cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Entrepreneurship and strategy in the international SME

Abstract Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have begun to play a critical role in international trade. Statistics from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other sources indicate that SMEs now account for a very substantial proportion of exports from most industrialized nations. But very little is known about the effect of having an international entrepreneurial orientation, or the role of specific strategies associated with this construct, on the foreign performance of such firms. Using data from an empirical study of SMEs, we devise a structural model that reveals the role of international entrepreneurial orientation, key strategic activities, and the collective effect of these constructs on the international performance of the modern, international SME. These findings and their implications for scholars and managers are discussed.
Photoionisation cross sections of the ground states of neutral Si, P and S

Photoionisation cross sections of the ground states of neutral Si, P and S are calculated in the near-threshold region using the close-coupling approximation including configuration interaction in the target. Results are compared with recent measurements of the photoionisation spectrum of P and S and good agreement is found for the resonance positions, but there is a significant discrepancy with the absolute value scale adopted in one of the experiments, on S. Bound states and oscillator strengths for Si and S are calculated in an attempt to obtain a more precise estimate of the accuracy of the cross sections.
On the behavior of electromagnetic horns

Some accurate microwave horn gain measurements with revised proximity corrections are presented. These experimental results indicate edge diffraction is the major source of error in Schelkunoff's gain expression and suggest a value for its accuracy.
Reduced complexity genetic algorithm for motion estimation

In order to achieve high video coding efficiency, a new motion estimation and compensation algorithm is proposed based on Genetic Algorithm. This algorithm exploits the uniformity and correlation in the properties of the cluster of blocks called Super-Block. These Super-Blocks have adaptive boundaries that are used to partially generate initial population for fast convergence to global minimum. Rest of the population is generated using pure Random Number Generator (RNG). This population then generates offspring which then competes within itself by the virtue of it’s fitness to survive into the next generation. The fitness value in each generation is calculated by comparing the reference frame with the predicted frame. The algorithm stops after convergence or when maximum generations are reached. This algorithm compares well against conventional algorithms like FSA (Full Search Algorithm), One-Step Method or N-Step Method in terms of number of searches, complexity, robustness and scalability.
Assessment of Blood Flow in Solid Tumors Using PET.

Abstract Objective: To develop a technique for the evaluation of tumor perfusion prior to and during chemo- and radiation therapy. Methods: Using the [ 15 O]water autoradiographic technique and positron emission tomography (PET), perfusion in solid cervical tumors was investigated in a series of women N = 7 prior to and during radiation therapy for cervical cancer. A 60-second summed image was used with the arterial blood curve to create a parametric image. The parametric images were registered to sagittal magnetic resonance (MR) images. Regions drawn on the MR images encompassing the tumor were transferred to the corresponding co-registered PET images. Results: All tumors were easily visualized by both imaging modalities and tissue heterogeneity could be evaluated. Mean pre- and during therapy flow values averaged 41.5 ± 11.9 and 48.2 ± 7.2 mL/min/100 g tumor, respectively. Conclusions: Perfusion status of solid tumors, an assumed predictor of response potential, can be assessed using PET and the [ 15 O]water technique.
Participant-Observation and Pile Sorting: Methods for Eliciting Local Understandings and Valuations of Plants as a First Step Towards Informed Community Participation in Environment and Health Initiatives in Hawai'i

Semistructured interviews were conducted to explore local, lay perceptions and valuations of native and nonnative flora in order to better understand and anticipate community perceptions of, and potential participation in revegetation or eradication conservation efforts in multiethnic communities of Oahu, Hawai'i. The authors detail the ethnographic procedures used, and what worked and did not work, in catalyzing discussions and gaining an in-depth understanding of peoples' cultural and ecological valuation of plants. The study provided a first step toward the larger initiatives of the Division of Ecology and Health at the University of Hawai'i Medical School that strengthen relationships with (and within) local communities to improve natural and social environments.
A System of Simple Sentence Parsing Rules to Produce "Answer Matching" Chatbots

Producing interactive chatbots usually involves complex sentence parsing approaches that are beyond the scope of material that can be handled in introductory CS courses. In this paper, a simple framework is presented for parsing a sentence from a user during a chat with a chatbot using an "answer matching" strategy that is not at a level of complexity that is too difficult for an introductory CS student.
Antiluteolytic signals between the conceptus and endometrium

Abstract Recent advances elucidating the endocrine, biochemical and molecular dialogues between conceptus and endometrial tissues which lead to the maintenance of the CL in cattle are reviewed. Bovine (b) interferon (IFN)-τ regulates endometrial gene(s) expression in a manner that attenuates prostaglandin (PG) F 2α secretion from endometrial tissue. Part of the endometrial responses elicited by bIFN-τ appear to be through the Type I IFNα receptor. Potential intracellular mechanisms leading to a reduction in PGF 2α secretion are discussed, as are current prospects for manipulating the dialogue to improve embryo survival.
The interphotoreceptor matrix in RCS rats: histochemical analysis and correlation with the rate of retinal degeneration.

