cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social Reinforcement of Environmentally Conscious Consumer Behavior at a Grocery Store Cooperative

Cooperative, natural grocery stores set themselves apart in many ways from the corporate, for-profit stores that are often seen as more mainstream in the United States. Created through local grassroots efforts, such cooperatives tend to support environmental efforts like local, sustainable and organic agriculture, and to offer environmentally friendly foods that are low on the food chain and/or contain little embodied energy. A feeling of belonging can be a powerful motivator to shop at the co-op, and even to join the organization. Such in-group experiences serve both to build and maintain relationships and to differentiate the cooperative from other grocery outlets, reinforcing the social preferences toward environmental conscious consumer behavior in such retail outlets. This qualitative study explores one local cooperative grocery store through a symbolic interactionism lens, asking whether and how community is built through shoppers’ verbal interactions with co-op staff. Ethnographic methods are used to highlight and explore shoppers’ interpretation of the “co-op” experience, and how that interpretation is communicated through social interaction. Themes found in the data indicate that both customers and staff see the community cooperative as not only a place to shopbut also as a place to interact with likeminded people, about topics and issues integral to their sense of identity, especially in the area of environmentally conscious consumer behavior.
ASHA 2007 Zemlin Memorial Award Lecture: The Neural Control of Speech

Abstract Speech production involves coordinated processing in many regions of the brain. To better understand these processes, our research team has designed, tested, and refined a neural network m...
Comparison of Clinical and Morphologic Cardiac Findings in Patients Having Cardiac Transplantation for Ischemic Cardiomyopathy, Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy, and Dilated Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

This article compares intergroup and intragroup clinical and morphologic findings in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (IC), idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC), and dilated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) undergoing cardiac transplantation (CT). Few previous publications have described findings in native hearts explanted at the time of CT. The explanted heart in 92 patients having CT was examined in uniform manner with particular attention to the sizes of the ventricular cavities and the presence of and extent of ventricular scarring. Of the 92 hearts examined, 47 had IC, 35 had IDC, and 10 had dilated HC. Although considerable degrees of intragroup variation occurred, the mean degree of left ventricular dilatation was similar among the patients with IC, IDC, and dilated HC. All patients with IC had left ventricular free wall scarring more extensive than that involving the ventricular septum, but the intragroup variation in the amounts of scarring was considerable. Nine of the 10 patients with dilated HC also had ventricular wall scarring, but it was more extensive in the ventricular septum than in the left ventricular free wall and involvement of the right ventricular wall also was present. Eight (23%) of the 35 IDC patients also had grossly visible ventricular scars but they were small and only 1 of the 8 had coronary narrowing and that was not in the distribution of the scarring. Narrowing of 1 or more epicardial coronary arteries >75% in cross-sectional area by plaque was present in all 47 IC patients, in 8 of the 35 IDC patients (7 had no ventricular scars), and in none of the 10 dilated HC patients. Coronary angiography was the major clinical tool allowing separation of the IC, IDC, and HC patients. Coronary angiography did not detect narrowing in any of the 8 patients with IDC who were found to have coronary narrowing on anatomic study. Thus, among patients with IC, IDC, and dilated HC having CT, distinctive anatomic features allow separation of patients with IC, IDC, and dilated HC, but within each group considerable variation in left ventricular cavity size and extent of ventricular scarring occurs.
Transient analysis of lossy coupled transmission lines using rational function approximations

An efficient and accurate approach for the transient analysis of lossy coupled transmission lines using rational function approximations for the line propagation function and characteristic admittance is reported. For lossy lines with constant parameters, the rational function approximations are computed by Pade approximation about infinite frequency. For lossy lines with frequency dependent loss, the rational approximations are obtained by nonlinear least square fit of the frequency data. >
Concept Inventing: A Process for Creating a Unitary Definition of Having Courage

Having courage is all-at-once inherent in being human and immeasurable. It is intertwined with what living is all about. This article discusses existing theoretical views of courage, provides examples of the importance of the phenomenon for health and quality of life, and presents a unique definition of having courage that emerged through the process of concept inventing—a multidimensional process of creating unitary concepts. The definition having courage is deliberate steadfast risking while creatively living the cherished with opportunities-restrictions is explored in relation to the human becoming theory, and suggestions for future research are made.
The Strategic Logic of Japanese Keiretsu, Main Banks and Cross-Shareholdings, Revisited

This paper introduces recent fundamental changes in Japan’s political economy, and analyzes how these have affected the country’s industrial architecture in terms of business group organization. Whereas previously, long-term, stable relations with other firms, banks and shareholders afforded great advantage to many companies, the new dynamic environment has led more and more banks and companies to turn away from stable “insurance” arrangements. The paper shows that a revision of corporate law towards more managerial flexibility paired with broader powers by shareholders matches this shift towards greater transparency, accountability, and competitive strategic positioning. Therefore, processes of corporate governance are also greatly altered. Our perceived wisdom of Japanese business organization needs to be updated.
The conductance of aqueous solutions of electrolytes

