cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A metacommmunity approach to co-occurrence patterns and the core-satellite hypothesis in a community of tropical arboreal ants

Inferring mechanisms of community assembly from co-occurrence patterns is difficult in systems where assembly processes occur at multiple spatial scales and among species with heterogeneous dispersal abilities. Here, we demonstrate that local scale analysis of co-occurrence patterns is inadequate to fully describe assembly mechanisms and instead utilize a metacommunity and core-satellite approach. We generated a co-occurrence and life-history data set for a community of twig-nesting ants on coffee plants across 36 sites within a tropical agroecosystem to test the following three hypotheses: (1) twig-nesting ant species compete for nest-sites, (2) they are structured as a metacommunity, and (3) core species show segregated patterns, while satellite species show random patterns of co-occurrence. Species were divided into four groups: core species that are well distributed regionally and dominant locally, regional dominants that are well distributed regionally but do not dominate locally, local dominants that are dominant locally but are not widely distributed, and satellites that are neither widely distributed nor dominant locally. Only the most abundant species in the community, Pseudomyrmex simplex, was classified as a core species. Regional dominants, local dominants, and satellite species show random patterns of co-occurrence. However, when P. simplex is included in the co-occurrence matrix, patterns become aggregated for all three species groupings. This suggests that P. simplex “assembles” the community by providing a core metapopulation that other species track. Analyzing co-occurrence patterns among candidate subsets of species, at multiple spatial scales, and linking them to species traits substantially improves the explanatory power of co-occurrence analyses in complex metacommunities.
EPIC: a framework for using video games in ethics education

Ethics education can potentially be supplemented through the use of video games. This article proposes a novel framework (Ethics Practice and Implementation Categorization [EPIC] Framework), which helps educators choose games to be used for ethics education purposes. The EPIC Framework is derived from a number of classic moral development, learning, and ethical decision-making models, including frameworks and theories associated with games and ethics, as well as prior empirical and theoretical research literature. The EPIC Framework consists of seven ethics education goals (e.g., building ethical awareness, practicing reflection, and enhancing character), and 12 strategies associated with ethics education, which are also present in video games (e.g., role-play, modeling, and simulation). Each of the framework’s categories is described in detail, and the limitations of the framework are also discussed.
The Operations, Appeals and Costs of the Alternative Financial Sector: Implications for Financial Counselors

Lower-income consumers use a growing number of financial services including pawn shops, rent-toown programs, check-cashing outlets, and rapid-refund tax services as alternatives to traditional financial services. These services constitute the Alternative Financial Sector (AFS). Compared to the traditional financial sector, AFS services are very expensive. This article describes services offered through the AFS, appeals utilized to attract customers, and the cost of using the AFS. The article provides financial counselors with information to help them work with AFS users.
The Classification of Complex Simple Lie Algebras

In the first section of this lecture we introduce the Dynkin diagram associated to a semisimple Lie algebra g. This is an amazingly efficient way of conveying the structure of g: it is a simple diagram that not only determines g up to isomorphism in theory, but in practice exhibits many of the properties of g. The main use of Dynkin diagrams in this lecture, however, will be to provide a framework for the basic classification theorem, which says that with exactly five exceptions the Lie algebras discussed so far in these lectures are all the simple Lie algebras. To do this, in §21.2 we show how to list all diagrams that arise from semisimple Lie algebras. In §21.3 we show how to recover such a Lie algebra from the data of its diagram, completing the proof of the classification theorem. All three sections are completely elementary, though §21.3 gets a little complicated; it may be useful to read it in conjunction with §22.1, where the process described is carried out in detail for the exceptional algebra \( {\mathfrak{g}_2}\) . (Note that neither §21.3 or §22.1 is a prerequisite for §22.3, where another description of \({{\mathfrak{g}}_{2}} \) will be given.)
Two-stage combined treatment of acid mine drainage and municipal wastewater.

This study examined the feasibility of the combined treatment of field-collected acid mine drainages (AMD, pH = 4.2 ± 0.9, iron = 112 ± 118 mg/L, sulfate = 1,846 ± 594 mg/L) and municipal wastewater (MWW, avg. chemical oxygen demand (COD) = 234–333 mg/L) using a two-stage process. The process consisted of batch mixing of the two wastes to condition the mixture solutions, followed by anaerobic biological treatment. The mixings performed under a range of AMD/MWW ratios resulted in phosphate removal of 9 to ∼100%, the mixture pH of 6.2–7.9, and COD/sulfate concentration ratio of 0.05–5.4. The biological treatment consistently removed COD and sulfate by >80% from the mixture solutions for COD/sulfate ratios of 0.6–5.4. Alkalinity was produced in the biological treatment causing increased pH and further removal of metals from the solutions. Scanning electron microscopy of produced sludge with energy dispersion analysis suggested chemical precipitation and associated adsorption and co-precipitation as the mechanisms for metal removal (Fe: >99%, Al: ∼100%, Mn: 75 to ∼100%, Ca: 52–81%, Mg: 13–76%, and Na: 56–76%). The study showed promising results for the treatment method and denoted the potential of developing innovative technologies for combined management of the two wastes in mining regions.
FORAGING HABITAT USE AND PROFITABILITY IN TROPICAL ROSEATE TERNS AND SANDWICH TERNS

