cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diets of Baird’s Beaked Whales, Berardius bairdii , in the Southern Sea Of Okhotsk and Off the Pacific Coast Of Honshu, Japan

Stomach contents were analyzed from 127 Baird’s beaked whales, Berardizls bdirdii, taken in coastal waters of Japan. During late July-August of 19851987, 1989, and 1991, 107 samples were collected from off the Pacific coast of Honshu. An additional 20 samples were collected from whales taken in the southern Sea of Okhotsk during late August-September of 1988 and 1989. Prey identification using fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks revealed the whales fed primarily on deep-water gadiform fishes and cephalopods in both regions. Prey species diversity and the percentage of cephalopods and fish differed between the two regions. Off the Pacific coast of Honshu the whales fed primarily on benthopelagic fishes (81.8%) and only 18.0% on cephalopods. Eight species of fish representing two families, the codlings (Moridae) and the grenadiers (Macrouridde), collectively made up 81.3% of the total. Thirty species of cephalopods representing 14 families made up 12.7%. In the southern Sea of Okhotsk, cephalopods accounted for 87.1% of stomach contents. The families Gonatidae and Cranchiidae were the predominant cephalopod prey, accounting for 86.7% of the diet. Gadiform fish accounted for only 12.9% of the diet. Longfin codling, Laernonma longipes, was the dominant fish prey in both regions. Depth distribution of the two commonly consumed fish off the Pacific coast of
Homoclinic chaos for ray optics in a fiber

In the geometrical optics approximation, stable and unstable manifolds of periodic orbits, invariant tori, and hyperbolic invariant manifolds are shown to exist and produce trapping of bundles of light rays near the axis of a translation-invariant, axisymmetric optical fiber whose squared refractive index is a parabolic function of squared radius. Periodic symmetrybreaking perturbations in the refractive index are shown to destroy this ray trapping and to produce homoclinic tangles, through which nearby trapped rays may escape, and untrapped rays may become at least temporarily trapped. Melnikov's technique is used to prove that the perturbations cause the stable and unstable manifolds of the unperturbed periodic orbits, invariant tori, and hyperbolic invariant manifolds to develop transverse intersections and therefore, to form homoclinic tangles. These tangles imply either homoclinic chaos by the Smale horseshoe mechanism and the Poincar6-Birkhoff-Smale theorem, or Arnol'd diffusion. In both situations, lobe dynamics will dominate phase space transport, seen here as a flux of (initially) untrapped rays passing through the trapping region.
Thin Flexible Thermal Ground Planes: Fabrication and Scaling Characterization

Thermal ground planes (TGPs) are passive thermal management devices that utilize the latent heat associated with phase change to achieve high effective thermal conductance, similar to heat pipes. In this paper, we develop flexible TGPs with an ultra-thin thickness of 0.5 mm using copper-cladded polyimide as the encasing material, woven copper mesh as a wick, and electroplated copper pillars to support a vapor core. The lowest thermal resistance of one TGP is characterized to be only 1/3 that of an equivalently sized copper heat spreader. The effects of size scaling of evaporator and condenser, and overall TGP sizes on the thermal resistances of TGPs are experimentally characterized. A simple series thermal resistance model, which accounts for vapor core thermal resistance, is developed to predict the measured results. This experimentally validated model can be used for the design of TGPs with varying sizes of evaporator and condenser, and overall size. [2015-0032]
Identification of plant-induced genes of the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pathovar campestris using a promoter-probe plasmid.

A promoter-probe plasmid suitable for use in Xanthomonas campestris pathovar campestris (causal agent of crucifer black rot) was constructed by ligating a broad host range IncQ replicon into the promoter-probe plasmid pKK232-8, which contains a promoterless chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene. Xanthomonas chromosomal DNA fragments were `shotgun' cloned into a restriction site in front of this gene, and the resulting library was transferred en masse into Xanthomonas. Individual transconjugants possessing DNA insertions with promoter activity in plants were identified by virtue of their ability to infect chloramphenicol-treated turnip seedlings. Of 19 transconjugants identified in this way five were chloramphenicol resistant both in turnip seedlings and on agar plates. However the remaining 14 were only chloramphenicol resistant in planta, and thus apparently contained plant-inducible promoter fragments. Resistance to chloramphenicol was correlated with increased chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity for the transconjugants assayed. The promoter fragments were used to isolate genomic clones from a library, and the role of the genes contained in these clones in pathogenicity is being investigated.
'Ninety-Five Percent of Them Will Not Be Missed': Recovering the Tax Shelter Limitation Aspect of ERISA