Abstract Since the Debye-Huckel theory clearly indicates, from thermodynamic considerations, that strong electrolytes are substantially completely dissociated in aqueous solutions, it has been necessary to replace, in the explanation of the conductances of such electrolytes, the Arrhenius theory, which assumes partial dissociation and constant ion mobilities, with a theory which provides for changing mobilities with increasing ion concentrations. To this end Debye and Huckel, and Onsager, suggest two mechanisms: the “electrophoretic effect” and “the time of relaxation effect,” both dependent upon interionic electrostatic attractions and repulsions. Experimental tests of Onsager's relations show that his equations account accurately, at least for very dilute solutions, for the changes with concentration of the conductances of solutions of electrolytes containing ions of widely differing mobilities and valencies. For higher concentrations semi-empirical equations are available. In contrast to the Arrhenius theory, the newer ideas call for changes in the transference numbers with the concentration, which have been found experimentally. Precision transference measurements have also furnished an experimental test of Kohlrausch's law of independent mobilities of ions. The theory of interionic attractions and repulsions is, in addition, of utility in dealing with the ionic part of solutions of weak electrolytes. By computing degrees of dissociation in a manner which allows for changing ion mobilities a test is obtained of the Debye-Huckel limiting relation connecting activity coefficients with ion concentrations.
Manipulating motion with light: Gradient force optomechanics in double-disk microcavities

Optical forces have been utilized in wide-ranging applications, from optical tweezing to laser cooling, for nearly forty years. Utilizing a double-microdisk nano-optomechanical system, we demonstrate coherent mechanical oscillation, highly efficient self-cooling, broadband wavelength routing, fast optical switching, and sensitive phonon detection in a simple, on-chip silicon-based platform.
Single-channel sinusoidally modulated visual-signal generator with variable temporal contrast

A novel technique is presented for sinusoidal temporal modulation of a light stimulus. The instrument consists of a linear polarizer, a quarter-wavelength retarder, and a rotating polarizer–analyzer. One advantage of using this technique over conventional single-channel polaroid techniques is that one can adjust the depth of modulation while maintaining a constant average intensity. Two separate and differing calculations are presented to show that the output is theoretically a pure sinusoid modulation in time, with a constant average intensity. Results of experimental verifications are included.
Return to Europa: Overview of the Jupiter Europa Orbiter mission

Missions to explore Europa have been imagined ever since the Voyager mission first suggested that Europa was geologically very young. Subsequently, Galileo supplied fascinating new insights into that satellite's secrets. The Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) would be the NASA-led portion of the Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM), an international mission with orbiters developed by NASA, ESA and possibly JAXA. JEO would address a very important subset of the complete EJSM science objectives and is designed to function alone or in conjunction with ESA's Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter (JGO).
Imaging mantle transition zone thickness with SdS-SS finite-frequency sensitivity kernels

SUMMARY We invert differential SdS-SS traveltime residuals measured from stacked waveforms and finitefrequency sensitivity kernels for topography on the 410- and 660-km discontinuities. This approach yields higher resolution images of transition zone thickness than previous stacking methods, which simply average/smooth over topographic features. Apparent structure measured using simple stacking is highly dependent upon the bin size of each stack. By inverting for discontinuity topography with a variety of bin sizes, we can more accurately calculate the true structure. The inverted transition zone model is similar to simple stack models with an average thickness of 242 km, but the lateral variations in thickness are larger in amplitude and smaller in scale. Fast seismic velocities in 3-D mantle models such as SB4L18 correlate with areas of thicker transition zone. The elongated curvilinear regions of thickened transition zone that occur near subduction zones are narrow and high amplitude, which suggests relatively little lateral spreading and warming of subducted lithosphere within the transition zone. The anomalously thin transition zone regions are laterally narrow, and not broadly continuous. If these variations in transition zone thickness are interpreted as thermal in nature, then this model suggests significant temperature variations on small lateral scales.
The predictive value of p16(INK4a) and hybrid capture 2 human papillomavirus testing for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

We performed p16 INK4a immunocytochemical analysis and Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2, Digene, Gaithersburg, MD) high-risk HPV testing on 210 abnormal SurePath (TriPath Imaging, Burlington, NC) Papanicolaou specimens diagnosed as low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL). The results were compared with 121 follow-up biopsy specimens. p16 INK4a was positive in 57.9% of women with LSIL compared with 97.1% of women with HSIL. In contrast, HC2 testing was positive in 85.0% of women with LSIL and 86.4% of women with HSIL. The differences in the positive rates for16 INK4a between LSIL and HSIL was significant (P < .001), whereas for HC2 it was not (P = .264). In patients who had cervical biopsies following a cytologic diagnosis of LSIL, the positive predictive value (PPV) of p16 INK4a for a biopsy of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or 3 (CIN2/3; 33%) was significantly higher than the PPV of HC2 results (21%) (P < .001). Using liquid-based cytology specimens, p16 INK4a immunocytochemical analysis has a higher PPV than reflex HC2 HPV testing for identifying CIN2/3 among patients with LSIL and might be useful for selecting patients with LSIL for
CMR and amyloid cardiomyopathy: are we getting closer to the biology?

