cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Dual-Credit Enrollment on Underrepresented Students: The Utah Case

This study considers the effects of Utah’s Dual-Credit Enrollment (DCE) and Early College High School (ECHS) programs on underrepresented students’ performance via an examination of the Utah Data Alliance longitudinal public education dataset. The study assesses standardized testing scores, high school graduation rates, dual course credits earned, higher education enrollment, time-to-completion, and degree attainment outcomes for various minority and low income student groups enrolled in DCE and ECHS programs.To limit the endogeneity and self-selection bias present in non-experimental data, the study employs Propensity Score Matching method (PMS) as a quasi-experimental design methodology. Although PMS offers many advantages, its strength as an estimator is dependent on the existence of complete and quality matching variables. To assure accurate model specifications given the available data, Receiving Operator Characteristic (ROC) Analysis is applied to variations on the PMS models.Estimated outcomes reflect positive effects for each of the examined student populations differentiated by gender, race, income and English Language Learner status. The economic effects of accumulating higher education course credits and decreases in higher education time-to-completion may yield the most interesting outcomes, enjoy the strongest causal claims, and result in measurable household and state level savings. These outcomes may also reveal potential weakness in the structure of higher education course and major programming, and the difficulty presented as high school students make higher education decisions.
Sexuality education: our current status, and an agenda for 2010.

Three articles are presented that record changes in American public schools sexuality education during the last decade of the 20th century. These articles include "Adolescent Views" which reports major shifts in the prevalence and content of school-based reproductive health education over 1988-95. Instruction is focused on HIV/AIDS prevention contraceptive education how to say no to sex and condoms. In "Changing Emphases" teachers of grades 7-12 testify to a marked shift from a more balanced treatment of abstinence and protection in 1988 to a heavier reliance on abstinence in 1999. The last article "Grades 5-6" shows that sexuality education is much less common at these grade levels than in grades 7-12. Where programs exist they mainly cover such topics as puberty HIV/AIDS sexuality sexually transmitted diseases sexual abuse and abstinence while the discussion of contraceptive methods is relatively rare. Views presented in these articles will help formulate research and advocacy agendas for 2010.
Shear wave velocities in the lower mantle

The Large Aperture Seismic Array in eastern Montana was used to measure the travel times and dT/d Δ of earthquake-generated shear waves for the purpose of determining lower-mantle shear velocities. The data were limited to epicentral distances between 27 and 95 degrees. To convert uncertainties in the dT/d Δ measurements to uncertainties in the computed velocities, the data were inverted by a Monte Carlo procedure. The computer randomly generated velocity models, and those which satisfied prescribed travel time and dT/d Δ-versus-Δ limits were considered as possible models for the real earth. The dT/d Δ curve possessed anomalously steep slopes between 27-30 and 65-75 degrees, and the corresponding velocity models had increased gradients between the approximate depths of 700-800 and 1550-2100 kilometers. The slope of the dT/d Δ curve also decreased at about 88 degrees which may indicate a decrease in velocity gradient several hundred kilometers above the core-mantle boundary. For epicentral distances greater than 27 degrees the observed travel times to LASA were greater than the expected J-B times. Although vague, a systematic increase in the observed residuals appeared to exist between 40 and 60 degrees which agreed with the J-B residuals of the computed models.
A New Record for Longevity of Macrophomina Phaseolina Sclerotia

Salata, B. 1977. Dwa nowe dla flory Polski gatunki grzybow wyzszych-Deux especes champignons superieurs, nouvelles pour la flore de la Pologne. Fragm. Florist. Geobot. 23: 423-428. Shvartsman, S. R. 1959. Redkii gasteromitset Anthurus archeri (Berk.) Fischer v Kazakhstane. De fungo raro Anthurus archeri (Berk.) Fischer (Gasteromycetes) in Kazachstania invento. Bot. Mater. Otd. Sporov. Rast. Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk SSSR 12: 257-261. Spirandelli, W. 1966. Die Entwicklung des Tintenfischpilzes (Anthurus aseroeformis) vom Hexenei zum voll ausgebildeten Fruchtkorper. Natur & Mus. 96: 321-325. Vandeven, E. 1976. Anthurus archeri, een indringer in de flora van de Benelux. Coolia 19: 44-46.
Abstract 4466: Local regulation of steroid hormones in the breast is related to single nucleotide polymorphism of steroid metabolism genes

Background: The pattern of steroid hormone levels in nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) significantly differs from systemic levels, but may be a better predictor of breast cancer risk than the systemic environment. We hypothesize that local production and clearance of estrogen precursors or estrogen in the breast is affected by genetic variation in the enzymes involved in steroid transport, biosynthesis, and metabolism, thereby contributing to breast cancer risk. We examined the effect of functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the concentrations of the NAF steroid hormones, as compared to serum levels. Methods: NAF was collected from both the contralateral unaffected breast of breast cancer patients and controls (blinded study of 265 women). Selection criteria for SNPs were; 1) known/potential functional significance on activity of the resulting enzyme. 2) Expression in breast tissue. 3) Caucasian population frequency of the minor alleles. gDNA was extracted from the plasma buffy coat by a Qiagen kit, followed by TaqMan genotyping assays (Applied Biosystems). The NAF and serum level of estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), progesterone (P4), testosterone (T), androstenedione (A4), and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were measured by immunoassay. Hormone levels were compared across genotype groups using the ANCOVA in SAS (age-adjusted significance p Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4466. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4466
The nerve-muscle synapse of the garter snake.

