cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applied Behavior Change: A framework for behavior change interventions and research

Drug abuse is a worldwide problem, affecting lesser developed as well as developed countries. Demand in some developing countries, particularly those engaged in narcotics production and trafficking, is growing much more rapidly than in developed countries. For example, Colombia estimates that it has over 600,000 cocaine and/or coca paste abusers, while Peru claims about 138,000. In Bolivia, as many as 11% of youth, ages 12-15, may be habitual consumers of illicit drugs. In Pakistan, the estimated number of heroin addicts was 5000 in 1980; by 1986, it was 600,000, and numbers may now exceed a million. Thailand estimates 300-500,000 heroin addicts, nearly as many as the US (Drug Data). Specific problem drugs and abuse behaviors vary across countries and cultures, as do the responses of policymakers, health educators, and concerned communities. But the demand for prevention as well as control programs is increasing. As a result, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is becoming more involved in drug awareness and education programs as an element of its overall anti-narcotics program. In the Latin America and Caribbean region, 12 USAID Missions support drug awareness and education programs. In the Asia and Near East region, USAID has supported one regional and several bilateral programs. USAIDs prevention program encompasses objectives at three levels. First, awareness by developing country policymakers of the drug threat at home serves as a powerful motivator for policy actions essential to stemming drug production, processing, and trafficking; a major US policy objective. Secondly, well-designed programs of public education build grassroots support within developing countries for domestic drug control and prevention efforts. Thirdly, carefully targeted behavior change interventions prevent, delay, or reduce the substance abuse behaviors of high risk target groups in the participating developing countries, and therefore foster a partnership between US and developing country policymakers in the global struggle against drug abuse at all levels. This review will focus principally on the third objective, targeted behavior change interventions. The three levels of prevention represent three different behavioral challenges. Primary prevention focuses on at-risk populations prior to first trial of drugs.
Improving continuous-media playback performance with in-kernel data paths

Continuous media playback suffers when a station's operating system offers insufficient I/O throughput. Conventional I/O system structures support a memory-oriented read and write interface requiring the execution of user-level processes to facilitate playback, and can incur throughput degradation due to unnecessary data copies. The authors' splice mechanism supports a peer-to-peer model of I/O where a requesting application, can associate a data source with its corresponding data sink, allowing for system optimizations in the data path implementation. In an experiment designed to simulate remote video playback, they present measurements indicating that use of these techniques resulted in a 55% gain in throughput as compared with conventional systems. >
Follow the Money

Expanding the principles of the universal provision of telecommunications services to encompass elementary and secondary schools and libraries, lawmakers paved the way for the creation of the E-Rate program by passing the Telecommunications Act in 1996. The E-Rate program aims to bridge the digital divide in advanced telecommunications by offering services to eligible schools and libraries for educational purposes at discounted rates. Currently in its sixth cycle, the E-Rate program has provided nearly US$13 billion in discounts to eligible organizations. The program has inspired much controversy and criticism, yet studies provide evidence that the program is effectively helping to enhance the provision of services to traditionally disadvantaged communities. This study challenges these claims and presents empirical evidence that suggests E-Rate resources are not systematically allocated to underprivileged, rural states where funds would most effectively help to bridge the digital gap in access to telecommunications technologies.
Update: Key IT issues and trends

It seems that changes are rushing toward us at an accelerating rate. Most business analysts see a period of uncertainty ahead. So what will be the key issues and trends for IT in the immediate future—and beyond? © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
High-performance embedded computing for Conventional Matched-Field Processing

Advanced sonar algorithms with complex-wave propagation processing are of critical importance in the field of acoustic signal processing, as they possess the ability to localize signal sources more precisely in a cluttered environment. Conventional Matched-Field Processing (CMFP) is such an algorithm that provides range and depth results by employing environmental parameters. However, the enhancement of features is limited by the extensive computational and memory requirements of the algorithm even for a small problem size. High-performance computing, when applied to matched-field processing on a microprocessor-based distributed system, can provide solutions for this challenging problem in performance, scalability, and cost. Based on domain decomposition techniques, two parallel algorithms for matched-field processing are introduced in this paper for in-situ signal processing. Performance results collected on low-power distributed embedded systems are presented in terms of execution times and parallel efficiencies. The results of these analyses demonstrate that parallel in-situ processing holds the potential to meet the needs of matched-field processing in a scalable fashion.
A general synthesis of bis(n6−[2n]cyclophane)ruthenium(II) compounds

Abstract Hydride reduction of (n 6 -arene)(n 6 −[2 n ]cyclophane)ruthenium(II) compounds, followed by treatment with acid, gives (n 6 −[2 n ]cyclophane)ruthenium(II) solvates and thus provides a general synthesis for bis(n 6 −[2 n ]cyclophane)ruthenium(II) compounds.
Dispersal, vicariance, and timing of diversification in Nothonotus darters

