cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Real-Time Seismic Monitoring of Structures: Data Handling and Case Studies

Within the last decade, advances in the acquisition, processing and transmission of data from real-time seismic monitoring systems has contributed to the growth in the number structures instrumented with such systems. An equally important factor for such growth can be attributed to the demands by stakeholders to find rapid answers to important questions related to the functionality (or “state of health”) of structures during and immediately following a seismic event. Hence, rapid and accurate assessment of the damage condition or performance of a building or a lifeline structure is of paramount importance to stakeholders, including owners, leasers, permanent and/or temporary occupants, users of infrastructures, city officials and rescue teams that are concerned with safety of those in the building, and those that may be affected in nearby buildings and infrastructures. In earlier papers, we described how observed data from sensors deployed in structures can be configured to establish seismic health monitoring of structures. In these configurations, drift ratios are the main parametric indicator of damage condition of a building. The process described for buildings can be applied directly for bridges as well. For bridges, the term, “drift ratio” is not generally used; however, relative displacements of critical elements of a bridge can be construed as such. While real-time data from structural arrays indicate that these methods are reliable and provide requisite information for owners and other parties to make informed decisions and to choose among pre-defined actions following significant events, there are several issues related to data ownership, transmission and archiving. This paper examines the real-time seismic monitoring systems deployed mainly in the United States, with particular attention to data issues – handling, dissemination, storage, and archiving. In most cases, due to the numerous channels involved, the deployments in each one of the real-time structures can be considered to be an individual array. Two detailed cases are described that demonstrate the variability in data ownership and dissemination.
A novel thermal swelling model for a rechargeable lithium-ion battery cell

Abstract The thermal swelling of rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells is investigated as a function of the charge state and the charge/discharge rate. The thermal swelling shows significant dependency on the state of charge and the charge rate. The thermal swelling follows a quadratic form at low temperatures, and shows linear characteristics with respect to temperature at high temperatures in free-swelling conditions. Moreover, the equivalent coefficient of thermal expansion is much larger than that of each electrode and host materials, suggesting that the separator and the complex shape of the cell play a critical role in thermal expansion. Based on the experimental characterization, a novel thermal swelling model is proposed. The model introduces an equivalent coefficient of thermal expansion for the cell and also considers the temperature distribution throughout the battery by using heat transfer theory. The comparison between the proposed model and experiments demonstrates that the model accurately predicts thermal swelling at a variety of charge/discharge rates during operation and relaxation periods. The model is relatively simple yet very accurate. Hence, it can be useful for battery management applied to prolong the cycle life of cells and packs.
How Hardiness Facilitates Functioning in Military and Safety Roles

This chapter concerns how military and safety work roles impose especially stressful circumstances on personnel. These stresses include threats to life, violence requirements, and excessive separation from family life. In these stressful circumstances, hardiness attitudes and strategies have an especially important role in maintaining effective and fulfilling living. Specifically, hardiness helps in finding and fulfilling a bigger picture of life. Also considered is terrorism, which is a new and especially undermining set of stresses that need to be put in perspective and learned from.
Low Basal Cortisol and Startle Responding as Possible Biomarkers of PTSD: The Influence of Internalizing and Externalizing Comorbidity

Comorbidity presents significant problems to investigators engaged in the search for biomarkers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because it means that multiple overlapping psychiatric phenotypes may be present in any PTSD sample. This chapter reviews research on an internalizing/externalizing model of post-traumatic psychopathology and discusses its relevance to the search for PTSD biomarkers. It focuses on two candidate biomarkers that have been studied extensively in relation to PTSD—basal cortisol level and startle reflex amplitude—but have yielded complicated and mixed results. Our review of the cortisol literature finds evidence for links between disorders of the internalizing spectrum and elevated levels of cortisol and links between externalizing psychopathology and low levels of cortisol. The review of the startle reflex literature reveals an association between exaggerated startle and fear-related disorders of the internalizing spectrum. These findings illustrate how individual differences in internalizing and externalizing comorbidity may moderate associations between these measures and PTSD diagnostic status. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the advantages of studying latent dimensions of comorbidity in future PTSD biomarker research.
Cultural heritage information: Access and management, edited by Ian Ruthven and G. G. Chowdhury

Digitization of cultural heritage resources and the related discipline of Digital Humanities have been key discussion topics among librarians, archivists, and museum professionals for two decades o...
18F-FDG in Cardiology and Oncology: The Bitter with the Sweet

In oncology and cardiology, 18F-FDG has proven of great practical use. Its use is so widespread that we often forget that the physiologic interpretation of the uptake and metabolism of 18F-FDG is by no means straightforward and has been the subject of argument for decades ([1][1]). The article by
Time Resolved Emission Studies of Aluminum and Water High Pressure Reactions