ERISA is justly hailed as a paramount achievement in labor and social welfare legislation. The worker-protective elements of ERISA get most of the attention. Yet Congress also emphasized that employee benefit plans “substantially affect the revenue of the United States because they are afforded preferential Federal tax treatment” which justified a coordinate declaration of policy, “to protect...the Federal taxing power”. ERISA § 2(a), (c), 29 U.S.C. § 1001(a), (c). The tax-subsidized but largely unregulated regime that preceded ERISA facilitated widespread tax abuse. Reducing wasted revenue by focusing preferential tax treatment on plans providing retirement savings to a broad cross-section of the workforce — not just to the business owners — is the often-overlooked dual objective of ERISA. This article seeks to recover the tax shelter limitation aspect of ERISA. Part II briefly explains the origins of ERISA’s tax controls. Part III surveys ERISA’s accomplishments and limitations in suppressing pension tax shelters. Part IV describes later momentous developments to which ERISA pointed the way.
A Library of Simulink Blocks for Real-Time Control of HEV Traction Drives

This paper describes the development of advanced control and modeling algorithms for the various types of motor drives considered for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The algorithms are given in the high-level language of MATLAB/SIMULINK. The algorithms consist of SIMULINK blocks that can be easily implemented in a real-time test environment for induction, switched reluctance, and permanent magnet synchronous machines. This eliminates the need for specialized programming in C or assembly languages providing investigators a much simpler way to study proposed control algorithms for various motor drives.
The New Rules of Federal Appellate Procedure: Changes in Style and Substance

This article discusses the substantive changes to the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23.
Spatiospectral Decomposition of Multi-subject EEG: Evaluating Blind Source Separation Algorithms on Real and Realistic Simulated Data

Electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations predominantly appear with periods between 1 s (1 Hz) and 20 ms (50 Hz), and are subdivided into distinct frequency bands which appear to correspond to distinct cognitive processes. A variety of blind source separation (BSS) approaches have been developed and implemented within the past few decades, providing an improved isolation of these distinct processes. Within the present study, we demonstrate the feasibility of multi-subject BSS for deriving distinct EEG spatiospectral maps. Multi-subject spatiospectral EEG decompositions were implemented using the EEGIFT toolbox ( http://mialab.mrn.org/software/eegift/ ) with real and realistic simulated datasets (the simulation code is available at http://mialab.mrn.org/software/simeeg ). Twelve different decomposition algorithms were evaluated. Within the simulated data, WASOBI and COMBI appeared to be the best performing algorithms, as they decomposed the four sources across a range of component numbers and noise levels. RADICAL ICA, ERBM, INFOMAX ICA, ICA EBM, FAST ICA, and JADE OPAC decomposed a subset of sources within a smaller range of component numbers and noise levels. INFOMAX ICA, FAST ICA, WASOBI, and COMBI generated the largest number of stable sources within the real dataset and provided partially distinct views of underlying spatiospectral maps. We recommend the multi-subject BSS approach and the selected algorithms for further studies examining distinct spatiospectral networks within healthy and clinical populations.
Renal Replacement Therapy in the Pediatric Critical Care Unit.

Renal replacement therapy is becoming more prevalent in the pediatric intensive care units for a large variety of disease states, including multiorgan dysfunction syndrome, fluid overload, and electrolyte imbalance. Three modalities—continuous renal replacement therapy, hemodialysis, and peritoneal dialysis—are commonly used. When deciding among the three therapies, there are several advantages and disadvantages of each modality that must be considered. This manuscript provides an overview of each modality as well as its pros and cons.
Abstract B081: Tissue repair function of regulatory T cells during infection and cancer progression

Regulatory T (Treg) cells dampen immune responses to avoid excessive, deleterious inflammation in the context of autoimmunity, allergic reactions, and infection. Treg cells also impede anti-tumor immunity. Therefore, modulation of Treg cell activity is of great therapeutic potential for treating many debilitating inflammatory diseases and cancer. Recent studies have implicated a specialized tissue-resident Treg subset in limiting metabolic inflammation in the adipose tissue and in promoting repair of muscle injury. These Treg cells exhibit a unique transcriptional signature represented by high expression of the EGF family member amphiregulin (Areg), suggesting an additional role for Treg cells in tissue maintenance and remodeling. Whether Treg cells regulate tissue maintenance in broader settings, such as during infection and cancer progression, however, remains unknown. In the present study, we observed an Areg+ Treg subset in lung-infiltrating Treg cells following influenza infection. Selective ablation of Areg in Treg cells led to severe impairment of lung function and tissue damage without evident change in viral burden or antiviral response, indicating that the tissue maintenance function of Treg cells is distinct from their immune regulatory roles. Remarkably, we found that tumor infiltrating Treg cells highly expressed Areg. Since Areg is known to exert pleiotropic oncogenic activities, Areg production by Treg cells may be crucial for establishing the tumor microenvironment. Future studies will focus on: (1) Further examine the role for Areg+ Treg cells in tissue remodeling, during infection as well as cancer progression; (2) Characterize the Areg+ Treg cell subset; (3) Define the differentiation pathway of the Areg+ Treg cells. These studies will improve our understanding of both the immune and non-immune functions of Treg cells, and could provide new strategies for selectively targeting particular aspects of Treg cell function therapeutically in the treatment and control of inflammatory diseases and cancer progression. Note:This abstract was not presented at the conference. Citation Format: Wei Hu, Nicholas Arpaia, Paula D. Bos, Jesse Green, Alexander Rudensky. Tissue repair function of regulatory T cells during infection and cancer progression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B081.
Prevention of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Potential of pharmacological agents

