cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Reducing Field of View on Multidetector Quantitative Computed Tomography Parameters of Airway Wall Thickness in Asthma.

OBJECTIVE We reduced the computed tomography (CT)-reconstructed field of view (FOV), increasing pixel density across airway structures and reducing partial volume effects, to determine whether this would improve accuracy of airway wall thickness quantification. METHODS We performed CT imaging on a lung phantom and 29 participants. Images were reconstructed at 30-, 15-, and 10-cm FOV using a medium-smooth kernel. Cross-sectional airway dimensions were compared at each FOV with repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS Phantom measurements were more accurate when FOV decreased from 30 to 15 cm (P < 0.05). Decreasing FOV further to 10 cm did not significantly improve accuracy. Human airway measurements similarly decreased by decreasing FOV (P < 0.001). Percent changes in all measurements when reducing FOV from 30 to 15 cm were less than 3%. CONCLUSIONS Airway measurements at 30-cm FOV are near the limits of CT resolution using a medium-smooth kernel. Reducing reconstructed FOV would minimally increase sensitivity to detect differences in airway dimensions.
Regulation of flow and wall shear stress in arteriolar networks of the hamster cheek pouch

Our purpose was to define arteriolar network hemodynamics during moderate increases in interstitial adenosine or nitric oxide in the hamster (n = 34, pentobarbital sodium 70 mg/kg) cheek pouch tiss...
A Formal Proof of Euler's Polyhedron Formula

Euler's polyhedron formula asserts for a polyhedron p that V E + F = 2, where V , E, and F are, respectively, the numbers of vertices, edges, and faces of p. This paper concerns a formal proof in the mizar system of Euler's polyhedron formula carried out (1) by the author. We discuss the informal proof (Poincare's) on which the formal proof is based, the formalism in which the proof was carried out, notable features of the formalization, and related projects.
An assessments of physical education research

Scientifically qualitative and quantitative assessment methods are important in the physical education research.Recently,the general international education assessment tests with different objects including physical content surveys,attitude surveys and scientific reasoning ability surveys.We have used several tests introduced to assess the physical education in different countries.
Honoring the Past, Changing the Future: Bringing Native American Voices into Dance Theory Courses

The inclusion of Native American perspectives adds an important voice in honoring the multiplicities of histories and cultures inherent in American society. And yet, teachers run the risk of commit...
A constructive peridynamic kernel for elasticity

Abstract Different kernel formulations have been proposed and used for bond-based peridynamic models of elastic materials. While all such kernels produce results that, in the limit of the nonlocal region (horizon) going to zero (while grid spacing relative to the horizon size is constant), converge, not all converge to the classical solution. Here, we introduce a constructive path to arriving at a peridynamic kernel for 1D, 2D and 3D elasticity. We focus on the particular one-point Gauss quadrature method of spatial discretization and study the convergence properties of different kernels with respect to the classical, local, model for dynamic elasticity in 1D, where exact representation of geometry is possible. We analyze the influence of two ways of imposing boundary conditions and of the “skin effect” on the solution. We show that, similar to the diffusion case, the peridynamic kernel derived based on physical principles for dynamic elasticity is the only one whose convergence to the classical solution does not depend on the fineness of the discretization grid, relative to the nonlocal region size. The results presented demonstrate that special care must be taken when claiming validation of peridynamic results by specific comparisons with classical, local model solutions.
Fabric chemical testing

Abstract: The fundamental structure of fabrics is fibers. The identification of fibers is often the first task when an unknown fabric has to be analyzed. The chemical identification of fibers based on the solubility, stain and burning tests is presented. The determination of common fabric chemical qualities, such as pH and metals that are mostly concerned by textile wet processors is discussed together with fabric whiteness and absorbency that are important for finished textiles. The analysis of auxiliaries such as sizing agents, surfactants and softeners is provided for quality control purpose. The identification of dye classes and finishing agents often required in a forensic investigation, confirmation of dye and finish application, and environmental, health and safety concerns is given. The testing for damage to textiles is also mentioned.
Smartphone-based real-time speech enhancement for improving hearing aids speech perception

In this paper, the development of a speech processing pipeline on smartphones for hearing aid devices (HADs) is presented. This pipeline is used for noise suppression and speech enhancement (SE) to improve speech quality and intelligibility. The proposed method is implemented to run in real-time on Android smartphones. The results of the testing conducted indicate that the proposed method suppresses the noise and improves the perceptual quality of speech in terms of three objective measures of perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ), noise attenuation level (NAL), and the coherent speech intelligibility index (CSD).
Free Fatty Acid Receptors and Cancer: From Nutrition to Pharmacology

