cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Traveler's diarrhea

A variety of infectious enteric pathogens (bacterial, viral, and protozoal) can lead to a systemic diarrheal illness in international travelers traveling from industrialized countries to developing areas of the world. Many of the agents that lead to this syndrome have been identified, and their mode of transmission has been defined. Prophylactic measures are advisable, and effective treatment options are available. This article also discusses issues important in the management of patients who develop a chronic diarrheal illness after travel.
Daylight performance of a microstructured prismatic window film in deep open plan offices

Daylight redirecting systems with vertical windows have the potential to offset lighting energy use in deep perimeter zones. A microstructured prismatic film designed for such use was characterized using goniophotometric measurements and ray tracing simulations. The synthetically-generated bidirectional scattering distribution function (BSDF) data were shown to have good agreement with limited measured data for normal incident angles (0–60°). Measured data indicated that the prismatic film was most efficient when vertical angles of incidence were between 18 and 35° and within ±45° of normal incidence to the plane of the window so maximum energy savings across the full depth of the zone occurred over the equinox to winter solstice period. Annual lighting energy use and visual comfort in a deep open plan office zone were evaluated using the Radiance three-phase method in several climates and for south and east-facing window orientations. Lighting energy savings were 39–43% for a 12 m (40 ft) deep south-facing perimeter zone compared to the same zone with no lighting controls. The prismatic film with and without a diffuser controlled glare for views parallel to the window but produced glare for seated viewpoints looking toward the window. At mature market costs, the system was projected to have a simple payback of 2–6 years. Technical challenges encountered throughout the evaluation led to improvements in measurement and modeling tools and stressed the importance of having accurate input data for product development.
Protein secondary structure prediction using neural network and simulated annealing algorithm

Predicting the secondary structure of a protein (alpha-helix, beta-sheet, coil) is an important step towards elucidating its three dimensional structure, as well as its function. In this research we use a multilayer feed forward neural network for protein secondary structure prediction. The RS126 data set was used for training and testing the proposed neural network. We combined neural network and simulated annealing (SA) to further improve on the accuracy of protein secondary structure prediction. The results obtained show that by combining the neural network with SA technique improves the prediction accuracy in the range of 2-3%.
The Gravitational Wave Symphony of Structure Formation: Overview

This Focus Meeting was designed to lie at the scientific intersection of structure formation and gravitational wave studies. In broad-strokes terms, binary supermassive black holes (BSMBHs) and cosmic strings may both play a central role in shaping the Universe as we know it.
A 3D map of the hindlimb motor representation in the lumbar spinal cord in Sprague Dawley rats.

Objective. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological trauma with a prevalence of about 282 000 people living with an SCI in the United States in 2016. Advances in neuromodulatory devices hold promise for restoring function by incorporating the delivery of electrical current directly into the spinal cord grey matter via intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS). In such designs, detailed topographic maps of spinal cord outputs are needed to determine ISMS locations for eliciting hindlimb movements. The primary goal of the present study was to derive a topographic map of functional motor outputs in the lumbar spinal cord to hindlimb skeletal muscles as defined by ISMS in a rat model. Approach. Experiments were carried out in nine healthy, adult, male, Sprague Dawley rats. After a laminectomy of the T13-L1 vertebrae and removal of the dura mater, a four-shank, 16-channel microelectrode array was inserted along a 3D (200 µm) stimulation grid. Trains of three biphasic current pulses were used to determine evoked movements and electromyographic (EMG) activity. Via fine wire EMG electrodes, stimulus-triggered averaging (StTA) was used on rectified EMG data to determine response latency. Main results. Hindlimb movements were elicited at a median current intensity of 6 µA, and thresholds were significantly lower in ventrolateral sites. Movements typically consisted of whole leg, hip, knee, ankle, toe, and trunk movements. Hip movements dominated rostral to the T13 vertebral segment, knee movements were evoked at the T13-L1 vertebral junction, while ankle and digit movements were found near the rostral L1 vertebra. Whole leg movements spanned the entire rostrocaudal region explored, while trunk movements dominated medially. StTAs of EMG activity demonstrated a latency of ~4 ms. Significance. The derived motor map provides insight into the parameters needed for future neuromodulatory devices.
Abstract 993: The relationship between autophagy, senescence, and DNA repair

