cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The reality of system design today: do theory and practice meet?

ACSD aims to be a forum "for disseminating advanced research results on theory and practice of design of concurrent systems". We look at the reality of system design as practiced in industry today and what the needs as expressed and demonstrated by designers actually are. Most industrially successful applications of system design concepts and tools are in distinct design niches, and generic methods and tools have not yet been found which apply to a wide range of systems. We look at these niche applications, especially those driven by system-on-chip design, and identify the barriers to wider adoption of known results and methods. In addition, we try to anticipate the nature of future architectures for highly-concurrent systems, and speculate on the system design needs that may be exposed by them.
A cyclic factorial typology of Pama-Nyungan stress

I investigate the nature of accentual faithfulness constraints and their rankings relative to markedness constraints, starting from an analysis of stress in 23 Pama-Nyungan (PN) and neighboring Australian aboriginal languages (e.g. Pintupi, Diyari, Warlpiri). In many of these systems, unsuffixed forms are stressed identically, but suffixed forms differ according to the type of paradigmatic uniformity effect observed. The proposed account differs from prior work (e.g. Crowhurst 1994, Kager 1997, Kenstowicz 1998) as it does not appeal to feet and uses directional base-derivative (BD) identity constraints (Benua 1997) to model cyclic effects. Predictions of the constraint set are explored through a factorial typology. To constrain the typology's predictions, I introduce the visibility hypothesis: constraints backed by positive evidence from frequent forms dominate constraints that lack such evidence. Integrating the visibility hypothesis into the factorial typology results in accurately restrictive predictions for the typology of stress-morphology interactions.
Performance Comparison of Two Transmit Diversity Schemes with Imperfect Multipath Channel Estimation

An analysis and comparison are presented into the bit error rate (BER) degradations of simple transmit diversity (STD) and maximal ratio combining (MRC) schemes due to multipath channel estimation errors. The receiver in each scheme employs an equalizer to reduce the ISI in the received signal. BER performance curves are obtained based on the derived SNR at the output of the equalizer for each system. Results show that the degradation in the STD scheme exceeds 8 dB compared to MRC scheme to achieve a BER of 10-2 with 10% channel estimation error. The performance deterioration of the STD scheme increases quite rapidly compared to the degradation in the MRC performance when the channel estimation error and multipath components are large.
Rates of Cranial Evolution in Neandertals and Modern Humans

Rates of phenotypic evolution have been a persistent interest of paleontologists (e.g., Eldredge and Gould 1972; Gingerich 1983; Hunt 2007; Stanley 1985), because of their potential to illuminate the mechanisms that generate or constrain phenotypic diversification within and between evolutionary lineages over long time scales. Field or laboratory studies of phenotypic evolution conducted generation by generation can provide detailed insights into evolutionary mechanisms (e.g., Grant and Grant 2002), but they may give an unrepresentative picture of the relative importance of different evolutionary processes over long time scales, because they typically document, at most, tens of generations. It is possible, perhaps probable, that the tens of generations that were observed in the field or laboratory are unrepresentative of the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of generations of existence of a particular set of taxa. In contrast, phenotypic comparisons between extant taxa whose evolutionary lineages are known to have split from each other many generations in the past, between fossil and extant taxa, or between different fossil taxa can document evolutionary diversification over long time scales, albeit with a much coarser resolution than field or laboratory studies. As such, both kinds of studies provide complementary information about evolutionary pattern and process.
Radioactive Ultrafine Particles for MHD Power Generation

The self-charging of radioactive ultrafine particles, which is temperature independent, has a number of applications. The use explored in this preliminary study indicates that the enhancement of more than an order of magnitude in MHD conductivity is possible, if nonequilibrium can be maintained. The creation of ion pairs, the relationship between equilibrium and nonequilibrium effects, and the general radioactive behavior of ultrafine particles are areas that require further investigation.
On time-changed Gaussian processes and their associated Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equations

This paper establishes Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov type equations for time-changed Gaussian processes. Examples include those equations for a time-changed fractional Brownian motion with time-dependent Hurst parameter and for a time-changed Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. The time-change process considered is the inverse of either a stable subordinator or a mixture of independent stable subordinators.
An Application of the Interorganizational Perspective to Community Based Corrections in an Urban Area

Of the many problems facing anm community effective cooperation and communication between social service organizations are of prime concern. This is especially true in considering the problems involved in coordinating community based corrections efforts. This research represents an attempt to assess the extent of the Interorganizational Relations between community based correctional agencies in an urban area. By applying the Interorganizational Relations perspective frequently utilized in other social science disciplines, a better view of the role community based corrections plai' in the total framework of social services in a community may emerge.
The Future Of Nontraditional Occupations For Women: A Comprehensive Review Of The Literature And Implications For Workplace Learning And Performance