The detonation of underwater explosives is a complex problem involving a temporally dependent heterogeneous reaction regime of oxidizer reactions and high pressure metal combustion. For simplicity, underwater explosions may be described as a two stage reaction process. First, the oxidizing material detonates to produce species under extreme conditions of temperature (up to 5,000 K) and pressure (up to 10 GPa). The chemical energy produced from this reaction is transferred to the bulk water as three forms of work: (1) shock, (2) heat, and (3) initial bubble formation. Second, the species produced by the oxidizer detonation form a high pressure and high temperature reactive fluid that surrounds the solid particles. The solid particles are primarily consumed while the pressure is decreasing from 10 GPa to 0.1 GPa at a reaction temperature in excess of 3,200 K. The secondary reaction of the solid particles produces a lower energy shock and a pressure response that reinforces the initial energy delivered to the bulk water medium. The ability to tailor this late energy release between shock and bubble formation is dependent on the reaction time and chemistry of the solid particle under extreme conditions. The authors present a series of single-shot time resolved emissionmore » experiments that probe the reaction of aluminum particles under extreme conditions. The temporal behavior of the observed species is used to gain insight into the chemical reaction mechanism that leads to the formation of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} during underwater detonations.« less
Absorption of bile salts from the gastric mucosa during hemorrhagic shock.

SummaryWe compared the absorption (loss) of bile salts from the distally occluded canine stomach of normal and vagotomized animals before and during hemorrhagic shock (mean BP 40 mm Hg) after serial instillation of 10 mM taurine-conjugated bile salts in neutral and acid solution (100 mEq/liter HCl). In normotensive animals mean ± SE absorption of taurocholic acid in acid solution was 24.83 ± 3.65% in the first 30-min period and 19.35 ± 4.88% in the second period. Absorption during shock showed a similar decrease in the first and second 30-min periods (27.88 ± 7.05 and 21.27 ± 4.59%) which was not different from absorption in normotensive animals. Absorption of bile salts in an acid soluction from the vagotomized stomach was 21.96 ± 1.66% in normotensive animals and 23.74 ± 3.57% during hemorrhagic shock. Absorption dropped to 7.68 ± 4.05% (p < .05) when bile salts in neutral solution was left in the vagotomized stomach for 30 min during hemorrhagic shock. None of the eight vagotomized animals developed mu...
Antibiotic Treatment for Control of Tree Diseases Associated with Mycoplasma-like Organisms

Tetracycline-induced remission of the development of symptoms has been used as an aid in the diagnosis of plant diseases associated with mycoplasma-like organisms and, in a few cases, for field control of some tree diseases. Infusion and injection into the trunk are the most widely adopted methods for the treatment of trees with the antibiotic. Initial translocation of tetracycline in trees appears to occur in the xylem, but transfer to the phloem is a prerequisite for disease control. The duration of persistence of the antibiotic in tissues averages from one to four months, although the duration of remission may range from six months to three years. Precautions must be taken for the prevention of antibiotic residues in fruit and minimization of environmental exposure to the antibiotic.
Reduced Order Model of Cylinder Wake with Direct Adaptive Feedback Control

This paper demonstrates a very systematic approach for feedback flow controller design. Open loop forcing and unforced CFD simulation training data is used to build a reduced order model via the Double Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (DPOD) process. Nonlinear system identification is then used realize a very simple, low dimensional plant. The model has the ability to simulate interior points on the forcing envelope and also predict closed loop dynamics if the model is developed correctly. For simplicity, the model and controller development strategy is shown for a relatively well know flow field, the two dimensional, circular cylinder wake. This paper shows the validity of neural network (ANNARX) models to recreate closed loop simulations while only trained from open loop forcing cases. Direct adaptive feedback control is then applied to the ANN-ARX model. Once satisfying results are seen on the model, the feedback controller is scaled up to a CFD simulation. This control design technique is not limited to laminar two-dimensional flows, but also has capability to model and control more turbulent, non-linear three dimensional flows.
Hydro-geophysical investigation of saltwater intrusion into freshwater aquifer in Burutu, Nigeria

Eleven vertical electrical soundings were conducted in Burutu, Nigeria to investigate saltwater intrusion into the freshwater aquifer. A combination of curve matching technique and computer iterative software were used to interpret the data obtained. The result revealed the presence of four geoelectric layers consisting of two aquifers, located in the second and fourth layers. Analysis of the result showed that the second layer aquifer with a resistivity range of 136 to 283 Ωm and depth range of 1.8 to 3.6 m constitute an unconfined aquifer while the fourth layer aquifer with a resistivity value of 471 to 1,391 Ωm and depth range of 12.5 to 22.5 m is confined. The result of hydro-chemical analysis suggests that the second layer aquifer is saline, while the fourth layer aquifer is of good quality. It is therefore recommended that the sourcing of groundwater in Burutu should be to the fourth layer aquifer.
Investigation of the VFTO Related Repeated Breakdown Processes in UHV GIS

