cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OceanGAN: a deep learning alternative to physics-based ocean rendering

Physics-based models for ocean dynamics and optical raytracing are used extensively for rendering maritime scenes in computer graphics [Darles et al. 2011]. Raytracing models can provide high-fidelity representations of an ocean image with full control of the underlying environmental conditions, sensor specifications, and viewing geometry. However, the computational expense of rendering ocean scenes can be high. This work demonstrates an alternative approach to ocean raytracing via machine learning, specifically Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) [Goodfellow et al. 2014]. In this paper, we demonstrate that a GAN trained on several thousand small scenes produced by a raytracing model can be used to generate megapixel scenes roughly an order of magnitude faster with a consistent wave spectrum and minimal processing artifacts.
CRACK PROBLEMS INVOLVING NONHOMOGENEOUS INTERFACIAL REGIONS IN BONDED MATERIALS

Consideration is given to two classes of fracture-related solid mechanics problems in which the model leads to some physically anomalous results. The first is the interface crack problem associated with the debonding process in which the corresponding elasticity solution predicts severe oscillations of stresses and the crack surface displacements vary near the crack tip. The second deals with crack intersecting the interface. The nature of the solutions around the crack tips arising from these problems is reviewed. The rationale for introducing a new interfacial zone model is discussed, its analytical consequences within the context of the two crack-problem classes are described, and some examples are presented.
Percutaneous Abscess Drainage

Image-guided percutaneous abscess drainage (PAD) ­represents a major contribution by the field of ­interventional radiology to patient care [1]. Since the 1980s, it has evolved to become a well-established, minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of infected fluid collections in the abdomen and pelvis [2–6]. This chapter discusses the indications, techniques, and complications of PAD.
ivPair: context-based fast intra-vehicle device pairing for secure wireless connectivity

The emergence of advanced in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, calls for fast and intuitive device pairing mechanisms to discover newly introduced devices and make or break a secure, high-bandwidth wireless connection. Current pairing schemes are tedious and lengthy as they typically require users to go through pairing and verification procedures by manually entering a predetermined or randomly generated pin on both devices. This inconvenience usually results in prolonged usage of old pins, significantly degrading the security of network connections. To address this challenge, we propose ivPair, a secure and usable device pairing protocol that extracts an identical pairing pin or fingerprint from vehicle's vibration response caused by various factors such as driver's driving pattern, vehicle type, and road conditions. Using ivPair, users can pair a mobile device equipped with an accelerometer with the vehicle's IVI system or other mobile devices by simply holding it against the vehicle's interior frame. Under realistic driving experiments with various types of vehicles and road conditions, we demonstrate that all passenger-owned devices can expect a high pairing success rate with a short pairing time, while effectively rejecting proximate adversaries attempting to pair with the target vehicle.
Isolation and culture of mouse alveolar type II cells to study type II to type I cell differentiation.

Summary Alveolar type II cells (AT2) are stem cells of lung epithelium. To study these cells, we developed protocols to isolate primary AT2 and test the effects of potential niche factors in regulating the AT2 progenitor functions. AT2 freshly isolated from mouse lungs are grown in 2D or 3D culture. AT2 are able to differentiate into alveolar type I cells (AT1) in these conditions. S1P or an inhibitor of S1P signaling is added in culture to modulate AT2 to AT1 transition. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Chen et al. (2020) .
Nanophotonics for manipulation of light propagation, excitation dynamics, and multiphoton in-situ conversion: their applications (Conference Presentation)

This talk is dedicated to the memory of Professor Joe Haus who was a world leader in Nanophotonics. It presents some of our collaborative work in Nanophotonics and highlights some of the exciting new directions presented at 11 of the “International conference on Nanophotonics “series, founded and chaired by Joe . We collaborated on nonlinear optics, stimulated Mie scattering and light manipulation in photonic structures and nanocomposites. Our work on chirality control in composites plasmonic nanostructures and nonlinearity in a medium with epsilon near zero will be covered. Another concept we explored is interaction of structured light carrying both spin angular momentum and orbital angular momentum, with a chiral medium coupling electric and magnetic dipoles, to induce a giant and wavelength tunable chiro-optic response. We developed rare-earth doped fluoride nanocrystals act as optical nanotransformers for in-situ conversion of light from one spectral range to another by multiphoton processes through real intermediate states. The physics of manipulating excitation dynamics in these optical nanotransformers in core-multiple shell nanostructures will be discussed. We recently introduced new energy transfer routes for broadband light harvesting and increased efficiency of both multiphoton upconversion (IR to Visible) and down conversion (Quantum cutting from UV or Visible to Visible or IR) via multistep-cascaded energy transfer in a core-multishell nanoarchitecture. The applications explored of this photon conversion include IR harvesting of photons for photovoltaics, high contrast bioimaging, light activated drug release and optogenetics for neuronal stimulation. Future perspectives will be presented
Brief report: Identified barriers and proposed solutions for recruiting young Black sexual minority men in HIV-related research.