In cardiac amyloidosis, myocardial tissue histology reveals among its salient features, the expansion of the extracellular space, the accumulation of amyloid protein, and collagen fiber deposition. At the cellular level, cytoplasmic vacuolization and decline of myofibrils are commonly seen in
Loop Diuretics in the Treatment of Hypertension

Loop diuretics are not recommended in current hypertension guidelines largely due to the lack of outcome data. Nevertheless, they have been shown to lower blood pressure and to offer potential advantages over thiazide-type diuretics. Torsemide offers advantages of longer duration of action and once daily dosing (vs. furosemide and bumetanide) and more reliable bioavailability (vs. furosemide). Studies show that the previously employed high doses of thiazide-type diuretics lower BP more than furosemide. Loop diuretics appear to have a preferable side effect profile (less hyponatremia, hypokalemia, and possibly less glucose intolerance). Studies comparing efficacy and side effect profiles of loop diuretics with the lower, currently widely prescribed, thiazide doses are needed. Research is needed to fill gaps in knowledge and common misconceptions about loop diuretic use in hypertension and to determine their rightful place in the antihypertensive arsenal.
Subsquamous intestinal metaplasia after ablation of Barrett's esophagus: frequency and importance.

Purpose of reviewThis article reviews reports on the prevalence of subsquamous intestinal metaplasia (SSIM) in patients with Barrett's esophagus, and the implications of SSIM in the neoplastic progression of Barrett's esophagus to esophageal adenocarcinoma.Recent findingsEndoscopic eradication thera
Nature inspires sensors to do more with less.

The world is filled with widely varying chemical, physical, and biological stimuli. Over millennia, organisms have refined their senses to cope with these diverse stimuli, becoming virtuosos in differentiating closely related antigens, handling extremes in concentration, resetting the spent sensing mechanisms, and processing the multiple data streams being generated. Nature successfully deals with both repeating and new stimuli, demonstrating great adaptability when confronted with the latter. Interestingly, nature accomplishes these feats using a fairly simple toolbox. The sensors community continues to draw inspiration from nature’s example: just look at the antibodies used as biosensor capture agents or the neural networks that process multivariate data streams. Indeed, many successful sensors have been built by simply mimicking natural systems. However, some of the most exciting breakthroughs occur when the community moves beyond mimicking nature and learns to use nature’s tools in innovative ways.
Correlation between subjective well-being and health status of rural residents

Objective To analyze the correlation between subjective well-being(SWB) and health status of rural residents.Method SWB was measured using the Day Reconstruction Method(DRM) and health status was measured through the EQ5D scales.Results 27% of investigated residents experienced an unhappy mood and felt unhappy in an average of 47% of their life.31.9% and 17.9% residents felt pain or discomfort and anxiety or depression.Conclusion Subjective well-being is positively related to health status.
Antagonists of EDRF attenuate acetylcholine-induced vasodilation in isolated hamster lungs

To evaluate the role of endothelium-dependent relaxing factor (EDRF) in acetylcholine- (ACh) induced vasodilation in the intact pulmonary circulation, we examined the effects of atropine and three EDRF antagonists that have been shown to be effective in vitro: nitro-L-arginine (NOARG), hemoglobin (Hb), and methylene blue (MB). We studied ACh-induced dilation after preconstriction with angiotensin II and prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) in hamster lungs perfused with Krebs solution containing Ficoll (4 g/dl) and indomethacin (10 microM). In the constricted lungs with no blockers, infusion of ACh (1 microM) decreased the constriction by 67%, and this effect was completely abolished by atropine pretreatment (1 microM). Treatment of hamster lungs with each of the three EDRF blockers, NOARG (30 microM), Hb (10 microM), and MB (250 microM), augmented the pressor responses to angiotensin II and PGF2 alpha. However, NOARG and MB inhibited the ACh-induced dilation by 49 and 60%, respectively, without affecting vasodilatory responses to isoproterenol, an agent that relaxes vascular smooth muscle independent of EDRF synthesis. In contrast, Hb significantly inhibited both ACh- and isoproterenol-induced vasodilations. Because all these EDRF antagonists attenuated ACh-induced vasodilation in intact hamster lungs, we conclude that EDRF plays a role in this response. Nonselective inhibitory effects of Hb in hamster lungs, however, suggest that mechanisms other than inhibition of EDRF by this agent are also involved.
Flail Mitral Leaflet