The United States entrance into World War II in 1941 has been credited with beginning a large movement of women into the workforce and the commencement of governmental support for women working in nontraditional occupations. However, the beginning of the support for women in the workforce can be traced back to the 1920 federal mandate to create the Women’s Bureau within the United States Department of Labor. The United States Department of Labor Women’s Bureau is the only federal agency mandated to represent the needs of wage-earning women in the public policy process. The workingwomen tradition has continued into modern day and the number of workingwomen continues to increase steadily, however, the number of women entering nontraditional occupations has declined to 4.9 percent from 7.1 percent in 1983. There has been an effort to increase the number of women in nontraditional occupations in order to increase high skill/high wage employment to provide women with the opportunity for selfsufficiency. Women predominately are employed as clerical workers, childcare providers, sales clerks, and in other low skill/low wage employment, which does not lead to self-sufficiency. Workingwomen largely remain in nonprofessional occupations (73%), where NTO gains have been minimal. This study provided the preliminary exploratory of the literature to establish best practice guidelines to encourage women to enter non-traditional occupations (NTO). The major factor identified from literature is career self-efficacy. Career self-efficacy can be increased through: performance accomplishments, vicarious learning, verbal persuasion, and emotional arousal. The results of this study reveal that women have perceived challenges to nontraditional occupations, which are rather easily overcome but have been a hindrance to their pursuing nontraditional employment. Challenges include sex-role socialization, discrimination and harassment, transportation and childcare issues, the nontraditional workplace may be hazardous which requires special equipment or gear, extreme weather conditions, and the potential job related injuries. This study has indicated and established a positive correlation for the use of best practice guidelines in career counseling and development in regard to career decision-making. Career development and career counseling for NTO’s requires a set of guidelines. The guidelines for NTO’s should include best practice within the industry or field. Best practice guidelines ensure a common, consistent approach to successfully achieve the highest and best possible outcome. Formal training and education for NTO’s have a prescribed set of best practice guidelines. The best practices guidelines for career counseling and career development programs for women
A Novel Imprinted Gene, Encoding a RING Zinc-Finger Protein, and Overlapping Antisense Transcript in the Prader-Willi Syndrome Critical Region

We describe a complex imprinted locus in chromosome 15q11-q13 that encodes two genes, ZNF127 and ZNF127AS. The ZNF127 gene encodes a protein with a RING (C3HC4) zinc-finger and multiple C3H zinc-finger motifs, the former being closely related to a protein from variola major virus, the smallpox etiological agent. These motifs allow prediction of ZNF127 function as a ribonucleoprotein. The intronless ZNF127 gene is expressed ubiquitously, but the entire coding sequence and 5' CpG island overlaps a second gene, ZNF127AS, that is transcribed from the antisense strand with a different transcript size and pattern of expression. Allele-specific analysis shows that ZNF127 is expressed only from the paternal allele. Consistent with this expression pattern, in the brain the ZNF127 5' CpG island is completely unmethylated on the paternal allele but methylated on the maternal allele. Analyses of adult testis, sperm and fetal oocytes demonstrates a gametic methylation imprint with unmethylated paternal germ cells. Recent findings indicate that ZNF127 is part of the coordinately regulated imprinted domain affected in Prader-Willi syndrome patients with imprinting mutations. Therefore, ZNF127 and ZNF127AS are novel imprinted genes that may be associated with some of the clinical features of the polygenic Prader-Willi syndrome.
Delamination resistance in stitched and unstitched composite plates subjected to impact loading

The delamination resistance of a composite plate subjected to low-velocity impact is dependent on the interlaminar strengths and the level of interlaminar stress. The former is strongly influenced by the material properties such as matrix toughness and fiber-matrix bonding strength while the latter can be affected by the specimen geometry and loading parameters. In this study, some thin composite plates were fabricated and sub jected to low-velocity impact. The delamination in every specimen was examined. Experi mental results revealed that the delamination area was proportional to the lamina thickness and the difference of fiber angle between adjacent laminae. A Mismatch Theory based on the difference of bending stiffness between adjacent laminae was used to interpret the cause of high interlaminar stress level. The effect of interlaminar strengths on the delami nation resistance was also discussed. It was found that through-the-thickness stitching could reduce the delamination area in a composite plate ...
Generating wrappers for command line programs: the Cal-Aggie Wrap-O-Matic project

