that exceed current regulatory limits for shellfish.
HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist Device Pump Exchange: A Single-Institution Experience.

Background Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have revolutionized the treatment of patients with end-stage heart failure. These devices are replaced when pump complications arise if heart transplant is not possible. We present our experience with HeartMate II (HMII (Thoratec, Plesanton, California, United States)) LVAD pump exchange. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed all cases that required pump exchange due to LVAD complication from November 2011 until June 2016 at a single high-volume institution. The indications, demographics, and outcome were extracted and analyzed. Results Of 250 total patients with implanted HMII LVADs, 16 (6%) required pump exchange during the study period. The initial indications for LVAD placement in these patients were bridge to transplantation ( n = 6 [37.5%]) or destination therapy ( n = 10 [62.5%]). Fifteen patients (93.8%) required pump exchange due to pump thrombosis and 1 (6.2%) due to refractory driveline infection. Nine patients (56.2%) underwent repeat median sternotomy while a left subcostal approach was used in the remaining seven patients. Fifteen patients (93.7%) survived until hospital discharge. During the follow-up period (median, 155 days), 11 patients remained alive and 4 of these underwent successful cardiac transplantation. Conclusion HMII LVAD pump exchange can be safely performed for driveline infection or pump thrombosis when heart transplantation is not an option.
Medical Student Perspectives of Active Learning: A Focus Group Study

ABSTRACTPhenomenon: Medical student perspectives were sought about active learning, including concerns, challenges, perceived advantages and disadvantages, and appropriate role in the educational process. Approach: Focus groups were conducted with students from all years and campuses of a large U.S. state medical school. Findings: Students had considerable experience with active learning prior to medical school and conveyed accurate understanding of the concept and its major strategies. They appreciated the potential of active learning to deepen and broaden learning and its value for long-term professional development but had significant concerns about the efficiency of the process, the clarity of expectations provided, and the importance of receiving preparatory materials. Most significantly, active learning experiences were perceived as disconnected from grading and even as impeding preparation for school and national examinations. Insights: Medical students understand the concepts of active learning an...
The Impact of Previous Athletic Experience on Current Physical Fitness in Former Collegiate Athletes and Noncollegiate Athletes.

Background:Physical activity performed at moderate intensity is associated with reduced risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and some types of cancers. However, vigorous physical activity during participation in college athletics may increase the risk of injury, which might limit future physical activity levels.Purpose:To evaluate differences in current physical fitness levels between former Division I athletes and noncollegiate athletes.Study Design:Cross-sectional study.Level of Evidence:Level 3.Methods:The sample was recruited from a large midwestern university alumni database and consisted of 2 cohorts: (1) former Division I athletes (n = 100; mean age, 53.1 ± 7.4 years) and (2) nonathletes who were active in college (n = 100; age, 51.4 ± 7.3 years). Individuals answered a demographics questionnaire and completed a physical fitness assessment consisting of 7 measures: percent body fat, 1-mile walk, sit-to-stand test, push-up, half sit-up test, sit and reach test, and back scratch t...
Solution-Processed Carbon Nanotube True Random Number Generator.

With the growing adoption of interconnected electronic devices in consumer and industrial applications, there is an increasing demand for robust security protocols when transmitting and receiving sensitive data. Toward this end, hardware true random number generators (TRNGs), commonly used to create encryption keys, offer significant advantages over software pseudorandom number generators. However, the vast network of devices and sensors envisioned for the “Internet of Things” will require small, low-cost, and mechanically flexible TRNGs with low computational complexity. These rigorous constraints position solution-processed semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as leading candidates for next-generation security devices. Here, we demonstrate the first TRNG using static random access memory (SRAM) cells based on solution-processed SWCNTs that digitize thermal noise to generate random bits. This bit generation strategy can be readily implemented in hardware with minimal transistor and comp...
Liquid Scintillation and Čerenkov Counting