Abstract Introduction Young Black sexual minority men represent a high priority population for HIV prevention research yet the existing literature is not proportional to the current health disparity observed. The challenge of engaging this intersectional population in research on a stigmatized topic likely contributes to the dearth of literature. Methods This brief report examines the current recruitment strategies for engaging sexual minority men in HIV-related research and identifies individual and system-level barriers that contribute to the underrepresentation of Black sexual minority men in HIV-related research. Qualitative data is integrated from Project HATCH (Helping African American Teens Combat HIV), an ongoing recruitment effort of 14-21-year-old Black sexual minority men in Washington D.C., United States. Results Identified barriers to recruiting young Black sexual minority men include cultural stigma, mistrust of research institutions, the ‘coming out’ process for queer youth, assent procedures for youth, and others. Conclusions We propose several solutions for recruitment including geospatial technology, social media, and community spaces of trust (i.e., churches and schools). Additional larger scale solutions include destigmatizing youths’ sexuality and prioritizing the advancement of Black scholars in academia and research endeavors.
Association of Social and Demographic Factors With COVID-19 Incidence and Death Rates in the US.

Importance Descriptive data have revealed significant racial/ethnic disparities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the US, but underlying mechanisms of disparities remain unknown. Objective To examine the association between county-level sociodemographic risk factors and US COVID-19 incidence and mortality. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study analyzed the association between US county-level sociodemographic risk factors and COVID-19 incidence using mixed-effects negative binomial regression, and COVID-19 mortality using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Data on COVID-19 incidence and mortality were collected from January 20 to July 29, 2020. The association of social risk factors with weekly cumulative incidence and mortality was also examined by interacting time with the index measures, using a random intercept to account for repeated measures. Main Outcomes and Measures Sociodemographic data from publicly available data sets, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), which includes subindices of socioeconomic status, household composition and disability, racial/ethnic minority and English language proficiency status, and housing and transportation. Results As of July 29, 2020, there were a total of 4 289 283 COVID-19 cases and 147 074 COVID-19 deaths in the US. An increase of 0.1 point in SVI score was associated with a 14.3% increase in incidence rate (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.14; 95% CI, 1.13-1.16;P Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study, a wide range of sociodemographic risk factors, including socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minority status, household composition, and environmental factors, were significantly associated with COVID-19 incidence and mortality. To address inequities in the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, these social vulnerabilities and their root causes must be addressed.
Improving performance of SEOBNRv3 by ∼300×

When a gravitational wave is detected by Advanced LIGO/Virgo, sophisticated parameter estimation (PE) pipelines spring into action. These pipelines leverage approximants to generate large numbers of theoretical gravitational waveform predictions to characterize the detected signal. One of the most accurate and physically comprehensive classes of approximants in wide use is the ‘spinning effective one body-numerical relativity’ (SEOBNR) family. Waveform generation with these approximants can be computationally expensive, which has limited their usefulness in multiple data analysis contexts. In prior work we improved the performance of the aligned-spin approximant SEOBNR version 2 (v2) by nearly 300×. In this work we focus on optimizing the full eight-dimensional, precessing approximant SEOBNR version 3 (v3). While several v2 optimizations were implemented during its development, v3 is far too slow for use in state-of-the-art source characterization efforts for long-inspiral detections. Completion of a PE run after such a detection could take centuries to complete using v3. Here we develop and implement a host of optimizations for v3, calling the optimized approximant v3_Opt. Our optimized approximant is about 340× faster than v3, and generates waveforms that are numerically indistinguishable.
Utilizing School-based, Professional Learning Communities to Enhance Physical Education Programs and Facilitate Systems Change (Part 1)

The potent combination of a global pandemic, crises involving human and civil rights, economic shortfalls, and public policy challenges has import for the field of physical education. The time has ...
The TV Advertising Market: Demographic Segmentation and the Impact of Viewership Decline

Viewership of traditional television has decreased in the past decade, particularly among younger viewers. This paper studies the impact of this decline on the U.S. TV advertising industry using a two-sided model that explicitly considers viewers’ demographics. The model incorporates viewers, who choose which channel to watch; advertisers, who choose how many advertising views to purchase in each demographic group; and channels, who choose how many advertisements to show during their programs. I use the model to evaluate how viewership declines affect demographic-specific prices per ad view, advertisers from different industries, TV channels, and viewers. I additionally analyze how accounting for demographic segmentation could affect the evaluation of mergers between TV conglomerates.
Involvement of Arachidonic Acid Metabolites in the Transcriptional Regulation of CSF-1 Gene Expression by Tumor Necrosis Factor