Software developers writing new software have strong incentives to make their products compliant to standards such as CORBA, COM, and Java Beans. Standards-compliance facilitates inter-operability, component-based software assembly, and software reuse, thus leading to improved quality and productivity. Legacy software, on the other hand, is usually monolithic, and hard to maintain and adapt. Many organizations, saddled with entrenched legacy software, are confronted with the need to integrate legacy assets into more modern, distributed, componentized systems that provide critical business services. Thus wrapping legacy systems for inter-operability has been an area of considerable interest. Wrappers are usually constructed by hand which can be costly and error-prone. In this paper, we specifically target command-line oriented legacy systems and describe a tool framework that automates away some of the drudgery of constructing wrappers for these systems. We describe the Cal-Aggie Wrap-O-Matic system (CAWOM), and illustrate its use to create CORBA wrappers for a) the JDB debugger, thus supporting distributed debugging using other CORBA components, and b) the Apache web-server, thus allowing remote web-server administration, potentially mediated by CORBA-compliant security services. While CORBA has some limitations, in several relatively common settings it can produce better wrappers at lower cost.
Fractured Fairy Tales and Fragmented Markets: Disney’s Weddings of a Lifetime and the Cultural Politics of Media Conglomeration

This article analyzes the institutional and textual features of a Lifetime Television series called Weddings of a Lifetime. It argues that the synergistic melding of Disney, ABC, and Lifetime in We...
Service Obligations Management in IT Outsourcing

In outsourcing, service obligations broadly refer to the duties and responsibilities of the service provider related to the provision of services. It is critical that the provider clearly understands and properly implements its complete service obligations to the client. The BlueMoon project in IBM develops a novel approach to service obligations management in the context of IT outsourcing. BlueMoon conceptualizes different kinds of service obligations through a formal obligations model. It provides an overarching obligations configurator tool for gathering and validating obligation requirements throughout the outsourcing lifecycle. It further facilitates the implementation of service obligations by automatically binding them to the IT architecture planning and provisioning process and to their uses in various service documents. Work is under way to monitor service delivery operations and verify obligations compliance. Addressing a key challenge in IT outsourcing, bluemoon promises to significantly improve the client's satisfaction, the health of the outsourcing account, and the provider's bottom line.
Characterizing protein-protein Nonspecific Interactions by Static Light Scattering

Nonspecific interactions between biomacromolecules have long been recognized as playing important roles in the thermodynamics and kinetics of biochemical reactions in cellular environments. Our previous study found that nonspecific interactions with bovine serum albumin (BSA) reduced the affinity of maltose binding protein (MBP) for its ligand maltose [1]. To probe the nonspecific interactions further, here we turned to second virial coefficient (B22) measurements. B22 contains information about the nature and strength of intermolecular interactions. Previous measurements have largely focused on self-interactions. We recently developed a method based on static light scattering that probes both self- and mutual interactions in a binary mixturesm[2]. We are applying this method to MBP-BSA mixtures under a wide range of solvent conditions (e.g., pH and salt concentration). We are also using maltose binding and mutations to induce conformational changes and modify the surface of MBP. At a neutral pH, our B22 results for the self- and mutual-interactions of MBP and BSA are all close to those predicted by pure steric repulsion, indicating that the net effects of soft interactions (i.e., electrostatic interaction and nonpolar attraction) for MBP-BMP, BSA-BSA, and MBP-BSA pairs are all nearly null. At pH 5, which is close to the isoelectric points of both proteins and hence charge-charge repulsion should be weakened, our results show moderately attractive soft interactions for the MBP-MBP and BSA-BSA pairs but strongly attractive soft interactions for the MBP-BSA pair. These measurements will provide valuable data for our computational efforts in parameterizing protein-protein interaction energy functions. Together, our experimental and computational studies will lead to quantitative understanding of protein-protein nonspecific interactions and how they influence biochemical reactions in cellular environments.[1] Wu D,et al.,J Phys Chem B, 2015, 119, 1891-8.[2] Miklos AC, et al., PLoS ONE 8(10): e74969.
ERBB2 (HER2) Testing in Breast Cancer.

A 35-year-old woman presented to her primary care physician for evaluation of a palpable left breast mass. Diagnostic mammography revealed 2 separate masses: a 1.4-cm mass at the 3 o’clock position, 10 cm from the nipple; and a 1.3-cm mass in the lateral breast, 4 cm from the nipple. Ultrasound of the axilla revealed an enlarged lymph node found to be malignant on fine-needle aspiration cytology. Image-guided core biopsies of both masses revealed a poorly differentiated invasive ductal adenocarcinoma. Estrogen receptor (ER) was strongly positive in 95% of tumor cells, progesterone receptor (PR) was positive in less than 5% of tumor cells, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ERBB2 [HER2]) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) was scored as 1+
Electrochemistry in hollow-channel paper analytical devices

In the present article we provide a detailed analysis of fundamental electrochemical processes in a new class of paper-based analytical devices (PADs) having hollow channels (HCs). Voltammetry and amperometry were applied under flow and no flow conditions yielding reproducible electrochemical signals that can be described by classical electrochemical theory as well as finite-element simulations. The results shown here provide new and quantitative insights into the flow within HC-PADs. The interesting new result is that despite their remarkable simplicity these HC-PADs exhibit electrochemical and hydrodynamic behavior similar to that of traditional microelectrochemical devices.
Comparison of Two Perfusates in Ammonia Metabolism of Isolated Rat Livers