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Radiotherapy is used along with other modalities such as surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy to either shrink tumors before surgery or kill surviving tumor cells post surgery. Although radiation (and chemotherapy) induce different modes of cell death, recurrence of cancer may occur. It has been shown that DNA damage can induce cells to undergo both autophagy and senescence where both responses can function either as a pro-survival mechanism or in promoting loss of self-renewal capacity in the tumor cell. The relationship between autophagy, senescence, and the DNA repair system has not been well-characterized. The primary aims of this work were to understand whether autophagy and senescence might be permissive for DNA repair, thereby allowing the tumor cells to overcome the persistent DNA damage and recover using HCT116 WT and HCT116 Ligase IV (-/-) human colon carcinoma cells. Irradiation caused HCT116 Ligase IV (-/-) cells to lose their capacity to proliferate followed by delayed cell death, whereas HCT116 WT cells showed proliferative recovery 72 hours post-treatment, consistent with deficiencies in DNA repair in the Ligase IV (-/-) cells. Irradiation of both cell lines resulted in enlargement in cell size and accumulation of acidic vacuoles, indicative of the induction of autophagy. Inhibition of autophagy by Bafilomycin and Choroquine resulted in radio-sensitization in HCT116 WT cells but not in HCT116 Ligase IV (-/-) cells, indicating that radiation-induced autophagy in HCT116 WT cells is likely to be cytoprotective. Both repair competent HCT116 colon carcinoma cells and Ligase IV deficient cells demonstrated significant increases in senescent populations upon irradiation based on β-galactosidase staining and enlargement of treated cells. The PARP inhibitor, Olaparib, enhanced the efficacy of radiation through interference with DNA repair and the promotion of both autophagy and senescence but not apoptosis. Taken together, it appears that both autophagy and senescence may facilitate DNA repair during exposure to genotoxic stress, and that autophagy and senescence are closely linked responses in irradiated tumor cells. Citation Format: Moureq R. Alotaibi, Lawrence Povirk, Daivd Gewirtz. The relationship between autophagy, senescence, and DNA repair. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 993. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-993
Hope, coping skills, and the prefrontal cortex in alcohol use disorder recovery.

ABSTRACTBackground: Alcohol use disorders adversely affect individual and societal health. These disorders are a chronic brain disease, and protective factors against relapse should be studied. Prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction is evident in alcohol use disorders, and research that explores recovery of the PFC in alcohol use disorders is needed, specifically in regard to how psychological and behavioral factors can augment medicalized treatments and protect against relapse. For example, hope or a belief that recovery is possible is an important cognitive construct—thought to precede behavioral action—that has been associated with relapse. Objectives: In this study, associations between healthy coping skills and hope (psychological/behavioral factors) and PFC regional activation in response to alcohol cue exposure were examined. It was also examined whether such associations were unique to alcohol cues. Methods: Forty-two participants, 32 males and nine females in recovery from an alcohol use disorder (A...
Model-Driven Sparse CP Decomposition for Higher-Order Tensors

Given an input tensor, its CANDECOMP/PARAFAC decomposition (or CPD) is a low-rank representation. CPDs are of particular interest in data analysis and mining, especially when the data tensor is sparse and of higher order (dimension). This paper focuses on the central bottleneck of a CPD algorithm, which is evaluating a sequence of matricized tensor times Khatri-Rao products (MTTKRPs). To speed up the MTTKRP sequence, we propose a novel, adaptive tensor memoization algorithm, AdaTM. Besides removing redundant computations within the MTTKRP sequence, which potentially reduces its overall asymptotic complexity, our technique also allows a user to make a space-time tradeoff by automatically tuning algorithmic and machine parameters using a model-driven framework. Our method improves as the tensor order grows, making its performance more scalable for higher-order data problems. We show speedups of up to 8× and 820× on real sparse data tensors with orders as high as 85 over the SPLATT package and Tensor Toolbox library respectively; and on a full CPD algorithm (CP-ALS), AdaTM can be up to 8× faster than state-of-the-art method implemented in SPLATT.
Overview and Assessment of Algal Biofuels Production Technologies

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an overview and assessment of production technologies of algal biofuels. Algal growth in autotrophic production systems occurs through photosynthesis converting light energy into chemical energy. Open ponds and closed photobioreactor (PBR) systems are the two main types of autotrophic cultivation systems that have been investigated. Both types of systems have different advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, hybrid systems with features of both open pond and closed PBR systems have also been proposed. Heterotrophic growth of algae, using organic carbon substrates such as sugars, has been successfully demonstrated for production of algae biomass and other metabolites. Since the algae do not depend on photosynthesis during heterotrophic growth phase, algae can be cultured using standard industrial fermenters to high culture densities. With greater control of culture conditions, it is possible to obtain desired product profiles such as higher lipid content during heterotrophic growth. Higher cell densities also result in lower capital and operating costs. However, long-term sustainability of such systems needs to be evaluated carefully as production of organic carbon substrate such as sugars can be energy intensive and has similar limitations as first- and second-generation biofuels. Most of the proposed strategies to recover algae from the growth media such as centrifuges, screens, and bio/chemical flocculation are expensive or unreliable in a continuous large-scale operation. Although some of these processes are used in commercial production of Spiriluna, the economics of operations are different economics as it is sold as human food. Therefore, to produce biodiesel from algae, it is critical to use simple, reliable, and low-cost algae recovery processes. Suitability of a particular harvesting technology is critically dependent on the strain of the algae. Therefore, pilot-scale tests must be conducted before any decision regarding the optimum harvesting technology can be made.
Abstract 16280: Long-Term Outcomes of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Cirrhosis or End-Stage Liver Disease

