cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Fear of Counterterrorism: Surveillance and Civil Liberties Since 9/11

In the post-9/11 era, claims can repeatedly be heard that counterterrorism and related surveillance practices involve illegitimate invasions of privacy, free speech, and other violations of civil liberties. This puzzling theme of a fear of surveillance is echoed in both the relevant scholarly literature and civil liberties activism. We analyze the contemporary discourse on surveillance and civil liberties in confrontation with reports on empirical cases of claims of abuse that are made against surveillance and intelligence activities. We argue that these civil liberties claims are not only a function of the incidence of actual violations, but are also a reflection of a civil liberties culture and an accompanying fear of counterterrorism and surveillance. Allegations of civil liberties violations in the post-9/11 era, therefore, do not have a wholly justified basis in the reality of surveillance practices, but should instead also be viewed as a manifestation of certain cultural sensitivities related to privacy rights and personal liberties.
T cell polarization identifies distinct clinical phenotypes in scleroderma lung disease

Objective Lung involvement is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma), and interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most common pulmonary manifestation. An abnormal profibrotic Th2/Tc2-polarized T cell response is postulated to mediate tissue damage and fibrosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a polarized T cell phenotype in SSc is associated with lung disease or other clinical manifestations of SSc. Methods Circulating T cells were characterized by flow cytometry in 62 patients with SSc and 36 healthy control subjects, using antibodies against CD3, CD4, CD8, chemokine receptor CCR5 (Th1/Tc1-specific), and prostaglandin D2 receptor CRTH2 (Th2/Tc2-specific). The ratio between CCR5 and CRTH2 T cell frequencies was used to quantify type 1 (high-ratio) or type 2 (low-ratio) immune polarization. Results Patients with SSc exhibited lower CCR5/CRTH2 T cell ratios than those exhibited by control subjects (P 35 mm Hg, suggestive of pulmonary vascular disease, a lower value for the percent predicted diffusing capacity (DLCO) was associated with higher CCR5/CRTH2 T cell ratios (Th1/Tc1) (P = 0.009), while in those with right ventricular systolic pressure <35 mm Hg, a lower value for the percent predicted DLCO correlated with lower ratios (Th2/Tc2) (P < 0.0001), as observed for ILD. Conclusion T cell polarization in SSc is strongly associated with specific manifestations of lung disease. Measurement of T cell polarization may represent a valuable tool to monitor disease activity and predict clinical outcomes in SSc patients with lung disease.
Nonlinearity and noise interaction in a model of forest growth

Abstract A deterministic nonlinear matrix growth model of naturally regenerated loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands (Lin, C.-R., Buongiorno, J., Prestemon, J., Skog, K., 1998. Growth model for uneven-aged Loblolly pine stands: simulations and management implications. FPL-RP-569. USDA ForServ., For. Products Lab., Madison, pp. 13.) predicts that in about 3 centuries, pines are replaced by more shade-tolerant hardwood species. Pines are also absent in the deterministic steady state. We modified this model to recognize the effects of small-scale, high-frequency disturbances on stand growth. Stochastic simulations with the same initial condition as the deterministic simulation gave very different results. With stochastic disturbances pines and hardwoods always co-existed and in the steady state there was about the same basal area in pines as in hardwoods. As a result, the stochastic nonlinear model predicted much higher species diversity than the deterministic one. In contrast, a linear stochastic matrix growth model would predict the same expected steady state as the linear deterministic model. Thus, nonlinearities in stochastic forest growth models may change considerably the predictions of the expected future stand state, relative to those of the nonlinear deterministic counterpart. In this study, significant differences remained between the expected stochastic and the deterministic predictions even after scaling down the stochastic term by a factor of 2–10.
The Value of a Medical Student Radiology Triage Program in Enhancing Clinical Education and Skills

Rationale and Objectives The Medical Student Radiology Triage Program (MSRTP) at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center recruits third- and fourth-year medical students to streamline imaging workflow for on-call radiology residents. We sought to evaluate the benefit of this program for improving medical student education. Materials and Methods Members of the program were surveyed anonymously from 2010 to 2012 using a web-based survey. The survey asked the students to rate the program in several categories from 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good). Students also indicated if they are learning any of the identified skills. Results Thirty of 54 (56%) former and current members responded to the survey. Support from on-call residents (mean rating 4.7) and interactions with residents (mean rating 4.7) were rated the highest of the categories. Students ranked training provided (4.2), interactions with technologists (4.2), and interactions with clinicians (4.1) the lowest. The medical training experience and overall experience were graded with means of 4.4 and 4.5, respectively. Ninety-six percent of students felt they acquired triaging skills, whereas 92% of students developed communication skills. Sixty-nine and sixty-two percent of students stated that they gained radiologic knowledge and general medical knowledge, respectively. Sixty-five and fifty percent of students developed imaging appropriateness criteria and image interpretation skills, respectively. The most popular reason for joining the program was for financial compensation (number of students = 12), followed by exposure to radiology (n = 8), radiology education (n = 8), and clinical exposure (n = 7). Major strengths of the program included interactions with residents, learning experience, and triaging of workflow. Students listed the top two problems with the program as computed tomography technologists and clinicians not wanting to speak to them. Conclusions The MSRTP serves as a valuable clinical learning experience as well as being highly beneficial to resident workflows on call. Participants of MSRTP gain clinical skills that they will use during residency.
Current information infrastructure policy in the United States