The species diversity of North American freshwater fishes is unparalleled among temperate regions of the planet. This diversity is concentrated in the Central Highlands of eastern North America and this distribution pattern has inspired different models involving either dispersal or vicariance to explain the high species diversity of North American fishes. The most popular of these models is the Central Highlands vicariance hypothesis (CHVH), which proposes an ancient and diverse widespread fauna that existed across a previously continuous highland landscape that is much different from today. The mechanisms of isolation in the CHVH involve specific instances of vicariance that affected several diverse lineages of Central Highlands fishes. We tested predictions of the CHVH and alternative models using a cytochrome b-inferred phylogeny of the darter clade Nothonotus. A Bayesian mixed-model method was used for phylogenetic analysis. The phylogenetic data set included all 20 recognized Nothonotus species, and most species were represented with multiple sequences. We were able to convert genetic branch lengths to absolute age using external fossil calibrations in the freshwater perciform fish clade Centrarchidae. Using a well-resolved Nothonotus phylogeny and divergence time estimates, we identify equal numbers of instances of both vicariance and dispersal among disjunct regions of the Central Highlands, biogeographic pseudocongruence, rather recent speciation in Nothonotus, and a surprisingly large amount of speciation within highland areas. With regard to Nothonotus, previous Central Highlands biogeographic models offer little in the way of providing possible mechanisms responsible for diversification in the clade. Patterns of speciation in Nothonotus are similar to those discovered in recent efforts that have included speciation as a parameter into classic models of island biogeography.
Plant—animal interactions and climate: Why do yellow pine chipmunks (Tamias amoenus) and eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) have such different effects on plants?

Climate can shape the nature of plant-animal interactions. The yellow pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus), which occupies semi-arid pine forests of western North America, engages in mutualistic relationships with its food plants by dispersing seeds. These chipmunks scatter hoard seeds during spring, summer, and early autumn in soil; unrecovered seeds germinate in the spring. The eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) of eastern North America occupies mesic deciduous forests. These chipmunks primarily larder hoard seeds and nuts. Seeds in burrow larders cannot establish seedlings, so these chipmunks have not been documented to be involved in mutualistic plant-animal interactions. The differences in behaviour and the roles that these 2 species play in their communities appear to be caused by differences in precipitation. Scattered caches are more secure from pilferers in the dry western environment because olfaction is moisture dependent. In the more mesic eastern forests, scattered caches are quickly pilfered, causing chipmunks to store most food in larders, which they defend. Climate (i.e., amount of precipitation) also influences many other aspects of the ecology of these species, including home range size, the size and role of the home burrow, mode of foraging, and diet.
Bat Activity Increases with Barometric Pressure and Temperature during Autumn in Central Georgia

Abstract Activity patterns of bats are known to vary among nights, seasons, years, and geographic regions, but the underlying reasons for those patterns are poorly understood. Our objectives were to assess the temporal variability of bat activity during autumn in central Georgia, and to evaluate the influence of barometric pressure and nighttime temperature on nightly activity using Akaike's information criterion and regression models. We recorded 43,168 bat calls and 5839 sequences using an ANABAT SD2 detector during 65 sample nights (4 September to 11 November 2011) at a residence in Barnesville, GA. The number of sequences recorded nightly ranged from 3 to 551. Nightly bat activity was positively related to average nightly temperature and average nightly barometric pressure. In contrast to our expectations, bat activity was not related to changes in barometric pressure prior to or during sample nights. The positive relationship between bat activity, temperature, and barometric pressure may be related t...
The Inter-University Case Program: Challenging Orthodoxy, Training Public Servants, Creating Knowledge

The list of individuals who participated in the Inter-University Case Program (ICP) reads like a who’s who list of public administration titans. In one form or another, scholar-practitioners like D...
Near-infrared autofluorescence: its relationship to short-wavelength autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography in recessive stargardt disease.

Recessive Stargardt disease (STGD1) is a form of juvenile macular degeneration caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene.1 It is characterized by symptoms of progressive loss of central vision that typically occur in the first two decades of life.2–4 Several noninvasive imaging modalities are used for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression in STGD1. These include short-wavelength fundus autofluorescence (SW-AF), near infrared autofluorescence (NIR-AF), and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). The signal for SW-AF (488 nm excitation) is derived primarily from lipofuscin of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and in particular from its bisretinoid constituents,5,6 while NIR-AF (787 nm excitation), on the other hand, originates from melanin in the choroid and RPE.7 In patients with STGD1, SW- and NIR-AF imaging reveal areas of decreased autofluorescence or hypoautofluorescence (hypoAF), and areas of hyperautofluorescence (hyperAF) in the form of flecks and/or rings. However, there are differences in the extent and location of these areas of abnormal AF depending on whether SW- or NIR-AF is used. For example, the hypoAF area observed in the central macula of some patients is larger on NIR-AF than SW-AF.8,9 With SD-OCT it has been shown that the central hypoAF area is associated with loss of the ellipsoid zone (EZ) band and thinning or loss of the RPE;9–12 and in one study10 a high correlation between photoreceptor cell loss and the extent of SW-AF hypoAF was found. The aims of this study are to gain further insight into the disease process of STGD1 by comparing the pattern and extent of disease-related changes on NIR-AF and SW-AF to the structural abnormalities of the underlying retinal layers seen on SD-OCT volume scans.
Resurrection of a stem-cell funding barrier--Dickey-Wicker in court.

