cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computer Manipulatives in an Ordinary Differential Equations Course: Development, Implementation, and Assessment

The d’Arbeloff Interactive Mathematics Project or d’AIMP is an initiative that seeks to enhance and ultimately transform the teaching and learning of introductory mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A result of this project is a suite of “mathlets,” a carefully developed set of dynamic computer applets for use in the university’s ordinary differential equations course. In this paper, we present the rationale for such computer innovations, the philosophy behind their design, as well as a discussion of their careful development and implementation. Survey results are reported which yielded positive student feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Does impulsivity change rate dependently following stimulant administration? A translational selective review and re-analysis

Rate dependence refers to an orderly relationship between a baseline measure of behavior and the change in that behavior following an intervention. The most frequently observed rate-dependent effect is an inverse relationship between the baseline rate of behavior and response rates following an intervention. A previous report of rate dependence in delay discounting suggests that the discounting of delayed reinforcers, and perhaps, other impulsivity measures, may change rate dependently following acute and chronic administration of potentially therapeutic medications in both preclinical and clinical studies. The aim of the current paper was to review the effects of stimulants on delay discounting and other impulsivity tasks. All studies identified from the literature were required to include (1) an objective measure of impulsivity; (2) administration of amphetamine, methylphenidate, or modafinil; (3) presentation of a pre- and postdrug administration impulsivity measure; and (4) the report of individual drug effects or results in groups split by baseline or vehicle impulsivity. Twenty-five research reports were then reanalyzed for evidence consistent with rate dependence. Of the total possible instances, 67 % produced results consistent with rate dependence. Specifically, 72, 45, and 80 % of the data sets were consistent with rate dependence following amphetamine, methylphenidate, and modafinil administration, respectively. These results suggest that rate dependence is a more robust phenomenon than reported in the literature. Impulsivity studies should consider this quantitative signature as a process to determine the effects of variables and as a potential prognostic tool to evaluate the effectiveness of future interventions.
Effects of environmental temperature on the venodilatory response to nitroglycerin.

The venodilatory response to nitroglycerin (0.8 mg sublingually) was measured in 10 healthy young male volunteers in a cool [24.3 +/- 0.6 degrees C skin temperature (Tsk)] and a warm environment (34.7 +/- 0.2 degrees C Tsk). Nitroglycerin caused mean arterial pressure to fall and heart rate to rise in both the cool (105 +/- 2 to 96 +/- 3 mmHg; 55 +/- 3 to 62 +/- 3 beats/min) and the warm environment (87 +/- 3 to 81 +/- 3 mmHg; 66 +/- 4 to 75 +/- 3 beats/min), but the fall in pressure was greater in the cool than in the warm environment. Forearm blood flow was reduced and forearm vascular resistance elevated in the cool (117 +/- 19 units; 1.15 +/- 0.08 ml.100 cc arm-1.min-1) compared with the warm environment (15 +/- 3 units; 8.60 +/- 1.89 ml.100 cc arm-1.min-1). Nitroglycerin caused forearm vascular resistance to fall in the cool but had no effect in the warm environment. Venous distensibility (increase in venous volume per 30-mmHg increase in venous pressure) was twice as great in the warm as in the cool environment (3.90 +/- 0.27 vs. 1.88 +/- 0.23 ml/100 cc arm). However, the venodilatory effect of nitroglycerin was similar in the cool and warm environments (0.79 +/- 0.10 vs. 0.67 +/- 0.13 ml/100 cc arm, respectively). Arterioles are not dilated by nitroglycerin in the warmer environment, but the venodilatory effect of nitroglycerin is quantitatively similar in the two environments.
Modeling Spatiotemporal Paths for Single Moving Objects

In this work, we focus on modeling paths of movement that an individual moving object follows in space and time. We introduce a set of basic components for paths that serve as the basis for formalizing movement paths. We introduce a typology of paths that describes a classification of paths as open or closed paths. A broader set of path patterns is further investigated by varying temporal granularity between paths traveled on the same day, to paths taken on different days. Distinguishing the different path patterns that are possible for single moving objects provides a basis for searching and retrieving different kinds of spatiotemporal behaviors from collections of moving object data. Based on this work, it is also possible to analyze how patterns of movement may be decomposed to sets of these elemental paths in order to give a clearer understanding of the nature of movement of objects.
A Korean Mother’s Cooking Notes: Maintaining South Korean Cooking and Ideals of Housewives in Glocal Influences

This article examines A Korean Mother’s Cooking Notes and analyzes the role of cookbooks in understanding the changes in South Korean cooking and the lives of South Korean women in the 1990s. Using a framework of glocalization, I examine the ways in which the cookbook redefines the components and meanings of traditional Korean cooking. I argue that this cookbook specifically portrays the anxiety and desire of South Korean housewives in preserving home cooking and values while adapting to foreign influences. The cookbook also redefines the traditional ways in which mothers-in-law educated their daughters-in-law through translating oral cooking instructions into written and mediated pedagogy.
Effect of Certain Tablet Formulation Factors on Dissolution Rate of the Active Ingredient II: Granule Size, Starch Concentration, and Compression Pressure