The effects of fatty acids on cancer cells have been studied for decades. The roles of dietary long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and of microbiome-generated short-chain butyric acid, have been of particular interest over the years. However, the roles of free fatty acid receptors (FFARs) in mediating effects of fatty acids in tumor cells have only recently been examined. In reviewing the literature, the data obtained to date indicate that the long-chain FFARs (FFA1 and FFA4) play different roles than the short-chain FFARs (FFA2 and FFA3). Moreover, FFA1 and FFA4 can in some cases mediate opposing actions in the same cell type. Another conclusion is that different types of cancer cells respond differently to FFAR activation. Currently, the best-studied models are prostate, breast, and colon cancer. FFA1 and FFA4 agonists can inhibit proliferation and migration of prostate and breast cancer cells, but enhance growth of colon cancer cells. In contrast, FFA2 activation can in some cases inhibit proliferation of colon cancer cells. Although the available data are sometimes contradictory, there are several examples in which FFAR agonists inhibit proliferation of cancer cells. This is a unique response to GPCR activation that will benefit from a mechanistic explanation as the field progresses. The development of more selective FFAR agonists and antagonists, combined with gene knockout approaches, will be important for unraveling FFAR-mediated inhibitory effects. These inhibitory actions, mediated by druggable GPCRs, hold promise for cancer prevention and/or therapy.
An empirically derived dietary pattern associated with breast cancer risk is validated in a nested case-control cohort from a randomized primary prevention trial

Summary Background & aims We reported an association between cytologic atypia, a reversible biomarker of breast cancer risk, and lower omega-3/omega-6 fatty acid ratio in blood and breast tissue. Our goal was to develop and validate a dietary pattern index in this high-risk sample of U.S. women, and test its capacity to predict incidence in a nested case-control cohort of Canadian women from a randomized trial of a low-fat dietary intervention for primary prevention of breast cancer. Methods Food intake was measured by food frequency questionnaire in the U.S. sample (n = 65) and multiple dietary recalls in the Canadian sample (n = 220 cases; 440 controls). Principal component analysis identified a dietary pattern associated with atypia. We measured differences among dietary pattern tertiles in (a) fatty acid composition in blood lipids and breast tissue in the U.S. sample, and (b) risk of breast cancer subtypes in the Canadian cohort. Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00148057 . Results A Modern diet was characterized as consuming more grains, dairy, and sugar and less vegetables, fish and poultry; these women had lower tissue omega-3 fatty acids and higher omega-6 and trans fatty acids. The low-fat intervention increased the likelihood of a Modern diet after randomization. A Modern diet at baseline and post-randomization was associated with estrogen-receptor negative (ER−) breast cancer risk among those at least 160 cm tall. A Traditional diet (the reciprocal of Modern) at baseline was associated with lower ER-positive (ER+) risk in the comparison group, but not the low-fat intervention group. Conclusions A Modern diet (high in grains, dairy, and sugar and low in vegetables, fish, and poultry) is associated with ER− breast cancer risk among taller women. Recommending dietary fat reduction may have untoward effects on breast cancer risk.
Empirical moments of inertia of axially asymmetric nuclei

Abstract Empirical moments of inertia, J 1 , J 2 , J 3 , of atomic nuclei with E ( 4 1 + ) / E ( 2 1 + ) > 2.7 are extracted from experimental 2 g , γ + energies and electric quadrupole matrix elements, determined from multi-step Coulomb excitation data, and the results are compared to expectations based on rigid and irrotational inertial flow. Only by having the signs of the E2 matrix elements, i.e., 〈 2 g + ‖ M ˆ ( E 2 ) ‖ 2 g + 〉 and 〈 0 g + ‖ M ˆ ( E 2 ) ‖ 2 g + 〉 〈 2 g + ‖ M ˆ ( E 2 ) ‖ 2 γ + 〉 〈 2 γ + ‖ M ˆ ( E 2 ) ‖ 0 g + 〉 , can a unique solution to all three components of the inertia tensor of an asymmetric top be obtained. While the absolute moments of inertia fall between the rigid and irrotational values as expected, the relative moments of inertia appear to be qualitatively consistent with the β 2 sin 2 ⁡ ( γ ) dependence of the Bohr Hamiltonian which originates from a SO(5) invariance. A better understanding of inertial flow is central to improving collective models, particularly hydrodynamic-based collective models. The results suggest that a better description of collective dynamics and inertial flow for atomic nuclei is needed. The inclusion of vorticity degrees of freedom may provide a path forward. This is the first report of empirical moments of inertia for all three axes and the results should challenge both collective and microscopic descriptions of inertial flow.
Viscous regularization of the full set of nonequilibrium-diffusion grey radiation-hydrodynamic equations