Liquid scintillation counting is of relatively recent origin and has been widely used in various fields of research. The flexibility, versatility, and sensitivity of liquid scintillators allow their use in large volume as well as in small volume detectors. This type of counting technique is exploited not only in the field of nuclear physics, archaeology, biology, chemistry, engineering, and other branches of natural science, but also in the domain of medicine and medical research where its application has widened the scope of studies by rendering the counting of bulky samples possible and the use of weak β-emitting radionuclides as tracers more practical. In fact, liquid scintillation spectrometers have superseded Geiger-Mueller counters in a vast number of laboratories where measurements of radionuclides are routinely conducted.
The Association Between Arthralgia and Vedolizumab Using Natural Language Processing.

Background The gut-selective nature of vedolizumab has raised questions regarding increased joint pain or arthralgia with its use in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. As arthralgias are seldom coded and thus difficult to study, few studies have examined the comparative risk of arthralgia between vedolizumab and tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi). Our objectives were to evaluate the application of natural language processing (NLP) to identify arthralgia in the clinical notes and to compare the risk of arthralgia between vedolizumab and TNFi in IBD. Methods We performed a retrospective study using a validated electronic medical record (EMR)-based IBD cohort from 2 large tertiary care centers. The index date was the first date of vedolizumab or TNFi prescription. Baseline covariates were assessed 1 year before the index date; patients were followed 1 year after the index date. The primary outcome was arthralgia, defined using NLP. Using inverse probability of treatment weight to balance the cohorts, we then constructed Cox regression models to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) for arthralgia in the vedolizumab and TNFi groups. Results We studied 367 IBD patients on vedolizumab and 1218 IBD patients on TNFi. Patients on vedolizumab were older (mean age, 41.2 vs 34.9 years) and had more prevalent use of immunomodulators (52.3% vs 31.9%) than TNFi users. Our data did not observe a significantly increased risk of arthralgia in the vedolizumab group compared with TNFi (HR, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.97-1.49). Conclusions In this large observational study, we did not find a significantly increased risk of arthralgia associated with vedolizumab use compared with TNFi.
Further Advances in the Development of Environmentally Acceptable Corrosion Inhibitors

The environmental fate of specialty chemicals used in petroleum recovery processes has received increased attention in recent years. The laboratory has contributed to early advances in this field. This paper outlines further systematic studies. The influences of alkylation, starting amine type, and acid chain length on imidazoline properties were studied in addition to the properties of blends. The properties considered were corrosion inhibition, biodegradability, marine organism toxicity, octanol/water partitioning, and vapor pressure. A cross section of field test and application results is included.
Benthic community metabolism in three habitats in an Ozark stream

Benthic community metabolism was measured in three habitats (riffles, runs and pools) during spring (May), summer (July) and fall (October) in the Jacks Fork River, Missouri, using an in situ chamber technique. Net community productivity (NCP) and gross community productivity (GCP) were highest in riffles, lowest in pools and intermediate in runs. Rates of NCP and GCP during spring and fall were similar for both riffles and runs, but NCP and GCP increased significantly during summer in both habitats. Pool substrates were always heterotrophic and exhibited no significant seasonal changes in NCP or GCP. Community respiration (CR) was highest in riffles, intermediate in runs and lowest in pools, but interhabitat differences in CR were generally smaller than for NCP. Rates of CR during spring and fall were similar, but CR increased significantly during summer. Results indicate that the physical conditions associated with each habitat strongly affect benthic community metabolism in this stream and that the relative proportions of these habitats will influence the ratio of living algal:detrital organic matter potentially available for consumers.
Local food access in inner cities: Integrated research through: comparison study, literature review, case studies and design implementation

