cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploiting competition relationship for robust visual recognition

Joint learning of similar tasks has been a popular trend in visual recognition and proven to be beneficial. Between-task similarity often provides useful cues, such as feature sharing, for learning visual classifiers. By contrast, the competition relationship between visual recognition tasks (e.g., content independent writer identification and handwriting recognition) remains largely under-explored. A key challenge in visual recognition is to select the most discriminating features and remove irrelevant features related to intraclass variations. With the help of auxiliary competing tasks, we can identify such features within a joint learning model exploiting the competition relationship. Motivated by this intuition, we propose a novel way to exploit competition relationship for solving visual recognition problems. Specifically, given a target task and its competing tasks, we jointly model them by a generalized additive regression model with a competition constraint. This constraint effectively discourages choosing of irrelevant features (weak learners) that support the auxiliary competing tasks. We name the proposed algorithm CompBoost. In our study, CompBoost is applied to two visual recognition applications: (1) content-independent writer identification from handwriting scripts by exploiting competing tasks of handwriting recognition, and (2) actor-independent facial expression recognition by exploiting competing tasks of face recognition. In both experiments our approach demonstrates promising performance gains by exploiting the between-task competition.
Language Policy: Public Policy Perspectives

Language policy involves the governance of diversity arising from historical configurations, recent immigration, or both. Because of the widespread belief that language differences are a source of political instability and societal conflict, as well as the practical costs of multilingual administration and public services, policies are commonly designed to reduce the actual diversity encountered among the population and to minimize its potential growth. Although language has long been of concern to states, issues of language policy have achieved unprecedented prominence as a concomitant of the expansion of governmental activity and of citizen participation, as well as of the advent of postindustrial conditions that enhance the value of linguistic skills as a form of cultural capital. Among both one-language dominant and acknowledged multilingual countries, much of the impetus for change comes from disadvantaged indigenous and immigrant minorities. This is illustrated by way of case studies illustrating an array of diverse situations, including the United States, France, Belgium, Canada, and postcolonial countries in Asia and Africa. The article also reviews language issues arising at the international level, including the United Nations, the European Union, and concludes with a projection of the emerging global language system.
NADH oxidoreductase is a major source of superoxide anion in bovine coronary artery endothelium

In this study we examined the intracellular sources of superoxide anion (O2-.) in cultured bovine coronary endothelium, employing lucigenin (250 microM)-elicited chemiluminescence (CL). In the homogenate from these cells, 100 microM NADPH increased O2-. by 81% from 8.9 +/- 1.5 to 16.0 +/- 1.5 x 10(5) cpm/mg protein (P < 0.01, n = 8). In the presence of 100 microM NADH, however, CL increased by 458% from 8.9 +/- 1.6 to 49.6 +/- 12.0 x 10(5) cpm/mg protein (P < 0.01, n = 8). Scavengers of O2-., superoxide dismutase (100 micrograms/ml), or 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzenedisulfonic acid disodium salt (Tiron, 10 mM) inhibited NADH-mediated CL by 70 and 83%, respectively. Neither hypoxanthine (100 microM) nor antimycin (10 microM)+succinate (5 mM) had any significant effect on basal CL levels, thereby excluding xanthine oxidase and mitochondria, respectively, as a detectable sources of O2-. generation. The presence of NAD+ (100 microM) and lactate (1 mM) increased CL by 88% (n = 8, P < 0.01). In the intact cells, basal production of CL was increased by 205% (P < 0.01) by 5 mM lactate, but not by 5 mM pyruvate, and CL was inhibited by 10 mM Tiron, suggesting the reduction of cytosolic NAD by lactate dehydrogenase stimulates O2-. production. Diphenyliodonium at 1 and 10 microM inhibited both NADH-mediated CL in homogenate and lactate-mediated CL in intact endothelium by 50 and 33%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Inhibition of canine tracheal smooth muscle by mediators from cultured bronchial epithelial cells

To determine the effect of mediators released from cultured canine bronchial epithelial cells on contraction of canine tracheal smooth muscle, we treated smooth muscle strips with piperazine-N,N'-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid) buffer "conditioned" by 5 h incubation with cultures of 4- to 5-day-old cultured epithelial cells. Pretreatment of tracheal smooth muscle with conditioned buffer for 5 min resulted in a significant shift to the right of the contractile dose-response curve to histamine in the range of 10(-8) to 5 x 10(-4) M. In addition, conditioned buffer induced a dose-related relaxation of the muscle precontracted by histamine (5 microM). Relaxant activity was also evident against tissues precontracted by 5-hydroxytryptamine or methacholine. Lipid extraction of conditioned buffer reduced its activity to that of the fresh buffer control. Prior treatment of the cells in culture with the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, sodium meclofenamate (4 microM), markedly reduced the relaxant effect of the conditioned buffer, whereas prior treatment with MK-886, an inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase, did not alter relaxant activity. Analysis of prostanoids released into the buffer by epithelial cells indicated the presence of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha, the former in concentrations sufficient to account for the effect of conditioned buffer on precontracted tracheal muscle. Prostaglandin I2 appeared to have a synergistic effect on PGE2-induced relaxation. We conclude that canine bronchial epithelial cells exhibit baseline release of a relaxant lipid factor(s) that can both inhibit and reverse the contraction of tracheal smooth muscle by histamine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids decrease mammary tumor growth, multiorgan metastasis and enhance survival