The effect of various tablet formulation and processing factors on the rate of dissolution of the active ingredient of model tablets (prepared by double compression) was investigated. Dissolution rate increased with decreasing granule size (over the range 16-20 mesh to 60-80 mesh), but not strictly proportionally to the corresponding increase in the apparent surface area of the granules. Increasing starch content of granules (varied from 0 to 20 per cent) resulted in an increase in dissolution rate. Increasing precompression pressure (varied from 715 to 5720 Kg./cm. 2 ) caused an increase in dissolution rate. This was probably due to fracturing of the harder granules into smaller particles with greater specific surface area or bonding of the softer granules (prepared at lower slugging pressure) during their compression into tablets.
Outer-Layer Similarity in the Presence of Highly-Irregular Surface Roughness

High-resolution particle image velocimetry measurements are made in the streamwise{ wall-normal plane of a zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer over smooth and rough walls at Reµ … 13000. The roughness considered herein is replicated from a surface scan of a turbine blade damaged by deposition of foreign materials and its topology is highly irregular and contains a broad range of topological scales. Two physical scalings of the same roughness topology are considered, yielding two difierent rough surfaces with ‐=k = 28 and ‐=k = 50 (where ‐ is the boundary-layer thickness and k is the characteristic height of the roughness). However, both surfaces yield ‐=ks > 40, where ks is the equivalent sand-grain height. The mean velocity deflcits along with the Reynolds normal and shear stress proflles for both roughness conditions collapse on the smooth-wall baseline in the outer layer when appropriately scaled by the friction velocity, u?. Probability density functions and quadrant analysis of the instantaneous events contributing to the mean Reynolds shear shtress show similar consistency between the smooth and rough cases when scaled on u?. The observed collapse of the smooth- and rough-wall statistics in the outer layer supports Townsend’s wall similarity hypothesis for ∞ow over the highly-irregular roughness considered herein.
CULTURAL UNITY AND DISUNITY IN THE TITICACA BASIN

IN pre-Columbian Peru, conditions favorable for population concentration and cultural development were largely restricted to the coastal valleys and the high structural basins in the mountains. Most archaeologists who have dealt with comparative chronology have grouped adjacent valleys and compared their combined cultural sequences with those of a highland basin. The justification for this procedure has been the assumption that cultural uniformity would be found throughout these regional units in any given time period. For the valleys, such an assumption is based on the limited size of the area and the fact that each has only one major source of water supply to support an economy based on irrigated agriculture. The intensive archaeological work in Viru by the Institute of Andean Research verified the thesis of cultural uniformity for one valley. The situation in the highlands is, however, somewhat different since the basins are comparatively large, have many sources of water supply, and allow economies not totally dependent on irrigation. Only one highland basin, the Lake Titicaca, is sufficiently known archaeologically to. allow examination of distributions at different time periods as a basis for evaluating its cultural unity or disunity. The present paper undertakes such a review. The altiplano between Peru and Bolivia is
Mediating claims of environmental degradation, source credibility and risk to human health: Ecuadorian news coverage of the Chevron case:

How are claims of environmental degradation and health risk and hazard socially constructed in mediated arenas? This article examines frames, sources and claims in articles from Ecuadorian news reg...
Ecological Apocalypse: Privation, Alterity, and Catastrophe in the Work of Arthur Young and Thomas Robert Malthus

In the final decade of the twentiedi century, ecologists, social scientists and literary critics called our attention to the alarmist rhetoric of recent environmental writing. In his influential study of environmental perception in American culture, The Environmental Imagination (1995), Lawrence Buell argued that global pollution, genetic engineering, and the technologies of nuclear destruction have fostered a new millenarianism. Works such as Rachel Carson’s The Silent Spring (1962), Paul Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb (1968), Jonathan Schell s The Fate of the Earth (1982), and Bill McKibben’s The End of Nature (1989), among many others, imagined the devastating consequences of human actions on the fragile environment and deployed a “rhetoric of apocalypticism” to press the urgency of their common message, that “the fate of the world hinges on the arousal of the imagination to a sense of crisis.”1 While the apocalyptic scenarios of contemporary environmental works vary, almost all of them rest on the fear of scarcity—the spectacle of an imminent shortage of energy, air, water, and food.2 Thus, while revitalized by the threat of nuclear war and environmental degradation, contemporary environmental apocalypticism conjures up a dismal prospect of life lived perilously close to the bone in an atmosphere of fierce competition. This foreboding prospect, of course, issues from an earlier era of apocalyptic thinking, when in 1798 Thomas Robert Malthus presented the sublime specter of scarcity as a simple, but immutable, law of nature.
A survey on awareness of syphilis prevention among different populations