Initiatives and legislation by the Clinton/Gore Administration and Congress, specifically, the National Research and Education Network and the National Information Infrastructure Act, form the basis for current information infrastructure projects in both the public and private sector. This paper discusses legislative initiatives for networking and telecommunications services, and the political, technological and community infrastructures necessary to develop and support those services. Also assessed are the strategies of major infrastructure participants including the National Science Foundation, cable television and regional and long distance telecommunications companies, educational institutions and the Internet community, and community groups and local governments.
Modeling and fusing negative information for dynamic extended multi-object tracking

A novel approach to utilizing negative information to improve the accuracy of extended multi-object tracking is presented. The parameterized probability density of object tracks unresolved in sensor data is updated via inferences about the sensor-to-object geometries necessary to result in occlusion of the unresolved object. Negative information is also leveraged to improve data association and to enable a novel death model, all of which contribute to a more accurate and precise belief of the local scene. Simulation and experimental results are presented from a common autonomous driving scenario.
English language proficiency and the accommodations for language non-concordance amongst patients utilizing chiropractic college teaching clinics.

Background The number of households in the United States that are not proficient in the English language is growing and presenting a challenge to the health care system. Over nineteen percent of the US population speak a language other than English in the home. This increase in language discordance generates a greater need to find and implement accommodations in the clinical setting to insure accurate and efficient diagnosis and treatment as well as provide for patient safety. Aim: The purpose of this study is to determine the percentage of patients accessing the chiropractic college teaching clinics who are not proficient in the English language and to what extent the colleges provide accommodations for that language disparity.
Oral antiplatelet therapy for acute and chronic management of NSTE ACS: residual ischemic risk and opportunities for improvement.

Non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE ACS) are highly prevalent in the United States and globally, and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The key role of platelet-mediated thrombosis in the pathogenesis of NSTE ACS is confirmed by the proven clinical benefits of antiplatelet agents (aspirin and a P2Y12 adenosine diphosphate [ADP] receptor antagonist) in this setting. Despite the documented advantages and broad use of antiplatelet therapy, the long-term morbidity and mortality rates remain significant, and the bleeding risk remains substantial. Residual risk can be attributed, at least in part, to the fact that thrombosis continues in the presence of current treatments because aspirin and P2Y12 ADP receptor antagonists each block only one of multiple platelet activation pathways, and thus do not impact other platelet activation pathways, such as the one triggered by interaction of thrombin with protease-activated receptor (PAR)-1, thereby exposing patients to continued accumulation of thrombotic events. These considerations suggest that novel therapies with a different mechanism of action, when used in combination with current antiplatelet agents, may provide more comprehensive inhibition of platelet activation and additional reductions in morbidity and mortality, potentially without incremental bleeding risk.
A HAMILTONIAN-PRESERVING SCHEME FOR HIGH FREQUENCY ELASTIC WAVES IN HETEROGENEOUS MEDIA

We develop a class of Hamiltonian-preserving numerical schemes for high frequency elastic waves in heterogeneous media. The approach is based on the high frequency approximation governed by the Liouville equations with singular coefficients due to material interfaces. As previously done by Jin and Wen [10, 12], we build into the numerical flux the wave scattering information at the interface, and use the Hamiltonian preserving principle to couple the wave numbers at both sides of the interface. This gives a class of numerical schemes that allows a hyperbolic CFL condition, is positive and l∞ stable, and captures correctly wave scattering at the interface with a sharp numerical resolution. We also extend the method to curved interfaces. Numerical experiments are carried out to study the numerical convergence and accuracy.
Prevalence of Ancylostoma braziliense in cats in three northern counties of Florida, United States.

Abstract: A convenience sampling of fecal specimens from 40 cats in northern Florida was examined for the presence of Ancylostoma braziliense eggs by using centrifugal sugar flotation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Of the 40 samples, 26 (65%) contained hookworm eggs. DNA from 24 samples was successfully amplified using PCR; using RFLP, 10 samples were identified as containing DNA of A. braziliense (41.7% of the 24 samples that successfully amplified). Of these, 6 samples contained DNA of both Ancylostoma tubaeforme and A. braziliense, and 4 samples contained only DNA of A. braziliense. The remaining samples (n = 14) contained only the DNA of A. tubaeforme, except for 1 sample that had no discernible bands after RFLP.
Geophysical expression of a buried niobium and rare earth element deposit: The Elk Creek carbonatite, Nebraska, USA