Introduction: Patients with cirrhosis and coronary artery disease (CAD) are at high risk for surgical revascularization and are often referred for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). If not adequately revascularized, patients may be denied listing for liver transplantation. PCI in the cirrhotic population has inherent risks, including but not limited to bleeding and acute kidney injury (AKI) due to coagulopathies, cytopenias, varices, and dynamic renal perfusion. Data on long term outcomes of PCI in cirrhotics are lacking. Hypothesis: PCI in cirrhotics is associated with a high risk of long term complications. Methods: A single-institution retrospective cohort study was performed. Patients with angiographically significant CAD and cirrhosis were identified from a database of left heart catheterizations (LHC) in the University of Pennsylvania Health System between 1/1/2007-12/31/2015. Short and long term outcomes were obtained from the electronic medical record. Patients or families were contacted directly if they were lost to follow up. Results: There were 51 successful PCI events in 43 patients, and 34 LHCs in 27 patients identifying significant CAD ultimately treated with medical management alone. Eleven out of 43 patients in the PCI group were listed for liver transplant, of which 4 received transplant. Eight out of 27 in the medical management group were listed, of which 6 received transplant. Complete revascularization occurred in only 3 patients, but there were no peri-transplant cardiovascular events in either group. Overall PCI-related complication rates during up to 1 year of followup were high (53%), including major bleeding (32%) on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), post-PCI AKI (29%), and hematoma (4%). The medical management group had significantly fewer events (23% vs. 53%, p Conclusions: PCI in patients with cirrhosis is associated with a high risk of complications related to severity of liver disease and use of DAPT. Transplantation was successfully accomplished even in the absence of complete revascularization.
The Swiss Initiative

This chapter outlines the significance, main features, and actors around the Swiss initiative, which originated in principles of neutral humanitarianism. Regulatory efforts were antagonized and states’ interests eventually shaped the final legal tool, the Montreux Document. In perspective, policymakers tried to deal with the externality of non-state violence, a mix of both demand and supply sides; on the demand side, the abuses in the use of contractors led US policymakers to be involved in the Swiss process from the start, using it to inform their actions and US regulation; on the supply side, neutral states like Switzerland risked being used as a base for activities in foreign conflicts.
Fractal Financial Fluctuations

In the great depression of the 1930s the economist John Maynard Keynes wrote: ‘We have involved ourselves in a colossal muddle, having blundered in the control of a delicate machine, the workings of which we do not understand.’ In this century the very same machine is far bigger and much more delicate and we continue to struggle desperately to understand just how it works..
Managed Care and the Deprofessionalization of Medicine

Managed care is only one among a cluster of powerful influences that transformed the American medical profession over the last three-quarters of the 20th century. This study explores managed care’s impact on medicine’s sense of itself as a profession. The study begins by acknowledging the role of a number of other important developments, including anti-trust law, the law of informed consent, and the general socioeconomic transformation of the physician-patient relationship. Managed care is recognized as the culmination of these changes that have reshaped the profession of medicine. In the case of managed care, its intrusion is understood as in great measure the result of a failure honestly to face the tension between finite resources and unlimited concerns to expend funds to avoid suffering and death.
Data-driven simulation of a thermal comfort-based temperature set-point control with ASHRAE RP884

Abstract In the course of thermal comfort theory, researchers have been investigating both static thermal comfort and adaptive thermal comfort. Compared to static thermal comfort metrics such as predicted mean vote (PMV), adaptive thermal comfort emphasizes the interactions between occupants and indoor environment by collecting both environment-related and occupant-related data in real commercial buildings. Therefore, data-driven approaches to developing adaptive thermal comfort models have been well investigated and development of ASHRAE RP884 dataset can be seen as one of the milestones. Moreover, as thermal comfort is an occupant-centric concept for operation of HVAC system, well-developed thermal comfort model can be applied into HVAC control. Nowadays, reinforcement learning-based HVAC control has drawn much more attention in that the control system can learn by itself through the interactions between occupants and environment, which also aligns the concept of adaptive thermal comfort. Therefore, this paper mainly has two goals. The first is to develop a thermal comfort model with RP 884 of three major climate zones based on k-nearest neighbor (KNN), random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM). The second goal is to simulate a tabular Q-learning temperature set-point control system with the statistical thermal comfort model. The results have shown that the best recall of the statistical thermal comfort model is 49.3%, which outperforms that of PMV being 43% based on 7-point thermal sensation scale. In addition, the Q-learning based temperature control can indeed reach the comfortable temperature ranges for occupants with whatever initial temperature set-point.
Monitoring Progression of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ Using Photoacoustics and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound.