Objective To better understand the awareness profile of syphilis prevention knowledge among different populations and to provide an evidence for syphilis control.Methods An anonymous questionnaire adopted from National STD Control Center was conducted among 6 groups including urban residents,rural residents,migrant workers,university students,female sex workers and MSM from Changsha city and 5 national STD surveillance counties.Results A total of 2 075 participants completed the questionnaire.Out of 300,300,439,365,410 and 261 total subjects from the above each group,the highest awareness rate of 72.03% was found in MSM,followed by 71.33% in urban residents,67.67% in university students,56.10% in female sex workers,55.00% and 55.71% among rural residents and migrant workers.Conclusions There is difference of awareness of syphilis prevention knowledge among surveyed groups and the awareness rates are relatively low in some groups.Therefore,it is necessary to spread this knowledge,especially to poor-educated population.
Ovarian pregnancy; case report with discussion of controversial issues in the literature.

Abstract 1. 1. Ninety cases of ovarian pregnancy, including one case presented herein. have been reviewed. 2. 2. The average woman afflicted with ovarian pregnancy is 30 years of age, has probably been a sterility case for a variable number of years, and frequently has had previous miscarriage or ecotopic pregnancy. 3. 3. The signs and symptoms of ovarian pregnancy are usually indistinguishable from those of ectopic pregnancy in general. 4. 4. Seventy-five per cent of these pregnancies will be terminated by the end of the first trimester, while 25 per cent will last into the second trimester, of which half will last to the third trimester or beyond. Approximately 66 per cent of the viable fetuses will be stillborn and 18.2 per cent of these viable fetuses will be malformed. 5. 5. The incidence of authentic cases reported in the literature is rapidly increasing, the actual number probably being much greater than supposed. 6. 6. The ratio of ovarian to other extrauterine pregnancies is approximately 1 to 117, wihle the ratio of ovarian pregnancy to intrauterine pregnancy is approximately 1 to 25,000. 7. 7. Slight revision and modification of the criteria of ovarian pregnancy have been offered. 8. 8. Simplification and standardization in the classification of ovarian pregnancy have been suggested. 9. 9. The etiology of ovarian pregnancy has been briefly mentioned with emphasis on the physiological basis of ovarian pregnancy causation.
Managing Engineering Knowledge Federations

The knowledge relevant to the design of engineering systems comes from different sources, is owned by different bodies, and is evolving over time. In this paper, we present a framework where the different sources of knowledge form a federation of independent knowledge bases. Design support systems access the knowledge in these complementary sources and integrate it into a coherent set. We motivate the need for the monitoring of knowledge base properties that capture the quality and coherence of the evolving and distributed knowledge. We discuss the technical issues related to the integration of the different sources in light of the properties defined.
Optimal sequential test with finite horizon and constrained sensor selection

This work considers the online sensor selection for the finite-horizon sequential hypothesis testing. In particular, at each step of the sequential test, the “most informative” sensor is selected based on all the previous samples so that the expected sample size is minimized. In addition, certain sensors cannot be used more than their prescribed budgets on average. Under this setup, we show that the optimal sensor selection strategy is a time-variant function of the running hypothesis posterior, and the optimal test takes the form of a truncated sequential probability ratio test. Both of these operations can be obtained through a simplified version of dynamic programming. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed online approach outperforms the existing offline approach to the order of magnitude.
What Christians Can Learn from Chinese Religions

This chapter addresses what Christians can learn from Chinese religions. The traditional Chinese term sanjiao refers to the three great Chinese religious traditions of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. There is much to learn from them, especially in how they have interacted with and transformed each other. The chapter begins by exploring the advent of the Chinese civilization by examining the foundations and major features of Chinese religions. It then discusses the teachings of Confucius on the ideal moral life and also the Daodejing on the principal goals of living. The chapter concludes by postulating common themes that could offer lessons to Christianity, describing Westerners as “Truth-seekers” and the Chinese as “Way-seekers.”
Evaluation of Diet-Related Infographics on Pinterest for Use of Behavior Change Theories: A Content Analysis.