Summary In [1], a viscous regularization technique, based on the local entropy residual, was proposed to stabilize the nonequilibrium-diffusion Grey Radiation-Hydrodynamic equations using an artificial viscosity technique. This viscous regularization is modulated by the local entropy production and is consistent with the entropy minimum principle. However, the work in [1] was only based on the hyperbolic parts of the Grey Radiation-Hydrodynamic equations and thus omitted the relaxation and diffusion terms present in the material energy and radiation energy equations. Here, we extend the theoretical grounds for the method and derive an entropy minimum principle for the full set of nonequilibrium-diffusion Grey Radiation Hydrodynamic equations. This further strengthens the applicability of the entropy viscosity method as a stabilization technique for radiation-hydrodynamic shock simulations. Radiative shock calculations using constant and temperature-dependent opacities are compared against semi-analytical reference solutions and we present a procedure to perform spatial convergence studies of such simulations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Effects and Durability of an SBIRT Training Curriculum for First-Year MSW Students

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based process for identification, prevention, and treatment of alcohol misuse. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an alcohol-focused training on first-year MSW students’ (n = 71) knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about SBIRT. Changes in item means were assessed using repeated-measures analysis of variance (critical α = .002). Data indicated a significant and strong main effect for training; perceived competence improved immediately and remained significantly higher 30 days posttraining. Other improvements included knowing what questions to ask patients, ease making alcohol-related statements, and believing that it is rewarding to work with at-risk patients.
Immune Modulation of Cardiac Arrhythmias.

The innate immune system constitutes the initial line of defense against a wide array of infectious pathogens and consists of anatomic barriers, inflammatory mediators, complement, and leukocytes.1 Neutrophils, one of the components of the cellular response, are central in the immune response to bacterial and viral pathogens. In the heart, cellular infiltration plays an important role in viral myocarditis, although the inflammatory response, released cytokines, and resulting remodeling are often thought to cause more damage than the viral pathogens themselves.2 In addition, leukocytes play a central role in clearing dead cells and triggering scar formation after myocardial infarction. Article, see p 56 Over the last few decades, it has become clear that elements of the immune system play several noncanonical roles, such as contributing to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and hypertension.3,4 Their role in susceptibility to arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death has also become apparent. Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α predispose to arrhythmias, both indirectly by exacerbating heart failure and directly by altering calcium handling and ion channel expression …
Early Cleft Lip Repair Revisited: A Safe and Effective Approach Utilizing a Multidisciplinary Protocol

Background:The optimal timing for cleft lip repair has yet to be established. Advances in neonatal anesthesia, along with a growing body of literature, suggesting benefits of earlier cleft lip and nasal repair, have set the stage for a reexamination of current practices.Methods:In this prospective s
Locating Solidification Hot Spots and Feeder Positions in Casting Geometries by Image Analysis

Geometric methods for solidification order, specifically section modulus and Heuvers’ circles/distance field, are compared with solidification time as scalar fields. The effects of changing geometric parameters on hot spot position in idealized two-dimensional sections are explored. Solidification time scalar fields for those sections are segmented using a watershed image segmentation technique, for the purpose of identifying isolated sections and hot spots. The segmentation technique is applied to an example three-dimensional solid model using both distance field and solidification times and the results compared. Number and position of hot spots compare favorably for the example geometry, and the method is expected to work well for identifying hot spots and feeder positions in rangy castings as commonly seen in structural steel and high-pressure die-casting applications.
Novel biomarkers for prediabetes, diabetes, and associated complications

The number of individuals with prediabetes is expected to grow substantially and estimated to globally affect 482 million people by 2040. Therefore, effective methods for diagnosing prediabetes will be required to reduce the risk of progressing to diabetes and its complications. The current biomarkers, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fructosamine, and glycated albumin have limitations including moderate sensitivity and specificity and are inaccurate in certain clinical conditions. Therefore, identification of additional biomarkers is being explored recognizing that any single biomarker will also likely have inherent limitations. Therefore, combining several biomarkers may more precisely identify those at high risk for developing prediabetes and subsequent progression to diabetes. This review describes recently identified biomarkers and their potential utility for addressing the burgeoning epidemic of dysglycemic disorders.
Models for Virtual Learning )

The American Council on Education estimates that 85% of traditional colleges and universities offers distance-accessible courses. Boston University has been an early player in this arena, and in this paper we synthesize two models for virtual learning on the basis of actual courses that took place. Also we focus on the authors experience with communicating at a distance in the context of credit and non-credit courses.
Military nursing research by students at the Graduate School of Nursing Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

