cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PrOLoc: resilient localization with private observers using partial homomorphic encryption

Aided by advances in sensors and algorithms, systems for localizing and tracking target objects or events have become ubiquitous in recent years. Most of these systems operate on the principle of fusing measurements of distance and/or direction to the target made by a set of spatially distributed observers using sensors that measure signals such as RF, acoustic, or optical. The computation of the target's location is done using multilateration and multiangulation algorithms, typically running at an aggregation node that, in addition to the distance/direction measurements, also needs to know the observers' locations. This presents a privacy risk for an observer that does not trust the aggregation node or other observers and could in turn lead to lack of participation. For example, consider a crowd-sourced sensing system where citizens are required to report security threats, or a smart car, stranded with a malfunctioning GPS, sending out localization requests to neighboring cars -- in both cases, observer (i.e., citizens and cars respectively) participation can be increased by keeping their location private. This paper presents PrOLoc, a localization system that combines partially homomorphic encryption with a new way of structuring the localization problem to enable efficient and accurate computation of a target's location without requiring observers to make public their locations or measurements. Moreover, and unlike previously proposed perturbation based techniques, PrOLoc is also resilient to malicious active false data injection attacks. We present two realizations of our approach, provide rigorous theoretical guarantees, and also compare the performance of each against traditional methods. Our experiments on real hardware demonstrate that PrOLoc yields location estimates that are accurate while being at least 500\times faster than state-of-art secure function evaluation techniques.
An upper-body rehabilitation exoskeleton Harmony with an anatomical shoulder mechanism

We present an upper-body exoskeleton for rehabilitation, called Harmony, that provides natural coordinated motions on the shoulder with a wide range of motion, and force and impedance controllability. The exoskeleton consists of an anatomical shoulder mechanism with five active degrees of freedom, and one degree of freedom elbow and wrist mechanisms powered by series elastic actuators. The dynamic model of the exoskeleton is formulated using a recursive Newton-Euler algorithm with spatial dynamics representation. A baseline control algorithm is developed to achieve dynamic transparency and scapulohumeral rhythm assistance, and the coupled stability of the robot-human system at the baseline control is investigated. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the kinematic and dynamic characteristics of the exoskeleton. The results show that the exoskeleton exhibits good kinematic compatibility to the human body with a wide range of motion and performs task-space force and impedance control behaviors reliably.
Decolonizing the Lifeworld of Death

In our final chapter, I aim to amalgamate all important concepts provided by scholars presented in the monograph for a final reading of the Death Cafe’s phenomenon as a social movement. With pride of place still given to Habermas’s theory of communicative action, I also hope to show how the amalgamation of communicative action concepts underpin a death identity. In this regard, I remind readers that we are witnessing a decolonizing of the lifeworld through Death Cafe renderings of life and death. I note how such a decolonization through Death Cafes serve to articulate our shared humanity in an age of divisive identity politics. The closing sections of our final chapter elaborates on sociologist Anthony Giddens’s views about the catalytic aspects of social risk that propel participants toward responding to an increasingly precarious society. The desire to engage with risk calculations can be seen as a set of factors that motivate Cafe attendees to mitigate risks by collectively engaging in death talk. To understand their efforts as a movement, a condensed review of social movement literature is undertaken. By conducting a social movement literature review that took place during the last chapter allows the literature to function as a crescendo for the efforts of Cafe participants, all of whom are framed as movement activists in this work. The chapter closes on a positive note, reminding readers that the Death Cafe ultimately returns us to life and living.
Analyses of Agalsidase Alfa and Agalsidase Beta for the Treatment of Fabry Disease

Within the past decade, two recombinant α-galactosidase A replacement products have been developed for Fabry disease treatment: Agalsidase alfa (Replagal®, Shire TKT Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA, USA) and agalsidase beta (Fabrazyme®, Genzyme Corp., Cambridge, MA, USA). Agalsidase alfa and beta are licensed in Europe, Canada, Australia, and the countries of the Pacific Rim (including Japan) at doses of 0.2 and 1.0 mg/kg body weight, respectively, whereas only agalsidase beta is licensed in the United States. The biological and therapeutic equivalency of these two recombinant alfa-galactosidase A preparations has been the subject of debate. The purpose of this chapter is to compare the available efficacy and safety data on agalsidase alfa and beta, and to provide suggestions for future comparative studies.
Pageforge: a near-memory content-aware page-merging architecture