People with impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose, or "pre-diabetes", are at high risk for progression to type 2 diabetes, as are those with metabolic syndrome or a history of gestational diabetes. Both glucose-lowering and anti-obesity pharmacotherapies have been studied to determine if the onset of type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented. Here we review the available data in the field. The most common theme is the reduction in insulin resistance, such as with weight loss, decreasing demands on the beta cell to improve insulin secretion and prolong its function. Overall, therapies which decrease diabetes incidence in high-risk populations delay the onset of diabetes but do not correct the underlying beta cell defect.
The Five Civilized Tribes’ Treaty Rights to Water Quality and Mechanisms of Enforcement

This thesis focuses on the treaty rights to water quality of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole tribes (collectively referred to as the “Five Civilized Tribes”). Although each tribe is an independent, sovereign nation, the tribes share a collective history as the largest and most dominant tribes in what is now the southeastern United States and the eventual forced removal from their respective ancestral homelands to lands in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) in the 1830s. The legal mechanism for accomplishing this forced relocation was “removal treaties” between the United States and each of the five tribal governments, which the United States pursued under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Although these treaties had tragic consequences, the United States made promises and vested legal rights (in the new homelands) in exchange for these tribes vacating their ancestral homelands. This thesis will examine whether the property rights in their new tribal homelands in Indian Territory include enforceable rights to water quality.
Reimagining Resistance: Achieving Sovereignty in Indigenous Science Fiction

This essay explores the ways that the science fictional trope of virtual reality has been appropriated by Native authors in order to confront historical trauma and rewrite problematic narratives of victimization. Grounded in the intersections of both science fiction theory and Indigenous knowledge, I place theorists like Darko Suvin in conversation with Vine Deloria and Gregory Cajete to examine Cherokee author Blake Hausman's Riding the Trail of Tears. I argue that Hausman has indigenized the genre of science fiction in order to critique not just the historical Trail of Tears, but also the ways that Euro-American culture continues to romanticize and repeat that narrative. Because the novel takes place in a virtual reality game located in both the past and the present, it can be used to demonstrate Deloria's argument that Native cultures interpret the world primarily through place rather than time. Ultimately, this shift in perspective expands the possibilities of science fiction and emphasizes the value of Cherokee culture and Indigenous worldviews in the twenty-first century.
Collecting Self-Reported Data on Dating Abuse Perpetration From a Sample of Primarily Black and Hispanic, Urban-Residing, Young Adults: A Comparison of Timeline Followback Interview and Interactive Voice Response Methods:

Dating abuse is a prevalent and consequential public health problem. However, relatively few studies have compared methods of collecting self-report data on dating abuse perpetration. This study compares two data collection methods-(a) the Timeline Followback (TLFB) retrospective reporting method, which makes use of a written calendar to prompt respondents' recall, and (b) an interactive voice response (IVR) system, which is a prospective telephone-based database system that necessitates respondents calling in and entering data using their telephone keypads. We collected 84 days of data on young adult dating abuse perpetration using IVR from a total of 60 respondents. Of these respondents, 41 (68%) completed a TLFB retrospective report pertaining to the same 84-day period after that time period had ended. A greater number of more severe dating abuse perpetration events were reported via the IVR system. Participants who reported any dating abuse perpetration were more likely to report more frequent abuse perpetration via the IVR than the TLFB (i.e., may have minimized the number of times they perpetrated dating abuse on the TLFB). The TLFB method did not result in a tapering off of reported events past the first week as it has in prior studies, but the IVR method did result in a tapering off of reported events after approximately the sixth week. We conclude that using an IVR system for self-reports of dating abuse perpetration may not have substantial advantages over using a TLFB method, but researchers' choice of mode may vary by research question, resources, sample, and setting.
GROWTH OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE

In present global economic scenario Higher Education can play an important role for sustainable economic development and overcome of economic recession. In this context higher education is a very important sector for short and long term economic growth and development of human resource which can take responsibility for social, economic and scientific development of the country. Higher education use to be main focus of all developed nation. In present global world we have to clearly understand that Knowledge is power and it is only possible from sound higher education. In this paper an attempt is made to analyze growth of institutions for higher education for sound and strong environment in this field. Again student enrollment in institutions of higher education will be also consider another aspect of the study.
Sex differences in regulatory cells in experimental stroke