We have previously demonstrated with histochemical digestions that a spatial heterogeneity exists in the interphotoreceptor matrix (IPM) of the normal rat retina. The apical outer segment zone adjacent to the pigment epithelium is mostly sialoglycoconjugates, and the basal outer segment zone appears to consist largely of chondroitin sulfates A and C, with sialogylcoconjugates in low concentration (Porrello and LaVail, in press). Although the RCS rat with inherited retinal dystrophy is missing the apical zone of IPM in the posterior retina, it has an abnormally high concentration of IPM in the basal zone and a concentrated apical zone in the far peripheral retina ( LaVail, Pinto and Yasumura, 1981 ). We have attempted to characterize the IPM histochemically in these two regions in the RCS rat. Using the same digestive procedures which remove hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfates A and C, and sialoglycoconjugates, we find that the excessive basal IPM accumulation in the RCS retina appears to be composed in large part of chondroitin sulfates A and C, whereas the peripheral apical zone contains little or no chondroitin sulfates A and C. Furthermore, little or no sialoglycoconjugates are present in the basal zone, and the peripheral apical zone is composed predominantly of sialoglycoconjugates. Thus, the IPM in the RCS rat possesses the same regional heterogeneity as that found in the normal rat IPM. Changes in IPM staining during the progression of retinal degeneration were examined in the eyes of both pink-eyed RCS and pigmented RCS- p + rats. IPM staining was characterized by progressive condensation of the initially abundant basal stain into a thin band adjacent to the outer limiting membrane. The loss was concomitant with the reduction in photoreceptor inner-segment length and integrity, precisely matching the central to peripheral gradient and hemispheric differences in the rate of photoreceptor degeneration in these animals. This suggests that photoreceptor cells produce some or all of the chondroitin sulfates of the IPM. The peripheral apical staining was lost rapidly between days 30–40, which correlates closely with the loss of interstitial retinol-binding protein as described by others.
Statistical analysis on spatial and temporal patterns of the Chinese elderly population.

Abstract China contains over one-fifth of the world population. Over the past 20 years, the Chinese population has been ageing rapidly due to the dramatic family planning programs enforced by the Chinese government. These family planning programs have been implemented gradually during the last two decades and the programs implemented were varied from region to region. In this study, we statistically examined the spatial and temporal patterns of the processes of the Chinese elderly populations among the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities (P/A/M) from 1953 to 1994. The D -statistic was used in assessing the spatial autocorrelation for the proportions of the elderly population of the 30 (29) P/A/M in the Chinese mainland. The simple T -statistic was used in measuring the temporal changes since 1953. The spatial and temporal patterns were statistically significant according to the testing statistics. We also found that the proportions of the elderly population were highly correlated with the population densities of the P/A/M. We linked these statistical results with the changes in the socio-economic situations since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
Engineering a uniquely reactive thiol into a cysteine-rich peptide

Cysteine mutagenesis for the purpose of chemical labelling was applied to the K + channel neurotoxin charybdotoxin, a 37-residue peptide with six functionally essential cysteines. An additional «spinster cysteine» was introduced at a position far away in space from the toxin's known interaction surface where it contacts its K + channel receptor. Despite the presence of the extra unpaired cysteine residue, the toxin still folds efficiently and may be labelled by fluorescent and radioactive reagents to give a functionally competent toxin
Association Between Liver Transplant Center Performance Evaluations and Transplant Volume

There has been increased oversight of transplant centers and stagnation in liver transplantation nationally in recent years. We hypothesized that centers that received low performance (LP) evaluations were more likely to alter protocols, resulting in reduced rates of transplants and patients placed on the waiting list. We evaluated the association of LP evaluations and transplant activity among liver transplant centers in the United States using national Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data (January 2007 to July 2012). We compared the average change in recipient and candidate volume and donor and patient characteristics based on whether the centers received LP evaluations. Of 92 eligible centers, 27 (29%) received at least one LP evaluation. Centers without an LP evaluation (n = 65) had an average increase of 9.3 transplants and 14.9 candidates while LP centers had an average decrease of 39.9 transplants (p < 0.01) and 67.3 candidates (p < 0.01). LP centers reduced the use of older donors, donations with longer cold ischemia, and donations after cardiac death (p-values < 0.01). There was no association between the change in transplant volume and measured performance (R2 = 0.002, p = 0.91). Findings indicate a strong association between performance evaluations and changes in candidate listings and transplants among liver transplant centers, with no measurable improvement in outcomes associated with reduction in transplant volume.
Differentiation-stimulated Activity Binds an ETS-like, Essential Regulatory Element in the Human Promyelocytic defensin-1Promoter

