cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stopping Identity Theft

Each year, millions of consumers are victimized by identity theft—the practice of using the identity of another to obtain credit. After the identity thief defaults, lenders and credit bureaus attribute the default to the impersonated consumer. The article draws on the traditional loss allocation rules of the common law to suggest ways to reduce the incidence of identity theft. Lenders and credit bureaus do not at present have a sufficient incentive to avoid attributing the acts of identity thieves to consumers. The piece argues that consumers should have a claim against creditors and credit bureaus for including the transactions of identity thieves in reports on impersonated consumers. That would give the credit industry—the entity that can avoid the losses at the lowest cost—an incentive to take steps to prevent identity theft. Finally, the article briefly reviews current law and suggests some implications for public policy.
The in vivo antithrombogenicity of waxed surfaces.

The naturally occurring waxes possess rather marked in vivo antithrombogenic properties, which are related both to the material and the polishing process.
N-glycosylation of ICAM-2 is required for ICAM-2-mediated complete suppression of metastatic potential of SK-N-AS neuroblastoma cells

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are expressed ubiquitously. Each of the four families of CAMs is comprised of glycosylated, membrane-bound proteins that participate in multiple cellular processes including cell-cell communication, cell motility, inside-out and outside-in signaling, tumorigenesis, angiogenesis and metastasis. Intercellular adhesion molecule-2 (ICAM-2), a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily of CAMs, has six N-linked glycosylation sites at amino acids (asparagines) 47, 82, 105, 153, 178 and 187. Recently, we demonstrated a previously unknown function for ICAM-2 in tumor cells. We showed that ICAM-2 suppressed neuroblastoma cell motility and growth in soft agar, and induced a juxtamembrane distribution of F-actin in vitro. We also showed that ICAM-2 completely suppressed development of disseminated tumors in vivo in a murine model of metastatic NB. These effects of ICAM-2 on NB cell phenotype in vitro and in vivo depended on the interaction of ICAM-2 with the cytoskeletal linker protein α-actinin. Interestingly, ICAM-2 did not suppress subcutaneous growth of tumors in mice, suggesting that ICAM-2 affects the metastatic but not the tumorigenic potential of NB cells. The goal of the study presented here was to determine if the glycosylation status of ICAM-2 influenced its function in neuroblastoma cells. Because it is well documented that glycosylation facilitates essential steps in tumor progression and metastasis, we investigated whether the glycosylation status of ICAM-2 affected the phenotype of NB cells. We used site-directed mutagenesis to express hypo- or non-glycosylated variants of ICAM-2, by substituting alanine for asparagine at glycosylation sites, and compared the impact of each variant on NB cell motility, anchorage-independent growth, interaction with intracellular proteins, effect on F-actin distribution and metastatic potential in vivo. The in vitro and in vivo phenotypes of cells expressing glycosylation site variants differed from cells expressing fully-glycosylated ICAM-2 or no ICAM-2. Most striking was the finding that mice injected intravenously with NB cells expressing glycosylation site variants survived longer (P ≤ 0.002) than mice receiving SK-N-AS cells with undetectable ICAM-2. However, unlike fully-glycosylated ICAM-2, glycosylation site variants did not completely suppress disseminated tumor development. Reduced glycosylation of ICAM-2 significantly attenuated, but did not abolish, its ability to suppress metastatic properties of NB cells.
300-GHz-bandwidth network analysis using time-domain electro-optic sampling

The authors have demonstrated S-parameter measurements on simple passive circuit elements with 300-GHz bandwidth using an external-electrooptic, time-domain sampling technique. Clean, wideband input pulses were generated and transmitted to the device under test in a test fixture which integrated the optoelectronic signal source, the coplanar transmission lines, and the element to be measured on a monolithic low-permittivity substrate. A marked increase in the fidelity of short-electrical-pulse transmission, as evidenced by a 75% improvement of 3-dB bandwidth after 2 mm of propagation, was observed on a coplanar stripline supported by a quartz substrate when compared with a circuit fabricated on a GaAs substrate having permittivity approximately three times greater. The availability of this enhanced bandwidth has led to the demonstrated network analysis in the submillimeter-wave range using guided signals. >
Memory and prediction in natural gaze control