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Sex differences, including smaller infarcts in females and greater involvement of immune-mediated inflammation in males may affect the efficacy of immune-modulating interventions. To address these differences, we sought to identify distinct stroke-modifying mechanisms in female vs. male mice. The current study demonstrated smaller infarcts and increased levels of regulatory CD19+CD5+CD1dhi B10 cells as well as anti-inflammatory CD11b+CD206+ microglia/macrophages in the ipsilateral vs. contralateral hemisphere of female but not male mice undergoing 60min middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by 96h of reperfusion. Moreover, female mice with MCAO had increased total spleen cell numbers but lower B10 levels in spleens. These results elucidate differing sex-dependent regulatory mechanisms that account for diminished stroke severity in females and underscore the need to test immune-modulating therapies for stroke in both males and females.
A possible relationship between the imprinting critical period and arousal

Observations are reported on changes in wakefulness of chicks over the first 24 hour period after hatching. The course of these changes, from a low level of apparent arousal shortly after hatching to a high peak in the middle of the period and returning to a low level again by the end of the period, corresponds strikingly with the course of the critical period for imprinting reported by at least one previous investigator. It is suggested that these results for the critical period may be accounted for by change in arousal. Existing evidence for the tenability of this suggestion is examined.
Strategic Counterterrorism in Afghanistan

Under President Obama, Afghanistan had become the military’s top priority in the war against al-Qaida and the Taliban. The number of troops surged to over 100,000; however, the war was unwinnable. Obama’s promises, including militarily securing all regions and provinces of the country; reconstructing the nation’s infrastructure; reforming the corrupt government system; and reducing all American forces by the end of 2016, were unmet. Obama took the light footprint approach to “train, advise, and assist” Afghan boots on the ground while stressing drone strikes and targeted killing against the Taliban and al-Qaida. When Obama left office, the Taliban controlled more territory in Afghanistan than any time post-9/11, forcing the president to leave 8400 American military personnel there. It would be left to Obama’s successor to determine what further actions were necessary to address the longest war in American history.
Borders that continue to bother us: the politics of cross-border security cooperation in Africa’s Lake Chad Basin

Until 2014, security responses to the Boko Haram insurgency were largely domestic and military. However, the increasing expansion of Boko Haram attacks in the Lake Chad Basin (LCB), compounded by t...
What Is the Safety and Efficacy of Chemical Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Following Vestibular Schwannoma Surgery

Objective The benefit of routine chemical prophylaxis use for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention in skull base surgery is controversial. Chemical prophylaxis can prevent undue morbidity and mortality, however there are risks for hemorrhagic complications. Study design Retrospective case-control. Methods A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent surgery for vestibular schwannoma from 2011 to 2016 was performed. Patients were divided by receipt of chemical VTE prophylaxis. Number of VTEs and hemorrhagic complications (intracranial hemorrhage, abdominal hematoma, and postauricular hematoma) were recorded. Results One hundred twenty-six patients were identified, 55 received chemical prophylaxis, and 71 did not. All the patients received mechanical prophylaxis. Two patients developed a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and one patient developed a pulmonary embolism (PE). All patients who developed a DVT or PE received chemical prophylaxis. There was no difference in DVT (p = 0.1886) or PE (p = 0.4365) between those who received chemical prophylaxis and those who did not. Five patients developed a hemorrhagic complication, two intracranial hemorrhage, three abdominal hematoma, and zero postauricular hematoma. All five patients with a complication received chemical prophylaxis (p = 0.00142). The relative risk of a hemorrhagic complication was 14.14 (95% CI = 0.7987-250.4307; p = 0.0778). Conclusion There was a significant difference between the number of hemorrhagic complications but not between numbers of DVT or PE. Mechanical and chemical prophylaxis may lower the risk of VTE but in our series, hemorrhagic complications were observed. These measures should be used selectively in conjunction with early ambulation.
A Third-Order SIW-Integrated Filter/Antenna Using Two Resonant Cavities

A third-order substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) integrated filter/antenna is presented in this letter. The filter/antenna is composed of two cavity resonators with a slot antenna in the second cavity. The slot antenna excites two modes in the slot cavity, creating a third-order filtering response while preserving the radiating characteristics. A transmission zero can be arbitrarily placed below or above the passband. The filter/antenna operates at a center frequency of 3.71 GHz and has an 8.29% fractional bandwidth with a 5.10 dBi antenna gain.
Territorial behaviour by males of Philanthus multimaculatus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) with a review of territoriality in male sphecids

Abstract Males of Philanthus multimaculatus Cameron defended a perch site near a nesting aggregation against other conspecific males. Vigorous aerial clashes between a resident and an intruder were common, with the resident male ejecting the invader in the vast majority (84 per cent) of cases. One copulation was observed at the perch thus supporting the hypothesis that territoriality was related to securing a favourable location for mating. Male reproductive strategies in the Sphecidae are reviewed; territoriality appears to occur in this group when (1) receptive females are clumped in space, (2) there are cues that permit males to identify superior localities for reproduction, and (3) these locations are small enough to be relatively easily defended.
Examining the Impact of an Updated Toluene Mechanism on Air Quality in the Eastern US