Embryo research was born political. Expressions of shock and surprise at the August 23 ruling of federal district court judge Royce Lamberth enjoining federal funding of stem-cell research — which was based largely on his reading of an amendment to an appropriations bill — are thus not terribly persuasive.1 The amendment, known as the Dickey–Wicker amendment, provides that no federal funds can be expended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for “(1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or (2) research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected . . .
Physical Studies of a Series of Main-Chain Liquid Crystalline Polymers With Long Soft Segment

A series of main-chain liquid crystalline polymers with long and polydisperse soft segments has been synthesized. The thermal properties of these polymers have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscopy and wide angle X-ray diffraction. Unexpectedly, these polymers have a strong tendency to form purely smectic mesophases. The degree of ordering of these polymeric mesophases is much higher than that of the mesophase formed by a low molecular weight model compound with the same mesogen. The soft segment length effects on thermal behavior of such segmented copolymers have been elucidated. A semi-quantitative theory has been formulated to interpret these observations. A phase diagram relating thermal properties to soft segment length has been proposed.
The epidemiology of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

• What are the main risk factors that have been associated with coronary heart disease?• What risk factor has always been found in population groups with epidemic coronary disease?• What is the risk of coronary heart disease in ex-smokers compared to smokers?• What explanation is there for epidemic hypercholesterolemia in a population?
An efficient timing analysis model for 6T FinFET SRAM using current-based method

Accurate timing analysis is a critical step in the design of VLSI circuits. In addition, nanoscale FinFET devices are emerging as the transistor of choice in 32nm CMOS technologies and beyond. This is due to their more effective channel control, higher ON/OFF current ratios, and lower energy consumption. In this paper, an efficient Current Source Model (CSM) is presented to calculate the output waveform as well as the read/write delay of 6T FinFET SRAM cells accounting for noisy waveform at each voltage node. In this model, the non-linear analytical methods and low-dimensional CSM lookup tables (LUTs) are combined to simultaneously achieve high modeling accuracy and time/space efficiency. Experimental data shows that our proposed framework not only provides accurate results in timing analysis, but also can capture the effect of arbitrary voltage noise.
Identifying the brain regions associated with acute spasticity in patients diagnosed with an ischemic stroke.

Spasticity is a common impairment found in patients that have been diagnosed with a stroke. Little is known about the pathophysiology of spasticity at the level of the brain. This retrospective stu...
Using linguistic summaries and concepts for understanding large data

We introduce the basic ideas of linguistic summaries. We describe the validation of the summary based upon the compatibility of the data and linguistic terms used in the summary. We next discuss the idea of concepts and describe how to build these concepts from an aggregation of constituent concepts. We discuss the role that hierarchies play in formulating rich concepts. We show how to include these concepts in linguistic summaries and in particular how to validate a summary that contains concepts. We look at the role of aggregation operators in the construction of the rich concepts. We explain how to build concepts using the OWA aggregation operator. Finally we discuss the use of the Choquet integral as means of building rich concepts.
Surface-plasmon-polariton-assisted dissipative backaction cooling and amplification

We evaluate a method, based on the near-field properties of surface-plasmon polaritons, to significantly enhance the dissipative optomechanical backaction mechanism. Although the large momentum of the surface-plasmon-polariton modes leads to the enhanced sensitivity of the scattering to the mechanical displacement, the overall efficiency will not improve unless an optical antenna efficiently couples the plasmonic modes to the far field. The predicted improvements in both efficiency and bandwidth make this approach uniquely suitable for many new applications.
Biomechanical Evaluation of a Growth-Friendly Rod Construct.