I studied the foraging habitat use of Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) and Sand- wich Terns (S. sandvicensis) in southwestern Puerto Rico from 1991 to 1994, and determined foraging success of each species in three distinct habitat types: blue water, inshore shallows, and along reefs. The proportion of Roseate Tern foraging flocks differed significantly among the three habitat types, with over one-half of the flocks occurring in blue water. The pro- portion of Sandwich Tern flocks did not differ significantly among the three habitats. A higher proportion of Roseate Tern (84%) than Sandwich Tern (59%) foraging flocks occurred over schools of predatory fish, and mean flock size of Roseate Terns, but not of Sandwich Terns, was greater in the presence of predatory fish. Capture success (no. successful dives/ no. attempts) of Roseate Terns was highest in shallow-water habitats, when they pirated fish from Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) or used diving pelicans to scare fish to the surface. However, both capture rate (no. fish caught/min) and relative profitability (g fish caught/ min) were highest in blue-water flocks over predatory fish. Foraging success of Sandwich Terns was measured only for shallow-water habitats, and did not differ when foraging with or without pelicans. These results suggest that Roseate Terns in Puerto Rico forage primarily in habitats that result in the highest rate of prey capture. Moreover, Roseate Terns may rely heavily on predatory fish or pelicans to increase prey availability to them during the breeding season, whereas Sandwich Terns rely less on these sources to facilitate prey capture. Received 24 March 1995, accepted 20 June 1995.
Synthesis and Crystal Structure of the Mixed Metal Coordination Framework [Co 2 (H 2 O) 2 (pyrazine)V 4 O 12 ](H 2 O) 2

The coordination framework [Co2(H2O)2(pyrazine)V4O12](H2O)2 (1) was synthesized via hydrothermal synthesis using cobalt nitrate, vanadium oxide, and pyrazine. Compound 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n (a = 7.172(3) A, b = 9.907(4) A, c = 12.211(4) A, and β = 105.301(7)°) and contains a rare V4O12 trigonal bipyramidal double chain. [Co2(H2O)2(pyrazine)V4O12](H2O)2 (1) was synthesized hydrothermally from a vanadium oxide precursor, forming chains of edge-sharing distorted vanadium trigonal bipyriamids.
Asymmetric selective harmonic elimination technique using partial derivative for cascaded modular active rectifiers tied to a power grid with voltage harmonics

This paper proposes a real time selective harmonic elimination technique for the current of the active rectifier. The partial derivation technique is applied to the Fourier series equations of voltage waveforms to implement real time SHE technique. In order to control the magnitude and phase of the low order current harmonics of the active rectifier, a new controller is proposed to fully mitigate the 5th and 7th current harmonic orders of the active rectifier even with the influence of grid voltage harmonics. Moreover, in this paper, an asymmetric voltage waveform will be employed to control both the magnitude and phase of the current harmonics of the active rectifier. The proposed technique needs very low memory storage for look-up tables, so it saves a lot of resources for DSP. Finally, the proposed technique is verified by MATLAB/Simulink simulations and experiments. The technique can be extended to eliminate more orders of harmonics.
Filming Responsibly: Ethnicity, Community, and the Nation in Ana Lucía Cuevas’s El eco del dolor de mucha gente

This chapter analyzes how Guatemalan documentary filmmaker Ana Lucia Cuevas responds to the ethical and aesthetic dilemmas involved in visually representing the pain of indigenous peoples, the main victims of Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1996), by placing them at the center of her narrative. Her reading of the film El eco del dolor de mucha gente (2011) highlights how the film weaves together voices and bodies of indigenous and nonindigenous, female survivors, inviting viewers to listen to their demands for justice. By forging transethnic kinship ties, El eco combats the logic of indigenous genocide and subverts the discourse of the nation that produced it.
School Psychologists' Management of Administrative Pressure to Practice Unethically

ABSTRACTIn their role as child advocates, school psychologists strive to promote policies and practices that increase the availability of necessary academic and mental health services and enhance the well-being of children. However, administrative pressure to disregard ethical and legal mandates in favor of decisions that would prioritize the needs of the employing agency creates a serious dilemma for practitioners. This study examined school psychologists' self-reported adoption of strategies for managing administrative pressure to practice unethically, as well as practitioners' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of various approaches. Participants most frequently reported handling administrative pressure by soliciting advice and emotional support from colleagues and educating administrators about ethical and legal mandates governing school-based practice. Similarly, enlightening administrators about ethical guidelines, special education legislation, and best practices was the approach most commonly...
The cost effectiveness of vancomycin for preventing infections after shoulder arthroplasty: a break-even analysis.