Flail mitral leaflet (FML) is a cause of mitral regurgitation, often in the context of myxomatous valve changes accompanied by chord rupture. Mitral regurgitation due to FML is reliably diagnosed by echocardiography, however there are specific auscultation features that help to identify this lesion. A holosystolic murmur with features of severe mitral regurgitation (MR), a grade 3 or 4, is often observed. Specific features include a decrescendo murmur with eccentric radiation, soft S1 and loss of click often associated with mitral valve prolapse. FML must be differentiated from other cardiac lesions such as aortic regurgitation, aortic stenosis, tricuspid regurgitation, Gallavardin Phenomenon, Ventricular Septal Defects and Corrected Transposition of Great Vessels. Management of mitral flail requires surgical intervention.
PET-Radioimmunodetection of Integrins: Imaging Acute Colitis Using a 64 Cu-Labeled Anti-β 7 Integrin Antibody

Integrins are involved in a wide range of cell interactions. Imaging their distribution using high-resolution noninvasive techniques that are directly translatable to the clinic can provide new insights into disease processes and presents the opportunity to directly monitor new therapies. In this chapter, we describe a protocol to image, the in vivo distribution of the integrin β(7), expressed by lymphocytes recruited to and retained by the inflamed gut, using a radiolabeled whole antibody. The antibody is purified, conjugated with a bifunctional chelator for labeling with a radiometal, labeled with the positron-emitting radionuclide (64)Cu, and injected into mice for microPET studies. Mice with DSS-induced colitis were found to have higher uptake of the (64)Cu-labeled antibody in the gut than control groups.
Performance bounds on cooperative radar and communication systems operation

A theoretical framework that embraces the competing objectives of cooperative radar-communication operations is proposed that engages the apparent trade-space in an optimal fashion. Specifically, minimization of a cooperative risk metric that extends the Neyman-Pearson criterion to include communication data rate is explored. Hence, establishing performance bounds for cooperative interaction. Ideal informed reception where simultaneous access to received data from both the radar and communication (comm.) system is shown to yield a structured covariance-based water-filling solution. Unlinked cooperation where codebooks, waveforms, and schedules are known by all, but received data is not relayed between radar and comm. conveys a complex tradespace dependent on the rate of information transmitted by the comm. system relative to the capacity of the radar-comm. data link.
Unanticipated Effects of New Drug Availability on Antiretroviral Durability: Implications for Comparative Effectiveness Research

Background. Durability of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy is associated with improved human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outcomes. Data on ARV regimen durability in recent years and clinical settings are lacking. Methods. This retrospective follow-up study included treatment-naive HIV-infected patients initiating ARV therapy between January 2007 and December 2012 in a university-affiliated HIV clinic in the Southeastern United States. Outcome of interest was durability (time to discontinuation) of the initial regimen. Durability was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. Cox proportional hazard analyses was used to evaluate the association among durability and sociodemographic, clinical, and regimen-level factors. Results. Overall, 546 patients were analyzed. Median durability of all regimens was 39.5 months (95% confidence interval, 34.1-44.4). Commonly prescribed regimens were emtricitabine and tenofovir with efavirenz (51%; median duration = 40.1 months) and with raltegravir (14%; 47.8 months). Overall, 67% of patients had an undetectable viral load at the time of regimen cessation. Discontinuation was less likely with an integrase strand transfer inhibitor (adjusted hazards ratio [aHR] = 0.35, P = .001) or protease inhibitor-based regimen (aHR = 0.45, P = .006) and more likely with a higher pill burden (aHR = 2.25, P = .003) and a later treatment era (aHR = 1.64, P < .001). Conclusions. Initial ARV regimen longevity declined in recent years contemporaneous with the availability of several new ARV drugs and combinations. Reduced durability mostly results from a preference for newly approved regimens rather than indicating failing therapy, as indicated by viral suppression observed in a majority of patients (67%) prior to regimen cessation. Durability is influenced by extrinsic factors including new drug availability and provider preference. Medication durability must be interpreted carefully in the context of a dynamic treatment landscape.
Research in Special Education

Unlike Frost, I was about to embark on a journey that had not one road less travelled in special education, but two. First, I was going to write my research report as a story using elements of ethnography. Second, I was going to use poetry to collect, analyse and report some of my data.
Constructing Dynamic Triangles Together: The Development of Mathematical Group Cognition