Model simulations were performed using the CB05 chemical mechanism containing the base and updated toluene mechanisms for the eastern US. The updated toluene mechanism increased monthly mean 8-h ozone by 1.0–2.0ppbv in urban areas of Chicago, the northeast US, Detroit, Cleveland, and Cincinnati compared to those with the base toluene chemistry. The updated chemistry reduced mean bias and root mean square error in ozone predictions when compared with observations greater than 85ppbv and increased mean secondary organic aerosol from toluene by a maximum of 4%.
Perceptual Encoding in Auditory Brainstem Responses: Effects of Stimulus Frequency.

Purpose A central question about auditory perception concerns how acoustic information is represented at different stages of processing. The auditory brainstem response (ABR) provides a potentially...
Endoscopic Management of Pouch Bezoars, Bleeding, Inflammatory Polyps, and Other Miscellaneous Pouch Conditions

Abstract Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is the surgical treatment of choice for patients with refractory ulcerative colitis, familial adenomatous polyposis, indeterminate colitis, and highly selected cases with Crohn’s colitis. Although this surgery is associated with excellent outcomes, low mortality, and high patient satisfaction, complications may arise. Some of the complications are amenable for endoscopic management. The endoscopic management of bezoars, bleeding, twisting (pouch volvulus), and compartmentalized pouch is reviewed here. Although these complications are rare, they can be associated with significant morbidity if not recognized in a timely manner.
“Neanderthals, vitamin C, and scurvy”

Abstract This paper explores the role of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the foodways of hunter-gatherers—both ethnohistoric and Paleolithic—whose diet seasonally or over much of the year, of necessity, was comprised largely of animal foods. In order to stave off scurvy, such foragers had to obtain a minimum of about 10 mg per day of vitamin C. However, there is little to no vitamin C in muscle meat, being concentrated instead in various internal organs and brain. Even ruminant stomach contents, despite the abundance of partially digested plants, contains almost none. Moreover, many of the “meatiest” anatomical units in a carcass, such as the thigh muscles or “hams” associated with the femur, are extremely lean in most wild ungulates, making them nutritionally much less valuable to northern foragers than archaeologists commonly assume (for example, Inuit and other indigenous peoples of the arctic and subarctic commonly use the thigh meat as dog food). Vitamin C is also the most unstable vitamin, rapidly degrading or disappearing when exposed to water, air, light, heat, and pH levels above about 4.0. As a consequence, common methods of preparing meat for storage and consumption (e.g., drying, roasting, boiling) may lead to significant loss of vitamin C. There are two effective methods of minimizing such loss: (1) eating meat raw (fresh or frozen); and (2) eating the meat after it has been putrefied. Putrefaction has distinct advantages that make it a common, if not essential, way of preparing and preserving meat among northern latitude foragers and, for the same reasons, very likely also among Paleolithic foragers in the colder climes of Pleistocene Eurasia. Putrefaction “pre-digests” the meat (including the organs), making it much less costly to ingest and metabolize than raw meat; and it lowers the pH, greatly increasing the stability of vitamin C. These observations offer insights into critical nutritional constraints that likely had to be addressed by Neanderthals and later hominins in any context where their diet was heavily meat-based for a substantial part of the year.
Click Fraud

Click fraud is the practice of deceptively clicking on search ads with the intention of either increasing third-party website revenues or exhausting an advertiser's budget. Search advertisers are forced to trust that search engines detect and prevent click fraud even though the engines get paid for every undetected fraudulent click. We find conditions under which it is in a search engine's interest to allow some click fraud. Under full information in a second-price auction, if x% of clicks are fraudulent, advertisers will lower their bids by x%, leaving the auction outcome and search engine revenues unchanged. However, if we allow for uncertainty in the amount of click fraud or change the auction type to include a click-through component, search engine revenues may rise or fall with click fraud. A decrease occurs when the keyword auction is relatively competitive because advertisers lower their budgets to hedge against downside risk. If the keyword auction is less competitive, click fraud may transfer surplus from the winning advertiser to the search engine. Our results suggest that the search advertising industry would benefit from using a neutral third party to audit search engines' click fraud detection algorithms.
Caught on Camera: Youth and Educators' Noticing of and Responding to Failure Within Making Contexts

A lot of attention has been given to the role failure plays in learning and innovation. Yet, we know little about the conditions necessary for the experience to result in positive outcomes. In this study, we sought to answer three research questions: (1) What is the relationship among attend, interpret, and respond when experiencing failures within making-related activities? (2) How does youths’ and educators’ noticing of failure within making-related activities differ by tasks? (3) How does youths’ and educators’ noticing of failures within making-related activities differ by context? To address these questions, we used data collected from youths participating in making experiences in three different contexts: schools, a science museum, and an afterschool program run by science museum educators. Analysis of approximately 90 h of video revealed differences in how youths and educators attended, interpreted and responded to failures that suggest differences in the sophistication of their response. Educational implications from these findings support less direct oversight by educators and increased use of techniques to have the youth demonstrate positive troubleshooting behaviors.
Multilingual Testing Constructs: Theoretical Foundations