In addition to stimulus properties and task factors, memory is an important determinant of the allocation of attention and gaze in the natural world. One way that the role of memory is revealed is by predictive eye movements. Both smooth pursuit and saccadic eye movements demonstrate predictive effects based on previous experience. We have previously shown that unskilled subjects make highly accurate predictive saccades to the anticipated location of a ball prior to a bounce in a virtual racquetball setting. In this experiment, we examined this predictive behaviour. We asked whether the period after the bounce provides subjects with visual information about the ball trajectory that is used to programme the pursuit movement initiated when the ball passes through the fixation point. We occluded a 100 ms period of the ball's trajectory immediately after the bounce, and found very little effect on the subsequent pursuit movement. Subjects did not appear to modify their strategy to prolong the fixation. Neither were we able to find an effect on interception performance. Thus, it is possible that the occluded trajectory information is not critical for subsequent pursuit, and subjects may use an estimate of the ball's trajectory to programme pursuit. These results provide further support for the role of memory in eye movements.
Civic Immortality: The Problem of Civic Honor in Africa and the West

From Thomas Hobbes to Steven Pinker, it is often remarked that cultures of honor are destabilizing and especially dangerous to liberal institutions. This essay sharpens that criticism into two objections: one saying honor cultures encourage tyranny, and another accusing them of undermining rule of law. Since these concerns manifest differently in established as opposed to fledgling liberal democracies, I appeal to Western and African examples both to motivate and allay these worries. I contend that a culture of civic honor is perfectly capable of offering those with soaring ambitions all the civic distinction they could hope for—including civic immortality—without tempting them to seize undemocratic levels of power. And as for rule of law and public order, an “irrationally” defiant response to the indignity of state-sanctioned oppression has often animated citizens to resist illiberal regimes despite great peril. Thus, cultures of civic honor are not only compatible with, but sometimes necessary to, founding and maintaining liberal institutions.
Maternal Recognition of Pregnancy in Swine

Sexually mature female pigs have recurring estrous cycles of 18 to 21 days unless interrupted by pregnancy. Mating occurs during estrus (24 to 72 hr) and pregnancy lasts about 114 days.
Tics and Tourette’s Disorder

Tics are the most common movement disorder of childhood. Although tics as such are common in the child population, it remains the task of the clinician to determine when tics are likely to be self-limited, as in transient tic disorder, or part of a more progressive and debilitating syndrome. The tic spectrum of disorders including Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (TS) and chronic motor tic disorder have been described in the pediatric, psychiatric, and neurological literature. TS represents a diversity of clinical presentations, with a wide range of associated symptoms of varying severity, as well as comorbid psychiatric conditions. New themes in the TS literature include the impact of comorbidity on prognosis and treatment as well as an increasing focus on the genetic aspects and heritability of the disorder.
Reflection: Research by design: Design-based research and the higher degree research student

One of my first thoughts upon being asked to revisit this article (Kennedy-Clark, 2013) was to reflect upon how much research has been done on design-based research as a methodology. So, in this response, I will draw upon some of the main ideas that are coming from recent studies and consider this in the context of Higher Degree Research (HDR). When I was first introduced to design-based research, it was the methodological approach being used in a grant-funded research project at the Centre for Computer Supported Learning and Cognition (CoCo Lab) at the University of Sydney, Australia, where we were building an educational virtual world that was based on Harvard’s River City . At the time, most of the literature on design-based research was grounded firmly in the learning sciences and came from leading researchers in the field, such as Barab and Squire’s (2004) seminal text and from research groups such as the Design-Based Research Collective (2003).
Prevalence and Correlates of Heterosexual Anal Intercourse Among Men and Women, 20 U.S. Cities.

Heterosexual anal intercourse (HAI) is not an uncommon behavior and it confers a higher risk of HIV transmission than vaginal intercourse. We examined data from heterosexuals recruited in 20 US cities for the 2013 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system. We assessed correlates of reporting HAI in the previous year. Then, among people reporting HAI in the past year, we assessed what event-level factors are associated with having HAI at last sex. Thirty percent of women and 35 % of men reported HAI in the past year. Among people who had HAI in the past year, those who had HAI at last sex were more likely to have a partner who was HIV-positive or of unknown status or to have exchanged money or drugs for sex at last sex. Information that highlights the risk of HIV transmission associated with HAI would complement existing HIV prevention messages focused on heterosexuals in the U.S.
Transition-metal-centered monocyclic boron wheel clusters (M©Bn): a new class of aromatic borometallic compounds

Atomic clusters have intermediate properties between that of individual atoms and bulk solids, which provide fertile ground for the discovery of new molecules and novel chemical bonding. In addition, the study of small clusters can help researchers design better nanosystems with specific physical and chemical properties. From recent experimental and computational studies, we know that small boron clusters possess planar structures stabilized by electron delocalization both in the σ and π frameworks. An interesting boron cluster is B9–, which has a D8h molecular wheel structure with a single boron atom in the center of a B8 ring. This ring in the D8h-B9– cluster is connected by eight classical two-center, two-electron bonds. In contrast, the cluster’s central boron atom is bonded to the peripheral ring through three delocalized σ and three delocalized π bonds. This bonding structure gives the molecular wheel double aromaticity and high electronic stability. The unprecedented structure and bonding pattern i...
Nucleation and Defect Structures of GaAs Films Grown on Reactive Ion Etched Si Substrates