Rational thinking as exemplified in mathematical cognition is immensely important in the modern world. This book documents how a group of three eighth-grade girls developed specific group practices typical of such thinking in an online educational experience. A longitudinal case study tracks the team through eight hour-long sessions, following the students' meaning-making processes through their mutual chat responses preserved in computer logs coordinated with their geometric actions. The examination of data focuses on key areas of the team's development: its effective team collaboration, its productive mathematical discourse, its enacted use of dynamic-geometry tools, and its ability to identify and construct dynamic-geometry dependencies. This detailed study of group cognition serves as a paradigmatic example of computer-supported collaborative learning, incorporating a unique model of human-computer interaction analysis applied to the use of innovative educational technology. A valuable resource for researchers, instructors, and students alike, it offers concrete suggestions for improving educational practice.
Glucose Transporter 1-Dependent Glycolysis Is Increased during Aging-Related Lung Fibrosis, and Phloretin Inhibits Lung Fibrosis

Aging is associated with metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration. Aging contributes to common processes including metabolic dysfunction, DNA damage, and reactive oxygen species generation. Although glycolysis has been linked to cell growth and proliferation, the mechanisms by which the activation of glycolysis by aging regulates fibrogenesis in the lung remain unclear. The objective of this study was to determine if glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1)-induced glycolysis regulates age-dependent fibrogenesis of the lung. Mouse and human lung tissues were analyzed for GLUT1 and glycolytic markers using immunoblotting. Glycolytic function was measured using a Seahorse apparatus. To study the effect of GLUT1, genetic inhibition of GLUT1 was performed by short hairpin RNA transduction, and phloretin was used for pharmacologic inhibition of GLUT1. GLUT1-dependent glycolysis is activated in aged lung. Genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of GLUT1 suppressed the protein expression of α-smooth muscle actin, a key cytoskeletal component of activated fibroblasts, in mouse primary lung fibroblast cells. Moreover, we demonstrated that the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase, which is regulated by GLUT1-dependent glycolysis, represents a critical metabolic pathway for fibroblast activation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that phloretin, a potent inhibitor of GLUT1, significantly inhibited bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in vivo. These results suggest that GLUT1-dependent glycolysis regulates fibrogenesis in aged lung and that inhibition of GLUT1 provides a potential target of therapy of age-related lung fibrosis.
Abstract LB-327: Restoration of MYC-repressed miR-29 in pancreatic cancer cells leads to increased reactive oxygen species and gemcitabine sensitization

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) still remains to be one of the most highly malignant human diseases and is resistant to the majority of current therapeutic modalities. Oncogene MYC has been known to be upregulated in PDAC and plays a key role in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. In our previous work, we found the downregulation of miR-29 is a common phenomenon of PDAC, and its restored expression reduced cancer cell migration/invasive potential, anchorage independent growth, and sensitized them to gemcitabine. Furthermore, we showed that miR-29 blocks autophagy in cancer cells by targeting key autophagy related proteins. However, the mechanism associated with the loss of miR-29 in PDAC has yet to be elucidated. Here we demonstrate that MYC inhibits miR-29 expression in PDAC. MYC nuclear localization negatively correlates with miR-29 expression in various pancreatic cancer cell lines, and knockdown of MYC led to an increased expression of both primary miR-29a/b1 transcript and mature miR-29a. Furthermore, miR-29 overexpression in combination with gemcitabine led to decreased cancer cell viability and increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell death. Our findings show for the first time that MYC represses miR-29 in PDAC, and miR-29 sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine through increased intracellular ROS. Taken together our results, indicating the potential use of miR-29a as a novel therapeutic agent for PDAC. Citation Format: Jason J. Kwon, Kayla Quirin, Arafat Aljoufi, Amira Nafiseh, Janaiah Kota. Restoration of MYC-repressed miR-29 in pancreatic cancer cells leads to increased reactive oxygen species and gemcitabine sensitization [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-327. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-LB-327
Selection of Surrogate Bacteria for Use in Food Safety Challenge Studies: A Review.

ABSTRACT Nonpathogenic surrogate bacteria are prevalently used in a variety of food challenge studies in place of foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Clostridium botulinum because of safety and sanitary concerns. Surrogate bacteria should have growth characteristics and/or inactivation kinetics similar to those of target pathogens under given conditions in challenge studies. It is of great importance to carefully select and validate potential surrogate bacteria when verifying microbial inactivation processes. A validated surrogate responds similar to the targeted pathogen when tested for inactivation kinetics, growth parameters, or survivability under given conditions in agreement with appropriate statistical analyses. However, a considerable number of food studies involving putative surrogate bacteria lack convincing validation sources or adequate validation processes. Most of the validation information for surrogates in these studies is anecdotal...
Problems in the Definition and Classification of Medical Systems