Background Increasing methicillin resistance and recognition of Propionibacterium acnes as a cause of infection in shoulder arthroplasty has led to the adoption of local vancomycin powder application as a more effective method to prevent expensive periprosthetic infections. However, no study has analyzed the cost effectiveness of vancomycin powder for preventing infection after shoulder replacement. Methods Cost data for infection-related care of 16 patients treated for deep periprosthetic shoulder infection was collected from our institution for the break-even analysis. An equation was developed and applied to the data to determine how effective vancomycin powder would need to be at reducing a baseline infection rate to make prophylactic use cost effective. Results The efficacy of vancomycin (absolute risk reduction [ARR]) was evaluated at different unit costs, baseline infection rates, and average costs of treating infection. We determined vancomycin to be cost effective if the initial infection rate decreased by 0.04% (ARR). Using the current costs of vancomycin reported in the literature (range: $2.50/1000 mg to $44/1000 mg), we determined vancomycin to be cost effective with an ARR range of 0.01% at a cost of $2.50/1000 mg to 0.19% at $44/1000 mg. Baseline infection rate does not influence the ARR obtained at any specific cost of vancomycin or the cost of treating infection. Conclusions We have derived and used a break-even equation to assess efficacy of prophylactic antibiotics during shoulder surgery. We further demonstrated the prophylactic administration of local vancomycin powder during shoulder arthroplasty to be a highly cost-effective practice.
Bound-Preserving High-Order Schemes

Abstract For the initial value problem of scalar conservation laws, a bound-preserving property is desired for numerical schemes in many applications. Traditional methods to enforce a discrete maximum principle by defining the extrema as those of grid point values in finite difference schemes or cell averages in finite volume schemes usually result in an accuracy degeneracy to second-order around smooth extrema. On the other hand, successful and popular high-order accurate schemes do not satisfy a strict bound-preserving property. We review two approaches for enforcing the bound-preserving property in high-order schemes. The first one is a general framework to design a simple and efficient limiter for finite volume and discontinuous Galerkin schemes without destroying high-order accuracy. The second one is a bound-preserving flux limiter, which can be used on high-order finite difference, finite volume and discontinuous Galerkin schemes.
Planar antenna arrays for CMB polarization detection

A novel slot antenna array architecture is presented for cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization detection. Future CMB polarization detection instruments will require large focal planes with thousand of detectors to have large throughput improving overall sensitivity of the instrument. Field of view of these detectors needs to be restricted to reduce stray radiation pickup. Current technology of using metal horn antennas are found impractical for very large arrays. Although planar antennas solve many of the problems of horn antenna, they require substrate lens to have a narrow beam required for CMB polarization detection. We have designed and developed dual-polarized antennas producing a narrow beam without any substrate lenses and is compatible with large focal plane architecture. The antenna array output for each polarization is combined in phase and detected using transition edge sensors (TES). These dual- polarized slot antennas provide approximately 20-25% fractional bandwidth with better than 20 dB cross polarization.
Targeted marketing and seeding products with positive externality

We study a strategic model of marketing in social networks in which two firms compete for the spread of their products. Firms initially determine the production cost of their product, which results in the payoff of the product for consumers, and the number and the location of the consumers in a network who receive the product as a free offer. Consumers play a local coordination game over a fixed network which determines the dynamics of the spreading of products. Assuming myopic best response dynamics, consumers choose a product based on the payoff received by actions of their neighbors. This local update dynamics results in a game-theoretic diffusion process in the network. Utilizing earlier results in the literature, we derive a lower and an upper bound on the proportion of product adoptions which not only depend on the number of initial seeds but also incorporate their locations as well. Using these bounds, we then study which consumers should be chosen initially in a network in order to maximize product adoptions for firms. We show consumers should be seeded based on their eigenvector centrality in the network. We then consider a game between two firms aiming to optimize their products adoptions while considering their fixed budgets. We describe the Nash equilibrium of the game between firms in star and k-regular networks and compare the equilibrium with our previous results.
Monumenting Marine Control

Although the idea of monumenting marine control was first mentioned in 1958, the real work started in 1965. With President Reagan’s Proclamation of the Exclusive Economic Zone on 10 March 1983, resource assessment of the ocean, including fisheries, oil, gas and minerals, marine control networks will play an important role in boundary demarcation, law enforcement, scientific and industrial activities. New developments in acoustic instrumentation have led to more accurate establishment of marine benchmarks. Accuracies of better than +/−25cm over a distance of 2600m in water depths of 1400m have been obtained.
Mapping nominal values to numbers for effective visualization