The human HNP-defensin-1 gene encodes a peptide antibiotic found exclusively in neutrophils and is key to elimination of microbes. Expression is a marker for the granulocytic lineage and for certain stages of differentiation and is not known to be inducible in mature cells under physiological conditions. Low level of transcription also occurs in HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells and is greatly activated upon drug-induced granulocytic maturation and by low doses of retinoic acid, in a strictly cell-specific manner (Herwig, S., Su, Q., Ma, Y., and Tempst, P. (1996) Blood 87, 350–364). We have analyzed a 10-kilobase pair region, upstream of thedefensin-1 cap site, for the presence of control elements, and we describe a minimal promoter (position −83 to +82) required to drive transcription in HL-60 cells in a quasi cell-specific manner. Our data also suggest the presence of negative regulatory elements in the −416/−191 region that may further contribute to cell specificity in a chromosomal context. The basal promoter contains two functionally essential, ETS-like (GGAA core sequence) elements. The proximal site (−22/−19) constitutively binds the PU.1 transcription factor in vitro and could function, together perhaps with an adjacent TA-rich sequence (−32/−25), in assembly of a myeloid-restricted, basal transcription factor complex. The distal site (−62/−59) interacts in vitro with an unidentified activity, distinct from PU.1, ETS-1, PEA3, and ELK-1 (factors with definite binding site similarities), and is greatly stimulated by phosphorylation during granulocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells. Identification of this protein will be important to resolve the molecular mechanisms controlling temporal, granulocytic restricted gene expression.
Risk in International Politics

Representative governments under-invest in public goods that provide insurance against risk, The combination of inequality and risk aversion guarantees that the payoffs to insurance are skewed, so the median voter prefers a sub-optimally low level of investment. The problem is exacerbated by supermajority requirements or the need for international coordination. This accounts for some of the characteristic shortcomings of domestic public policy and represents an important obstacle to international cooperation. The argument is illustrated with reference to the Kyoto Protocol and the International Monetary Fund. The argument implies that delegation to international organizations with risk-averse preferences may be welfare enhancing.
A time resolution methodology for assessing the quality of lake sediment cores that are dated by 137Cs

A methodology is proposed for grading the utility of lake sediment cores used to reconstruct pollution histories. The observed distribution of /sup 137/Cs with depth in the core is compared to that expected from independent, historic measurements of fallout deposition. The width of the /sup 137/Cs peak is the core profile that corresponds to the fallout maximum of 1963, or the combined maxima of 1959 and 1963, is used to infer the inherent time resolution of the core, i.e. the ability to distinguish events in the deposition history of the watershed. The method is applied to a number of core profiles from various lakes in the US and appears to provide self-consistent results.
Comparative analysis of volumetric modulated arc therapy versus intensity modulated radiation therapy for radiotherapy of anal carcinoma

Abstract Purpose Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), an evolution of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), utilizes the dynamic modulation of angular dose rate through changes in gantry speed, linear accelerator dose rate, and multileaf collimator motion to deliver a treatment fraction in rotational fashion with improved efficiency and in shorter time. In general, target coverage relative to adjacent organ-at-risk sparing is highly dependent on the complexity of the treatment site. Therefore, we critically evaluated VMAT compared to IMRT for definitive treatment of anal carcinoma with respect to dosimetry and efficiency. Methods and Materials Using SmartArc (Philips Healthcare, Andover, MA), VMAT treatment plans were generated for 10 patients treated at our institution for anal carcinoma, and compared to the IMRT plans used for clinical treatment. The patients were all female, had T classification T X/1 (n = 5), T 2 (n = 3) or T 3 (n = 2), were node-negative (n = 6) or node–positive (n = 4), and were treated to a total dose of 50 to 58 Gy. Pairwise comparisons were made between VMAT and IMRT plans with respect to dose-volume histogram parameters relating the dose received by target volumes, relevant organs at risk, and normal tissues. The plans were machine-delivered, with actual beam delivery times measured. Results VMAT plans had superior planning target volume coverage and dose homogeneity, with improved conformality in treatment of the elective nodal volume, in comparison to IMRT. Mean dose to the small bowel, genitalia, and femoral heads were significantly lower with VMAT, and similar with respect to bladder, pelvic bones, and normal tissues. Integral dose was comparable between the 2 techniques. VMAT plans required 36.8% fewer monitor units, and beam delivery time was shorter by 9 minutes. Conclusions Our results indicate that VMAT represents an ideal treatment modality for anal carcinoma, generating plans with excellent target coverage, lower doses to organs at risk, and shorter treatment times, in comparison to IMRT.
Relativistic energy levels, lifetimes, and transition probabilities for the sodium-like to argon-like sequences