ABSTRACT Military nursing research has had a long and productive history. Today, much of this research is conducted under two programs, the TriService Nursing Research Program and the Graduate School of Nursing (GSN), both located at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. This article will discuss the 150 military nursing research projects carried out by students at the GSN since its founding in 1992. Although most projects have been small in scope, they have obtained useful results. Some projects have served as the basis for larger-scale research studies, receiving funding from the TriService Nursing Research Program. Reports of all projects are available in an online database and some have been published in professional journals. This review concludes that the research produced by GSN students has been beneficial to students and to the military health system.
CFD Modeling of Transport Phenomena and Inclusion Removal in a Gas-Stirred Ladle

A three-dimensional, transient CFD modeling approach has been developed to predict the multiphase fluid flow, slag-steel interface characteristics and inclusion removal in a gas-stirred ladle with taking the fluctuant top slag layer into account. The comparison with experimental data indicates that the model can accurately predict the slag-steel interface and slag eye characteristics. The discrete phase model was used to trace the individual inclusion movement through particle trajectory. Finally, the contribution of different removal mechanisms on the inclusion removal was investigated. The results show that the slag capture is the prevailing mechanism for inclusion removal. The bubble-inclusion attachment also helps remove a considerable amount of inclusions, while the inclusion removal ratio by wall adhesion is quite low.
Staff Perceptions of Symptoms, Approaches to Assessment, and Challenges to Assessment Among Children With Cancer:

Nurses are often the first to recognize and respond to children's symptoms. This descriptive, exploratory study characterized how pediatric oncology health care providers characterize and assess children's cancer-related symptoms. The study also explored challenges associated with symptom assessment and information perceived as helpful in planning interventions. The setting was a Children's Oncology Group-affiliated hospital in the Intermountain West of the United States. Twenty-two pediatric oncology health care providers (95% female; 68% nurses) participated in one of four focus group sessions. Sessions were facilitated by two individuals and included six open-ended questions addressing participants' perspectives of cancer-related symptoms, approaches to symptom assessment, challenges and frustrations encountered when assessing symptoms, and information needed to plan interventions. Participants identified 75 physical and psychosocial responses that included both subjectively experienced symptoms and other consequences of the cancer experience. Qualitative content analysis procedures organized other responses into categories and subcategories. Participants most frequently reported using observational approaches including physical assessment findings and observation of the child's behavior to identify symptoms. Strategies that sought the child's input such as the use of a rating scale or seeking the child's verbal description were less frequently named. Participants related discerning and interpreting the child's behaviors as a challenge to symptom assessment. They also reported attention to symptom characteristics as important to planning interventions. Future directions include building capacity to support child-centric symptom assessment. Development of reliable and valid resources for use in clinical settings may support a more child-centric approach to symptom assessment.
Tracing Actin Filament Bundles in Three-Dimensional Electron Tomography Density Maps of Hair Cell Stereocilia

Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) is a powerful method of visualizing the three-dimensional organization of supramolecular complexes, such as the cytoskeleton, in their native cell and tissue contexts. Due to its minimal electron dose and reconstruction artifacts arising from the missing wedge during data collection, cryo-ET typically results in noisy density maps that display anisotropic XY versus Z resolution. Molecular crowding further exacerbates the challenge of automatically detecting supramolecular complexes, such as the actin bundle in hair cell stereocilia. Stereocilia are pivotal to the mechanoelectrical transduction process in inner ear sensory epithelial hair cells. Given the complexity and dense arrangement of actin bundles, traditional approaches to filament detection and tracing have failed in these cases. In this study, we introduce BundleTrac, an effective method to trace hundreds of filaments in a bundle. A comparison between BundleTrac and manually tracing the actin filaments in a stereocilium showed that BundleTrac accurately built 326 of 330 filaments (98.8%), with an overall cross-distance of 1.3 voxels for the 330 filaments. BundleTrac is an effective semi-automatic modeling approach in which a seed point is provided for each filament and the rest of the filament is computationally identified. We also demonstrate the potential of a denoising method that uses a polynomial regression to address the resolution and high-noise anisotropic environment of the density map.
Foetal membranes and placentation in the vespertilionid bat,Scotophilus heathi (Horsefield)

The arrangement and the structure of the foetal membranes ofScotophilus heathi at full term are described. The yolk sac has collapsed resulting in the reduction of the lumen into streak-like spaces. The splanchnopleure is highly folded and the mesodermal cells are enormously hypertrophied and vacuolated. These changes give the yolk sac a gland-like appearance. A small abembryonic segment of the yolk sac remains trilaminar and lies freely in the persistent uterine lumen on the mesometrial side. The parietal layer of chorion with hypertrophied trophoblastic cells forms an accessory syndesmochorial placenta by coming into intimate contact with the uterine endometrium on the lateral sides of the uterus. The chorio-allantoic placenta is discoidal, antimesometrial, labyrinthine and haemomonochorial with only syncytiotrophoblast lining maternal vascular channels. A PAS-positive membrane is a permanent component of the placental barrier, and this lies embedded in a cytoplasmic lamina of syncytiotrophoblast. The PAS-positive membrane is porous.
Regional deformation of the canine diaphragm