The macrophage-specific colony stimulating factor (CSF-1) regulates the hematopoietic stem cell formation of monocyte/macrophage-containing colonies (1). CSF-1 also stimulates the production of several biologic factors including prostaglandin E, plasminogen activator, interleukin 1, granulocyte-specific colony stimulating factor, interferon, myeloid colony stimulating activity and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (2). In contrast to the known pleiotropic effects of CSF-1, the regulation of CSF-1 gene expression has not been extensively examined. Recent studies have demonstrated that phorbol esters and the granulocyte/macrophage-specific colony stimulating factor induce CSF-1 gene expression in MIA-PaCa cells, normal human monocytes, and during monocytic differentiation of human leukemia cells (3–6). Furthermore, the CSF-1 gene has been shown to be constitutively expressed in a variety of human ovarian, breast and lung carcinoma cell lines (7).
Chapter 12 – Archaic Homo

Archaic Homo refers to the human populations or species that were chronologically and anatomically intermediate between Homo erectus and modern Homo sapiens. Archaic Homo can be further subdivided into two chronological groupings, Early and Late Archaics. Anatomically, Archaic Homo exhibit larger braincases than H. erectus as well as greater body mass, among other features. Archaic Homo had controlled and regular use of fire and colonized temperate regions of Eurasia for the first time. In some regions, Archaic Homo populations appear to have directly contributed to the ancestry of modern humans, while the evidence for this in other regions is limited. The overall pattern of evolutionary relationships among Archaic Homo, as elucidated by the available fossil and paleogenomic evidence, indicates that not all archaics and modern humans were reproductively isolated from each other.
Human Senescence: Evolutionary and biological theories of senescence

Background Developments in general evolutionary theory and quantitative population genetics during the early twentieth century set the stage for theorizing on the evolution of senescence. Medawar (1946) developed the “wear-and-tear” theory based on observations that with age organisms have an increasing likelihood of dying due to intrinsic (belonging to the real nature of a thing; not dependent on external circumstances; inherent) factors (reviewed in Chapter 1). He illustrated this point using the now classic example of test tubes in a laboratory (Austad 1992). Test tubes do not senesce; still, through time, they tend to break due to laboratory mishap and intrinsic fragility. If most test tubes break (die) within 2 years, a change (mutation) that affects test tubes only after 2 years will have little effect on longevity in the overall population. However, a change that improves a 1-year-old test tube's survival, or, better yet, that of a 6-month-old tube, will have a substantial effect on both average and maximum time until loss in that test tube population. Medawar further noted that with age selection pressure declines in concert with decreasing fertility in natural populations, ultimately becoming minimal or non-existent. Two conflicting views typify evolutionary theories on senescence. Most early theorists saw senescence as the outcome of a specific genetic program designed by natural selection to eliminate unneeded post-reproductive individuals. A minority of gerontologists now subscribe to various permutations of this genetic programming theory (see Clark 1999 for a recent review).
Agency Attribution in Human-Computer Interaction

Social psychologists have documented that people attribute a human-like agency to computers. Work in human motor cognition has identified a related effect known as "intentional binding" that may help explain this phenomenon. Briefly, intentional binding refers to an unconscious attribution of agency to sufficiently complex entities in our environments that influences how we perceive and interact with those entities. Two studies are presented that examine whether intentional binding, an agency effect observed when people interact with physical objects, also applies in virtual environments typical of human-computer interaction (HCI). Results of the studies indicate that agency effects are observed in human-computer interaction but these effects differ from those reported in physical environments. Results of the studies suggest that human perception and action may operate differently in virtual environments than in physical interactions.
Using PVS to Prove Properties of Systems Modelled in a Synchronous Dataflow Language

We report on our experience with using the PVS theorem prover as a verification tool for analyzing systems modelled in RSML− e – a synchronous dataflow language. RSML− e is a formal specification language particularly well-suited for specifying requirements of reactive systems. We advocate a specification-centered approach to system development, in which various development activities like prototyping, analysis, verification, testing, and code-generation are based on a formal model of the system requirements. To support the analysis and verification activities, we developed a translator from RSML− e to PVS as part of our toolset. We used these tools to successfully verify properties of the mode logic of a flight-guidance system specified in RSML− e by our industrial partner, Rockwell Collins Inc. The results from this exercise are encouraging. This paper describes our approach to formalizing RSML− e in PVS and discusses briefly the strategies adopted in proving properties as well as some experiences.
Thermostability of Antigens Associated with Serotype of Rhizobium japonicum