Epidemiological studies show a reduced risk of breast cancer (BC) in women consuming high levels of long-chain (LC) omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acids (FAs) compared with women who consumed low levels. However, the regulatory and mechanistic roles of dietary ω-6 and LC-ω-3 FAs on tumor progression, metastasis and survival are poorly understood. Female BALB/c mice (10-week old) were pair-fed with a diet containing ω-3 or an isocaloric, isolipidic ω-6 diet for 16 weeks prior to the orthotopic implantation of 4T1 mammary tumor cells. Major outcomes studied included: mammary tumor growth, survival analysis, and metastases analyses in multiple organs including pulmonary, hepatic, bone, cardiac, renal, ovarian, and contralateral MG (CMG). The dietary regulation of the tumor microenvironment was evaluated in mice autopsied on day-35 post tumor injection. In mice fed the ω-3 containing diet, there was a significant delay in tumor initiation and prolonged survival relative to the ω-6 diet-fed group. The tumor size on day 35 post tumor injection in the ω-3 group was 50% smaller and the frequencies of pulmonary and bone metastases were significantly lower relative to the ω-6 group. Similarly, the incidence/frequencies and/or size of cardiac, renal, ovarian metastases were significantly lower in mice fed the ω-3 diet. The analyses of the tumor microenvironment showed that tumors in the ω-3 group had significantly lower numbers of proliferating tumor cells (Ki67+)/high power field (HPF), and higher numbers of apoptotic tumor cells (TUNEL+)/HPF, lower neo-vascularization (CD31+ vessels/HPF), infiltration by neutrophil elastase+ cells, and macrophages (F4/80+) relative to the tumors from the ω-6 group. Further, in tumors from the ω-3 diet-fed mice, T-cell infiltration was 102% higher resulting in a neutrophil to T-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) that was 76% lower (p < 0.05). Direct correlations were observed between NLR with tumor size and T-cell infiltration with the number of apoptotic tumor cells. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that tumor IL10 mRNA levels were significantly higher (six-fold) in the tumors from mice fed the ω-3 diet and inversely correlated with the tumor size. Our data suggest that dietary LC-ω-3FAs modulates the mammary tumor microenvironment slowing tumor growth, and reducing metastases to both common and less preferential organs resulting in prolonged survival. The surrogate analyses undertaken support a mechanism of action by dietary LC-ω-3FAs that includes, but is not limited to decreased infiltration by myeloid cells (neutrophils and macrophages), an increase in CD3+ lymphocyte infiltration and IL10 associated anti-inflammatory activity.
RAPID EXCITATION OF HIGHER HARMONIC WAVES IN THE PARAMETRIC INSTABILITY OF ALFVÉN WAVES

MHD theory and simulation are used to show that the linear growth rates of high harmonic waves excited in parametric instabilities of Alfven waves are larger than that of the fundamental wave. Furthermore, the ratio of the growth rate of the n-th harmonic wave and the fundamental wave is a This study predicts that wave-wave coupling process in general lead to a turbulent state through the rapid excitation of higher harmonic and the initiation of a direct cascade of energy to small scales.
Closing Remarks: Future Research Needs for Geological Carbon Storage

Abstract Geological carbon storage (GCS) is a rapidly evolving technology, which could become vital in mitigating the increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). While we understand overall phenomena associated with injecting and storing CO2 in porous subsurface formations, unknowns persist. For successful geological carbon storage, trapping of CO2 over extended time periods (103 to 104 years) is required. Existing predictive models examining these timescales include large uncertainties and require improvement. Addressing challenges associated with temporal and spatial scales, characterizing and controlling mechanisms, and kinetics of individual, as well as coupled, processes are central to this technology. One of the key future research areas is developing fundamental science to understand process coupling at relevant temporal and spatial scales, and being able to predict, anticipate, and mitigate emergent behavior (e.g., development of preferential flow paths). This chapter summarizes the current state-of-the-art knowledge detailed in the previous chapters and presents future research needs for successful GCS.
Cell Non-autonomous Function of daf-18/PTEN in the Somatic Gonad Coordinates Somatic Gonad and Germline Development in C. elegans Dauer Larvae.