Data sets with a large numbers of nominal variables, including some with large number of distinct values, are becoming increasingly common and need to be explored. Unfortunately, most existing visual exploration tools are designed to handle numeric variables only. When importing data sets with nominal values into such visualization tools, most solutions to date are rather simplistic. Often, techniques that map nominal values to numbers do not assign order or spacing among the values in a manner that conveys semantic relationships. Moreover, displays designed for nominal variables usually cannot handle high cardinality variables well. This paper addresses the problem of how to display nominal variables in general-purpose visual exploration tools designed for numeric variables. Specifically, we investigate (1) how to assign order and spacing among the nominal values, and (2) how to reduce the number of distinct values to display. We propose a new technique, called the Distance-Quantification-Classing (DQC) approach, to preprocess nominal variables before being imported into a visual exploration tool. In the Distance Step, we identify a set of independent dimensions that can be used to calculate the distance between nominal values. In the Quantification Step, we use the independent dimensions and the distance information to assign order and spacing among the nominal values. In the Classing Step, we use results from the previous steps to determine which values within the domain of a variable are similar to each other and thus can be grouped together. Each step in the DQC approach can be accomplished by a variety of techniques. We extended the XmdvTool package to incorporate this approach. We evaluated our approach on several data sets using a variety of measures.
Combined effects of oscillating hydrostatic pressure, perfusion and encapsulation in a novel bioreactor for enhancing extracellular matrix synthesis by bovine chondrocytes

The influence of combined shear stress and oscillating hydrostatic pressure (OHP), two forms of physical forces experienced by articular cartilage (AC) in vivo, on chondrogenesis, is investigated in a unique bioreactor system. Our system introduces a single reaction chamber design that does not require transfer of constructs after seeding to a second chamber for applying the mechanical forces, and, as such, biochemical and mechanical stimuli can be applied in combination. The biochemical and mechanical properties of bovine articular chondrocytes encapsulated in agarose scaffolds cultured in our bioreactors for 21 days are compared to cells statically cultured in agarose scaffolds in addition to static micromass and pellet cultures. Our findings indicate that glycosaminoglycan and collagen secretions were enhanced by at least 1.6-fold with scaffold encapsulation, 5.9-fold when adding 0.02 Pa of shear stress and 7.6-fold with simultaneous addition of 4 MPa of OHP when compared to micromass samples. Furthermore, shear stress and OHP have chondroprotective effects as evidenced by lower mRNA expression of β1 integrin and collagen X to non-detectable levels and an absence of collagen I upregulation as observed in micromass controls. These collective results are further supported by better mechanical properties as indicated by 1.6–19.8-fold increases in elastic moduli measured by atomic force microscopy.
MYCN -amplified stage 2/3 neuroblastoma: excellent survival in the era of anti-G D2 immunotherapy.

High-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB) includes MYCN-amplified stage 2/3, but reports covering anti-GD2 immunotherapy, which recently became standard for HR-NB, do not provide details on this subset. We now report on all 20 MYCN-amplified stage 2/3 patients who received induction chemotherapy at our center during the era of consolidation with anti-GD2 antibody 3F8/ granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (2000-2015). Early in this period, consolidation included autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). Event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier analyses. With induction, 19/20 (95%) patients achieved complete/very good partial remission (CR/VGPR) but one had progressive disease with early death. One responder did not receive consolidation and died of relapse. Five-year post-diagnosis EFS/OS rates for all 20 patients were 72%/84%. The 18 CR/VGPR patients who received consolidation had EFS/OS 81%/94% at five years from starting 3F8/GM-CSF: 4/4 ASCT patients remained relapse-free, while 11/14 non-ASCT patients remained relapse-free and two of the three relapsed patients achieved 2nd CR (consolidated by retreatment with 3F8/GM-CSF) and remained in 2nd CR at 36+ and 95+ months post-relapse. The 14 non-ASCT patients had EFS/OS 73.5%/93% at five years from starting 3F8/GM-CSF. This subset appears to have a good prognosis with contemporary multi-modality therapy, possibly even without ASCT.
Overall and Comparative Risk of Herpes Zoster With Pharmacotherapy for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background & Aims Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) might be at increased risk for herpes zoster infection. We sought to quantify the risk of herpes zoster in patients with IBD and evaluate the effects of IBD and IBD medications on the risk of herpes zoster. Methods We conducted 2 retrospective studies of populations of Veterans, from January 2000 through June 2016. In study 1, we compared the incidence of herpes zoster among patients with IBD receiving 5-ASA alone vs matched patients without IBD. In study 2, we compared the incidence of herpes zoster among patients with IBD treated with only 5-ASA, with thiopurines, with antagonists of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), with a combination of thiopurines and TNF antagonists, and with vedolizumab. We used multivariable Cox regression to estimate the hazard ratios and 95% CIs for herpes zoster associated with IBD in study 1 and with different treatments in study 2. We also estimated the incidence rate of herpes zoster based on age and IBD medication subgroups. Results Compared to no IBD, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) were each associated with significantly increased risk of herpes zoster infection. In multivariable Cox regression (compared to no IBD), UC, CD, or IBD treated with 5-ASA treatment alone was associated with significantly increased risk of herpes zoster, with adjusted HRs (AHR) of 1.81 for UC (95% CI, 1.56–2.11), 1.56 for CD (95% CI, 1.28–1.91), and 1.72 for treated IBD (95% CI, 1.51–1.96). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, compared to exposure to 5-ASA alone, exposure to thiopurines (AHR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.31–1.65) or a combination of thiopurines and TNF antagonists (AHR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.22–2.23) was associated with increased risk of herpes zoster. However, exposure to TNF antagonists alone (AHR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.96–1.38) was not associated with increased risk of herpes zoster. The incidence rates of herpes zoster in all age groups and all IBD medication subgroups were substantially higher than that in the oldest group of patients without IBD (older than 60 years). Conclusions In 2 retrospective studies of Veteran populations, we associated IBD and treatment with thiopurines, alone or in combination with TNF antagonists, with increased risk of herpes zoster. With the approval of a new and potentially safer vaccine for herpes zoster, the effects of immunization of patients with IBD should be investigated.
Reliable outcomes and survivorship of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty for isolated compartment osteonecrosis