ABSTRACTThe field of language testing has made great strides in measuring language use. It is a monolingual construct, however, that anchors standardized language testing operations and classroom p...
Economics at the FCC 2018–2019: Competition, Broadband Deployment, and Transaction Review

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is responsible for regulation in the communications marketplace and for management of the nation’s non-federal radio frequency spectrum. During the past year, Commission economists contributed to the analysis of competition in the communications marketplace as presented in the Commission’s first Communications Marketplace Report. In addition, Commission economists examined issues in the broadcast television industry and performed general and limited analyses of the effects of both national broadcast group size and local market concentration on retransmission fees. Commission economists also evaluated the current Form 477 data collection and helped to develop proposals that would improve the current data collection as well as establish a new data collection that would advance the Commission’s universal service goals. Finally, Commission economists evaluated the likely competitive effects that would be associated with the proposed T-Mobile-Sprint transaction.
Coupled transfer function model for the evaluation of implanted cables safety in MRI.

PURPOSE Multiple medical-device leads implanted next to each other are often encountered in clinical practice. The aim of this work is to study a coupled transfer function model to evaluate the safety of these coupled leads submitted to the RF field of a 1.5T MRI scanner for a constant distance between both leads. METHODS The effect of coupling on the heating of 2 cables with different termination conditions is evaluated experimentally. The coupled and single transfer functions are determined experimentally and used to predict the relative temperature increases of both cables alone and coupled. Two different coupled models, an additive model and a global model, are proposed. The coupled transfer functions are also simulated. RESULTS The coupling between cables has a strong influence on the resulting heating at the electrodes. The coupled additive transfer function model is a relevant tool to evaluate the heating of coupled leads separated by a constant distance. The global model underestimates the heating in one of the coupled cases by about 30%. The measured coupled transfer functions coincide with the simulated models. CONCLUSION It is necessary to take into account the coupling effect between leads to evaluate the safety of implanted devices. This work shows that, in the case of 2 cables separated by a constant distance, that an experimentally determined coupled transfer function allows estimation of the heating of the 2 electrodes for a given incident field. Further work should take into account the in vivo varying distance between the 2 cables.
David Oliver: Covid-19 will make us stop some activities for good.

As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention.” With the global covid-19 pandemic, we’re seeing scientific evidence evolve quickly, new technologies develop, and real time, ever changing plans for epidemiology, public protection, and ensuring that health services remain viable.12 When, hopefully, we’re through the pandemic and have time to reflect, no doubt some practices will see a step change for the better. Our planning, preparedness, and understanding of transmission, protection, and treatment will have to change. Arguably, it was learning from the SARS pandemic that meant some South East Asian nations were better prepared for covid-19 and tackled it sooner.3 But what of the things we stop doing? After the pandemic passes, will we return to our old ways or be grateful for what we’ve learnt? In acute hospitals, we’re already moving to stop most non-urgent outpatient activities such as routine follow-ups and less urgent planned …
Analysis and Control of Dynamic Flow Networks Subject to Stochastic Cyber-Physical Disruptions

Modern network systems such as transportation, manufacturing, and communication systems are subject to cyber-physical disruptions. Cyber disruptions compromise sensing and/or actuating which closed-loop control relies on, and physical disruptions undermine network capability. This paper develops a novel approach to analysis and design of traffic control for dynamic flow networks subject to a rather broad class of disruptions. We consider a single-origin-single-destination acyclic network with possibly finite link storage spaces. Both cyber and physical disruptions are modeled as a set of discrete modes that modify the control and/or the network flow dynamics. The network switches between various modes according to a Markov process. By considering switched, piecewise polynomial Lyapunov functions and exploiting monotonicity of the network flow dynamics, we analyze network throughput under various disruption scenarios and show that cyber-physical disruptions can significantly reduce network throughput. For control design, we derive two results analogous to the classical max-flow min-cut theorem: (i) for a network with observable disruption modes, there exist mode-dependent controls that attain the expected-min-cut capacity; (ii) for a network with infinite link storage spaces, there exists an open-loop control that attains the min-expected-cut capacity. We also design a closed-loop control for general cases and derive an explicit relation from the control to a lower-bound for throughput. Our approach is illustrated by a series of numerical examples.
High Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Fluorinated Compounds

