cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of limits in retail advertisements: A reactance theory perspective

It is not uncommon for retailers to impose limits (e.g., “limit one per customer”) on advertised products. The attitudinal and behavioral effects of such advertised limits have been largely unexplored. The present research uses psychological reactance theory to generate insight into the effects of advertised limits. It was found that limits are both capable of attracting and repelling consumers depending upon the severity of the limit. In the experimental context that was used, age and income were found to be positively related to the effectiveness of limits.
Moral Deliberation and Desire Development: Herman on Alienation

In chapter nine of The Practice of Moral Judgment (1996b) and her later article ‘Making Room for Character’ (1996a), Barbara Herman offers a distinctive and interesting response to a set of concerns involving the idea that Kantian ethics objectionably alienates us from personal relationships and commitments. Broadly speaking, these concerns take one of two general forms: some accounts emphasize the practical marginalization of personal interests and relationships, arguing that the Kantian's open-ended commitment to impartial overriding moral requirements threatens to leave the agent little or no practical room for the sorts of relationships and commitments that we think of as important in (or essential to) a recognizably human life. A related but more formal variant emphasizes the internal perspective of the agent and the structure rather than the scope of moral commitment. On this account, the problem is said to lie in the requirement that we are only to act on reasons justifiable from an impersonal universalizing point of view and the way in which this requirement precludes the kind of partial and personal reasons for action said to be essential to individual agency and a sense of self.
Late Silurian volcanism in coastal Maine: The Cranberry Island series

The Cranberry Island series is a Silurian (424 ± 1 Ma) volcanic succession that crops out on three islands along the southeastern coast of Maine. It is part of the coastal Maine magmatic province and represents bimodal magmatism that occurred on a composite crustal block before or during accretion to Laurentia. The series consists of ∼1.8 km of felsic pyroclastic rocks and felsic lava flows overlain by ∼0.8 km of basaltic tuffs and basaltic lava flows. The lower and upper members of the Cranberry Island series are interpreted, respectively, as (1) felsic pyroclastic rocks and lavas erupted from a mingled felsic and mafic magma reservoir and (2) phreatomagmatic basaltic rocks overlain by effusive basaltic flows. Some of the basaltic inclusions hosted by the felsic pyroclastic rocks may be chilled magmatic enclaves, suggesting that droplets of basaltic magma were entrained by felsic magma prior to eruption. The compositionally layered plutons of the Cadillac Mountain intrusive complex to the north are likely candidates, in both age and composition, for the magma bodies from which the Cranberry Island series erupted. Mafic rocks of the Cranberry Island series do not show the enrichment in large ion lithophile elements and the depletion in high field strength elements diagnostic of subduction-related magmas. The bimodal character of magmatism, the lack of strong arc geochemical signature, and the rarity of andesites in the Cranberry Island series and throughout the coastal Maine volcanic belt argue against an origin in a compressional setting. Alternative settings for magmatism include (1) backarc extension, (2) crustal extension associated with large-scale transcurrent faulting, and (3) extension-related magmatism associated with rifting of the coastal Maine volcanic belt from another continental margin.
Self-Esteem Changes in the Middle School Years: A Study of Ethnic and Gender Groups

The current study investigated how ethnicity and gender affect changes in the self-esteem of early adolescents during the middle school years. Self-report data were collected from more than 4,000 early adolescents from three ethnic groups: European American, African American, and Hispanic and analyzed using a consecutive three-year cross-sectional design to investigate group trajectories. Distinct group trajectories of self-esteem from sixth to eighth grade were found for each ethnic group. African American adolescents had high and stable self-esteem across these years while Hispanic adolescents had low and stable self-esteem. In contrast, self-esteem among European Americans began moderately high in sixth grade but dropped precipitously by eighth grade. Girls had lower self-esteem than boys in the Hispanic and European American groups, but not in the African American group. We conclude that past studies that found a sharp decline in self-esteem during the middle school years may have been conducted in a largely white sample and thus obscure important individual ethnic factors.
Ultra-strong Mg II absorbers as a signature of cool intragroup gas

We present the results of a spectroscopic survey of galaxies in the vicinity of an ultra-strong Mg II λλ2786, 2803 absorber of rest-frame absorption equivalent width W_r(2796) = 4.2 A at z = 0.5624. This absorber was originally found at projected separation ρ = 246 kpc of a luminous red galaxy (LRG) at z = 0.5604. Inamori-Magellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph (IMAC) spectroscopy has revealed two galaxies at ρ 1 Gyr) and little on-going star formation activity (SFR 3.0 M⊙ yr^(−1). Including the two ultra-strong Mg II absorbers analysed by Nestor et al., this is the third ultra-strong Mg II absorber for which a detailed study of the galactic environment is available. All three absorbers are found in galaxy groups. We examine different physical mechanisms giving rise to the absorbing gas including starburst-driven outflows, cold filaments, extended rotating discs and stripped gas. We argue that the large equivalent width observed in these absorbers is more likely due to the gas dynamics of the intragroup medium rather than driven by starburst outflows.
Iterative table-lookup decoding for a 2-state, rate-1/2, turbo-like code