To follow regional deformation of the diaphragm in dogs, radiopaque markers were implanted under surgical anesthesia into different anatomic regions of the muscle in triangular arrays (approximately 1 cm to a side). After recovery from surgery, changes in area and shape of the triangles were followed with biplane cinefluorography during quiet breathing and during inspiratory efforts against an occluded airway (Mueller maneuvers). From changes in shape of the triangles during contraction, area changes were decomposed into a major direction and magnitude of shortening (Eg1) and a minor length change (Eg2) perpendicular to Eg1, both expressed as a fraction of initial length at end expiration. With the use of these techniques, systematic differences in regional area change were observed in different parts of the diaphragm during inspiratory efforts at different lung volumes. Regional area always decreased during contraction in the crural and midcostal zones of apposition to the rib cage. Area decreased less and often increased during inspiratory efforts in the costal dome near the central tendon and in the costal region near its rib cage insertion. Differences in regional area change were not due to differences in the Eg1 in different parts of the diaphragm but were a consequence of differences in widening of the muscle along Eg2 perpendicular to the direction of Eg1. As lung volume was passively increased above functional residual capacity, regional area decreased in all parts of the diaphragm except in the costal regions near rib cage insertion, where area increased.
Sleep and Neurologic Disorders

The chapter topics will focus on the most commonly encountered neurologic disorders in the sleep patient, such as peripheral neuropathy in the setting of restless legs syndrome, stroke and sleep-disordered breathing, the differentiation of nocturnal seizures and parasomnias, and hypersomnia with secondary neurologic causes. Other neurologic problems encountered include neurodegenerative diseases, headaches, head trauma, brain tumors, and neuromuscular disease.
Tension Pneumocephalus after Cervical Spine Surgery: A Case Report with Review of the Literature.

This is the case of a 66-year-old male with cervical myelopathy secondary to severe cervical stenosis manifesting as worsening dexterity and numbness in his right hand. The patient underwent C3–C6 laminoplasty with bilateral foraminotomies. During the procedure an incidental durotomy occurred which was patched intraoperatively with Duragen and Tisseel. At 1 month follow-up, the patient reported that he was doing well and skin sutures were removed. Two days later, the patient presented to the emergency department with postoperative wound dehiscence, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage, altered mental status and lethargy. At that time, a computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed a tension pneumocephalus which was treated with a cranial burr hole and revision durotomy repair. The patient improved and was discharged to a rehabilitation facility with intact motor and cognitive function. At the 1-year follow-up appointment, he continued to do well without sequelae.
Baryogenesis from B meson oscillations

We show how $CP$ violating $B$ meson oscillations in conjunction with baryon number violating decays can generate the cosmological asymmetry between matter and antimatter, and explore the parameter space of a simple, self-contained model, which can be tested via exotic $B$ meson decays, and via the charge asymmetry in semileptonic decays of neutral $B$ mesons.
Resilience factors may buffer cellular aging in individuals with and without chronic knee pain

Telomere length, a measure of cellular aging, is inversely associated with chronic pain severity. While psychological resilience factors (e.g., optimism, acceptance, positive affect, and active cop...
Exploring the diversity of mental models associated with Belize’s Managed Access Fisheries Policy

Abstract An inclusive approach to natural resource management that considers diverse perspectives and experiences has been shown to contribute to policies that see greater engagement. Despite this, there remains ongoing discussion on the role of experts and the integration of local knowledge in the creation and implementation of natural resource policies. Indeed, varying types of experience will result in variations in the interpretation and adoption of policies. We conducted a cognitive mapping exercise with 54 fishers and 25 policymakers across Belize to investigate and test their perceptions around the recently implemented fisheries policy. Our findings highlight that fishers and policymakers held mental models that differed both in content and structure. Fishers’ mental models included all concepts selected by policymakers in addition to more concepts not selected by policymakers. Fishers who participated in a two-year pilot program still held different mental models than policymakers, while having similar models to fishers who did not participate in the pilot program. These variations suggest that the relevant experience of fishers and policymakers leads to unique interpretations of the policy, which can affect compliance and adaptation. Considering only one perspective in policy development without consideration for the motivations and objectives of all users may affect policy acceptance. More innovative and robust approaches to management may capture these perspectives in a holistic approach to policy creation and implementation.
Comparison of Deep Reinforcement Learning Policies to Formal Methods for Moving Obstacle Avoidance