Summary C. elegans larvae integrate environmental information and developmental decisions [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. In favorable conditions, worms develop rapidly and continuously through four larval stages into reproductive adulthood. However, if conditions are unfavorable through the second larval stage, worms enter dauer diapause, a state of global and reversible developmental arrest in which precursor cells remain quiescent and preserve developmental potential, anticipating developmental progression if conditions improve. Signaling from neurons, hypodermis, and intestine regulate the appearance and behavior of dauer larvae and many aspects of developmental arrest of the non-gonadal soma [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]. Here, we show that the decision of somatic gonad blast cells (SGBs) and germline stem cells (GSCs) to be quiescent or progress developmentally is regulated differently from the non-gonadal soma: daf-18/PTEN acts non-autonomously within the somatic gonad to maintain developmental quiescence of both SGBs and GSCs. Our analysis suggests that daf-18 acts in somatic gonad cells to produce a “pro-quiescence” signal (or signals) that acts inter se and between the somatic gonad and the germline. The inferred signal does not require DAF-2/insulin receptor or maintain quiescence of the nearby sex myoblasts, and developmental progression in daf-18(0) does not require dafachronic acids. Abrogating quiescence in dauer results in post-dauer sterility. Our results implicate the somatic gonad as an endocrine organ to synchronize somatic gonad and germline development during dauer diapause and recovery, and our finding that PTEN acts non-autonomously to control blast cell quiescence may be relevant to its function as a tumor suppressor in mammals and to combating parasitic nematodes.
Neurocognitive functioning in community youth with suicidal ideation: gender and pubertal effects

Background Although there are extensive data on clinical psychopathology in youth with suicidal ideation, data are lacking regarding their neurocognitive function. Aims To characterise the cognitive profile of youth with suicidal ideation in a community sample and evaluate gender differences and pubertal status effects. Method Participants (N = 6151, age 11-21 years, 54.9% females) from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort, a non-help-seeking community sample, underwent detailed clinical evaluation. Cognitive phenotyping included executive functioning, episodic memory, complex reasoning and social cognitive functioning. We compared participants with suicidal ideation (N = 672) and without suicidal ideation (N = 5479). Regression models were employed to evaluate differences in cognitive performance and functional level, with gender and pubertal status as independent variables. Models controlled for lifetime depression or general psychopathology, and for covariates including age and socioeconomic status. Results Youth with suicidal ideation showed greater psychopathology, poorer level of function but better overall neurocognitive performance. Greater functional impairment was observed in females with suicidal ideation (suicidal ideation × gender interaction, t = 3.091, P = 0.002). Greater neurocognition was associated with suicidal ideation post-puberty (suicidal ideation × puberty interaction, t = 3.057, P = 0.002). Exploratory analyses of specific neurocognitive domains showed that suicidal ideation-associated cognitive superiority was more prominent in post-pubertal males compared with females (Cohen's d = 0.32 and d = 0.11, respectively) across all cognitive domains. Conclusions Suicidal ideation was associated with poorer functioning yet better cognitive performance, especially in post-pubertal males, as measured by a comprehensive cognitive battery. Findings point to gender and pubertal-status specificity in the relationship between suicidal ideation, cognition and function in youth. Declaration of interest R.B. serves on the scientific board and reports stock ownership in 'Taliaz Health', with no conflict of interest relevant to this work. M.A.O. receives royalties for the commercial use of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale from the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene. Her family owns stock in Bristol-Myers Squibb. All other authors declare no potential conflict of interest.
THE ENDURING ATLANTA COMPROMISE: Black Youth Contending with Home Foreclosures and School Closures in the "New South"

Waves of migration to and flight from Atlanta by both White and Black residents and businesses have constantly imagined and re-imagined the city as both politically regressive and racially progressive, and from an environmental health perspective, as both a riskscape and a safe haven. We argue that the persistent racial, social, environmental, and health inequities in Atlanta have been fostered and exacerbated by the exponential growth of the city and the persistent rhetoric of it being “the city too busy to hate.” This paper is informed by extant research on housing and transportation policies and processes at work in Atlanta since the end of the Civil War, and in particular, the predatory and subprime lending practices during the past thirty years. This paper examines how young people, living in a neighborhood where over 50% of the houses are currently vacant and contending with threats of school closures, experience the contemporary foreclosure crisis. Using qualitative data from focus groups with middle school youth, this paper offers youth-informed perspectives and local knowledge by offering responses of marginalized populations in Atlanta who inhabit, rather than flee, their built and social environments.
Oxidation of PAH trans-dihydrodiols by human aldo-keto reductase (AKR) 1B isoforms: A new AKR subfamily implicated in PAH activation.