Abstract Safe lithium ion batteries with long life and high energy density have long been a promising energy storage technology for emerging applications in automobiles and smart grids. Development of functionalized electrolytes is an effective approach to dramatically improve the performance of these batteries. In this chapter, several classes of fluorinated electrolyte components will be introduced and their mechanism to improve the battery performance discussed. The fluorinated compounds include (1) electrolyte additives that form a stable artificial solid-electrolyte interphase, (2) fluorinated redox shuttles for overcharge protection and automatic capacity balance of lithium ion batteries, and (3) fluorinated solvents to enable high voltage cathode materials.
Quantitative characterization of dielectric properties of nanoparticles using electrostatic force microscopy

We use a new method based on Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM) to perform quantitative measurements of the dielectric constants of individual carboxylated as well as non-functionalized polystyrene nanospheres. The EFM data record the oscillation phase of an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever as a function of the AFM tip position. In our experiments, the relative dielectric constant of the sample is measured from the EFM phase shifts vs the tip–surface separation, according to a simple analytical model describing the tip–surface interactions. We perform a comprehensive study of how the dielectric constant depends on the sphere diameter for both types of nanospheres. Our results demonstrate that the experimental method has a high-resolution for measuring the dielectric constant of nano/microbeads and other nanoscale materials and is simple to implement on standard atomic force microscopes. This non-invasive technique can be applied to measure the electrical properties of colloidal particles, polymers, interphases, and polymer nanocomposites.
Etienne Tshisekedi’s Death in Life and Life in Death!

Each country has its icons and heroes. They are figures of history who are the symbols of the nations. Generally, countries build monuments to celebrate their memories and their accomplishments. Etienne Tshisekedi was a human being who symbolized one of these rare historical trajectories of his country since the first state coup in 1964 by Mobutu Sese Seko, Congo’s former president who reigned from 1965 to 1997. Soon after his law studies at the University of Lovanium on the outskirt of Kinshasa, Tshisekedi was appointed “commissary” (minister) of Justice by then General Mobutu during his first coup d’Etat in 1964. Tshisekedi was, therefore, part of the first government of Mobutu who, a few years earlier, had organized the assassination of the former premier minister Patrick Lumumba in 1961. Thsisekedi worked as Mobutu’s Minister of Justice, Minister of Interior, an Ambassador to Morocco, and was part of many governments since the Mobutu’s second coup d’etat in 1965. Tshisekedi was part of the political life of Kinshasa until he passed away at the age of 84.
Between Ethnonyms and Toponyms: Cartography and Native Pasts in the Eastern Rio de la Plata

During the past three decades, historians of cartography and ethnohistorians alike have drawn upon historic maps to consider the spatial practices and perspectives of Indigenous Americans. This chapter builds upon this scholarly impetus by exploring the cartographic representation of autonomous (non-subjugated, non-missionized) Native peoples as free-floating textual ethnonyms. Drawing upon a corpus of 177 historic maps of southeastern South America (Uruguay, northeastern Argentina, and southern Brazil) from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, it demonstrates that each map employed one of thirteen distinct patterns of locating autonomous Native peoples in the region. These ethnogeographical renderings in turn shaped understandings of Native societies both by their colonial contemporaries and by postcolonial writers. By articulating such representative forms and by comparing them to the ethnic geographies evident in textual sources, this chapter sheds light on the interplay between ethnographic and cartographic knowledge in early Latin America.
A two-step actin polymerization mechanism drives dendrite branching.

Background Dendrite morphogenesis plays an essential role in establishing the connectivity and receptive fields of neurons during the development of the nervous system. To generate the diverse morphologies of branched dendrites, neurons use external cues and cell surface receptors to coordinate intracellular cytoskeletal organization; however, the molecular mechanisms of how this signaling forms branched dendrites are not fully understood. Methods We performed in vivo time-lapse imaging of the PVD neuron in C. elegans in several mutants of actin regulatory proteins, such as the WAVE Regulatory Complex (WRC) and UNC-34 (homolog of Enabled/Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (Ena/VASP)). We examined the direct interaction between the WRC and UNC-34 and analyzed the localization of UNC-34 in vivo using transgenic worms expressing UNC-34 fused to GFP. Results We identify a stereotyped sequence of morphological events during dendrite outgrowth in the PVD neuron in C. elegans. Specifically, local increases in width ("swellings") give rise to filopodia to facilitate a "rapid growth and pause" mode of growth. In unc-34 mutants, filopodia fail to form but swellings are intact. In WRC mutants, dendrite growth is largely absent, resulting from a lack of both swelling and filopodia formation. We also found that UNC-34 can directly bind to the WRC. Disrupting this binding by deleting the UNC-34 EVH1 domain prevented UNC-34 from localizing to swellings and dendrite tips, resulting in a stunted dendritic arbor and reduced filopodia outgrowth. Conclusions We propose that regulators of branched and linear F-actin cooperate to establish dendritic branches. By combining our work with existing literature, we propose that the dendrite guidance receptor DMA-1 recruits the WRC, which polymerizes branched F-actin to generate "swellings" on a mother dendrite. Then, WRC recruits the actin elongation factor UNC-34/Ena/VASP to initiate growth of a new dendritic branch from the swelling, with the help of the actin-binding protein UNC-115/abLIM. Extension of existing dendrites also proceeds via swelling formation at the dendrite tip followed by UNC-34-mediated outgrowth. Following dendrite initiation and extension, the stabilization of branches by guidance receptors further recruits WRC, resulting in an iterative process to build a complex dendritic arbor.
Manners of Justice Talk: Calling Loudly versus Proffering Coolly