Abstract Background Distraction-type rods mechanically stabilize the thorax and improve lung growth and function by applying distraction forces at the rib, spine, pelvis, or a combination of locations. However, the amount of stability the rods provide and the amount the thorax needs is unknown. Methods Five freshly frozen and thawed cadaveric thoracic spine specimens were tested for lateral bending, flexion/extension, and axial rotation in displacement control (1°/sec) to a load limit of ±5 Nm for five cycles after which a growth-friendly unilateral rod was placed in a simulated rib-to-lumbar attachment along the right side. The specimens were tested again in the same modes of bending. From the seven Optotrak Orthopedic Research Pin markers (Northern Digital Inc., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) inserted into the top potting to denote T1, and the right pedicles at T2, T4, T5, T8, T9, and T11 and the Standard Needle Tip Pressure Transducers (Gaeltech, Isle of Skye, Scotland) inserted into the T4/T5 and T8/T9 discs, motion, stiffness, and pressure data were calculated. Parameters from the third cycle of the intact case and the construct case were compared using two-tailed paired t tests with 0.05 as the level of significance. Results With the construct attached, the T1–T4 segment showed a 30% increase in neutral zone stiffness during extension (p = .001); the T8–T12 segment experienced a 63% reduction in the in-plane range of motion during flexion (p = .04); and the T8/T9 spinal motion unit had a significant decrease of 24% in elastic zone stiffness during left axial rotation (p = .04). Conclusions It is clear the device as tested here does not produce large biomechanical changes, but the balance between providing desired changes while preventing complications remains difficult.
Measuring the impact of calorie labeling: The mechanisms behind changes in obesity

Learning the true calorie content of fast food may induce consumers to change behavior, yet recent evidence is mixed on whether calorie labels cause consumers to order healthier meals. Especially for individuals for whom consumption of highly caloric fast-food is habitual, a rational response to calorie labeling may instead be to maintain consumption levels but increase physical activity. Using American Time Use Survey data from 2004 to 2012, we show that the 2008 New York City Calorie Labeling Mandate significantly improved several measures of physical activity, including overall metabolic equivalents of task units and minutes of sedentary activity. Our results translate to an average extra 28 calories burned per day or a 0.6 kg weight decrease for the average person over one year. These results provide a plausible mechanism for calorie labeling mandates to lower obesity rates, which we demonstrate in the New York City context.
The Pan American Experiment in Eugenics

Eugenics, the science and social movement of “better breeding”, has in recent years attracted considerable attention from historians. But the way eugenics became part of the political relations between nations, whether as a deliberate strategy of foreign or colonial policy, or as a more diffuse discourse structuring debates about nationality and the flow of peoples across national boundaries, has been rarely studied. This aspect of eugenics is explored in an account of the Pan American effort in eugenics in the 1920s and 1930s.
Improved coal mining economics using near-face deshaling

Coal extraction typically results in the recovery of pure rock that ranges from small to very large quantities, depending on seam thickness, existence of above-seam draw rock or in-seam partings and other characteristics. The removal of pure rock may allow for the recovery of three times the amount in middling coal particles, which has significant economic benefits. In an industrial example, a 150% increase in revenue was realized from deshaling a low-ash, run-of-mine coal and then blending it with a processed clean coal product. Deshaling is the process of removing relatively pure rock from coal, which normally involves a high-density separation in a gravity-based process. The removal of the relatively pure rock near the point of extraction has the potential to further enhance the economics of an operation due to reduced-materials handling and refuse storage costs.
Theory of Electric Current Perturbation Probe Optimization

In this paper we present a mathematical model of the response of an electric current perturbation (ECP) probed 1,2 to surface flaws and to lift-off variations. We then show, by means of numerical examples, how the model can be applied to optimization of the signal-to-noise ratio for a specific flaw detection problem.
Particle-In-Cell Simulations of Electron Focusing for a Compact X-Ray Tube Comprising CNT-Based Electron Source and Transmission Type Anode

For real-time computed tomography (CT), a temporal resolution lower than 30 ms is required, which cannot be delivered by conventional CT architectures with a rotation gantry. Stationary CT architecture can achieve a temporal resolution lower than 30 ms by eliminating the physical rotation of the gantry and by electronically sweeping X-ray beams across the gantry. Stationary CT architecture utilizes two separate arrays, one for distributed X-ray sources and another for detectors. These individual X-ray sources are required to be compact, fast, and individually addressable in order to acquire 200+ projections for successful CT reconstruction and to achieve a temporal resolution lower than 30 ms. A compact X-ray tube that fits these requirements is being developed. The aim of this paper was to design an electrostatic electron focusing lens for the first-generation prototype compact X-ray tube primarily consisting of a carbon nanotube-based electron source and a transmission-type anode by studying the multiple variables that affect the focal spot size (FSS) and by comparing different types of electrostatic lenses with the help of simulations. This multivariable simulation study was conducted using an object-oriented particle-in-cell code, OOPIC PRO. The results of these simulations showed the following: Einzel lens can achieve the required FSS (lower than 1 mm); lens aperture, thickness, and location of the lens can be used as a coarse control over the FSS, whereas the lens potential can be used as a fine control; and the chromatic and spherical aberrations can be reduced if Einzel lens is used.
O(N) model in 4<d<6: Instantons and complex CFTs