AbstractThe lower Paleozoic Elk Creek carbonatite is a 6–8-km-diameter intrusive complex buried under 200 m of sedimentary rocks in southeastern Nebraska. It hosts the largest known niobium deposit in the U.S. and a rare earth element (REE) deposit. The carbonatite is composed of several lithologies, the relations of which are poorly understood. Niobium mineralization is most enriched within a magnetite beforsite (MB) unit, and REE oxides are most concentrated in a barite beforsite unit. The carbonatite intrudes Proterozoic country rocks. Efforts to explore the carbonatite have used geophysical data and drilling. A high-resolution airborne gravity gradient and magnetic survey was flown over the carbonatite in 2012. The carbonatite is associated with a roughly annular vertical gravity gradient high and a subdued central low and a central magnetic high surrounded by magnetic field values lower than those over the country rocks. Geophysical, borehole, and physical property data are combined for an interpreta...
Optically induced ferroelectric domain gratings in SBN: theory and applications to quasi-phase matching and optical data storage

Illuminating a photoconducting strontium barium niobate crystal with a low intensity optical standing wave generates dynamic as well as remnant polarization gratings. We study the kinetics of these gratings and present a thermodynamic model for the grating formation. Fundamentally, light induced space charge fields dynamically modify the positions of ions within the unit cell and tailor the electronic, optical, and acoustic properties of the material.
Ultra broadband mirror using sub-wavelength grating

We demonstrate, for the first time, a very broadband (/spl Delta//spl lambda///spl lambda/>35%), high reflective (R>98.5%) grating structure. This structure is scalable to far infrared wavelengths and can be used to create low-voltage and widely tunable optical filters.
Proprietary vs. open standards in the network era: an examination of the Linux phenomenon

For networked IT industries, standards adoption is a key prerequisite for attracting complementary assets. Producer firms that hope to profit from their standards success must trade off control of the standard against the imperative for adoption. Moschella outlines three eras of modern computing: systems personal computers and network, each with its own form of standards competition. During the systems era of computing, mainframe producers maximized their control by offering vertically integrated standards architectures. In the PC era, IBM unintentionally surrendered control to two key suppliers in its haste to launch the IBM PC and maximize its adoption. Microsoft and Intel in turn sought pervasive adoption of their technologies by appropriating only a single layer of the standards architecture and publishing a subset of the interfaces to other layers. In reaction to these proprietary strategies, the open source movement developed software that relinquishes control in favor of adoption. Such free software has played an important role in Internet infrastructure, and its adherents argue that it will supplant such proprietary standards in the network era. This study examines the rise of the Linux operating system, with particular focus on its role as a PC server operating system in competition with the established Microsoft Windows OS. While Linux has its origins in the 1984 GNU Project, and was widely available beginning in 1993, we focus on the adoption motivations of organizational buyers and suppliers of complementary assets during the period 1995-1999.
Dietary oil composition differentially modulates intestinal endotoxin transport and postprandial endotoxemia

Intestinal derived endotoxin and the subsequent endotoxemia can be considered major predisposing factors for diseases such as atherosclerosis, sepsis, obesity and diabetes. Dietary fat has been shown to increase postprandial endotoxemia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of different dietary oils on intestinal endotoxin transport and postprandial endotoxemia using swine as a model. We hypothesized that oils rich in saturated fatty acids (SFA) would augment, while oils rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) would attenuate intestinal endotoxin transport and circulating concentrations. Postprandial endotoxemia was measured in twenty four pigs following a porridge meal made with either water (Control), fish oil (FO), vegetable oil (VO) or coconut oil (CO). Blood was collected at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 5 hours postprandial and measured for endotoxin. Furthermore, ex vivo ileum endotoxin transport was assessed using modified Ussing chambers and intestines were treated with either no oil or 12.5% (v/v) VO, FO, cod liver oil (CLO), CO or olive oil (OO). Ex vivo mucosal to serosal endotoxin transport permeability (Papp) was then measured by the addition of fluorescent labeled-lipopolysaccharide. Postprandial serum endotoxin concentrations were increased after a meal rich in saturated fatty acids and decreased with higher n-3 PUFA intake. Compared to the no oil control, fish oil and CLO which are rich in n-3 fatty acids reduced ex vivo endotoxin Papp by 50% (P < 0.05). Contrarily, saturated fatty acids increased the Papp by 60% (P = 0.008). Olive and vegetable oils did not alter intestinal endotoxin Papp. Overall, these results indicate that saturated and n-3 PUFA differentially regulate intestinal epithelial endotoxin transport. This may be associated with fatty acid regulation of intestinal membrane lipid raft mediated permeability.
Intrascleral Drug Delivery to the Eye Using Hollow Microneedles

