cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of an expanding circular fault

We study a plane circular model of a frictional fault using numerical methods. The model is dynamic since we specify the effective stress at the fault. In one model we assume that the fault appears instantaneously in the medium; in another, that the rupture nucleates at the center and that rupture proceeds at constant subsonic velocity until it suddenly stops. The total source slip is larger at the center and the rise time is also longer at the center of the fault. The dynamic slip overshoots the static slip by 15 to 35 per cent. As a consequence, the stress drop is larger than the effective stress and the apparent stress is less than one half the effective stress. The far-field radiation is discussed in detail. We distinguish three spectral regions. First, the usual constant low-frequency level. Second, an intermediate region controlled by the fault size and, finally, the high-frequency asymptote. The central region includes the corner frequency and is quite complicated. The corner frequency is shown to be inversely proportional to the width of the far-field displacement pulse which, in turn, is related to the time lag between the stopping phases. The average corner frequency of S waves v s is related to the final source radius, a , by v s = 0.21 β/α . The corner frequency of P waves is larger than v s by an average factor of 1.5.
Tissue expansion-assisted closure of massive ventral hernias.

Many multitrauma and severely ill patients requiring multiple laparotomies survive because of advanced critical care and aggressive management, but often these patients face severe challenges on their path to recovery. Prolonged operations and consequential fluid shifts make abdominal closure impossible and even detrimental because of abdominal compartment syndrome, and laparotomy wounds often remain open. As a result, a relative loss of abdominal domain from tissue contraction or actual loss from tumor resection and debridement can occur. Regardless of the cause, abdominal viscera must be contained, usually with an absorbable mesh followed by a split thickness skin graft (STSG). Repair of the resultant ventral hernia is done electively. These large midline hernias pose a great challenge to reconstruction. Primary repair of incisional hernias has a reported recurrence rate between 40% and 46%. Many methods such as primary closure, mesh repair, component separation, tissue expansion, pedicled flap, and free flap have been proposed. Rohrich and colleagues offer an excellent discussion of all available options. We review our experience with large hernia repair by tissue expansion of the remaining abdominal wall tissue.
The 1994 Russian‐UK‐US Naval War Game (RUKUS 94): Important considerations for multinational naval operations

As the Cold War began to thaw lines of communication were gradually opened up. Evidence of this fact is the establishment of a series of talks between the Soviet, US and Royal Navies, which led to a series of war games, culminating last May in RUKUS ‘94—a simulated multi‐national peacekeeping operation. Commander Leslie Sim takes this as a starting point for examining the issues and difficulties involved in multi‐national peacekeeping operations. These include interoperability, language and command and control. The importance of such simulations the author asserts, lie not only in fostering international trust, but also in identifying these problem areas and finding solutions early to ensure effective cooperation in any future scenarios.
Domain Maps: Purposes, History, Parallels with Cartography, and Applications

This paper discusses the history of domain maps in the context of similar developments in the field of cartography. Drawing from its underlying definitions, this paper identifies the purposes of domain maps and discusses how they might specifically be applied in the field of education and as front-ends to digital libraries.
Jean Gerson’s Assessment of the Issue of Religious Zeal in the Context of the Tyrannicide Controversy

This article explores the issue of religious zeal and politics in the works of the leading French theologian and chancellor of the University of Paris, Jean Gerson (1363–1429). The article examines it in the context of the tyrannicide controversy, which landed him in open conflict with the powerful Duke of Burgundy. It was for Gerson no ordinary political dispute, concerned with material well-being, but a matter of choice between the ruin and salvation of human nature. Focusing on theological treatisesDe Consolatione Theologiae and Dialogus Apologeticus,the study aims at exploring Gerson’s increasingly anxious and personal thoughts concerning his actions and his involvement in politics in general. Revealing the very core of tensions between, on one hand, moral conscience and the Christian doctrine, and, on the other, temporal power and political wisdom, Gerson raises the crucial questions of dangers, boundaries and applications of religious zeal while bringing to light the inherent conflict between collec...
Neoliberal Urban Policy and New Paths of Neighborhood Change in the American Inner City

In this paper, we examine a new form of neighborhood change that appeared towards the end of the 1990s and early 2000s and explore its causes, processes, and effects. We suggest that a neoliberal p...
Near infrared calibration models for pretreated corn stover slurry solids, isolated and in situ