To reduce the memory requirements of virtualized environments, modern hypervisors are equipped with the capability to search the memory address space and merge identical pages – a process called page deduplication. This process uses a combination of data hashing and exhaustive comparison of pages, which consumes processor cycles and pollutes caches. In this paper, we present a lightweight hardware mechanism that augments the memory controller and performs the page merging process with minimal hypervisor involvement. Our concept, called PageForge, is effective. It compares pages in the memory controller, and repurposes the Error Correction Codes (ECC) engine to generate accurate and inexpensive ECC-based hash keys. We evaluate PageForge with simulations of a 10-core processor with a virtual machine (VM) on each core, running a set of applications from the TailBench suite. When compared with RedHat’s KSM, a state-of-the-art software implementation of page merging, PageForge attains identical savings in memory footprint while substantially reducing the overhead. Compared to a system without same-page merging, PageForge reduces the memory footprint by an average of 48%, enabling the deployment of twice as many VMs for the same physical memory. Importantly, it keeps the average latency overhead to 10%, and the $95 ^{th}$ percentile tail latency to 11%. In contrast, in KSM, these latency overheads are 68% and 136%, respectively. CCS CONCEPTS • Computer systems organization $\rightarrow$ Cloud computing; • Software and its engineering $\rightarrow$ Operating systems; Memory management; Virtual machines;
The evolution of agricultural input subsidy programs: contextualizing policy debates in Malawi’s FISP

Abstract Malawi has been associated with the re-emergence of agricultural input subsidy programs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) since its launching of the Farm Inputs Subsidy Program (FISP) in 2005. It has also been at the center of policy debates regarding its capacity to launch a uniquely African Green Revolution within a marketized and capitalist configuration, and in a context of constrained public resources. Such debates have been informed by the evidentiary literature, which has been mixed and sharply divided. This paper, using qualitative methods, explores how such debates have shaped Malawi’s food security policies and brought about recent alignment in government and donor policy positions. The results indicate that the recent change in FISP policy is intimately linked to wider concerns to commercialize agriculture and the general reconfiguration of food security policy to more accurately reflect presumed ‘possibilities’ and what is fiscally pragmatic. The paper highlights some of the complexities that have been faced by policy makers in the process of devising appropriate pro-poor agricultural and food security policies within the broader enterprise of economic growth in a rather challenging context. It contributes to scholarly efforts to untangle Malawi’s food security-development policy paradox™ which might be relevant to other countries in SSA.
Engaging New Forms of Social Inquiry and Social Action

During the twentieth century, the scientific enterprise, enshrined primarily within the world’s great research universities, has increasingly come to be viewed as the central hero of modernity. The university itself has become, in Robert Pirsig’s (1974) phrase, the church of modernity. With the advent in the 1990s of global capitalism, along with the Internet and the World Wide Web, scientific inquiry has paradoxically become the primary source of economic creativity and growth. We say this is paradoxical because the most authoritative paradigm of modern science— empirical positivism—attempts to divorce “value-free” scientific observing and theorizing from “value-driven” social action (see Torbert, ). We are transitioning from national industrial economies to a global information economy, and at the same time our urban centers are concentrations of poverty, marginalization, and despair (Fleming, 1999). Ignoring this context, our dominant paradigms for research, thought, and action are still based on mechanistic, technological, unidirectional causation and unilateral power.
Molecular Cytogenetics as a Diagnostic Tool for Typing Melanocytic Tumors

The melanocyte can give rise to a variety of both benign and malignant lesions that differ in their clinical and histopathological appearance. It is likely that genetic changes underlie this phenotypic diversity. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is a genome-wide scanning technique that permits the measurement of copy number aberrations in archival tumors. Using CGH, we have demonstrated significant differences in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in primary cutaneous melanomas and Spitz nevi. Whereas the majority of melanomas have aberrations frequently involving chromosomes 9, 10, 7, and 6, most Spitz nevi do not show aberrations. However, a small subset of Spitz nevi show an isolated gain of the short arm of chromosome lip. As this aberration has not been observed in melanomas, the measurement of chromosomal aberrations should be further evaluated as a diagnostic tool for ambiguous melanocytic tumors.
Supporting Cluster File Systems on Intel® Xeon Phi™ Coprocessors

It is important to understand whether users want to use coprocessors as offload devices or as a separate compute node. In the latter case a user must be able to ssh from any other node in the cluster directly to a coprocessor, and find an environment (like cluster file system) similar or identical to a standard node. The Xeon Phi can be configured so that a user can run MPI on the coprocessors, only on the host processor (e.g. using the coprocessor in offload mode), or a mix of native coprocessor and/or host processor MPI codes.
Out of Office Blood Pressure Measurement in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are increasing in prevalence and associated with significant maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Increased emphasis has been placed recently on the use of out-of-office (i.e., home and ambulatory) blood pressure (BP) monitoring to diagnose and manage hypertension in the general population. Current guidelines offer limited recommendations on the use of out-of-office BP monitoring during pregnancy and postpartum. This review will discuss the recent literature on BP measurement outside of the office and its use for screening, diagnosis, and treatment in pregnancy and postpartum, and will illuminate areas for future research.
Awareness of Heart Attack Symptoms and Response Among Adults — United States, 2008, 2014, and 2017