Abstract Breast cancer is the leading form of cancer in women, accounting for approximately 41,400 deaths in 2018. While a variety of risk factors have been identified, physical exercise has been linked to reducing both the risk and aggressiveness of breast cancer. Within breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a common finding. However, less than 25% of DCIS tumors actually progress into invasive breast cancer, resulting in overtreatment. This overtreatment is due to a lack of predictive precursors to assess aggressiveness and development of DCIS. We hypothesize that tissue oxygenation and perfusion measured by photoacoustic and contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, respectively, can predict DCIS aggressiveness. To test this, 20 FVB/NJ and 20 SV40Tag mice that genetically develop DCIS-like breast cancers were divided evenly into exercise and control groups and imaged over the course of 6 weeks. Tissue oxygenation was a predictive precursor to invasive breast cancer for FVB/NJ mice (P = 0.015) in the early stages of tumor development. Meanwhile, perfusion results were inconclusive (P > 0.2) as a marker for disease progression. Moreover, voluntary physical exercise resulted in lower weekly tumor growth and significantly improved median survival (P = 0.014).
Current status on securing pharmaceutical drug price information in Japan

Regulated markets such as Japan face challenges in balancing the value of pharmaceutical drugs and market dynamics, resulting in inappropriate business practices. This paper describes a currently i...
Identification of a hormone response element that mediates suppression of APOF by LXR and PPARα agonists.

Abstract Apolipoprotein F (ApoF) regulates cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity. We previously observed that hepatic APOF mRNA levels are decreased by high fat, cholesterol-enriched diets. Here we show in human liver C3A cells that APOF mRNA levels are reduced by agonists of LXR and PPARα nuclear receptors. This negative regulation requires co-incubation with the RXR agonist, retinoic acid. Bioinformatic analysis of the ~2 kb sequence upstream of the APOF promoter identified one potential LXR and 4 potential PPARα binding sites clustered between nucleotides −2007 and −1961. ChIP analysis confirmed agonist-dependent binding of LXRα, PPARα, and RXRα to this hormone response element complex (HREc). A luciferase reporter containing the 2 kb 5′ APOF sequence was negatively regulated by LXR and PPARα ligands as seen in cells. This regulation was maintained in constructs lacking the ~1700 nucleotides between the HREc and the APOF proximal promoter. Mutations of the HREc that disrupted LXRα and PPARα binding led to the loss of reporter construct inhibition by agonists of these nuclear receptors. siRNA knockdown studies showed that APOF gene regulation by LXRα or PPARα agonists did not require an interaction between these two nuclear receptors. Thus, APOF is subject to negative regulation by agonist-activated LXR or PPARα nuclear receptors binding to a regulatory element ~1900 bases 5′ to the APOF promoter. High fat, cholesterol-enriched diets likely reduce APOF gene expression via these receptors interacting at this regulatory site.
Building a Successful Academic Practice Using the Three A’s: Availability, Affability and Ability

Initiating a successful clinical practice has many elements, and most young surgeons are unaware of the existing structure for patient intake/communication in the clinical practices they join after training. Most academic centers have existing mechanisms for patient intake and outside physician referrals, which may be a central call center and/or practice-based methods of patient intake, such as staff within a division office. In the absence of existing mechanisms, resources such as these are sometimes established in the negotiating phase of recruitment and include aspects such as commitment of personnel, resources, and mentorship. In academic medicine, teamwork and a group practice mentality is essential, and successful groups are able to meld various talents to provide a unique culture with a central vision and mission. The core values of the practice, division, or department must align with newly recruited members to promote professional satisfaction and success for both the individual and the group.
Crowdsourcing the public’s perception of microsurgical and nonsurgical interventions for erectile dysfunction