Background: There is increasing interest in Pinterest as a method of disseminating health information. However, it is unclear whether the health information promoted on Pinterest is evidence-based or incorporates behavior change theory. Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine the presence of health behavior theory (HBT) constructs in pins found on Pinterest and assess the relationship between various pin characteristics and the likelihood of inclusion of HBT. Methods: A content analysis was conducted on pins collected from Pinterest identified with the search terms “nutrition infographic” and “healthy eating infographic.” The coding rubric included HBT constructs, pin characteristics, and visual communication tools. Each HBT construct was coded as present or not present (yes=1, no=0). A total theory score was calculated by summing the values for each of the 9 constructs (range 0-9). Adjusted regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the inclusion of health behavior change theory in pins (P<.05). Results: The mean total theory score was 2.03 (SD 1.2). Perceived benefits were present most often (170/236, 72%), followed by behavioral capability (123/238, 51.7%) and perceived severity (79/236, 33.5%). The construct that appeared the least was self-regulation/self-control (2/237, 0.8%). Pin characteristics associated with the inclusion of HBT included a large amount of text (P=.01), photographs of real people (P=.001), cartoon pictures of food (P=.01), and the presence of references (P=.001). The number of repins (P=.04), likes (P=.01), and comments (P=.01) were positively associated with the inclusion of HBT. Conclusions: These findings suggest that current Pinterest infographics targeting healthy eating contain few HBT elements. Health professionals and organizations should create and disseminate infographics that contain more elements of HBT to better influence healthy eating behavior. This may be accomplished by creating pins that use both text and images of people and food in order to portray elements of HBT and convey nutritional information. [JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2016;4(4):e133]
Integration of interpretive structural modelling with Bayesian network for biodiesel performance analysis

Abstract The performance of a biodiesel system can be affected by varied risk factors. The numbers of such risk factors are large and their interdependencies are vague and complex. The purpose of this study is to define relationships among such risk factors and integrate them with an objective risk analysis approach. In the present study, an interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach was used to identify relationships among risk factors while a Bayesian Network (BN) approach was employed to define the strength of dependence and conduct a risk analysis. The results indicate that among 25 risk factors, operational safety is a key biodiesel performance factor. The analysis also highlights that the impacts of occupational health and natural resources depletion are strongly dependent on environmental parameters. Occupational health is also strongly dependent on plant safety. The results show that the interdependency between occupational health and natural resources depletion is weak.
Walking with Hope and Dharma: Are Dogs Enlightened? Are Humans?

Walking with Hope and Dharma. “Walking” conveys the sense that life is a journey. “Hope” is at the core of Christianity and positive psychology, and in everyday language is the foundation for living amidst the disappointments of life, what Barack Obama has called the “audacity” to believe in a positive path despite the realities that discourage us. In Buddhism, “Dharma” is the teaching that defines, illuminates, and guides us along the path to Enlightenment. These teachings about the nature of self complement my spiritual life as a Christian.
COMPLAINING COMPLIMENTING AND WORD-OF-MOUTH

The rise of digital platforms has changed how, when and where consumers communicate with each other (consumer-to- consumer, C2C) and with firms (consumer-to-business, C2B). Word-of-mouth (WOM) behavior has evolved in the digital age. Complaints and compliments are no longer just words. C2B and C2C Marketing communication is increasingly played out in other media and in view of others. An updated typology of complaint channels is proposed. The rise of incentivized and solicited C2B and C2C communication creates new challenges to both consumers and marketers. This paper provides unambiguous definitions that encompass the various types of communication methods, motives and channels.
Graph-based semi-supervised learning with genomic data integration using condition-responsive genes applied to phenotype classification.

Author(s): Doostparast Torshizi, Abolfazl; Petzold, Linda R | Abstract: ObjectiveData integration methods that combine data from different molecular levels such as genome, epigenome, transcriptome, etc., have received a great deal of interest in the past few years. It has been demonstrated that the synergistic effects of different biological data types can boost learning capabilities and lead to a better understanding of the underlying interactions among molecular levels.MethodsIn this paper we present a graph-based semi-supervised classification algorithm that incorporates latent biological knowledge in the form of biological pathways with gene expression and DNA methylation data. The process of graph construction from biological pathways is based on detecting condition-responsive genes, where 3 sets of genes are finally extracted: all condition responsive genes, high-frequency condition-responsive genes, and P-value-filtered genes.ResultsThe proposed approach is applied to ovarian cancer data downloaded from the Human Genome Atlas. Extensive numerical experiments demonstrate superior performance of the proposed approach compared to other state-of-the-art algorithms, including the latest graph-based classification techniques.ConclusionsSimulation results demonstrate that integrating various data types enhances classification performance and leads to a better understanding of interrelations between diverse omics data types. The proposed approach outperforms many of the state-of-the-art data integration algorithms.
Ancestral Benders' Cuts and Multi-term Disjunctions for Mixed-Integer Recourse Decisions in Stochastic Programming