Purpose This study tested the hypothesis that hollow microneedles can infuse solutions containing soluble molecules, nanoparticles, and microparticles into sclera in a minimally invasive manner.
Treatment cessation in noncirrhotic, e‐antigen negative chronic hepatitis B is safe and effective following prolonged anti‐viral suppression with nucleosides/nucleotides

Summary Background The treatment of HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is considered to be open-ended, with no guidelines for treatment cessation. Aim To evaluate biochemical and virological relapse requiring retreatment in noncirrhotic HBeAg-negative CHB in patients who stopped treatment following a period of prolonged viral suppression with nucleotides/nucleosides. Methods We performed a single-centre retrospective chart review of patients with HBeAg-negative CHB who maintained viral suppression for 4–5 years on anti-viral treatment, and thus subsequently stopped treatment. The primary end point of composite relapse was defined by an increase in HBV DNA >2000 IU/mL, ALT elevation above 1.25 × normal or doubling of ALT from cessation, and re-initiation of anti-viral therapy. Results We identified 33 patients with HBeAg-negative CHB who stopped treatment following viral suppression. Mean treatment duration was 5.28 ± 2.73 years. Patients were treated with lamivudine (3), adefovir (14), entecavir (4), and tenofovir (12). Eleven (33%) patients met the primary end point of composite relapse. For individual end points, 21 (63%) patients had a viral relapse, 16 (48%) had a biochemical relapse, and 16 (48%) restarted treatment, leaving 17 (52%) patients who remained treatment-free over a median 36 months of follow-up. Lower pre-treatment ALT and detectable HBV DNA within the first month after treatment discontinuation were associated with increased rates of composite relapse (HR 1.01; P = 0.022 for ALT and HR 1.01; P = 0.038 for HBV DNA). Conclusion Patients with noncirrhotic HBeAg-negative CHB can stop treatment after greater than 4–5 years of suppressive therapy with nucleosides/nucleotides with more than 50% remaining treatment-free.
Timing-reasoning-based delay fault diagnosis

In this paper, we propose a timing-reasoning algorithm to improve the resolution of delay fault diagnosis. In contrast to previous approaches which identify candidates by utilizing only logic conditions, we propose a timing-simulation-based method to perform the candidate reasoning. Based on the circuit timing information, we identify invalid candidates which cannot maintain the consistency of failure behaviors. By eliminating those invalid candidates, the diagnosis resolution can be improved. We then analyze the problem of circuit timing uncertainty caused by the delay variation and the simulation model. We calculate a metric, named invalid-probability, for each candidate. Then we propose a candidate-ranking heuristic which is robust with respect to such sources of timing uncertainty. By ranking the candidates based on their invalid-probability, we can improve the candidate first-hit-rate of the traditional critical path tracing (CPT) technique. To demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method, we have developed a timing diagnosis framework which can simulate the real diagnosis process to evaluate and compare different algorithms.
DSM‐III Schizophrenia: Is there Evidence for Familial Transmission?

To resolve some recent controversies as to whether there is any evidence of familial transmission in DSM-III schizophrenia, a blind study of first degree relatives of 332 DSM-III schizophrenia was conducted. A comparison group of first degree relatives of 318 surgical patients who were free of psychiatric symptoms were also studied. The morbidity risks of schizophrenia and related illnesses were estimated among these relatives. The risk of DSM-III schizophrenia in the relatives of schizophrenics was 3.7 + 0.7 which was significantly higher (p less than .01) than among the relatives of surgical controls (0.2% + 0.2) with a relative risk of 18.5 (3.7/0.2). When broad criteria of schizophrenia were used by including all schizophrenia-related illnesses, the risks were approximately 9.0% and 1.0% respectively in the families of schizophrenics and controls with a relative risk of 9.0. These results will be discussed in the light of relevant literature. It is concluded that there is an evidence for familial transmission in DSM-III schizophrenia.
A frequent ala 4 to val superoxide dismutase-1 mutation is associated with a rapidly progressive familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS), a degenerative disorder of motor neurons, is associated with mutations in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene SOD1 in some affected families. We confirm a recently reported ala4-->val mutation in exon 1 of the SOD1 gene and report that this mutation is both the most commonly detected of all SOD1 mutations and among the most clinically severe. By comparison with our other FALS families, the exon 1 mutation is associated with reduced survival time after onset: 1.2 years, as compared to 2.5 years for all other FALS patients. We also demonstrate that SOD1 is prominently expressed in normal motor neurons and that neural expression of SOD1 is not prevented by this exon 1 mutation. Assays of SOD1 enzymatic activity in extracts from red blood cells, lymphoblastoid cells, and brain tissues revealed an approximately 50% reduction in activity of cytosolic SOD1 in patients with this mutation compared to normal individuals. By contrast, patients with sporadic ALS had normal levels of SOD1 enzymatic activity. Why this SOD1 mutation causes motor neuron death in FALS remains to be established. While it may be that FALS is a consequence of loss of SOD1 function, it is also possible that motor neuron death in this dominantly inherited disease occurs because the mutations confer an additional, cytotoxic function on the SOD1 protein.
Relatively Recursively Enumerable Versus Relatively Σ1 in Models of Peano Arithmetic

We show that that every countable model of PA has a conservative extension M with a subset Y such that a certain Σ1(Y)-formula defines in M a subset which is not r. e. relative to Y.
Gardner-Diamond syndrome associated with complex regional pain syndrome.