SummaryA comparison of diluted rat blood and a semisynthetic perfusate was made with the use of isolated perfused rat livers. This was effected by determining the efficiency of ammonia metabolism in these media. Both perfusates allow a high degree of conversion of preformed ammonia to urea. Diluted rat blood, however, was far more efficient in the metabolism of nitrogen derived from oxidative deamination of glycine. A suggestion is made to investigators that synthetic perfusates be compared to freshly drawn blood within the proposed study parameter before designing research projects involving liver perfusion.
The Nature of Product Life Cycles for Industrial Goods Businesses

This study examined the market structures, performance, and strategies of over 1000 industrial businesses to determine whether and to what extent product life cycle forces were at work. The finding...
Do we need the concept of male climacteric

The female menopause is considered to be a result of a decrease in the endocrinal metabolic activity of the ovaries. Although the male lacks such a highly visible sign as the cessation of the menstrual flow, the amount of testosterone produced by the aging male does in fact decrease. Recent studies, such as the Massachusetts Male Aging Study show that, between the ages of 40 to 70 years, the mean testosterone level decreases annually by about 1%. Chronic diseases and the use of drugs have a comparable effect. Although it is generally believed that sexual impotence is a major symptom of male menopause, recent investigations have shown that sexual functionability may be preserved into the ninth and tenth decade of life. Sexuality is not merely an instinct or a psychological expression, but is deeply anchored within the personality. Even when, with increasing age, the frequency of sexual dysfunction increases, such changes do not correlate with the decrease in testosterone levels. None of these phenomena take place within an age span that marks them off from the involution processes in other organs. The expression midlife crisis commonly met with in the English literature points up the psycho-social implications. Impotence or a loss of sexuality is not a sequel of aging, but of attitude towards sexuality. The latter is preserved if it is not neglected throughout the course of a lifetime.
Effect of acoustic shock waves on clonogenic growth and drug sensitivity of human tumor cells in vitro.

Abstract Focused acoustic shock waves were studied for their effects on human tumor cell viability, clonogenicity, and sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. The elastic shock waves used in this investigation were generated with the Dornier HM3-Lithotripter by underwater spark discharge with fixed electrical parameters employing a voltage of 18 kV and a capacitance of 80 nanoFarads. These waves are characterized by a fast varying compression phase, strong asymmetrical pressure and tension phases, and a maximum amplitude of roughly 10 8 Pascal (kg. m −1 s −2 ). Doses as high as 2000 focused shocks showed little effect on the viability of two different cell lines. There was, however, a dose dependent inhibition of tumor cell proliferation as determined by the growth of clones in soft agarose. Each of the two cell lines showed a unique degree of colony inhibition by shock waves. It was demonstrated that shock wave effects resulted from elastic shock wave interaction with the cells and were not caused by the emission of ultraviolet light coincident with shock wave generation. Shocks were applied at a rate of 100 minute −1 in a 200 1. water bath, thereby removing the possibility for temperature changes during treatments. After treatment with shock waves it was found that tumor cells became more sensitive to growth inhibition by chemotherapeutic agents. Cisplatin, doxorubicin, and 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide were each more effective in blocking cell growth after the target cells had been treated with acoustic shocks. Enhanced efficacies ranged from three to 10-fold potentiation of colony inhibition. These results indicate that weak shock waves, which can be focused to a defined target region, may have utility as a cancer treatment modality either alone or in combination with cytotoxic agents.
Modulation of Mitochondrial Antiviral Signaling by Human Herpesvirus 8 Interferon Regulatory Factor 1