5209 Human aldo-keto reductases (AKR1C1-AKR1C4 and AKR1A1) have been shown to oxidize polycyclic aromatic (PAH) trans-dihydrodiols to reactive and redox-active o-quinones in vitro, in transformed human bronchoalveolar cells, and in A549 adenocarcinoma cell lysates which overexpress these isoforms. Recently, AKR1B10 (aldose reductase-like protein) was shown to be highly expressed in non-small cell lung carcinoma (Fukumoto et al., Clin. Cancer Res. (2005) 11, 1776-1785), raising the possibility that this enzyme may also activate PAH trans-dihydrodiols. We now report that members of the aldo-keto reductase AKR1B subfamily have dihydrodiol dehydrogenase activity in vitro. Homogenous recombinant AKR1B10 was expressed as a His-tag fusion protein and had identical steady-state kinetic constants to those previously assigned for DL-glyceraldehyde. This enzyme was found to oxidize benzo[a]pyrene(BP)-trans-7,8-dihydrodiol to BP-7,8-dione but with the incorrect stereochemistry to be relevant for BP activation in vivo. However, AKR1B10 can activate both stereoisomers of benzo[g]chrysene-11,12-diol (fjord-region) and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-3,4-diol (methylated bay region), with v/[S] values comparable to those observed for BP-7,8-diol oxidation by human AKR1C enzymes. These studies were extended to include the highly homologous protein AKR1B1 (aldose reductase, 71% amino acid identity). Homogenous recombinant protein was also found to oxidize PAH trans-dihydrodiols, including BP-7,8-diol. These studies implicate a novel role for AKR1B enzymes in PAH activation and hence tobacco smoke carcinogenesis. (Supported by PO1 CA092537 and R01 CA39504 awarded to T.M.P. and R25 CA101871 awarded to A.M.Q.)
Recent Quantum-Key Distribution Schemes

This chapter is devoted to the recently proposed both discrete variable (DV) and continuous variable (CV)-QKD schemes. The chapter starts with the description of Hong–Ou–Mandel effect and photonic Bell state measurements (BSMs). Both polarization state-based and time-bin-state-based BSMs are introduced. After that, the BB84 and decoy-state protocols are briefly revisited. The next topic in the chapter is devoted to the measurement-device-independent (MDI)-QKD protocols. Both polarization state-based and time-phase-state-based MDI-QKD protocols are described. Further, the twin-field (TF)-QKD protocols are described, capable of beating the Pirandola–Laurenza–Ottaviani–Banchi (PLOB) bound on a linear key rate. Floodlight (FL) CV-QKD protocol is then described, which is capable of achieving record secret-key rates (SKRs). Finally, Kramers–Kronig (KK)-receiver-based CV-QKD scheme is introduced, representing high-SKR scheme of low complexity.
Incidence and influence of prosthesis-patient mismatch after reoperative aortic valve replacement: a retrospective single-center study

Reoperative aortic valve replacement (AVR) is associated with increased mortality compared with initial surgery, and a smaller valve might be implanted during repeat AVR (re-AVR; AVR after prior AVR). We describe the clinical outcomes and incidence of prosthesis-patient mismatches (PPM) after reoperative AVR. Among 113 patients who underwent reoperative AVR between 2007 and 2018, 44 underwent re-AVR and 69 underwent a first replacement of a diseased natural valve after any cardiac surgery except AVR (primary AVR). We then compared early and late outcomes, the impact of re-AVR on the effective orifice areas (EOA), and the incidence and influence of PPM on reoperative AVR. Hospital mortality was 2.7%, and the overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 95, 91 and 86%, respectively. The reference EOA of the newly implanted valve was smaller than that of the previous valve (1.4 ± 0.3 vs. 1.6 ± 0.3 cm2, p < 0.01). The mean pressure gradient was greater (15.2 ± 6.4 vs. 12.7 ± 6.2 mmHg, p = 0.04) and indexed EOA was smaller (0.92 ± 0.26 vs. 1.06 ± 0.36 cm2/m2, p = 0.04) during re-AVR than primary AVR, whereas the incidence of PPM was similar (38.7% vs. 34.8%, p = 0.87) between the groups. The clinical outcomes of reoperative AVR were acceptable. Although the reference EOA of new implanted valves was smaller than that of previous valves, re-AVR did not increase the incidence of PPM. These findings might serve as a guide for future decisions regarding the surgical approach to treating degenerated prosthetic valves.
Elementary students’ literacy opportunities in an age of accountability and standards: Implications for teacher educators

Abstract Adopting a place-based stance to better prepare teacher candidates for local schools, researchers investigated elementary students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking opportunities. Observations included two literacy lessons of 14 preservice and inservice teachers and analysis identified instructional influences, including best practices (e.g., differentiated instruction), standards, and standardized assessments. Findings indicated students’ opportunities varied from little to no reading during literacy lessons to rich, authentic opportunities to read meaningful texts. Little writing was evident, only some lessons substantively supported state standards, and many speaking and listening opportunities occurred at the lowest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Implications for teacher educators are discussed.
A novel mechanism of natural killer cell response to anti-CTLA-4 therapy identified by integrative analysis of mouse and human tumors