Snake nerve-muscle preparations are well-suited for study of both motor innervation patterns at the systems level and NMJ function at the cellular level. Their small size (∼100 myofibers) and thinness (one fiber) allows access to all NMJs in one muscle. Snake NMJs are of three types, two twitch subtypes and a single tonic type. Properties of the NMJs supplied by a particular motor neuron, and of the motor unit fibers they innervate, are precisely regulated by the motor neuron in a manner consistent with the Henneman Size Principle. Unlike its amphibian or mammalian cousins, the snake NMJ comprises ∼50 (twitch) or ∼20 (tonic) individual one-bouton synapses, similar to synapses found in the central nervous system. Each bouton releases a few quanta per stimulus. Larger fibers, which require more synaptic current to initiate contraction, receive nerve terminals that contain more boutons and express receptor patches with higher sensitivity to transmitter. Quantal analysis suggests that transmitter release sites in one bouton do not behave independently; rather, they may cooperate to reduce fluctuations and enhance reliability. After release, two mechanisms coexist for retrieval and reprocessing of spent vesicles–one involving clathrin-mediated endocytosis, the other macropinocytosis. Unanswered questions include how each mechanism is regulated in a use-dependent manner.
Conducting influenza virus pathogenesis studies in avian species

Avian infection studies with influenza A are an important means of assessing host susceptibility, viral pathogenesis, host responses to infection, mechanisms of transmission, viral pathotype, and viral evolution. Complex systems and natural settings may also be explored with carefully designed infection studies. In this chapter, we explore the elements of infection studies, general guidelines for choosing a virus to use, host selection, and many aspects of study design.
Fracture at the Modular Junction of a Cementless Revision Hip System: A Case Report.

Case: Multiple cases of modular femoral component failure involving fatigue at the modular stem junction have been reported following revision total hip arthroplasty. In the present report, we describe what we believe to be the first case of catastrophic failure involving the Biomet Arcos revision system. The failure involved a young patient with an elevated body mass index and proximal bone deficiency. Conclusion: The possibility of this failure mechanism must be weighed against the potential advantages of modular cementless stems when planning for complex hip arthroplasty, especially in the young, active patient.
Dewey’s Rejection of the Emotion/ Expression Distinction

In two short essays, Dewey develops what we might call a ‘hybrid’ model of emotions.1 Drawing on both Darwin and James, Dewey rejects the supposition — still common in emotion research today — that emotions are comprised of states or processes physically located within the individual subject, and specifically within the subject’s brain.2 Instead, Dewey argues that emotions are made up of both internal (neural and physiological activity, phenomenal properties, cognitive judgments) and external processes (expressive behavior, ongoing ‘transactions’ with the surrounding environment). All of these aspects are composite parts of emotions. Accordingly, to give one aspect explanatory priority at the expense of the others is to artificially sever a dynamically interrelated, distributed process spanning brain, expressive body, and world — what Dewey terms the ‘concrete whole’ of emotional experience. I specifically consider Dewey’s rejection of the distinction between an emotion and its behavioral expression. I show that, for Dewey, the latter is a constituent part of the former; the expressive behavior is part of the ontology of some emotions. I argue that Dewey’s hybrid model not only receives support from current research in cognitive and neuroscience but, additionally, that it highlights the central role that agency and the social world play in the development and experiential character of our emotional life.
Optical water quality and human perceptions of rivers: an ethnohydrology study

Rivers are revered worldwide for their ecologic, scenic, and recreational value. The capacity to communicate effectively among human groups with vested interest in rivers hinges on understanding the nature of human perceptions of water quality and the extent to which they vary intraculturally. Recognizing the intersection between measured water quality and the characteristics of rivers that influence human perceptions facilitates potential for better communication across disciplines and among stakeholders. We conducted interviews and a pile-sort task with water quality experts and nonexperts. Our analysis suggested human evaluation of water quality is guided by culturally constructed criteria, regardless of respondent expertise, experience, or demographics. Cluster analysis results implied that measured physical and chemical parameters of rivers were directly related to the visible attributes used in human judgments. We suggest that, regardless of variability among individual stakeholders, observable characteristics may be the foundation for a common understanding of water quality in rivers.
Wave-function engineering: A new paradigm in quantum nanostructure modeling