Abstract Energy levels, lifetimes, and transition probabilities for transitions between computed levels are reported for the Na-like ( Z = 11, … , 26) to Ar-like ( Z = 18, … , 30) sequences. Several methods have been used—non-orthogonal spline CI, multiconfiguration Hartree–Fock (MCHF), and also multiconfiguration Dirac–Hartree–Fock (MCDHF). The first two methods included relativistic effects through the Breit–Pauli Hamiltonian, omitting only the orbit–orbit interaction. Both allowed (E1) and some forbidden (M1, E2, M2, E3) transitions are reported.
ATVB In Focus Endothelium: Signaling, Oxidative Stress, and Gene Expression

Studies of endothelium remain a cornerstone of research in vascular biology, having very broad potential and implications. At a basic level, this research attempts to understand the intricacies of normal biology of endothelial cells. Such knowledge should provide the foundation for understanding molecular mechanisms that contribute to and protect from endothelial dysfunction in disease states. Ultimately, this …
Stem cell differentiation as a many-body problem

Stem cell differentiation has been viewed as coming from transitions between attractors on an epigenetic landscape that governs the dynamics of a regulatory network involving many genes. Rigorous definition of such a landscape is made possible by the realization that gene regulation is stochastic, owing to the small copy number of the transcription factors that regulate gene expression and because of the single-molecule nature of the gene itself. We develop an approximation that allows the quantitative construction of the epigenetic landscape for large realistic model networks. Applying this approach to the network for embryonic stem cell development explains many experimental observations, including the heterogeneous distribution of the transcription factor Nanog and its role in safeguarding the stem cell pluripotency, which can be understood by finding stable steady-state attractors and the most probable transition paths between those attractors. We also demonstrate that the switching rate between attractors can be significantly influenced by the gene expression noise arising from the fluctuations of DNA occupancy when binding to a specific DNA site is slow.
On the quality of marine magnetic anomaly sources and sea-floor topography

Summary. The quality of marine magnetic anomaly sources is described with the power-density representation of a stochastic model of random temporal and spatial emplacement of the marine magnetic anomaly source in the oceanic crust. Typical values of sea-floor spreading and emplacement parameters define a high-fidelity process of recording and sea-surface detection of the palaeomagnetic field reversals for spreading rates over 20mmyr-'. An analogous stochastic model is developed for the formation of sea-floor topography by normal faulting. It is shown that the random process of normal faulting observed in the inner walls of the FAMOUS rift valley can account for the quality of the adjacent West Rift Mountains topography. Quality, as opposed to quantity, is a degree of excellence, relative nature or kind or character (Concise Oxford Dictionary of Clcrrent English). The signal-to-noise ratio is a measure of quality. In this paper we address the signal-to-noise ratio of sea-floor spreading magnetic anomaly sources. We use a stochastic model of discrete random temporal and spatial emplacement of magnetic source material in a spreading centre that records the ambient geomagnetic field behaviour, and show that the temporal aspect (i.e. the mean frequency of emplacement in a spreading centre) is critical to the quality of sea-floor spreading magnetic anomaly sources. It will be shown that the sea-floor topography generated by a stochastic process of extension or thinning of the brittle crust in response to discrete and random normal faulting in atspreading centre, can be treated as noise. The quality of sea-floor topography can be estimated and expressed in terms of mean fault density and crustal thinning as a measure of the tectonic processes which formed the topography.
Trafficking experiences and violence victimization of sex-trafficked young women in Cambodia.

This article focuses on trafficking of women and girls for commercial sex work (CSW) in Cambodia. It discusses characteristics and data of sex trafficking such as: age of girl or woman location parental participation and whether the case involved a female trafficker. In addition it provides data on violence victimization which includes: forced sexual acts sexual abuse beatings deprivation of food and movement and STI infection. It concludes that current evidence suggests that young trafficked women in Cambodia are vulnerable to sex trafficking primarily within their country and by individuals that include family members. Copyright © 2010 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Framework of an Adaptive Delay-Insensitive Asynchronous Platform for Energy Efficiency

Asynchronous circuits do not have the clock-related issues as in their synchronous counterparts, thereby enabling further design tradeoffs and in-operation adaptive adjustments for energy efficiency. This paper introduces the framework of a parallel delay-insensitive asynchronous platform implementing adaptive dynamic voltage scaling (DVS), which is based on the observation of system fullness and workload prediction. The voltage reference generator and the voltage regulator have been integrated with the Finite Impulse Response (FIR) cores using the IBM 130nm 8RF process. Results show that the platform exhibits energy savings across various input workload scenarios.
Adaptive fuzzy control: experiments and comparative analyses

Advances in nonlinear control theory have provided the mathematical foundations necessary to establish conditions for stability of several types of adaptive fuzzy controllers. However, very few, if any, of these techniques have been compared to conventional adaptive or nonadaptive nonlinear controllers or tested beyond simulation; therefore, many of them remain as purely theoretical developments whose practical value is difficult to ascertain. In this paper we develop three case studies where we perform a comparative analysis between the adaptive fuzzy techniques in Spooner and Passino (1995,1996) and some conventional adaptive and nonadaptive nonlinear control techniques. In each case, the analysis is performed both in simulation and in implementation, in order to show practical examples of how the performance of these controllers compares to conventional controllers in real systems.
Virginia's self-determination project: Assisting students with disabilities to become college and career ready