Abstract Immune checkpoint-inhibitory antibodies (ICIs) are well-established immunotherapies. Despite this, the impact of ICI therapy on non-T cell intratumoral immune cells is ill-defined, restraining the improvement of ICI efficacy. Preclinical murine models of human disease are infrequently validated in clinical trials, impairing the identification of novel biological factors impacting clinical ICI response. To address this barrier, we used our previously described computational approach that integrates high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing datasets to identify known and novel cellular alterations induced by ICIs that are conserved in mice and humans. We found a signature of intratumoral natural killer (NK) cell activation that is enriched in anti-CTLA-4 treated mouse tumors and correlates with longer overall survival and is predictive of anti-CTLA-4 (ipilimumab) response in melanoma patients. We demonstrate that human NK cells express CTLA-4, which directly binds anti-CTLA-4. These data reveal a novel role for NK cells in anti-CTLA-4 treatment and present opportunities to enhance ICI efficacy. Importantly, we provide a new computational tool for onco-immunology that can identify and validate biological observations across species.
Bone Mineral Density in Older U.S. Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, and White Women.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Bone mineral density (BMD) reference data exist for U.S. White, Black, and Hispanic (Mexican American) populations but not for U.S. Asians. Few studies have compared BMD findings among different U.S. Asian ethnicities. DESIGN Retrospective observational study. SETTING Large northern California healthcare system. PARTICIPANTS Asian and White women aged 50 to 79 years with BMD testing from 1998 to 2017 excluding those with estrogen or osteoporosis treatment, recent fracture, or select disorders affecting skeletal health. MEASUREMENTS Femoral neck (FN)-BMD and height data. METHODS Differences in FN-BMD were examined by ethnicity and age, comparing Filipino, Chinese, and Japanese women and non-Hispanic White women. Differences in BMD were also examined after adjustment for height. RESULTS There were 37,224 Asian women (including 11,147 Filipino, 10,648 Chinese, and 2,519 Japanese) and 115,318 non-Hispanic White women. Mean height was similar among the Asian subgroups and about 6 to 8 cm lower than Whites. Mean FN-BMDs differed by less than 3% for Filipino, Chinese, and Japanese and all were lower than Whites, with smaller Asian-White differences among younger women (<3%; ages 50-59) and larger differences among older women (6-8%; ages 65-79). Adjusting FN-BMD for height reduced White-Asian differences by about 30% to 40%. CONCLUSION Mean FN-BMD and height for Filipino, Chinese, and Japanese women were similar but consistently lower than White women, especially among older women. Although Asian-White BMD differences were substantially attenuated after height adjustment; some differences persisted for older women. Future studies should investigate potential age-cohort effects and the extent to which these BMD differences influence fracture risk and clinical care.
Theoretical Overview of Disaster Stressors and Responses: Relational and Clinical Implications

Intentional use of theory to guide family-focused disaster research has many benefits that will help to advance the field. Theory-driven inquiry allows researchers to advance programs of scholarship that are less reactive to specific disaster events and more nuanced in developing our understanding of how families are affected and respond to disasters. Scholars studying families in the wake of disaster have utilized a variety of theories to formulate questions and to guide data analyses. This chapter first outlines the need for family-focused scholarship in the area of disaster studies and emphasizes the need for continued theory-driven research programs pertaining to natural disaster and the family. The next section of this chapter presents the tenets and prior use of four prominent theoretical lenses used by disaster scholars in the past two decades including the conservation of resources theory, ecological theory, attachment theory, and the family stress theory. Research and clinical implications of utilizing each theory are discussed, as well as suggestions for the development of programmatic research questions connected with each theory. Directions for future research with families building upon established theories and cross-disciplinary perspectives are considered.
The Ease of Fitting but Futility of Testing a Nonstationary Poisson Processes from One Sample Path

The nonstationary Poisson process (NSPP) is a workhorse tool for modeling and simulating arrival processes with time-dependent rates. In many applications only a single sequence of arrival times are observed. While one sample path is sufficient for estimating the arrival rate or integrated rate function of the process—as we illustrate in this paper—we show that testing for Poissonness, in the general case, is futile. In other words, when only a single sequence of arrival data are observed then one can fit an NSPP to it, but the choice of "NSPP" can only be justified by an understanding of the underlying process physics, or a leap of faith, not by testing the data. This result suggests the need for sensitivity analysis when such a model is used to generate arrivals in a simulation.
Cybersafety: A System-theoretic Approach to Identify Cyber-vulnerabilities & Mitigations in Industrial Control Systems

Recent cyber-physical attacks, such as Stuxnet, Triton etc., have invoked an ominous realization about the lethality of such attacks and the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, including power, gas and water distribution systems. Traditional IT security-biased protection methods that narrowly focus on improving cyber hygiene are largely impotent in the face of targeted attacks by advanced cyber-adversaries. Thus, there is an urgent need to analyze the safety and security of critical infrastructure systems in an integrated, holistic fashion that leverages the physics of the cyber-physical system. System-Theoretic Accident Model & Processes (STAMP) offers a powerful, holistic, structured framework to analyze complex systems; hitherto, STAMP has been used extensively to perform safety analyses but an integrated safety and cyber-security analysis of industrial control systems (ICS) has not been published. This paper uses an actual electrical generation and distribution system of an archetypal industrial facility to demonstrate the application of a STAMP-based method – we call Cyber-safety – to identify and mitigate cyber-related vulnerabilities in ICS. The key contribution of this work is to differentiate the additional steps required to perform a holistic cyber-security analysis for an ICS of significant size and complexity and to present the analysis in a robust and structured format such that it can be emulated to analyze larger systems with many interdependent subsystems.
Comparative analysis of vapor profiles of fentalogs and illicit fentanyl.