Background Gardner-Diamond syndrome (GDS) is also known as psychogenic purpura, autoerythrocyte sensitization syndrome and painful bruising syndrome.
Modeling of transient photocurrent in X‐ray detectors: application to a‐Se

A mathematical model for transient photocurrent in X-ray imaging detectors has been developed by considering charge carrier trapping under exponentially distributed carrier generation across the photoconductor. The model for the transient and steady-state carrier distributions and hence the photocurrent has been developed by solving the carrier continuity equation for both holes and electrons. The model is applied to amorphous selenium (a-Se) detectors for both chest radiography and mammography. We analyze the transient rise and decay of the photocurrent profile as a function of time. The quick rise and decay parts, and then the slow rise and decay parts of the photocurrent profile are due to the hole and electron transports, respectively. (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A critical examination of developments in nursing doctoral education in the United States

La educacion de enfermeria en los Estados Unidos esta experimentando grandes transformaciones, como consecuencia de factores tanto dentro de la enfermeria como en la sociedad en general.OBJETIVO: En este trabajo los autores examinan las tendencias y los factores que estan influyendo en los cambios, especialmente en la educacion de doctorado, para el cientifico enfermero que requiere una preparacion practica avanzada.CONCLUSION: El documento proporciona un fondo que sirve de contexto, se da una vision general de los estudios de doctorado y los grados de DNP, centrandose en los cambios recientes y la identificacion de los problemas y preocupaciones mas apremiantes, termina con una serie de recomendaciones.
Genomic Alterations in Sporadic Pancreatic Cancer

The prognosis for most patients afflicted by pancreatic cancer still remains dismal. With the majority of cases being diagnosed at advanced stages, only minimal improvements in survival rates have been achieved using current therapeutic approaches. Nonetheless, remarkable research efforts over the past decade have enabled a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. According to the current state of knowledge, pancreatic carcinogenesis is a multistep process that requires alterations in a compendium of oncogenes, tumor-suppressor genes and genome-maintenance genes. The most frequent aberrations (somatic point mutations and allelic losses) affect oncogenes (KRAS2) and tumor-suppressor genes (CDKN2A/p16, TP53, SMAD4/DPC4) that have a key role in transcription, proliferation and regulation of the cell cycle, amongst others. In addition to these known mutational “mountains,” a wide number of less frequently altered genes (“hills”) have been discovered, which play an important part in defining the unique biology and behavior of each individual pancreatic cancer. A deeper understanding of the genetic landscape of pancreatic cancer, enhanced by “next-generation” high-throughput technologies will hopefully promote the development of new methods for early diagnosis and facilitate improvements in current therapeutic approaches.
Carbon Isotope Excursion in Atmospheric CO2 at the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary: Evidence from Terrestrial Sediments

Abstract A −1.5‰ to −2‰ carbon isotope excursion immediately above the clay layer that defines the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) boundary has been reported in marine sediments world wide. This paper reports a similar −1.5‰ to −2.8‰ carbon isotope excursion recorded by C3 land plants from three temporally-controlled, stratigraphically-constrained terrestrial sections in the Western Interior of North America (Garfield County, Montana, and Slope County, North Dakota). Carbon isotope measurements of bulk sedimentary organic carbon were well-correlated with those of isolated plant cuticle, suggesting that the terrestrial organic carbon signature in these sediments parallels that of plant cuticle. Carbon isotope signatures were also independent of rock type and depositional environment, showing that the carbon isotope signature of plants, although altered, is not biased taphonomically. Because the signature in terrestrial facies records the isotope composition of paleoatmospheric CO2, this record—combined with that...
Fostering Community Guardianship: Serving Children and Families Through Community-University Partnership

So proclaims the Dexter Elmhurst Community Council as they define the vision they hold for a multigenerational, community-operated, human service facility in their Detroit community of nearly 100,000. The Dexter Elmhurst residential area, developed in the 1950s, is the birthplace of many of Motown’s superstars and continues to serve as a cultural center for the African-American community in the city of Detroit. Currently, female-headed households comprise 40 per cent of all households and 40 percent of all persons in the neighborhood live below the poverty status. Residents of this area are struggling to shape their community identity and face the challenges of contemporary urban existence. The emerging community-based and managed facility is designed to become a focal point for community restoration by strengthening families, serving seniors and supporting neighborhood youth.
Pilot study of an interdisciplinary supportive care planning intervention in pancreatic cancer