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the computational aspects, presents the basic physics of heterostructures derived from the application of this paradigm, and displays results from recent research. However, a full realization of the concept required an implementation of advanced software tools that allow one to explore issues associated with optimizing heterostructure design for specific applications. This advance has not been merely in modeling; in fact, heterostructures grown to specifications for individual applications have performed as promised. Examples of this remarkable synergism between modeling, growth, and experimental characterization have been provided, which are the three facets of the efforts toward bringing new devices from conceptual development to the feasibility stage and toward commercialization. Recent developments in wave-function engineering of the electronic and optical properties of quantum heterostructures have been reviewed in this chapter. Wave-function engineering provides a greater appreciation of the mechanisms governing carrier dynamics, because overlap integrals, optical matrix elements, density of states, tunneling times, lifetimes for carrier recombination, optical detection efficiencies, nonlinear optical properties, etc., can now all be altered through a judicious use of "heterostructure architecture." FEM computations have allowed exploration of some fundamental aspects of the band structure of quantum semiconductor systems.
Conclusion and Future Research Directions

The Beta-spline is a mathematical technique for curve and surface representation that has been developed expressly for geometrical and graphical applications. The formulation is based on the constraints of continuous fundamental geometric measures. Elementary differential geometry concepts were reviewed and the unit tangent and curvature vectors replaced parametric derivative vectors in the continuity constraints. In addition to being more appropriate, the use of these geometric measures adds degrees of freedom which can be captured to provide further control of shape, via inherent shape parameters, β1 and β2. These shape parameters have the property that β1 = 1 indicates continuity of the parametric first derivative vector and β1 = 1 with β2 = 0 indicates continuity of the parametric first and second derivative vectors. Since these constraints are expressed in terms of the shape parameters, the derivation of the Beta-spline curve representation utilized symbolic, not numeric, computation. Explicit expressions were provided for the Beta-spline as well as for various derivatives.
Assessment of weed and crop fitness in cover crop residues for integrated weed management

Cover crop residues are not widely used for weed control because, as a stand-alone tactic, they do not effectively suppress all weeds and their duration of weed control is too short. Field experiments were conducted in 1995 and 1996, under both irrigated and rainfed conditions, to quantify Amaranthus spp., Setaria spp., and soybean emergence and growth in residues of fall-planted, spring-killed barley, rye, triticale, wheat, and hairy vetch. For both weed species, seedling emergence was reduced 3 wk after soybean planting by rye and wheat residues (≥ 2, 170 kg ha−1) in 1996. In 1996, Amaranthus spp. canopy volume was reduced 38 to 71% by residues 3 wk after planting. Likewise, Setaria spp. canopy biomass was reduced 37 to 97% in residues 5 wk after planting over both years. The response comparison index was used to identify frequency by which weed growth was placed at a disadvantage relative to soybean growth. Amaranthus spp. and Setaria spp. growth suppressions 3 to 5 wk after planting indicate potential times for intervention with other integrated weed management tactics such as reduced postemergence herbicide rates and interrow cultivation.
An Analysis of Agricultural Production in a Semi-Subsistence Economy:

This paper summarizes the socioeconomic variables that characterize agricultural production in a semi-subsistence rural economy. The findings confirm the agricultural practice in the Western Develo...
Terahertz quantification of ethanol and sugar concentrations in water and its application for noninvasive real-time monitoring of fermentation

First, we present the noninvasive determination of the sugar and ethanol concentrations present in water solutions using frequency-domain (0.75 – 1.1 THz) terahertz dielectric spectroscopy. We demonstrate that our spectroscopic system could reliably measure a minimum concentration of ∼0.3 % ethanol and ∼1.5 % sugar by weight in water. Next, we extend these measurements to perform noninvasive real-time monitoring of yeast fermentation over a period of ∼30 hours. Hence, we demonstrate for the first time the capability of utilizing terahertz waves for fermentation monitoring, which can be of application in food quality control and bio-ethanol production. Finally, we examine the possibility of using waves of other frequencies for similar applications.
Preliminary Studies of Microfiltration for Food Processing Water Reuse 1.