Given the rise in conditions predisposing to erectile dysfunction (ED) such as prostate cancer, coronary artery disease, sleep apnea, and diabetes, addressing ED with both medical and surgical therapies is necessary. As such, it is necessary to quantify and assess the public’s perception of currently available nonsurgical interventions for ED in comparison with surgical treatments and outcomes. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted with random volunteers recruited through an Internet crowdsourcing service, Amazon Mechanical Turk© (Seattle, WA). Survey responses were crowdsourced to analyze the prevalence of erectile dysfunction across the US population and patient opinions regarding adverse outcomes of novel microsurgical treatment options for ED. Patient feelings towards existing surgical and nonsurgical treatment options, as well as microsurgical intervention, were also surveyed. Study participants on average rated phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) treatment for mild ED at 58.38, moderate ED at 48.62, and severe ED at 50.54. Furthermore, patients rated microsurgical intervention (VAS = 74.55) almost 20 points higher on the visual analog scale as compared with any other intervention. This demonstrated a significantly higher satisfaction with microsurgical intervention as opposed to PDE5i therapy (VAS = 52.51), vacuum erection device (VED) use (VAS = 39.77), or even surgical placement of a penile prosthesis (VAS = 54.82). Utility data indicates that many men undergoing nonsurgical therapy for ED are unhappy with their current medical treatment yet are willing to consider surgical interventions. As such, novel interventions must become more accessible to patients and presented as realistic options for their treatment. Level of evidence: Level III, not ratable.
Improved overall survival is still observed in patients receiving delayed adjuvant chemotherapy after pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Abstract Background Adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) is associated with improved survival following resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma but is frequently delayed or deferred due to perioperative complications or patient deconditioning. The aim of this study was to assess impact of delayed AC on overall survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic head adenocarcinoma. Methods Patients with stage I-III pancreatic head adenocarcinoma in the 2006–2015 National Cancer Database were grouped by timing of AC ( Results Of 13438 patients, 4552 (33.9%) received no AC, 2112 (15.7%) received AC Conclusions For patients with stage I-III pancreatic adenocarcinoma, receipt of AC is associated with improved overall survival, even if delayed up to 24-weeks.
Association of Sexual Health Interventions With Sexual Health Outcomes in Black Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance Black adolescents are at increased risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and experiencing unplanned pregnancy. Although sexual health interventions aimed at decreasing these risks exist, evidence of the association between sexual health interventions and the sexual behavior of black adolescents has not been synthesized to our knowledge. Objective To examine the associations between sexual health interventions and behavioral, biological, and psychological outcomes. Data Sources For this systematic review and meta-analysis, a systematic search was conducted of studies published through January 31, 2019, using the PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases and relevant review articles. The following key words were used:youth, adolesc* or teen*;sexual health or safe* sex or sexually transmitted disease or sexually transmitted infection or STD or STI or HIV or AIDS or pregnancy or reproductive health or condom* or contracept* or unprotected sex or abstinence;intervention or program or education or prevention or promotion or trial;latino* or latina* or latinx* or minorit* or ethnic* or hispanic or african american* or black* or race or racial or biracial. Study Selection Studies were included if they included a US-based sample of black adolescents, evaluated a sexual health intervention using experimental or quasi-experimental designs, included a behavioral outcome, and were published in English. Data Extraction and Synthesis Standardized mean differences and 95% CIs were extracted and meta-analyzed using random-effects models. Main Outcomes and Measures Behavioral outcomes were abstinence, condom use, and number of sex partners. Biological outcomes were pregnancy and STI contraction. Psychological outcomes were sexual health intentions, knowledge, and self-efficacy. Results Across 29 studies including 11 918 black adolescents (weighted mean age, 12.43 years), there was a significant weighted mean association of sexual health interventions with improvements in abstinence (Cohend = 0.14; 95% CI, 0.05-0.24) and condom use (Cohend = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.11-0.39). No significant mean association of these interventions with number of sex partners, pregnancy, or STI contraction was found. Sexual health interventions were significantly associated with improvements in psychological outcomes: sexual health intentions (Cohend = 0.17; 95% CI, 0.05-0.30), knowledge (Cohend = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.30-0.63), and self-efficacy (Cohend = 0.19; 95% CI, 0.09-0.28). Intervention effect sizes were consistent across factors, such as participant sex and age and intervention dose. Conclusions and Relevance The findings suggest that sexual health interventions are associated with improvements in sexual well-being among black adolescents. There appears to be a need for wide-scale dissemination of these programs to address racial disparities in sexual health across the US.
Numerical Simulation of the SVS 13 Microjet and Bow Shock Bubble

Numerical simulations of the SVS 13 microjet and bow shock bubble are performed using the WENO method that reproduces the main features and dynamics of data from the Keck Telescope/OSIRIS velocity-resolved integral field spectrograph: an expanding, cooler bow shock bubble, with the bubble center moving at approximately 50 km s−1 with a radial expansion velocity of 11 km s−1, surrounding the fast, hotter jet, which is propagating at 156 km s−1. Contact and bow shock waves are visible in the simulations both from the initial short jet pulse that creates the nearly spherical bow shock bubble and from the fast microjet, while a terminal Mach disk shock is visible near the tip of the continuous microjet, which reduces the velocity of the jet gas down to the flow velocity of the contact discontinuity at the leading edge of the jet. At 21.1 years after the launch of the initial bubble pulse, the jet has caught up with and penetrated almost all the way across the bow shock bubble of the slower initial pulse. At times later than about 22 years, the jet has penetrated through the bubble and thereafter begins to subsume its spherical form. Emission maps from the simulations of the jet—traced by the emission of the shock-excited 1.644 μm [Fe ii] line—and the bow shock bubble—traced in the lower excitation 2.122 μm H2 1–0 S(1) line—projected onto the plane of the sky are presented, and are in good agreement with the Keck observations.
Results on the multiresolution structure of Internet traffic traces