The nucleation and interfacial defect structure of thin GaAs films grown on reactive ion etched Si substrates by normal molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and modulated molecular beam epitaxy (MMBE) at 300°C were studied by plan view and high resolution cross-sectional electron microscopy (TEM). Plan view TEM micrographs show a pronounced three-dimensional (3-d) island type nucleation for the MBE grown sample. A high density of microtwins is also found in these nucleated islands from high resolution cross-sectional TEM micrographs. The 3-d nucleation and the interfacial twinning is suppressed however in the MMBE grown samples. The FWHM of the (400) Bragg peak for 3 μm thick GaAs on Si films shows a reduction of 60 arcseconds when the initial buffer layer is grown by MMBE as compared to normal MBE.
Reproductive Isolating Mechanisms in Fall Armyworm Host Strains (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Four potential reproductive isolating mechanisms were studied in two genetically differentiated host strains of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith. The strongest barrier to interstrain mating was temporal partitioning of mating activities throughout the night. The corn strain mated exclusively in the first two-thirds of the night whereas the rice strain mated in the last one-third. Mating preferences assessed by laboratory choice tests also indicated strong assortative mating. Females chose like-strain males 85% of the time. Captures of males responding to caged virgin females in the field provided little evidence of pheromonal differences: ≈40% of the males were attracted to females of the opposite strain. Finally, differences in seasonal abundance were observed. The corn strain achieves highest larval densities in spring and midsummer whereas the rice strain is most abundant in late summer and fall. Adult densities assessed with pheromone traps were consistent with larval densities for the rice strain but not for the corn strain. Very few corn strain males were captured despite high larval densities. These studies support the hypothesis that a combination of characteristics function together to inhibit interbreeding and, thus, provide evidence that supports species status of the two fall armyworm strains.
Faunal characteristics of rodent community in Haidong Area of Qinghai province

Objective To investigate the faunal characteristics of rodent community in Haidong area of Qinghai province. Methods The night trap method was used to determine the quantity of rodent populations at different habitats in this area as the basis for ecological analysis. Results A total of 427 rodents were captured in Haidong area, which belonged to 15 species, 6 families and 2 orders, including 82 rodents of 7 species in mixed conifer forests with a capture rate of 3.90%; 112 rodents of 6 species in forest edge scrubs with a capture rate of 4.53%; 77 rodents of 7 species in alpine shrubs with a capture rate of 3.35%; 95 rodents of 7 species in alpine grasslands with a capture rate of 2.94%; and 61 rodents of 9 species in residential farmlands with a capture rate of 2.60%. The highest biomass (35.95) of rodent community was observed in alpine grasslands, followed by that in forest edge scrubs (34.70) and lowest in alpine shrubs (21.59). The fatness of Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus peaked in residential farmlands at 5.18 and 4.05, respectively; the fatness of Cricetulus longicaudatus peaked in alpine grasslands at 3.80; and the fatness of Apodemus peninsulae peaked in forest edge scrubs at 2.97. The biomass and fatness of one species varied and diversified in characteristics at different habitats. Conclusion The faunal composition of rodent populations is complicated in Haidong area of Qinghai province. Upcoming anti-rodent work should be focused on reducing the density of predominant species and preventing the occurrence of rodent infestation.
State Supreme Court Majority Opinion Assignment

The factors that affect the assignment of the majority opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court have been examined many times. The extent of the focus on this topic reflects both the importance of the assignment decision (which can affect the nature of the Court’s policy pronouncements) and the scope of the theories that can be tested in that context. However, there are many theories that cannot be tested in this context due to the limited institutional and demographic variation on the Court. Given these limits, we examined the opinion assignment in a previously unexplored context: state courts of last resort. Among other things, we find that expertise, equity, race, gender, strategy, and judicial selection method have either direct or mediating effects on discretionary opinion assignment decisions.
Palladium-Catalyzed Allylic Amidation with N-Heterocycles via sp3 C–H Oxidation

An atom-economic direct intermolecular allylic amidation of electron-deficient tautomerizable N-heterocycles is reported via allylic C–H activation of terminal olefins with a PdCl2 catalyst. The reaction did not require any activators (base or Lewis acid) or external ligands and proceeded with high chemo- (N vs O), regio- (linear vs branched), and stereoselectivity (E vs Z) for a variety of N-heterocycles and terminal olefins. Mechanistic investigation and stoichiometric studies validate the sulfoxide-ligand-assisted allylic C–H bond cleavage to form a π-allylpalladium intermediate in the reaction pathway. Excellent selectivity was observed during intermolecular competition demonstrating the differential nucleophilicity of N-heterocycles and differential susceptibility of allyl C–H bond cleavage to form π-allylpalladium complexes directly from terminal olefins.
Implementation of an actor framework for a ground station