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States (1). Heart attacks (also known as myocardial infarctions) occur when a portion of the heart muscle does not receive adequate blood flow, and they are major contributors to heart disease, with an estimated 750,000 occurring annually (2). Early intervention is critical for preventing mortality in the event of a heart attack (3). Identification of heart attack signs and symptoms by victims or bystanders, and taking immediate action by calling emergency services (9-1-1), are crucial to ensure timely receipt of emergency care and thereby improve the chance for survival (4). A recent report using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data from 2014 found that 47.2% of U.S. adults could state all five common heart attack symptoms (jaw, neck, or back discomfort; weakness or lightheadedness; chest discomfort; arm or shoulder discomfort; and shortness of breath) and knew to call 9-1-1 if someone had a heart attack (5). To assess changes in awareness and response to an apparent heart attack, CDC analyzed data from NHIS to report awareness of heart attack symptoms and calling 9-1-1 among U.S. adults in 2008, 2014, and 2017. The adjusted percentage of persons who knew all five common heart attack symptoms increased from 39.6% in 2008 to 50.0% in 2014 and to 50.2% in 2017. The adjusted percentage of adults who knew to call 9-1-1 if someone was having a heart attack increased from 91.8% in 2008 to 93.4% in 2014 and to 94.9% in 2017. Persistent disparities in awareness of heart attack symptoms were observed by demographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk group. Public health awareness initiatives and systematic integration of appropriate awareness and action in response to a perceived heart attack should be expanded across the health system continuum of care.
Identifying Cancer-Directed Surgeries in Medicare Claims: A Validation Study Using SEER-Medicare Data.

PurposeMedicare claims provide a rich data source for large-scale quality assessment because data are available for all beneficiaries nationally. For cancer surgery, the absence of information rega...
Misdiagnosis: Acute Chest Syndrome That Evolved into Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in a Patient without a Documented History of Hemoglobinopathy

Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a feared complication of sickle cell disease. Here is a case of a patient who presented with symptoms suggestive of acute chest syndrome yet had a delayed diagnosis presumably due to the lack of documented history of sickle cell disease of the patient, consequently evolving into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). He was subsequently diagnosed with heterozygous sickle cell SC disease on hemoglobin electrophoresis. After appropriate management with mechanical ventilator, broad-spectrum empiric intravenous antibiotics, exchange transfusion, and intravenous fluid resuscitation, the patient was medically optimized and safely discharged home, with significant improvement noted on successive follow-up visits.
Pattern of intracranial findings detected on magnetic resonance imaging in surviving infants born before 29 weeks of gestation.

Despite the positive survival trend in infants born prematurely, the risk for development of intracranial lesions has remained unchanged. However, there are limitations to our understanding of the pattern of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -detected brain pathology in the preterm infants surviving to discharge. The present study outlines the type of intracranial lesions and factors allied with the neonatal brain hemorrhage (NBH) and white matter injury (WMI) seen on MRI at term-equivalent age or close to discharge in infants born before 29 weeks of gestation. We obtained demographic and clinical data, and reports of serial cranial ultrasound (CUS) performed during first month of life and qualitative MRI at term-equivalent age or close to discharge. Statistical comparison was conducted with respect to the MRI results that were classified as normal, WMI, and NBH using univariate and logistic regression analysis. One hundred and ninety three infants with MRI at term-equivalent age or close to discharge were included in final analysis. They were less mature and had a higher prevalence of pathological findings on CUS as compared with 249 other survivors born with gestational ages less than 29 weeks during the assigned study period. MRI was normal in 72.5% [95% Confidence Interval (95% CI 65.9%-78.4%)], showed WMI in 9.8% (95%CI 6.4%-14.9%) and NBH in 17.6% (95%CI 12.9–23.6) of the studied infants. Intracranial hemorrhages had also been reported in 42.2% of the infants with WMI. Except for moderate agreement with prior CUS results, no other factors were associated with the MRI detected pathological findings. In general, the likelihood for detection of WMI and NBH on MRI at term-equivalent age or close to discharge was reduced by approximately 80% and 70%, respectively if the serial CUS had not shown any abnormalities during the first month of life.
Magnetic adsorbents for selective removal of selenite from contaminated water

Novel meso- and microporous tire-derived carbon framework as a support for magnetic iron oxide nanoparticle adsorbents (MNA) that selectively adsorb selenite (Se(IV)) ions from contaminated water h...
Solid Lubrication with MoS$_2$: A Review

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS$_2$) is one of the most broadly utilized solid lubricants with a wide range of applications, including but not limited to those in the aerospace/space industry. Here we present a focused review of solid lubrication with MoS$_2$ by highlighting its structure, synthesis, applications and the fundamental mechanisms underlying its lubricative properties, together with a discussion of their environmental and temperature dependence. An effort is made to cover the main theoretical and experimental studies that constitute milestones in our scientific understanding. The review also includes an extensive overview of the structure and tribological properties of doped MoS$_2$, followed by a discussion of potential future research directions.
The “One-Bead-One-Compound” Combinatorial Library Method