Biomass pretreatment processes often yield slurry, a two-phase material consisting of an aqueous phase with solubilised components and a solid phase with insoluble constituents. Chemical characterisation of this material using conventional wet chemical analysis requires that the two phases be analysed separately. We have previously demonstrated near infrared (NIR) models that successfully predict the chemical composition of the solid phase after separation, washing and drying. In this work, we present the current version of this calibration model, as well as a model that uses spectra of the whole slurry samples (without separation) to predict the solids composition in situ. Removing the slurry solid/liquid separation step saves large amounts of time and effort during analysis. The model using washed and dried solids provided predicted vs measured correlation coefficient ( R2 ) values of 0.97, 0.99 and 0.98 and root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) values of 1.5, 0.8 and 0.8 dry weight percent for glucan, xylan and lignin, respectively. These RMSEC values are similar to established wet chemical analysis uncertainties. Validation samples also showed similar uncertainties and an average r2 value of 0.98 for the major constituents. The whole slurry model provided R 2 values of 0.93, 0.93 and 0.95 and RMSEC values of 2.3, 1.7 and 1.0 dry weight percent for glucan, xylan and lignin, respectively. The RMSEC values are larger than established wet chemical analysis uncertainties. Validation samples showed uncertainties and r 2 values that were not statistically significantly different ( p = 0.05) from calibration model values for glucan, xylan, and lignin. The slurry model was not equivalent to the washed and dried pretreated solids model, with relative increases in RMSEC values of 20%–50% for major constituents. However, the model was highly successful for the intended purpose, which was to predict the composition of samples without the significant added effort of separating, washing and drying solids prior to scanning.
1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 increases type 1 interleukin-1 receptor expression in a murine T cell line.

The biologically active metabolite of vitamin D3, 1,25 (OH)2 D3, exerts important immunoregulatory effects in addition to being a central mediator of calcium/phosphate metabolism. Utilizing an interleukin 1 responsive murine T cell line and 125I-interleukin 1α, we show that 1,25 (OH)2 D3 (5,50 nM) enhanced 125I-interleukin 1α binding up to almost 2-fold over control. This 1,25 (OH)2 D3 effect occurred in a dose-dependent manner and was detectable after 24 h but not before 7 h of culture. Scatchard analysis of 125I-interleukin 1α binding data demonstrated that 1,25 (OH)2 D3 enhanced interleukin 1 receptor number without a significant change in affinity. The biologically less potent metabolite of vitamin D3, 25 (OH) D3, also augmented 125I-interleukin 1α binding but at steroid levels 2–3 log orders greater than 1,25 (OH)2 D3. This observation, combined with the presence of high-affinity 3H-1,25 (OH)2 D3 receptors (88 sites/cell, K = 0.45 nM) in cytosolic extracts, strongly suggests that the nuclear vitamin D receptor mediates this steroid's effect on interleukin 1 receptor expression. Based on the capacity of an anti-type 1 interleukin 1 receptor monoclonal antibody (35F5) to block 1,25 (OH)2 D3-enhanced 125I-interleukin 1α binding, we conclude that this steroid augments type 1 interleukin 1 receptor expression. When combined with interleukin 1, a cytokine that also impacts MD10 interleukin 1 receptor expression, 1,25 (OH)2 D3 enhanced interleukin 1 receptor expression. Northern blots hybridized with a 32P-type 1 interleukin 1 receptor cDNA probe show that 1,25 (OH)2 D3 enhanced type 1 interleukin 1 receptor steady state mRNA levels. Functionally, 1,25 (OH)2 D3 pretreatment augmented the MD10 proliferative response to suboptimal levels of interleukin 1 (< 100 fM interleukin 1α). These findings further support 1,25 (OH)2 D3's role as an immunoregulatory molecule and provides a possible mechanism by which this steroid could potentiate certain immune activities.
Effects of Vesicle Diameter and Lipid Composition on α-Synuclein Binding

Parkinson's Disease is characterized by the presence of fibrillar deposits of alpha-Synuclein (αS) in the substantia nigra. αS is an intrinsically unstructured protein that becomes α-helical upon binding lipid membranes. Many studies indicate that the toxic form of αS may be pre-fibrillar oligomers formed in solution or upon binding to cell membranes or synaptic vesicles. The effects of curvature and lipid composition on αS binding were studied by using Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) to quantitatively measure the binding affinity of αS for synthetic lipid vesicles. Vesicles were prepared with different diameters, and lipid compositions included several anionic lipids, fluid phase, and gel phase vesicles. Binding of the wild-type protein was compared to the three pathological mutants: A30P, A53T, and E46K. Our findings indicate that bilayer curvature does affect the affinity of αS for net negatively charged vesicles, while affinity is mostly invariant to the anionic lipid used.
Rights Talk: Must We Mean What We Say?

Mary Ann Glendon has written a powerful and persuasive diagnosis of the ills besetting modern American society. Unlike many other commentators, Glendon refuses to lay the blame on any single group or institution but spreads her accusations widely across society. For that reason, this book is sure to displease ideologues and fellow travelers on both the left and the right, but it is her impartial and relatively apolitical stance that gives the book its major strengths. Glendon's basic thesis is that much of what is wrong with America stems from the "impoverishment of our political discourse" (at x) through an exaggerated and distorted fascination with rights. She makes very clear that it is not rights themselves that are the problem but our public discourse about rights.' Our rights talk is noticeably different from the discourse of other democratic nations insofar as "rights . . . tend to be presented as absolute, individual, and independent of any necessary relation to our responsibilities" (at 12). This leads to a state of affairs that makes it virtually impossible for us to focus on issues, to reason, to compromise, or to resolve the conflicts between individuals and community:
Anterior cingulate activation and error processing during interferon-alpha treatment.