This paper describes an implementation for a ground station framework based on the actor model and software-defined radios (SDRs), allowing for a highly scalable system that can operate on low-cost receivers or scale to a collection of servers. The actor model defines a concurrent system where the individual unit of computation is the actor and communication between components is handled through a message passing interface. Pystation is an actor framework written in Python that implements a message-passing scheme where each actor has the ability to communicate with local actors or actors across a network. This paper describes some historical and background information on the actor model followed by details of its implementation and examples of use at a ground station. GNU Radio is utilized as the software for physical layer and signal processing, allowing for a highly robust and flexible ground station that can be altered without tedious hardware modifications. The purpose of this framework is to provide the software foundation to the Virginia Tech Ground Station (VTGS) in order to increase reliability and flexibility. The Virginia Tech Ground Station project is meant to serve as a ground station operations and communications sandbox for educational activities, such as student labs and space-based research projects.
Single- and dual-photon absorptiometry techniques for bone mineral analysis

This article on bone mineral analysis is the third of the 1986 continuing education series. After reading this paper, the reader should be able to: 1) state the clinical indications for single- and dual-photon absorptiometry studies; 2) discuss the principles of the instruments, the procedures used with patients, and the results; and 3) identifiy and correct technical pitfalls that may occur during bone mineral studies.
Why Should I Care About SOTL? The Professional Responsibilities of Post-Secondary Educators

Over the last decade, there has been tremendous growth in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) in post-secondary education. Yet, apart from a few significant exceptions, there has been very little discussion of the role this scholarship is to play in the professional activities of post-secondary educators. This essay defends the claim that as professional educators, all college professors have an ethical obligation to participate in SOTL. This participation entails both active research and scholarly review. On these grounds, SOTL is not an isolated slice of scholarly research; it is a necessary condition of post-secondary education.
Indicators of Charitable Contribution: Finding Profiles of Donors in the Community

Nonprofit groups are keenly interested in finding ways to better understand donor groups, to attract them to their causes, and to hold onto them into the future because about 83% of all gifts to charity in this country are given by individuals. The objectives of this research were to examine the possible relationships among actual charitable giving patterns, exclusive of church donations, and the types and numbers of types of typical classes of community activities/organizations with which these givers were involved. Further, potential refinement on the basis of age, income, gender and marital status was pursued. By analyzing demographic characteristics of financial contributors, a nonprofit organization can generate a donor profile to assist in identifying potential donors and design promotional efforts based on a more accurate knowledge and understanding of such donors in hopes of increasing its success in securing financial gifts from the individual sector of society.
Cultural foods education: an exploratory study of dietitians and Plan IV programs in California.

California dietitians require skills in working with the large ethnic populations in that state. Cultural foods education needs must be identified and evaluated so that they can be appropriately addressed in the nutrition and dietetics curriculums. Dietitians employed in California hospitals were surveyed to assess their cultural foods knowledge and determine cultural foods education needs. Demographic and opinion data were requested, and knowledge of the food habits of the six largest ethnic groups in the state was tested. California colleges and universities offering ADA Plan IV programs were sent questionnaires regarding the goals, content, and methodology of and the enrollment in cultural foods courses. Results of the dietitian survey (no. = 184; response rate 51%) showed a positive association (p less than .05) between the total score on the cultural foods knowledge test (average score = 62% correct) and completion of a college cultural foods course. Results of the Plan IV program survey (no. = 16; response rate 93%) indicate that 86% of the colleges and universities offer at least one cultural foods course. In 53% of those colleges and universities, Plan IV students are required to take such a course. Course content corresponds well to needs identified in the answers to the dietitian questionnaire. More emphasis on "ethnic food habits" and "disease and food habits" is recommended in the nutrition and dietetics curriculums.
Red Blood Cell Mechanical Fragility Test for Clinical Research Applications.