1100 kV GIS tests were performed to experimentally investigate the circuit on the repeated breakdown process and the VFTO generated when using a disconnector to switch an unload busbar.Since the random feature of the repeated breakdown process,about 500 rounds of opening and closing operations were performed.The breakdown characteristic of the contact gap during operations,the statistic distribution of the residual voltages at the unload busbar after each opening operation and the statistic distribution of the p.f.phase of first breakdown in each closing operation were obtained.Based on the test results,the repeated breakdown process and its influence on the VFTO were analyzed,and the conditions for the repeated breakdown process to be terminated were presented.
Study on optimizing capacity of storage battery in microgrid system based on economic dispatch

As an energy storage element,storage battery plays an important role in ensuring the safety and stability of system in microgrid power system which contains varied distributed new energy and is affected by the randomness and uncontrollability of new energy generation.The capacity of storage battery is dependent on the energy configuration of system.This paper proposes an optimized model of storage capacity based on economic dispatch to ensure reliable operation of the system and keeps the whole cost optimal.Algorithm of mixed integer programming(MIP) is applied to solve this model.Simulations under various proportions of new energy are done,and the simulation results show that the proposed model and algorithm can calculate optimal capacity of battery on the premise of given start-stop strategy and output curve.This system can ensure the security and economy of system dispatch.
Effect of Coiling Temperatures on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of DQ&P Steel

After hot rolling,the tested steel was firstly cooled to different temperatures ranging from M s temperature to M f temperature using ultra fast cooling system,and then cooled room temperature using furnace cooling. The influence of coiling temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of DQP steel was investigated. The results show that the volume fraction of ferrite is slightly increased and the volume fraction of retained austenite is increased from 5. 9% to 12. 1% as the coiling temperature is increased from 200 ℃ to 360 ℃. The volume fraction of retained austenite for the coiling temperature of 200 ℃ remains unchanged after tensile deformation,however,the volume fraction of retained austenite for the coiling temperature of 360 ℃ is lowered to 8. 5% after tensile deformation. The better mechanical properties with the elongation of 23. 9%,product of strength and elongation of 20 GPa·% and lower yield ratio of 0. 79 can be gained at the coiling temperature of 360 ℃.
SU-C-207A-07: Cumulative 18F-FDG Uptake Histogram Relative to Radiation Dose Volume Histogram of Lung After IMRT Or PSPT and Their Association with Radiation Pneumonitis

Purpose: To determine whether the difference in cumulative 18F-FDG uptake histogram of lung treated with either IMRT or PSPT is associated with radiation pneumonitis (RP) in patients with inoperable stage II and III NSCLC. Methods: We analyzed 24 patients from a prospective randomized trial to compare IMRT (n=12) with vs. PSPT (n=12) for inoperable NSCLC. All patients underwent PET-CT imaging between 35 and 88 days post-therapy. Post-treatment PET-CT was aligned with planning 4D CT to establish a voxel-to-voxel correspondence between post-treatment PET and planning dose images. 18F-FDG uptake as a function of radiation dose to normal lung was obtained for each patient. Distribution of the standard uptake value (SUV) was analyzed using a volume histogram method. The image quantitative characteristics and DVH measures were correlated with clinical symptoms of pneumonitis. Results: Patients with RP were present in both groups: 5 in the IMRT and 6 in the PSPT. The analysis of cumulative SUV histograms showed significantly higher relative volumes of the normal lung having higher SUV uptake in the PSPT patients for both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases (VSUV=2: 10% for IMRT vs 16% for proton RT and VSUV=1: 10% for IMRT vs 23% for proton RT). In addition, the SUV histograms for symptomatic cases in PSPT patients exhibited a significantly longer tail at the highest SUV. The absolute volume of the lung receiving the dose >70 Gy was larger in the PSPT patients. Conclusion: 18F-FDG uptake – radiation dose response correlates with RP in both groups of patients by means of the linear regression slope. SUV is higher for the PSPT patients for both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. Higher uptake after PSPT patients is explained by larger volumes of the lung receiving high radiation dose.
Single Crystal Growth

This chapter aims to provide readers with a general concept of how materials are prepared in semiconductor research and industry. High quality materials are vital to producing high quality devices. In addition, however, technologies are also in the race for cost-effective mass production with the considerations of wafer size expansion, multiple-wafer growth and compatibility with currently existing integrated circuitry.
Metaphysics, Religion, and Self-Realization in F.H. Bradley