Background: There has been increasing interest in the role of immunologic processes, notably cytokines, in the development of behavioral alterations, especially in medically ill patients. Interferon (IFN)- is notorious for causing behavioral symptoms, including depression, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction, and has been used to investigate the effects of cytokines on the brain. Methods: In the present study we assessed the effects of low-dose IFN- on brain activity, using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a task of visuospatial attention in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Results: Despite endorsing symptoms of impaired concentration and fatigue, IFN--treated patients (n 10) exhibited task performance and activation of parietal and occipital brain regions similar to that seen in HCV-infected control subjects (n 11). Interestingly, however, in contrast to control subjects, IFN--treated patients exhibited significant activation in the dorsal part of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which highly correlated with the number of task-related errors. No such correlation was found in control subjects. Conclusions: Consistent with the role of the ACC in conflict monitoring, ACC activation during IFN- administration suggests that cytokines might increase processing conflict or reduce the threshold for conflict detection, thereby signaling the need to exert greater mental effort to maintain performance. Such alterations in ACC activity might in turn contribute to cytokine-induced behavioral changes.
SeniorCHI: the geezers are coming!

What do seniors want/need from human-computer interaction and communication? What are the long-term effects on them with mobile/computing devices? How late in their lives can/should we expose them to the latest technology?
Optimal Max–Min Fair Resource Allocation in Multihop Relay-Enhanced WiMAX Networks

In this paper, an optimal resource allocation scheme is proposed for WiMAX networks that are enhanced with nontransparent relay stations (RSs). We first focus on two-hop relaying networks, because this scenario has the largest throughput gain. Furthermore, several researchers have proposed different resource allocation schemes in two-hop relaying networks, and thus, we can compare the performance of our proposed scheme with the following two well-known schemes in terms of cell throughput, outage rate, and computational time: 1) orthogonal and 2) overlapped . We then explore an extension of the proposed scheme to a general multihop relaying scenario by taking into account spatial reuse in both the access and relay zone periods. The numerical results show that the highest cell throughput can be achieved by the proposed optimal scheme while maintaining the fairness and lower outage performance of the orthogonal scheme at a higher computational cost. Moreover, the cell throughput degradation from increasing the number of hops from two to three hops, under the proposed optimal scheduling scheme, is only 12% and 19% when six and nine RSs are deployed, respectively.
Assessment and nursing management of hypertension in the perioperative period

Over 50 million persons in the United States have hypertension, making it one of the most common abnormalities found in the perioperative patient. Often discovered during the preoperative assessment of the patient scheduled for surgery, hypertension raises many concerns in the perioperative period, including hemodynamic control during anesthesia, postoperative complications, and the risk of comorbidities that may not be evident until the patient is stressed. This article concentrates on the identification of hypertension preoperatively, the potential problems associated with hypertension in the entire perioperative period, and pharmacologic and nursing management.
Reaction of N, N'-bis(mesityl)ethylenediamine with triethylaluminium. Formation of ten-membered aluminium amide heterocycles

Reaction of N,N′-bis(mesityl)ethylenediamine with triethylaluminium in benzene leads to the formation of an aluminium diamide derivative of formula [AlEt(μ-MesNCH2CH2NMes)]n (1) (Mes=2,4,6-Me3C6H2). Upon treatment with pyridine or THF, compound 1 is converted into dinuclear aluminium amide derivatives of general formula [AlEt(μ-MesNCH2CH2NMes)]2·2L with L=pyridine (2) and THF (3), respectively. Compounds 1, 2 and 3 have been characterized by 1H, 13C and 27Al NMR spectroscopy as well as by elemental analysis. Single crystal X-ray analysis indicates that the two adducts exist as ten-membered heterocycles with tetracoordinated aluminium centers.
Biotic and abiotic effects of human settlements in the wildland-urban interface

The wildland–urban interface (WUI) is the area in which human settlements adjoin or intermix with ecosystems. Although research on the WUI has been focused on wildfire risk to settlements, we argue here that there is a need to quantify the extent of areas in which human settlements interact with adjoining ecosystems, regardless of their ability to support fire spread. Besides wildfires, human settlements affect neighboring ecosystems through biotic processes, including exotic species introduction, wildlife subsidization, disease transfer, landcover conversion, fragmentation, and habitat loss. The effects of WUI settlements on ecosystems are two tiered, starting with habitat modification and fragmentation and progressing to various diffusion processes in which direct and indirect effects of anthropogenic activities spread into neighboring ecosystems at varying scales. New scientific, management, and policy tools are needed in order to better understand the WUI as a unique social–ecological zone and to mitigate negative consequences of its continued growth.
One- and two-photon induced growth of ligand-coated nanoparticles for 2D and 3D metal patterning