1. Peptoids 419 2. Oligocarbamates 420 3. Oligoureas 420 4. Vinylogous Sulfonyl Peptides 420 5. Peptidosulfonamides 420 6. Azatides 420 7. Ketides 420 D. Small Molecule Libraries 420 1. Acyclic Libraries 422 2. Libraries on Preformed Scaffolds 422 3. Heterocyclic Libraries 423 4. Structurally Heterogeneous Libraries 427 E. Cleavable Linkers 428 1. Single Cleavable Linkers 428 2. Multiply Cleavable Linkers 429 IV. Screening Methods 432 A. On-Bead Screening 432 1. Binding Assay 432 2. Functional Assay 434 B. Solution-Phase Screening 434 1. The 96-Well Two-Stage Releasable Assays 435
Multiple injection for improving knock, gaseous and particulate matter emissions in direct injection SI engines

Abstract Advances in fuel injector technology have enabled research and development on a large variety of direct injection spark ignition (DISI) engine fueling strategies targeted to improve engine performance and reduce engine-out emissions. This study explores the effect of multiple injections on knock, engine efficiency and stability, and particulate number and gaseous emissions on a single-cylinder DISI research engine. Work to date on multiple injections in the literature is reviewed, and then two aspects of multiple injection strategies are experimentally investigated: the number of injections (up to five times in a cycle); and the timing of the injections (classified relative to the timing of intake valve opening and closing). A boosted, single-cylinder research engine equipped with a state-of-the-art piezoelectric hollow cone spray direct injector and research-grade E10 gasoline was used for the study. The results show multiple injections maintain torque and combustion stability compared with single injection and slightly increase the knock limits and indicated thermal efficiencies (maximum 0.7% absolute, 2.8% relative compared with single-injection baseline) due to improved heat release phasing, especially with an additional late injection during the intake valve closed (compression stroke) period. The gaseous pollutant emissions including nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbons were reduced by 25% with multiple injections, particularly with injection during the compression stroke. In contrast, carbon monoxide emissions increased with multiple injections for all conditions. Increasing the number of injection events significantly reduced particulate number emissions (half with each additional injection), and the decrease in particulate number was not sensitive to the injection timing.
Low-temperature direct ammonia fuel cells: Recent developments and remaining challenges

Abstract Low-temperature direct ammonia fuel cells (DAFCs) are fueled directly by ammonia, a carbon-neutral fuel stored in the liquid state under low pressure. Liquid ammonia has advantages over compressed hydrogen gas, including higher energy density and facilitated distribution and refill. The beginning-of-life performance reported until recently for low-temperature DAFCs has been substantially lower than that of polymer electrolyte fuel cells fueled by hydrogen. We discuss here promising recent advances in electrocatalyst development, cell performance, and cell performance stability for low-temperature DAFCs, including beginning-of-life peak power density of 420 mW/cm2, and operation over several days at constant current. In addition, we describe technology gaps that must be closed for low-temperature DAFCs to achieve the performance required for practical applications.
Preoperative Chemotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer Improves Survival and R0 Rate Even in Early Stage I

While preoperative chemotherapy for patients with stage II-III pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is frequently practiced, its impact on very early PDAC (stage I) remains unclear today. Patients undergoing pancreatectomy for PDAC between 2010 and 2016 were identified in the National Cancer Database. Early-stage patients (IA-IB) with complete oncologic and clinical information and more than 30-day survival were included. The effect of preoperative chemotherapy on margin status was assessed with binary logistic regression. Following correction for confounders, the effect of therapy sequencing was assessed via comparison of preoperative, postoperative, perioperative (pre- and post-operative) chemotherapy, and surgery only using Cox regression. Of 4785 patients, 688 (14.4%) were stage IA, and 4197 (87.7%) IB. The rate of preoperative chemotherapy was only 8.8%. Rate of margin positivity was lower for preoperative chemotherapy (12.3% vs 19.7%). After correcting for confounders, the risk of a positive margin was lower in preoperative chemotherapy (odd ratio [OR] 0.703, p = 0.042). Cox regression showed a significant overall survival advantage for preoperative (hazard ratio [HR] 0.784, p = 0.002), postoperative (HR 0.618, p < 0.001), and perioperative (HR 0.601, p < 0.001) chemotherapy compared with surgery alone. There was no significant difference in survival between chemotherapy groups but a trend towards optimal survival for preoperative chemotherapy. Despite preoperative chemotherapy vs surgery alone resulting in improved R0 rates and overall survival even in stage I PDAC, it is rarely practiced. The results presented here suggest that preoperative chemotherapy should be strongly considered in all patients with resectable PDAC, including very early PDAC.
Association of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Use With Cigarette Smoking Relapse Among Former Smokers in the United States.