Internet traffic on a network link can be modeled as a stochastic process. After detecting and quantifying the properties of this process, using well known tools from statistics, as well as some variants, a series of mathematical models is developed, culminating to one which is able to generate ``traffic'' that exhibits --as a key feature-- different behavior in different time scales, similar to real traffic, and is moreover indistinguishable from real traffic by other statistical tests as well. Tools inspired from the models are then used to determine and calibrate the type of activity taking place in each of the time scales. The above procedure does not require any detailed information originating from either the network dynamics, or the decomposition of the total traffic into its constituent user connections, but rather only the compliance of these connections to very weak conditions.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Case Study: Safety Verification of an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle

This manuscript evaluates the safety of a neural network controller that seeks to ensure that an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) does not collide with a static object in its path. To achieve this, we utilize methods that can determine the exact output reachable set of all the UUV's components through the use of star-sets. The star-set is a computationally efficient set representation adept at characterizing large input spaces. It supports cheap and efficient computation of affine mapping operations and intersections with half-spaces. The system under consideration in this work represents a more complex system than Neural Network Control Systems (NNCS) previously considered in other works, and consists of a total of four components. Our experimental evaluation uses four different scenarios to show that our star-set based methods are scalable and can be efficiently used to analyze the safety of real-world cyber-physical systems (CPS).
A Whale of a Tale: Gaming Disorder and Spending and Their Associations With Ad Watching in Role-Playing and Loot-Box Gaming

Mobile games featuring the loot-box design are associated with gambling because of the uncertainty in the value of the purchase and the propensity for gamers to keep spending. Role-playing games (RPGs) have been associated with gaming disorders because of the addictiveness and immersion experienced by gamers. Advertisers have capitalized on this gaming trend by having gamers watch advertisements, often in return for earning in-game currency. In this study, we explored the intersection of role-playing and loot-box mobile gaming, in particular examining the association with gaming disorders and ad watching and the role of game spending. An online survey was conducted ( n = 595) in which we recruited participants who play four popular loot-box RPGs on their mobile devices. In line with previous research, we found similarities between these players and those with disordered gaming and an association with increased game and gaming involvement. We found that different spending habits based on gamer classifications have unexpected associations with the willingness of gamers to watch ads. Our results have implications for loot-box gamers, game designers, and advertisers, as we believe that addicted loot-box gamers, because of the association between loot-box games and gambling, may be experiencing a form of morbidity and that these gamers may be more susceptible to such addictions. Resume Les jeux mobiles comportant un coffre a butin sont associes a la pratique des jeux video en raison de l’incertitude liee a la valeur de l’achat, et la propension des joueurs a continuer de depenser. Les jeux de role ont ete lies au jeu compulsif en raison de la dependance et de l’immersion des joueurs. Les annonceurs profitent de cette tendance au jeu en forcant les joueurs a regarder frequemment des annonces afin d’obtenir de la monnaie du jeu en question. Cette recherche se penche sur le point d’intersection du jeu de role et du coffre a butin dans les jeux mobiles, et particulierement sur l’association a des troubles lies au jeu, a la visualisation d’annonces et au role des depenses en jeu. Un sondage en ligne a ete mene ( n = 595) en recrutant les participants parmi les personnes qui jouent sur leur appareil mobile a quatre jeux de role prises offrant un coffre a butin. Tout comme dans les recherches precedentes, nous avons constate des similarites avec le jeu compulsif et leur association a l’augmentation des jeux et de la pratique du jeu. Nous avons egalement constate que differentes habitudes de depenses fondees sur la classification des joueurs sont liees de maniere inattendue au consentement des joueurs a regarder des annonces. Nos resultats comportent des implications pour les joueurs de jeux offrant un coffre a butin, les developpeurs de jeux et les annonceurs, car nous sommes convaincus que les joueurs dependants qui jouent a des jeux offrant un coffre a butin pourraient souffrir d’une forme de morbidite, et qu’ils pourraient etre plus susceptibles a de telles dependances.
Language Revitalisation in Gaelic Scotland: Linguistic Practice and Ideology

Through their native languages, certain groups of people claim political, social, geographical, and ethnic identity and a legal base for their existence. Colonialism, however, has vanished minority spoken languages in many parts of the world. Additionally, despite claims of a “global village,” the advent of internationalization has further isolated indigenous languages in some parts of the world. Revitalizing and preventing those languages from dwindling from their spoken communities is crucial for scholars of linguistics, sociology, cultural studies, and education. Dunmore, in the book Language Revitalisation in Gaelic Scotland: Linguistic Practice and Ideology, offers profound perspectives on preventing the potential loss of Gaelic language in Scotland drawing from empirical research.
Learning to Value Stories: A Review of Narrative Inquiry

In the book Narrative Inquiry, Kathleen Wells (2011) provides a concise and helpful pocket guide regarding the narrative method for the student and researcher interested in garnering the basics of this qualitative approach. As a post graduate professor of models and methodological issues in qualitative research, and a researcher who is proficient in investigating phenomena related to social work with the narrative method, she draws on her expertise to provide the reader with a volume of memorable illustrations from scholarly writings which serve to be helpful for those not only in the field of social work, but the fields of psychological and counseling research as well.
Respiratory movements in fetal rhesus monkeys.