This paper focuses on solving two-stage stochastic mixed integer programs (SMIPs) with general mixed integer decision variables in both stages. We develop a decomposition algorithm in which the first stage approximation is solved using a branch-and-bound tree with nodes inheriting Benders’ cuts that are valid for their ancestor nodes. In addition, we develop two closely related convexification schemes which use multi-term disjunctive cuts to obtain approximations of the second stage mixed-integer programs. We prove that the proposed methods are finitely convergent. One of the main advantages of our decomposition scheme is that we use a Benders-based branch-and-cut approach in which linear programming approximations are strengthened sequentially. Moreover as in many decomposition schemes, these subproblems can be solved in parallel. We also illustrate these algorithms using several variants of an SMIP example from the literature, as well as a new set of test problems, which we refer to as Stochastic Server Location and Sizing. Finally, we present our computational experience with both classes of test problems, and demonstrate that under some restrictions on the growth of first stage decisions, the algorithm provides a realistic approach to solve SMIP models with a reasonable number of scenarios.
FURTHER RESULTS ON CENTER OF DILATATION AND RESIDUAL STRESSES IN JOINED ELASTIC HALF-SPACES

The solutions for a center of dilation are used to show that the elastic fields, due to a subregion near the interface between two different materials undergoing a volume change, can be obtained by differentiation from the corresponding fields for the homogeneous material. The force on the center of dilatation also is worked out. The results indicate that for perfect bond the interface attracts the center of dilatation when it is in the phase with the higher modulus of rigidity and repels it in the opposite case, while the mismatch in Poisson's ratios has no effect. For a smooth interface, the center of dilatation is always attracted toward the interface.
Screening for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review for the Women's Preventive Services Initiative

This systematic review addresses evidence for the Women's Preventive Services Initiative recommendation for screening for urinary incontinence in women.
Pregnancy anxiety predicts shorter gestation in Latina and non-Latina white women: The role of placental corticotrophin-releasing hormone.

Abstract Objective Previous research has shown that a woman’s anxiety about her pregnancy predicts gestational length. Placental corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a stress-responsive peptide proposed as a mechanism. We examined placental CRH as a physiological mediator of the association between pregnancy anxiety and gestational length in Latina and non-Latina White women to replicate evidence of associations between pregnancy anxiety, placental CRH and gestational length; to test whether placental CRH levels or changes mediate effects of pregnancy anxiety on gestational length; to examine ethnic differences in pregnancy anxiety, placental CRH, and gestational length; and to explore whether the effects of pregnancy anxiety on gestational length as mediated by placental CRH vary by ethnicity. Methods In a prospective study of 337 pregnant Latina and non-Latina White women, participants completed in-person interviews that included a 10-item measure of pregnancy anxiety and provided blood samples assayed using radioimmunoassay at three timepoints (19, 25, and 31 weeks gestation). Results Pregnancy anxiety at 19 and 31 weeks and levels of placental CRH at 31 weeks predicted gestational length. Tests of indirect effects were consistent with mediation such that both pregnancy anxiety at 19 weeks and increases from 19 to 31 weeks predicted placental CRH at 31 weeks, which in turn predicted gestational length. Tests of moderated mediation by ethnicity showed that the mediated effect of placental CRH at 31 weeks was significant for Latinas only. Conclusions These findings add to growing evidence of the involvement of pregnancy anxiety in the timing of birth, address mechanisms, and suggest possible ethnic differences.
Mothers’ and Fathers’ Language Input from 6 to 36 Months in Rural Two-Parent-Families: Relations to children’s kindergarten achievement

Abstract Research has highlighted the role of parental language input during early childhood as a way to facilitate children’s early vocabulary skills. However, few studies have examined the relationship between the specific features of both mothers’ and fathers’ early language input during a shared book experience and children’s kindergarten achievement (i.e., vocabulary, literacy, and math). Using an economically and culturally diverse sample of 567 children from the Family Life Project, this study examined whether mothers’ and fathers’ number of different words, mean length of utterance, and wh- questions from 6 to 36 months predicted children’s kindergarten achievement. Multiple regression models, examining mothers’ and fathers’ language separately and in combined models, indicated that both mothers’ and fathers’ language input was related with children’s kindergarten achievement, beyond a host of demographic controls. In the combined models, mothers’ mean length of utterance and wh- questions were significantly associated with vocabulary and their mean length of utterance was significantly associated with math outcomes in kindergarten. Fathers’ mean length of utterance and wh- questions were significantly associated with vocabulary, and their wh- questions were significantly associated with math outcomes in kindergarten. Implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are discussed.
Leaf area and foliar biomass relationships in northern hardwood forests located along an 800 km acid deposition gradient