Microfiltration of poultry scalder and chiller water and frankfurter chiller brine was examined in limited tests and found to produce permeates that may be recycled to the original systems. All permeates achieved turbidity readings of less than 50 NTU, with many less than 1 NTU, and all had plate counts of less than 10 microorganisms per ml. Except for brine, waters were filtered at the highest known plant operating temperatures. After 90 min of operation, flux rates as high as 110-440 L/m2h were achieved, depending on the water and filter conditions used. Flux rates were restored by as little as 15 min of in-line cleaning at 78-80°C with a detergent solution. Major advantages for the process are: (a) substantial energy savings through reuse of previously heated or cooled waters, (b) reduced disposal costs, especially through brine reuse, and (c) possible byproduct recovery of protein and fat concentrated in poultry retentate waters.
Childhood Misfortune and Handgrip Strength Among Black, White, and Hispanic Americans

Objective Although early-life insults may affect health, few studies use objective physical measures of adult health. This study investigated whether experiencing misfortune during childhood is associated with handgrip strength (HGS) in later life. Method Data on childhood misfortune and adult characteristics from the Health and Retirement Study were used to predict baseline and longitudinal change in HGS among White, Black, and Hispanic American men and women. Results Regression analyses revealed that multiple indicators of childhood misfortune were related to HGS at baseline, but the relationships were distinct for men and women. Over the study, having one childhood impairment predicted steeper declines in HGS for men, but childhood misfortune was unrelated to HGS change among women. Hispanic Americans had lower baseline HGS than their non-Hispanic counterparts and manifested steeper declines in HGS. Discussion The relationship between childhood exposures and adult HGS varied by the type of misfortune, but there was no evidence that the relationship varied by race/ethnicity. The significant and enduring Hispanic disadvantage in HGS warrants greater attention in gerontology.
Trees and circle orders

This paper continues a recent resurgence of interest in combinatorial properties of a poset that are associated with graph properties of its cover graph and order diagram. The following two theorems appearing in a 1977 paper of Trotter and Moore have played important roles in motivating this more modern research: (1) The dimension of a poset is at most 3 when its cover graph is at tree; (2) The dimension of a poset is at most 3 when the poset has a zero and its order diagram is planar. Although the underlying ideas lay dormant for more than 30 years, the first of these two results has become the base case for recent results bounding the dimension of a poset in terms of (a) the tree-width of its cover graph, and (b) the maximum dimension of its blocks. The second result is the base case for bounding the dimension of a planar poset in terms of the number of minimal elements. Continuing with this line of research, we show that every poset whose cover graph is a tree is a circle order, i.e., it has a representation as a family of circular disks in the Euclidean plane partially ordered by inclusion.
Synthesis of α-oxygenated ketones and substituted catechols via the rearrangement of N-enoxy- and N-aryloxyphthalimides

Abstract A common approach to the synthesis of α-oxygenated carbonyl compounds and catechols is the treatment of a carbonyl compound or a phenol with an electrophilic oxygen source. As an alternative approach to these important structures, formal [3,3]-rearrangements of N -enoxyphthalimides, N -enoxyisoindolinones, and N -aryloxyphthalimides have been explored. When used in combination with an initial Chan-Lam coupling, these transformations facilitate the dioxygenation of alkenylboronic acids for the synthesis of α-oxygenated ketones and the dioxygenation of arylboronic acids for the synthesis of catechols. The rearrangements of N -enoxyisoindolinones have also been shown to be diastereoselective.
‘Integrated Naturopathy and Yoga’ reduces blood pressure and the need for medications among a cohort of hypertensive patients in South India: 3-months follow-up study

Abstract Setting and objective ‘Manthena Satyanarayana Raju Arogyalayam' is a 500-bedded hospital in South India that offers ‘Integrated Naturopathy and Yoga' (INY). Major components of INY package include an unrestricted diet of foods in natural form, daily yogic exercises, meditation for relaxation, patient counselling and health education in a highly structured routine for 15 days. We aimed to determine if INY reduced blood pressure and the need of anti-hypertensive medications in hypertensive patients. Design Observational cohort study involving pre–post-comparative analysis of patients enrolled between April and July 2015. Blood pressure, anthropometry, blood parameters and compliance to diet and yoga (diet and yoga score on a scale of 0–10) were measured at baseline and 3 months. Results Of 104 patients, 80 (77%) had 3-month follow-up. Of them, 79 (99%) achieved target BP control ( 50% reduction in antihypertensive medication dose, and in 8 (10%) patients, all medications were withdrawn. There was a significant increase in diet (2.7–7.4), yoga scores (1.5–5.6) and decrease in body weight, body fat, blood triglycerides and glycosylated haemoglobin levels. Conclusion These early results are promising and need further study with long-term follow-up.
Preventing Venous Thromboembolism Across the Surgical Care Continuum

Prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a critical patient safety practice as well as an important measure of healthcare quality. Evidence-based guidelines for VTE prevention are available and strongly encouraged for adoption, but studies continue to show that hospitalized patients are not routinely provided with risk-appropriate VTE prophylaxis. The American Public Health Association (APHA) has suggested that the disconnect between evidence and implementation of VTE prophylaxis amounts to a public health crisis. Some groups consider VTE a “never event” and national and regional bodies impose financial penalties when hospitalized patients develop VTE. However, it is important to recognize that some VTE events are not truly preventable, even with current best-practice prophylaxis. A true benchmark of patient safety and quality care should not only focus on the incidence of VTE (outcome measure) but also consider how frequently patients are prescribed and administered VTE prophylaxis according to best-practice guidelines (process measure). This chapter will review VTE incidence, risk factors, and specific prevention strategies but will primarily focus on VTE as an example of how to improve healthcare quality and patient safety through active interventions within the system of care. Diagnosis approaches and treatment algorithms are widely published elsewhere, and an exhaustive review is beyond the intended scope of this chapter.
Probabilistic treatment of service assurance in distributed information systems