The Virginia Department of Education's I'm Determined project is a statewide initiative designed to engage students with disabilities as early as elementary school to learn and demonstrate self-determined skills. This article will focus on information and suggested strategies to use with middle and high school students to assist in their transitions to become college and career ready.
Perfect Competition and Endogenous Comparitive Advantage

This paper analyzes a dynamic Ricardian model of international trade in which relative differences in technology are endogenously determined by investments in innovation by competitive firms. It considers the impact of these investments on trade patterns and the effect of trade patterns on rates of innovation and growth. The main result is that the dynamic effects of trade need not be positive when both countries specialize investments in the goods in which they have a comparitive advantage. In addition, trade can lead to an inefficient pattern of specialization in innovation and have negative welfare effects.
Effects of d-amphetamine, monomethoxy amphetamines and hallucinogens on schedule controlled behavior

The effects of 16 drugs were studied in rats responding under fixed-ratio (FR 30) and fixed-interval (FI 2 minute) schedules of food presentation. The drugs tested included lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), dimethyltryptamine, mescaline, d-amphetamine and 12 methoxylated amphetamines. All of the drugs decreased the average rates of responding under both schedules, but their potencies varied widely. For example, with LSD, the most potent drug tested, doses of 0.1 to 0.3 mg/kg were sufficient to reduce responding while with dimethyltryptamine and mescaline, doses of 10 to 30 mg/kg were required to clearly reduce responding. For the 12 drugs which are known to produce hallucinogenic effects, their potencies in reducing responding were positively correlated with their reported potencies in producing these subjective effects in humans. Although all of the drugs decreased the average rates of responding, alterations in the patterns of responding under the FR and FI schedules varied among the drugs. Analysis of responding under the FI schedule indicated that d-amphetamine, m-methoxyamphetamine, p-methoxyamphetamine, LSD and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine generally increased the low rates of responding occurring at the beginning of each interval and decreased the high rates of responding occurring later in each interval (rate-dependent effects). The other drugs generally decreased responding throughout the interval. These results are discussed in terms of the known neurochemical effects of these drugs.
Reflecting on Software Engineering Research for Internet Computing

Now that 2015 has drawn to a close and 2016 is underway, what were the prominent Internet computing-related themes from last year's conferences? Here, Editor-in-Chief Brian Blake investigates.
An Improved System for Studying the Effect of Bordetella bronchiseptica on the Ciliary Activity of Canine Tracheal Epithelial Cells

Ciliated epithelial cell outgrowths from canine tracheal explants were used to study the interaction between Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine respiratory cilia. A sensitive system for quantitating the ciliary beat frequencies of an individual cell was used to study the effects of B. bronchiseptica on ciliary function. Phase I and intermediatephase B. bronchiseptica isolates produced significant reductions (>50%0) in ciliary beat frequencies within 5 min and nearly complete ciliostasis within 3 hr. A rough-phase isolate of B. bronchiseptica and heat- and formalin-killed preparations of the phase I isolate had no ciliostatic effect. Phase I and intermediate-phase isolates attached to cilia, whereas the rough-phase isolate did not. The ciliostatic effects of the phase I isolate could not be reproduced with endotoxin or culture supernatants from the organism. Thus, attachment alone does not produce ciliostasis; ciliostatic effects of Bordetella may require the close association between metabolically active organisms and cilia.
Gonadotropic Hormones. VII. Influence of length of period of administration of equine hormone.

SummaryThe administration over various periods of time of a known total dose of an extract of equine gonadotropic hormone to immature rats gave results different from those obtained with either sheep anterior lobe or chorionic gonadotropic hormones. Ovaries of about the same weight were obtained whether the injections were carried out for 5, 10, or 15 days, but as the period of injection was prolonged there was a progressive increase in uterine weight.
Zoospore Fine Structure of the Parasite Olpidiopsis Saprolegniae Variety Saprolegniae (Oomycetes, Lagenidiales)

ABSTRACTZoospore fine structure of Olpidiopsis saprolegniae var. saprolegniae was analyzed with light and transmission electron microscopy and was compared with that of other Oomycetes studied prev...
Analysis of microstructures and mechanical properties of super-SS400 in industrial production