The canopies of northern hardwood forests dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) were examined at five locations spanning 800 km along an acid deposition and climatic gradient in the Great Lakes region. Leaf area index (LAI) calculated from litterfall ranged from 6.0 to 8.0 in 1988, from 4.9 to 7.9 in 1989, and from 5.3 to 7.8 in 1990. The data suggest that maximum LAI for the sites is between 7 and 8. Insect defoliation and the allocation of assimilates to reproductive parts in large seed years reduced LAI by up to 34%. Allometric equations for leaf area and foliar biomass were not significantly different among sites. They predicted higher LAI values than were estimated from litterfall and could not account for the influences of defoliation and seed production. Canopy transmittance was a viable alternative for estimating LAI. Extinction coefficients (K) of 0.49 to 0.65 were appropriate for solar elevations of 63{degree} to 41{degree}. Patterns of specific leaf area (SLA) were similar for the sites. Average sugar maple SLA increased from 147 cm{sup 2}g{sup {minus}1} in the upper 5 m of the canopy to 389 cm{sup 2}g{sup {minus}1} in the seeding layer. Litterfall SLA averaged 196 cm{sup 2}g{sup {minus}1} more » for all species and 192 cm{sup 2}g{sup {minus}1} for sugar maple. Similarity among the sites in allometric relationships, maximum LAI, canopy transmittance, and patterns of SLA suggests these characteristics were controlled primarily by the similar nutrient and moisture availability at the sites. A general increasing trend in litter production along the gradient could not be attributed to N deposition or length of growing season due to year to year variability resulting from insect defoliation and seed production. « less
Reluctant Interaction Modeling

Including pairwise interactions between the predictors of a regression model can produce better predicting models. However, to fit such interaction models on typical data sets in biology and other fields can often require solving enormous variable selection problems with billions of interactions. The scale of such problems demands methods that are computationally cheap (both in time and memory) yet still have sound statistical properties. Motivated by these large-scale problem sizes, we adopt a very simple guiding principle: One should prefer a main effect over an interaction if all else is equal. This "reluctance" to interactions, while reminiscent of the hierarchy principle for interactions, is much less restrictive. We design a computationally efficient method built upon this principle and provide theoretical results indicating favorable statistical properties. Empirical results show dramatic computational improvement without sacrificing statistical properties. For example, the proposed method can solve a problem with 10 billion interactions with 5-fold cross-validation in under 7 hours on a single CPU.
Nonreciprocal Radiation Pattern Metasurface Transformer

This paper presents the concept of nonreciprocal radiation pattern metasurface transformer. The metasurface is placed on top of a source antenna, transforms the radiation pattern of the source antenna, introducing different radiation patterns for transmit and receive states. The metasurface is composed of an array of unit cells, each of which consist of receive and transmit antenna elements and a nonreciprocal phase shifter. The priliminary analytical results proves the operation and functionality of the metasurface transformer. The proposed metasurface transformer may presenst different interesting properties including radiation pattern tunability, angular sector and gain.
Architecting Process of Care: A randomized controlled study evaluating the impact of providing nonadherence information and pharmacist assistance to physicians.

Objective To test the impact of connecting physicians, pharmacists, and patients to address medication nonadherence, and to compare different physician choice architectures. Data sources and study setting The study was conducted with 90 physicians and 2602 of their patients on medications treating chronic illness. Study design In this cluster randomized controlled trial, physicians were randomly assigned to an arm where the physician receives notification of patient nonadherence derived from real-time claims data, an arm where they receive this information and a pharmacist may contact patients either by default or by physician choice, and a control group. The primary outcome was resolving nonadherence within 30 days. We also considered physician engagement outcomes including viewing information about nonadherence and utilizing a pharmacist. Data collection Physician engagement was constructed from metadata from the study website; adherence outcomes were constructed from medication claims. Principal findings We see no differences between the treatment arms and control for the primary adherence outcome. The pharmacist intervention was 42 percentage points (95% CI: 28 pp-56 pp) more likely when it was triggered by default. Conclusions Access to a pharmacist and real-time nonadherence information did not improve patient adherence. Physician process of care was sensitive to choice architecture.
Case report: Bladder to lumbar spinal hardware fistula managed via partial cystectomy and removal of offending piece of spinal hardware

A bladder to lumbar hardware fistula has never been reported. We report the case of a 67 year old male who presented with a bladder to lumbar spinal hardware fistula approximately four years following an L4-S1 anterior lumbar internal fixation. It was identified through the use of CT cystogram. His case was managed first with cystoscopy and interrogation of the fistula with a Glidewire followed by partial cystectomy and removal of some of the offending spinal hardware.
Reasonable Investors’ Growing Awareness of Climate Risk and Its Impact on U.S. Corporate Disclosure Law

Climate change impacts have become more evident, triggering concern and calls to action among individuals, governments, and the private sector alike. Shareholders increasingly view information about the risk climate change poses to individual companies as critical to their investment decision-making. Their use of this information in turn influences corporate disclosure practices. Due to the quirks of a legal standard in the United States that evolves as investors’ views change, what climate-change-related information companies need to include in their disclosures may shift even without any significant change to existing regulations. Indeed, there is evidence that this transformation has already begun. As this happens, courts will help define the parameters of what climate-change-related information is deemed material. This chapter discusses the trends in investor treatment of climate-related information, how it could impact corporate disclosure requirements, and how courts may view the application of U.S. securities law to climate change information.
The opportunities and challenges of integrating population histories into genetic studies of diverse populations: a motivating example from Native Hawaiians