This research suggests a strategy to address a difficult challenge: self-sustainability and the promotion of increasing the availability and accessibility of local food. This strategy has the opportunity to bring nutritious meals into our homes, place money into our local economies and promote self-sustaining communities. This study examines literature and case studies involving both primary and secondary sources. Cities and their local food programs were examined by travel within Havana, Cuba, and Kansas City, Missouri, and a field research study in Des Moines, Iowa. The study presents models that address urban agriculture, food accessibility, and design implementations to improve local food access. The ultimate goal of this research is to provide alternative, healthy, and sustainable means to make local food available to residents and create a model for future communities to initiate sustainable measures and promote the design of holistic food systems.
Molecular diagnostics of myeloid leukemias

Hematopoiesis is a highly regulated process in which hematopoietic stem cells give rise to erythroid, megakaryocytic, myeloid, monocytic, dendritic, and lymphoid lineages.
It is time to combat abortion stigma

People who have abortions have been silenced in a way that impoverishes our abortion debate, says Katie Watson.
A dynamic gradient boosting machine using genetic optimizer for practical breast cancer prognosis

Abstract This research proposes a novel genetic algorithm-based online gradient boosting (GAOGB) model for incremental breast cancer (BC) prognosis. The development of clinical information collection technologies has brought in increasingly large amounts of stream data for BC research. Traditional batch learning models have shown limitations in: (1) real-time prognosis accuracy from losing the information of incremental changes of a patient’s pathological condition by time; (2) high redundancy due to the time required to retrain models every time new data are received. Online boosting is an efficient technique for learning from data streams. However, difficulties in parameter assignment and the lack of adaptiveness for batch learning base learners can degrade the performances of typical online boosting algorithms. The main objective of this research is to propose an incremental learning model for BC survivability prediction. To render a boosting algorithm with superiority in global optimal parameters, the genetic algorithm (GA) is integrated to an online gradient boosting scenario at the parameter selection phase, enabling real-time optimization. To enhance adaptiveness, an adaptive linear regressor is adopted as the base learner with minimal computational efforts, and updated in symphony with the online boosting model. The proposed GAOGB model is comprehensively evaluated on the U.S. National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program breast cancer dataset in terms of accuracy, area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, retraining time, and variation at each iteration. Experimental results show that the proposed GAOGB model achieves statistically outstanding online learning effectiveness. With a highest 28% improvement on testing accuracy over its base learners, outperforming current state-of-art online learning methods, and approximating batch learning boosting algorithms, the GAOGB algorithm validates the impact of parameter, adaptiveness and convergence in devising practical online learning algorithms. The proposed GAOGB model demonstrates potential for practical incremental breast cancer prognosis, promising a combination of training effectiveness and efficiency.
High resolution operational modal analysis on a five-story smart building under wind and human induced excitation

Abstract The Goodwin Hall Smart Infrastructure facility at Virginia Tech is a five-story “smart building” with an integrated network of 225 wired accelerometers. This study utilizes a subset of 117 sensors to perform Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) of the structure under wind excitation and establish a high-resolution benchmark modal characterization. Frequency Spatial Domain Decomposition and Stochastic Subspace Identification results are compared to validate the extracted modal parameters. Twelve structural modes were identified, including five high frequency local modes. These local modes are crucial features for structures with complex geometries and can generally be identified only with high density instrumentation. Through a parametric analysis and the use of standard deviation estimates, we determine that 50–60 min time series were optimal for high confidence on frequency and damping estimates. Furthermore, we employ standard deviation estimates to improve existing OMA automation methods. This enables continuous modal parameter extraction over a four-day period to understand the characteristics of the two main forms of ambient excitation: wind and human-induced. Although similar continuous analyses have been conducted on bridges, few of this kind exist for buildings. In general, we observe that modal participation of the three fundamental modes is closely tied to wind and human activity and that the confidence in frequency and damping estimates of these modes improves as the excitation increases. Slight decreases in natural frequency with increasing participation occur for several modes, agreeing with behavior observed in bridge monitoring studies. Finally, wind is seen to excite primarily in one direction, whereas humans induce even excitation in all directions.
Large eddy simulations of ventilated micro hydrokinetic turbine at design and off-design operating conditions