ABSTRACT Mitochondrial lipid raft-like microdomains, experimentally also termed mitochondrial detergent-resistant membrane fractions (mDRM), play a role as platforms for recruiting signaling molecules involved in antiviral responses such as apoptosis and innate immunity. Viruses can modulate mitochondrial functions for their own survival and replication. However, viral regulation of the antiviral responses via mDRM remains incompletely understood. Here, we report that human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) gene product viral interferon regulatory factor 1 (vIRF-1) is targeted to mDRM during virus replication and negatively regulates the mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS)-mediated antiviral responses. The N-terminal region of vIRF-1 interacts directly with membrane lipids, including cardiolipin. In addition, a GxRP motif within the N terminus of vIRF-1, conserved in the mDRM-targeting region of mitochondrial proteins, including PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) and MAVS, was found to be important for vIRF-1 association with mitochondria. Furthermore, MAVS, which has the potential to promote vIRF-1 targeting to mDRM possibly by inducing cardiolipin exposure on the outer membrane of mitochondria, interacts with vIRF-1, which, in turn, inhibits MAVS-mediated antiviral signaling. Consistent with these results, vIRF-1 targeting to mDRM contributes to promotion of HHV-8 productive replication and inhibition of associated apoptosis. Combined, our results suggest novel molecular mechanisms for negative-feedback regulation of MAVS by vIRF-1 during virus replication. IMPORTANCE Successful virus replication is in large part achieved by the ability of viruses to counteract apoptosis and innate immune responses elicited by infection of host cells. Recently, mitochondria have emerged to play a central role in antiviral signaling. In particular, mitochondrial lipid raft-like microdomains appear to function as platforms in cell apoptosis signaling. However, viral regulation of antiviral signaling through the mitochondrial microdomains remains incompletely understood. The present study demonstrates that HHV-8-encoded vIRF-1 targets to the mitochondrial detergent-resistant microdomains via direct interaction with cardiolipin and inhibits MAVS protein-mediated apoptosis and type I interferon gene expression in a negative-feedback manner, thus promoting HHV-8 productive replication. These results suggest that vIRF-1 is the first example of a viral protein to inhibit mitochondrial antiviral signaling through lipid raft-like microdomains.
Regional Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Nutrient Transport in the Upper Mississippi River Basin

Despite progress in the implementation of conservation practices, related improvements in water quality have been challenging to measure in larger river systems. In this paper we quantify these downstream effects by applying the empirical U.S. Geological Survey water-quality model SPARROW to investigate whether spatial differences in conservation intensity were statistically correlated with variations in nutrient loads. In contrast to other forms of water quality data analysis, the application of SPARROW controls for confounding factors such as hydrologic variability, multiple sources and environmental processes. A measure of conservation intensity was derived from the USDA-CEAP regional assessment of the Upper Mississippi River and used as an explanatory variable in a model of the Upper Midwest. The spatial pattern of conservation intensity was negatively correlated (p = 0.003) with the total nitrogen loads in streams in the basin. Total phosphorus loads were weakly negatively correlated with conservation (p = 0.25). Regional nitrogen reductions were estimated to range from 5 to 34% and phosphorus reductions from 1 to 10% in major river basins of the Upper Mississippi region. The statistical associations between conservation and nutrient loads are consistent with hydrological and biogeochemical processes such as denitrification. The results provide empirical evidence at the regional scale that conservation practices have had a larger statistically detectable effect on nitrogen than on phosphorus loadings in streams and rivers of the Upper Mississippi Basin.
Economics and the Global Environment: Issues of Time

Introduction Chapter 2 presented a simplified explanation of principal linkages between economic activity and the natural environment. However, it skirted certain important intertemporal issues that need to be addressed. For example, waste flows today may accumulate and affect production and welfare in the future. Depletion of exhaustible resources today increases their future scarcity and price. Preferences for conventional economic goods and services versus environmental services may change as income grows. The introduction of time raises the question of dynamic efficiency, the optimal allocation of resources over time. But it also raises complex questions of equity, involving a fair or just allocation of these resources among different generations. Agreeing on a just distribution of income at a point in time is itself difficult. The inability of future generations to make their preferences known in current environmental and resource decisions that will affect them, the absence of secure methods for making intergenerational transfers, and the increasing uncertainty surrounding long-lived environmental effects all make intergenerational equity questions extraordinarily difficult. They cannot be avoided, however, as economic activity today casts a shadow in time on environmental conditions and welfare in the future.
Early diverging asterids of the Late Cretaceous: Suciacarpa starrii gen. et sp. nov. and the initial radiation of Cornales1

Two permineralized cornalean fruits from the Campanian of the state of Washington in the northwestern United States were studied using the cellulose acetate peel technique. One specimen was reconstructed three-dimensionally using ImageJ software. Fruits are ellipsoidal and consist of valvate endocarps. Valves are restricted to the apical third of the endocarp. Endocarps are tetralocular and each locule is crescent-shaped in cross section. The valve tissue consists of isodiametric sclereids and secretory cavities. Septae are composed of transversely elongated sclereids and secretory cavities. In each septum there are roughly two rows of vascular bundles that extend the length of the fruit. There is one apically attached seed per locule. These fossil fruits display a unique mosaic of characters indicative of Cornaceae, Nyssaceae, Davidiaceae, and Mastixiaceae, but not conforming to any one of these extant families. Therefore, they are assigned to a new genus and species within Cornales, Suciacarpa starrii g...
Mise au point sur l’imagerie moléculaire dans le cancer de la prostate