We revisit the scalar $O(N)$ model in the dimension range $4ldl6$ and study the effects caused by its metastability. As shown in previous work, this model formally possesses a fixed point where, perturbatively in the $1/N$ expansion, the operator scaling dimensions are real and above the unitarity bound. Here, we further show that these scaling dimensions do acquire small imaginary parts due to the instanton effects. In $d$ dimensions and for large $N$, we find that they are of order ${e}^{\ensuremath{-}Nf(d)}$, where, remarkably, the function $f(d)$ equals the sphere free energy of a conformal scalar in $d\ensuremath{-}2$ dimensions. The non-perturbatively small imaginary parts also appear in other observables, such as the sphere free energy and two and three-point function coefficients, and we present some of their calculations. Therefore, at sufficiently large $N$, the $O(N)$ models in $4ldl6$ may be thought of as complex CFTs. When $N$ is large enough for the imaginary parts to be numerically negligible, the five-dimensional $O(N)$ models may be studied using the techniques of numerical bootstrap.
Computer-aided detection of mantle cell lymphoma in whole body 18F-FDG PET/CT using deep convolutional neural networks

1421 Objectives: Whole body 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging is currently used to assess mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) [1]. However, examination of the images by a nuclear medicine physician can be time-consuming and challenging because MCL usually has a low standardized uptake value (SUV) and may spread to multiple anatomical locations. To mitigate these limitations, we investigated and developed deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for computer-aided detection of MCL in 18F-FDG PET/CT. Materials and Methods: Our retrospective study included baseline whole body 18F-FDG PET/CT scans of 145 patients with biopsy-confirmed MCL (112 male, age range 39-84 years) obtained between May 2007 and October 2018. The patients were randomly split into two different groups with a ratio of approximately 80%:20% (115:30) for CNN training and testing, respectively; the training group contained 24 scans from outside institutions and the testing group contained 7 (Table 1). For the whole cohort, a total of 4210 MCL lesions, with a median size of 18 mm (interquartile range [IQR] 12-27 mm) and a median maximum SUV of 2.9 (IQR 1.8-5.3) were manually identified and contoured by a board-certified nuclear medicine physician. Three CNNs (UNets with VGG16 [2], ResNet50 [3], and Xception [4] as convolutional encoders) were constructed and trained to map axial 18F-FDG PET/CT slices to prediction masks indicating the pixel-wise probability distributions of MCL lesion or non-MCL background (Figure 1). The performance of the three CNNs was compared using lesion detection sensitivities and positive predictive values (PPVs) by verifying the pixel classifications at a 50% probability threshold for each patient. The performance of the CNN with the highest sensitivity was further analyzed using free-response receiver operating characteristics by varying the probability threshold (Figure 2). Results: For the testing group patients, VGG16-UNet, ResNet50-UNet, and Xception-UNet detected 607, 594, and 555 of 803 MCL lesions, respectively, with 1879, 1890, and 1277 overall detections. The per-patient lesion detection sensitivities for the three CNNs were 83% (95% confidence interval [CI] 74-92%), 78% (95% CI 67-89%), and 78% (95% CI 68-87%), and the PPVs were 29% (95% CI 22-36%), 28% (95% CI 21-35%), and 41% (95% CI 32-49%). For the best-performing CNN (VGG16-UNet), the sensitivity was dependent on the lesion size (<10 vs ≥ 10 mm, 63% vs 84%; p < 0.01) and maximum SUV (< 2.5 vs ≥ 2.5, 72% vs 83%; p < 0.01), but not on lesion location (above vs below the diaphragm, 80% vs 83%; p = 0.70) or the source of the images (within vs outside the institution, 86% vs 74%; p = 0.25). Conclusions: Deep CNNs can help identify MCL lesions with high sensitivity and limited PPV on baseline whole body 18F-FDG PET/CT. Our constructed CNNs were also robust among images from outside institutions and therefore may become a highly useful tool in the detection and initial staging of MCL.
A comparison between monitoring and dispersion modeling approaches to assess the impact of aviation on concentrations of black carbon and nitrogen oxides at Los Angeles International Airport

Aircraft activity and airport operations can increase combustion-related air pollutant concentrations, but it is difficult to distinguish aviation emissions from traffic and other local sources. Emission inventories are uncertain and dispersion models may not capture aircraft plume complexity; ambient monitoring data require detailed statistical analyses to extract aviation signals. The goal of this study is to compare two modeling approaches including monitoring-based regression models and the EDMS/AERMOD dispersion model, informing improvements and allowing quantitation of aviation impacts on air quality through multi-pollutant sensitivity and multi-monitor fate/transport analyses. Aggregate concentration comparisons are similar, though diurnal patterns show potential weaknesses in near-field dispersion, treatment of overnight conditions, and emission inventory accuracy.
Next-Generation CPS Testbed-based Grid Exercise - Synthetic Grid, Attack, and Defense Modeling