Aims Primary (or spontaneous) and secondary osteonecrosis of the knee can lead to severe joint degeneration, for which either total or unicompartmental arthroplasty may be considered. However, there are limited studies analyzing outcomes of unicompartmental knee arthroplasties (UKAs) for osteonecrosis involving an isolated compartment of the knee. The aims of this study were to analyze outcomes of UKAs for osteonecrosis with specific focus on 1) survivorship free of any revision or reoperation, 2) risk factors for failure, 3) clinical outcomes, and 4) complications. Patients and Methods A total of 45 patients underwent 46 UKAs for knee osteonecrosis between 2002 and 2014 at our institution (The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota). Twenty patients (44%) were female; the mean age of the patients was 66 years, and mean body mass index (BMI) was 31 kg/m2. Of the 46 UKAs, 44 (96%) were medial UKAs, and 35 (76%) were fixed-bearing design. Mean mechanical axis postoperatively was 1.5° varus (0° to 5° varus); 41 U...
Understanding the Molecular Weight Dependence of χ and the Effect of Dispersity on Polymer Blend Phase Diagrams

Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations and cloud point measurements were performed to understand the molecular weight dependence of χ and the effect of dispersity on the phase behavior of polymer mixtures. Oligomeric blends consisting of poly(ethylene-alt-propylene) (PEP) and poly(ethylene oxide) dimethyl ether (PEO) were used as the model systems. First, the molecular weight dependence of χ for PEP/PEO mixtures was studied using simulations and experiments for PEP/PEO mixtures with various molecular weights. An empirical model with a single adjustable parameter kij is used to quantify this molecular weight dependence, and it allows for the accurate prediction of χ of PEP/PEO mixtures with arbitrary molecular weights. Second, the effects of molecular weight distribution (MWD) and dispersity (Đ) of PEO on the PEP/PEO phase diagram were investigated via both simulations and experiments. When PEO is relatively monodisperse (Đ < 1.2), the phase diagram is found to be insensitive to either MWD or Đ, despite di...
Cognitive Impairment and Mortality in a Population-Based Parkinson’s Disease Cohort

Background Parkinson's disease (PD) is a heterogeneous disorder with variability in phenotype and progression. Objective We describe characteristics of PD patients in the largest population-based cohort followed for progression to date, and evaluate clinical risk factors for cognitive impairment and mortality. Methods We collected longitudinal data using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in 242 new-onset PD patients followed for progression. We compared those who developed cognitive impairment (MMSE≤24) with those who did not, using t-tests, chi-square tests, and Cox proportional hazards regression. Mortality risk factors were assessed in all 360 patients enrolled at baseline. Results Thirty-four patients developed cognitive impairment during follow-up. Baseline characteristics predictive of faster time to cognitive impairment were older age at diagnosis, fewer years of education, and longer average sleep duration reported. The 197 patients who died were older at diagnosis, reported longer average sleep duration, had lower baseline MMSE scores, higher UPDRS-III scores, and a higher proportion were of the postural instability gait difficulty (PIGD) subtype. Patients with the tremor dominant (TD) subtype at baseline were less likely to develop cognitive impairment or die during follow-up. Progression of cognitive, depressive, and motor symptoms occurred in parallel. Conclusions Motor symptom severity and subtype influence the incidence of cognitive impairment and mortality in PD, with the TD motor subtype being relatively protective. In addition, we newly found that longer average sleep duration at baseline predicts faster progression to cognitive impairment and mortality.
Economic Dispatch for a Distribution Network with Intermittent Renewables and Tap Changers

Urban power distribution networks (UDNs) play an important role but they have not been designed to sustain the ever- increasing growth of distributed generation such as solar. Because of the intermittency of such generation, UDNs are suffering from voltage and frequency fluctuations. Moreover, to maintain power quality and reliability, grid devices such as transformer taps are forced to be adjusted frequently, and rapidly reach their end of lives. In this paper, an urban network with one solar farm and several distributed generators is considered. It is assumed that the network is well-balanced, and economic dispatch (ED) is performed. With significant levels of solar penetration, such ED is challenging since (1) the intermittent nature of solar generation makes the problem stochastic and complicated; (2) AC power flow and tap changer equations make the problem highly nonlinear; and (3) discrete decisions (tap positions) makes the problem combinatorial. These difficulties will be resolved by (1) handling uncertainties through the use of Markov chains; (2) novel dynamic linearization through the use of absolute-value functions; (3) a decomposition and coordination approach with accelerated convergence. Testing results on a simple 3-bus and a modified 34- bus system demonstrate that the method converges fast, and has the potential to solve practical distribution ED problems.
Proceedings of the first workshop on Parallel programming for analytics applications