Ligand-coated metallic nanoparticles are powerful new materials for nano-electronic and photonics applications. They can be readily synthesized and their stability and solubility allows them to be cast in complex composite materials or self-assembled into quasi-ordered films. We demonstrate that, in the presence of reducing dyes with a large two-photon cross-section and metal salts, it is possible to induce the growth of metal nanoparticles in composite films under optical excitation or irradiation with electrons. We demonstrate further that continuous metal structures can be obtained via laser irradiation of the composites and that, with two-photon excitation, 3D structures can be fabricated. Silver, copper, and gold microstructures have been fabricated via two-photon excitation. The composition of our polymeric precursor is described in detail. In order to achieve highly-homogenous solid-state solutions of nanoparticles dissolved in polyvinylcarbazole (PVK), we have synthesized tailor-made nanoparticles on which we have introduced a mixture of carbazoyl-terminated octylthiol and simple octylthiols.. Preliminary experiments on e-beam lithography show that thin films of nanoparticles doped with suitable dyes and metal salts are efficient precursors form metal structures.
WEST NILE VIRUS–RELATED TRENDS IN AVIAN MORTALITY IN CALIFORNIA, USA, 2003–12

West Nile virus (WNV) is an arbovirus transmitted enzootically by Culex mosquitoes among avian hosts. Since 2000, the California Dead Bird Surveillance Program (DBSP) has tracked avian mortality reported by the public on a telephone hotline and website and measured the prevalence of WNV infection in dead birds. We summarize herein WNV prevalence in dead birds tested and variation of WNV transmission over time and space with the use of DBSP data from 2003 to 2012. Prevalence among dead birds was highest in 2004, 2008, and 2012. This pattern was similar to peak WNV infection years for mosquitoes but not to human WNV incidence. Although American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) were most frequently reported and tested, this species ranked third in infection prevalence (44%) after Yellow-billed Magpies (Pica nuttalli; 62%) and Western Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma californica; 48%). Overall prevalence in American Robin (Turdus migratorius), House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), and House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) carcasses ranged from 18% to 22%. Corvid WNV prevalence was highest in South Coast, Bay/Delta, Sacramento, and San Joaquin valleys, and Klamath/North Coast bioregions, overlapping areas of elevated WNV activity in other surveillance measurements. Bioregional analysis revealed the avian species most likely to be reported and found positive in each bioregion. Our results may be useful to WNV surveillance and control efforts and provide insight into bird population trends in California.
Functional units, chewing, swallowing, and food avoidance among the elderly

Abstract Purpose. The number of teeth in the dentition was compared with the number and types of dental functional units (opposing tooth pairs) to correlate the number of functional units with complaints about chewing and swallowing in the elderly. Material and methods. Complaints of oral-pharyngeal function and food avoidance practices were compared with the number and types of functional units. A convenience sample of 602 elderly subjects (468 men, 134 women, mean age 70 years) were interviewed and examined dentally. Results. Functional unit measures, which included functional arrangement of the teeth and the number and type of teeth present, were found to be more discriminatory and descriptive of masticatory potential than the mere number of teeth. Elderly persons (≥ 60 years of age) with reduced numbers of functional units tended to report difficulty chewing, avoidance of stringy foods (including meat), crunchy foods (including vegetables), and dry solid foods (including breads), and difficulty in swallowing. Removable prostheses did not appear to prevent these consequences and, at least in this elderly population, did not appear to be equivalent to natural teeth in terms of masticatory potential. Conclusions. It is possible that compromised dental function results in the swallowing of poorly chewed food, food avoidance patterns, dietary inadequacies, and systemic changes favoring illness, reduced vigor, debilitation, and shortened life expectancy. Emphasis should be placed on maintaining natural teeth whenever possible. (J Prosthet Dent 1997;77:588-95.)
Computer Society Releases Q3 & 4 Conference Slate

IEEE Computer Society conferences scheduled from June through December 2008 will address topics spanning all aspects of the computing profession.
Precessional forcing of lacustrine sedimentation in the late Cenozoic Chemeron Basin, Central Kenya Rift, and calibration of the Gauss/Matuyama boundary