Quasi-Realistic cyber-physical system (QR-CPS) testbed architecture and operational environment are critical for testing and validating various cyber attack-defense algorithms for the wide-area resilient power systems. These QR-CPS testbed environments provide a realistic platform for conducting the Grid Exercise (GridEx), CPS security training, and attack-defense exercise at a broader scale for the cybersecurity of Energy Delivery Systems. The NERC has established a tabletop based GridEx platform for the North American power utilities to demonstrate how they would respond to and recover from cyber threats and incidents. The NERC-GridEx is a bi-annual activity with tabletop attack injects and incidence response management. There is a significant need to build a testbed-based hands-on GridEx for the utilities by leveraging the CPS testbeds, which imitates the pragmatic CPS grid environment. We propose a CPS testbed-based Quasi-Realistic Grid Exercise (QR-GridEx), which is a model after the NERC’s tabletop GridEx. We have designed the CPS testbed-based QR-GridEx into two parts. Part-I focuses on the modeling of synthetic grid models for the utilities, including SCADA and WAMS communications, and attack-and-defense software systems; and the Part-II focuses on the incident response management and risk-based CPS grid investment strategies. This paper presents the Part-I of the CPS testbed-based QRGridEx, which includes modeling of the synthetic grid models in the real-time digital simulator, stealthy, and coordinated cyberattack vectors, and integration of intrusion/anomaly detection systems. We have used our existing HIL CPS security testbed to demonstrate the testbed-based QR-GridEx for a Texas-2000 bus US synthetic grid model and the IEEE-39 bus grid models. The experiments demonstrated significant results by 100% real-time performance with zero overruns for grid impact characteristics against stealthy and coordinated cyberattack vectors.
Diabetes and Reactive Balance: Quantifying Stepping Thresholds With a Simple Spring Scale to Measure Fall-Risk in Ambulatory Older Adults.

Background:Fall-risk assessments for patients with diabetes fail to consider reactive responses to balance loss. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using a simple clinical t...
Illinois Horizon Schools: Initial Research Findings from the Illinois Schools to Watch Program

Currently, there is a paucity of research concerning the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform’s Schools to Watch national school improvement program. Of the handful of existing studies...
CuBi-MeAn Customized Pipeline for Metagenomic Data Analysis

1. Abstract Whole genome shotgun sequencing is a powerful to study microbial community is a given environment. Metagenomic binning offers a genome centric approach to study microbiomes. There are several tools available to process metagenomic data from raw reads to the interpretation there is still lack of standard approach that can be used to process the metagenomic data step by step. In this study CuBi-MeAn (Customizable Binning and Metagenomic Analysis) create a customizable and flexible processing pipeline, to process the metagenomic data and generate results for further interpretation. This study aims to perform metagenomic binning to enhance taxonomical classification, functional potentials, and interactions among microbial populations in environmental systems. This customized pipeline which is comprised of a series of genomic/metagenomic tools designed to recover better quality results and reliable interpretation of the system dynamics for the given systems. For this reason, a metagenomic data processing pipeline is developed to evaluate metagenomic data from three environmental engineering projects. The use of our pipeline was demonstrated and compared on three different datasets that were of different sizes, from different sequencing platforms, and generated from three different environmental sources. By designing and developing a flexible and customized pipeline, this study has showed how to process large metagenomic data sets with limited resources. This result not only would help to uncover new information from environmental samples, but also, could be applicable to any other metagenomic studies across various disciplines.
In Vivo Models of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Animal models have been vital to the development of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AlloHSCT) as well as our understanding of its biology. Rodent models led the way in the demonstration of the whole body radiotherapy for effective anti-tumor responses [1] and the ability to rescue mice from high dose radiation with a transfusion of bone marrow cells [2, 3] in the early 1950s. However, the ability to promote prolonged tumor-free survival in mice using allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after myeloablative doses of radiation was offset by the recognition that allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT) could result in a lethal “secondary” disease of wasting, diarrhea and skin lesions [4] now known as graft-versus host disease. Interestingly, graft-versus-tumor (GVT) activity was also recognized in studies during this time period. [5, 6].
Exceeding the Limits: Teaching and Assessing Information Literacy within Blackboard

Many librarians can relate to the pedagogical limitations of one-shot classes and the challenges of reaching large numbers of first-year students. The Library Research Tutorial at the University of Nebraska-Kearney was designed to go beyond time and space constraints to orient new undergraduate students to library resources and research methods using self-paced modules within a Blackboard course. Since Fall 2011, over 2,400 students have been enrolled in the Tutorial at the request of their course instructors, who in turn receive students’ Tutorial quiz scores for use as graded credit. This paper describes the Tutorial’s contents, enrollment and grading processes, instructor responses, student outcomes, and future directions for continued development.
What Money Buys: The Influence of Campaign Contributions in State Legislatures