Red blood cell (RBC) susceptibility to mechanically induced hemolysis, or RBC mechanical fragility (MF), is an important parameter in the characterization of erythrocyte membrane health. The rocker bead test (RBT) and associated calculated mechanical fragility index (MFI) is a simple method for the assessment of RBC MF. Requiring a minimum of 15.5 mL of blood and necessitating adjustment of hematocrit (Ht) to a “standard” value (40%), the current RBT is not suitable for use in most studies involving human subjects. To address these limitations, we propose a 6.5 mL reduced volume RBT and corresponding modified MFI (MMFI) that does not require prior Ht adjustment. This new method was assessed for i) correlation to the existing text, ii) to quantify the effect of Ht on MFI, and iii) validation by reexamining the protective effect of plasma proteins on RBC MF. The reduced volume RBT strongly correlated (r = 0.941) with the established large volume RBT at matched Hts, and an equation was developed to calculate MMFI: a numerical estimation (R2 = 0.923) of MFI if performed with the reduced volume RBT at “standard” (40%) Ht. An inversely proportional relationship was found between plasma protein concentration and RBC MF using the MMFI-reduced volume method, supporting previous literature findings. The new reduced volume RBT and modified MFI will allow for the measurement of RBC MF in clinical and preclinical studies involving humans or small animals.
Developing Interprofessional Skills in a Clinical Engineering Program

Clinical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Technology academic programs should follow the current demands of their industry to become updated and competitive in order to train highly qualified professionals. Today, the role of clinical engineers is shifting from merely repairing and maintaining medical equipment to becoming the managers of the instrumental resources in their healthcare institution. This new approach to Clinical Engineering creates the need for technicians to possess a wide range of interprofessional skills. The Wilkes-Barre Campus of the Penn State University has been training Biomedical Engineering Technology professionals since 1967, constantly updating its program to ensure the quality of the graduates. This paper describes the different academic activities and approaches developed by the author since his incorporation into the program in 1996.
Computer Navigated Total Knee Arthroplasty: Rates of Adoption and Early Complications.

Abstract Background When new technologies are introduced, it is important to evaluate the rate of adoption and outcomes compared with preexisting technology. The purpose of this study was to determine the adoption rate of computer-assisted navigation in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), to determine if the short-term complication rate changed over time with navigation, and to compare short-term complication rates of navigated and traditional TKA. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used to identify 108,277 patients undergoing primary TKA between 2010 and 2014, of which 3573 cases (3.30%) were navigated. Rates of adoption of navigated TKA were determined. Differences in short-term complications by year were compared using propensity score matching. Results Navigation utilization decreased from 4.96% in 2010 to 3.06% in 2014. Blood transfusion rates for the entire cohort decreased from 19% in 2011 to 6% in 2014, and was not decreased with navigation compared with traditional TKA in 2014 ( P = .1309). Operative time was not increased by navigation, and average 94.2 minutes. There were no significant differences in all-cause complications, reoperation rate, unplanned readmission, or length of stay for any year. Conclusions There was a 38.3% decrease in TKA navigation utilization from 2010-2014. Blood transfusion rates decreased 68% over the 5-year study, and were not decreased with navigation in 2014. Navigation was not found to increase operative time. There were no significant differences in short-term complications, readmission rate, or length of stay between navigated and traditional TKA.
Topsoil Thickness Effects on Corn, Soybean, and Switchgrass Production on Claypan Soils

Diminished topsoil thickness, or depth to claypan (DTC), is a major cause of yield and profit depression in corn (Zea mays L.) and to a lesser extent in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production on claypan soils in the U.S. Midwest. Perennial grasses, such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), may be more resilient to reduced DTC than grain crops. Therefore, a study was conducted on a Missouri claypan soil to compare production and profitability of switchgrass grown for bioenergy to corn and soybean grain over varying DTC. Corn, soybean, and switchgrass yield were measured from 2009 to 2015 on plots constructed with DTC representative of those found on claypan landscapes. Yield, annual by-crop relative yield (RY), yield coefficient of variation (CV), and return to land and management (net return) were evaluated by year, within wet and dry year categories, and across all years. Results indicate that corn and soybean RY across years increased to a maximum of 82 and 79% at DTC of 32 and 21 cm, respectively. Switchgrass RY was unresponsive and averaged 72% across DTC. Corn, soybean, and switchgrass yield CV averaged 46, 35, and 17%, respectively. Corn and switchgrass net return increased with DTC to a maximum of US$386 and $134 ha–¹ at DTC of 31 and 32 cm, respectively, while soybean net return averaged $634 ha–¹ across DTC. In general, switchgrass yield was less variable than grain production across DTC, and switchgrass could compete economically with corn on shallow DTC (<3 cm).
Engaging Participation and Promoting Active Learning through Student Usage of the Internet To Create Notes for General Chemistry in Class

Reported here is a study of an interactive component to General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II where a new pedagogy for taking notes in class was developed. These notes, called key word created class notes, prompted students to locate information using the Internet guided by a key word. Reference Web sites were added to a next generation of key word creation class notes. It was shown through surveys that students felt it was easy to find the required information, and they felt confident that they located the correct information using the Internet. With the addition of the key word creation class notes, the number of students receiving grades of D or F, or withdrawing from the course, dropped 30.9%, which thus reduced attrition rates.
Overview of LHC Results and Prospects for Future Colliders