A group of scholars, including myself, have elaborated a tri-layered understanding of justice in Adam Smith (commutative, distributive, and estimative). Here I go beyond the matter of Smith’s understanding of justice, to ask: How did he discourse about justice? Does he instruct us in the manner in which we should talk “justice”? I distinguish between calling loudly and proffering coolly. Smith’s teachings and example guide us on how—aside from when we object to violations of commutative justice—to talk distributive or estimative justice, when discussing political matters before a mixed group: Proffer coolly. Don’t call loudly. In such matters, although Smith proffers such “justice” talk coolly, he refrains from talking of a correlative notion of liberty. In Smith’s justice/liberty semantic practices, therefore, there is an asymmetry. The reason might be an aim to educate us in our duties (justice) and to quell our selfish impulse to assert supposed rights (liberty). In modern, complex society, we must assume and promote duties which do not clearly correlate to distinct rights of other people. We have duties to truth, to importance, to right, to good, to God. The asymmetry in Smith’s discourse arises from the danger of neglecting such duties and of unleashing “rights” claims. That danger stems in part from knowledge problems, which grow more acute the further we get from the primeval band.
Prevalence of hearing screening failures in low-risk childhood cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND We sought to estimate the frequency of hearing screening failures in pediatric cancer survivors at low risk for hearing loss and evaluate the feasibility of administering screenings in this population. PROCEDURE Survivors in the St. Louis Children's Hospital Late Effects Clinic were recruited. Eligibility included (a) diagnosis of a pediatric cancer treated without platinum chemotherapy or cranial radiation, (b) at least 6 months from completion of therapy, (c) between the ages of 7 and 18 years, (d) cognitively/behaviorally able to participate, and (e) English speaking. Behavioral hearing screenings from 1000 to 8000 Hz were performed by trained personnel using a calibrated audiometer. A failed screen was defined by a participant not responding to two or more of the three screening attempts for at least one frequency in at least one ear. RESULTS One hundred nine patients met eligibility criteria with 78 enrolled (71.5%). Diagnoses included leukemia (57.7%), sarcoma (11.5%), Wilms tumor (14.1%), lymphoma (12.8%), and other solid tumors (3.9%). The median age was 13.2 years (Q1-Q3: 9.6-15.4) and the median time from treatment completion was 3.7 years (Q1-Q3: 2.3-7.4). Eighteen patients (23%) failed the hearing screen (95% CI: 14%-34%). No demographic or treatment-related variables were significantly correlated to screening failure. Six screen failures (33%) underwent formal audiology assessments, with three demonstrating unilateral hearing loss: two conductive and one sensorineural. CONCLUSIONS A significant fraction of pediatric cancer survivors at low risk for hearing loss failed hearing screening. Broader use of hearing screening should be considered.
Surgical Therapy: Total Phalloplasty Using Latissimus Dorsi Flap

Total phalloplasty in transgender patients is the only option to create the penis large enough for successful intercourse. There are many different techniques described, but all of them have many weaknesses, providing less than satisfactory result. For this reason we tried to find better solution and choose the technique that use musculocutaneous latissimus dorsi flap.
The development of academic self-efficacy.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the development of academic self-efficacy. This chapter focuses on the development of one type of motivational process: perceived self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to beliefs about one's capabilities to learn or perform behaviors at designated levels. It provides theoretical background information on self-efficacy to show its relation to other similar motivation constructs. According to this chapter, self-efficacy has been shown to play an important role in achievement contexts, and much research supports the idea that it can influence the instigation, direction, persistence, and outcomes of achievement-related actions. In this chapter it traced the purpose of self-efficacy changes with development and has elucidated variables that affect this change. It also suggests profitable areas of future research. This chapter encourages by the rapid increase in self-efficacy research. This chapter concludes that the future should provide greater clarification of the operation of self-efficacy in different domains and highlight ways that self-efficacy can be enhanced in learners across developmental levels.
New species of Chimarrhodella from Venezuela and Ecuador (Trichoptera: Philopotamidae)

Two new species of Chimarrhodella (Trichoptera: Philopotamidae) are described and placed within the current phylogenetic framework for the genus. New species described (with their corresponding distribution) are Chimarrhodella paria (Venezuela) and C. ornata (Ecuador).
Digital government portal: a tool for digital government research

DGPort is an intelligent Web portal for digital government researchers developed in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab at the University of Arizona. We will highlight the project accomplishments and goals in this paper.