Importance Relapse to smoking among former smokers is a serious clinical concern, and use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) has been proposed as a new risk factor for relapse. Understanding the specificity of this risk can help guide clinical practice and lead to improved health outcomes. Objective To assess the associations of ENDS use with cigarette smoking relapse among adult former cigarette smokers. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study examined data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, waves 1 to 4 (2013-2018). Cox proportional hazards models were developed. This is an ongoing, nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study in the US. Participants included adult (≥18 years) former cigarette smokers who reported no tobacco product use at wave 1 (unweighted n = 2273), separated into recent former cigarette smokers (last smoked ≤12 months previously) and long-term former smokers (last smoked >12 months previously). Data analysis was conducted from July to August 2019. Exposures Self-reported use of cigarettes, ENDS, and other tobacco products (ie, cigars, pipe tobacco, hookah, snus tobacco, other smokeless tobacco, and dissolvable tobacco) was assessed. Main Outcomes and Measures Self-reported current (every day or some days) use of cigarettes at follow-up interviews. Results Of 2273 adult former cigarette smokers, 51.8% (95% CI, 49.7%-53.8%) were women, 65.0% (95% CI, 62.6%-67.4%) were older than 50 years, and 79.5% (95% CI, 77.8%-81.2%) were non-Hispanic white participants. Use of ENDS was associated with significant risk of cigarette smoking relapse among recent former smokers (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 1.63; 95% CI, 1.04-2.53; unweighted n = 304) and among long-term former smokers (AHR, 3.79; 95% CI, 1.75-8.20; unweighted n = 1554). Use of other tobacco products was also associated with significant risk for cigarette smoking relapse among recent former smokers (AHR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.27-3.05) and among long-term former smokers (AHR, 3.82; 95% CI, 1.91-7.66). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, use of ENDS and other tobacco products was associated with increased risk of cigarette smoking relapse among former cigarette smokers who did not use any tobacco product at wave 1 of the PATH Study. For clinicians treating former smokers who have successfully quit all nicotine products, the implications are that use of ENDS products should be discouraged, just as use of all other tobacco products is discouraged.
Polarized Networks? New Evidence on American Voters’ Political Discussion Networks

An important mechanism of mass political polarization involves citizens’ social networks: how politically homogeneous are they, how has this changed over recent years, and which individual and contextual variables predict the degree of homogeneity in social networks? Moreover, what are the consequences of network homophily on political preferences and in and out-group perceptions? In this paper, we address these questions by combining data from the 2000 American National Election Study and original data from the 2016 Cooperative Congressional Election Study. Both surveys ask respondents a battery of questions about the individuals with whom they most frequently discuss politics, including perceived vote choice and level of political knowledge. Using these data, we offer an updated empirical assessment of how polarization is influencing—and is influenced by—social network homophily.
Inward and outward effectiveness of cloth masks, a surgical mask, and a face shield

We evaluated the effectiveness of 11 face coverings for material filtration efficiency, inward protection efficiency on a manikin, and outward protection efficiency on a manikin. At the most penetr...
From Songfilms to Telecomics: Vallée Video and the New Market for Postwar Animation:

From 1948–1952, Rudy Vallee, a successful performer whose career spanned radio, film, recorded music and stage entertainment, expanded his operations into the burgeoning US television market with t...
Stacked Metamodels for Sensitivity Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification of AMI Models

Models can help architects design effective and secure advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) deployments. Because of the complex interactions among the numerous smart meters, smart home devices, customers, the utility, and potential adversaries, the models are often complex and have long execution times. In addition, the models often contain a large number of uncertain input variables.Modelers seek to understand the impact of uncertain input variables on the model through the use of sensitivity analysis (SA) and uncertainty quantification (UQ). However, long-running models are not amenable to such techniques, since they require that the model be run many times. One approach to help overcome this challenge is to build a metamodel (a model of the model) that accurately emulates the original model but is much faster.In this paper, we explain an approach we developed to do fast and thorough SA and UQ using a specially designed metamodel of stacked regressors that can be used to analyze AMI models. We demonstrated the approach by applying it to a complex AMI security model. We show that our metamodel is substantially faster than the base AMI model, more accurate than other existing metamodel approaches, and amenable to SA and UQ.
Ferrite Materials Containing Kagomé Layers: Chemistry of Ba2Fe11Ge2O22 and K2Co4V9O22 Hexaferrites

Hexaferrites have a wide range of technological applications as well as a rich and complicated structural chemistry, with iron oxide layers inducing highly anisotropic ferrimagnetism that remains i...
What Is “Moral Education”?

Moral education is one of the most significant arenas of preoccupation of analytic educational philosophy as well as of daily educational practice. Several significant alternative theories of moral education emerged in twentieth century philosophy of education.
CaV1.1 defects in hypokalemic periodic paralysis and harnessing multiple approaches for therapeutic intervention.