After the discovery of a particle compatible with the scalar boson of the SM, many fundamental questions remain. Searches performed at the LHC in Run-1 have not permitted to discover BSM physics, but a few deviations from the SM expectations have been observed with a low significance. These will require more data, collected in Run-2 or later, to be confirmed or invalidated. Next sections describe the status of the results of the CMS experiment after Run-1 and their projections in the coming runs, with particular emphasis on the scalar sector, as well as the prospects for the next collider experiments.
Using Historical Accounts (1796–1881) to Inform Contemporary Wildlife Management in the Yellowstone Area

Describing historic wildlife communities is important for evaluating changes in ecosystems through time and developing contemporary objectives for conservation and restoration. The early historical record in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has been analyzed many times using a small number of written accounts, with interpretations vigorously disputed among historians, scientists, and other stakeholders. We compiled a comprehensive narrative of thousands of first-hand accounts of wildlife in the ecosystem during 1796–1881, summarized them in a georeferenced relational database, and categorized and mapped output from queries to clarify conflicting past perceptions and gain insights for contemporary management issues. The historical record indicates large mammals such as bison (Bison bison), elk (Cervus elaphus), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), and wolves (Canis lupus) were present and widespread in present-day Yellowstone National Park and the larger ecosystem prior to Euro-American colonization. However, casual observations could not be used to estimate population sizes, relative abundances, seasonal movements and migration routes, or periods of occupancy with certainty. Despite these shortcomings, the approach was useful for informing contemporary management issues regarding wolf restoration, seasonal distributions of ungulates, and whether mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) were native to the Yellowstone area. Similar evaluations could be conducted elsewhere to clarify historic wildlife conditions and provide reference information for modern conservation decisions.
Pricing Problems under the Markov Chain Choice Model

We consider pricing problems when customers choose under the Markov chain choice model. In this choice model, a customer arriving into the system is interested in a certain product with a certain probability. Depending on the price charged for this product, the customer decides whether to purchase the product. If the customer purchases the product, then she leaves the system. Otherwise, the customer transitions to another product or to the no purchase option with certain transition probabilities. In this way, the customer transitions between the products until she purchases a product or reaches the no purchase option. We study three fundamental pricing problems under this choice model. First, for the monopolistic pricing problem, we show how to compute the optimal prices efficiently. Second, for the competitive pricing problem, we show that a Nash equilibrium exists, prove that Nash equilibrium prices are no larger than the prices computed by a central planner controlling all prices and characterize a Nash equilibrium that Pareto dominates all other Nash equilibria. Third, for the dynamic pricing problem with a single resource, we show that the optimal prices decrease as we have more resource capacity or as we get closer to the end of the selling horizon. We also consider a deterministic approximation formulated under the assumption that the demand for each product takes on its expected value. Although the objective function and constraints in this approximation do not have explicit expressions, we develop an equivalent reformulation with explicit expressions for the objective function and constraints.
Abstract 15060: Protein-Engineered Hydrogels for Improved Efficacy of Stem Cell-Based Injection Therapy in a Murine Model of Peripheral Arterial Disease

Introduction: Stem cell injection is a minimally invasive approach for treatment of cardiovascular diseases including peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which affects over 8 million patients in the...
Characterization of Polyimides and Polyamic Acids in Dilute Solution

A fundamental understanding of the structure of the cured polyimide and the precursor polyamic acid from the condensation of pyromellitic dianhydride and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylether has been obtained through the use of several dilute solution techniques on samples prepared and cured under controlled conditions. The results obtained by these methods are compared with similar measurements on commercially available materials. Measurement of the concentrated solution viscosity as a means to identify changes in the molecular weight of the precursor polyamic acid is found to be inadequate because of its sensitivity to changes unrelated to molecular weight, i.e., strong polymer-polymer interactions. In this study we have augmented the concentrated solution viscosities with both light scattering and dilute solution viscometry to separate molecular weight changes from other effects. Unusual behavior in both dilute solution viscosity and light scattering measurements is attributable to polyelectrolyte effects arising from base impurities. We have also been able to measure directly the weight average molecular weight of the cured polyimide by low angle light scattering in concentrated sulfuric acid, and compare these molecular weights with those of the uncured precursor. These results have demonstrated that little change in molecular weight or chain dimensions occurs on curing, i.e., no evidence of branching or cross-linking is observed for this system.
The Gauge-Gravity Duality and Heavy Ion Collisions

This chapter provides a review of two particular applications of the gauge-gravity duality to heavy ion collisions. The first involves a study of the wake of a quark as it travels through the quark gluon plasma and its possible connection to measurements of jet correlations carried out at the relativistic heavy ion collider at Brookhaven. The second section provides, via the gauge/gravity duality, a lower bound on the entropy produced in a collision of two energetic distributions. This is then compared to particle multiplicity in gold–gold collisions.
Arguing a Position from Text: The Influence of Graphic Themes on Schema Activation