This paper introduces a high-speed decoder for parallel-concatenated convolutional codes (PCCCs). The decoder utilizes a method of recursively reading from a set of lookup-tables and storing the data bytes temporarily in memory for later recursions/iterations. The sizes of the lookup-tables can be reasonably small for PCCCs consisting of 2-state constituent encoders. A class of 2-state PCCCs is given that utilizes feedforward-enhancement to achieve excellent bit error rate performance even when decoded with the recursive table-lookup decoder.
Model development, state estimation, and controller design of a nonlinear utility boiler system

The purpose of this paper is to develop a dynamic nonlinear model and to design controller for the CPS Energy's Spruce Unit # 1 natural circulation drum boiler. This nonlinear four state boiler model will be based on physical parameters obtained from construction data and steam tables. This model will be utilized to study the steady-state and dynamic behavior of the system. Then we develop an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) that is capable of estimating both measurable and non-measurable states. The UKF state estimates will be compared against the two measurable outputs of the system which are the drum water total, Vwt and drum pressure, p. The other two estimates will be compared against the two non-measurable states, which are the quality in the riser outlet, ar, and the steam volume under of liquid level in the drum, Vsd. Finally, a controller will be developed to regulate the states by solving an optimization problem with constraints. Computer simulations are also presented to illustrate effectiveness of our results.
Effect of a Cu-Se secondary phase on the epitaxial growth of CuInSe 2 on (1 0 0) GaAs

The effect of a secondary copper selenide phase that appears during epitaxial growth of CuInSe2 (CIS) films on (1 0 0) GaAs substrates was investigated. CIS films with different copper to indium molar ratios were deposited on (1 0 0) GaAs substrates at 3601C by migration-enhanced epitaxy. Films grown under In-rich conditions were polycrystalline, whereas films grown with a Cu-rich composition were epitaxial, as evidenced by pole figure analysis, even when the copper composition was only slightly higher than the 1:1 Cu:In molar ratio. The epitaxial film growth followed a Stranski–Krastanov mode and contained both matrixand island regions. Grazing incidence XRD revealed a small amount of CIS with the Cu–Au-like structure near the surface of the island regions. A binary Cu–Se secondary phase aggregated near the surface in the island regions of the film, as determined by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) before and after etching in 10% KCN. It is proposed that a Cu–Se phase present during the growth of Cu-rich CIS films enhances the mobility of adatoms on the substrate surface, allowing the film to grow epitaxially to a critical thickness. After that critical thickness is attained, the Cu–Se phase segregates at dislocation sites to nucleate the island regions. TEM-EDX scans of cross-sections also suggested a small amount of the Cu–Se secondary phase segregates on the film surface.
Local interactions drive size dependent space competition between coral and crustose coralline algae

For many species, the outcome of competition for space in homogeneous habitats depends upon relative rates of growth and overgrowth. Size dependence in competition occurs when this balance shifts due to the growth of one or both species. For example, the ability of coral to compete with certain species of crustose coralline algae (CCA) may depend on whether coral colonies are large enough to avoid being overgrown. Spatially implicit models suggest size refuges from competition can improve the persistence of species with a vulnerable life stage. We use spatially explicit simulation models to explore size dependence in competition between coral and competitively dominant CCA in well lit habitat. We determine what conditions allow coral to use size refuges and whether refuges improve the recovery of coral after disturbance. Local interactions in explicit space prevent the maturation of coral into size refuges unless coral grows more rapidly than CCA or coral colonies are allowed to fuse, and mortality mechanisms can limit long-term persistence even if the refuge is achieved. We contrast results with analogous differential equation models, with and without an explicit maturation delay, to demonstrate how the predicted outcome of competition is frequently reversed when local interactions and individual-based dynamics are included in models of size-dependent competition.
Inhalation Toxicity of 1,6-Hexanediamine Dihydrochloride in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice

1,6-Hexanediamine (HDA) is a high production volume chemical which is used as an intermediate in the synthesis of paints, resins, inks, and textiles and as a corrosion inhibitor in lubricants. Two-and 13-week studies of the toxicity of the dihydrochloride salt of HDA (HDDC) were conducted in male and female Fischer 344/N rats and B6C3F 1 mice using whole-body inhalation exposure. Both species were evaluated for histopathologic and reproductive effects, and rats were examined for clinical chemistry and hematologic changes. In the 2-week inhalation studies, animals were exposed to 10–800 mg HDDC/m 3 , 6 hr per day. All rats, all female mice, and two of five male mice in the high-exposure group died before the end of the study. Surviving mice in this group had a dose-dependent depression in body weight gain. Clinical signs were primarily related to upper respiratory tract irritation and included dyspnea and nasal discharge in both species. Treatment-related histopathologic lesions included inflammation and necrosis of the laryngeal epithelium of both species and the tracheal epithelium of mice, as well as focal inflammation and ulceration of the respiratory and olfactory nasal mucosa. In the 13-week inhalation studies, animals were exposed to HDDC at concentrations of 1.6-160 mg/m 3 for 6 hr per day, 5 days per week. In addition to the base study groups, a supplemental group of rats at each exposure level was included to assess the effect of HDDC on reproduction. No treatment-related changes in organ weights or organto-body-weight ratios occurred in rats, and no treatment-related clinical signs or gross lesions were seen in either species. Chemical-related microscopic lesions were limited to the upper respiratory tract (larynx and nasal passages) in the two highest exposure groups and were similar in both species. These lesions included minimal to mild focal erosion, ulceration, inflammation, and hyperplasia of the laryngeal epithelium, in addition to degeneration of the olfactory and respiratory nasal epithelium. HDDC caused no significant changes in sperm morphology or vaginal cytology and no significant adverse effects on reproduction in rats or mice. Hematologic and clinical chemistry changes in rats were minor and sporadic and were not accompanied by related histologic findings. HDDC did not increase the frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes in mice. In summary, the toxicity of HDDC to rats and mice was a result of the irritant properties of the chemical, was limited primarily to the nasal passages and upper airways, and was consistent with the effects of other irritant chemicals administered by inhalation.
The Cathepsin B Death Pathway Contributes to TNF Plus IFN-γ-Mediated Human Endothelial Injury

Vascular endothelial cells are primary targets of cytokine-induced cell death leading to tissue injury. We previously reported that TNF in combination with LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, activates caspase-independent cell death initiated by cathepsin B (Cat B) in HUVEC. We report that TNF in the presence of IFN-gamma activates Cat B as well as a caspase death pathway in both HUVEC and human dermal microvascular endothelial cells, but only activates caspase-mediated death in HeLa cells and human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells. Like LY294002, IFN-gamma triggers Cat B release from lysosomes in HUVEC. Cat B-triggered death involves mitochondria, indicated by release of cytochrome c, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and inhibition of death by overexpressed Bcl-2. Cat B effects on mitochondria do not depend upon Bid cleavage. Unexpectedly, overexpression of a dominant negative mutated form of Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD), which blocks caspase activation by TNF, potentiates TNF activation of Cat B and cell death in HUVEC. Similarly, mutant Jurkat cells lacking FADD also show increased susceptibility to TNF-induced Cat B-dependent cell death. These observations suggest that the Cat B death pathway is cell type-specific and may contribute to cytokine-mediated human tissue injury and to the embryonic lethality of FADD gene disruption in mice.
Laser Flash Photolysis of Hydrogen Peroxide to Oxidize Protein Solvent-Accessible Residues on the Microsecond Timescale

Footprinting of proteins by hydroxyl radicals generated on the millisecond to minute timescales to probe protein surfaces suffers from the uncertainty that radical reactions cause the protein to unfold, exposing residues that are protected in the native protein. To circumvent this possibility, we developed a method using a 248 nm KrF excimer laser to cleave hydrogen peroxide at low concentrations (15 mM, 0. 04%), affording hydroxyl radicals that modify the protein in less than a microsecond. In the presence of a scavenger (20 mM glutamine), the radical lifetimes decrease to ∼1 microsecond, yet the reaction timescales are sufficient to provide significant oxidation of the protein. These times are arguably faster than super-secondary protein structure can unfold as a result of the modification. The radical formation step takes place in a nanoliter flow cell so that only one laser pulse irradiates each bolus of sample. The oxidation sites are located using standard analytical proteomics, requiring less than a nanomole of protein. We tested the method with apomyoglobin and observed modifications in accord with solvent accessibility data obtained from the crystal structure of holomyoglobin. Additionally, the results indicate that the F-helix is conformationally flexible in apomyoglobin, in accord with NMR results. We also find that the binding pocket is resistant to modifications, indicating that the protein pocket closes in the absence of the heme group—conclusions that cannot be drawn from current structural methods. When developed further, this method may enable the determination of protein-ligand interfaces, affinity constants, folding pathways, and regions of conformational flexibility.
An adaptive local-search algorithm for the channel-assignment problem (CAP)

The channel-assignment problem (CAP) for cellular radio networks is an NP-complete problem. Previous techniques for solving this problem have used graph-coloring algorithms, neural networks, simulated annealing, and pattern-based optimization procedures. We describe an efficient two-phase adaptive local-search algorithm for the channel-assignment problem. This algorithm has been applied to several existing benchmark problems with encouraging results. In many cases it outperforms the existing algorithms in the quality of the solution obtained. When used in conjunction with structured preprocessing, the algorithm can be applied to large networks. It is thus a practical tool for the planning of cellular radio networks.
Principles of Antibiotic Prescribing in the Elderly