This paper examines an apparent contradiction in F.H. Bradley’s thinking about religion. Bradley claims that “the intellectual effort to understand the universe is a principled way of thus experiencing the Deity.” Paraphrase this as (1) A metaphysical consciousness can experience God. Elsewhere Bradley writes, “God for me has no meaning outside of the religious consciousness, and that essentially is practical.” Paraphrase this as (2) God has meaning only for a practical consciousness. Bradley also claims that metaphysics is a theoretical, not a practical, activity. Paraphrase this as (3) A metaphysical consciousness is not a practical consciousness. (2) and (3) entail (4) God has no meaning for a metaphysical consciousness. But (4) is the negation of (1), and thus Bradley seems caught in a contradiction.
New generation ICG-based contrast agents for ultrasound-switchable fluorescence imaging.

Recently, we developed a new technology, ultrasound-switchable fluorescence (USF), for high-resolution imaging in centimeter-deep tissues via fluorescence contrast. The success of USF imaging highly relies on excellent contrast agents. ICG-encapsulated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) nanoparticles (ICG-NPs) are one of the families of the most successful near-infrared (NIR) USF contrast agents. However, the first-generation ICG-NPs have a short shelf life ( 6 months). In addition, we have conjugated hydroxyl or carboxyl function groups on the ICG-NPs for future molecular targeting. Finally, we have demonstrated the effect of temperature-switching threshold (Tth) and the background temperature (TBG) on the quality of USF images. We estimated that the Tth of the ICG-NPs should be controlled at ~38–40 °C (slightly above the body temperature of 37 °C) for future in vivo USF imaging. Addressing these challenges further reduces the application barriers of USF imaging.
‘No One Wants to Mess with an Angry Mom’: Females’ Negotiation of Power Technologies Within a Local Skateboarding Culture

Skateboarding is becoming increasingly influenced by females, both in terms of brand consumption and also participation at various levels and roles (Atencio, Beal, & Wilson, 2009). This view seems to support an emerging trend of female participation within lifestyle sporting cultures, as recently noted by Wheaton (2013). Yet, despite the seeming growth of women and girls within activities such as skateboarding, critiques surrounding the ascendancy of male power still hold purchase given our recent experience. For instance, during one visit to a skate park event held in our local community, we observed that there were no women or girls skateboarding while nearly 50 young men and boys navigated this public skate space. Another visit to a different skate park in our region revealed how only young men and boys actively used this space during a Friday night. Indeed, our third researcher, who is female, felt uncomfortable amidst the males’ activities and their conversations; she soon left. These compelling examples (and several other similar experiences) suggest that a more nuanced evaluation of women’s and girls’ participation in skateboarding is required at the micro-level of everyday practice.
Inactivation of the PLA2 Activity of Prdx6 Ameliorates Sepsis-Induced Acute Lung Injury

Prdx6 is a multi-functional protein that expresses peroxidase, phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and LPC acyltransferase activities. While the three activities of Prdx6 contribute to either the scavenging of lipid hydroperoxides or to the repair of peroxidized membranes, the PLA2 activity of Prdx6 (aiPLA2) is also required for NOX2 activation in pulmonary microvascular cells (PMVECs), alveolar macrophages and polymorphonuclear neutrophils. During sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI), NOX2 is activated generating superoxide radicals that contribute to vascular inflammation. To test whether inactivation of aiPLA2 ameliorates sepsis-induced ALI, we used a knockin mouse model (Prdx6-D140A) that lacks aiPLA2 activity due to a mutation of a key member of the PLA2 catalytic triad. Prdx6-D140A mice treated IP with LPS (10 mg/Kg) exhibited increased survival rates compared to WT mice. Total nucleated cells in BALF, VCAM-1 expression, and lung permeability increased after 24 h treatment with LPS in WT but not in Prdx6-D140A knockin mice. In vitro, intracellular hydrogen peroxide generation increased after LPS treatment (1 ug/mL for 16h) in PMVECs stably-expressing the HyPer-Cyto sensor. Increased H2O2 generation was prevented by pre-treatment with MJ33, a pharmacological inhibitor of aiPLA2 activity. These results show that aiPLA2 is needed for LPS-induced oxidant generation in PMVECs and that genetic inactivation aiPLA2 reduces LPS-induced inflammation, increased vascular permeability, and mortality in an animal model suggesting that aiPLA2 could be a target for prevention or treatment of sepsis-induced ALI.
Long-Term Effectiveness of Repeat Corticosteroid Injections for Trigger Finger