In this study, the effects of the theme of a graphic and learner’s field independence were examined on the position the learners took on a controversial issue described in a passage. Participants first read the passage in the presence of one of three graphics designed to highlight themes underlying the passage content; then, they were tested for their level of field independence and asked to write an essay defending a position on the issue described in text. The text contrasted two sex education programs - safe sex versus abstinence. The results revealed that graphic themes influenced the strength of the arguments learners used to advance their position on the topic, in addition to the evidence they brought forth to support it. However the influence of the graphics was moderated by the degree to which learners were more field independent or dependent.
The Risk of Impingement With Sexual Activity in Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome Due to Cam Morphology: Shape Matters.

Background:Sexual difficulties and dysfunction are common in patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) secondary to hip pain and stiffness.Purpose:To determine the risk of impingem...
An Interview with Maria Vello: Chief Executive Officer of the Cyber Defence Alliance (CDA)

Maria Vello, CISSP, an international cybersecurity expert, is Chief Executive Officer of the Cyber Defence Alliance (CDA) located in London. The organization is a cyber-defense and anti-fraud group...
“Immortal Children of Undying Fame”: Preserving a Personal Legacy in Oscar Wilde’s “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.”

Oscar Wilde's short story “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.” is the story of a small group in search of the identity of the person to whom William Shakespeare famously (and enigmatically) dedicated his co...
The Future of Multi-Clouds: A Survey of Essential Architectural Elements

In this paper we present a vision of an environment composed of multiple independent cloud providers of various sizes, interconnected by programmable networks in which tenants may acquire resources from the providers and interconnect them together to serve a variety of distributed applications. Based on several years of working with GENI and NSF Cloud efforts in the US we present the essential elements of such an architecture and discuss their attributes. These elements perform functions that we claim are minimally necessary in order to realize a multi-cloud environment and include: provider and resource discovery services that rely on flexible, semantically rich description and query mechanisms, common meta-data services for maintaining information state of tenant resource allocations, and programmable interconnect mechanisms to create multi-provider Software-Defined Exchanges (SDXs) that allow tenants to control their connectivity using a declarative authorization logic.
Reply: A Quantitative Analysis of Online Plastic Surgeon Reviews for Abdominoplasty

BACKGROUND Online reviews increasingly influence patients' decision-making. This is the first systematic, quantitative analysis of online reviews for abdominoplasty. METHODS Reviews for abdominoplasty were sampled from RealSelf, Yelp, and Google for six major metropolitan areas. A standard social sciences framework known as grounded theory was used to evaluate factors affecting satisfaction. The relative importance of factors was quantified using odds ratios. RESULTS Seven hundred ninety-four reviews met inclusion criteria. There was significant geographic variation with respect to number of reviews (p < 0.01) and average rating (p = 0.014). The authors identified 10 statistically significant themes affecting satisfaction. Of these, aesthetic outcome was the most mentioned theme [n = 368 (46.3 percent)] and the most dominant driver of satisfaction. Interactions with staff had the second highest odds ratio, driven by the fact that all negative staff interactions led to negative reviews. Postoperative care had the next highest odds ratio, and was demonstrated to counteract the negative effects of poor surgical outcomes on satisfaction. The occurrence of a surgical complication and the cost of surgery were least associated with satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS This analysis is the first to use quantitative methods to identify dominant and nondominant factors affecting patient satisfaction in cosmetic surgery. The authors found that aesthetic outcome, staff interactions, and postoperative diligence were the most critical factors affecting satisfaction in abdominoplasty, whereas postoperative complications and cost were least important. Understanding the relative importance of factors may help to improve and protect one's online reputation.
AIDA: a social co-robot to uplift workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities

As an alternative to social co-robots, or collaborative robots, displacing workers in the workforce, social robots may, in the future, be used to augment workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and improve their work environments. We are developing AIDA, a co-robot to uplift and augment the abilities of workers who have IDD and work in a light manufacturing facility. This paper presents the design process for discovering the workers' needs and a description of our works-in-progress prototype social co-robot, AIDA, an artificially intelligent disability aide designed to function safely and securely alongside these workers.
“Dear Monsieur Administrator”: Student Writing and the Question of “Voice” in Senegal, 1890s–1910s

Using students’ examination papers and requests for admission or scholarships linked to three French colonial schools in Senegal, this chapter wrestles with the methodological challenges of locating voices of African children and youth in colonial archives and of interpreting the intent and impact of their written words. It emphasizes the significance of such student writing, while also recognizing the formal conventions, educator expectations, and power imbalances that shaped and constrained it. The chapter contends that, despite these and other limitations, the content, tropes, tone, and even form of student writing can reveal how certain young people positioned themselves vis-a-vis the colonial state, how they understood the people and communities most familiar to them, and how they strategized to meet their own needs.
Urolithin A induces prostate cancer cell death in p53-dependent and in p53-independent manner.