Clinicians providing care to elderly patients must appreciate the subtle clinical manifestations that herald the onset of life-threatening infectious disease. Aged patients with an infection may have neither fever nor leucocytosis, making diagnosis challenging. Often, the early features of infectious disease are nonspecific and may resemble inflammatory or neoplastic processes, or there may be insufficient time to await definitive laboratory confirmation, and empirical antimicrobial treatment must be initiated. Aging involves inevitable deleterious alterations in biological processes and, in many elderly patients, this is most strongly characterised by diminished renal functional capacity. This has a major influence on antimicrobial prescribing in the elderly, because therapeutic efficacy must be achieved while minimising the risk of drug-related toxicity. Before prescribing an antibiotic to an aged patient with an infection, the clinician must be cognisant of the patient's drug allergy history and the other drugs that the patient is taking. Ignorance of potential drug-drug interactions can result in ineffective treatment or enhanced toxicity. The therapy of elderly patients with infections is being expanded. To reduce costs and enhance the efficiency of care, systems have been developed to provide antimicrobial care in the home and in long term care facilities. Home healthcare has burgeoned, and drugs that are well tolerated, have a broad spectrum of activity and are simple to administer (e.g. ceftriaxone and fluoroquinolones) appear to be eminently suitable for this therapeutic role. Physicians must also be informed of the factors responsible for the emergence of resistant bacteria that are contributing to infections in institutional and community settings. Clinicians should strive to curb inappropriate antibiotic use to stem the tide of infections that are caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Chinese Children Excel on Novel Mathematics Problems Even Before Elementary School

Kindergartners in China showed greater numerical knowledge than their age peers in the United States, not only when tested with arithmetic problems, which Chinese parents present to their children more often than U.S. parents do, but also when tested with number-line estimation problems, which were novel to the children in both countries. The Chinese kindergartners' number-line estimates were comparable to those of U.S. children 1 to 2 years more advanced in school. Individual differences in arithmetic and number-line-estimation performance were positively correlated within each country. These results indicate that performance differences between Chinese and U.S. children on both practiced and unpracticed mathematical tasks are substantial even before the children begin elementary school.
The geometry of neuronal recruitment

We address the question of whether or not a periodic train of excitatory synaptic inputs recruits an excitable cell, such that it fires repeatedly, or does not recruit a cell, such that it fails to fire, possibly after some transient. In particular, we study the scenarios of one or two inputs per period; in the latter case, the degree of synchrony of the inputs is a crucial factor in recruitment. We establish rigorous geometric conditions that pinpoint the transition between recruitment and non-recruitment as the degree of synchrony between input pairs, or other input parameters, is varied. These conditions can be used to determine whether a particular temporal relation between periodic input pairs leads to recruitment or not and to prove, in certain parameter regimes, that recruitment can only occur when the inputs are sufficiently closely synchronized. The concepts in this paper are derived for both the integrate-and-fire neuron and the theta neuron models. In the former, the location in phase space of the unique fixed point of a relevant two-dimensional map determines firing, while in the latter, it is the existence or lack of existence of a fixed point of the map which does so. These results are discussed in the context of recruitment of cells into localized activity patterns.
Integrating search and browse capabilities into file systems extended abstract - for a technology demonstration

This demonstration presents a file system with integrated indexing, search, and browse mechanisms, such that locating information is intuitive and easy. The standard file system API is used, thus existing applications don't have to be altered to use the new capabilities.
Parents served by assertive community treatment: prevalence, treatment services, and provider attitudes.

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is an evidence-based practice for individuals with severe mental illness. Although studies estimate at least half of all people with severe mental illness are parents, little is known about ACT policies and services for consumers who are parents. ACT providers from 67 teams completed a survey assessing policies for identifying parent consumers of ACT, estimated prevalence of parent consumers, available treatment services, and attitudes about parent consumers. Participants estimated that 18% of ACT consumers are parents. However, less than half of participants (47.8%) reported formally asking about parental status during intake and only 22.4% reported providing programs or services designed for parent consumers. Most participants (about 80%) reported negative or mixed attitudes about parenting with severe mental illness. Findings suggest the need for more attention and focus on parent consumers, including the formal identification of consumers’ parental status and availability of parent-related treatment services.
Higher Order Cochlea-Like Channelizing Filters

A design method is presented for contiguous-channel multiplexing filters with many channels covering a wide bandwidth. The circuit topology extends previous work on cochlea-like channelizers by introducing multiple resonator-channel filter sections. The new design provides increased stopband rejection, lower insertion loss, and improved passband shape compared with the earlier version while retaining a simple design method and a compact layout, and requires no post-fabrication tuning. Results of a three-pole ten-channel channelizer covering from 182 MHz to 1.13 GHz with 17.5% bandwidth channels and 1.1-dB insertion loss are presented, and agree well with theory. A discussion of the power handling of planar channelizers is also presented.
Putting J Chain Back on the Map: How Might Its Expression Define Plasma Cell Development?