Purpose To quantify the long-term success of repeat injections for trigger fingers and to identify predictors of treatment outcomes. Methods This retrospective case series analyzed 292 repeat corticosteroid injections for trigger fingers administered by hand surgeons at a single tertiary center between January 2010 and January 2013. One hundred eighty-seven patients (64%) were female, 139 patients (48%) had multiple trigger fingers, and 63 patients (22%) were diabetic. The primary outcome, treatment failure, was defined as receiving a subsequent injection or surgical treatment. Patients without either documented failure or a return office visit in 2015 or 2016 were surveyed by telephone to determine if they had required subsequent treatment. Kaplan-Meier analyses with log-rank testing assessed the median time to treatment failure and the effect of demographic and disease-specific characteristics on injection success rate and predictors of injection outcome (success vs failure) were assessed with multivariable logistic regression. Results Second injections provided long-term treatment success in 39% (111 of 285) of trigger fingers with 86 receiving an additional injection and 108 ultimately undergoing surgical release. Thirty-nine percent (24 of 62) of third injections resulted in long-term success, with 22 receiving an additional injection, and 23 ultimately undergoing surgery. Median times-to-failure for second and third injections were 371 and 407 days, respectively. Success curves did not differ significantly according to any patient or disease factor. Logistic regression identified that advancing patient age and injection for trigger thumb were associated with success of second injections. Conclusions Thirty-nine percent of second and third corticosteroid injections for trigger finger yield long-term relief. Although most patients ultimately require surgical release, 50% of patients receiving repeat trigger injections realize 1 year or more of symptomatic relief. Repeat injections of trigger fingers should be considered in patients who prefer nonsurgical treatment. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
How Data Drive Early Word Learning: A Cross-Linguistic Waiting Time Analysis

The extent to which word learning is delayed by maturation as opposed to accumulating data is a longstanding question in language acquisition. Further, the precise way in which data influence learning on a large scale is unknown—experimental results reveal that children can rapidly learn words from single instances as well as by aggregating ambiguous information across multiple situations. We analyze Wordbank, a large cross-linguistic dataset of word acquisition norms, using a statistical waiting time model to quantify the role of data in early language learning, building off Hidaka (2013). We find that the model both fits and accurately predicts the shape of children’s growth curves. Further analyses of model parameters suggest a primarily data-driven account of early word learning. The parameters of the model directly characterize both the amount of data required and the rate at which informative data occurs. With high statistical certainty, words require on the order of ∼ 10 learning instances, which o...
Superdense coding facilitated by hyper-entanglement and quantum networks

A method of generating superdense coding based on quantum hyper-entanglement and facilitated by quantum networks is discussed. Superdense coding refers to the coding of more than one classical bit into each qubit. Quantum hyperentanglement refers to quantum entanglement in more than one degree of freedom, e.g. polarization, energy-time, and orbital angular momentum (OAM). The new superdense coding scheme permits 2L bits to be encoded into each qubit where L is the number of degrees of freedom used for quantum hyper-entanglement. The superdense coding procedure is based on a generalization of the Bell state for L degrees of freedom. Theory describing the structure, generation/transmission, and detection of the generalized Bell state is developed. Circuit models are provided describing the generation/transmission process and detection process. Detection processes are represented mathematically as projection operators. A mathematical proof that that the detection scheme permits the generalized Bell states to be distinguished with 100% probability is provided. Measures of effectiveness (MOEs) are derived for the superdense coding scheme based on open systems theory represented in terms of density operators. Noise and loss related to generation/transmission, detection and propagation are included. The MOEs include various probabilities, quantum Chernoff bound, a measure of the number of message photons that must be transmitted to successfully send and receive a message, SNR and the quantum Cramer Rao’ lower bound. Quantum networks with quantum memory are used to increase the efficiency of the superdense coding scheme.
Justification and the authority of norms

L'A. defend la these selon laquelle l'autorite des normes morales et non morales s'explique par leur justification normative precedant toute evaluation metaphysique, epistemologique ou psychologique.
Post‐TAVR aortogram: Transform it into a modern tool for prognosis and efficiency

Video densitometry after aortography can provide objective assessment of aortic regurgitation post-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) Contrast density ratio between the left ventricular outflow track and proximal aorta (LVOT-AR) of >0.17 suggests greater than mild aortic insufficiency and correlates with echo findings LVOT-AR of >0.17 is associated with higher 30-day and 1-year mortality.
Endovascular Coil Retrieval Using Dual Synchronous Solitaire Revascularization Devices