Resume Introduction Le cancer prostatique est un probleme de sante publique, il s’agit du cancer le plus frequent chez l’homme en France. Ce cancer est tres heterogene. Une imagerie plus precise non invasive prenant en compte les caracteristiques biologiques tumorales permettrait de mieux le depister, de mieux choisir sa therapeutique et d’en evaluer son efficacite. Nous avons voulu presenter les performances des differents traceurs TEP ayant l’AMM ou en cours d’etude clinique dans le cancer prostatique. Methode Une revue de la litterature recente a ete realisee, en utilisant la base de donnees PubMed/Medline, pour rechercher les publications en texte integral relatives a l’imagerie TEP du cancer de la prostate en clinique. Resultats Depuis plusieurs annees se developpent de nouveaux traceurs TEP en cancerologie prostatique du fait des faibles performances du FDG dans cette indication. Pour le moment, en France seulement, 2 autres traceurs ont l’AMM : le FNa et la choline mais ces traceurs ont plusieurs limites. Le FNa n’explore que l’atteinte osseuse. La choline a modifie la prise en charge des recidives biologiques occultes mais est moins performante en cas de recidive avec faible valeur du PSA, de plus sa sensibilite est faible pour la detection initiale d’atteinte ganglionnaire secondaire de petite taille. Parmi les traceurs en cours d’etude, le 68Ga-PSMA semble prometteur. Conclusion Les nouvelles connaissances dans le domaine de la biologie moleculaire ont permis une ouverture sur l’imagerie metabolique. Plusieurs molecules sont en cours d’etude dans le cancer prostatique. La place de chacune reste a determiner.
Learned 3D shape descriptors for classifying 3D point cloud models

ABSTRACTRecent hardware advances in the field of 3D imaging are democratizing 3D sensing with tremendous scientific and societal implications. Point cloud processing has traditionally required meshing the point clouds output by 3D cameras followed by surface reconstruction, and geometric feature recognition. However, meshing a point cloud is fundamentally an ill-posed problem, and the definition of a good solution is not general. This, in turn, demands new paradigms for processing point cloud information.In this paper, we focus on the task of classifying 3D point clouds captured with commercial 3D cameras, and we integrate supervised machine learning algorithms with three different yet underexplored shape descriptors, namely Light-Field Descriptors, Angular Radial Transform (ART), and Zernike Descriptors (ZD). We evaluate the classification performance of different machine learning algorithms combined with these different shape descriptors on point cloud models obtained from the Google 3D Warehouse, and w...
Super-Thin and Suprafascial Anterolateral Thigh Perforator Flaps for Extremity Reconstruction.

Background The anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap remains a workhorse for soft tissue reconstruction. However, the traditional ALT flap is often too bulky for resurfacing shallow, distal extremity defects, prohibiting adequate function, or well-fitted orthotics. This study evaluates extremity reconstruction using ALT flaps elevated in the suprafascial or super-thin plane. Methods Retrospective review of ALT free flap reconstruction from October 2014 to July 2016 was performed. Suprafascial and super-thin flaps were those elevated just above the crural fascia and within the superficial scarpal plane, respectively. Adjunct operative procedures, demographics, and complications were recorded. Results A total of 25 patients underwent suprafascial (n = 14) or super-thin (n = 11) ALT flap reconstruction for primarily lower extremity wounds (n = 19), with an average age and body mass index of 53.8 years and 26.3 kg/m2, respectively. Follow-up was 6.3 months. Comorbidities included smoking (n = 7), diabetes (n = 8), peripheral vascular disease (n = 6), and hypertension (n = 8). The presence of hardware (n = 9), trauma (n = 10), and chronic infection (n = 12) were common risk factors. Average flap size was 8.2 × 21.5 cm, with 64% (n = 16) taken on one perforator. Forty-eight percent (n = 12) were end-to-side anastomoses and 62% (n = 13) utilized one venous anastomosis. Mean hospital stay was 7.8 days with a 24% (n = 6) complication rate. There were no partial or complete flap losses. Conclusion The ALT flap, elevated in a suprafascial or super-thin plane, is a safe, effective option for extremity soft tissue reconstruction. The decreased flap volume and bulk provides the improved contour and pliability necessary for appropriate distal extremity function. The potential versatility of super-thin flaps reinforces the importance of continued innovation by reconstructive microsurgeons.
Distinguishing between homogeneous and heterogeneous hydrogen-evolution catalysis with molecular cobalt complexes

Molecular proton-reduction catalysts can decompose under the acidic conditions required for hydrogen evolution, resulting in formation of secondary metal-containing materials. Using an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), we report a new method for probing electrodeposition of catalytically active heterogeneous material from molecular precursors. The data collected suggest that EQCM can provide a direct measure of the homogeneity of molecular proton-reduction catalysts over short timescales.
Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Urology