The paper describes a probabilistic view of QoS (quality of service) assurances provided by a distributed information system (DIS). The service specs factor in the inaccuracies and partial knowledge of system models pertaining to failures of infrastructure components. These uncertainties have a compounded effect on the robustness of applications running on a DIS. We associate quantitative properties to the objects managed by a middleware service-layer in terms of probabilistic assertions: such as stability and boundedness in object behaviors. The properties are derived by analyzing the component-level behaviors composed into a service-layer object. For e.g., the fault-tolerance of a replicated data system is determined from individual data server failure probabilities. Such metrics enable accurate decision-making by the application-layer control algorithms when responding to fault events. The paper describes a case study of web-based information services, using server replication mechanisms.
Eosinophilic Esophagitis: Incidence and Prevalence

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a rapidly emerging allergy-mediated condition encountered frequently in clinical practice. It presents with failure to thrive, nausea, and vomiting in children and is a common reason for dysphagia and food impaction in adults. Several institution-based and population-based studies have reported the frequency of EoE over the past few years. The incidence and prevalence of EoE vary depending on the method of data collection. In population-based studies using national registries, the incidence appears to be increasing, currently estimated to be approximately 10 cases/100,000 persons annually, whereas the prevalence is reported between 10 and 57 cases/100,000 persons.
Abstract P453: Hypertension Mortality Risk May be Fake News for Nonagenarians

Background: Little is known regarding BP control and mortality risk in subjects greater than 90 years of age. Objective: This paper assesses the association between systolic blood pressure and mortality risk for nonagenarians. Methods: Data from the Veterans Administration Informatics and Computing Infrastructure were used to analyze the survival of 193,651 nonagenarians in 130 Veteran Administration medical centers. Following clinical guidelines, for each day, we selected the lowest Systolic reading of the day exceeding 90 mmHg and defined sustained pressure as the average of two consecutive readings at least one month apart. Kaplan Meier curves and Cox regression was used to analyze survival. Results: Odds of mortality from hypertension declined with age. When patients were over 90 years old, the odds of mortality for hypertensives was below 1 to 1, suggesting a protective effect. Patients whose sustained systolic pressures exceeded 140 mmHg survived longer than patients whose highest sustained pressure was between 90 mmHg to 140 mmHg (p Conclusions: For nonagenarians, mortality from hypertension may be a lower concern than mortality from other causes. Randomized clinical trials are needed to examine the impact of control of hypertension of patient over 90 year olds.
Binding of Cytotoxic Aβ25-35 Peptide to the Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine Lipid Bilayer.

Aβ25–35 is a short, cytotoxic, and naturally occurring fragment of the Alzheimer’s Aβ peptide. To map the molecular mechanism of Aβ25–35 binding to the zwitterionic dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayer, we have performed replica exchange with solute tempering molecular dynamics simulations using all-atom explicit membrane and water models. Consequences of sequence truncation on the binding mechanism have been measured by utilizing as a control our previous simulations probing binding of the longer peptide Aβ10–40 to the same bilayer. The most intriguing feature of Aβ25–35 binding to the DMPC bilayer is a coexistence of two bound states with strikingly different characteristics: a dominant surface-bound state and a less stable inserted state. In the surface-bound state, the peptide samples extended conformations, in which its unbound C-terminal is pointed away from the bilayer. In contrast, in the inserted state, the C-terminal resides deep in the bilayer hydrophobic core. In both states, the N-te...
The Metaphysics of Time

For the most part, contemporary philosophy of time is governed by the distinction between Presentism and Eternalism. In understanding the nature of time, the choice seems to be between a moving present and a frozen history, laid out along the time-line. According to Presentism, the only concrete time that exists is the present. Everything that was past no longer exists and that which is in the future is yet to happen. The present moment keeps “flowing,” so that every instant is followed by a new instant in which part of the future becomes the present and the present becomes past. One frequently distinguishes between the past, present and future based on the types of action that are available. It is not possible to influence the past; actions take place only in the present. The future is pregnant with possibilities that might or might not be realized, depending on what we do in the present. Thus, Presentism is presupposed whenever one forms plans for the future or allows for the possibility that things could have been otherwise than they are.
Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. - Comments of Professor Brett M. Frischmann