Availability of fentanyl is at a record high with 3138 kg of fentanyl and related substances being seized in 2019. Fentanyl’s high toxicity makes a lethal dose for most mere milligrams. With such a high potency and a consistent rise of abuse, the chances of injury or death of frontline workers increase with every interaction. Development of a non-contact detection method for fentanyl would decrease the chances of a workplace mishap. To aid in the development of a non-contact detection method, target analytes in the vapor profile of fentanyl need to be identified. In order to achieve this goal, semi-quantitative headspace analysis of fentanyl analogs and confiscated fentanyl exhibits was accomplished using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS). The vapor signatures of these samples were compared to a previously reported reference-grade fentanyl vapor signature to determine the target analyte(s) for fentanyl detection in the vapor phase. A total of 20 fentalogs and confiscated exhibits, with masses ranging from 2 to 19 mg, were sampled. N-Phenylpropanamide(NPPA) or N-phenethyl-4-piperidone(NPP) was identified as target analytes in 75% of these samples. This is a crucial component for the development of a non-contact detection method for fentanyl.
Perturbation: a means for guiding generalization

Learning problem solving from examples suffers from three problems. First, there is a strong dependency on the order of the presented examples. Second, each example has its own peculiarities which must be overcome. Third, the size of the generalization space can be huge, even if the instance language is small. By adding perturbation operators to the concept tree each of these problems can be alleviated. This is demonstrated in a system which learns, through interaction with a teacher, to solve simultaneous linear equations.
Marine Mammals of Rocas Alijos

Previous knowledge of birds at Rocas Alijos was summarized most recently by Pitman (1985), who reviewed the few historical accounts and provided new information from his five cruises past the rocks between 1974 and 1983. He also presented unpublished information from visits made by other observers in 1953 and 1976.
Dephasing of coherences between σ + and σ - exciton states in a ZnSe single quantum well

We investigate interband coherences as well as coherences between δ + and δ - exciton states in a 10 nm thick ZnSe/ZnMgSe single quantum well by spectrally resolved three-pulse degenerate four-wave mixing using circularlypolarized 100 fs pulses. Polarization and intensity dependent measurements are performed to identify the coherent processes responsible for the nonlinear signal into the k 3 +k 2 -k 1 direction and to study the influence of Coulomb scattering on the dephasing rates. The experiments reveal nearly equal zero-density dephasing rates for coherences between δ + and δ - heavy- and/or light-hole exciton states as compared to the dephasing rate of the interband coherence between these states and the ground state. The measurements also demonstrate that exciton-exciton scattering destroys the phase coherence between heavy- and light-hole excitons about three times more effectively than the coherence between δ + and δ - heavy-hole excitons. The characteristic features of the experimental results are explained and reproduced by numerical calculations of the optical Bloch equations for a ten-level model including excitation induced dephasing.
HPCVIEW: A Tool for Top-down Analysis of Node Performance

It is increasingly difficult for complex scientific programs to attain a significant fraction of peak performance on systems that are based on microprocessors with substantial instruction-level parallelism and deep memory hierarchies. Despite this trend, performance analysis and tuning tools are still not used regularly by algorithm and application designers. To a large extent, existing performance tools fail to meet many user needs and are cumbersome to use. To address these issues, we developed HPCVIEW—a toolkit for combining multiple sets of program profile data, correlating the data with source code, and generating a database that can be analyzed anywhere with a commodity Web browser. We argue that HPCVIEW addresses many of the issues that have limited the usability and the utility of most existing tools. We originally built HPCVIEW to facilitate our own work on data layout and optimizing compilers. Now, in addition to daily use within our group, HPCVIEW is being used by several code development teams in DoD and DoE laboratories as well as at NCSA.
Optimization of the cutoff frequency for Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ HBTs

In this paper, we derive an analytical expression for the total delay time /spl tau//sub tot/ in Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/HBTs and based on the expression, the influences of the Ge composition profile X/sub Ge/(y) in the base on total delay time /spl tau//sub tot/ is examined for optimization of cutoff frequency f/sub T/. Total delay times are varied by varying doping profiles and Ge composition. Trapezoid-like base Ge composition profile and total delay time for the Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ HBT were studied.
Goals of care at the end of life.