"Necessity is the mother of invention". That premise motivated the organizers of this workshop and the program committee to bring together communities that need vast amounts of computingresources for big analytics problems and the communities that can build computing platforms to solve those problems. It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the First Workshop on Parallel Programming for Analytics Applications (PPAA). Analytics applications are scaling rapidly in terms of the size and variety of data analyzed, the complexity of models explored and tested, and the number of analytics professionals or data scientists supported concurrently. At the same time hardware systems are embracing new technologies like on-chip and off-chip accelerators, vector extensions to instruction sets, and solid state disks. New programming methodologies and run-times to support them are emerging to facilitate the development of new analytics applications, and to leverage emerging systems. This workshop provides a forum for the applications community, runtime and development environment community and systems community to exchange the outlook for progress in each of these areas and exchange ideas on how to cross leverage the progress. We especially encourage attendees to attend the keynote and invited talk presentations. These valuable and insightful talks can and will guide us to a better understanding of the future: Future Directions in Analytic Applications, Dr. Edward J. Baranoski (currently Director of the Office of Smart Collection at Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) where the focus is on dramatically improving the value of collected data from all sources.) Cognitive Computing Journey, David Nahamoo (currently at IBM Research, focusing on cognitive computing.) Graphs & Networks: Computing and Analytics at Lincoln Laboratory, Robert A. Bond (currently with IBM Lincoln Labs architectures, conducting research that support graph analytics as data sets scale to million-node graphs and beyond.) High-speed Graph Analytics with the Galois System, Dr. Keshav Pingali (Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin, research is focused on programming languages and tools for multicore and manycore processors.)
Human-Like Sequential Learning of Escape Routes for Virtual Reality Agents

The Piper Alpha disaster (1988) witnessed 167 casualties. The offshore safety guidelines developed afterward highlighted the need for effective and regular training to overcome the problems in evacuation procedures. Today, virtual environments are effective training platforms due to high-end audio/visual and interactive capabilities. These virtual environments exploit agents with human-like steering capabilities, but with limited or no capacity to learn routes. This work proposes a sequential route learning methodology for agents that resembles the way people learn routes. The methodology developed here exploits a generalized stochastic Petri-net based route learning model iteratively. The simulated results are compared with the route learning strategies of human participants. The data on human participants were collected by the authors from an earlier study in a virtual environment. The main contribution lies in modeling people’s route learning behavior over the course of successive exposures. It is found that the proposed methodology models human-like sequential route learning if there are no easy detours from the original escape route. Although the model does not accurately capture individual learning strategies for all decision nodes, it can be used as a model of compliant, rule-following training guides for a virtual environment.
Chondrocyte viability is lost during high-rate impact loading by transfer of amplified strain, but not stress, to pericellular and cellular regions.

Summary Objective Deleterious impact loading to cartilage initiates post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA). While cytokine and enzyme levels regulate disease progression, specific mechanical cues that elucidate cellular OA origins merit further investigation. We defined the dominant pericellular and cellular strain/stress transfer mechanisms following bulk-tissue injury associated with cell death. Method Using an in vitro model, we investigated rate-dependent loading and spatial localization of cell viability in acute indentation and time-course studies. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed depth-wise changes in cartilage micro-/macro-mechanics and structure post-indentation. To understand the transfer of loading to cartilage domains, we computationally modeled full-field strain and stress measures in interstitial matrix, pericellular and cellular regions. Results Chondrocyte viability decreased following rapid impact (80%/s) vs slow loading (0.1%/s) or unloaded controls. Viability was lost immediately during impact within regions near the indenter-tissue contact but did not change over 7 days of tissue culture. AFM studies revealed a loss of stiffness following 80%/s loading, and MRI studies confirmed an increased tensile and shear strain, but not relaxometry. Image-based patterns of chondrocyte viability closely matched computational estimates of amplified maximum principal and shear strain in interstitial matrix, pericellular and cellular regions. Conclusion Rapid indentation worsens chondrocyte death and degrades cartilage matrix stiffness in indentation regions. Cell death at high strain rates may be driven by elevated tensile strains, but not matrix stress. Strain amplification beyond critical thresholds in the pericellular matrix and cells may define a point of origin for early damage in post-traumatic OA.
A Comparison of Common Plastic Surgery Operations Using the NSQIP and TOPS Databases.