Abstract The paper has two basic parts. The first deals with definitions and terms. Discussed are: uses and definition of “medical system”; the question of “pluralistic” medical systems; simple and complex medical systems; the problem of multisystemic configurations; “sympatric” and “allopatric” systems; dominant and variant medical systems; sub-systems and marginal systems; problems in the conceptualization and use of “professional”, “popular”, and “folk” medicine. Some new definitions and usages are proposed. The second part of the paper concentrates on attempts to type or classify medical systems. Geographic, healing-task, paradigmatic, world view, social structural, ecological, societal, and other typological bases are examined, and their relative advantages discussed. A summary of readily usable typological criteria is presented. Overall, the goal of the paper is to call into attention our rather uncritical abandonment to “common usage” of the definition and treatment of key concepts and terms relevant to the functional and comparative analysis of medical systems.
The absent subject of The World

Shijie (The World) has responded well to social and political readings because a complex structure supports a most weighty subject, absence. The pre-credit and credit scenes anticipate a search for...
Volumetric versus area-based density assessment: comparisons using automated quantitative measurements from a large screening cohort

Mammographic density is an established risk factor for breast cancer. However, area-based density (ABD) measured in 2D mammograms consider the projection, rather than the actual volume of dense tissue which may be an important limitation. With the increasing utilization of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) in screening, there’s an opportunity to routinely estimate volumetric breast density (VBD). In this study, we investigate associations between DBT-VBD and ABD extracted from standard-dose mammography (DM) and synthetic 2D digital mammography (sDM) increasingly replacing DM. We retrospectively analyzed bilateral imaging data from a random sample of 1000 women, acquired over a transitional period at our institution when all women had DBT, sDM and DM acquired as part of their routine breast screening. For each exam, ABD was measured in DM and sDM images with the publicly available “LIBRA” software, while DBT-VBD was measured using a previously validated, fully-automated computer algorithm. Spearman correlation (r) was used to compare VBD to ABD measurements. For each density measure, we also estimated the within woman intraclass correlation (ICC) and finally, to compare to clinical assessments, we performed analysis of variance (ANOVA) to evaluate the variation to the assigned clinical BI-RADS breast density category for each woman. DBT-VBD was moderately correlated to ABD from DM (r=0.70) and sDM (r=0.66). All density measures had strong bilateral symmetry (ICC = [0.85, 0.95]), but were significantly different across BI-RADS density categories (ANOVA, p<0.001). Our results contribute to further elaborating the clinical implications of breast density measures estimated with DBT which may better capture the volumetric amount of dense tissue within the breast than area-based measures and visual assessment.
Heterogeneity-aware approaches to optimizing performance of computing and communication tasks

As the domain of computing and communication systems grows, heterogeneity among computers and subnetworks employed for a task also increases. It is important to understand how heterogeneity affects performance of computing and communication tasks in order to optimally utilize heterogeneous resources. However, the effects of heterogeneity in heterogeneous computing and communication systems were either not taken into account explicitly or not thoroughly analyzed in the previous research work in this field. In this dissertation, effects of heterogeneity are analyzed, and heterogeneity-aware approaches are proposed for both computing and communication systems. In the computing system context, temporal heterogeneity refers to variation, along the time dimension, of computing power available for a task on a computer, and spatial heterogeneity represents the variation among computers. Effects of heterogeneity on the performance of a target task have been analyzed in terms of the mean and standard deviation of parallel execution time. The results reveal that, in minimizing the average parallel execution time of a target task on a spatially heterogeneous computing system, it is not optimal to distribute the target task linearly proportional to the average computing powers available on computers. Based on the analysis results, an approach to load balancing for minimizing the average parallel execution time of a target task is described. The proposed approach, of which validity has been verified through simulation, considers temporal and spatial heterogeneities in addition to the average computing power of each computer. In the communication system context, the concept of temporal and spatial heterogeneity in the available communication resource is applicable to various levels of a communication network. Effects of heterogeneity on the performance of individual messages in a heterogeneous communication systems are analyzed. A heterogeneity-aware approach to source rate control is proposed, which utilizes the heterogeneity information on the available bandwidth in a UDP-based protocol, to improve throughput, dropping rate, end-to-end delay, and real-time performance. Two main components of the heterogeneity aware source rate control scheme are a receiver side feature extractor and a sender-side adaptive rate controller. The feature extractor captures the dynamic features in the bandwidth heterogeneity, and the source rate controller utilizes the extracted features in the rate control. Performance of the proposed source rate control scheme has been analyzed in detail through an extensive simulation for the single and multiple path media streaming, and multiple HAA and/or TCP flows.
Ultrasonic Measurement of Pipe Thickness

The U.S. Navy requires periodic ultrasonic inspection (UT) of many of its piping systems. The inspections, which measure the wall thickness of the pipes, are performed to prevent failures due to corrosion[l], and to guide decisions regarding component life span/replacement. Often, the inspections are performed with digital thickness gages. These thickness gages perform their best when used on flat, smooth, parallel surfaces, and obviously, shipboard piping systems do not always meet these criteria. Typically, pipe diameters vary from less than one inch to greater than twelve inches. Many pipes have surface corrosion which can cause inaccurate measurements when using digital thickness gages. Additional measurement inaccuracies can result from pipes being in difficult to access locations. A case-in-point and motivation for this work is as follows:
Private Parties, Legislators, and the Government's Mantle: On Intervention and Article III Standing