A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is often associated with higher symptom burden, lower functional status, and worse quality of life (QOL). To date, few interventions have focused on the unique QOL needs of patients with pancreatic cancer. The purpose of this pilot study is to determine the feasibility of an interdisciplinary supportive care planning intervention in patients with pancreatic cancer during disease-focused treatments. Patients enrolled in this prospective, pre- and post-intervention pilot study received a supportive care intervention that included the following three components: comprehensive QOL assessment, case presentation at interdisciplinary care meetings, and two nurse-administered educational sessions on QOL concerns. Patients completed outcome measures that included the FACT-Hep, FACIT-Sp-12, and self-report of finances and out-of-pocket costs since diagnosis. Measures were completed at baseline prior to receiving the intervention, and follow-up occurred at 1 and 2 months post-intervention. A total of 10 patients were enrolled during a 4-month period who provided informed consent, received the intervention, and completed the study (58 % accrual). Examination of pre- and post-intervention QOL outcomes revealed changes across the three evaluation time points that were not statistically significant. Patients were highly satisfied with the intervention, with 80 % reporting that the intervention was “excellent.” Discussions during the interdisciplinary care meetings and educational sessions were largely focused on physical and psychosocial needs. An interdisciplinary supportive care planning intervention was potentially feasible and acceptable for pancreatic cancer patients in an ambulatory care setting.
The Bright Side of Being Prosocial at Work, and the Dark Side, Too: A Review and Agenda for Research on Other-Oriented Motives, Behavior, and Impact in Organizations

Abstract More than a quarter century ago, organizational scholars began to explore the implications of prosociality in organizations. Three interrelated streams have emerged from this work, which focus on prosocial motives (the desire to benefit others or expend effort out of concern for others), prosocial behaviors (acts that promote/protect the welfare of individuals, groups, or organizations), and prosocial impact (the experience of making a positive difference in the lives of others through one's work). Prior studies have highlighted the importance of prosocial motives, behaviors, and impact, and have enhanced our understanding of each of them. However, there has been little effort to systematically review and integrate these related lines of work in a way that furthers our understanding of prosociality in organizations. In this article, we provide an overview of the current state of the literature, highlight key findings, identify major research themes, and address important controversies and debates...
The Paradox of Parsimony in Motivated Distance Perception

The motivated distance perception theory (Balcetis, 2016) paradoxically is too parsimonious to account for a variety of findings, including those of the author. The theory poorly defines the features of eliciting situations, which fails to constrain the theory making it nonfalsifiable and allows for post hoc interpretation of the effects. Finally, the theory ignores the complexity of the motivational system and the automaticity of motivations.
Toward Quantitative Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Pyrolysis of Bulk Materials at High Temperature and Pressure

An evaluation was made of whether T-jump/FTIR spectroscopy could be used to determine the decomposition kinetics (Ea and ln A) and thermochemical (ΔHd) constants of an energetic material at high temperature and high heating rate. Polystyrene peroxide was chosen because of its known, simple, decomposition process. The kinetic constants are reasonable for O-O bond homolysis as the rate determining step: Ea = 39 kcal/mol, ln (A, s−1) = 21.5. Significant uncertainty exists, however, in the estimation of ΔHd.
WAHOO 2.0: Weatherproof acquisition for headless onboard operations

To effectively design, deploy, operate, and retire its fleet of boats, the U.S. Navy requires data-driven testing and evaluation of 50-foot boats throughout the lifecycle of the boat design. This project involves the development of an inexpensive, stand-alone instrumentation box capable of gathering motion, GPS, and engine data for the evaluation of boats and boat designs used by the U.S. Navy. Analysis of the data will reveal causes of failures, human and vehicle exposure to sea conditions, and leading indicators of boat failure. The project builds on a prototype developed during the summer of 2015. Entitled "WAHOO 1.0", the prototype consisted of a BeagleBone Black microcomputer and a 3DM-GX3 miniature inertial sensor. However, the GX3 sensor alone costs $3,700, and the client requires a new system with more cost-efficient sensors. A successful design must cost less than $500 per unit without sacrificing data fidelity, and the code must be easy to access to allow tailoring of reports for mission-specific environments. The revised system, WAHOO 2.0, is being developed with the same BeagleBone microcomputer along with less expensive IMU and GPS sensors, which are attached to the microcomputer via a custom expansion board. The system utilizes a battery capable of powering WAHOO 2.0 for at least 24 hours. The system is housed in a waterproof enclosure with a clear lid to allow viewing of live status LEDs for cursory reporting of errors. The system will provide the user automatically-generated one-page summary reports based on the collected data, while also storing the raw data for more sophisticated analyses and providing the capability to add automatic tests to the system as needed.
Acute-Onset Postoperative Endophthalmitis