Background and importance Coil migration is a potential complication of endovascular aneurysm treatment. Dislodged coils into the parent artery require retrieval to prevent thromboembolic complications. A variety of techniques for coil retrieval have been described, including the use of single stentrievers and aspiration catheters. Clinical presentation The use of 2 stentrievers, as opposed to a single device, was thought to be advantageous in coil removal by the additional point of friction due to the extensive length of coil stretching and earlier failure of a single device. Conclusion In this report, 2 synchronous Solitaire FR Revascularization Devices (Covidien/Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland) were deployed, 1 distal and 1 proximal, to retrieve an inadvertently deployed coil.
Wittgenstein: “I can’t believe…or rather can’t believe it yet”

Wittgenstein’s attitude toward Christian believing is more complicated that many philosophers have been led to believe. The hiccup in the received account began as a neglect of Wittgenstein’s subject-involving method in philosophy of religion. Wittgenstein’s method cannot be subsumed under the rubric of philosophy-as-[quasi-scientific]-explanation. Rather, Wittgenstein’s method was subject-involving in the sense that by his own methodology he put himself at existential risk. In 1931 he wrote that “[t]he movement of thought in my philosophizing should be discernible also in the history of my spirit, of its moral concepts & in the understanding of my situation”. Apparently, to understand Wittgenstein’s method we are right to look closely at his biography. In the following essay I show that during his Norwegian sabbaticals, especially that of 1936–1937, Wittgenstein embodied the very method he advocated in his exploration of Christian believing. This method involved him in an enduring practice of actually praying, in close study of passionate Christian thinkers, and in public confession of his private sins. Although his journey ends shy of Christian believing, the form of his spiritual quest exemplifies the manner in which philosophers of religion ought to consider as internal to the investigation of religious concepts.
Adaptive Feature Selection and Feature Fusion for Semi-supervised Classification

Labeling of data is often difficult, expensive, and time consuming since efforts of experienced human annotators are required, and often we have large number of samples and noisy data. Co-training is a practical and powerful semi-supervised learning method as it yields high classification accuracy with a training data set containing only a small set of labeled data. For successful co-training performance, two important conditions need to be satisfied for the features: diversity and sufficiency. In this paper, we propose a novel mutual information based approach inspired by the idea of dependent component analysis to achieve feature splits that are maximally independent between-subsets (diverse) or within-subsets (sufficient). In addition, we demonstrate the application of the method to a real world problem, classification of laser tread mapping tire data. We introduce several features that are designed to highlight physical characteristics of the tire data, as well as local or global descriptors, such as histograms, gradients, or representations in other domains. Results from both simulations and tire image classification confirm that co-training with the proposed feature set and feature splits consistently yields higher accuracy than supervised classification, when using only a small set of labeled training data is available. The proposed method presents a very promising complement to time consuming and subjective expert labeling of data, reducing expert efforts to a minimum. Further results show that by using a probabilistic multi-layer perceptron classifier as the base learner in co-training, our method leads to very meaningful continuous measures for the progression of irregular wear on tire surface.
A King in Narcissistic Clothes

This chapter explores the life of King David to illustrate that top leaders can become the inadvertent tools of organizational demise if they are not diligent. Specifically, a case is made to catch foxes in their infancy before they grow into a public leadership problem. This deliberation highlights a plausible blind spot of David’s that has not gained much academic attention and makes a case for the major foxes that all influencers need to monitor. Such a scholastic conversation unearths a model to help leaders proactively trap their respective foxes before they are elevated to higher responsibilities. Moreover, the chapter spotlights David’s specific decision point and argues that king-think can cause tremendous pain to both leader and led.
Application of ex vivo gene therapy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease

Ex vivo gene therapy approaches hold great promise for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases where there is currently no cure or adequate treatment for affected individuals. In this review we have focused on the use of ex vivo gene transfer techniques in Parkinson's disease models; however, the issues and approaches outlined are applicable to other neurodegenerative disorders. In utilizing the ex vivo strategy two considerations are critical for delivery of therapeutic levels of transgene product to the target: (i) the vector system and (ii) the cell type for grafting. We describe herein different vector systems that are currently available and briefly review the various cell types that have been transduced and grafted into the striatum of animals with experimental Parkinson's disease. The strategies for application of gene therapy techniques to a treatment for Parkinson's disease have expanded beyond the classical dopamine replacement toward the use of neurotrophic factors in enhancing cell function or preventing cell death. In addition, we explore the utility of CNS-derived neural progenitors as alternative cell types for ex vivo gene therapy in an animal model of Parkinson's disease.
Model checking cell fate decisions