Abstract Multiphase large eddy simulations (LES) were conducted for ventilated micro hydrokinetic turbine operating at design and off-design operational conditions. The simulations were performed with and without aeration at the design tip-speed ratio of 1.86 and at off-design tip-speed ratios of 1.2 and 2.7. The spatial and temporal characteristics of oxygen dissolution into the water were examined. The nominal value of power generation for the tip-speed ratio of 1.2 decreased slightly with aeration, while it increased slightly at the tip-speed ratio of 1.86 and 2.7. Slight increase in thrust was also observed for each case. The standard deviation of both power and thrust coefficient were increased more than 47% with air injection at the tip-speed ratio of 1.2, while the standard deviation of the thrust coefficient decreases by approximately 18% at the tip-speed ratio of 1.86 and 2.7. The suppression of small eddies and the early dissipation of tip vortices in multiphase simulations in the cases of the tip-speed ratio of 1.86 and 2.7 can be related to more stable turbine operation with aeration. It is demonstrated here that micro hydrokinetic turbines can be used effectively for aeration purposes at wide range of operating conditions.
What Do High School Students Know About Information Literacy? A Case Study of One University’s Feeder Schools

This article describes a local study that seeks to illuminate first-year college students’ prior experiences with research and information literacy (IL) during high school. A small, suburban university surveyed and conducted interviews with librarians at the university’s feeder schools. The high school librarians rated students’ levels of proficiency in IL skills and described their school’s IL programs. Overall, librarians rated students’ IL levels as less than proficient and described several challenges to helping students improve these competencies, including teacher resistance, assignment design, and students’ habits around information. Opportunities exist for academic and school librarians to collaborate to improve IL instruction as well as to emphasize IL in teacher education programs.
The seven sins: security smells in infrastructure as code scripts

Practitioners use infrastructure as code (IaC) scripts to provision servers and development environments. While developing IaC scripts, practitioners may inadvertently introduce security smells. Security smells are recurring coding patterns that are indicative of security weakness and can potentially lead to security breaches. The goal of this paper is to help practitioners avoid insecure coding practices while developing infrastructure as code (IaC) scripts through an empirical study of security smells in IaC scripts. We apply qualitative analysis on 1,726 IaC scripts to identify seven security smells. Next, we implement and validate a static analysis tool called Security Linter for Infrastructure as Code scripts (SLIC) to identify the occurrence of each smell in 15,232 IaC scripts collected from 293 open source repositories. We identify 21,201 occurrences of security smells that include 1,326 occurrences of hard-coded passwords. We submitted bug reports for 1,000 randomly-selected security smell occurrences. We obtain 212 responses to these bug reports, of which 148 occurrences were accepted by the development teams to be fixed. We observe security smells can have a long lifetime, e.g., a hard-coded secret can persist for as long as 98 months, with a median lifetime of 20 months.
Meta-Network Modeling and Resilience Analysis

In this chapter, we provide meta-network modeling and investigate both static and dynamic network resilience games. We leverage the established network-of-networks model and study the decentralized decision-makings of players that control the agents at each layer of networks. Furthermore, we provide a tractable problem formulation of which the optimal solution can be computed conveniently. In both games, efficient algorithms are developed which have convergence guarantee to the equilibrium point. In the dynamic network game, the security and resilience aspects of the algorithm are extensively corroborated via simulations using multi-layer mobile autonomous systems.
A TREAT FOR CONTRARIAN THINKERS. Essay Review of Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá

Essay review of Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha. HarperCollins, 2010
Early Single Sport Specialization in a High-Achieving US Athlete Population: Comparing National Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athletes and Undergraduate Students.