The antigens associated with serologically distinct strains of Rhizobium japonicum were found to differ in heat sensitivity. Cell preparations from 4 out of 12 strains retained agglutinability, and 1 out of 5 retained antigenicity after they were heated to 120 C. Antigenicity was reduced in most strains after heating to 100 C for 30 min, but agglutinability was not affected by this treatment. This suggests that the antigens are protein-polysaccharide-lipid complexes described for O-type antigens. Cells of strain 46, however, retained both agglutinability and antigenicity after heating to 120 C for 1 hr, and thus a protein in its structure seems improbable. Antigens associated with bacteria from soybean nodules responded to heat treatment in essentially the same manner as those from the same strain grown in nutrient broth. Certain serotypes showed a tendency to agglutinate spontaneously. A heat treatment of 100 C for 30 min, to remove nodule debris and destroy certain blocking antigens, did not interfere with the agglutination reaction. Live cells induced antiserum in rabbit to a higher titer than did heat-treated cells.
Safe at any speed: fast, safe parallelism in servers

Many applications take advantage of parallelism to increase performance. Servers are a particularly common case as they must multiplex resources across many simultaneous users. Unfortunately, writing concurrent applications is difficult and prone to subtle and non-deterministic bugs that are difficult to reproduce. We advocate an approach to developing concurrent programs that is safe by default. Conservative static analysis determines when two code segments may safely run in parallel, and a runtime scheduler respects these constraints. We have built an analyzer for event-driven servers that discovers data sharing to find safe parallelism among event handlers. As a prototype, the analysis currently considers only global data, assuming that request-specific data structures passed to event handlers are completely independent. We have also begun work on a runtime system that schedules event handler execution within the constraints determined by the analyzer. For performance reasons, the scheduler makes additional conservative assumptions about contention. We have analyzed thttpd, an event-driven web server. We show how our system can be used to increase performance without complex synchronization schemes.
Towards light semantic processing for Question Answering

The paper presents a lightweight knowledge-based reasoning framework for the JAVELIN open-domain Question Answering (QA) system. We propose a constrained representation of text meaning, along with a flexible unification strategy that matches questions with retrieved passages based on semantic similarities and weighted relations between words.
Optimization of aeration profiles in the activated sludge process

Abstract We show that the aeration rate in the activated sludge process, which is responsible for the greatest energy burden (up to 50%) in wastewater treatment, can be reduced by more than 60%, while preserving an effluent quality of less than 0.10 mg/L of ammonia and more than 8.5 mg/L of dissolved oxygen. An in-depth survey of the performances of different aeration profiles is given through utilization of an activated sludge tank model that was calibrated and validated with data from a real plant. First, the total rate of aeration is manipulated while employing equal rates of local aeration across the activated sludge tank. Then, scenarios with a nonuniform distribution of local aeration rates are investigated. For this purpose, a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem was devised to minimize computational burden, which was solved using a genetic algorithm. Also, a similar MINLP problem was set to obtain aeration profiles with segments of equally aerated zones in the tank, which can facilitate execution in real plants. Finally, all aeration profiles were challenged with a 2-day storm through dynamic simulations.
Symmetry orbits and their data-analytic properties

Se revisa el concepto de datos indexados por orbitas simetricas finitas en el marco de estudios de simetria. Se discute la descomposicion de datos en terminos de proyecciones canonicas y formulas de Plancherel, e interpretada en terminos de orbitas invariantes.
Pesticide Occurrence and Distribution in Relation to Use

Widespread use of a variety of pesticides has led to their occurrence in both surface and groundwaters. The occurrence and distribution of pesticides in the environment are closely related to their use and are determined by a series of pesticide transport and transformation processes. The occurrence and use of pesticides follow extremely complex and dynamic patterns that are affected by numerous factors related to pesticide properties, pesticide use, hydrology, and agricultural activities. The physical, chemical, and biological properties of pesticides affect their occurrence and distribution directly by altering their environmental persistence, mobility, and other fundamental transport processes. The way pesticides are used includes application amount, frequency, timing, and method has significant effects on pesticide occurrence and distribution. The quantity and frequency of application determine the overall exposure level of pesticides released into the environment, and the timing and method of application primarily change their environmental pathways and thus their occurrence as well as spatial and temporal distributions. Clearly, surface and groundwater systems have dissimilar patterns of pesticide use and occurrence due to their distinct hydrologic characteristics. The relationship of pesticide use and occurrence also varies with pesticide-treated crops and agricultural management practices. Keywords: pesticides; environmental fate; transport and transformation; pesticide occurrence and distribution; pesticide use; surface water; groundwater; water quality; contamination
Antipersonnel mine detection using acoustic-to-seismic coupling

Acoustic-to-seismic (A/S) coupling has been used successfully to locate anti-personnel (AP) mines with a high probability of detection (P d ). This work builds on previous efforts that have demonstrated the high P d and low false alarm rate capabilities of A/S coupling in finding ant-tank (AT) mines. This paper discusses the initial results obtained from applying A/S coupling mine detection on anti-personnel mines. Due to the smaller size of AP mines, AP mine detection is more challenging than AT mine detection. The analysis results in this paper are based on A/S coupling mine detection data fro AP mines collected using a laser Doppler vibrometer-based mine detection system. The primary challenge in AP mien detection is to maintain a low false alarm rate while retaining this high probability of detection.
We'll Talk Later