Both the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons (TOPS) databases track 30-day outcomes. Methods Using the 2008-2016 TOPS and NSQIP databases, we compared patient characteristics and postoperative outcomes for 5 common plastic surgery procedures. A weighted TOPS population was used to mirror the NSQIP population in clinical and demographic characteristics to compare postoperative outcomes. Results We identified 154,181 cases. Compared with NSQIP patients, TOPS patients were more likely to be younger (47.9 versus 50.0 years), have American Society of Anesthesiologists class I-II (92.1% versus 74.6%), be outpatient (66.0% versus 49.3%), and be smokers (18.7% versus 11.7%). TOPS had extensive missing data: body mass index (40.6%), American Society of Anesthesiologists class (34.9%), diabetes (39.3%), and smoking status (37.2%). NSQIP was missing <1% of all shared categories except race (15.6%). The entire TOPS cohort versus only TOPS patients without missing data had higher rates of dehiscence (5.1% versus 3.5%) and infection (2.1% versus 1.7%). TOPS versus NSQIP patients had higher dehiscence rates (5.1% versus 1.0%) but lower rates of return to the operating room (3.1% versus 6.6%), infection (2.1% versus 3.0%), and medical complications (0.3% versus 2.2%). Nonweighted and weighted TOPS cohorts had similar 30-day outcomes. Conclusions NSQIP and TOPS populations are different in characteristics and outcomes, likely due to differences in collection methodology and the types physicians using the databases. The strengths of each dataset can be used together for research and quality improvement.
Non-Signaling Proofs with O(√log n) Provers is in PSPACE

Non-signaling proofs, motivated by quantum computation, have found applications in cryptography and hardness of approximation. An important open problem is characterizing the power of no-signaling proofs. It is known that 2-prover no-signaling proofs are characterized by PSPACE, and that no-signaling proofs with poly(n)-provers are characterized by EXP. However, the power of k-prover no-signaling proofs, for 2kpoly(n) remained an open problem. We show that k-prover no-signaling proofs (with negligible soundness) for k=O(√logn) are contained in PSPACE. We prove this via two different routes that are of independent interest. In both routes we consider a relaxation of no-signaling called sub-no-signaling. Our main technical contribution (which is used in both our proofs) is a reduction showing how to convert any sub-no-signaling strategy with value at least 1−2−Ω(k2) into a no-signaling one with value at least 2−O(k2). In the first route, we show that the classical prover reduction method for converting k-prover games into 2-prover games carries over to the no-signaling setting with the following loss in soundness: if a k-player game has value less than 2−ck2 (for some constant~c>0), then the corresponding 2-prover game has value at most 1−2dk2 (for some constant~d>0). In the second route we show that the value of a sub-no-signaling game can be approximated in space that is polynomial in the communication complexity and exponential in the number of provers.
Optimal Timing and Effectiveness of COVID-19 Outbreak Responses in China: A Modelling Study

Background. In January 2020, an outbreak of atypical pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was reported in Wuhan, China. On Jan 23, 2020, the Chinese government instituted mitigation strategies to control spread. Most modeling studies have focused on projecting epidemiological outcomes throughout the pandemic. However, the impact and optimal timing of different mitigation approaches have not been well-studied. Methods and Findings. We developed a mathematical model reflecting SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics in an age-stratified population. The model simulates health and economic outcomes from Dec 1, 2019 through Mar 31, 2020 for cities including Wuhan, Chongqing, Beijing, and Shanghai in China. We considered differences in timing and duration of three mitigation strategies in the early phase of the epidemic: city-wide quarantine on Wuhan, travel history screening and isolation of travelers from Wuhan to other Chinese cities, and general social distancing. Our model estimated that implementing all three mitigation strategies one week earlier would have averted 35% of deaths in Wuhan (50% in other cities) with a 7% increase in economic impacts (16- 18% in other cities). One week's delay in mitigation strategy initiation was estimated to decrease economic cost by the same amount, but with 35% more deaths in Wuhan and more than 80% more deaths in the other cities. Of the three mitigation approaches, infections and deaths increased most rapidly if initiation of social distancing was delayed. Furthermore, the social distancing of working-age adults was most critical to reducing COVID-19 outcomes versus social distancing among children and/or the elderly. Conclusions. Optimizing the timing of epidemic mitigation strategies is paramount and involves weighing trade-offs between preventing infections and deaths and incurring immense economic impacts. City-wide quarantine was not as effective as city-wide social distancing due to its much higher daily cost than social distancing. Under typical economic evaluation standards, the optimal timing for the full set of control measures would have been much later than Jan 23, 2020 (status quo).
Narratives of Heterosexuality, Marriage, Intimacy: Winnie and Nelson Mandela