AbstractConflicting data were identified among 31 human studies concerned with antimicrobial prophylaxis in urology. Further analysis revealed widespread failure to observe proper experimental design. Of the 31 studies 84 per cent were prospective, 81 per cent were controlled, 55 per cent were randomized and 13 per cent were double blind. Patients were stratified according to underlying diseases and urologic illness in 16 and 40 per cent, respectively. Complications of prophylaxis were mentioned in 48 per cent of the studies and statistical analysis was done in 28 per cent. The studies demonstrated wide variation in drugs used and infections analyzed. Although prophylaxis was advocated in 22 studies the timing and duration of antimicrobials were not necessarily determinants of effective prophylaxis. Controversy regarding antimicrobial prophylaxis in urology is associated with inconsistencies in experimental methodology, which have persisted despite 3 decades of investigation.
Bilingual Baby: Foreign Language Intervention in Madrid's Infant Education Centers

The first years of life represent a unique window of opportunity for foreign language learning. However, key questions are: How much and what kind of foreign language exposure is needed to ignite learning? We conducted a foreign language (English) intervention in four public Infant Education Centers in Madrid, Spain. Intervention children (N = 126, ages 7–33.5 months) experienced 18 weeks of daily, hour-long, group English sessions with native-speaking tutors, using a brain-based method of infant language development. Intervention infants were compared to a matched Current Practice Comparison (CPC) group of peers in the same schools. Intervention children outperformed the CPC group, showing rapid gains on measures of English word comprehension and English speech production. Schools' neighborhood wealth was not a significant factor in learning. Follow-up analyses show that the language gains were fully retained 18 weeks post-intervention. Children's foreign language skills advance quickly in school using this research-to-practice curriculum.
Alcohol affects the P3 component of an adaptive stop signal task ERP.

BACKGROUND The P3 component of the event-related potential (ERP) has been particularly useful in alcohol research for identifying endophenotypes of alcohol use disorder (AUD) risk in sober subjects. However, practice and/or fatigue reduces P3 amplitude, limiting the ability to ascertain acute and adaptive effects of alcohol exposure. Here, we report acute alcohol effects on P3 amplitude and latency using an adaptive stop signal task (aSST).
Genesis and Paradise Lost

For C. S. Lewis, the peaceful coexistence of diverse species depicted in biblical myth is a paradise lost. The story of humanity’s fall and expulsion from the Garden of Eden has implications for animal-human relations because those made in the image of God are unable to exercise godly dominion over the earth. Furthermore, nature is ‘red in tooth and claw.’ It is something spoiled, something corrupted by dark spiritual forces long before the arrival of humans. This chapter examines Lewis’s highly speculative ideas about animal suffering and humanity’s priestly role in creation.
The Language Paradigm in Contemporary Social Theory: Marx, Habermas, and Bourdieu in Comparative Perspective

AbstractMajor schools of thought have addressed, in one way or another, problems regarding human language, its origins, social functions, the nature of the relationship between language and people’...
Conference Session I: Mitigating Risk at the Front Lines: The Copyright First Responders Program. Presented by Kyle Courtney, Copyright Advisor, the Office for Scholarly Communication, Harvard University.

This is a summary of Kyle Courtney's Invited Presentation at the 2017 Kraemer Copyright Conference titled "Mitigating Risk at the Front Lines: The Copyright First Responders Program." After reading this article you will better understand the method and purpose of the First Responders Program and, hopefully, like me, you will be ready to volunteer your institution to add to the growing list of libraries engaged in this hub-and-spoke model of copyright information system.
Comparison of CAD-based Methods for Computation of Rational Function Limits

We present five methods for computation of limits of real multivariate rational functions. The methods do not require any assumptions about the rational function and compute the lower limit and the upper limit. All methods are based on the cylindrical algebraic decomposition (CAD) algorithm, but use different formulations of the problem. We give an empirical comparison of the methods on a large set of examples.
Pol IV-Dependent siRNAs in Plants

In plants, the most abundant class of small RNAs are 24-nucleotide short interfering (si)RNA. These siRNAs are produced at thousands of discrete genomic locations through the action of the plant-specific DNA-dependent RNA polymerase IV (Pol IV). Pol IV-dependent siRNAs catalyze repressive DNA methylation on transposable elements and other repetitive sequences, but might trigger diverse chromatin modifications at distinct genomic locations, such as DNA demethylation or histone modification. Pol IV-dependent siRNAs are expressed abundantly, and sometimes exclusively, in the developing endosperm, where they are produced from only the maternal chromosomes. The biological role of Pol IV-dependent siRNAs is unclear, but might involve interaction between different genomes or alleles, or stabilizing and buffering the genome from genetic and epigenetic modifications.
A review on the fatigue behavior of Ti-6Al-4V fabricated by electron beam melting additive manufacturing