In this brief comment, filed on April 12, 2010 in the FCC Open Internet proceeding (GN Docket No. 09-191), I make two points: First, I argue that the FCC must resist falling into the rhetorical trap set by many participants in the debate who attempt to frame the policy debate narrowly in terms of antitrust and regulatory economics. A myopic focus on antitrust and regulatory economics misses other important dimensions at stake in the debate. Essentially, this perspective views the Internet as a mere supply chain of markets. It fails to appreciate that the Internet is a mixed commercial, public, and social infrastructure that supports an incredible variety of market and nonmarket systems and user activities that yield private, public, and social goods. Too many participants in the debate (on both sides) accept the premise that competition would alleviate concerns about discrimination or prioritization by network providers. It would not, as I discuss.Second, I offer a particular nondiscrimination rule that differs somewhat from the one articulated by the Commission in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The FCC should prohibit broadband Internet access service providers from discriminating based on the identity of the user or use in the handling of packets. Under this approach, user may be defined as sender or receiver; use may be defined as application or content type; handling may be defined as all transport and related services associated with delivery of packets. This simple nondiscrimination rule may seem overly strong in that it appears to rule out a significant range of activities that some might label “reasonable network management.” But as I discuss, this rule is not overly restrictive; rather, it strikes an appropriate balance. It primarily rules out certain fine-grained forms of price or quality discrimination, does not rule out other forms of price discrimination that are not based on user/use identity, such as typical second-degree price discrimination, and does not rule out efficient methods for managing congestion, such as traditional usage-sensitive or congestion pricing. This rule maintains a general-purpose, mixed infrastructure and best preserves the Internet’s openness.
Random Markov processes and uniform martingales

It is shown here that a certain generalization of ann-step Markov chain is equivalent to the uniform convergence of the martingale {P(X 0|X −1 X −2···X −n)} n=1 ∞ . Ergodic and probabilistic properties of this process are explored.
Evaluating sublethal indicators of stress in Asiatic clams (Corbicula fluminea) caged in an urban stream

Freshwater bivalves have been used extensively to monitor chemical accumulation in field exposures, although little information is available on the use of biomarker measurements in field exposures with bivalves. DNA strand breakage, growth rate, condition index and percentage tissue water were measured in freshwater Asiatic clams (Corbicula fluminea) exposed in-situ in a stream that receives urban and industrial stormwater runoff and in a non-impacted reference stream. After 4 weeks exposure, DNA strand lengths in foot tissue from Trail Creek-exposed clams were significantly shorter than DNA from reference clams. These results suggest a reduction in DNA integrity in Trail Creek-exposed clams, possibly indicating exposure to genotoxic chemicals. No significant differences were observed in the growth rates of clams. However, a significant inverse relationship was detected between condition index and % tissue water for all clams. Furthermore, site-specific differences in percentage tissue water and condition indices were observed after 2 and 10 weeks exposure. For this study DNA strand breakage, condition indices, and tissue hydration appear to be more sensitive indicators of sublethal toxicity than growth.
Doubting Pritchard’s account of hinge propositions

In On Certainty, Ludwig Wittgenstein puts forth a unique defense against skepticism. According to Wittgenstein, “we just can’t investigate everything, and for that reason we are forced to rest content with assumption. If I want the door to turn, the hinges must stay put.” These hinges provide the necessary framework for epistemic evaluation. The question is how to understand Wittgenstein’s language here. Duncan Pritchard puts forward a non-belief reading whereby one has a non-belief propositional attitude towards hinge propositions. In this paper, I explain Pritchard’s reading of Wittgenstein before attacking it with an argument premised upon our ability to doubt hinge propositions. If we can doubt hinge propositions, then, according to a view of doubt defended by Andrew Moon, we can believe that ~ p is possible. And, if we can believe that ~ p is possible, then we can believe that p. I walk through a defense of each premise in this argument, which shows that Pritchard’s reading fails. I conclude by responding to some potential objections, which allow us to distinguish between two types of doubt: rational and psychological.
Developing women for careers in information and computer science

As girls enter their teenage years, they often lose interest in the concepts and activities of information and computer science. By the time high school girls consider options for college, their interest in computer-related educational programs is considerably lower than that of their male counterparts. This trend is troubling, both because of concerns about the number of students entering these programs, and more specifically because of the desire for diverse perspectives and values in computing professionals. To combat the trend, researchers and educators have begun to explore a variety of novel pedogogy and other interventions that might better attract and retain women in these disciplines (e.g., pair programming or peer support, computational media as a source of introductory programming problems). In this talk, I discuss the challenges of recruiting and retaining women in computer-related educational programs, and present preliminary work on our own intervention that is based on building and leveraging social networks: wConnect, a developmental learning community in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at The Pennsylvania State University.
Integrating bran starch hydrolysates with alkaline pretreated soft wheat bran to boost sugar concentration.