As time goes by, it becomes more and more apparent that the puzzles of life involve more and more molecular pieces that fit together in increasingly complex ways. Biology is not an exact science. It is messy and noisy, and most often vague and ambiguous. We cannot assign clear rules to the way cells behave and interact with one another, and we often cannot quantify the exact amounts of molecules, such as genes and proteins, in the resolution of a single cell. To make matters worse (so to speak), the combinatorial complexity observed in biological networks is staggering, which renders the comprehension and analysis of such systems a major challenge. Recent efforts to create executable models of complex biological phenomena - an approach called Executable Biology - entail great promise for new scientific discoveries, shading new light on the puzzle of life. At the same time, this 'new wave of the future' forces Computer Science to stretch far and beyond, and in ways never considered before, in order to deal with the enormous complexity observed in biology. In this talk, I will summarize some of the success stories in using formal verification to reason about mechanistic models in biology. In particular, I will focus on models of cell fate decisions during normal development, organogenesis, and cancer, and their analysis using model checking. If time permits, I will also mention some of the major milestones on the way to conquer biological complexity.
Development of an Adjoint for a Complex Atmospheric Model, the ARPS, using TAF

Large-scale scientific computer models, such as operational weather predictions models, pose challenges on the applicability of AD tools. We report the application of TAF to the development of the adjoint model and tangent linear model of a complex atmospheric model, ARPS. Strategies to overcome the problems encountered during the development process are discussed. A rigorous verification procedure of the adjoint model is presented. Simple experiments are carried out for sensitivity study, and the results confirm the correctness of the generated models.
Biotechnology and the Nonreligious Uses of God Talk

Evans begins by showing that there is a slight tendency for the American public to oppose the use of religious justifications for political arguments. Political theorists assume that the support or opposition to this “God talk” in the public sphere is due to its transcendent content. Evans claims that “God talk” is not just transcendent but is also a type of “thick” discourse that concerns the more fundamental and social aspects of an issue. Through an empirical examination of survey data, Evans demonstrates that, independent of the religious views of the respondent, those who are supportive of “God talk” are less supportive of genetic enhancement. Evans concludes that “God talk” is not only about God but is used to articulate “thick” concerns about biotechnology.
Priority setting towards achieving under-five mortality target in Africa in context of sustainable development goals: an ordinary least squares (OLS) analysis

Africa reduced its under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) by more than 50% during the MDGs era. However, it still has by far the highest average U5MR in the world – 81 deaths compared to a global average of 43 deaths per 1000 births, with eight of the ten countries in the world with the highest child mortality rates. The primary objective of our study was to examine the socioeconomic, healthcare, and environmental determinants that most account for U5MR disparities between African countries. We used a series of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models to assess the effects of 14 distinct socioeconomic, environmental and healthcare variables that account for the high U5MR differentials that persist between African countries. We conducted our analysis on 43 countries for which data were available. Using a dummy variable, we also emphasized factors that may be accounting for the disparity between the eight worst-performing countries and the remainder of the continent. Among all the determinants analyzed in our study, the results reveal that the factors that most account for the inequities observed are, in order, expenditure on healthcare (p < 0.01), total fertility rate (p < 0.01), income per capita (p < 0.05), and access to clean water (p < 0.1). Our results show that the gap between the best and worst performing countries in Africa can be significantly narrowed if government and donor interventions will target downstream factors such as improving education for mothers and sensitising them about birth control since fertility rate differences play a critical role. Improving accessibility to clean water sources to reduce outbreaks of diarrhea diseases is also observed as a critical factor.
Timing of sperm harvesting: is there room for improvement?

For urologists who treat infertility as part of their practice, it is not unusual to be “on call” to harvest sperm from the male partner of a couple undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). The timing of sperm harvesting is directly related to the day that egg retrieval of the female partner is going to occur. Some embryologists (who manipulate the sperm in the IVF laboratory and perform intracytoplasmic sperm injection [ICSI]) strongly believe that the sperm should be retrieved from the male partner on the same day that egg retrieval occurs. Conversely, other embryologists have no objection to performing sperm harvesting the day before egg retrieval, particularly if the sperm harvesting procedure is to be testicular sperm extraction (TESE). With TESE the sperm that are extracted from the tubules of the testicular tissue may take a while to obtain motility, which is the main in vitro criterion for choosing which sperm are to be used for the IVF plus ICSI process. By performing TESE the day before egg retrieval, the laboratory personnel allow themselves enough time to dissect the testicular tissue and retrieve the sperm, particularly in the case of nonobstructive azoospermic patients, for whom spermatogenesis may be severely impacted and in whom it may take a long time, relatively speaking, to find sperm in the tissue. However, some embryologists insist that sperm retrieved the day before egg retrieval do not “survive” as well as sperm retrieved the day of egg retrieval. This inconsistency and variability between IVF laboratories and their embryologists is most likely due to the individual experience of each laboratory rather than any solid, evidence-based data. If it could be demonstrated that harvesting sperm earlier than the day of egg retrieval does not severely impact the ability of the sperm to undergo fertilization, this could make life easier for all concerned because on many occasions the actual day of egg retrieval does not fall on the date originally targeted. In fact, in some cases, the day of egg retrieval may be a week or so later than anticipated at the beginning of the stimulation cycle of the female partner. For urologists harvesting sperm in such a situation, this can play havoc with their daily routine and schedule.
Implementation and Outcomes of a Pulmonary Embolism Response Team: A Single Center Experience