The fluviolacustrine sedimentary sequence of the Chemeron Formation exposed in the Barsemoi River drainage, Tugen Hills, Kenya, contains a package of five successive diatomite/fluvial cycles that record the periodic development of freshwater lakes within the axial portion of the Central Kenya Rift. The overwhelming abundance in the diatomite of planktonic species of the genera Aulacoseira and Stephanodiscus, and the virtual absence of benthic littoral diatoms and detrital material indicate areally extensive, deep lake systems. A paleomagnetic reversal stratigraphy has been determined and chronostratigraphic tie points established by 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating of intercalated tuffs. The sequence spans the interval 3.1–2.35 Ma and bears a detailed record of the Gauss/Matuyama paleomagnetic transition. The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age for this boundary of 2.589±0.003 Ma can be adjusted to concordance with the Astronomical Polarity Time Scale (APTS) on the basis of an independent calibration to 2.610 Ma, 29 kyr older than the previous APTS age. The diatomites recur at an orbital precessional interval of 23 kyr and are centered on a 400-kyr eccentricity maximum. It is concluded that these diatomite/fluvial cycles reflect a narrow interval of orbitally forced wet/dry climatic conditions that may be expressed regionally across East Africa. The timing of the lacustrine pulses relative to predicted insolation models favors origination of moisture from the northern Africa monsoon, rather than local circulation driven by direct equatorial insolation. This moisture event at 2.7–2.55 Ma, and later East African episodes at 1.9–1.7 and 1.1–0.9 Ma, are approximately coincident with major global climatic and oceanographic events.
Racing the Genie in Cyberspace (Poisoned Flowers, Pt. 2): Implementing the Solution to Focal Point and Trademark Disputes in Cyberspace by Rewriting Code

In the first part of this article, Finding Superman in Cyberspace (Poisoned Flowers, Part 1), I identified and solved a particular problem in a particular place. It was the problem of navigation in an objective cyberspace, sometimes aided by the legitimate use, and at other times harmed by the offensive misuse of findable and exploitable expressions that function as markers or spoilers, roadblocks or detours in a coded world. These are problems caused by the misuse of dynamic “focal points,” some of which contain trademarked terms. In this second part, I aim to persuade juridical actors to implement my proposed solution for three good reasons. First, it works. It provides a higher-quality resolution of cyberspace focal point and trademark-related conflicts than any other existing or proposed solution. Second, it is efficient. It quickly and easily allocates costs and benefits among cyberspace actors in a Pareto-optimal manner, just as Professor Lessig demonstrated as he resolved the hypothetical conflict caused by poisonous flowers in cyberspace (in his book, “Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace”). This is an instantiation of his hypothetical, adapting it to resolve the problem of invisible and attenuated trademarks and focal points in cyberspace. Third, it is authorized, predictable, and principled, and it is the only solution that recognizes the underlying problem, which is the use and abuse of focal points with or without trademarks. My proposal is suitable for immediate implementation, and there is an increasing urgency to solve the problem, hence my title, Racing the Genie.Author's Notes: This paper should be read together with Part 1, Finding Superman in Cyberspace, which is also posted at SSRN. http://ssrn.com/abstract=2027088Many have asked where to find the full-color artwork. The full-color reproduction of the Superman comic book cover art is in Finding Superman at page 295. Some have asked where to find the hint sheet. The hint sheet to some of the Easter Eggs embedded in these articles (including references to Ali Baba, the Wizard of Oz, magic horses, Justice Roberts, Glenn Reynolds, Captain Malcolm Reynolds, and others) is in Finding Superman at note 5. This paper (Racing the Genie) has several tear-off, public domain (creative commons-licensed) appendices beginning at page 924 and, like many of my articles, includes some pictures to illustrate some of my points, at pp. 959 & 960.
EMERGING THEMES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES: FORGOTTEN RODENTS, NEGLECTED QUESTIONS

I identify 4 topics for future research. 1) Our knowledge of rodents from the developing world is limited, yet recent evidence suggests that many species are highly social. I concentrate on South American rodents to demonstrate the wealth of information available when we study these taxa and incorporate the findings into our current paradigms of social evolution. 2) Relatively little is known about proximate mechanisms that govern social systems. Research on the neuroendocrine basis of pair-bond formation and paternal care has provided valuable insights, but many questions remain. 3) Mounting evidence indicates that, in addition to genetics, social environment can play a major role in behavioral and physiological development. Studies on effects of early social environment would contribute to our understanding of ontogeny of individual differences in social species. 4) Recent evidence suggests a significant geographic variation in social characteristics of some rodent species. The extent and ecological correlates of such intraspecific variation merit further investigation.
The CMU Submission for the Shared Task on Language Identification in Code-Switched Data

We describe the CMU submission for the 2014 shared task on language identification in code-switched data. We participated in all four language pairs: Spanish‐English, Mandarin‐English, Nepali‐English, and Modern Standard Arabic‐Arabic dialects. After describing our CRF-based baseline system, we discuss three extensions for learning from unlabeled data: semi-supervised learning, word embeddings, and word lists.
Optimal Capital Structure in a Duopoly

In this paper we develop a structural model of optimal capital structure in a duopoly framework. We show that a firm's position within the industry is an important determinant of its financing policy. Optimal financing and investment strategies of the entrant ("the follower") depend on the characteristics of the incumbent ("the leader"), leading to a significant intra-industry leverage dispersion, consistent with existing empirical studies. We show that the strategic effect of debt can lead to a substantial deviation from financing policies that would be optimal in a single firm environment.We proceed further by constructing a full equilibrium and endogenizing financing and investment strategies of both firms. We show that in that equilibrium the follower has a higher leverage than the incumbent and defaults first, so the last-in-first-out regime is expected to prevail. This result is consistent with available empirical evidence.Finally, we examine the relation between intra-industry leverage dispersion and industry characteristics, such as tax rates and cash flow volatility. This analysis generates novel empirical predictions and provides grounds for new empirical tests.
Manipulability Theory and Event Types