The recurrent attacks of weakness in hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HypoPP) are caused by failure to maintain the resting potential, with paradoxical depolarization in low K+. Remarkably, 24 out of 25 HypoPP mutations are R/X substitutions in S4 segments of voltage-sensing domains of CaV1.1 (70% of cases) or NaV1.4 (10% of cases). Expression studies in oocytes and murine muscle show anomalous gating pore leakage currents (ω-pore) for six of eight CaV1.1-HypoPP mutations, with one exception being the charge-conserving R897K. The proposed consensus pathomechanism, whereby a gating pore leak predisposes to paradoxical depolarization in low K+, is now verified by continuous recording of Vm. Selective measurement of voltage-dependent Ca2+ release, in "healthy appearing" HypoPP fibers, shows only a modest decrease in the Ca2+-dependent peak fluorescence (Oregon green 488/EGTA), and supports the notion that stabilizing Vrest will be sufficient to prevent low-K+-induced loss of force. In our knockin mouse models of HypoPP (CaV1.1-R528H and NaV1.4-R669H), pretreatment with K+-channel openers protects against the loss of force with a 2 mM K+ challenge. Alternatively, gene editing offers the possibility of sustained protection from attacks of weakness, and may prevent the late-onset permanent myopathy. In a proof-of-principle study of cultured myoblasts and in vivo electroporation, we show selective editing of the mutant HypoPP allele, without compromise of the WT allele, using CRISPR/Cas-mediated indel formation to destroy the HypoPP allele or a CRISPR/Cas base editor to correct the missense mutation.
Social Welfare in the Public-Private State

A new philosophy of social welfare is struggling for recognition in this country. Today's public welfare programs still embody much of the old theory that welfare is a form of charity and that dependency is to be blamed on the individual. A more modern school of thought considers dependency a condition beyond the control of any individual, and seeks to establish the status of welfare benefits as rights, based upon the notion that every individual, in whatever circumstances, is entitled to share in the commonwealth. The greatest obstacle to reforms in social welfare is the widely and stubbornly held belief that welfare is an anomaly in the American scene. This is a country where people are expected to take care of themselves, and the concept of social welfare, while generally accepted, is considered to be contrary to the natural order of things-to be discouraged if possible. The status of welfare as an anomaly is explicitly written into our laws. Welfare recipients are watched with suspicion; their use of welfare money is hedged by stringent limitations. These attitudes create a demand for frequent investigations to prevent "misuse" of benefits. In their zeal public agencies have claimed and exercised the privilege of entering recipients' homes at any hour of the day or night-the law literally pursues recipients into the bedroom. Supervision also appears in a prescriptive form: an insistence that the authorities have a right to concern themselves with recipients' family affairs and morality. Welfare law is full of special burdens for those subject to its jurisdiction. Relatives' responsibility is one illustration-an attempt to impose on relatives duties of support not accepted in the rest of society. Federal poverty programs under the Office of Economic Opportunity have a special loyalty oath requirement-for the poor alone. And welfare recipients are regularly prosecuted for a special kind of crime-misuse of welfare funds-while others who receive public funds are generally not prosecuted criminally. Such invidious laws, and the general pattern of bureaucratic supervision, investigation,
Why educators have problems with some students: Understanding frames of preference

Some educators believe that if they do their jobs properly, all their students will learn, and school will be a happy, productive and comfortable place for everybody. The reality is that not everyone has the same preferences – for teaching and learning. Recounts research that shows what the differences are between educators and students who might be characterized at‐risk. Also included are administrative implications.
Analysis of Mineral Phases in Coal Utilizing Factor Analysis

There is much interest in the mineral phase inclusions of coal. The contribution of these mineral phases, i.e. calcite, pyrite, etc., to a coal sample may be determined utilizing several techniques: infrared absorption analysis (1), differential thermal analysis (2), electron spectroscopy (3), and x-ray diffraction (4). Other techniques are being utilized to learn how the minor and trace elements are distributed in these mineral phases. Neutron activation analysis in conjunction with coal washability studies have produced some information on the general trends of elemental variation in the mineral phases (5). These results have been enhanced by the use of various statistical techniques. One such statistical technique is target transformation factor analysis (TTFA) which has been previously demonstrated to be able to resolve sources of airborne particulate matter (6,7). Initial studies of TTFA have shown it to be able to produce elemental profiles of the mineral phases in coal (8). An advantage of TTFA is its ability to produce reliable quantitative results with a minimun of prior knowledge. In order to further explore the utility of this approach, a data set consisting of physically fractionated coal samples was generated. These samples were analyzed by neutron activation analysis and then their elemental concentrations examined using TTFA.
A Proper Analysis of the National Football League Under Section One of the Sherman Act

The National Football League ("NFL") has often attempted to avoid antitrust liability by asserting that the league constitutes a single entity, incapable of illegal collusion for purposes of section 1 of the Sherman Act. Viewed properly, the NFL and its member-teams are a single entity with respect to matters of non-labor policy. Not only do the league and its teams share a unity of interest, but the economic realities of professional football necessitate that the league and its teams be considered a single economic unit. However, most courts to consider the NFL's single entity defense have rejected the league's argument. These courts have improperly focused their analysis on trivial aspects of the NFL's league structure, while marginalizing the more relevant factors to be considered under the Supreme Court's decision in Copperweld. Recently, the district court in American Needle diverged from these erroneous precedents, instead holding that the NFL is a single entity with respect to licensing of league trademarks. While American Needle represents a significant advance in NFL single entity jurisprudence, the opinion may nevertheless prove to be of limited precedential value. This article concludes that future courts considering the issue should follow the approach taken in American Needle, and find that the NFL is a single entity with respect to league nonlabor policy.
Data mining for student retention management