There is an urgent and well-recognized need to extend genetic studies to diverse populations, but several obstacles continue to be prohibitive, including (but not limited to) the difficulty of recruiting individuals from diverse populations in large numbers and the lack of representation in available genomic references. These obstacles notwithstanding, studying multiple diverse populations would provide informative, population-specific insights. Using Native Hawaiians as an example of an understudied population with a unique evolutionary history, I will argue that by developing key genomic resources and integrating evolutionary thinking into genetic epidemiology, we will have the opportunity to efficiently advance our knowledge of the genetic risk factors, ameliorate health disparity, and improve healthcare in this underserved population.
Probability of a zoonotic spillover with seasonal variation.

Abstract Zoonotic infectious diseases are spread from animals to humans. It is estimated that over 60% of human infectious diseases are zoonotic and 75% of them are emerging zoonoses. The majority of emerging zoonotic infectious diseases are caused by viruses including avian influenza, rabies, Ebola, coronaviruses and hantaviruses. Spillover of infection from animals to humans depends on a complex transmission pathway, which is influenced by epidemiological and environmental processes. In this investigation, the focus is on direct transmission between animals and humans and the effects of seasonal variations on the transmission and recovery rates. Fluctuations in transmission and recovery, besides being influenced by physiological processes and behaviors of pathogen and host, are driven by seasonal variations in temperature, humidity or rainfall. A new time-nonhomogeneous stochastic process is formulated for infectious disease spread from animals to humans when transmission and recovery rates are time-periodic. A branching process approximation is applied near the disease-free state to predict the probability of the first spillover event from animals to humans. This probability is a periodic function of the time when infection is introduced into the animal population. It is shown that the highest risk of a spillover depends on a combination of animal to human transmission, animal to animal transmission and animal recovery. The results are applied to a stochastic model for avian influenza with spillover from domestic poultry to humans.
Triple Negative Breast Cancer is Dependent on the Lysosomal Cholesterol Transporter NPC1

Background: Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer (BC) with peak rate of metastasis within the first few years post diagnosis and few targeted therapies. Normal epithelial cells and estrogen receptor alpha (ER) positive BC express the microRNA-200c (miR-200c), a potent suppressor of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, miR-200c is silenced or lost in TNBC, allowing aberrant expression of genes conferring a de-differentiated, non-epithelial phenotype that confers invasive and chemo-resistant properties. Recent literature demonstrated that EMT also promotes altered tumor cell metabolism. Hypothesis: We postulate that EMT reversal in TNBC will reveal selective advantages and identify novel therapeutic vulnerabilities. Methods: We used restoration of miR-200c as a tool to identify selective advantages conferred by EMT. In addition to driving global metabolic changes, miR-200c-repressed key cholesterol metabolism genes that support the uptake of dietary cholesterol, which is delivered via low-density-lipoproteins (LDL) and processed by the lysosomal cholesterol transporter, Niemann-Pick Type C1 (NPC1). Manipulation of NPC1 by genetic and pharmacological means was used to determine if and how TNBC are reliant on this pathway. Results: We determined that NPC1 is overexpressed in TNBC relative to ER+BC (Nature Metabric P<0.0001). Restoration of miR-200c directly targets the NPC1 3’UTR and represses NPC1 by two-fold (p=0.01). While silencing of NPC1 in ER+ BC cells led to slowed proliferation, TNBC cell lines died within 48-72 hours. NPC1 is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and mTOR suppression. Intracellular cholesterol homeostasis is critical for cell survival and is carefully regulated, but how these homeostatic mechanisms adapt during tumor progression is poorly understood. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that while mesenchymal-like TNBC cells do not require exogenous cholesterol from the microenvironment, this cancer type is sensitive to the loss of NPC1. Overall, this work identifies NPC1 as a novel target in TNBC and sheds light on how lysosomes and mitochondria interact to sense cholesterol and drive cell survival.
Selective Overexpression of Collybistin in Mouse Hippocampal Pyramidal Cells Enhances GABAergic Neurotransmission and Protects against PTZ-Induced Seizures.