Introduction Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI) score is a validated tool which predicts short and long-term outcomes but does not include a targeted therapy approach. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the development of institution specific, multi-disciplinary pulmonary embolism response teams (PERT) to improve outcomes and reduce morbidity and mortality of PE. We report the impact of activating our PERT team on outcomes in PE patients across various PESI classes. Methods A multi-specialty approach to all acute PE patients was implemented in Feb 2016 at our institution (Figure 1). Retrospective analysis was done to evaluate the process, diagnostic procedures, therapy and outcomes for patients diagnosed with acute PE over a period of 11 months (February - December 2016). Results 191 acute PEs were diagnosed in the hospital (n=248; 47 transfers from other facilities). PERT was activated for 60% (n=115/191) patients. Comparison between the baseline demographics and PESI class for PERT activated (PERT-A) versus PERT not activated (PERT-N) is presented in Table 1. Length of stay (LOS) was found to be lower in each PESI class for PERT-A vs PERT-N group (Figure 2). Regression showed that both PERT activation and PESI score contribute to a model of LOS (p Conclusion PERT activation is associated with shorter in-Hospital length of stay across different PESI Classes.
How the older population perceives self-driving vehicles

Abstract Self-driving vehicles (SAE Level 5) are driven by automated vehicle technology and without any human driver input. These vehicles will especially be helpful to people who cannot drive, whether for medical- or age-related reasons. Since the current population of older Americans is the largest it has ever been, it is important to study transportation needs for older population and the potential of self-driving vehicles to solve their mobility problems. This study investigated older adults’ (aged 60 and over) perception of self-driving vehicles from the perspective of users and pedestrians. Five factors were measured to assess older adults’ perception including attitude, perceived usefulness, social norm, trust, and compatibility. Older adults’ willingness to use a self-driving vehicle, defined as acceptance, was also assessed. Data collection (N = 173) was done using an online survey approach. The results show that older adults perceive self-driving vehicles with positive attitude, perceived usefulness, trust, social norm, and acceptance as users. However, as pedestrians, the perception was either neutral or negative, except for the positive perceived usefulness. The results also revealed that if the older adults are familiar with self-driving vehicles, they are more likely to have a favorable perception of them. These results indicate great potential for the adoption of self-driving vehicles by older adults. However, they also raise concern about the interaction between older pedestrians and self-driving vehicles. The findings of this study will be helpful to developers in designing vehicles that meet the transportation needs of older adults and allow effective interaction between them and the vehicles.
Sensors based on CNT yarns

Abstract Carbon nanotubes have superior mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties but their nanoscale dimensions restrict their applications. Carbon nanotube yarns, being microscopic fiber-like and continuous assemblies of carbon nanotubes, offer a much wider range of applications. The unique piezoresistive response of carbon nanotube yarns can be tapped for sensing applications including strain measurement, damage detection, torque measurement, and motion monitoring as well as temperature measurement and detection of various chemicals. This chapter presents the fundamental operating principles of carbon nanotube yarn sensors and the latest experimental results including their development into integrated sensors for polymeric and composite materials.
Significance testing of the Altaic family

Abstract Historical linguists have been debating for decades about whether the classical comparative method provides sufficient evidence to consider Altaic languages as part of a single genetic unity, like Indo-European and Uralic, or whether the implicit statistical robustness behind regular sound correspondences is lacking in the case of Altaic. In this paper, I run a significance test on Swadesh-lists representing Turkish, Mongolian and Manchu to see if there are regular patterns of phonetic similarities or correspondences among word-initial phonemes in the basic vocabulary that cannot be expected to have arisen by chance. The methodology draws on Oswalt (1970), Ringe (1992), Baxter & Manaster Ramer (2000) and Kessler (2001, 2007). The results only partially point towards an Altaic family: Mongolian and Manchu show significant sound correspondences, while Turkish and Mongolian show some marginally significant phonological similarity, that might however be the consequence of areal contact. Crucially, Turkish and Manchu do not test positively under any condition.1
Adverse Juvenile Probation Supervision Outcomes: Noncompliance, Revocation, and Failure to Appear at Review Hearings:

Despite widespread use of community-based supervision for justice-involved youth, little research has examined what might contribute to youth performance under supervision. A recent investigation o...