The strength, ductility and toughness of a Super-SS400 in an industrial production were measured and the effect of parameters in TMCP on the microstructures of the steel was investigated by OM, SEM and TEM. The experimental results showed that the yield strength of the steel was over 400MPa , the tensile strength of steel was around 520MPa and the elongation was a-bout 30% when the finish rolling temperature was in the range of 780~810℃ and the coiling temperature was about 450℃. Mi-crostructural observation indicated that deformation induced ferrite transformation (DIPT) occurred in the rolling process and fine ferrite grains formed due to DIPT, the recrystallization of ferrite grains and accelerated cooling. The results also showed that the amount of bainite increased and rnartensite appeared , and the toughness of the steel decreased as the coiling temperature decreased. The strengthening mechanisms include the following: solid solution, fine-grain, substructure and multiple phase hardening.
Acoustic data-driven pronunciation lexicon generation for logographic languages

Handcrafted pronunciation lexicons are widely used in modern speech recognition systems. Designing a pronunciation lexicon, however, requires tremendous amount of expert knowledge and effort, which is not practical when applying speech recognition techniques to low resource languages. In this paper, we are interested in developing speech recognition systems for logographic languages with only a small expert pronunciation lexicon. An iterative framework is proposed to generate and refine the phonetic transcripts of the training data, which will then be aligned to their word-level transcripts for grapheme-to-phoneme (G2P) model training. The G2P model trained this way covers graphemes that appear in the training transcripts (most of which are usually unseen in a small expert lexicon for logographic languages), therefore is able to generate pronunciations for all the words in the transcripts. The proposed lexicon generation procedure is evaluated on Cantonese speech recognition and keyword search tasks. Experiments show that starting from an expert lexicon of only 1K words, we are able to generate a lexicon that works reasonably well when compared with an expert-crafted lexicon of 5K words.
The QuarkNet CMS masterclass: bringing the LHC to students

Abstract QuarkNet is an educational program which brings high school teachers and their students into the particle physics research community. The program supports research experiences and professional development workshops and provides inquiry-oriented investigations, some using real experimental data. The CMS experiment at the LHC has released several thousand proton-proton collision events for use in education and outreach. QuarkNet, in collaboration with CMS, has developed a physics masterclass and e-Lab based on this data. A masterclass is a day-long educational workshop where high school students travel to nearby universities and research laboratories. There they learn from LHC physicists about the basics of particle physics and detectors. They then perform a simple measurement using LHC data, and share their results with other students around the world via videoconference. Since 2011 thousands of students from over 25 countries have participated in the CMS masterclass as organized by QuarkNet and the International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG).We describe here the masterclass exercise: the physics, the online event display and database preparation behind it, the measurement the students undertake, their results and experiences, and future plans for the exercise.
Shadows on the Small Screen: The Televisuality and Generic Hybridity of Southern Gothic

Though many current and recent examples of Southern Gothic television fall into the category of supernatural and are organized around the conventions of the horror genre, they exhibit generic hybridity, remaining rooted in the grotesque, drawing heavily on the legacies of Southern Gothic literature, and encompassing the history and concerns of the South. The televisuality of the Southern Gothic series emphasizes the ambiguous contours of the vegetation-clothed landscape and the humidity of the climate, as well as the psychological states that underlie the text. The resulting admixtures of people and races, past and present, and literary source texts contribute to a blending and blurring of genre. Case studies include Carnivale, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, True Detective and American Horror Story Coven.
A statistical approach for isolating fossil fuel emissions in atmospheric inverse problems

Independent verification and quantification of fossil fuel (FF) emissions constitutes a considerable scientific challenge. By coupling atmospheric observations of CO2 with models of atmospheric transport, inverse models offer the possibility of overcoming this challenge. However, disaggregating the biospheric and FF flux components of terrestrial fluxes from CO2 concentration measurements has proven to be difficult, due to observational and modeling limitations. In this study, we propose a statistical inverse modeling scheme for disaggregating winter-time fluxes on the basis of their unique error covariances and covariates, where these covariances and covariates are representative of the underlying processes affecting FF and biospheric fluxes. The application of the method is demonstrated with one synthetic and two real data prototypical inversions by using in-situ CO2 measurements over North America. Inversions are performed only for the month of January, as predominance of biospheric CO2 signal relative to FF CO2 signal and observational limitations, preclude disaggregation of the fluxes in other months. The quality of disaggregation is assessed primarily through examination of a posteriori covariance between disaggregated FF and biospheric fluxes at regional scales. Findings indicate that the proposed method is able to robustly disaggregate fluxes regionally at monthly temporal resolution with a posteriori cross-covariance lower than 0.15 µmol m-2 sec-1 between FF and biospheric fluxes. Error covariance models and covariates based on temporally varying FF inventory data provide a more robust disaggregation over static proxies (e.g., nightlight intensity, population density). However, the synthetic data case study shows that disaggregation is possible even in absence of detailed temporally varying FF inventory data.
Bringing differential GPS to drones