Joining chain (J chain) is a small polypeptide that regulates multimerization of secretory IgM and IgA, the only two mammalian Igs capable of forming multimers. J chain also is required for poly-Ig receptor–mediated transport of these Ig classes across the mucosal epithelium. It is generally assumed that all plasma cells express J chain regardless of expressed isotype, despite the documented presence of J chain− plasma cells in mammals, specifically in all monomeric IgA-secreting cells and some IgG-secreting cells. Compared with most other immune molecules, J chain has not been studied extensively, in part because of technical limitations. Even the reported phenotype of the J chain–knockout mouse is often misunderstood or underappreciated. In this short review, we discuss J chain in light of the various proposed models of its expression and regulation, with an added focus on its evolutionary significance, as well as its expression in different B cell lineages/differentiation states.
Expression of a Novel Member of the Odorant-Binding Protein Gene Family in Culex nigripalpus (Diptera: Culicidae)

We previously showed that gene expression in the midgut of female Culex nigripalpus Theobald (Diptera: Culicidae) was altered after ingestion of a bloodmeal and some of the expressed cDNAs showed stage-, sex-, and tissue-specific expression. One of these expressed cDNAs, CN G11B, is here shown to be similar to members of a gene family that encodes odorant-binding proteins. CN G11B.1 is a cDNA fragment of 721 bp, is incomplete at the 5'-end, and contains a canonical polyadenylic acid tail signal sequence in the 103-bp 3'-untranslated region. Translation of CN G11B.1 provides a putative protein product of 207 amino acids. GenBank tblastx, VectorBase, and Pfam database searches showed identity to hypothetical proteins from Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus Say (86%) and Aedes aegypti (L.) (55%). These proteins have structural motifs similar to those found in the gene family that includes odorant-binding proteins. CN G11B.1 putative protein has two of the six cysteines that are highly conserved in most invertebrate odorant-binding proteins. CN G11B.1 expression increased in thoraces (6-12 h) and in abdomens (3-48 h) of blood fed female Cx. nigripalpus but was not detected in RNA from heads, indicating a possible role in both chemoreception and blood feeding.
Relation of the Vowel to the Movement of the Syllable

In popular phonetics the vowel is counted the core of the syllable and is often identified with the syllable. In general such a “sound” does constitute the bulk of the syllable in point of duration and is quite prominent as a matter of quality. So much so that Marage and Devaux-Charbonnel, reasoning from the prominence of the vowel in acoustic records, have counted the vowel the important item. A. G. Bell was surprised to find however, in dealing with the speech of mutes, that the vowel is far less important than the consonants. He found that with a vague indeterminate vowel substituted for all the vowels a reading may still be quite comprehensible. The Semitic languages betray this feeling that the vowel is incidental by writing only the consonants on the line, and marking the vowels, ad libitum, as mere “points.”
Use of α(3He, 3He)α in polarization studies☆

Abstract The 3 He polarization produced in α- 3 He elastic scattering in the center-of-mass energy range 7.5 to 9.0 MeV has been calculated from phase-shifts which fit recently-measured elastic scattering differential cross sections. The calculated polarization shows a broad plateau of 100% negative polarization with respect to incident energy and scattering angle. This suggests the use of this interaction as a source or analyser of 3 He polarization at medium energies.
Analysis of Total Factor Productivity in US Transit Systems

This paper addresses the performance of public transit systems. It uses the methodology of Obeng and Sakano (2000, 2002) to decompose total factor productivity (TFP) among its sources. The results show decline in TFP without an accounting for operating and capital subsidies and TFP growth when these subsidies are considered. The contributions of this paper are both methodological and in the empirical evidence it provides.
Internal Correlations and Stability of Polydots, Soft Conjugated Polymeric Nanoparticles

Conjugated polymers collapsed into long-lived highly luminescent nanoparticles, or polydots, have opened a new paradigm of tunable organic particles with an immense potential enhancing intracellula...
Present Situation and Development Countermeasures on Ecological Tourism of Chang Poling National Forest Park

The paper introduces tourism development situation of Chang Poling National Forest Park including the number of tourist,origin,sex,age and occupation of tourist and so on. Based on the analysis of existing problems such as unitary tour function,poor facilities,bull management,lack of human resources,low degree of product development,insufficient promotion efforts,the environment and national culture facing threat,the ecological tourism development countermeasures and suggestions e. g. revision of the overall planning,improving infrastructure,strengthening personnel training and industry management and so on have been put forward.
Fashion(s) from the Northwest Coast: Nuu-chah-nulth Design Iterations