Abstract Electron beam melting (EBM) is a rapidly-developing metal additive manufacturing process that holds significant interest in the aerospace and biomedical industries for the high-strength titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V. These industries have fatigue-limited applications, but a lack of understanding of the EBM process-microstructure-fatigue relationships limit widespread use and presents challenges for certification. In this review, uniaxial fatigue data was collected and the effects of build orientation, surface roughness, and hot-isostatic pressing are linked to the fatigue properties highlighting microstructure, defects, and failure mechanisms. The observations and conclusions are supported by statistical analysis using the mean fatigue life obtained by the Statistical Fatigue-Limit Model. Both EBM-process and post-process structure relationships are discussed in order to identify the best-practice for fatigue-resistant design. The performance of the EBM material is compared to conventionally manufactured Ti-6Al-4V and possible methods to increase the fatigue resistance are discussed. Anisotropic fatigue behavior was observed in as-fabricated parts and no statistical distinction was found in the fatigue performance of HIPed and as-fabricated material provided the same as-fabricated rough surface condition. However, comparable fatigue life to traditionally manufactured lamellar Ti-6Al-4V is achieved when both post-process HIP and machining are applied to EBM-fabricated parts.
Nucleation processes and aerosol chemistry

As the result of many observable optical phenomena, the occasional existence of upper atmospheric aerosols has been known since the beginning of the Century. Nevertheless, it is only during the last two decades that their persistent nature and extent of global distribution have become recognized. This review is addressed to the chemistry of upper atmospheric aerosols with particular attention to the chemical reactions and nucleation mechanisms responsible for their formation. Considering the stratosphere, it is now generally agreed that sulfate, mainly in the form of sulfuric acid, represents the single most abundant constituent of stratospheric aerosols. There is now strong evidence that these aerosols are formed in situ from sulfur bearing gases oxidized by free radicals. The various nucleation processes of atmospheric importance are reviewed, and it is shown that heteromolecular nucleation processes are almost certainly responsible for new particle formation in the stratosphere. The nature, and even existence, of aerosol layers above the stratosphere is less certain. The influx of extraterrestrial materials into the Earth atmosphere is estimated to be in the order of 50 to 500 tons per day. Considerations are given to the possible mechanisms which convert these materials to aerosol size particles. Although these particles provide one possible explanation for the appeareance of noctilucent clouds, nucleation about ions, most probably H3O+ hydrates, is a strong contender as a more plausible formation mechanism. Considerable attention is given to this important atmospheric process, where it is shown that chemical forces contribute to the stability of the prenucleation clusters and the overall height of the energy barrier to nucleation. Finally, the role of aerosols in the sodium and other cycles of trace upper atmospheric constituents, is discussed.
Book Review Essay: Conservatives Against Capitalism: From the Industrial Revolution to Globalization by Peter Kolozi

In Conservatives Against Capitalism, Peter Kolozi, an associate professor with the Department of Social Sciences at the City University of New York, discusses the long tradition of skepticism about—and sometimes outright hostility to—capitalism among important strains of American conservative thought. Kolozi takes a chronological approach focusing on key thinkers representative of the prevailing conservative school of thought in each of six periods: John C. Calhoun, James Henry Hammond, and George Fitzhugh representing the antebellum defenders of slavery; Brook Adams and Theodore Roosevelt of the Progressive Era; the Southern Agrarians; post-war traditionalists such as Russell Kirk and Robert Nisbet; Reagan-Bush era neoconservatives; and paleoconservatives such as Patrick Buchanan and Samuel Francis.
Towards a Decentralized Data Marketplace for Smart Cities

One of the ways in which a city can become smarter is to grow a local economy around the sharing of data from IoT devices and other open data that can be used in applications to improve the lives of its citizens. Prior work and ongoing projects have examined or are currently focused on the development of centralized data marketplaces for smart cities. Here we explore how a decentralized data marketplace could be created using blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies. We consider the possible benefits of such a decentralized architecture, identify different elements that such a decentralized marketplace should have, and show how they could be potentially integrated into a comprehensive solution. We also present a simple smart contract implementation of a decentralized registry where data products can be posted by data owners for retrieval by potential buyers.
Almost Automorphic Functions

The concept of almost automorphy was introduced in the literature by S. Bochner in 1955 in the context of differential geometry [21] (see also Bochner [22, 23]). Since then, this concept has been extended in various directions. Veech [156] extended this concept to groups and then obtained various properties of these functions including the existence of their corresponding Fourier series (see also [157, 158]).
Replacement of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators when ventricular function has recovered

One in three patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death experiences a substantial improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) rendering them ineligible for ICD if they were presenting anew. The management of these patients may pose a challenge for the clinician, particularly when the current device reaches elective replacement indicator. In the following chapter, we review the data on this topic, including the first-ever analysis on all-cause mortality in relation to ICD among patients with EF >35%. We then provide an algorithm for the management of these patients at the time of generator replacement.