(2001). Goals of Care at the End of Life. Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings: Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 134-137.
Notes from an introspective behaviorist: Achieving the positive life through negative reinforcement

Abstract Based on the three-contingency model of performance management, I make the following argument: (1) Often, we fail to behave as we should because the natural contingencies supporting appropriate behavior are ineffective; the natural contingencies involve outcomes for each individual response that are either too small, though of cumulative significance, or outcomes that are too improbable. The delay of the outcome is essentially irrelevant. The psychodynamic model of the cognitive motivational theorists provides a poor explanation for why we fail to behave as we should. (2) The performance-management contingencies in organizational behavior management (OBM) must usually involve deadline-induced aversive control, even when they are based on powerful reinforcers. Furthermore, such performance management succeeds only to the extent that the person's behavioral history, “Jewish mother,” has inculcated an appropriate value system. Wiegand and Geller's critique of the necessity of the use of aversive con...
Thermal Bifurcation Of the Outer Photosphere

The degree of thermal heterogeneity at the base of the solar chromosphere is substantially beyond that simulated in the best-available multicomponent models; casting serious doubts on inferences drawn from them.
Aristotle's Theory of Language and Meaning: Truth and Necessary Truth

No sooner has Aristotle summarized his theory of meaning in the De Interpretatione than he turns to the topic of sentences. Sentences are the basic linguistic item to which truth values can be assigned, and they are made up of linguistic units that have meaning. To avoid the problems of the Cratylus , Aristotle draws a sharp distinction between the basic units of meaning and the basic truth-functional entities. He also acknowledges that language has functions other than assertion. That said, sentences have truth values in virtue of what is expressed by the sentence, and this is a function of the meaning of the parts of a sentence. A sentential part has a meaning just in case it is a conventional sign for a thought, the content of which is determined by its relation to an object that is external to the thought. Combining terms to make an assertion yields a statement that expresses a nexus of external features. Whether the assertion is true or not depends upon whether this nexus obtains in fact. Certain peculiarities of Aristotle's discussion of truth – more accurately described as a discussion of falsity – fall into place when one recognizes that Aristotle's starting point is a conception of truth-functional entities that are compounds. These compounds are constructed from meaningful (but not independently truth-functional) linguistic units. Similarly, certain peculiarities of his conception of necessity fall into place when it is recognized that for Aristotle the force of the necessity predicate is to indicate that the nexus of features always obtains.
Magnetic Nanoparticles as Contrast Agents for MR Imaging

Following a brief introduction to the basic concepts of relaxation and contrast enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), this chapter presents an overview of the use of magnetic nanoparticles as contrast agents for MRI. It covers the basic principles of preparation and characterization, including variable-field relaxometry. It is shown how a detailed understanding of Ti and T2 relaxation by magnetic nanoparticles may aid further magnetopharmaceutical development. While this overview is far from complete because of the rapid recent developments in the field, an attempt is made to give an overview of current applications and future directions of magnetic nanoparticles as MR contrast agent.
Full-spectral interrogation of fiber Bragg grating sensors for damage identification

In this study we evaluate the measurements of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor subjected to a non-uniform static strain state and simultaneously exposed to vibration loading. The full spectral response of the sensor is interrogated in reflection at 100 kHz during two loading cases: with and without an added vibration load spectrum. The static tensile loading is increased between each test, in order to increase the magnitude of the non-uniform strain field applied to the FBG sensor. The spectral distortion due to non-uniform strain is observed to change once the sensor is exposed to a non-transient 150 Hz vibration spectrum. With high-speed full spectral interrogation, it is potentially possible to separate this vibration-induced spectral change from spectral distortions due to non-uniform strain. Such spectral distortion contains valuable information on the static damage state of the surrounding host material.
Affective factors in Korean as a Foreign Language: anxiety and beliefs

This study investigated changes in levels of anxiety about learning a foreign language (FL) and in the language beliefs of first-year Korean-as-a-foreign-language (KFL) students in a US university throughout a year. Twelve students who enrolled in both of the two semesters of the first-year Korean I and II classes participated in this study. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) were used. The results showed that there were significant differences between first-semester FLCAS scores and second-semester FLCAS scores, with the differences indicating that as students progressed in their study of Korean, their anxiety increased. Moreover, students who demonstrated high achievement during the first semester experienced increased anxiety about learning Korean during the next semester. Regarding beliefs, there were no significant differences between the BALLI scores of the first semester and those of the second semester, but they correlated pos...
Measurement-Augmented Spectrum Databases for White Space Spectrum

Spectrum databases used to estimate TV white space availability often provide inaccurate and largely conservative estimates as they are primarily based on empirical propagation models. This leads to 'loss' of white space spectrum that is critical in urban areas with large spectrum demand. While alternatives are possible in terms of incorporating direct spectrum measurements, the measurement locations must be judiciously chosen so that measurement effort is not prohibitive. Fundamentally, this boils down to addressing the estimation accuracy vs measurement effort question. We present a rigorous data driven analysis to address this using measurement data collected in parts of New York City metro area. We show that it is possible to develop models that estimate whether the current database estimates are reliable in a given location. Following this, we provide a recipe for developing a `measurement-augmented' spectrum database that takes the help of measurements where needed and falls back on the current propagation model-based database technique in the rest of the areas. The final takeaway is that it is possible to improve database accuracy significantly with only modest amount of measurements.
A mixed integer programming framework for sonar placement to mitigate maritime security risk