This essay takes up questions regarding whether initiative proponents and legislators can defend a law in federal court when the government declines to defend. Looking first at intervention under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, I argue that neither has the cognizable interest needed to enter an ongoing lawsuit as a party. Yet even if they are allowed to intervene, these would-be defenders of state or federal law cannot take on the government’s mantle to satisfy Article III because the government’s standing derives from the risk to its enforcement powers, which is an interest that cannot be delegated to others. Nor can they make out any more than a desire to have the law enforced consistent with their views, which is the sort of generalized grievance the Supreme Court has long rejected as a basis for standing. Yet numerous courts have permitted intervention and accorded standing to these types of intervenors, including in the marriage cases before the Supreme Court in the 2012 term. We can understand this unduly generous approach as a part of a larger phenomenon at the crossroads of procedure and judicial legitimacy. In these high-vulnerability contexts, where courts are asked to decide the constitutionality of popular measures, legitimacy concerns, including what I term countermajoritarian anxiety and guilt, permeate procedural decisionmaking and, at times, override otherwise operative procedural constraints.
Finding the Noema

Edmund Husserl was notable for his insistence that the primary work of the philosopher was finding things. Most importantly, the philosopher has the task of finding the “things” that philosophers themselves talk about, in order to see if they really are as represented in philosophical discussions. The recommended flight to the “things themselves,” for which Husserl became famous, is precisely a flight originating from how those things had come to be represented. Once this flight is accomplished, we then have the task of clearing up terminology to fit things as they are. Only so can the intersubjectivity that characterizes scientific work be achieved. As we do our philosophical work we cannot be forever staring at essences. We want to think as well, and to interact with each other about our subject matter. Thus: In phenomenology, which aims to be nothing else than essence theory confined to pure intuition, we accordingly carry out direct intuitions of the essences given within samples of transcendentally pure consciousness, and we fix those intuitions conceptually, that is, terminologically. Science is possible only where results of thought are retainable in the form of knowledge and are available to further thinking in the form of a system of assertions: assertions which are intelligible as to logical sense, but can be actualized without the clarity of underlying presentations, and thus without insight and in the manner of the [mere] judgment.... To this end it is necessary that words and sentences which are identical be univocally tied to certain intuitively graspable essences that make up their ‘fulfilling sense.’1
A Gendered Perspective on Human Trafficking Perpetrators: Evidence from Russia

The dominant depiction of human trafficking is that of a violent man trafficking an innocent, subordinate female victim for sexual exploitation. However, this does not represent the diversity of th...
Equilibria of Pendant Droplets: Spatial Variation and Anisotropy of Surface Tension

An example of capillary phenomena commonly seen and often studied is a droplet of water hanging in air from a horizontal surface. A thin capillary surface interface between the liquid and gas develops tangential surface tension, which provides a balance of the internal and external pressures. The Young-Laplace equation has been historically used to establish the equilibrium geometry of the droplet, relating the pressure difference across the surface to the mean curvature of the surface and the surface tension, which is presumed constant and isotropic. The surface energy per unit area is often referred to as simply surface energy and is commonly considered equal to the surface tension. The relation between the surface energy and the surface tension can be established for axisymmetric droplets in a gravitational field by the application of the calculus of variations, minimizing the total potential energy. Here it is shown analytically and experimentally that, for conditions of constant volume of the droplet, equilibrium states exist with surface tensions less than the surface energy of the water-air interface. The surface tensions of the interface membrane vary with position and are anisotropic.
A low-cost, non-invasive phase velocity and length meter and controller for multiphase lab-in-a-tube devices

Opportunities for accessible microfluidic device integration have sharply grown with the rise of readily available lab-in-a-tube strategies. Herein, we present a facile, non-invasive, plug-and-play phase velocity and length measuring strategy for rapid deployment onto tube-based microfluidic systems, enabling quick and accurate residence (reaction) time measurement and tuning. Our approach utilizes inexpensive off-the-shelf optical phase sensors and requires no prior knowledge of the fluid composition or physical properties. Compared to camera-based measurements in fluoropolymer tubing, the optical phase sensor-based technique shows mean absolute percentage errors of 1.3% for velocity and 3.3% for length. Utilizing the developed multiphase flow monitoring technique, we screen the accessible parameter space of gas–liquid segmented flows. To further demonstrate the functionality of this process monitoring strategy, we implement two feedback controllers to establish simultaneous setpoint control for phase velocity and length. Next, to showcase the effectiveness and versatility of the developed multiphase flow process controller, we apply it to systematic studies of the effect of liquid slug velocity (controlling precursor mixing timescale) on the colloidal synthesis of cesium lead tribromide nanocrystals. By varying the liquid slug velocity and maintaining constant precursor composition, liquid slug length, and residence time, we observe a bandgap tunability from 2.43 eV (510 nm) to 2.52 eV (494 nm).
Insights from Reparameterized DINA and Beyond