Les theories de la causalite fondees sur la "manipulabilite" analysent la causalite en termes de notre capacite humaine a produire des evenements. L'A. montre qu'il y a une serie de cas dans lesquels on ne peut invoquer la presence d'une action humaine dans les productions causales. P. 151-153: "Reply to Lowe on Actions" par J. HORNSBY.
Vitamin D in Obesity and Weight Loss

Vitamin D maintains calcium and phosphate homeostasis, is essential for bone development and maintenance, and also has non-skeletal effects [1]. Severe vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, while less severe vitamin D deficiency is associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism and increased bone turnover causing bone loss and fracture, especially in older populations [2]. Vitamin D deficiency has also been related to numerous diseases including diabetes and metabolic syndrome [3]. The obesity epidemic represents a public health concern worldwide and is associated with multiple comorbidities [4–7]. Vitamin D deficiency is also prevalent in many populations, including the obese [8–11]. Accumulating evidence shows that adiposity negatively influences vitamin D metabolism, storage, and action, and may influence the health risks associated with obesity. This chapter focuses on how obesity and body weight affect vitamin D metabolism and levels.
Epidemiology and Outcomes of Hospitalized Children With Necrotizing Soft-Tissue Infections.

Objective:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology and outcome of hospitalized children with a diagnosis of necrotizing soft-tissue infections (NSTIs).Methods:Demographic and outcome data of children 1 month to 18 years of age with a diagnosis of NSTI (International Classification
Why All Teachers Matter: The Relationship Between Long-Term Teacher and Classroom Quality and Children’s Reading Achievement

ABSTRACTThis study uses the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort to examine the influence that teachers and classrooms have on children’s short- and long-term reading achievement trajectories throughout the elementary school years. The analytic sample in the 1st grade is 16,604 children nested within 5,029 teachers, the 3rd-grade sample includes 14,281 children nested within 6,023 teachers, and the 5th-grade sample includes 11,233 children nested within 4,734 teachers. Children’s previous teacher and classroom experiences are associated with a small but long-term influence on children’s reading achievement, explaining 5% to 10% of variability in student achievement at later time points. In contrast, the measures of concurrent teacher characteristics and qualifications, as well as concurrent instructional practices, used in this study were inconsistently associated with reading achievement in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades.
INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM THROUGH MUSIC, PROMPTING, AND MODELING

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate strategies to increase gross motor task completion (GMTC) in physical activity programming for children with autism spectrum disorder in a school setting. A multiple baseline design across five participants was used compare the impact of the presentation of music with lyrical instruction alone and with a teacher modeling and providing verbal prompting for increasing GMTC. Furthermore, the extent to which the GMTC generalized to a novel song following training was also evaluated. All participants engaged in low levels of GMTC during baseline and in the music only conditions. Improvements were found when modeling and prompting were introduced; however, the change was modest. Finally, none of the participants demonstrated generalization to a novel song. In light of the findings, implications for schools to consider physical activity programming will be discussed.
Random projections for reduced dimension radar space-time adaptive processing

Multisensor radar data is high-dimensional and suffers from the curse of dimensionality. For example, in radar space time adaptive processing (STAP), training data from neighboring range cells is limited since the statistical properties vary significantly over range and azimuth. This precludes implementation of the full-dimension optimal detectors, i.e. the minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) filter. In this paper we reduce the dimension of the problem by random sampling, i.e. by projecting the data into a random d-dimensional subspace. The Johnson-Lindenstrauss theorem provides theoretical guarantees which explicitly state that the low dimensional data after random projections is only very slightly perturbed when compared to the data from the original problem in an l 2 norm sense. Statistical analysis via probabilistic bounds is provided for a measure of whiteness of the random projected STAP. Random projections offers two advantages, first, it permits implementation of classical detectors in the small sample size regime. Second, it offers significant computational savings permitting possible real time solutions. Both these advantages are however at the cost of reducing the clairvoyant output SINR for radar STAP. These trade-spaces also exist for other radar multisensor frameworks, not just limited to STAP. Hence we recommend exercising some caution and restraint when applying random sampling techniques such as random projections and compressive sensing for practical radar.
Evaluating Facebook brand content popularity for service versus goods offerings

Abstract Marketers using social media are struggling with its successful implementation, specifically in engaging their audiences through creation of popular brand content. Yet, creating popular brand content can lead to positive financial and brand outcomes. This research examines Fortune 500 companies' brand content strategies that contribute to Facebook content popularity metrics (i.e., number of likes and comments) for service versus goods offerings. Building on psychological motivation theory and the noted differences in culture and capabilities between goods and service firms, the article analyzes the key differences in service and goods brand content strategies in terms of branding, message appeals, and vividness. The findings from a multivariate multilevel Poisson model show that the use of corporate brand names is more popular for service messages whereas the use of product brand names, images, and videos is more popular for goods messages. Furthermore, service messages generate a higher number of comments than goods messages.
An extended environmental input-output lifecycle assessment model to study the urban food-energy-water nexus.