Carved and painted onto wood, stone, bone, animal skins, or metal, or woven and knitted into cloth, the material culture from Northwest Coast Native peoples has historically been a one-of-a-kind iteration and a declaration of familial rights and privileges. These items have adorned public and private spaces, including the body, and were traditionally produced by hand. In recent years, some designs have been serialized and mass produced through new technologies such as silk screen and digital printing, adorning everything from coffee mugs to t-shirts, sunglasses, jewelry, and other garments (Roth 2012; Roth 2015). This chapter explores the history of Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations specifically and analyzes their distinctive aesthetics and design practice through the lens of fashion theory. The chapter concludes with a discussion of contemporary Nuu-chah-nulth designers and the circulation of their work. I ask: how does fashion operate within Nuu-chah-nulth social organization and how has ongoing colonialism and hybridization of prestige and capitalist economies transformed Nuu-chah-nulth fashion systems and design ideas? The findings discussed in this chapter draw from ongoing ethnographic research (beginning in October 2009) and archival- and museum-based research at both major and minor institutional repositories in the United States, Canada, Germany, and England.
A Comparison of High-Level Programming Choices for Incomplete Sparse Factorization Across Different Architectures

All many-core systems require fine-grained shared memory parallelism, however the most efficient way to extract such parallelism is far from trivial. Fine-grained parallel algorithms face various performance trade-offs related to tasking, accesses to global data-structures, and use of shared cache. While programming models provide high level abstractions, such as data and task parallelism, algorithmic choices still remain open on how to best implement irregular algorithms, such as sparse factorizations, while taking into account the trade-offs mentioned above. In this paper, we compare these performance trade-offs for task and data parallelism on different hardware architectures such as Intel Sandy Bridge, Intel Xeon Phi, and IBM Power8. We do this by comparing the scaling of a new task-parallel incomplete sparse Cholesky factorization called Tacho and a new data-parallel incomplete sparse LU factorization called Basker. Both solvers utilize Kokkos programming model and were developed within the ShyLU package of Trilinos. Using these two codes we demonstrate how high-level programming changes affect performance and overhead costs on multiple multi/many-core systems. We find that Kokkos is able to provide comparable performance with both parallel_for and task/futures on traditional x86 multicores. However, the choice of which high-level abstraction to use on many-core systems depends on both the architectures and input matrices.
Bump in the ether: a framework for securing sensitive user input

We present Bump in the Ether (BitE), an approach for preventing user-space malware from accessing sensitive user input and providing the user with additional confidence that her input is being delivered to the expected application. Rather than preventing malware from running or detecting already-running malware, we facilitate user input that bypasses common avenues of attack. User input traverses a trusted tunnel from the input device to the application. This trusted tunnel is implemented using a trusted mobile device working in tandem with a host platform capable of attesting to its current software state. Based on a received attestation, the mobile device verifies the integrity of the host platform and application, provides a trusted display through which the user selects the application to which her inputs should be directed, and encrypts those inputs so that only the expected application can decrypt them. We describe the design and implementation of BitE, with emphasis on both usability and security issues.
Structural Stability of Intelectin-1.

We study the structural stability of helical and nonhelical regions in chain A of human intelectin-1. Using a geometrical model introduced previously, we carried out a computational analysis based on the recently reported crystal structure of this protein by Kiessling et al. to quantify the resiliency of the native state to steric perturbations. Response to these perturbations is characterized by calculating, relative to the native state, the lateral, radial, and angular displacements of n-residue segments of the polypeptide chain centered on each residue. By quantifying the stability of the protein through six stages of unfolding, we are able to identify regions in chain A of intelectin-1 that are markedly affected by structural perturbations versus those that are relatively unaffected, the latter suggesting that the native-state geometry of these regions is essentially conserved. Importantly, residues in the vicinity of calcium ions comprise a conserved region, suggesting that Ca ions play a role not on...
A novel patient mobility and rehabilitation robot

This paper describes a novel Home Lift, Position, and Rehabilitation (HLPR) Chair, designed at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to provide independent patient mobility for indoor tasks, such as moving to and placing a person on a toilet or bed, and lift assistance for tasks, such as accessing kitchen or other tall shelves. These functionalities are currently out of reach of most wheelchair users. One of the design motivations of the HLPR Chair is to reduce back injury, typically, an important issue in the care of this group. The HLPR Chair is currently being extended to be an autonomous mobility device to assist cognition by route and trajectory planning. This paper describes the design of HLPR Chair, its control architecture, and algorithms for autonomous planning and control using its unique kinematics and concludes with an early version, commercialized HLPR Chair concept.
Perceptions of Empowerment of Participants within Youth Development Programs

Highlighted in this paper is a study designed to investigate perceptions of empowerment among young 4-H club members. Participants included 90 boys and girls (mean age 10.61). Perceptions of the autonomy supportive nature of 4-H leaders and the general climate of 4-H clubs were assessed. MANCOVA analyses revealed participants perceived 4-H leaders and the general climate to be empowering. Although the young participants in this study confirmed some of the positive views found elsewhere in the literature, considerable disparities in their responses to various surveys were noted. There appeared to be uncertainty or misunderstanding among youngsters when asked to respond to questions about these concepts. The need for more useful quantitative measures of programmatic impact was accentuated.
Systemic T-cell lymphoma