Collybistin (CB) is a rho guanine exchange factor found at GABAergic and glycinergic postsynapses that interacts with the inhibitory scaffold protein, gephyrin, and induces accumulation of gephyrin and GABAA receptors (GABAARs) to the postsynapse. We have previously reported that the isoform without the src homology 3 (SH3) domain, CBSH3-, is particularly active in enhancing the GABAergic postsynapse in both cultured hippocampal neurons as well as in cortical pyramidal neurons after chronic in vivo expression in in utero electroporated (IUE) rats. Deficiency of CB in knockout mice results in absence of gephyrin and gephyrin-dependent GABAARs at postsynaptic sites in several brain regions, including hippocampus. In the present study, we have generated an adeno-associated virus (AAV) that expresses CBSH3- in a cre-dependent manner. Using male and female VGLUT1-IRES-cre or VGAT-IRES-cre mice, we explore the effect of overexpression of CBSH3- in hippocampal pyramidal cells or hippocampal interneurons. The results show that: 1) the accumulation of gephyrin and GABAARs at inhibitory postsynapses in hippocampal pyramidal neurons or interneurons can be enhanced by CBSH3- overexpression, 2) overexpression of CBSH3- in hippocampal pyramidal cells can enhance the strength of inhibitory neurotransmission, and 3) these enhanced inhibitory synapses provide protection against PTZ-induced seizures. The results indicate that this AAV vector carrying CBSH3- can be used for in vivo enhancement of GABAergic synaptic transmission in selected target neurons in the brain. Significance statement Excessive or imbalanced excitation in the hippocampus can result in acute or chronic pathological conditions, such as seizures, epilepsy, and learning impairments. It is therefore important to uncover target genes that can be manipulated to restore or prevent this imbalance. This study uses a novel adeno-associated virus to express collybistin SH3- in select cells of the hippocampus. We have found that overexpression of this protein enhances GABAergic inhibitory synaptic transmission. The results also bring attention to collybistin as a possible target for therapeutic intervention aimed to restore the balance between excitation and inhibition.
Sediment Selection: Range Expanding Fiddler Crabs are Better Burrowers Than Their Historic Range Counterparts

ABSTRACT Species ranges are shifting in response to climate change. In New England saltmarshes, the mud fiddler crab, Minuca pugnax, is expanding north of Cape Cod, MA into the Gulf of Maine (GoM) due to warming waters. The burrowing lifestyle of M. pugnax means sediment compaction in saltmarshes may influence the ability for crabs to dig, with more compact soils being resilient to burrowing. Previous studies indicate that saltmarshes along the GoM have higher soil strength (i.e., compaction) relative to marshes south of Cape Cod. Together, physical characteristics and temperature of this habitat may be influencing the burrowing performance of M. pugnax, and therefore the continuation of their northward range expansion into the GoM. To determine if compaction affects burrowing activity of M. pugnax in historical and range expanded populations, we conducted a controlled laboratory experiment. We manipulated soil compaction in standardized lab assays and measured crab burrowing performance with individuals collected from Nantucket (i.e., historical range) and the Plum Island Estuary (PIE, i.e., expanded range). We determined compaction negatively affected burrowing ability in crabs from both sites; however, crabs from PIE burrowed in higher soil compactions than Nantucket crabs. In addition, PIE crabs were more likely to burrow overall. We conclude that site level differences in compaction are likely altering burrowing behavior in the crab’s expanded range territory by way of phenotypic plasticity or rapid evolution. Our study demonstrates that non-temperature physical habitat traits can be as important as temperature in influencing climate driven range expansions.
Electronic note taking technology and academic performance in nursing students.

Background: Technological advances have provided alternatives to traditional handwritten note taking that are changing the classroom learning environment in higher education for nursing students.Aims: The purpose of this study was to explore nursing student attitudes and preferences for note taking and the relationship of note taking methods on academic performance. Design: The mixed method approaches collected data from 217 nursing students in a baccalaureate program of study in spring and fall of 2017.Methods: Nursing students at the junior and senior level in the academic program voluntarily participated by completing a survey using a Likert-type scale and open-ended questions.Findings: The majority of students (69.3%) reported taking notes by electronic methods. No significant difference was found between the method of note taking and GPA (p = .139).Conclusions: Findings suggest that multiple variables influence learning in the classroom environment and note taking method has little impact on academic performance. Impact Statement: Educators should consider this finding when implementing policies on classroom electronics, including note taking. Understanding that the preferred method of note taking whether handwritten or electronic has little impact on overall academic performance should inform evidence based teaching and learning.
MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF RAT MUSCLE FIBERS FOLLOWING SPACE FLIGHT

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the morphometric analysis of rat muscle fibers following space flight. Space flight and hypogravity are known to produce systemic and metabolic changes in animals and human. Even though the effects of weightlessness in various organ systems are well described, the pathophysiological mechanism is largely unknown. During adaptation to decreased gravity aboard space flight, the musculoskeletal system is dynamically responsive to changes in insufficient loading mechanism, leading to hypokinesia and hypodynamia. The chapter presents a study in which a total of 75 pathogen-free adult Wistar rats recovered from 18.5 days of orbital flight were included. They were divided into three groups: Group I, flight (F) of 25 animals, Group II, synchronous control (S) of 25 animals, and Group III vivarium control (V) of 25 animals. The muscle histochemistry from all three groups of animals was analyzed in the Medical Image Analysis Facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This facility includes a microscope-mounted television camera, capable of converting the specimen image into numerical form and feeding it into a computer for analysis.