Abstract Fetal tracheal pressure was recorded continuously for prolonged periods in awake, restrained rhesus monkeys. Other parameters recorded included fetal blood pressure, heart rate, eye movements, and EEG. Fetal arterial blood samples were obtained intermittently for determination of pH and respiratory gas tensions. The observations spanned the interval from approximately 115 days' gestation until term. Changes in tracheal pressure representing a variety of respiratory movements were observed. Isolated and repetitive gasping movements exceeded 30 mm. Hg negative pressure. Rhythmic and rapid irregular breathing movements of lesser intensities were also recorded. These breathing movements occupied approximately two thirds of the time in the healthy fetuses. Somatic and eye movements were more frequent and the heart rate and blood pressure more irregular during the periods of respiratory activity than during the intervening quiet times. Fetal breathing movements disappeared during fetal stress and failed to develop in fetuses which did not exhibit normal pH and respiratory gas tensions following operation.
Tactic-based motion modeling and multi-sensor tracking

Tracking in essence consists of using sensory information combined with a motion model to estimate the position of a moving object. Tracking efficiency completely depends on the accuracy of the motion model and of the sensory information. For a vision sensor like a camera, the estimation is translated into a command to guide the camera where to look. In this paper, we contribute a method to achieve efficient tracking through using a tactic-based motion model, combined vision and infrared sensory information. We use a supervised learning technique to map the state being tracked to the commands that lead the camera to consistently track the object. We present the probabilistic algorithms in detail and present empirical results both in simulation experiment and from their effective execution in a Segway RMP robot.
Formal Syntax and Some Additional Features

The aims of this chapter are to introduce formal definitions of a number of concepts and also look at some of the more advanced features of Fortran 95, in particular: program units functions subroutines modules scope modules and scope public private rename optional arguments.
Export market decision making, cognitive competencies and export performance: an empirical investigation

This paper investigates experienced exporters’ use of foreign environmental information in decision making. It specifically examines the cognitive structure or “mental map” that export managers’ manifest when considering market alternatives in the international arena. Guided by past research and the procedure of logical partitioning, the authors first identify and propose a cognitive structure consisting of three levels of export market information, – including (1) primary environmental constructs, (2) secondary export concepts, and (3) specific export market decision variables. Findings indicate practicing, experienced export managers do manifest a distinct cognitive export information structure, and they consider information related to export market selection to be hierarchical in value when analyzing international markets. Results also indicate that exporters who manifest a proactive and systematic approach to export market decision making tend to have greater success in their exporting activities.
Connections to Polymers

The purpose of this chapter is to describe several issues relevant to polymers. One of the issues explained is how a timed-release medicine works. A medicine taken orally can often be gradually released in the body over a specified time interval by carefully designing the coating that encapsulates the medication. The thicker the coating, the longer the time required for the coating to dissolve in water and the slower the release of the medicine. The claim of an effective “twelve-hour medicine” is based on the precise combination of beads of medicine with prescribed thicknesses of polymeric coating to sustain the controlled release for an extended period of time. Thin coatings obviously dissolve quickly, while thicker layers take longer. Timed-release formulations using “microencapsulation technology” are also used for agricultural purposes, such as fertilizers and insect control..
Asynchronous Synthesis of RNA in Nucleoli of Root Meristem

During pulse incubations of onion roots with RNA precursors, incorporation into meristematic nucleoli is asynchronous for some, but not for all, cells. After a 30-minute labeling period, the "zero-class" is as large as 25 percent, and the asynchrony is intracellular rather than cellular. This suggests an individual specificity of nucleolar function in a population of differentiating cells.
Circadian rhythm and diurnal excursion of plasma cortisol in diabetic pregnant women