Deep Reinforcement Learning (RL) has recently emerged as a solution for moving obstacle avoidance. Deep RL learns to simultaneously predict obstacle motions and corresponding avoidance actions directly from robot sensors, even for obstacles with different dynamics models. However, deep RL methods typically cannot guarantee policy convergences, i.e., cannot provide probabilistic collision avoidance guarantees. In contrast, stochastic reachability (SR), a computationally expensive formal method that employs a known obstacle dynamics model, identifies the optimal avoidance policy and provides strict convergence guarantees. The availability of the optimal solution for versions of the moving obstacle problem provides a baseline to compare trained deep RL policies. In this paper, we compare the expected cumulative reward and actions of these policies to SR, and find the following. 1) The state-value function approximates the optimal collision probability well, thus explaining the high empirical performance. 2) RL policies deviate from the optimal significantly thus negatively impacting collision avoidance in some cases. 3) Evidence suggests that the deviation is caused, at least partially, by the actor net failing to approximate the action corresponding to the highest state-action value.
Towards a Multi-modal, Multi-task Learning based Pre-training Framework for Document Representation Learning.

In this paper, we propose a multi-task learning-based framework that utilizes a combination of self-supervised and supervised pre-training tasks to learn a generic document representation. We design the network architecture and the pre-training tasks to incorporate the multi-modal document information across text, layout, and image dimensions and allow the network to work with multi-page documents. We showcase the applicability of our pre-training framework on a variety of different real-world document tasks such as document classification, document information extraction, and document retrieval. We conduct exhaustive experiments to compare performance against different ablations of our framework and state-of-the-art baselines. We discuss the current limitations and next steps for our work.
Communication and mental processes: Experiential and analytic processing of uncertain climate information

Abstract People process uncertainty information in two qualitatively different systems. Most climate forecast communications assume people process information analytically. Yet people also rely heavily on an experiential processing system. Better understanding of experiential processing may lead to more comprehensible risk communication products. Retranslation of statistical information into concrete (vicarious) experience facilitates intuitive understanding of probabilistic information and motivates contingency planning. Sharing vicarious experience in group discussions or simulations of forecasts, decisions, and outcomes provides a richer and more representative sample of relevant experience. The emotional impact of the concretization of abstract risks motivates action in ways not provided by an analytic understanding.
Fewer Reasons to Sin: A Five-Factor Investigation of Vice Stocks

This paper investigates the return performance of a portfolio of U.S. “vice stocks,” firms that manufacture and sell products such as alcohol, tobacco, gaming services and national defense. In my research, I examine a portfolio of sixty one vice stocks over the period 1996 to 2016. Using daily return data, I compute the Jensen’s alpha (CAPM), Fama-French Three Factor, Carhart FourFactor, and Fama-French Five-Factor results for the complete vice portfolio, and each vice industry individually. Results from the CAPM, Fama-French Three Factor Model, and the Carhart FourFactor Model show a positive and significant alpha for the vice portfolio throughout the sample period. However, the alpha’s significance disappears with the addition of the explanatory variables from the Fama-French Five-Factor Model. Further, after controlling for the Five-Factor model variables, the significance of the alpha disappears in the vice industry returns. However, the alpha maintains its significance during a bull market subsample.
The Role of Carbon Capture and Storage in Decarbonizing California’s Electricity Grid

Affordable net-zero carbon electricity systems are critical in achieving a net-zero carbon economy, and California, who has long been a leader in climate policy, established a goal to reach a 100% clean grid by 2045. A capacity expansion and dispatch model is used to assess large-scale electricity power systems for California designed to meet policy standards while minimizing total system costs. The results of the analysis show that despite its comparatively high capital cost, including gas with carbon capture and storage (Gas-CCS) in the mix of electricity generation resources greatly reduces the cost of decarbonization for California as early as 2030 and in 2045. Without Gas-CCS, enormous capacities of solar and battery resources are needed in the future to reliably balance the load of the system throughout the entire year, which results in a highly overbuilt and expensive electricity system. Gas-CCS is able to generate electricity during the night-time and throughout times of the year when solar is not readily available, resulting in cost-effective decarbonization of the grid. In addition or as an alternative to Gas-CCS, we show that bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and direct air capture with sequestration (DAC), may also have important roles in play in decarbonizing California’s electricity sector. The scale of CCS development needed in California to cost-effectively meet its 2045 goals is technically feasible and California also has suitable storage sites for CO2. Implementation of CCS in California can be a robust strategy and effective tool for decarbonizing its electricity system and beyond.
Historical and Present Perspective of Operation Management.