Soft wheat bran (SWB), one of the most abundant byproducts from the wheat milling industry, is a potential candidate for biofuel production. In this study, bran starch hydrolysates were separately integrated with dilute acid pretreated SWB and alkaline pretreated SWB to boost fermentable sugar concentration. Alkaline pretreatment showed higher sugar recoveries than acid pretreatment. Significant sugar degradation for acid pretreatment was observed when pretreatment temperature higher than 170 ℃. The optimal pretreatment condition was 15% solid loading with 0.08 mol/L NaOH at 150 ℃ for 20 min. The neutralization reaction between dilute alkaline and released acids reduced sugar decomposition and inhibitors formation. Integrating bran starch hydrolysates with alkaline pretreated SWB yielded the highest glucose concentration of 50.91 g/L and a total sugar concentration of 101.29 g/L.
Navigating Criticisms of Intersectional Approaches: Reclaiming Intersectionality for Global Social Justice and Well-Being

As the use of intersectionality continues to increase in psychology, so do the critiques and extensions of it. Scholars and practitioners who want to integrate intersectionality need to navigate th...
Novel mode of filament formation in UPA-promoted CARD8 and NLRP1 Inflammasomes

NLRP1 and CARD8 are related cytosolic sensors that upon activation form supramolecular signalling complexes known as canonical inflammasomes, resulting in caspase-1 activation, cytokine maturation and/or pyroptotic cell death. NLRP1 and CARD8 use their C-terminal (CT) fragments containing a caspase recruitment domain (CARD) and the UPA subdomain of a function-to-find domain (FIIND) for self-oligomerization and recruitment of the inflammasome adaptor ASC and/or caspase-1. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of NLRP1-CT and CARD8-CT assemblies, in which the respective CARDs form central helical filaments that are promoted by oligomerized, but flexibly linked UPAs surrounding the filaments. We discover that subunits in the central NLRP1CARD filament dimerize with additional exterior CARDs, which roughly doubles its thickness and is unique among all known CARD filaments. The thick NLRP1 filament only forms with the presence of UPA, which we hypothesize drives the intrinsic propensity for NLRP1CARD dimerization. Structural analyses provide insights on the requirement of ASC for NLRP1-CT signalling and the contrasting direct recruitment of caspase-1 by CARD8-CT. Additionally, we present a low-resolution 4 ASCCARD-4 caspase-1CARD octamer structure, illustrating that ASC uses opposing surfaces for NLRP1, versus caspase-1, recruitment. These structures capture the architecture and specificity of CARD inflammasome polymerization in NLRP1 and CARD8.
Reaction heterogeneity in practical high-energy lithium–sulfur pouch cells

The lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery is a promising next-generation energy storage technology because of its high theoretical energy and low cost. Extensive research efforts have been made on new materials and advanced characterization techniques for mechanistic studies. However, it is uncertain how discoveries made on the material level apply to realistic batteries due to limited analysis and characterization of real high-energy cells, such as pouch cells. Evaluation of pouch cells (>1 A h) (instead of coin cells) that are scalable to practical cells provides a critical understanding of current limitations which enables the proposal of strategies and solutions for further performance improvement. Herein, we design and fabricate pouch cells over 300 W h kg−1, compare the cell parameters required for high-energy pouch cells, and investigate the reaction processes and their correlation to cell cycling behavior and failure mechanisms. Spatially resolved characterization techniques and fluid-flow simulation reveal the impacts of the liquid electrolyte diffusion within the pouch cells. We found that catastrophic failure of high-energy Li–S pouch cells results from uneven sulfur/polysulfide reactions and electrolyte depletion for the first tens of cycles, rather than sulfur dissolution as commonly reported in the literature. The uneven reaction stems from limited electrolyte diffusion through the porous channels into the central part of thick cathodes during cycling, which is amplified both across the sulfur electrodes and within the same electrode plane. A combination of strategies is suggested to increase sulfur utilization, improve nanoarchitectures for electrolyte diffusion and reduce consumption of the electrolytes and additives.
LSTM Forecasts for Smart Home Electricity Usage

With increasing of distributed energy resources deployment behind-the-meter and of the power system levels, more attention is being placed on electric load and generation forecasting or prediction for individual residences. While prediction with machine learning based approaches of aggregated power load, at the substation or community levels, has been relatively successful, the problem of prediction of power of individual houses remains a largely open problem. This problem is harder due to the increased variability and uncertainty in user consumption behavior, which make individual residence power traces be more erratic and less predictable. In this paper, we present an investigation of the effectiveness of long short-term memory (LSTM) models to predict individual house power. The investigation looks at hourly (24 h, 6 h, 1 h) and daily (7 days, 1 day) prediction horizons for four different recent datasets. We find that while LSTM models can potentially offer good prediction accuracy for 7 and 1 days ahead for some data sets, these models fail to provide satisfactory prediction accuracies for individual 24 h, 6 h, 1 h horizons.
Volatility spread and stock market response to earnings announcements