I will discuss the use of multiple GPS receivers on drones for orientation estimation. The core challenge is in accurately computing the relative locations between each receiver pair, and translating these measurements into the drone's 3D orientation. Achieving good orientation accuracy requires the relative GPS distances to be accurate to a few centimeters -- a difficult task given that GPS today is only accurate to around 1-4 meters. Moreover, the accuracy needs to be precise even under sharp drone maneuvers, GPS signal blockage, and sudden bouts of missing data. In this talk, I will discuss the design of SafetyNet, an off-the-shelf GPS-only system that addresses these challenges through a series of techniques, culminating in a novel particle filter framework running over multi-GNSS systems (GPS, GLONASS, and SBAS). Results from real flight tests report median orientation accuracies of 2 degrees even under overcast weather conditions.
Large-Eddy Simulations of the Impact of Ground-Based Glaciogenic Seeding on Shallow Orographic Convection: A Case Study

AbstractThis study uses the WRF large-eddy simulation model at 100-m resolution to examine the impact of ground-based glaciogenic seeding on shallow (~2 km deep), cold-based convection producing light snow showers over the Sierra Madre in southern Wyoming on 13 February 2012, as part of the AgI Seeding Cloud Impact Investigation (ASCII). Detailed observations confirm that simulation faithfully captures the orographic flow, convection, and natural snow production, especially on the upwind side. A comparison between treated and control simulations indicates that glaciogenic seeding effectively converts cloud water in convective updrafts to ice and snow in this case, resulting in increased surface precipitation. This comparison further shows that seeding enhances liquid water depletion by vapor deposition, and enhances buoyancy, updraft strength, and cloud-top height. This suggests that the dynamic seeding concept applies, notwithstanding the clouds’ low natural supercooled liquid water content. But the simu...
The Misrepresentation of Adam Smith

The market evolved from the tug and pull of ego and empathy, the dynamic of our social brain. The market was created by the human brain—by like brains interacting with like brains. There is simply no other possible source. If markets were established and run on the basis of Newtonian mechanics, as once thought by most economists in the 19th century and some in the 20th century, we should expect to find them ready and waiting for us on the moon and Mars. After all, Newtonian principles apply there also. All we would have to do is move in and start using them. The thought is, of course, absurd. Markets are the expression of human social exchange activity. And they don’t exist independently of that activity.
Coupled Rate Control in the Dissolution of Electron Conducting Minerals

Coupled dissolution of metals, metal sulfides, and certain electron conducting oxides require an oxidant and in some cases both an oxidant and a complexing agent. Oxidants may be oxygen, ferric ion, peroxide or some other suitable oxidizing reagent. Typical complexing agents are cyanide ion in the case of gold, silver, and copper, ammonia/ammonium ion in the case of copper, and carbonate in the case of UO2. Experimental methods and results obtained for the initial dissolution of chalcocite in acid ferric sulfate solutions are presented. The separate anodic and cathodic processes are quantified using an electroless configuration with graphite as an inert cathode. The method described may be used to separate electrode processes involved in the leaching of a variety of electron conducting minerals.
Scalable Network Function Virtualization for Heterogeneous Middleboxes

Over the past decade, a wide-ranging collection of network functions in middleboxes has been used to accommodate the needs of network users. Although the use of general-purpose processors has been shown to be feasible for this purpose, the serial nature of microprocessors limits network functional virtualization (NFV) performance. In this paper, we describe a new heterogeneous hardware-software approach to NFV construction that provides scalability and programmability, while supporting significant hardware-level parallelism and reconfiguration. Our computing platform uses both field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) and microprocessors to implement numerous NFV operations that can be dynamically customized to specific network flow needs. As the number of required functions and their characteristics change, the hardware in the FPGA is automatically reconfigured to support the updated requirements. Traffic management and hardware reconfiguration functions are performed by a global coordinator which allows for the rapid sharing of middlebox state and continuous evaluation of network function needs. To evaluate our approach, a series of software tools and NFV modules have been implemented. Our system is shown to be scalable for collections of network functions exceeding one million shared states.
Abstract TP154: Recovery of Slow-5 Oscillations in a Longitudinal Study of Ischemic Stroke Patients

Introduction: Functional networks in resting-state fMRI are identified by characteristics of their intrinsic low-frequency oscillations, more specifically in terms of their synchronicity. In advanced aging and clinical populations, this synchronicity among functionally linked regions is known to decrease, which may be associated with the observed cognitive and behavioral changes. Previous work from our group has revealed oscillations at the slow-5 range (0.01-0.027 Hz) are particularly susceptible to disruptions in aging and stroke. Hypothesis: In this study, we aim to characterize longitudinally slow-5 oscillations in stroke patients for hope to observe a recovery of those impaired oscillations in the later stage of the stroke. Methods: We followed a group of ischemic stroke patients (n=20) and healthy older adults (n=14) over two visits separated by a minimum period of three months. For the stroke patients, one visit occurred in their subacute window (10 days to 6 months after stroke), the other happened over their chronic window (> 6 months after stroke). Using a groupICA on 10-minutes eyes-close resting-state fMRI data, we assessed the frequency distributions of component’s representative time-courses for differences between the two time-points, in particular in regards to slow-5 spectral power. Results: Slow-5 oscillations exhibited lower amplitudes in the stroke patient in their subacute stage in comparison to their healthy counterparts as was presented previously. Over time in their chronic stage, those patients show a recovery of those oscillations (p Conclusions: Our results indicate disrupted network dynamics in the subacute stroke population and demonstrate that return to normal level of spectral power by the chronic stage, potentially marking a recovery of the cortical system. This also verifies the implication of slow-5 oscillations in the integrity of network function in normal, but also in injured cortical systems.
Vector velocity imaging echocardiography to study the effects of submassive pulmonary embolism on the right atrium.

OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of submassive pulmonary embolism (SMPE) on right atrial (RA) anatomy and function. BACKGROUND Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is associated with adverse outcomes in SMPE. However, the effects of SMPE on the structure and function of the RA have received much less attention. METHODS Fifty patients with SMPE documented by CT angiography (SMPE group) and evidence of RVD on two-dimensional echocardiography were retrospectively identified and compared to 50 controls (control group). Both RA and RV areas, volumes and fractional area change (FAC) were measured. Pulmonary artery systolic pressures were estimated. RA and RV longitudinal strains were obtained using vector velocity imaging (VVI). RESULTS Compared with controls, RA and RV FACs were significantly reduced and associated with higher chamber volumes in the SMPE group. Global longitudinal RA strain was reduced in the SMPE group (29% + 11% vs 55% + 16%; P < .01), as was global RV longitudinal strain (-12% + 5% vs -20% + 5%, P < .01), when compared to the controls. A linear relationship existed between RV and RA strain in both groups; however, the curve was shifted downward among those with SMPE. Furthermore, ROC curve analysis suggests RA area performs better than RV area as a marker of SMPE. CONCLUSIONS RA structure and function are adversely affected in SMPE, similar to the effects observed in RV. Lower RA strain appears to be a novel quantitative indicator of SMPE, and RA area may be a more sensitive marker of this condition and may provide additional prognostic information in this condition.
A Gospel on the Move: Practice, Proclamation, and Place in Luke-Acts:

This essay takes up Luke’s invitation to follow the roads Jesus walked and the roads his followers traveled by exploring the literary and theological functions of movement, travel, hospitality, and...
Complications of Total Hip Arthroplasty in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis.

OBJECTIVE To compare the risks of complications of primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) between patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and those without AS. METHODS In this population-based study, we examined data from 1999 to 2013 of US Medicare beneficiaries (ages <75 years old) with AS and a comparison group without AS who had undergone primary THA. Complications were based on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2013 THA Complication Measure, which included myocardial infarction, pneumonia, or sepsis within 7 days; surgical site bleeding, pulmonary embolus, or venous thrombosis within 30 days; or mechanical complications or local infection within 90 days. Mortality within 90 days, revision arthroplasty within 1 year, long length of stay, discharge to a care facility, and readmission within 90 days were also examined. RESULTS The study included 2,773 patients with AS and 107,341 patients without AS who had THA. Perioperative complications, 30-day complications, and local infections were rare in both groups (<1%). Mechanical complications and revision arthroplasty were uncommon in both groups. Ninety-day mortality was lower among patients with AS than those without AS (0.36% versus 0.7%). Patients with AS were more likely to be discharged to a care facility, and slightly more likely to have a long length of stay. Likelihood of a long stay was lower at hospitals that performed ≥100 THAs per year, but other complications were not associated with hospital volume. CONCLUSION Complications after primary THA are uncommon in patients with AS and similar in frequency to those without AS. Ninety-day mortality was lower among patients with AS.
Surgical Management of Head and Neck Melanoma

Cutaneous malignancies are the most common group of cancers diagnosed in the head and neck. While basal and squamous cell carcinomas represent the most frequent diagnoses, cutaneous melanoma is responsible for the majority of disease-related mortality. Much of the data informing the workup and management of head and neck melanoma is extrapolated from large trials which include mostly trunk and extremity subsites. The anatomical constraints and intricacies of the head and neck region, however, require careful interpretation of the evidence to apply these treatment paradigms to care of the head and neck melanoma patient. Achieving appropriate resection margins and planning reconstructive efforts may present unique challenges. Sentinel node biopsy has proven to be safe and effective for regional nodal staging in the head and neck. Nonetheless, management of the cervical and parotid lymphatic basins requires a detailed understanding of the critical neurovascular structures involved and the potential drainage pathways. Similar to other sites, adjuvant therapy plays an important and expanding role in the management of head and neck melanoma. Clinical trials in systemic therapy, including immunomodulators and targeted inhibitors, provide future directions in the prevention and treatment of recurrent and metastatic disease. Currently, the management of head and neck melanoma requires a coordinated multidisciplinary approach and a comprehensive understanding of the available data to interpret and appropriately apply the evidence to individual patient care.