I covered all the aspects of operation management including academic professional and other factors of operation management.
Fault diagnosis and failure prognosis of electrical drives

Abstract The interest in reliable operation of electrical drives has increased in recent years. recently an AC electrical machine was typically a synchronous generator or a three-phase uncontrolled motor that would operate connected directly to the power grid, or if a DC machine, its speed would be controlled through a rectifier. Although these applications have been augmented by many others. Many developments have led to this explosion of applications. The ubiquitous use of power electronics and microcontrollers, DSPs, etc., have allowed control of speed, torque etc., and the introduction of new motor types: permanent magnet AC, switched and synchronous reluctance etc. with increased versatility, higher torque and power density. These new power electronics-controlled machines have been finding uses in applications in manufacturing, robotics, vehicle traction and operation, airplane propulsion, wind and wave generators, but also in medical, commercial and consumer electronics that are becoming vital in health and other necessary devices. Fault diagnosis in electrical drives covers the faults in the power electronics, the DC link capacitor, batteries if present, and electrical machines. In power electronics in particular, the faults can be open or short circuit of switches, and they can be identified from current and voltage measurements. In electrical machines the faults can be in the windings, with either incipient in precipitous degradation, and can be identified and their severity determined using either model- or signal-based techniques. Mechanical faults in bearings are usually detected through the measurement of vibrations, while eccentricity can be detected through the change of flux and inductances. Most of these faults can be identified accurately, and their development predicted. They can lead then to the estimation of the remaining useful life, and together with partial or full redundancies, can result in increased reliability on the drive.
Low-Intensity Steady Background Noise Enhances Pitch Fusion Across the Ears in Normal-Hearing Listeners

Binaural pitch fusion is the perceptual integration of stimuli that evoke different pitches between the ears into a single auditory image. This study was designed to investigate how steady background noise can influence binaural pitch fusion. The binaural fusion ranges, the frequency ranges over which binaural pitch fusion occurred, were measured with three signal-to-noise ratios (+15, +5, and -5dB SNR) of the pink noise and compared with those measured in quiet. The preliminary results show that addition of an appropriate amount of noise can reduce binaural fusion ranges, an effect called stochastic resonance. This finding increases the understanding of how specific noise levels can sharpen binaural pitch fusion in normal hearing individuals. Furthermore, it elicits more pathways for research to explore how this benefit can practically be used to help improve binaural auditory perception.
The platform beat: Algorithmic watchdogs in the disinformation age:

As digital platforms have come to play a central role in the news and information ecosystem, a new realm of watchdog journalism has emerged – the platform beat. Journalists on the platform beat rep...
Investigation of the knowledge level of dance exercise instructors

Dedication . Acknowledgments . List of T a b l e s . CHAPTER ONE. THE PROBLEM Introduction , Purpose of the Study........ . Research Hypotheses ........ . The Delimitation . The Limitations Definition of Terms Basic Assumptions . CHAPTER TWO. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Testing Instrument . Pilot Study Subjects . Analysis of Data
Approximate distance queries in disk graphs

We present efficient algorithms for approximately answering distance queries in disk graphs. Let G be a disk graph with n vertices and m edges. For any fixed e> 0, we show that G can be preprocessed in $O(m\sqrt{n}\epsilon^{-1}+m\epsilon^{-2}\log S)$ time, constructing a data structure of size O(n3/2e−1+ne−2logS), such that any subsequent distance query can be answered approximately in $O(\sqrt{n}\epsilon^{-1}+\epsilon^{-2}\log S)$ time. Here S is the ratio between the largest and smallest radius. The estimate produced is within an additive error which is only e times the longest edge on some shortest path. The algorithm uses an efficient subdivision of the plane to construct a sparse graph having many of the same distance properties as the input disk graph. Additionally, the sparse graph has a small separator decomposition, which is then used to answer distance queries. The algorithm extends naturally to the higher dimensional ball graphs.
Understanding the Topological Properties of Foreign Aid: A Social Network Perspective

Despite many decades of research, fundamental questions regarding foreign aid effectiveness and the motivation of donors remain unanswered. Since traditional analyses have not resolved these questions, I utilize social network theory to provide a new perspective on these questions. With this new approach, the foreign aid environment is modeled as a two-mode (affiliation) network consisting of links (aid relations) between two sets of actors (donors and recipients). This allows me to move the focus from monadic attributes of countries to dyadic attributes (e.g., social relations) of pairs of countries. Some network based measures are introduced and described in terms of the specific advantages they provide in capturing intricate relational attributes of the foreign aid system.Individual statistics for each measure are computed using OECD foreign aid data. I explore the value of each measure to address questions related to donor motivation, changes in aid patterns following systemic shock, impact of aid structure on recipient economic growth. I revisit Rajan and Subramanian (2008) to study the relationship between recipients’ connectivity and their economic growth.
Delayed inflammatory response to Pneumocystis carinii infection in neonatal mice is due to an inadequate lung environment.