Context Early single-sport specialization and the relative age effect are often cited as improving the chances of sport success. Both concepts suggest that genetics and the environment have little ...
State-Space Model and Kalman Filter Gain Identification by a Superspace Method

This paper describes a superspace method to identify a state-space model and an associated Kalman filter gain from input-output data. Superstate vectors are simply vectors containing input-output measurements, and used directly for the identification. The superstate space is unusual in that the state portion of the Kalman filter becomes completely independent of both the system dynamics and the input and output noise statistics. The system dynamics is entirely carried by the measurement portion of the superstate Kalman filter model. When model reduction is applied, the system dynamics returns to the state portion of the state-space model.
Chapter 104 – PTEN

Publisher Summary The PTEN phosphatase has an active site motif characteristic for the protein tyrosine phosphatase superfamily, yet its major substrate is the membrane lipid phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5) trisphosphate (PIP3). PTEN is thus the major antagonist of PI3 kinase signaling, which explains its supreme role in tumor suppression, development, and growth control. Research on PTEN has provided fundamental insights into many aspects of biology, such as phospholipid metabolism and the downstream signaling networks, and regulation of basic cellular processes such as migration or senescence; finally, it has even allowed the redefining of genetic principles of tumor suppression. The understanding of the PTEN pathway is expanding quickly, and has greatly profited from its high conservation in model organisms such as Dictyostelium, Caenorhabditis, and Drosophila. Mechanisms of PTEN regulation and the role of PTEN in disease recurrence after targeted therapy are now becoming clear and a conceptual framework for a successful cancer therapy is emerging. Various insights into tumor suppression strongly suggest that understanding PTEN regulation harbors great therapeutic potential, since many tumors are diagnosed while they still retain one copy of the gene. Since such efforts will require a comprehensive understanding of its biology, this chapter integrates the various facets of PTEN research.
Late diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and its influential factors in Zhoushan of Zhejiang from 2005 to 2016

Objective To explore the late diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and its influenctial factors in Zhoushan from 2005 to 2016, so as to provide evidence for targeted prevention and control. Methods Data of HIV/AIDS cases reported in Zhoushan from January 2005 to December 2016 in AIDS Prevention and Control Information System were retrieved, and the proportion of late diagnosis was calculated. One-variant logistic regression and multi-variant logistic regression were used to analyze the influential factors of late diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. Results A total of 509 HIV/AIDS cases were reported in Zhoushan from 2005 to 2016, 208 cases (40.86%) of whom were late diagnosed. Age, marital status, household registration, occupation, reporting year, pathway of infection and sample source were influential factors of late diagnosis by single factor analysis. Multi-variant logistic regression showed that the risk factors for late diagnosis of HIV/AIDS were household registration of Dinghai (OR=2.65, 95%CI: 1.28-5.51) ; fisherman (OR=2.48, 95%CI: 1.01-6.12) ; cases reported in 2005-2010 (OR=7.43, 95%CI: 3.88-14.22) ; and patients who had medical examination for other diseases (OR=11.32, 95%CI: 3.13-40.89) . Conclusions The proportion of late diagnosis of HIV/AIDS is high in Zhoushan. We should strengthen AIDS knowledge publicity and testing for the Dinghai census register and fishermen to improve the awareness of voluntary test, and optimize the HIV testing strategies for medical institutions. Key words: HIV; Late diagnosis; Influential factors
A nonlinear visco-poroelasticity model for transversely isotropic gels

A polymeric gel contains a crosslinked polymer network and solvent. Gels can swell or shrink in response to external stimuli. Two kinetic processes are usually involved during the deformation of gels: the viscoelastic and poroelastic responses. Viscoelasticity of gels is generated from the local rearrangement of the polymers, while poroelasticity of gels is generated from the solvent migration. The coupled time-dependent behaviors of gels can be formulated by coupling a rheological spring-dashpot model with a diffusion-deformation model of gels. In this work, we build a general framework of coupled visco-poroelasticity for transversely isotropic gels and study how the mechanical anisotropy could induce anisotropic time-dependent behaviors of gels even though their kinetic properties are isotropic. The constitutive model is implemented into a finite element code in commercial software. Several numerical simulations are performed to investigate the time-dependent deformation and frequency-dependent energy dissipation under different loading directions. The results show that even though the viscoelasticity and the poroelasticity are isotropic, the time-dependent behaviors along different directions are different due to the mechanical anisotropy. The fibers aligned in the transversely isotropic gel enhance the elastic feature of the material, and thus influence the dissipation time scales and the amount of energy loss for both viscoelasticity and poroelasticity.
“Before She Was Born, I Ate Cheerios and Beer for Dinner”: A Qualitative Examination of Green Parenting in Lowcountry South Carolina:

Drawing on both social practice and social innovation research, this article analyzes 48 qualitative interviews to explore the narratives of self-described green parents who live in Lowcountry Sout...
A Method to Evaluate In Vivo CD8+ T Cell Cytotoxicity in a Murine Model.

Herein, a method to measure in vivo CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity in a murine model is presented. The activation of a strong CD8+ T cell response is paramount when designing vaccines to tackle intracellular infections and for cancer therapy. CD8+ T cells can directly kill infected and transformed cells and are directly associated with beneficial protection in many disease models. CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity can be measured using multiple methods including measuring IFNγ production by ELISPOT or measuring intracellular cytokines or cytotoxic granules by flow cytometry. However, to determine the ability of CD8+ T cells to kill their target in the context of its cognate receptor and in their native environment, the in vivo cytotoxic T cell assay (in vivo CTL) is ideal. The in vivo CTL assay provides a snapshot of the whole ability of the host to kill "Target" cells by measuring the loss of injected target cells relative to "Non-target" cells. The assay involves isolating splenocytes from donor mice, forming "Target" and "Non-target" cellular samples and injecting them intravenously into naive and experimental mice at a chosen time-point in the experiment. Mice are humanely sacrificed 20 h later, and their spleens are excised and processed for flow cytometric analysis. The extent of "Target" cell killing relative to "Non-target" cells is determined by comparing the surviving proportions of these cells among experimental mice relative to naive mice. The in vivo CTL assay is a rapid, sensitive, and reliable method to measure the potency of CD8+ T cells in their host to kill their target.
Optimization of wireless coupling to SAW sensors

Wireless interrogation of surface acoustic wave sensors can be accomplished either by inductive or electromagnetic (antenna) coupling. In order to optimize the coupling, we have performed finite element simulations of the entire coupled system. Both frequency dependent simulations and time dependent simulations have been performed. In the case of frequency dependent simulations, transformation into the time domain yields the envelope of the reflected signal. The results include guidance concerning the choice of matching components.
Early Cortisol and Inflammatory Responses to Parental Cancer and Their Impact on Functional Impairment in Youth.

Purpose: Chronic stress is associated with increased risk for maladaptive psychological responses during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Adults exposed to chronic stress during childhood exhibit dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and inflammation. There are no studies examining the impact of stress on biological stress responses and functional impairment in adolescents and young adults early after the onset of a stressor. Methods: The sample consisted of 59 offspring, aged 11–25 years, 33 of parents diagnosed with cancer and 26 controls from families with no cancer or severe chronic illness in parents or siblings. Cancer patients and their families were recruited within an average of 62 days (SD = 35.9) and followed at 6 and 9 months later. Functional impairment was assessed and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC), salivary cortisol, and inflammatory markers were measured. Mixed regression analyses were conducted. Results: The stress group showed higher functional impairment (β = −5.5, 95% CI (−10.4, −0.06), p = 0.03, d= −0.40) and HCC (β = 10.5, 95% CI (−5.5, −0.50), p < 0.001, d = 1.43). However, HCC were reduced over time in the stress group (β= −0.3, 95% CI (−0.04, −0.01), p < 0.001, d = −1.08). Higher total cortisol output was associated with increased functional impairment over time (β = −3.0, 95% CI (−5.5, −0.5), p = 0.02, d = −0.60). Conclusions: Parental cancer is associated with early increase in cortisol, which was associated with increased functional impairment in offspring. Clinicians need to assess and monitor psychiatric symptoms and functioning in these offspring early on following parental cancer diagnosis.