All through my essay runs a tale, a folktale from back home. It's told by my aunt and registered by her brother. In this folktale, in how it got to me here, lies a story about who I am. As an elderly Palestinian woman, illiterate, housewife, bearer of 20 children, mother of 11 survivors, as an asexual mature female, my aunt, like her mother and her mother's mother before her, tells tales. As she speaks, her grandchildren sit around and listen. She upholds an old tradition among Palestinian women, one of struggle to present their knowledge through oral art. As a Palestinian man, educated, professor, head of a household of four, my uncle writes down my aunt's words and publishes them in a book. As copies of his book are sold, my uncle upholds a newer Palestinian (mostly men's) tradition of struggle to protect their culture from "moder" colonial occupation. This story is about me because I am a woman and I am Palestinian. Like my uncle, I am concerned about a group of people, Palestinians, and our right to life, to art, to land, to speak. Like my aunt, I am female and I am concerned about a group within a group, Palestinian women, and our right to life, to art, to land, to speak. This is a concern that many uncles might not share or might see as secondary to the first concern. Unlike my aunt, I am from a younger generation. She speaks from her knowledge of coping. I speak from my knowledge that coping is not enough. So I take my aunt's tale and retell it. When my uncle asks me why, I say I too want to preserve our cultural traditions, but I want those traditions to be traditions of hope and triumph, not submission. Uncle, your book is entitled Speak Bird, Speak Again. Well, let me speak. We'll talk later. But I am afraid to say what I say, not because of uncle's angry glares or shaking finger, for I have been accustomed to that all my life. But because of my reader. More likely than not, you are not a Palestinian woman. Are you situated close to ideas about an outpost of Western Democracy and Civilization, that shining star in the midst of darkness-Israel? Well, once I went to a "Women in Black" demonstration in Boston, of Palestinian and Jewish women protesting Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. There were coun-
Surface topography of viable articular cartilage measured with scanning white light interferometry

Summary Objective By means of scanning white light interferometry, develop a noncontact, nondestructive technique capable of measuring surface topography of viable cartilage. Methods Using full thickness cylindrical cartilage explants obtained from bovine calf knees, experiments were performed to produce a surface preparation protocol that yields highly repeatable topographical measurements while maintaining cartilage viability. To further validate the technique, a series of human talar cartilage samples, displaying varying degrees of cartilage degeneration, was then subjected to interferometric measurements and compared to their histology. Results A key aspect of the technique of surface topographic measurement by interferometry was the development of an optimal surface preparation process. The technique was successfully validated against standard 2-D profilometry. The intrinsic variability of the technique is less than 2%, which is much less than the average point-to-point variability of 17% observed across a cartilage specimen. The technique was hence sufficiently sensitive to readily detect differences in roughness between surfaces of healthy cartilage in different locations on the bovine knee. Thus, the average roughness of the medial explants exceeded that of the lateral explants by 0.35μmRa ( P =0.003) and the roughness of the trochlear explants exceeded that of the condylar explants by 0.55μmRa ( P P ≤0.041), making surface roughness obtained via interferometry a useful parameter for evaluating cartilage health nondestructively. Conclusions The aim of developing a protocol based on white light interferometry to measure the surface topography of viable articular cartilage was achieved. This interferometric technique opens the door to monitoring the surface topography of live cartilage, as is desirable for ex vivo tests on cartilage explants.
THE EPR SPECTRA OF TETRADENTATE SCHIFF BASE COMPLEXES OF COPPER (II) IV. N,N-bis-(pyrrole-2-aldehyde)ethylenediimine

Abstract The EPR spectrum of N,N′-bis-(pyrrole-2-aldehyde)ethylenediimino Cu(II), [Cu en(pyal)2] has been investigated in a doped single crystal of the corresponding nickel (II) chelate. The imine and pyrrole nitrogens were found to be chemically inequivalent thus giving rise to unequal coupling constants. The parameters in the doublet spin-Hamiltonian are found to be: gz =2.168 ± 0.001, gx =2.042 ± 0.002, gy =2.043 ± 0.002, Az Cu=197.5 × 10−4 cm−1, Ax Cu=28.5 × 10−4 cm−1, Ay Cu=27.3 × 10−4 cm−1, imine Az N =14.1 × 10−4 cm−1, Ax N =Ay N =15.5 × 10−4 cm−1, pyrrole Az N =17.7 × 10−4 cm−1, Ax N =Ay N =15.5 × 10−4 cm−1, methine Az H =7.0 × 10−4 cm−1, Ax H =Ay H =8.2 × 10−4 cm−1. These parameters are related to the coefficients of the molecular orbital containing the unpaired electron. Preliminary crystal data for the nickel chelate are also given.
Constraints on Mueller matrices of polarization optics.