Abstract Using a broad sample of earnings announcements, we find a monotonic increase in the spread between call and put implied volatilities as it gets closer to the earnings announcement date. The steady build-up of volatility spread in the days leading up to the announcement date, coupled with the predictive power of cumulative abnormal implied volatility spread on subsequent announcement returns, suggests that informed traders are the driving force behind the option market activities prior to earnings announcements. Such informed trading, as proxied by the abnormal implied volatility spread, increases rather than decreases the stock market response to earnings announcements after controlling for an array of firm and announcement characteristics. This effect is most pronounced when the pre-earnings option trading volume is heightened. Overall, our findings lend strong support to the notion that informed options trading immediately before earnings announcements helps alleviate the stock market under-reaction to earnings announcements and make it closer to a complete response.
Application of a Custom Depletion Framework to the Prediction of Neutron Flux Distribution Through Depletion

Previous works by the authors have introduced the spatial flux variation method (SFV) for predicting the changes in neutron flux due to a change in material compositions. In order to remove a full transport solution at the end-of-step, this work presents a framework responsible for computing macroscopic cross sections after a depletion event. These end of-step cross sections are estimators of changes in neutron loss and production, and enable the prediction of neutron flux using only information obtained from a single beginning of-step transport solution. The framework reads in all relevant data needed to model the depletion system, including one-group cross sections and effective fission yields to reproduce the problem using an external solver. The framework also supports extrapolating microscopic cross sections in order to rebuild the end-of-step macroscopic cross sections needed for the flux prediction. Results indicate that the SFV method is not adversely effected by the external depletion solution, and can be implemented alongside an existing transport-depletion framework.
The life and legend of the Sultan Saladin: by Jonathan Phillips, New Haven, CT, Yale University Press, 2019, 520 pp., $32.50 (hardback), ISBN-13: 978-0300247060

In this book, Jonathan Phillips offers a detailed yet accessible biography of one of the most famous leaders of the Middle Ages. This is no mean feat. Saladin has been the focus of academic study f...
Solar Scarf: Expanding DIY educational content with an expressive wearable system

This project uses a design case study as a vehicle for facilitating solar prototyping practices in artistic and design applications of wearables, particularly within the DIY community. Existing solar educational content primarily focuses on engineering learning outcomes, with limited consideration of the aesthetic relationship between the solar panel and the fabric, or the design possibilities of using multiple panels. This trend differs from work within fashion and design research which considers the aesthetic and usability concerns of integrating solar into wearables. This project seeks to bridge the gap between solar educational content and design research by documenting multiple methods for mounting solar panels to fabric, applied in ways that afford different aesthetic outcomes. The tests culminate in an example project in the form of a scarf with embedded solar panels that power LED messages, a playful system intended to help ease communication difficulties that can arise when wearing face-coverings and masks.
Study of Electrodeposited Copper Coatings Obtained with the Addition of Electroerosion-Copper Nanoparticles

The possibility of obtaining electrodeposited copper coatings based on electrolyte suspensions with the addition of nanoparticles of electroerosion copper as a dispersed phase at different concentrations is shown. The composition and structure of the obtained coatings are studied by X-ray spectral microanalysis and electron-ion scanning microscopy. The study of the microstructure of electrodeposited copper coatings show that both coatings consist of a copper layer separated from the steel base by a sharp boundary, while the standard electrodeposited copper coating is porous, and the electrodeposited copper coating with the addition of electroerosion-copper nanoparticles is characterized by a higher density and practically no pores. Using a microhardness analyzer, the optimal composition of the concentration of electroerosion copper nanoparticles is determined to obtain an electrodeposited copper coating with the highest hardness.
“Innovations” During COVID-19: Microfinance in Bangladesh

In this study of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and their participants, we show how certain innovations made by MFIs during the COVID-19 pandemic enable further consolidation of NGOs in Bangladeshi society. The study is based on interviews conducted in 2020 with key personnel from three major NGOs in Bangladesh: Grameen, Sajida Foundation, and Brac (which is also the largest NGO in the world), as well as 20 interviews conducted in 2018 (before the pandemic) with microcredit recipients who use financial services. We observed that MFIs scaled up by taking on the function of relief provision, financial services became more entrenched, and NGO governance was bolstered as MFIs served as intermediaries between the state and people, even though, as the 2018 interviews reveal, microfinance participants were reticent about technology uptake. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Affilia: Journal of Women & Social Work is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Towards Better Ways of Extracting Information about Uncertainty from Data

Formulations, results, and methods described in the previous chapters are based on the idealized assumption that we have a good description of the uncertainty of the original data. In practice, often, we do not have this information, we need to extract it from the data. In this final chapter, we describe how this uncertainty information can be extracted from the data.