The purpose of cognitive diagnosis is to obtain information about the set of skills or attributes that examinees have or do not have. A cognitive diagnostic model (CDM) attempts to extract this information from the pattern of responses of examinees to test items. A number of general CDMs have been proposed, such as the general diagnostic model (GDM; von Davier M, Brit J Math Stat Psychol 61:287–307, 2008), the generalized DINA model (GDINA; de la Torre J, Psychometrika 76:179–199, 2011), and the log-linear cognitive diagnostic model (LCDM; Henson RA, Templin JL, Willse JT, Psychometrika 74:191–210, 2009). These general models can be shown to include well-known models that are often used in cognitive diagnosis, such as the deterministic inputs noisy and gate model (DINA; Junker BW, Sijtsma K, Appl Psychol Meas 25:258–272, 2001), the deterministic inputs noise or gate model (DINO; Templin JL, Henson RA, Psychol Methods 11:287–305, 2006), the additive cognitive diagnosis model (ACDM; de la Torre J, Psychometrika 76:179–199, 2011), the linear logistic model (LLM; Maris E, Psychometrika 64:187–212, 1999), and the reduced reparameterized unified model (rRUM; Hartz SM, A Bayesian framework for the unified model for assessing cognitive abilities. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, 2002).
Generation of large-volume high-pressure plasma by spatiotemporal control of space charge

Any attempt to scale pressure and volume of nonthermal plasma usually leads to instabilities due to the formation of localized space charge. The control of the plasma is limited by the discharge ge...
An on-node scalable sparse incomplete LU factorization for a many-core iterative solver with Javelin

Abstract We present a scalable incomplete LU factorization to be used as a preconditioner for solving sparse linear systems with iterative methods in the package called Javelin. Javelin allows for improved parallel factorization on shared-memory many-core systems by packaging the coefficient matrix into a format that allows for high performance sparse matrix-vector multiplication and sparse triangular solves with minimal overheads. The framework achieves these goals by using a collection of traditional permutations, point-to-point thread synchronizations, tasking, and segmented prefix scans in a conventional compressed sparse row (CSR) format. Moreover, this framework stresses the importance of co-designing dependent tasks, such as sparse factorization and triangular solves, on highly-threaded architectures. We compare our method to the past distributed methods for incomplete factorization (Aztec) and current multithreaded packages (WSMP) in order to demonstrate the importance of having highly threaded factorizations on many-core systems. Using these changes, traditional fill-in and drop tolerance methods can be used, while still being able to have observed speedups of up to ~ 42 × on 68 Intel Knights Landing cores and ~ 12 × on 14 Intel Haswell cores. Moreover, this work provides insight into how the new data-structure impacts iteration counts, and provides insight into future improvements, such as point to GPUs.
Case Studies in Recent Research on the Book of Numbers (with Attention to Non-Western Scholarship):

Scholarship on the book of Numbers continues apace, even if there is not a famous commentary that everyone must always cite. Numbers figures especially prominently in recent work on Pentateuchal so...
Inductive transfer learning for molecular activity prediction: Next - Gen QSAR Models with MolPMoFiT

Deep neural networks can directly learn from chemical structures without extensive, user-driven selection of descriptors in order to predict molecular properties/activities with high reliability. But these approaches typically require large training sets to learn the endpoint-specific structural features and ensure reasonable prediction accuracy. Even though large datasets are becoming the new normal in drug discovery, especially when it comes to high-throughput screening or metabolomics datasets, one should also consider smaller datasets with challenging endpoints to model and forecast. Thus, it would be highly relevant to better utilize the tremendous compendium of unlabeled compounds from publicly-available datasets for improving the model performances for the user’s particular series of compounds. In this study, we propose the Molecular Prediction Model Fine-Tuning (MolPMoFiT) approach, an effective transfer learning method based on self-supervised pre-training + task-specific fine-tuning for QSPR/QSAR modeling. A large-scale molecular structure prediction model is pre-trained using one million unlabeled molecules from ChEMBL in a self-supervised learning manner, and can then be fine-tuned on various QSPR/QSAR tasks for smaller chemical datasets with specific endpoints. Herein, the method is evaluated on four benchmark datasets (lipophilicity, FreeSolv, HIV, and blood–brain barrier penetration). The results showed the method can achieve strong performances for all four datasets compared to other state-of-the-art machine learning modeling techniques reported in the literature so far.