A 55-year-old man presents to his primary medical doctor with a 3 week history of fatigue, chills, and a ten pound unintentional weight loss. On examination, he is found to have several palpable nodes in his neck and right axilla. Excisional biopsy and workup including positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) confirms a diagnosis of peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-nos), International Prognostic Index score (IPI) =3, and modified Prognostic Index for T-cell lymphoma (mPIT) =2 (+ R pleural effusion, lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] 2x upper limit of normal [ULN], Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group [ECOG] 1, ki67 80%).
Histone deacetylases, microRNA and leptin crosstalk in pancreatic cancer

Because pancreatic cancer (PC) historically has had poor prognosis and five year survival rates, it has been intensely investigated. Analysis of PC incidence and biology has shown a link between different risk factors such as smoking, alcoholism, and obesity and disease progression. Important factors affecting PC include the epigenomic changes driven by DNA methylation and histone acetylation, and actions of microRNA inducing oncogenic or tumor suppressor effects. Studies have identified markers whose dysregulation seem to play important roles in PC progression. PC markers involve classical histone deacetylases (HDAC), PC stem cell (PCSC), and leptin. In this review, we discuss the role of several PC biomarkers, and the potential crosstalk between HDAC, microRNA, and leptin in PC progression. Dysregulated expression of these molecules can increase proliferation, survival, PCSC, resistance to chemotherapy and tumor angiogenesis. The potential relationships between these molecules are further analyzed using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and crosstalk pathways generated by the Pathway Studio Platform (Ariadne Genomics, Inc.). Oncogenic miRNA21 and tumor suppressor miRNA200 have been previously linked to leptin signaling. Preliminary analysis of PC biopsies and signaling crosstalk suggests that the main adipokine leptin could affect the expression of microRNA and HDAC in PC. Data analysis suggests that HDAC-microRNA-leptin signaling crosstalk may be a new target for PC therapy.
The Nature of Portuguese Cinema: Environment on the Silver Screen

This article analyzes the representation of nature in Portuguese cinema from the silent era to contemporary productions. I argue that cinematic depictions of the environment reflect the socio-economic and political changes Portugal went through in the past century. Early films showcased natural beauty, together with local traditions, and created what I define as a "domesticated natural sublime." Estado Novo filmography portrayed nature as a godlike entity that could both be the source of adversity and a loving, nurturing mother and presented authority figures as instantiations of this powerful force. Salazarist films also praised the countryside to the detriment of city life, a dichotomous view of the environment that continued in movies from the democratic period. In more recent work, we witness the development of an ecological consciousness, as films meditate upon the relation between humanity and the environment in late modernity.
Factors Associated With Failure of Adult Strabismus-20 Questionnaire Scores to Improve Following Strabismus Surgery.

Importance Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) typically improves following strabismus surgery. Nevertheless, for some patients, HRQOL does not improve, and reasons for this are unknown. Objective To identify factors associated with failure of adult strabismus–20 (AS-20) HRQOL scores to improve following strabismus surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective observational case series at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, comprising 276 adults, between July 2012 and August 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures Participants completed the AS-20 HRQOL questionnaire, diplopia questionnaire, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale–Revised (CESD-R) (depressive symptoms), and Type-D Scale 14 questionnaire (type-Distressed [type-D] personality) both preoperatively and 6 weeks postoperatively. To assess factors associated with failure of HRQOL to improve (no change or decrease in score), univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Each of the 4 AS-20 domains (self-perception, interactions, reading function, and general function) were analyzed separately including only patients able to improve at least by the magnitude of previously defined 95% limits of agreement. Factors assessed were age (at onset and at surgery), sex, number of previous surgeries, presence of visually obtrusive facial anomaly, visual acuity, preoperative and postoperative diplopia questionnaire scores, alignment (as a vector), presence of esotropia, presence of a vertical deviation, CESD-R scores, and type-D personality. Stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess factors associated with failure of AS-20 scores to improve for each domain. Results Of the 276 participants, the median age was 57 years (range, 18-91 years), 153 were women (55%), and 266 were white (96%). Failure to improve was associated with worse diplopia postoperatively on the self-perception (adjusted risk ratio [RR], 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.02), reading function (adjusted RR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03), and general function domains (adjusted RR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03). In addition, failure to improve on the self-perception domain was associated with type-D personality postoperatively (adjusted RR, 4.26; 95% CI, 1.90-9.57) and failure to improve on the interactions domain was associated with postoperative depressive symptoms (adjusted RR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.06) and coexisting visually obtrusive anomaly (adjusted RR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.04-4.32). Conclusions and Relevance Postoperative diplopia, depressive symptoms, type-D personality, and visually obtrusive facial anomalies were associated with failure of AS-20 scores to improve (remaining the same or worsening) following strabismus surgery. The association of nonstrabismus factors may have implications for patient treatment and is worthy of continued study.
Forgiveness as an educational goal with at-risk adolescents

An educational intervention using forgiveness as the goal was implemented with 10 at-risk adolescents attending an alternative school in a Midwestern city. The adolescents ranged in age from 15 to ...
When I Grow Up: The Relationship of "Science Learning Activation" to STEM Career Preferences.