Abstract The effect of type I and II diabetes in pregnancy on the circadian rhythm and diurnal excursion of plasma cortisol was studied in the second and third trimesters and post partum. Cosignor analysis demonstrated persistence during gestation of the significant circadian rhythm of the nonpregnant state. As previously reported in control pregnancies, plasma cortisol levels (24-hour mean, nadir, peak, and nadir-peak excursion) increased during gestation while the relative excursion of cortisol (expressed as the percent deviation from the 24-hour mean) was blunted. No significant difference was found between diabetic groups or when diabetic groups were compared with control subjects. Nocturnal hypoglycemia was common among diabetic during pregnancy and post partum. Although these episodes were usually asymptomatic, the mean concomitant cortisol levels were increased over the corresponding cortisol levels of nonhypoglycemic diabetic and control subjects. We conclude that differences between control and type I and II diabetic subjects in carbohydrate tolerance or glycemic excursion are not explained by differences in cortisol levels or rhythm. The pregnancy-ssociated blunting of the excursion of cortisol is consistent with an autonomous source of adrenocorticotropin. Asymptomatic nocturnal hypoglycemia is common in insulin-equiring diabetic women and is associated with increased cortisol secretion.
Influences of solution subcooling, wall superheat and porous-layer coating on heat transfer in a horizontal-tube, falling-film heat exchanger

Abstract An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of solution subcooling and wall superheat on both sensible and evaporative heat transfer in a falling-film heat exchanger using both plain and porous-layer coated tubes. By varying the subcooling and wall superheat, it was seen that the portions of sensible and evaporative heat transfers could be controlled. Since the falling-film heat exchanger is limited by the coupled relationship between flooding of the upstream tubes and partial dry-out of the bottommost tubes, the ability to control this evaporation-to-sensible heat transfer ratio is important in system optimization. It was shown that sensible heat transfer can be promoted for the upstream tubes while evaporation heat transfer can be promoted for the downstream tubes. Since sensible heat transfer is enhanced by higher solution Reynolds number and therefore larger film thickness, flooding of the upstream tube rows is no longer detrimental.
Life in the Fast Lane: Effects of Early Grade Acceleration on High School and College Outcomes.

Research has repeatedly demonstrated the positive effects of acceleration for gifted and talented students. This study expands the literature by not only evaluating the impact of early grade skipping on high school and college outcomes but also examining the role of postacceleration opportunities on subsequent performance. Using a representative national sample, accelerated students were compared with older grade-level peers who had similar academic and demographic backgrounds. Results suggest that, on average, accelerated students consistently and significantly outperformed their nonaccelerated peers, both in high school and in college. Furthermore, postacceleration educational opportunities provided additional benefit; students who skipped a grade and also participated in challenging academic programs (e.g., Advanced Placement, high-ability instructional groups) demonstrated particularly high achievement. Results suggest that gifted learners profit most when acceleration is coupled with additional oppor...
Changes in ventricular septal thickness during diuretic therapy.

We report on changes in echocardiographic parameters of left ventricular muscle mass in 20 hypertensive patients during short-term therapy with hydrochlorothiazide. In the group as a whole, blood pressure fell, but septal thickness and posterior wall thickness did not change. Septal thickness decreased in nine patients, and in all of these patients calculated left ventricular cross-sectional area also decreased. Septal thickness did not change or increased in 11 patients and in only one of these patients did cross-sectional area increase. These increases in septal thickness usually were associated with decreases in left ventricular transverse dimension. We therefore conclude that the increases in left ventricular wall and septal thickness during diuretic therapy probably reflect an adaptive change of cardiac muscle tissue around a smaller left ventricle. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1982) 32, 283–288; doi:10.1038/clpt.1982.161
Assessing children's responses to pain

This study explored children's self-assessment of the pain experience. Using a 10 cm scale with the ends marked 'I have no pain' and 'I have very severe pain,' school-age children rated the severity of their pain. The pain scale responses were related to physiologic parameters; body, facial, and vocal indicators of pain; and word descriptors of pain while controlling for the effects of medications given. Both the magnitude of chi-square values and the measures of association supported the validity of the pain scale as an indicator of the pain level of school-age children.
Instructional Objectives in Community College Economic Education

As two-year colleges take on greater importance in higher education, and as it is probable that an increasingly larger percentage of students will get their introduction to college economics in these institutions, it becomes increasingly important for college and university economists to be informed about these schools. Dr. Phillips reports the results of a study to determine the extent to which instructional objectives are used in two-year colleges, along with other factual information on the teaching of economics. Finding (among other things) that more colleges reported giving objectives to students than reported using the objectives, the Phillips study suggests the possibility that there is some confusion as to what instructional objectives are and how they can be utilized. Certainly, further research in this field is warranted.
Numerical experiments on dual matrix algorithms for function minimization

In Ref. 2, four algorithms of dual matrices for function minimization were introduced. These algorithms are characterized by the simultaneous use of two matrices and by the property that the one-dimensional search for the optimal stepsize is not needed for convergence. For a quadratic function, these algorithms lead to the solution in at mostn+1 iterations, wheren is the number of variables in the function. Since the one-dimensional search is not needed, the total number of gradient evaluations for convergence is at mostn+2.