The issue of physical realizability constraints on depolarizing scattering or imaging systems is addressed. In particular, the overpolarization problem, i.e., the problem of ensuring that the output degree of polarization is always smaller than (or equal to) unity, is discussed in detail. A set of necessary conditions for the elements of a Mueller matrix is derived. These conditions can be used to test the accuracy of polarimetric measurements and computations. Several recent experimental examples from polarization optics and radar are discussed.
SIGCSE Reads: Time for Book Discussion (Abstract Only)

Have you read any of the common reads for SIGCSE 2016? Now's your chance to talk about them! Two books: The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Primer by Neal Stephenson (Bantam Spectra, 1995) and Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Orbit, 2013) as well as two short stories: "A Logic Named Joe" by Will F. Jenkins (Street and Smith, 1946) and "Seven Years from Home" by Naomi Novik (Clarksworld Magazine, 2014) were proposed at the end of the 2015 conference. If you're interested in science fiction, whether on a personal, academic, or pedagogical level, come join us in this BoF and discuss one or more of the two books and two stories. We'll provide potential topics and discussion questions targeting how to incorporate these books into a CS course, but the discussion will be open. The BoF will close with a discussion of potential books for the 2017 conference.
Electronics states of interdiffused quantum dots

We have developed a three-dimensional model for electronic states calculation of interdiffused quantum dots (QDs) with arbitrary shape by solving the BenDaniel-Duke's equation in momentum space domain. The proposed model features several advantages such as automatic solution to the Fick's diffusion equation, a relatively compact and efficient Hamiltonian matrix, and natural representation of a large array of QDs. Without considering the interdiffusion effect, our model yields good agreement with our references of $\mathrm{InAs}∕\mathrm{GaAs}$ QDs ground state energy calculation. We analyze the interdiffusion effect in QDs with various shapes of theoretical and practical interest like spherical, cubical, pyramidal, and lens shaped. We study the effect of QD size and aspect ratio to the blueshift profile due to interdiffusion. We found a similar blueshift profile in these QDs at almost any size that can be well approximated by $\mathrm{sech}(x)$ function. This model will serve as a valuable tool for QD band gap engineering based on the interdiffusion technique.
Use of wavelength-selective optical light filters for enhanced microalgal growth in different algal cultivation systems.

This work is to use thin film nano-materials as light filters to selectively transmit certain wavelengths from natural sunlight to algal culture. A red light filter (620-710 nm) and blue filter (450-495 nm) were evaluated. Algae were grown in flasks, flat panel reactors, and rotating algal biofilm (RAB) system. It was found that the light filters did not improve algal growth in flask cultures, probably due to the additional reflection of light by the glass wall of the flasks. However, the light filters significantly (P 0.05). The research shows a great potential of using light filters to improve microalgal growth.
Lessons learned in improving the adoption of a real-time NLP decision support system

While most research in the NLP domain focuses on information accuracy, the adoption of NLP applications in healthcare extends beyond technical innovations. This study investigates the adoption issues of an NLP application in three different field sites. Using both quantitative log analysis and qualitative user interviews, we identified four main factors that affect NLP adoption: organizational culture and support, system usability, information quality and system reliability. These factors must be considered to ensure successful adoption of NLP applications that provide real-time decision support in a clinical care setting.
Amount of alkaline phosphatase in the oviduct of folic acid deficient chicks.

SummaryA folic acid deficiency produced by feeding a synthetic diet or the addition of crude x-methyl folic acid to a normal diet markedly decreases the amount of alkaline phosphatase in the oviduct of chicks after estrogen treatment.
The concept of configuration of interpersonal relations in a group as a time-dependent stochastic process

To explain changes in the sociometric configuration of a group through time, a problem arises of the extent to which such changes may be viewed as the aggregation of part-processes occurring at the level of two-person choice structures. A possible model is a Markov chain in which three possible states are mutual choice, one-way choice, and indifference, one realization for each pair of choosing individuals in the group. Choice data for an eighth-grade classroom are fitted to this model and are used to answer questions of constancy of transition probabilities, order of the chain, and sex differences.
Predisposition to hypertension in rat pups from renal hypertensive dams.