Reports of marriage, heterosexuality, intimacy and parenting are referred to in diverse ways in retrospective media and biographical accounts of the relationship between national liberation leaders Winnie and Nelson Mandela. This paper examines the biographical and post apartheid media narratives of the relationship between Winnie and Nelson Mandela and of their individual relationships with other partners and how these may inform the constructs of gendered personhood, heterosexual marriage, and associated intimacy and desire. I ask what meanings emerge about heterosexual relationships, marriage, intimacy and parenting; whether and how these narratives take account of the effects of long term imprisonment, banning orders, de facto single parenting and leadership in a context of legislated racism on this iconic relationship. I compare these different narratives of romance, marriage and intimacy to ask what gendered assumptions are constructed about the expectation of leaders spouses, their roles in nation building and of their intimate relationships, in the post apartheid nation.
Studies on oxidative phosphorylation: XI. Energy-dependent reduction of diphosphophyridine nucleotide by ene-diol compounds in the presence of dyes

Energy-linked reduction of added NAD by ascorbate and dihydropyrogallol in the presence of mediator dyes in submitochondrial particles has been described. The reactions are inhibited by oligomycin and rotenone but not by malonate. Antimycin A completely inhibited NAD reduction by the ascorbate-toluidine blue couple as in the ascorbate-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine couple, suggesting electron entry on the oxygen side of the antimycin block. Antimycin A inhibited NAD reduction only partially when ascorbate or dihydropyrogallol was used with menadione or pyocyanine as mediators. The results suggest that electrons from these couples enter the respiratory chain on either side of the antimycin block.
Which Chance was Lost

The loss of chance doctrine in medical malpractice cases holds that when a doctor is responsible for reducing a patient’s chance of survival by some percentage, the patient (or the patient’s estate) should be compensated by the doctor for that percentage loss. Compensation is often determined by multiplying the value of a patient’s life by the lost chance. This paper investigates psychological factors that my affect a legal decision maker’s evaluation of damage awards in loss of chance cases. A paper and pencil experiment and a large-scale mock jury study (the latter using videotaped trials) are conducted to investigate the following questions: (1) Are identical lost chance percentages evaluated differently as a function of where they fall on the probability scale? (2) Are “lost chances to live” evaluated differently from “increased risks to die?” (3) Is lost chance reasoning more likely to be invoked for cases that have a large number of plaintiffs (i.e., class actions)? and (4) Does group deliberation affect the magnitude or frequency of lost chance damage awards?
The Consensus-Beating Game

This paper unveils the rationality behind the widely criticized practice of consensus-beating, where companies try to report quarterly earnings equal to or slightly exceeding analysts expectations. In a simple theoretical model we show that a high-growth company can use active earnings guidance and consensus-beating to credibly signal its growth potential to the financial market. We find empirical evidence in support of the model. Consensus-beating companies experience higher subsequent earnings. Earnings forecasts on those companies are less biased and more accurate. The market valuation is higher for consensus-beating stocks. All the above effects are most pronounced among stocks with high price-to-book ratio, a proxy for market perception of high growth potential. Finally, from 1985 to 2000, consensus-beating growth stocks significantly outperform value stocks and consensus-missing growth stocks in returns. The evidence runs contrary to the claim that stock market reacts to an uninformative event. Rather, it takes investors some time to sort out the information from a sophisticated game.
Maternal Mosaicism for a Novel Interleukin-2 Receptor γ-Chain Mutation Causing X-Linked Severe CombinedImmunodeficiency in a Navajo Kindred

X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) results from mutations of IL2RG, the gene encoding the interleukin-2 receptor γ chain, also known as the common γ chain (γc). A distinct form of autosomal recessive SCID occurs at an increased frequency among the Navajo Native American population, The disease gene responsible for autosomal Navajo SCID remains to be determined. We report the occurrence of X-linked SCID in a Navajo Native American kindred with two affected brothers. X-linked SCID was suggested by the presence of circulating B cells and the absence of surface γc expression in a cell line derived from an affected male. A C-to-T transition was demonstrated in exon 5 of the IL2RG gene, resulting in the substitution of tryptophan for arginine at position 224. This change was not present in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of the mother, thus proving the occurrence of a new mutation in the maternal germline. This report underscores the importance of establishing a specific genetic diagnosis for SCID cases and illustrates the inherent difficulties in providing genetic counseling in cases involving mosaicism.
EXPERIMENTAL HEMORRHAGE IN LATE PREGNANCY. EFFECTS ON MATERNAL AND FETAL HEMODYNAMICS.

Abstract 1.1. The problem of late pregnancy hemorrhage has been investigated in the dog. 2.2. Reversible shock was produced by acute maternal bleeding and maternal and fetal hemodynamic relationships monitored. 3.3. Vascular shock impaired uterine blood flow and, concomitantly, uterine and fetal tissue oxygenation. 4.4. The fetal ECG remained unchanged despite polarographic evidence of severe tissue hypoxia. 5.5. Whole blood replacement of 6 per cent dextran infusion restored maternal and fetal parameters. Dextran was not as effective as whole blood. 6.6. The infusion of Vasoxyl further decreased uterine blood flow, maternal and fetal tissue oxygenation and aggravated the bradycardia of hypoxia despite restoration of the maternal arterial blood pressure. 7.7. Adequate uterine blood flow would appear to be the most important single parameter determining uterine and fetal homeostasis.