We developed a physically-based environmental account of US food production systems and integrated these data into the environmental-input–output life cycle assessment (EIO-LCA) model. The extended model was used to characterize the food, energy, and water (FEW) intensities of every US economic sector. The model was then applied to every Bureau of Economic Analysis metropolitan statistical area (MSA) to determine their FEW usages. The extended EIO-LCA model can determine the water resource use (kGal), energy resource use (TJ), and food resource use in units of mass (kg) or energy content (kcal) of any economic activity within the United States. We analyzed every economic sector to determine its FEW intensities per dollar of economic output. This data was applied to each of the 382 MSAs to determine their total and per dollar of GDP FEW usages by allocating MSA economic production to the corresponding FEW intensities of US economic sectors. Additionally, a longitudinal study was performed for the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA, metropolitan statistical area to examine trends from this singular MSA and compare it to the overall results. Results show a strong correlation between GDP and energy use, and between food and water use across MSAs. There is also a correlation between GDP and greenhouse gas emissions. The longitudinal study indicates that these correlations can shift alongside a shifting industrial composition. Comparing MSAs on a per GDP basis reveals that central and southern California tend to be more resource intensive than many other parts of the country, while much of Florida has abnormally low resource requirements. Results of this study enable a more complete understanding of food, energy, and water as key ingredients to a functioning economy. With the addition of the food data to the EIO-LCA framework, researchers will be able to better study the food–energy–water nexus and gain insight into how these three vital resources are interconnected. Applying this extended model to MSAs has demonstrated that all three resources are important to a MSA's vitality, though the exact proportion of each resource may differ across urban areas.
A review of social media methods and lessons learned from the National Children's Study.

Introduction Given the reach and influence of social media, the National Children’s Study Vanguard Study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and cost of using social media to support participant retention. Methods We describe a social media experiment designed to assess the impact of social media on participant retention, discuss several key considerations for integrating social media into longitudinal research, and review factors that may influence engagement in research-related social media. Results User participation varied but was most active when at launch. During the short life of the private online community, a total of 39 participants joined. General enthusiasm about the prospect of the online community was indicated. There were many lessons learned throughout the process in areas such as privacy, security, and Institutional Review Board clearance. These are described in detail. Conclusions The opportunity to engage participants in longitudinal research using online social networks is enticing; however, more research is needed to consider the feasibility of their use in an ongoing manner. Recommendations are presented for future research seeking to use social media to improve retention in longitudinal research.
EARLY gestational exposure to isoflurane causes persistent cell loss in the dentate gyrus of adult male rats.

Our previous research showed that 4 h of maternal anesthesia with isoflurane during early gestation in pregnant rats leads to a deficit in spatial memory of adult male offspring. Because spatial memory is predominantly a hippocampally-mediated task, we asked the question if early gestational exposure to isoflurane affects development of the hippocampus in the offspring. Previously behaviorally characterized adult male rats that were exposed to isoflurane during second trimester were sacrificed at 4 months of age (N = 10 and 13, control and isoflurane groups, respectively) for quantitative histology of hippocampal subregions. Sections were stained with cresyl violet and the total number of cells in the granular layer of the dentate gyrus and the pyramidal cell layer in the CA1 region were determined by a blinded observer using unbiased stereological principles and the optical fractionator method. Data were analyzed using Student’s t test; P < 0.05 was accorded statistical significance. Stereological examination revealed 9% fewer cells in the granular layer of the dentate gyrus of isoflurane-exposed adult rats compared to controls (1,002,122 ± 84,870 vs. 1,091,829 ± 65,791, respectively; Mean ± S.D, *P = 0.01). In contrast, there were no changes in the cell number in the CA1 region, nor were there changes in the volumes of both regions. Our results show that maternal isoflurane anesthesia in rodents causes region-specific cell loss in the hippocampus of adult male offspring. These changes may, in part, account for the behavioral deficits reported in adult rats exposed to isoflurane in utero.
La mujer en llamas: Legal Storytelling in Lucha Corpi’s Black Widow’s Wardrobe

Using one of critical race theory’s tenets, legal storytelling, this essay focuses on the first Chicana mystery-detective writer, Lucha Corpi, her groundbreaking novel Black Widow’s Wardrobe (1999), and its unique approach to addressing crimes against women. Corpi’s novel solves the traditional mystery while also providing a secondary narrative on the history and evolution of United States and California laws and their relationship to women’s bodies as well as their intimate (private) and civic (public) lives. The Chicana feminist detective character Gloria Damasco engages in legal storytelling, or the act of challenging traditional and institutional methods, to expose how marital rape, human trafficking, and domestic violence can be viewed as colonial and patriarchal residues. Ruiz argues that the narrative, positioned as a liminal text within conventional American literary studies, challenges institutional and foundational forms of justice by placing a nontraditional character like Gloria Damasco as a turn-of-the-century negotiator and legal storyteller.
Constrained Combinatorial Libraries of Gp2 Proteins Enhance Discovery of PD-L1 Binders