Pomegranate and walnuts are widely consumed dietary sources and contain several bioactive compounds, including the ellagitannins (ETs). ETs are polyphenols that are metabolized in the gut microbiota to urolithin A (UA). p53 is a tumor suppressor that lost its activity through MDM2 activation in about half cancers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of UA on the p53-MDM2 interaction pathway in prostate cancer cell lines. Three human prostate cancer cell lines were used that harbor different p53 genotypes; LNCaP (p53+/+), 22RV1(p53−/+) and PC3 (p53−/−). Cell viability was determined by CellTiter-Glo Luminescent assay. Apoptosis was confirmed by measuring annexin V by flow cytometry. The expression of p53, its target proteins, and apoptotic markers were measured by western blotting. Real-time qPCR was used to measure the gene expression of p21, a main target gene of p53. Co-immunoprecipitation–immunoblotting was used to assess the inhibition of interactions between p53 and MDM2 and to assess the effect of UA on MDM2-mediated p53 polyubiquitination. We found UA inhibited CaP cells’ viability and induced apoptosis. For 22RV1 and LNCaP, we found UA increased p53 protein expression and its main target protein, p21, and MDM2, forming an autoregulatory feedback loop. In addition, UA increased the p53 proapoptotic proteins PUMA and NOXA. Moreover, UA inhibited the interaction between p53 and MDM2 and inhibited MDM2-mediated p53 polyubiquitination. UA downregulated MDM2 and XIAP protein expression in PC3 cells and upregulated p21 and p14ARF in a p53-independent manner. The influencing of UA on p53-MDM2 pathway may partly contribute to its anticancer effect.
Implementation of a Payload Interface Unit for Agnostic Space Vehicles

An enabling technology platform, the Payload Interface Unit (PIU) is a simple, straight forward secure payload processor design that can service a variety of payloads and operate across virtually any orbit. The PIU design uses low-power electronics, low-mass structure and packaging, economical components and simple architecture to provide a highly capable interface unit. The PIU incorporates industry-standard digital interface(s) for both the payload and the Host Spacecraft and will be designed for standard spacecraft bus voltage. The PIU supports on-orbit operation in any Earth orbit, including Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit, Highly Elliptical Orbit, and Geostationary Earth Orbit. The PIU architecture is capable of both embedding the payload data into the Host Spacecraft command and telemetry stream, or a dedicated communication link. This paper describes the implementation of the PIU, opportunities for further efficiency gains, and potential future capability growth.
A Cognitive Analysis of Chinese Locative Phrase Zai + NP + Bian/Mian/Tou

In this study I primarily examine the three commonly used Chinese locative phrases zai + NP + bian/mian/tou (zai-construction) through corpus analysis. Previous studies (Lin in Studies in Language and Linguistics 30:67–70, 2010; Liu in A synchronic and diachronic exploration of the monosyllabic localizer li and the disyllabic localizers limian, litou, libian and the disyllabification effect of the localizers, 2011; Tian in Cognitive analysis about the meaning of libian, waibian, limian, waimian, litou, waitou, 2011) dealt with issues regarding different meanings and structures of these phrases but they failed to systematically investigate these three localizers from a cognitive perspective. My proposal in short is that in the zai-construction, when NP is a specific noun, the distribution of these three localizers (bian ‘side’, mian ‘surface’, tou ‘head’) is semantically restricted in some situations. In contrast, when NP is a combination of a noun and a localizer, there is no restriction on the distribution of these three localizers, etc.. In addition, the use of these localizers can somewhat show the conceptual metaphorical mappings (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980) and subjectivity (Traugott in Language 65:31–55, 1989) embodied in individual mind.
Three Lectures on “Fifty Years of KdV: An Integrable System”

The goal in the first two Coxeter lectures was to give an answer to the question $$\displaystyle \mbox{``What is an integrable system?''} $$ and to describe some of the tools that are available to identify and integrate such systems. The goal of the third lecture was to describe the role of integrable systems in certain numerical computations, particularly the computation of the eigenvalues of a random matrix. This paper closely follows these three Coxeter lectures, and is written in an informal style with an abbreviated list of references. Detailed and more extensive references are readily available on the web. The list of authors mentioned is not meant in any way to be a detailed historical account of the development of the field and I ask the reader for his’r indulgence on this score.