An optimization model is proposed to keep ports and waterways under surveillance against threats from divers, torpedoes or explosives mounted on the hull of vessels. A sonar sensor is utilized for under water detection. The proposed model addresses two key concepts of sensor placement which are mostly ignored in the literature. These features are “multiple coverage” meaning that the detection probability in a section increases as the number of sensors covering that section increases and “range-dependant detection probability” implying that the detection probability decreases as the distance from a sensor increases. The proposed mathematical model is a mixed integer linear programming model. A greedy heuristic approach reaches near-optimal solutions for large scale scenarios. Numerical results are provided to show the accuracy and speed of the heuristic algorithm. It turns out that the algorithm performs reasonably well when the sonars are scarce in the region of interest. This is an advantage for using the heuristic method in real world scenarios, as the density of sonars is low in these scenarios due to the budget limitations.
Risk factors for low bone mineral density and the 6-year rate of bone loss among premenopausal and perimenopausal women

Risk factors that are associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) may not necessarily be associated with increased bone loss among premenopausal and perimenopausal women. We determined risk factors for lower premenopausal and perimenopausal BMD while simultaneously determining risk factors for increased 6-year rate of bone loss among women aged 24–50 years within a population-based prospective cohort study. BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck, reported as t scores, were measured five times within the 6-year study among 614 women who were between the ages of 24 and 44 in 1992/1993. Rates of bone loss were calculated from the repeated BMD measurements. Risk factors for lower BMD over time at the lumbar spine included history of any fracture (P=0.005). The major risk factor for lower BMD over time at the femoral neck was family history of osteoporosis (P<0.002). The major protective factor for greater BMD over time at both skeletal sites was additional body weight (P<0.0001). Other protective factors for greater BMD over time at the femoral neck were modest alcohol consumption (P=0.0002) and high-school sports participation (P=0.002). Risk factors for greater bone loss at either skeletal site included postmenopausal status (P<0.0001 at the lumbar spine; P=0.01 at the femoral neck), and the reporting of a reproductive cancer (P<0.0001 at the lumbar spine; P=0.0008 at the femoral neck). Body weight was protective against bone loss at both skeletal sites (P<0.0001). Baseline age, calcium intake, smoking, and current physical activity were not associated with BMD or bone loss. The understanding of the relative importance of risk factors for both low BMD and bone loss may assist in the identification of women at greater risk for subsequent low postmenopausal BMD.
Effects of chronic administration and withdrawal of d-amphetamine upon daily activity levels of squirrel monkeys

Two squirrel monkeys were placed in activity cages for a 7-week experimental period. Activity levels were recorded every hour 24 h a day. Animals received daily injections of d-amphetamine sulfate (.5, 1.0 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days followed by 14 days of saline administration (i.e., drug withdrawal). Both dosages of amphetamine were able to reliably elevate mean activity levels during the 12 h after drug administration. During the drug withdrawal periods animals demonstrated significant decrements in baseline activity levels. These effects were interpreted to suggest that chronic amphetamine administration may produce long-lasting biochemical changes in the central nervous system of the squirrel monkey which are reflected by the decreased motor activity noted after the drug is withdrawn.
Steric exclusion and lateral diffusion in gel‐permeation chromatography

The peak separation in gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) is attributed to the contributions of the steric exclusion and the lateral diffusion processes. The advantage of using the distribution coefficient KGPC of the solute molecule in interpreting the GPC separation mechanism is assessed. The physical significance of KGPC and its relation to measurable GPC parameters are examined in detail. A simple mixing experiment for determining the exclusion effect is described. The results of this experiment, as well as those of the flow rate study, show that the exclusion effect plays the primary role in GPC peak separation. For a column packed with Bio-Rad porous glass of 200 A designation, the diffusion effect does not contribute significantly to peak separation. However, for the case of a Waters Associates column packed with polystyrene gel of 104 A designation, both the exclusion and the diffusion effects are shown to be important. A diffusion theory which includes the concept of a restricted diffusion coefficient is proposed to interpret the diffusion effect observed in the polystyrene gel column. The results of the theoretical calculation are found to agree with the observed flow rate dependence of the calibration curve.
MULTIPLICATION OF TUBERCLE BACILLI WITHIN MONONUCLEAR PHAGOCYTES IN TISSUE CULTURES DERIVED FROM NORMAL ANIMALS AND ANIMALS VACCINATED WITH BCG

When monocytes derived from normal guinea pigs or rabbits were infected with tubercle bacilli and cultivated in vitro, the bacilli multiplied abundantly within the cytoplasm of these cells. By contrast, intracellular multiplication of the bacilli was retarded or completely inhibited within the monocytes of rabbits or guinea pigs vaccinated with BCG. This inhibition of growth was observed with both virulent or attenuated strains of tubercle bacilli. Under the conditions used in the present study, the ability of monocytes to inhibit bacillary proliferation was the same whether serum from a normal animal or from vaccinated animals was used in the tissue culture medium. Moreover, the serum of vaccinated animals did not inhibit multiplication of tubercle bacilli within monocytes derived from a normal animal. The ability of guinea pig monocytes to interfere with intracellular bacillary proliferation was first perceptible 8 days after vaccination.