Engineered protein ligands are used for molecular therapy, diagnostics, and industrial biotechnology. The Gp2 domain is a 45-amino acid scaffold that has been evolved for specific, high-affinity binding to multiple targets by diversification of two solvent-exposed loops. Inspired by sitewise enrichment of select amino acids, including cysteine pairs, in earlier Gp2 discovery campaigns, we hypothesized that the breadth and efficiency of de novo Gp2 discovery will be aided by sitewise amino acid constraint within combinatorial library design. We systematically constructed eight libraries and comparatively evaluated their efficacy for binder discovery via yeast display against a panel of targets. Conservation of a cysteine pair at the termini of the first diversified paratope loop increased binder discovery 16-fold (p < 0.001). Yet two other libraries with conserved cysteine pairs, within the second loop or an interloop pair, did not aid discovery thereby indicating site-specific impact. Via a yeast display ...
An Evolutionary Interpretation of Fertility Decline: New Evidence

This article presents new evidence that partly reinforces and partly qualifies the results of a recent article on fertility decline published in this journal by Sanderson and Dubrow. Eight panel regression analyses were carried out, four for the period between 1960 and 1990 and four more for the period of the original demographic transition, that between 1880 and 1940. The analyses for the 1960–1990 period show that Sanderson and Dubrow's original conclusion that infant mortality decline was causing fertility decline (rather than the reverse) was correct. On the other hand, Sanderson and Dubrow's conclusion that enhanced female empowerment led to fertility decline proved incorrect. The new analyses reported here show that the reverse was in fact the case: women became more empowered as a result of declining fertility. The panel analyses carried out for the 1880–1940 period showed that infant mortality decline seemed to be an important cause of fertility decline between 1880 and 1910 but not between 1910 and 1940. However, the reverse hypothesis—that fertility decline caused infant mortality decline during this period—was falsified. I conclude that the causes of fertility decline in the modern world may be different, at least to some extent, from those in the original demographic transition. This is an unsatisfying (because unparsimonious) result that suggests the need for more research.
Increasing fidelity and efficiency by modifying cytidine base-editing systems in rice

Abstract The efficiency of plant cytidine base-editing systems is limited, and unwanted mutations frequently occur in transgenic plants. We increased the cytidine editing frequency and fidelity of the plant base editor 3 (BE3) and targeted activation-induced cytidine deaminase (CDA) (target-AID) systems by coexpressing three copies of free uracil–DNA glycosylase (UDG) inhibitor (UGI). The editing efficiency of the improved BE3 and CDA systems reached as high as 88.9% and 85.7%, respectively, in regenerated rice plants, with a very low frequency of unwanted mutations. The low editing frequency of the BE3 system in the GC context could be overcome by the modified CDA system. These results provide a high-fidelity and high-efficiency solution for rice genomic base editing.
WB3.3 - Efficient Power-Division NOMA for Intelligent Optical Access Network Enabled by Deep Learning

We propose and experimentally demonstrate both synchronized downlink and asynchronous uplink NOMA using deep learning techniques, providing expansibility for an ultra-dense network and enabling low-cost intelligent optical access network.
Optimizing Order Dispatch for Ride-Sharing Systems

Ride-sharing companies such as Didi and Uber have served billions of passenger requests from all over the world. The efficiency of the ride-sharing is highly depended on the order dispatch system which assigns passenger requests to idle drivers. However, designing such a dispatch system is challenging because of the spatial-temporal dynamic of passenger requests, and the trade-off between the benefits for passengers and drivers. Existing order dispatch systems use either a system-assigning approach or a driver-grabbing approach. However, either approach has its own flaws. In this paper, we propose to combine the two existing approaches and jointly considers both passengers'' and drivers'' interest. In our approach, a passenger request is broadcast to the drivers in a dispatch region chosen by the system. The size of the dispatch region could iteratively increase until the request is accepted. We formulate an optimization problem to determine the increase speed of the dispatch region. Drivers'' idle driving distances and passengers'' waiting time are jointly considered. We propose a dynamic programming algorithm to optimally solve the increase ratio of the size of the dispatch region for a case that different dispatch regions are not overlapped. We further investigate the overlapped case and modify the dynamic programming algorithm correspondingly. We provide a discussion on the effect of the overlapping in a spatial case, where the driver and passenger locations are uniformly distributed. Experiments are conducted based on the synthetic dataset and the real-world dataset from Didi Inc. Results show that our approach can effectively reduce the expected driver pickup distance and keep the dispatching time short, which balances both passengers'' and drivers'' interests.