We conduct a data mining project to generate predictive models for student retention management on campus. Given new records of incoming students, these predictive models can produce short accurate prediction lists identifying students who tend to need the support from the student retention program most. The project is a component in our artificial intelligence class. Students in the class get involved in the entire process of modeling and problem solving using machine learning algorithms. We examine the quality of the predictive models generated by the machine learning algorithms. The results show that some of the machine learning algorithms are able to establish effective predictive models from the existing student retention data.
Taylor-Cauchy Transforms for Analysis of a Class of Nonlinear Systems

This paper presents a new transform calculus for analyzing a certain class of nonlinear systems. The method, which can be justified rigorously by the partition theory, essentially transforms a nonlinear differential equation having certain conditions imposed on its linear, nonlinear, and driving terms into an algebraic equation. The latter is easily solved recursively owing to its symmetry and convolution properties. The transform pair is based on a combination of the Cauchy integral theorem and Taylor's series in complex form. To illustrate the method a number of examples are solved and a table of transforms is included. Because the results of this transform technique are the same as those given by the partition method under certain circumstances, the two are compared. It is then seen that the solution can be obtained uniquely and exactly. The Taylor-Cauchy transform method can be compared with the Laurent-Cauchy transform method, given in a companion paper, for the solution of linear systems described by differential-difference and sum equations.
Low recruitment not mortality limits growth of peripheral populations of Silene spaldingii

Populations at the periphery of a species range are thought to be less viable than those in the center because they are at the limit of their ecological tolerances. Plant population viability is determined primarily by mortality and recruitment, thus knowing differences in vital rates between central and peripheral populations is key to understanding range limits. Silene spaldingii S. Watson is a long-lived iteroparous plant that occurs throughout the eastern Columbia Plateau region of eastern Washington and adjacent Idaho and Oregon and is disjunct in northwest Montana. I recorded the fate of mapped S. spaldingii plants annually for 10 years in four populations, two from eastern Washington and two from Montana. Recruitment averaged three times higher and relatively constant at two central populations in Washington compared with two peripheral sites in Montana. Mortality was three times higher at one of the central populations compared with the remaining three sites due to vole predation. Vole activity was observed at the second central population but came too late in the study to be certain that it resulted in mortality. Vole predation was not observed in the peripheral populations. My results suggest that peripheral populations of S. spaldingii may only be able to persist as long as predation or other sources of mortality remain low and that intrinsic low and variable recruitment rates coupled with predation may help define the eastern range margin of this species.
Radiatively-Driven Winds: Model Improvements, Ionization Balance and the Infrared Spectrum

Recent improvements to theoretical stellar wind models and the results of empirical modelling of the ionization balance and the infrared continuum are discussed. The model of a wind driven by radiation pressure in spectral lines is improved by accounting for overlap of the driving lines, dependence of ionization balance on density, and stellar rotation. These effects produce a softer velocity law than that given by Castor, Abbott and Klein (1975). The ionization balance in ζ Puppis is shown to agree with that estimated for an optically thick wind at a gas temperature of 60,000 K. The ionization model is not unique. The infrared continuum of ζ Pup measured by Barlow and Cohen is fitted to a cool model with a linear rise of velocity with radius; this fit is also not unique. It is concluded we should try to find a model that fits several kinds of evidence simultaneously.
Novel Designed SiC Devices for High Power and High Efficiency Systems

Two types of 4H-silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs are proposed in this paper. One is the novel designed V-groove trench MOSFET that utilizes the 4H-SiC (0-33-8) face for the channel region. The MOS interface using this face shows the extremely low interface state density ( ${D}_{\mathrm {\mathbf {it}}}$ ) of $3\times 10^{11}$ $\mathrm{cm}^{-2}~\mathrm{eV}^{-1}$ , which causes the high channel mobility of 80 $\mathrm{cm}^{2}~\mathrm{V}^{-1}~\mathrm{s}^{-1}$ results in very low channel resistance. The buried p+ regions located close to the trench bottom can effectively alleviate the electric field crowding without the significant sacrifice of the increase of the resistance. The low specific ON-state resistance of 3.5 m $\Omega ~\mathrm{cm}^{\mathrm {\mathbf {2}}}$ with sufficiently high blocking voltage of 1700 V is obtained. The other is the double implanted MOSFET with the carefully designed junction termination extension and field-limiting rings for the edge termination region, and the additional doping into the junction FET region. With a high-quality and high-uniformity epitaxial layer, 6 mm $\times 6$ mm devices are fabricated. The well balanced specific ON-state resistance of 14.2 m $\Omega ~\mathrm{cm}^{2}$ and the blocking voltage of 3850 V are obtained for 3300 V application.
Structural, elastic and transport properties of Ag/Al multilayer thin films prepared by ion-beam sputtering