We determined that a predisposition to hypertension could be transmitted by a nongenetic, renal hypertensive (HT) mother to her pups. The pups of one-kidney:one clip Goldblatt (1K:1C) hypertensive female rats and of sham operated normotensive female rats were subjected to the 1K:1C procedure at 28 days of age and tail cuff blood pressures (BP) were determined. After surgical induction of hypertension, HT male pups of HT dams had a significantly greater (p<.05) BP by 14 days after surgery (194±8 mm Hg) than did HT male pups of normotensive (NT) dams (169±6 mm Hg). A similar trend (p<.08) was observed for the HT female pups of HT dams (185±7 mm Hg) compared to HT females from NT dams (163±4 mm Hg).Thus, in utero exposure of pups to a chronic HT state alters the response of the pups to the surgical induction of hypertension. Furthermore, the results suggest that transfer of a predisposition to hypertension from mother to offspring occurred during the pregnancy/lactation period.
On: ``Three-dimensional imaging of steeply dipping structure near the San Andreas fault, Parkfield, California'' by John N. Louie, Robert W. Clayton, and Ronan J. LeBras, (GEOPHYSICS, 53, 176 185, February 1988).

Louie et al. (1988) apply to COCORP survey data a prestack migration process, which they describe, to image better reflections associated with structure in the upper 5 km of the San Andreas fault zone near Parkfield, California. They demonstrate the usefulness of this approach in an area along the survey where, as they point out, the CMP-stacking process may be particularly troublesome. While the authors were sensitive to the extreme lateral heterogeneities in and about the fault zone, the crooked survey line, and the complex terrain in which the survey was mounted (McBride and Brown, 1986), I suspect they were nevertheless a little too zealous in discounting, in this case, the value of conventional stacking applied and interpreted judiciously. Moreover, Louie et al. imply that their approach yields previously unobtained results; however, this is not the case.
Development of the quasi-procedural method for use in aircraft configuration optimization

The performance of the quasi-procedural analysis system in optimization tasks is investigated. In particular, the quasi-procedural method is applied to the complete mission optimization of a medium-sized transport aircraft using a vortex-lattice aerodynamic model and finite element structural analysis of the wing and the tail. Some modifications and improvements to the system, required in order to complete this task, are described. The performance of the system is compared with that of the standard procedural system, and it is shown that the quasi-procedural approach reduces the analysis required to reach the optimum. The overall cost is shown to be strongly dependent on the analysis architecture and data structure.
Eye movements as time-series random variables: A stochastic model of eye movement control in reading

Random variables and probabilistic decision making are important elements in most theories of reading eye movements, but they tend to receive little theoretical attention. This paper attempts to address this problem by introducing the Stochastic, Hierarchical Architecture for Reading Eye-movements (SHARE). The SHARE framework formalizes reading eye movements as observable outcomes of a latent stochastic process. By modeling eye movements as time-series random variables, the goal of the model is to uncover statistical regularities in the data, which help to identify conditions and constraints the underlying mechanism must satisfy. In the univariate analysis, it is shown that a 3-component Lognormal mixture model provides a good fit to the marginal distribution function of fixation duration, and a hierarchical model is required for modeling saccade length. As a comprehensive model of reading eye movements, SHARE was implemented as an Input-Output Hidden Markov model. With a few simple hypotheses, SHARE is able to capture reading eye-movement patterns of beginning readers and proficient adults, and to reproduce well-known psycholinguistic effects. The rationale of the model, its relations with other modeling endeavors, and its implications are discussed.
Effect of aging on the storage and catabolism of vitamin A in mice

Abstract In A/J mice, the mean total storage of vitamin A in the liver increased from birth to a maximum at 216 days, and then decreased at 644 days. The rate of deposition of intraperitoneally injected 11, 12 3 H 2 -retinyl acetate in micellar form into stored retinyl ester in the liver was inversely related to the age of the mice, whereas rates of excretion of radioactive metabolites in the urine and feces were not systematically affected by age. The percent storage of a dose of radioactive vitamin A and the ratio of the amount stored to that excreted were higher in very young mice than in older mice. Vitamin A reserves in old mice (644 days), although lower than in adult mice (∼ 200 days), were still high and fully adequate to meet nutritional needs.
Educating for profit, educating global citizenship

After reviewing current proposals for standardized testing in K-12 education (United States) and for imposition of free-market economic and business models on higher education (Texas, Florida, and the United Kingdom), I argue that both types of proposals rest on flawed pedagogical assumptions and tend to undermine educational practices that promote the development of global citizens. I suggest that John Dewey was aware of the type of challenges now faced by educators and that he provided tools for blunting the force of these proposals and moving educational practice toward more desirable ends.
Potential load reduction using airfoils with variable trailing edge geometry