Challenge of neonatal mice with an intranasal inoculation of Pneumocystis carinii results in a subclinical infection that takes 6 wk to resolve, whereas adult mice resolve a comparable challenge within 3 wk. This delayed clearance is due to a delayed inflammatory response in neonatal mice; however, the reason for this delay has been unknown. To determine whether the neonatal lung environment is sufficient to attract immunocompetent lymphocytes into the lungs, an adoptive transfer strategy was employed in which splenocytes from adult BALB/c mice were transferred into P. carinii -infected neonatal or adult SCID mice. All adults, but no pups, resolved their infections by day 37 postreconstitution. Despite reconstitution with adult splenocytes, pups had a negligible lung inflammatory response until day 24, whereas adult mice had activated CD4 + and CD8 + cells in the lung by day 13. The delay in neonates corresponded to delayed kinetics of expression of lung cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ mRNA and chemokines lymphotactin, RANTES, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1β mRNA. Phagocytic cells from neonatal mice were significantly less efficient than adult cells at migrating to the draining lymph nodes after phagocytosing fluorescent beads. There were fewer dendritic cells and Ia + myeloid cells in the lungs of P. carinii -infected neonatal mice compared with adults. These data indicate that the lung environment of neonatal mice is insufficient for migration of T cells, due at least in part to inefficient phagocytosis and migration of APCs to the lymph nodes as well as delayed chemokine and TNF-α mRNA expression.
Cancer of the Epididymis

Primary adenocarcinoma of the epididymis is extremely rare with approximately 20 cases reported in the literature (Jones et al, 1997, Ganem et al, 1998). The diagnosis has been made in males ranging in age from 27–81. One of the earliest reports by Hinman and Gibson in 1924 describes a scirrhous-type adenocarcinoma of the epididymis from a left orchiectomy specimen. The patient had no evidence of recurrence 8 months after surgery. In other reported cases, however, metastases developed 3–36 months following orchiectomy or epididymectomy ultimately leading to patient death. Primary epididymal carcinomas, like other adenocarcinomas, may spread to regional nodes or to distant sites such as lung and other visceral organs. In a report by Jones et al., a 27 year-old patient with an adenocarcinoma of the epididymis underwent radical orchiectomy and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (Jones et al, 1997). Two of 25 lymph nodes contained metastatic adenocarcinoma, although the patient was reported to be free of recurrence 30 years later without further therapy; another patient developed retroperitoneal lymph node metastases 1 year after radical orchiectomy. In spite of a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, the patient died 8 months later with pulmonary metastases. A third patient in this series underwent radiation therapy for pelvic lymph node involvement but died of extensive abdominal metastases 2.5 years later. A case report by Ganem et al.,describes a solitary 0.5 x 0.5 cm well-differentiated adenocarcinoma in a left epididymectomy specimen (Ganem, 1998). An extensive work-up failed to demonstrate a primary source other than the epididymis.
Wavelets and Fast Numerical Algorithms

Wavelet based algorithms in numerical analysis are similar to other transform methods in that vectors and operators are expanded into a basis and the computations take place in this new system of coordinates. However, due to the recursive definition of wavelets, their controllable localization in both space and wave number (time and frequency) domains, and the vanishing moments property, wavelet based algorithms exhibit new and important properties. For example, the multiresolution structure of the wavelet expansions brings about an efficient organization of transformations on a given scale and of interactions between different neighbouring scales. Moreover, wide classes of operators which naively would require a full (dense) matrix for their numerical description, have sparse representations in wavelet bases. For these operators sparse representations lead to fast numerical algorithms, and thus address a critical numerical issue. We note that wavelet based algorithms provide a systematic generalization of the Fast Multipole Method (FMM) and its descendents. These topics will be the subject of the lecture. Starting from the notion of multiresolution analysis, we will consider the so-called non-standard form (which achieves decoupling among the scales) and the associated fast numerical algorithms. Examples of non-standard forms of several basic operators (e.g. derivatives) will be computed explicitly.
Solving product form stochastic networks with Monte Carlo summation

Multiclass queuing networks and stochastic loss networks often give rise to a product form solution for their equilibrium probabilities, but the product form solution typically involves a normalization constant calling for a multidimensional summation over an astronomical number of states. The authors propose the application of Monte Carlo summation to the problem of determining the normalization constant and related performance measures. It is shown that if the proper sampling technique is used then the computational effort of Monte Carlo summation is independent of link capacities for loss networks. The application of importance sampling and antithetic variates is then discussed. Importance sampling is shown to give significant variance reduction for a multirate loss network example. >