Scholars have debated the influence of campaign donations in the legislative process without coming to any consensus. This analysis develops a measure of influence for all 99 state legislative chambers to capture the myriad ways donations influence legislation. In order to understand why chambers differ in the influence of contributions, we need to understand the choices individual legislators make to raise money. It is these decisions that determine the influence of donations. A formal model is developed in which legislators provide policy to donors in exchange for contributions. The model is used to derive hypotheses relating features of institutional design and political context to the influence of contributions. Member compensation, term limits, chamber size, citizen education levels and the extent of progressive ambition among legislators are all found to affect the degree to which donations influence policy choices and explain much of the substantial variation among chambers in the influence of campaign donations.
Experimental Infection with Parent and L-Phase Variants of Neisseria meningitidis

Thirty-six strains of Neisseria meningitidis, including groups A, B, and C, produced L forms in vitro in the presence of an osmotic stabilizer and high concentrations of horse serum using penicillin as the transforming agent. Transformation to L growth occurred most readily among strains recently isolated from patients, and an unusually high rate of transformation was observed in 7 of the 36 strains. Revertant L strains developed diplococcal colonies on blood-agar and L colonies on sucrose-serum-penicillin-agar—always in a ratio of approximately 10 to 100 diplococcal colonies to 1 L colony. Using mucin as a host depressant, comparison was made between parent and revertant L strains of their initial pathogenicity and development of virulence by serial mouse passage. In general, revertant L strains showed the same pathogenic characteristics as the parent. Heart blood cultures from mice dying of infection with revertant L strains retained their ability to grow as L forms on penicillin media. Three stable L strains were completely avirulent for mice, although persistence of L forms could be demonstrated in peritoneal exudate for 6 days after inoculation.
High power SiGe E-band transmitter for broadband communication

Fully integrated transmitter at E-band frequencies in a superhetrodyne architecture covering the 71-76GHz was designed and fabricated in 0.12μm SiGe technology. The transmitter's front-end includes a power amplifier, image-reject driver, tunable RF attenuator, power detector and IF-to-RF up-converting mixer. A variable gain IF amplifier, quadrature baseband-to-IF modulator, frequency synthesizer and x4 frequency multiplier (quadrupler) are also integrated on-chip. It achieves output power at P1dB of 17.5 to 18.5 dBm, saturated power of 20.5 to 21.5 dBm, up to 39 dB Gain with an analog controlled dynamic range of 30 dB and consumes 1.75 W.
INTEGRATING FOSSILS WITH MOLECULAR PHYLOGENIES IMPROVES INFERENCE OF TRAIT EVOLUTION

Comparative biologists often attempt to draw inferences about tempo and mode in evolution by comparing the fit of evolutionary models to phylogenetic comparative data consisting of a molecular phylogeny with branch lengths and trait measurements from extant taxa. These kinds of approaches ignore historical evidence for evolutionary pattern and process contained in the fossil record. In this article, we show through simulation that incorporation of fossil information dramatically improves our ability to distinguish among models of quantitative trait evolution using comparative data. We further suggest a novel Bayesian approach that allows fossil information to be integrated even when explicit phylogenetic hypotheses are lacking for extinct representatives of extant clades. By applying this approach to a comparative dataset comprising body sizes for caniform carnivorans, we show that incorporation of fossil information not only improves ancestral state estimates relative to those derived from extant taxa alone, but also results in preference of a model of evolution with trend toward large body size over alternative models such as Brownian motion or Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes. Our approach highlights the importance of considering fossil information when making macroevolutionary inference, and provides a way to integrate the kind of sparse fossil information that is available to most evolutionary biologists.
Quantitative Analysis of the Density of Trap States at the Semiconductor-Dielectric Interface in Organic Field-Effect Transistors

The electrical properties of organic field-effect transistors are governed by the quality of the constituting layers, and the resulting interfaces. We compare the properties of the same organic semiconductor film, 2,8-difluoro- 5,11-bis (triethylsilylethynyl) anthradithiophene, with bottom SiO2 dielectric and top Cytop dielectric and find a 10× increase in charge carrier mobility, from 0.17 ± 0.19 cm2 V−1 s−1 to 1.5 ± 0.70 cm2 V−1 s−1, when the polymer dielectric is used. This results from a significant reduction of the trap density of states in the semiconductor band-gap, and a decrease in the contact resistance.
Cadherin-mediated adhesion in pancreatic islet cells is modulated by a cell surface N-acetylgalactosaminylphosphotransferase

Rat pancreatic islet cells and RINm5F cells, an islet derived cell line, have at their cell surface an N-acetylgalactosaminylphosphotransferase (GalNAcPTase) similar to that found at the surface of chick neural retina cells and at the rat neuromuscular junction. On islet cells and RINm5F cells the GalNAcPTase is stably associated with cadherin cell-cell adhesion molecules. The effect of antibodies directed against the GalNAcPTase on homophilic, cadherin mediated adhesion was analyzed by measuring their effect on adhesion of islet and RINm5F cells to an immobilized anti-cadherin antibody. In this experimental paradigm anti-GalNAcPtase antibodies completely inhibit cadherin mediated adhesion. Furthermore, cadherin and GalNAcPTase co-distribute in islet and non-islet tissue. We conclude that pancreatic islet cell-cell adhesion is cadherin mediated and under the control of a tightly associated, cell surface GalNAcPTase.
A concentric robot gripper with one-degree-of-freedom for cylindrical workpieces