Abstract Multilayers of Ag/Al with composition modulation wavelengths λ between 13.5 and 210 A were deposited onto silicon substrates using ion-beam sputtering. X-ray diffraction scans showed well defined small angle peaks and satellite peaks at high angles indicating coherent multilayers. The average lattice parameter showed a 1.1% reduction with decreasing modulation wavelengths from 90 to 25 A. Brillouin-scattering measurements showed a moderate 5% enhancement of surface velocity (elastic constant) with decreasing wavelengths. This elastic hardening and interplanar structural contraction may be partially attributed to the observed formation of Ag2Al at the multilayer interfaces. Although deposited only 10° from a normal incidence, the electrical resistivities, measured between 77 and 300 K in a van der Pauw configuration, showed a temperature independent in-plane anisotropy of up to 90% and the room temperature resistivity was an order of magnitude greater than expected from the bulk average. The temperature coefficient of resistivity showed a “U” shaped dependence with λ and the lower up turn occurred at λ ≈ 50 A.
The Acid-Mediated Denaturation Pathway of Transthyretin Yields a Conformational Intermediate That Can Self-Assemble into Amyloid†

Transthyretin (TTR) amyloid fibril formation is observed during partial acid denaturation and while refolding acid-denatured TTR, implying that amyloid fibril formation results from the self-assembly of a conformational intermediate. The acid denaturation pathway of TTR has been studied in detail herein employing a variety of biophysical methods to characterize the intermediate(s) capable of amyloid fibril formation. At physiological concentrations, tetrameric TTR remains associated from pH 7 to pH 5 and is incapable of amyloid fibril formation. Tetrameric TTR dissociates to a monomer in a process that is dependent on both pH and protein concentration below pH 5. The extent of amyloid fibril formation correlates with the concentration of the TTR monomer having an altered, but defined, tertiary structure over the pH range of 5.0−3.9. The inherent Trp fluorescence-monitored denaturation curve of TTR exhibits a plateau over the pH range where amyloid fibril formation is observed (albeit at a higher concentra...
odd-skipped homologs function during gut development in C. elegans

Genes in the odd-skipped (odd) family encode a discrete subset of C2H2 zinc finger proteins that are widely distributed among metazoan phyla. Although the initial member (odd) was identified as a Drosophila pair-rule gene, various homologs are expressed within each of the three germ layers in complex patterns that suggest roles in many pathways beyond segmentation. To further investigate the evolutionary history and extant functions of genes in this family, we have initiated a characterization of two homologs, odd-1 and odd-2, identified in the genome of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Sequence comparisons with homologs from insects (Drosophila and Anopheles) and mammals suggest that two paralogs were present within an ancestral metazoan; additional insect paralogs and both extant mammalian genes likely resulted from gene duplications that occurred after the split between the arthropods and chordates. Analyses of gene function using RNAi indicate that odd-1 and odd-2 play essential and distinct roles during gut development. Specific expression of both genes in the developing intestine and other cells in the vicinity of the gut was shown using GFP-reporters. These results indicate primary functions for both genes that are most like those of the Drosophila paralogs bowel and drumstick, and support a model in which gut specification represents the ancestral role for genes in this family.
Signaling factors in the mechanism of ammonia neurotoxicity

Mechanisms involved in hepatic encephalopathy (HE) still remain poorly understood. It is generally accepted that ammonia plays a major role in this disorder, and that astrocytes represent the principal target of ammonia neurotoxicity. In recent years, studies from several laboratories have uncovered a number of factors and pathways that appear to be critically involved in the pathogenesis of this disorder. Foremost is oxidative and nitrosative stress (ONS), which is largely initiated by an ammonia-induced increase in intracellular Ca2+. Such increase in Ca2+ activates a number of enzymes that promote the synthesis of reactive oxygen-nitrogen species, including constitutive nitric oxide synthase, NADPH oxidase and phospholipase A2. ONS subsequently induces the mitochondrial permeability transition, and activates mitogen-activated protein kinases and the transcription factor, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB). These factors act to generate additional reactive oxygen-nitrogen species, to phosphorylate various proteins and transcription factors, and to cause mitochondrial dysfunction. This article reviews the role of these factors in the mechanism of HE and ammonia toxicity with a focus on astrocyte swelling and glutamate uptake, which are important consequences of ammonia neurotoxicity. These pathways and factors provide attractive targets for identifying agents potentially useful in the therapy of HE and other hyperammonemic disorders.
Dynamics of Vibratory Microgyroscopes

In this report we provide a vectorial derivation of the equations of motion characterizing the dynamite behavior of both ideal and non-ideal vibratory micromachined gyroscopes.