Acute-onset postoperative endophthalmitis is an uncommon but potentially severe complication of intraocular surgery. Acute-onset postoperative endophthalmitis is a clinical diagnosis, which is then confirmed by culture of vitreous or aqueous. The Endophthalmitis Vitrectomy Study (EVS) provided valuable treatment guidelines which are still relevant today. However, visual outcomes are frequently poor, even after prompt and appropriate treatment. Endophthalmitis cannot be completely prevented, but its incidence can be significantly reduced with the use of preoperative povidone-iodine antisepsis and attention to risk factors. Intracameral antibiotics are gaining in popularity, especially in Europe, although their efficacy is controversial.
Calibration of Phosphorus Implantation Dose in Silicon by Radiochemical Neutron Activation Analysis

A radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) procedure has been developed, critically evaluated, and shown to have the necessary sensitivity, chemical specificity, and matrix independence to certify phosphorus at ion implantation levels.32P, produced by neutron capture of31P, is chemically separated from the sample matrix, and measured using a beta proportional counter. Analysis of 12 pieces of a silicon wafer, implanted at a nominal dose of 8.5 × 1014 atoms·cm-2, yielded a phosphorus concentration of (8.30 ± 0.16) x 1014 atoms·cm-2 (expanded uncertainty), in agreement with a consensus value of (8.23 ± 0.33) × 1014 atoms·cm-2 (1s uncertainty) determined from a round robin SIMS investigation. The relative standard deviation of < 2 % is suitable for certification of a Standard Reference Material.
Joint Visual and Textual Mining on Social Media

In modern social media, massive visual and textual data are collected and uploaded to social websites everyday. How to extract useful knowledge from such multiple modality data and organize it in an efficient way remains an important problem. The goal of this dissertation is to investigate joint visual and textual mining for social media data. My dissertation aims at contributing to our theoretical understanding on weakly supervised learning, as well as systematically building a visual and textual knowledgebase. This research focuses on three phases of investigation: 1)how textual data like tags help weakly supervised visual parsing, 2) how to build a large scale knowledge base by mapping visual and textual concepts on social media, 3) with such a knowledgebase, how can we interpret/organize social media data in a more reliable and effective way.
Development of Active Mechanical Models for Flexible Robots to Duplicate the Motion of Inch Worms and Snakes

Due to the advent of pneumatic actuators, tendon-actuation mechanisms, and artificial muscles, an increasing number of robot engineers are developing flexible and soft robots. The emergence of soft and flexible robotics has offered new methods of locomotion that have applications in a wide variety of sectors. The research presented here focuses on developing mechanical models for such flexible robots. Two models are developed that will aid the modeling of soft robotics: (i) a discrete multi-body model consisting of jointed cylindrical segments and (ii) a thorough continuous beam model with internal actuation. The mechanical models serve as indicators of the necessary internal actuation for soft robots to reproduce or mimic the observed or necessary motion.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Syringolide Elicitors Specified by Avirulence Gene D Alleles in Pseudomonas Syringae

The deduced protein sequences of microbial avirulence genes have not illuminated their functions in the pathogens that harbor them. Indeed, the only well characterized avirulence genes with defined functions are the coat protein genes of viral pathogens [1,2]. In the case of these genes, the coat protein itself appears to function as an elicitor recognized by resistant plant cells. Certain cloned fungal avirulence genes also direct production by the pathogen of specific elicitors [3, 4,5]. In bacterial pathogens, only one avirulence gene, avrD,has thus far been shown to direct elicitor production [6]. These elicitors initiate active hypersensitive defense reactions (HR) only in plants carrying the complementary disease resistance genes. It has long been proposed that plant disease resistance genes encode specific receptors, probably located on the plant plasma membrane [7,8] and recent work on the cloning of disease resistance genes supports this idea [9, B. Staskawicz, personal communication]. Such receptors are thought to perceive elicitors and generate intracellular signal cascades that eventually derepress expression of defense response genes. These gene products, in turn, actually restrict pathogen development.
Identification of sudden transitions in sensor data from rocket tests using wavelet transforms within an integrated health monitoring system

Abstract Under a project undertaken at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, an integrated framework has been developed for intelligent monitoring of smart elements. Integrated Systems Health Monitoring is an implementation of a monitoring system which is robust, user friendly, and adaptable. This paper focuses on smart sensors, and shows the advantage of utilizing an enhanced version of a previously developed intelligent system, DATA-SIMLAMT, called Enhanced DATA-SIMLAMT or EDATA-SIMLAMT. This new version contains additional properties and states for improved data interpretation. The additional properties are based on wavelets. The major advantage provided by adding wavelet analysis is the ability to detect sudden transitions as well as obtaining the frequency content using a much smaller data set then that required by the traditional Fourier transform method. Historically, sudden transitions could only be detected by a visual method or by offline analysis of the data. EDATA-SIMLAMT provides an opportunity to automatically detect sudden transitions as well as many additional data anomalies, and provide improved data-correction and sensor health diagnostic abilities. The newly developed system has been tested on actual rocket test data from NASA’s Stennis Space Center.
New insights into old earthquakes