This paper proposes three new measures of components STEM career preferences (affinity, certainty, and goal), and then explores which dimensions of science learning activation (fascination, values,...
Eosinophilic Myocarditis With Rapid Progression to Cardiogenic Shock, Managed With Mechanical Support and High-Dose Corticosteroids.

A 19-year-old woman with no significant medical history was admitted to the University of Vermont Medical Center with 3 weeks of abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, as well as 2 to 3 days of chest pain. Her only medication was oral contraceptives, which she had taken for the past 2 years. At presentation, her blood pressure was 97/78 mm Hg and heart rate 107 beats per minute and regular. Physical examination was remarkable for mild generalized pallor, diffuse abdominal tenderness, elevated jugular venous pressure, and a gallop rhythm. Laboratory results revealed a total white blood cell count count of 16.6 K/mm3 (Reference, 4.0-10.4 K/mm3), absolute eosinophil count of 8.52 (Reference, 0.03–0.61 K/mm3), troponin I of 9.99 (Reference, <0.034 ng/mL), and IgE of 241 (Reference, <158 IU/mL). Initial ECG revealed ST-segment elevation in leads I, II, III, aVF, and V4 through V6, ST depression in leads V1 through V3, and mild PR-segment depression (Figure 1A). A chest computed tomographic scan was negative for pulmonary embolism. Figure 1. ECG at presentation (A) and 2 week after recovery with medical therapy (B ). Within a few hours of admission, the patient’s condition deteriorated rapidly, with development of worsening hypotension and tachycardia (blood pressure, 86/42 mm Hg; heart rate 134 beats per minute). Echocardiography revealed a trivial pericardial effusion, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction of 30% to 35% with diffuse hypokinesis and marked thickening of the septum and posterior wall consistent with intramyocardial edema, and reduced LV cavity size (Figure 2A and 2B). Because of worsening hemodynamics, the patient was emergently transferred to the Tufts Medical …
“Operation Recreation: Adventure Challenge”: Teaching Programming through Problem-Based Learning Theory

We describe a semester-long teaching/learning approach employed in three recreation programming classes at the University of Utah that incorporated aspects of Problem-based Learning (PBL), theory-b...
Ultrasonic Imaging: Its Place in Medical Diagnosis with Respect to Radionuclide Scans and X-Ray Computed Tomographic Studies

In this paper we shall present the clinicians’ view point regarding the usefulness of ultrasonic images in making a diagnosis. The diagnostic information in an ultrasound image is compared to that present in images obtained through other modalities such as conventional radiography, x-ray planar tomography, x-ray computed tomography and radionuclide scans. Examples of situations which dictate the clinical use of one or other of these modalities, and the role played by ultrasound in making the diagnosis are presented. Areas of research which may improve the diagnostic information content and make ultrasound more competitive with x-ray computed tomography and radionuclide scans are discussed.
The Impact of Moral Intensity on Decision Making in a Business Context

The present paper reports the results of a vignette- and questionnaire-based research project investigating the influence of Moral Intensity (MI) on decision making in a New Zealand business context. The use of a relatively sensitive research design yielded results showing that – in contrast to previous research – objective manipulations, as well as subjective perceptions, of three of the six MI components were of particular importance in accounting for a comparatively large proportion of the variation in four outcome variables. There were no interactions of appreciable magnitude between MI components, or variations across scenarios. Also, no support was found for a reliable multi-dimensional structure of perceptions of Moral Intensity. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Frequency of actionable cancer predisposing germline mutations in patients with lung cancers.

1504Background: Most of the heritability for lung cancer, estimated at 18% in population studies, remains unexplained. Utilizing a tumor-normal screening, we determined the prevalence of clinically...
Inferring occupant ties: automated inference of occupant network structure in commercial buildings

To design and manage office buildings that are both energy-efficient and productive work environments, we need a better understanding of the relationship between building and occupant systems. Past data-driven building research has focused on energy efficiency and occupant comfort, but little work has used building sensor data to understand occupant organizational behavior and dynamics in buildings. In this initial work, we present a methodology for using distributed plug load energy consumption sensors to infer the social/organizational network of occupants (i.e., the relationships among occupants in a building). We demonstrate how plug load data can be used to model activities, and we introduce how statistical methods---in particular, the graphical lasso and the influence model---can be used to learn network structure from time-series activity data. We apply our method to a seven-person office environment in Northern California, and we compare the inferred networks to ground truth spatial, social, and organizational networks obtained through validated survey questions. In the end, a better understanding of how occupants organize and utilize spaces could enable more contextual control and co-optimization of building-human systems.