The authors present a novel design for a one-degree-of-freedom, mechanical, robot end-effector for cylindrical workpieces. The mechanism is based on the motion characteristic of a parallelogram four-bar linkage and the geometric relationship that chords of concentric circles at a central angle are parallel. The gripper is simple in structure, easy to manufacture, and convenient to use. It has the capability to grip a wide range of part sizes and can achieve high accuracy. >
THE EXPANDED NEUROLOGIC EXAMINATION (ENE): DOES IT HELP?

To test if the ENE would Improve identification of developmental dysfunction (DD), a standard ENE was administered to 275 5-year-olds. Psychologic and education tests were administered concurrently. The ENE covered five areas: 1) Behavioral-Hyperactivity, 2) Soft Signs, 3) Hard Signs, 4) Visual Motor, and 5) Language Memory. Area scores were derived by adding normalized values of individual test items, Three adverse outcomes which did not depend on ENE area scores were defined: Delay in cognition or academic unreadiness; Discrepancy between language and visual motor development; Clinical impression of neurologic abnormality. A discriminant function approach was used to find weights for combinations of area scores as predictors of adverse outcomes. Classification errors were converted to sensitivity and specificity and are shown for delay in cognition or academic unreadiness. Although the ability of the full ENE to classify children was good for all three adverse outcomes, using all five areas did not substantially improve error rates over single areas. No single area in the ENE was consistently superior to any other. The data support the idea that DD in 5-year-olds is pervasive, and that full evaluations may be unnecessary for identification.
Quality of life in patients with colorectal metastasis and intrahepatic chemotherapy.

Background:Liver metastasis from colorectal cancer remains an oncological challenge. Hepatic chemotherapy has been used; however, rigorous quality of life (QOL) measurements are lacking. The aim of this study was to describe unique QOL issues to formulate a specific tool for this population.
Women in the Korean Civil Service

Abstract Are organizational characteristics, such as agency type, size, and growth, linked to female representation in the Korean civil service? This study analyzes the aggregate data regarding the female workforce in the Korean civil service in 2001 through multiple regression analysis. Findings indicate that the Korean women are likely to be underrepresented in most national agencies and severely underrepresented at higher‐level grades. While the Korean women doubled in the civil service for the last two decades, employment of women at the highest grade levels did not improve significantly. Redistributive agencies are directly linked to female representation in the Korean civil service regardless of grade levels, whereas agency size and growth are not related to female employment representation. To achieve gender equality and to expand female senior executive feed levels, the Korean government has provided the quotas for successful female applicants in the civil service entrance examinations at the lowe...
Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions of Substituted Aryl(dimethyl)silanols

Cesium carbonate and cesium hydroxide monohydrate are effective activators for the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl(dimethyl)silanols with substituted aryl halides. Extensive optimization studies led to the identification of key variables (solvent, catalyst, additive, and hydration level) that influence the rate and selectivity of the process. Manipulation of these factors provides an effective coupling method of wide scope and generality. Electron-rich aryl(dimethyl)silanols undergo cross-coupling with aryl iodides and aryl bromides in high yields and high selectivity for the desired cross-coupling products. Alternatively, high yields of cross-coupling products could be obtained with electron-poor or ortho-substituted aryl(dimethyl)silanols when activated with cesium hydroxide monohydrate.
The effect of general anesthetic agents on intraocular pressure

General anesthetics may have diverse effects on intraocular pressure, possibly leading to serious complications such as vitreous loss and iris prolapse. Clinical and research findings on the effects of depolarizing and nondepolarizing agents are discussed, and methods of avoiding or counteracting adverse reactions are summarized.
Excited-state spectroscopy of triply bottom baryons from lattice QCD

The spectrum of baryons containing three b quarks is calculated in nonperturbative QCD, using the lattice regularization. The energies of ten excited bbb states with J{sup P} = 1/2{sup +}, 3/2{sup +}, 5/2{sup +}, 7/2{sup +}, 1/2{sup -}, and 3/2{sup -} are determined with high precision. A domain-wall action is used for the up-, down- and strange quarks, and the bottom quarks are implemented with NRQCD. The computations are done at lattice spacings of a {approx} 0.11 fm and a {approx} 0.08 fm, and the results demonstrate the improvement of rotational symmetry as a is reduced. A large lattice volume of (2.7 fm){sup 3} is used, and extrapolations of the bbb spectrum to realistic values of the light sea-quark masses are performed. All spin-dependent energy splittings are resolved with total uncertainties of order 1 MeV, and the dependence of these splittings on the couplings in the NRQCD action is analyzed.