The earthquake that hit San Francisco in 1906 was a milestone for seismologists, for it revealed a great deal about the physics of the process. Geodetic measurements made before and shortly after the event are still yielding important information, for they can provide invaluable measurements of fault slip. New analyses of these venerable data provide fresh and surprising estimates of the extent to which certain parts of the San Andreas fault slipped in 1906.
Reconstructed and Projected U.S. Residential Natural Gas Consumption during 1896–2043

AbstractUsing state-level monthly heating degree-day data, reconstructed per capita natural gas (NGr) consumption records for each state of the continental United States were calculated for 1895–2014 using linear regressions. The regressed monthly NGr values estimate the effects of twentieth- and early twenty-first-century climate variation on per capita natural gas usage, assuming a modern (1990–2013) consumption environment. Using these extended consumption records, the hypothetical effects of climate on past, current, and future natural gas (NG) use are estimated. By controlling for nonclimatic consumption effects, these extended reconstructions provide estimates of the sensitivity of NG consumption to historical climate variation, particularly long-term warming trends, occurring before the period of available consumption records. After detrending, the reconstructions are used to form improved estimates of interannual NG variation under current climate conditions. Given estimates of each state’s curren...
Women’s participation in environmental decision-making: Quasi-experimental evidence from northern Kenya

Abstract Greater inclusion of women is widely believed to improve environmental decision outcomes. Pastoralism faces increased vulnerability to climate change, and pastoralist women are both disproportionately affected by severe drought and underrepresented in formal decision-making processes. Increased participation by women in decision-making thus promises to offer a win–win solution: greater gender equality as well as enhanced resilience to persistent drought. This quasi-experimental study evaluates an intervention that aimed to increase drought preparedness in northern Kenyan pastoralist communities through the empowerment of women at the household and community levels. It uses a difference-in-differences design combined with matching estimation to causally isolate effects of the intervention. At the community level, there was an increase in women's political awareness and participation in formal decision-making processes, but that participation did not translate into meaningful outcomes. At the household level, however, there was a large and positive effect on actions taken to better prepare for drought (which mostly took the form of pre-emptive livestock sales). Given the entrenched gender roles related to livestock sales in this setting, this finding is encouraging and warrants further research.
A high-fidelity energy monitoring and feedback architecture for reducing electrical consumption in buildings

Existing solutions in commercial building energy monitoring are insufficient in identifying energy waste or for guiding improvement. This is because they only provide usage statistics in aggregate, both spatially and temporally. To significantly and sustainably reduce energy usage in buildings, we need an architecture and a system implementation that provide high-fidelity real-time visibility into each component of the building. We propose a three-tiered architecture consisting of sensing, data delivery and representation, and applications and services . We show that this layering allows us to cleanly abstract the low-level details of the myriads of disparate monitoring instruments and protocols, provide an uniform data representation interface, and enable innovation in portable building applications. This thesis further explores each layer in detail and present design decisions and findings. Building on top of this architecture, we propose an application process flow for energy data analysis and visualization, substantiated by a real deployment. This process consists of three parts: first, to understand and instrument the load tree; second, to conduct data analysis, modeling, and disaggregation of energy usage statistics; and third, combined with meta-data, to re-aggregate individual load usages into actionable representations for visualization and feedback to the occupants. Finally, we evaluate the proposed architecture and process flow with a diverse class of building applications, visualizations, and deployments.
Rights to Housing: Marginalised Housing Groups

Housing is a basic human need and has been recognised as a fundamental human right, yet upwards of a billion people around the world lack access to stable, affordable, and adequate housing. Housing insecurity stems from a complex set of causes that include housing discrimination, inadequate and insufficient housing supply, and displacements and forced evictions due to violent conflict, ecological disasters, and property development. These causes are usually interrelated and layered on top of one another, as marginalised housing groups rarely experience just a single source of vulnerability or marginalisation. Although the term ‘marginal’ has come under fire as being both ethnocentric and analytically imprecise, it remains in use to describe those living outside of or on the fringes of formal housing markets and mainstream social and economic institutions. This article discusses the experience of marginalised housing groups, including discriminated populations, labour migrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons.
Enzymatic Organic Systems

Although many drugs currently in use are administered as racemates, there is reason to believe that the therapeutic effects of some racemic drugs reside primarily in one stereoisomer while its enantiomer may contribute to toxicity and adverse side effects (Simonyi, 1984). For example, the beta adrenergic blocking agent, propranolol [1-isopropulamino-3-(l-naphthyloxy)-2-propanol] is widely used for the treatment of angina pectoris, cardiac dysrhythmia, and hypertension. The commercial preparation (Inderal) is a racemic mixture of which only the S-(-)-enantiomer has beta adrenergic blocking activity (Howe and Shanks, 1966). The general notion that an enantiomerically pure pharmaceutical would be a better drug than the racemate demands the development of improved strategies for the synthesis of chiral compounds.