This paper presents an investigation of the potential for reduction of fluctuating loads on wind turbine blades with the use of flaplike deflectable trailing edges. More specifically, the aeroelastic response of an elastically mounted airfoil section with a deflectable trailing edge is investigated. This is done by coupling a model for the aerodynamic forces on a deforming airfoil with a linear spring/damper model for the elastic deformation of a rigid airfoil to which the forces associated with the deflection of the trailing edge are added. The analysis showed that when the airfoil experienced a wind step from 10 to 12 m/s the standard deviation of the normal force could be reduced by up to 85% when the flap was controlled by the reading of the airfoil flapwise position and velocity, while reductions of up to 95% could be obtained when the flap was controlled by the reading of the angle of attack. When the airfoil experienced a turbulent wind field, the standard deviation of the normal force could be reduced by 81% for control based on measured angle of attack. The maximum reduction using a combination of flapwise position and velocity was 75%. The maximum deflection of the trailing edge geometry was, in all the considered cases, small enough to justify the use of a potential flow code for calculation of the aerodynamic forces. Calculations showed that the effect of a time lag in the actuators and sensors may drastically reduce the efficiency of the control algorithm. Likewise, the effect of a low maximum actuation velocity reduces the efficiency of the control algorithm. The analysis of the two-dimensional (2D) aeroservoelastic system shown in this paper indicates that the potential of using trailing edge flaps for reduction of fluctuating loads is significant.
Moving Forward in the Debate on Causal Indicators: Rejoinder to Comments

We want to thank all of the commentators for a constructive and lively debate. We are gratified to have such an esteemed group of experts take the time to offer their perspectives. In general, the ...
Computer assisted analysis of ferritin-insulin receptor sites on adipocytes and the effects of cytochalasin B on groups of insulin receptor sites

A computerized quantitative technique was used to analyze the distribution of ferritininsulin receptor sites on rat adipocytes and the effects of cytochalasin B on groups of receptor sites. Computer analysis of separation distances between receptor sites established that insulin receptor sites on adipocytes did not have a random distribution but have a distinct tendency to exist in groups with a maximum separation distance between particles of 400 A. A peak in the distribution of separation distances occurred at 100–200 A. Cytochalasin B, but not cytochalasin D, treatment of adipocytes resulted in a decrease in the number of large groups of receptor sites and a corresponding increase in single and paired receptor sites without affecting the separation distance between the remaining grouped receptors. This suggested that when cytochalasin B disrupted the bond holding receptor sites together, it caused complete disruption. These observations provided additional information on the ultrastructural characteristics of the insulin receptor. Further application of these techniques to the analysis of insulin receptors may provide the necessary structural correlates to the biochemically observed differences in insulin action in other tissues and diseased states.
Observation of a Long-Term Spin-up Trend in 4U 1538–52

The high-mass X-ray pulsar 4U 1538-52 has been continually monitored by the BATSE (Burst and Transient Source Experiment) on Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. These observations permit the construction of long-term pulse frequency and intensity histories. The frequency history reveals that a reversal of the long-term trend in the accretion torque, from spinning down to spinning up, has occurred, probably in 1988. This is the first time a long-term change is known to have occurred for this source. The magnitude of the average | /ν |~10−11 s-1 over an interval of ~5 yr is similar during spin-down and spin-up. Shorter term pulse frequency variations of either sign are also observed. The power density spectrum of fluctuations in angular acceleration is consistent with white noise on timescales from 16 to 1600 days. It can be well fit with a power law with a power-law index of 0.10 ± 0.21 and white noise strength of (7.6 ± 1.6) × 10-21(Hz s-1)2 Hz-1. These observations are also used to set 95% confidence level lower and upper limits on the rate of orbital period change, -3.9<orb/Porb<2.1, in units of 10-6 yr-1.
Automating calibration, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of complex models using the R package Flexible Modeling Environment (FME): SWAT as an example

Parameter optimization and uncertainty issues are a great challenge for the application of large environmental models like the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), which is a physically-based hydrological model for simulating water and nutrient cycles at the watershed scale. In this study, we present a comprehensive modeling environment for SWAT, including automated calibration, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis capabilities through integration with the R package Flexible Modeling Environment (FME). To address challenges (e.g., calling the model in R and transferring variables between Fortran and R) in developing such a two-language coupling framework, 1) we converted the Fortran-based SWAT model to an R function (R-SWAT) using the RFortran platform, and alternatively 2) we compiled SWAT as a Dynamic Link Library (DLL). We then wrapped SWAT (via R-SWAT) with FME to perform complex applications including parameter identifiability, inverse modeling, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis in the R environment. The final R-SWAT-FME framework has the following key functionalities: automatic initialization of R, running Fortran-based SWAT and R commands in parallel, transferring parameters and model output between SWAT and R, and inverse modeling with visualization. To examine this framework and demonstrate how it works, a case study simulating streamflow in the Cedar River Basin in Iowa in the United Sates was used, and we compared it with the built-in auto-calibration tool of SWAT in parameter optimization. Results indicate that both methods performed well and similarly in searching a set of optimal parameters. Nonetheless, the R-SWAT-FME is more attractive due to its instant visualization, and potential to take advantage of other R packages (e.g., inverse modeling and statistical graphics). The methods presented in the paper are readily adaptable to other model applications that require capability for automated calibration, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis.